If you have ever read our blog articles then you probably know that a job interview is way more important than having a professionally written resume. More than that job seekers are to prepare for the upcoming interviews as all boils down to how you pass this ultimate test. So those who really want the job usually take time to prepare by researching information about the placement and the company. The information then is used as the foundation for answering some questions. The answers are meant to reveal to an interviewer that you have familiarized yourself with the company enough to give informed responses or comments to whatever HR says. The problem is that very often an interviewer would ask questions that have nothing to do with the company but are rather directed at your personality or professional skills. The answers to those tricky questions often define whether a candidate would be hired or disqualified.
'What Should I Say?'
Why should we hire you? This is one of the most frequently asked interview questions. This is the question that is meant to check what you've got to offer. The key to answering this question is to understand what they are looking for. But you shouldn't just repeat how you match the required qualification. If you know where the company is heading and you have some extra skills that could be helpful in achieving the goals of the company it will be a good time to mention them.
What are your weaknesses? When answering this interview question it is important to remember that you don't have to lie about your weaknesses. Hiring authorities will likely hire someone who can reflect about own skill set and weak points rather than someone who lies. We recommend to give an honest answer but also tell an interviewer about how you work at becoming better in specific areas of responsibility. Don't say anything like 'I am perfect' or 'I don't know about my weaknesses'.
Why do you want this job? Have you asked yourself this question? Most likely the reason will be because of your career aspirations, salary, and potential growth. This is all good but you need to align all of that with what the company requires. It is also important to show enthusiasm about the job - hiring authorities love candidates who are actually passionate about what they are doing. Lastly, it would be good if you could show that the opening makes sense in terms of your career direction.
Why did you leave your previous employer? When answering this question there is one thing you have to keep in mind - don't be negative about your former employer. Even if your past employer was so bad you want to tell the whole world how bad it was to work there. Don't blame anyone. If you really struggled at your previous work then you should say something about a company culture that you didn't find suitable. Or you could say something about the approaches the company used for managing people... But don't criticize; explain that you were not a good match for the company and that's it.
All About Principles
We highly recommend not taking these answers alone as they are given in the article but rather taking principles given in the article. Obviously, we cannot guarantee that after using these principles you will be automatically hired because there are way more factors involved in the decision making. But you can surely improve your chances of being realistically considered for the job.
Check our next set of interview questions-answers to know more.
