Wayne Brophy
Jul 19, 2023
Interview Questions Guide
Advice + Tools
Successful candidates are not 'lucky', they spend time preparing for an interview.
Being able to put together strong answers to interview questions is key in landing your next role.
It's unlikely that you'll know exactly what questions will be asked of you in an interview but having answers prepared for commonly asked questions is the next best thing.
We've put together a list of the most frequently asked interview questions which you should think about how you answer ahead of your interview.
1
Personality
- Tell me something about yourself?
- What do you do outside of work?
- What are your key strengths?
- What do you consider to be your weaknesses?
- Why should we hire you?
- How would members of your team describe you?
2
Career history and motivations
- What brings you to the job market at this point in your career?
- What are you looking for in a new career?
- Describe two major achievements in your career
- If you could change anything about your career so far, what would it be?
- Why was there a gap in your employment history?
- What does sucess mean to you?
- What are the key things that drive or motivate you?
- Where do you see yourself in two to five years' time?
- What are your career aspirations?
- If you could have your time again, what career would you choose?
3
Motivations towards the company and role
- How did you find out about this position?
- Why would you like to work for this company in particular?
- What do you know about the company?
- What attracts you to this role?
- What do you think this company could do better or differently?
4
Working styles
- What important points came out of your last appraisal?
- Describe your management style
- What do you look for in a manager?
- What really winds you up in the workplace?
- Describe your greatest challenge so far
- Describe your preferred company culture
- How did you handle your most difficult client?
- Give examples of where you've gone the extra mile in your job?
- How do you deal with stress or pressure at work?
5
Questions to ask the interviewer
It's more than likely that the interviewer will ask you if have any questions for them. At this point you should focus on issues that are important to you combined with showing an interest in the company and what is expected of a person in the position.
Here's a few good examples of questions you can ask:
6
About the role
- How has the vacancy arisen?
- What are the objectives and responsibilities of the position?
- What do you see as the key challenges for this role?
- How are employees measured in terms of performance for this role?
- What are the department's priorities during the next six months?
- What processes exist to support employees in their career development?
7
About the company
- How would you describe the working environment / company culture?
- What do you like the most about working here?
- How would you describe the firm / company's values?
- How do you differentiate yourselves from competitors?
- What are the organisation's major business objectives in the coming year?
- What key issues currently face the organisation?
- What can I expect to be involved in during my first six months of joining?
- When can I expect to hear from you and what are the next steps?
