Interview Questions Tips - From our friends at About.com
Top Ten: Common and Behavioral Interview Questions from our friends at about.com
1. What is your greatest strength? - Best Answers
This is one of the questions that employers almost always ask. When you are asked about your greatest strengths, it's important to discuss the attributes that will qualify you for the specific job and set you apart from the other candidates.
2. What is your greatest weakness? - Best Answers
Another typical question interviewers will ask is about about your weaknesses. Do your best to frame your answers around positive aspects of your skills and abilities as an employee.
3. Why are you leaving or have left your job? - Best Answers
When asked about why you are moving on, stick with the facts, be direct and focus your interview answer on the future, especially if your leaving wasn't under the best of circumstances.
4. Tell me about yourself. - Best Answers
Here’s how to answer questions about you without giving out too much – or too little – personal information. Start by sharing some of your personal interests which don't relate directly to work.
5. Why do you want this job? - Best Answers
This question gives you an opportunity to show the interviewer what you know about the job and the company. Be specific about what makes you a good fit for this role, and mention aspects of the company and position that appeal to you.
6. Why should we hire you? - Best Answers
Are you the best candidate for the job? Be prepared to say why. Make your response a concise sales pitch that explains what you have to offer the employer, and why you should get the job.
7. How do you handle stress and pressure? - Best Answers
What do you do when things don’t go smoothly at work? The best way to respond to this question is to give an example of how you have handled stress in a previous job.
8. Describe a difficult work situation / project and how you overcame it. - Best Answers
The interviewer wants to know what you do when you face a difficult decision. As with the question about stress, be prepared to share an example of what you did in a tough situation.
9. How do you evaluate success? - Best Answers
What does success mean to you? A question like this gives your potential employer a sense of your work ethic, your goals, and your overall personality. Consider the company and your role and formulate an answer based on those and your personal values and goals.
10. What are your goals for the future? - Best Answers
This question is designed to find out if you’re going to stick around or move on as soon as you find a better opportunity. Keep your answer focused on the job and the company you’re interviewing with.
Here are some related questions that you may be asked during a job interview that require some thought to answer. Consider how you'd respond so you're as prepared as possible to answer the hiring manager's questions.
· Do you work well with other people?
· What are your salary expectations?
· What can you do better for us than the other applicants?
Top 10 Behavioral Interview Questions
· Tell me about how you worked effectively under pressure.
· How do you handle a challenge? Give an example.
· Have you ever made a mistake? How did you handle it?
· Give an example of a goal you reached and tell me how you achieved it.
· Describe a decision you made that wasn't popular and how you handled implementing it.
· Give an example of how you set goals and achieve them.
· Give an example of how you worked on team.
Behavioral Interview Tips
· What do you do if you disagree with someone at work?
· Share an example of how you were able to motivate employees or co-workers.
· Have you handled a difficult situation? How?
· More behavioral interview questions.
Quick Tip
To help you prepare for these kinds of questions, take the time to review the job requirements, and make a list of the skills that you have that closely match them. Then write down examples of when you applied those skills during a work, school, or volunteer situation. Here's how to match your qualifications to the job.
More About Behavioral Job Interviews
Here's more information on behavioral job interviews, including behavioral job interview questions, how to prepare for a behavioral interview, and techniques and strategies for acing a behavioral job interview.
*All information is provided as a resource and does not guarantee employment from Plaza college or About.com