Common interview questions..
What do you know about our business:
This is your chance to demonstrate that you’ve done your research before attending the interview.
99% of companies have websites so use this to your advantage, research the companies products, values and history as well as browse their news feed and social media pages for recent events etc.
By demonstrating you’ve done research and know the products, it gives a good first impression.
Tell me about you:
‘Tell me about you’ is a common question asked in interviews because your interviewers want to know more about you and what it is that motivates you. As well as finding out more about you, interviewers also use this question to see how you present yourself!
Sometimes, when asked this question people can go off on a tangent so it’s important you stay focussed and try not to go off topic too much. Remember what position your interviewing for and talk about your work and life experiences which makes you relevant for the role.
What can you bring to the role:
This is a way of asking you your strengths and what attributes you can bring to the company.
Keep your answers precise and try to back them up with examples. Remember the role your recruiting for and keeping your answers relevant. For example, if you were interviewing for a customer focussed role, attributes employers will look for when interviewing would be communication skills.
What are your weaknesses:
The best way to answer this question is to take one of your weaknesses, and then talk about how you’ve addressed it. Everyone has weaknesses and employers recognise this, however it’s important to show you recognise this!
Don’t reel off a list of weaknesses, keep it positive and demonstrate actions that you have taken to overcome a weakness.
Why we should employ you:
This is your chance to demonstrate why you want the job and why you are the right candidate!
Use the job spec you were given prior to interview to help you with this and talk about how your skills and experience align with the spec and how your experience would benefit their company.
Salary Expectations:
Be precise.
Most of us go to work to earn a living and we tend to have an idea of what are expectations are and its important we disclose these in interview.
Being asked about salary expectations can be daunting, but by being vague or giving a salary banding rather than a precise figure you should be prepared that if you get it a job offer it may not be at the salary you want!
If you’re precise, all parties will know where they stand and when you get a job offer it should be at the salary you expect.
Have you got questions for us?
This question is often asked at the end of interviews and it’s always a good idea to have questions to ask. Ask questions about the specific role, the team, the key challenges and maybe about the business.
Asking questions demonstrates confidence, commercial acumen and ultimately will allow you to find out more about the business.