Common Job Interview Questions And How To Prepare

Job interviews are often stressful and worrying experiences for many candidates, but for those who have prepared and thought about the answers they can give to possible questions should find the experience a lot easier. Candidates who have attended several interviews previously may suffer from a lack of confidence having failed in other interviews, but they will often find many questions are the same or quite similar and therefore should be better prepared. For candidates who are not used to job interviews it is even more important to think about likely questions and be able to provide satisfactory answers without hesitation. The following list includes common questions asked by many interviewers and how to prepare answers;
Tell me about yourself: the interviewer will want to know more about the real and not what they have already read in the resume so tell them about the kind of person you are. Talk about your previous achievements, in particular from previous jobs which are relevant to the position you have applied for and any outstanding achievements such as from sports or other personal activities. Always give examples, just saying you are a high achiever or a leader means absolutely nothing without proof so you must back up these claims. Think about what they are looking for in this job and emphasise the qualities and attributes which are relevant.
Why do you want this job: do your research into the job and also the company and prepare answers to explain why you are suited to both. Salary may be an attraction but talking about money will not often create a good impression, instead talk about career prospects and progression, what you can bring to the them and what your aims and objectives are.
Why did you leave / are looking to leave your previous / current employer: the answer may well be redundancy, which is self-explanatory. If have or are looking to resign then be honest about the reasons but try not to be too negative about the company, talk about the positives; what have you learned from working there and how those skills and experiences can benefit a new employer. Talk about your ambitions and how you want to achieve them.
Gaps in employment: gaps are usually covered in a resume, however an interviewer will want to know, if you have been out of work for a long period of time, why and what you have been doing. If your finances allowed for a break explain this and what you have been doing for example; property renovation, voluntary work, travelling, looking after children etc. If you have been in temporary work again tell the interviewer and although unemployment can be a difficult time always try to turn the negatives into positives.
What are your strengths and weaknesses: think about the qualities you have demonstrated in previous jobs such as achieving targets, working to strict deadlines, resolving conflicts in the work place, providing excellent customer service. Do not just reel off a list of strengths you think they will be looking for and always give examples. When talking about your weaknesses, just be honest, you will not fail if you admit to having weaknesses and the worst answer you can give to say none or even worse ‘I’m a perfectionist’. We all have weaknesses but the important thing is to identify them and to work to overcome them, tell the interviewer how you are working towards this.
Interviews can vary greatly from one company to another and we have all been caught out with some bizarre and awkward questions but the above questions are common in most interviews, sometimes not asked in the same format but these are questions every interviewer should want answering.

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