Prepare for these 9 Questions to Nail any Job Interview

If you have an upcoming job interview you need to prepare these questions. You can be sure that you will have to answer at least 5 of these questions in any job interview so it is best to prepare and give good answers . As a hiring manager, I use  these questions to check if the candidate is prepared, self-aware and has a clear vision of their career path.

Please be aware that there are no trick questions or cheat sheets to help you through  the interview. There is no ideal answer - just the correct and honest one. Be clear about your ambitions and state them. For example, there is nothing wrong  with telling your interviewer that you want to be a contributor to the workforce as a developer and have no ambition to manage a team.

Tell me more about yourself?

This is often an ice breaker question to make you more comfortable and to put you at ease. The idea is to share a short overview of yourself and your experience.  Be factual and succinct . Give your name, the city you are living in, short education overview. Share a short list of your job experience (if you have any) and some family information. Do not share extremely  personal information or specifics that are not vital to this position.

Example:  My name is Robert and I live in Amsterdam. I have a Masters  degree in Economics at the Amsterdam University and have worked with the City of Amsterdam for the past 2 years as an accounting assistant.

Why are you looking for a job change?

This question is not about your past job. It is an assessment to see what keeps you motivated to stay with your employer. Do not fall into the trap of bashing your past ( or current) employer and preferably do not be negative about your past employer. If you are negative about your past / current employer you can state this as “incompatible personalities”.  Be clear about the things you want to learn and your career goals.

Example: My current employer offered me the opportunity to develop my potential in software engineering. At the moment I am ready take the next step towards team leading. My current employer does not offer this kind of role. Your organization is  an excellent place to develop these skills and to learn more.

What are your strengths?

This question is intended to see how self-aware you are. In the case of a consulting position this can also be a test to demonstrate how good you are in selling yourself. Make sure your strengths are real and aligned with your appearance and the role you are applying for.

Example: I am result driven, generating creative new ideas, commercial insight and have a positive attitude towards my co-worker and customers.  

What are your weaknesses?

Again this is a question to test your self-awareness . Be honest and do not state obvious weaknesses that can be turned into a positive. The answer has to match your personality. Show some vulnerabilities of yourself that are aligned with your strengths and have a link to the role you are applying for.  

For example: I love to start new things but have to motivate myself to finish things. Sometimes I am not very motivated to work on things that are not interesting to me.

What are your career goals?

In this part your answer needs to consist of  your short term goals and your long term goals. These show that you are aware of your current competences and fit with the position you are applying for.  It also shows that you have a vision about yourself and the next steps and positions you can work in. This means that you have to think about the career steps you can make with your future employer. Make sure the long term goal is a logical next step after the role you are currently interviewing for.

For example: First and foremost I want to learn and excel as much as possible in the position I am interviewed for. Being able to contribute to the end product or services your company is producing. In a couple of years I can see myself as a supervisory or management role supporting my team members.  

What are your salary requirements?

This question is to see if the candidate’s salary requirements are aligned with the assigned range for the vacancy you are interviewing  for. This is not yet a negotiation. As a novice on the job market there is no need to share your salary expectations. Just say that you can start with what the company norms are offering for this job. As an experienced candidate you can share your expected salary. This does not have to be your current salary. It is okay to give a reasonable range for the salary if you want to mention one. Make sure you explain if this is with or without additional compensation, vacation allowance  and pension contribution.

For example : I am starting my career. A big salary is not my first priority. Being able to improve my skills, knowledge and experience is important for me. I expect a salary that is aligned with my abilities, skills and according to your company’s norms. I expect it will fulfill my economic needs at the moment.  

Why should I hire you?

Some candidates feel threatened by this question. It can sound like a desperate last question of a failed interview. However this question gives  you the opportunity to talk about your own knowledge, experiences and skills in relation to the current vacancy. Talk about your past experiences and your career goals and make them align with the open vacancy.

For example: I am a young and ambitious person with practical experience and knowledge required for this position. In my previous job I have worked in a similar team. I have demonstrated skills to fulfill the activities needed to help you organization from this department. The job is a good match with my career goals and offers substantial challenges to learn and further develop my competencies.

Why do you want to work with our company?

This question  validates how loyal you will be  to your future employer. And of course it is obvious you want to work at a company that pays you money. Explain to the interviewers why you specifically  like the company. Tell them about your positive personal experience in the past with their employees, heard about their wonderful projects or the product experience. In this field most hiring managers are looking for fans of the company. And not only people who are attracted to the interesting work. Relate your personal goals to the hiring company.  

For example: I want to work in your company because of the reputation your company has as a knowledge generator in your industry. I am a proponent of knowledge sharing and your company offers an excellent platform to broaden the knowledge about specific products in our industry. After researching your company I was impressed about the social responsibility our company has emended in its culture. I find it very appealing to work in a company that has both a healthy financial basis and contributes to their surrounding with environmental and social support programs.

Do  you have any questions you want to ask me ?

This is the final proof to check if the candidate has prepared for the interview. It is good to prepare a couple of questions regarding the hiring company. Make sure you show the interviewer you prepared this by bringing a notebook with these questions. You can walk through the list before answering this question. Best case scenario all of your questions have been answered. Some example questions you can ask are around the salary structure, compensation packages, job time and job location. Some questions regarding team composition and project duration. Possible support for relocating you and your family. You can ask about the possibility of development programs and the opportunity to present on behalf of this company. The main thing is that you have prepared things that are relevant and important for you.

For example: Thank you for asking me this question. I would like to know more about the team composition, job times and job location in your company. Can you tell me a more about the location of a typical project, the average duration and the structure of the team you see me working with?

Summary

The main goal of an interview is to validate the competences and attitude of an candidate. Keep in mind you should  be honest and authentic. Showing preparation is a good thing for the interview. Make sure you show this by bringing notes. And remember that prefabricated meaningless answers are huge disqualifies  during an interview.

Let me know if this was helpful and share your own tips and interview questions below. Thanks for reading this article and use the share or like button below to show your appreciation.