So you are applying for a new job and you are preparing yourself for the job interview. As this is a stressful task for any employee, take a quick moment to read over the following interview questions to reacquaint yourself with what might be asked and to prepare yourself with responses that will make you stand out from other candidates.

1. What kind of job are you looking for?

Know what role you are apply for within the company and why you want to be employed in this role. It is important to state this with confidence so the employer knows you are serious about working for their company.

2. What do you know about our company?

Make it your priority to research the company’s history, their clients and key members of their team, the more you know about the company the better. This also gives you the opportunity to compliment the company, eg. I am excited to work for your company, as one of it’s main values is it’s strong team environment, I believe with this kind of support I will have the opportunity to be constantly learning and growing as an employee .

3. What are your strengths and weaknesses?

This question is great as it allows you to sell yourself as an employee as well as admitting your faults, take time explaining your strengths and when discussing your weaknesses remember to specifically mention how you can consolidate them, eg. Although I enjoy working in a team and think it is important to bounce ideas off other employees, I do work best on my own when I can focus on the task at hand.

4. Why did you leave your last company?

It is really important to be able to clearly articulate the answer to this question. For example, if you lost your last position due to downsizing associated with COVID-19, it is human nature to wonder ‘why did they choose you’. This is the sort of question that therefore needs preparation, because by answering it well you can immediately downplay any doubts that someone might secretly have.

At all costs, refrain from talking bad about your current employer, it does not look good to an employer who is considering employing you to work for theirs.

5. Where do you see yourself in five years?

Keep this question career focused rather than mentioning travel or children or anything else that may indicate you will no longer be working with the company. Don’t be shy to aim high, as staying in the same role shows lack of motivation to succeed.

6. What attracted you to this role?

With this question, you have the opportunity to compare your current role and your new role, as well as being able to mention that the new role will give you the opportunity to grow as an employee, and the experience to work in a different company. Also again, feel free to fall back to the company’s values and policies that you admire.

7. Why do you want to work for our company?

Know exactly what the company does, what specifically your role will entail and the company’s values and fall on these when stating why you want to work for their company.

8. What are your interests outside of work? 

This question allows the employer to get to know you as a person, so feel free to have fun with this question and if you play a sport, mention the team or if you’re a movie or book buff what types of genres you specifically enjoy. As many people do enjoy the odd drink, it’s best not to mention that you enjoy partying every weekend.

9. What are your expectations for us as your employer?

Be practical with these expectations. Fall on expectations such as support and opportunity to learn and gain experience. Stray from mentioning salary in this question, as employers will not be interested in knowing that it is the primary reason for an employee to take on the role.

10. How do you believe your skills and experiences relate to this role?

This is a very important question in the interview and a really good selling point for yourself. The employer will be interested in knowing what roles you have previously worked in, and what experience you have gained, whether it be internships, volunteer work, travel etc. Explain specifically how all the experiences you have gained has equipped you for this job.

And after all of that if you still aren’t sure on the best way to respond to a certain question during a interview make sure you ask your consultant, after all it’s in our best interest that your well prepared for interview.

11. Were you part of a successful team? What was your role in this success?

Very few people are successful because of their own self-efforts, success is almost always the result of being part of a team. This is what someone asking this sort of question wants to know. For example, a sales person might have achieved targets, but this is only possible when all other aspects of the company are working together as well. If the product team doesn’t do their job properly, it is likely that success is far more difficult. Humbly describing successes in relation to the input from others goes a long way in the eyes of many hiring managers.