Top 9 Interview Questions
Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2024 10:31 am
What does the employer really want to know?
cover-9-most-common-interview-questions-647fce479d184084831046-min-64cceab96cf16683421961.jpg
Mikulski
Emilia Mikulska,
journalist Laba
The most stressful stage of job searching is the job interview. You can be a great specialist, have the best qualifications on the market, but lose in the crossfire of questions to stress. Because the job interview tests not only your hard skills, but also your resistance to stress and the ability to present yourself.
How can you make this dreaded part of the hiring process a little less intimidating? Get ready! We’ve collected the most popular interview questions for you and translated them into what recruiters expect. What is your potential employer really looking to find out with these standard interview questions? You’ll find the answers in our article.
#1. What can you tell me about your experience?
This question, or a variation of it, very often opens a job interview . Does this mean that the recruiter or manager conducting the meeting has not read the documents you sent in your application? Of course not. They have certainly already studied your CV, cover letter, portfolio, and profiles on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and maybe even Nasza Klasa. The recruiter knows more about you than your own mother, so reciting information from your CV, point by point georgia telephone number data is not a good response strategy .
Your future employer wants to learn more and be convinced that you are the perfect candidate for the job at their company . Use this question to wrap the dry facts on your resume into an interesting story of development. Show which of your previous experiences will be useful for the position you are applying for. This is a great opportunity to “connect the dots” on your resume and explain any issues that may be of concern to the recruiter.
Related courses:
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«Public Speaking Techniques»
Piotr Szekowski
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jolanta-66fd2c5630f5f691219631.webp
You took a year off work to travel around the world? Tell us what that experience gave you. You quit your previous job after just a few months? Explain why you made that decision. Did you change industries? Explain your motivation.
This seemingly unimportant question can win the recruiter's sympathy right from the start and influence their decision later on . Who doesn't like to hear good stories? Make yours good enough for the recruiter to not only qualify you for the next stage of the recruitment process, but also keep their fingers crossed for your success!
#2. What are your greatest weaknesses?
Is this question a trick question? Of course. But not in the way you think. When telling a recruiter about their weaknesses, no one starts bragging about how lazy or argumentative they are. We have enough common sense to ignore traits that clearly work to our disadvantage. The trap of this question is that we may think we have found the perfect answer - disguising an advantage as a disadvantage . Many candidates use this technique and choose an apparent weakness that is, in fact, an advantage in the position they are applying for. Perfectionism, excessive meticulousness, talkativeness, or a tendency to take risks - depending on the position, these traits can be treated as disadvantages or be very desirable.
Why is this not the best strategy? Because by answering in this way, we are underestimating the intelligence of the recruiter . The person recruiting for the accounting position is perfectly aware that perfectionism and meticulousness are desirable traits in the industry, so it is not worth insulting their intelligence. A much better answer is to point out a real weakness, but one that you are trying to overcome. Show the recruiter that you are aware of your shortcomings and talk about what you are doing to fill them.
#3. What are your greatest strengths?
Answering this question is a pleasure for some, and a source of great discomfort for others. Regardless of whether you like talking about yourself or not, you certainly won't avoid it during a job interview.
The key to a good answer to this question is examples. Don't just say you're a good leader, show it! Tell about a time when your leadership skills contributed to the team's success. Are you a great organizer or do you perform well in crisis situations? List a few examples where these traits helped you at work or in life. Don't give a long list of general advantages, but focus on a few that are key to the role you're applying for and prove that you have them.
We recommend reading:
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#4. Where do you see yourself in five years?
Candidates approach this question in two ways. Some want to show their ambition and predict that in five years they will take on a management position (whether they believe it or not is a separate issue), others prefer not to pose a potential threat to the person they are talking to who may hold the position in question and aim more modestly.
When answering this question, it is worth remembering what its purpose is . The recruiter or manager who asks it does not do it out of fear for their own job, or to check how much the candidate believes in themselves, but to assess whether their plans are consistent with the company's plans. It is best to answer honestly and talk about your professional goals and ambitions, even if they are not fully specified. It is worth emphasizing how the new job fits into our plan and what goals it will help achieve.
#5. Why do you want to change jobs?
Warning: This question is very dangerous. There are many mistakes you can make when answering it . The worst mistake is complaining about your current employer. Never, ever talk about how bad it is to work at your current company, how difficult your boss is, or how hard it is for you to get along with your coworkers. Such an answer is a red flag for a potential employer. If you are spreading unfavorable stories about your ex-boss, your new employer can expect you to talk about him in the same way in your future interviews.
Besides, the person you are talking to is aware that they are only hearing your side of the story . Even if you tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, there is no guarantee that your interviewer will believe it. Talking about arguments with your boss or coworkers can backfire and paint you in a bad light, because how is the interviewer supposed to know that you are not the source of the conflict?
cover-9-most-common-interview-questions-647fce479d184084831046-min-64cceab96cf16683421961.jpg
Mikulski
Emilia Mikulska,
journalist Laba
The most stressful stage of job searching is the job interview. You can be a great specialist, have the best qualifications on the market, but lose in the crossfire of questions to stress. Because the job interview tests not only your hard skills, but also your resistance to stress and the ability to present yourself.
How can you make this dreaded part of the hiring process a little less intimidating? Get ready! We’ve collected the most popular interview questions for you and translated them into what recruiters expect. What is your potential employer really looking to find out with these standard interview questions? You’ll find the answers in our article.
#1. What can you tell me about your experience?
This question, or a variation of it, very often opens a job interview . Does this mean that the recruiter or manager conducting the meeting has not read the documents you sent in your application? Of course not. They have certainly already studied your CV, cover letter, portfolio, and profiles on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and maybe even Nasza Klasa. The recruiter knows more about you than your own mother, so reciting information from your CV, point by point georgia telephone number data is not a good response strategy .
Your future employer wants to learn more and be convinced that you are the perfect candidate for the job at their company . Use this question to wrap the dry facts on your resume into an interesting story of development. Show which of your previous experiences will be useful for the position you are applying for. This is a great opportunity to “connect the dots” on your resume and explain any issues that may be of concern to the recruiter.
Related courses:
Business and management
«Public Speaking Techniques»
Piotr Szekowski
Actor and public speaking trainer
Learn more
piotr-szekowski-63281b46c5edb895970409-min-648b06b99ff4a557159074.png
Business and management
«Project Management»
Jolanta Kuruc
Senior Project Manager at Kyndryl
Learn more
jolanta-66fd2c5630f5f691219631.webp
You took a year off work to travel around the world? Tell us what that experience gave you. You quit your previous job after just a few months? Explain why you made that decision. Did you change industries? Explain your motivation.
This seemingly unimportant question can win the recruiter's sympathy right from the start and influence their decision later on . Who doesn't like to hear good stories? Make yours good enough for the recruiter to not only qualify you for the next stage of the recruitment process, but also keep their fingers crossed for your success!
#2. What are your greatest weaknesses?
Is this question a trick question? Of course. But not in the way you think. When telling a recruiter about their weaknesses, no one starts bragging about how lazy or argumentative they are. We have enough common sense to ignore traits that clearly work to our disadvantage. The trap of this question is that we may think we have found the perfect answer - disguising an advantage as a disadvantage . Many candidates use this technique and choose an apparent weakness that is, in fact, an advantage in the position they are applying for. Perfectionism, excessive meticulousness, talkativeness, or a tendency to take risks - depending on the position, these traits can be treated as disadvantages or be very desirable.
Why is this not the best strategy? Because by answering in this way, we are underestimating the intelligence of the recruiter . The person recruiting for the accounting position is perfectly aware that perfectionism and meticulousness are desirable traits in the industry, so it is not worth insulting their intelligence. A much better answer is to point out a real weakness, but one that you are trying to overcome. Show the recruiter that you are aware of your shortcomings and talk about what you are doing to fill them.
#3. What are your greatest strengths?
Answering this question is a pleasure for some, and a source of great discomfort for others. Regardless of whether you like talking about yourself or not, you certainly won't avoid it during a job interview.
The key to a good answer to this question is examples. Don't just say you're a good leader, show it! Tell about a time when your leadership skills contributed to the team's success. Are you a great organizer or do you perform well in crisis situations? List a few examples where these traits helped you at work or in life. Don't give a long list of general advantages, but focus on a few that are key to the role you're applying for and prove that you have them.
We recommend reading:
5-63ff7a51ab79a256275836-min-645e2770c7b53306125040.jpg
Article
How to build good habits?
Read
#4. Where do you see yourself in five years?
Candidates approach this question in two ways. Some want to show their ambition and predict that in five years they will take on a management position (whether they believe it or not is a separate issue), others prefer not to pose a potential threat to the person they are talking to who may hold the position in question and aim more modestly.
When answering this question, it is worth remembering what its purpose is . The recruiter or manager who asks it does not do it out of fear for their own job, or to check how much the candidate believes in themselves, but to assess whether their plans are consistent with the company's plans. It is best to answer honestly and talk about your professional goals and ambitions, even if they are not fully specified. It is worth emphasizing how the new job fits into our plan and what goals it will help achieve.
#5. Why do you want to change jobs?
Warning: This question is very dangerous. There are many mistakes you can make when answering it . The worst mistake is complaining about your current employer. Never, ever talk about how bad it is to work at your current company, how difficult your boss is, or how hard it is for you to get along with your coworkers. Such an answer is a red flag for a potential employer. If you are spreading unfavorable stories about your ex-boss, your new employer can expect you to talk about him in the same way in your future interviews.
Besides, the person you are talking to is aware that they are only hearing your side of the story . Even if you tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, there is no guarantee that your interviewer will believe it. Talking about arguments with your boss or coworkers can backfire and paint you in a bad light, because how is the interviewer supposed to know that you are not the source of the conflict?