It is always a good thing to rehearse beforehand for your interview. This simply involves preparing answers to common questions that the interviewer is likely to ask. You may opt to conduct a mock interview with a trusted friend as a form of practice.
Generally speaking, there are going to be certain questions that you can pretty much expect to get asked at any interview you may attend. The great thing is ,therefore, that you can rehearse your answers to these questions and with enough practice they will flow off your tongue with absolute ease. These are standard interview questions that are likely to be fired at all candidates applying for the job.
There are also some very tough and difficult questions and you must be prepared for them. Generally, these questions aren’t asked to make your life difficult.
They are meant to allow the interviewer to find out what he or she wants to know in the best possible way. When you are posed with a difficult question, which you find awkward to answer, it puts you under pressure.
Therefore, there may be certain questions that are delivered to you to see how well you cope. Just remember there is no need to get worked up or frightened. If you have done your research and prepared properly for the interview, these questions won’t be as difficult as you think.
When a question is posed to you, try to stay calm. Think about the question for a brief moment and answer accordingly.
Here are 30 possible interview questions including some really tricky ones. The responses proposed are only meant to serve as a guide. They also highlight what you should avoid saying when asked each question. While they may be helpful, they are not meant to be standard answers and under no condition must you memorise them.
1. Tell me about yourself
Simple as it may sound, this question can be problematic because respondents tend to give long, winding and irrelevant answers. The interviewer is not interested in your hometown, your favourite cartoons and your football team. Preferably, try and keep this part of the interview as brief as possible by focusing on your kind of personality and career related competencies. For example, you could say “I am a very organised person who enjoys finding a new prospect, working with it and closing the deal. I have the ability to work on transactions from start to finish.” This question is really about your unique selling proposition and allows your interviewer(s) to know what you bring that makes you different from all others.
2. What is the biggest challenge you’ve ever faced in your career?
You are more than likely to be asked this question and it is a really great opportunity to sell yourself. Identify a challenging situation in which you have been successful and explain how you overcame it and what the outcome was. The interviewer may be seeking to gauge what you consider to be a challenge. Your example must be one in which the task was really daunting.
3. Why do you want to leave your present job?
Many people will be trying to leave a job because they can’t stand what they do, dislike their boss or simply want better conditions. However, your focus in an interview should be on the future. Consider giving an answer like “I have had a great time in the five years that I have been with my current employers. I have learnt so much, forged great relationships and will definitely have fond memories of my time there. I ,however, seek a new challenge and feel that I could make a significant contribution in a company like this that is larger and has a comprehensive portfolio of products.” Whatever you do, avoid being negative about the job you are leaving.
4. What do you know about this organisation?
You probably may have done your research and read up about what the company is involved in; its products, its turnover, its strategy among others. You will really impress your interviewer if you are able to show that you have this kind of knowledge. As a rule, people like to think that if you are really eager to work for them, you will have done some research about what they do and how they do it. A person who is being interviewed for a job at Legacy & Legacy is likely to make a good impression with an answer like, “I notice from your mission that this company is focused on the development of human capital through the use of knowledge-based products and services. This is something I have been passionate about all my life. Moreover, considering my personal values, it would be great to work for an employer who is committed to blending professionalism with integrity and excellence.”
5. What made you apply for this job?
This is a bit of a double-edged question. Your interviewer isn’t necessarily looking for an answer here that is straightforward. You know you are applying for the job because you think you would enjoy doing it, the package is right and you think you would be able to advance your career with this firm, but the interviewer wants to see if there are some specifics that really attract you to it other than the salary and perks. So dependent upon what the role is, you could use an answer such as “I am a very well organised person and this role involves exceptional management skills. I thrive under pressure and it makes me perform to my full ability which makes me think that I would really enjoy it.”
6. What qualities do you think you can bring to this job position?
You will have reviewed the job specifications and the key responsibilities and therefore be in a position to select key areas where you feel your qualities will stand out. Do not just mention titles and positions held. If you led a team of three fund managers to build an investment fund from GH¢100,000 to GH¢3.5million in three years, this is your best time to let them know. It the job relates to children, you could say, “I just love children. I have taught in Sunday school for five years and gained considerable experience in dealing with different categories of children. In the process, I have acquired specialized communication skills and an understanding of the unique needs of children that will put me in really good stead in managing this children’s playground.”
7. How long would you expect to work for our organisation?
No employer wants to go through the hassle and cost of hiring and training a new candidate only for them to leave to another firm after six months. The recruitment process is a long and expensive one. It’s probably a good idea therefore to intimate that you would like to work for this firm for quite a number of years. You could therefore say, “I admire the philosophy of this company and I am confident that I will enjoy working here and will develop myself while adding value to the brand. I would therefore like to be part of that success on a long-term basis.”
8. How well do you handle criticism?
Everyone gets criticised in the job they do. The candidate must show that they are not defensive or argumentative. An ideal answer to this question might be “Some of the best ideas I have worked with in the past were a result of customer complaints and criticisms I learnt from. I am passionate about continuous improvement and always welcome ideas or criticism that would help me understand my stakeholders better and improve in the process.”
9. What is your greatest strength?
This is a question only you can answer and it is more than likely to come up. After all, the interviewer wants to know what you are good at. This question gives you a seemingly open mandate to really sell your abilities. However, be careful about overindulgence. Highlight specific and verifiable abilities, like the ability to grow a diverse network of corporate clients and expertise in public speaking. The more connected these strengths are to the job on offer, the better it will be for your chances.
10. What is your biggest weakness?
No one wants to show their weaknesses but we all have them. The most comprehensive way of dealing with this question is to try and turn a weakness into a “positive.” So you could perhaps say “I easily become forgetful when I get excited about something so I tend to prepare detailed checklists in my dairy and to keep it close by everywhere I go.”
• Albert & Comfort Ocran are Management Consultants, Executive Coaches and Authors of several personal development books including the bestseller, “Career Starter Pack” and the latest “Speak Like A Pro.” E-mail: