Three Dreaded Interview Questions
A job interview can be a daunting task for many people, and
as a result, there are many guides and help pages to be found online all
designed to help you answer certain questions properly. In this article, we
don't intend to tell you how you should answer certain questions, more to
advise you how not to answer three of the more daunting interview questions,
and to suggest methods how you can find the answers. So here we have three
dreaded interview questions:
What are your weaknesses?
Don't be afraid to list negatives about yourself, but only
those you can turn into a positive. They don't want to know if you leave
toenail clippings on the coffee table, but they also don't want to hear the
common answer found on the internet; "I pay far too much attention to
detail... so much so i'll stay at work 'til 10pm blah blah blah." They
want to find out about you, and as a member of the human race, you will have
weaknesses. You cannot 'google' the answer to this question, instead, ask your
partner, parents or siblings and see what positives can be drawn out of your
negative aspects.
Why
should we give you this job over our other applicants?
This is a tricky question to answer because as the
interviewee, you know nothing of the other applicants and it's not your
decision. However they are not asking for your advice, they are trying to
ascertain that you understand the job description and would like to hear how
you feel your skills relate to it. This question isn't always asked but it one
you should always prepare for, otherwise you could appear that you don't really
understand the job you're being interviewed for.
Do you have any questions?
This question, I have in the past found particularly tricky.
It is normal for everything about the package and the job itself to be
explained throughout the course of the interview and 'do you have any
questions?' always comes towards the end of the interview. By making a list
of questions and referring to it will show that you've done some advance
planning, but don't produce a list of 'What is the pay?', 'How many holidays do
I get?', 'Do you pay sick leave?' as these are all 'me, me, me' and will have
likely already been explained to you.
What you cannot ascertain throughout the interview is the
work culture and atmosphere of the organisation. Is it the type of workplace
which has the radio playing, or constant gossip?. You can also ask how they
measure performance, through either time sheets, regular appraisals, etc. It
takes balls, but asking them outright if they feel you are suited to this role
shows that you are open to criticism and openly seek feedback. It also gives
you the opportunity to iron out any misconceptions they may have and to
reinstate why you feel you are suitable for the role applied for.
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