1. Could you please tell me about yourself?
The question might seem simple and easy, but in fact, it is very tricky. The employer does not want to hear all your life story or the whole employment history. He wants to see how concisely and meaningfully you can express your thoughts while quickly getting an insight into who you are as a person and as an employee. Try to select 3 or 4 accomplishments in your life that you are really proud of. You can start off with sharing some personal details and finalizing with your professional achievements.
2. Can you specify what exactly you know about our company?
Attending interviews without a basic knowledge of what company does is considered to be rude. If you have no idea what the company’s goals are and what its mission is, you better skip the interview saving your time as well as the time of your potential employer. Lack of knowledge about the company that you want to work for means that you are not passionate enough and it is highly unlikely that you will land the job. Either learn about the company beforehand or do not waste anyone’s time.
3. Why do you want to get this particular position?
We all know that one of the reasons of why you want to be employed is money. However, if material assets are your only target, you might need to reconsider applying for the job. First of all, the employer will feel straight away that all you want is to earn a living by doing the minimum for the company. Second, if you are not passionate about the prospects of the job you are applying for, you will not be able to enjoy what you do and this will result in a poor performance. if you do want the position, it should not be difficult to explain why you are so eager to work for the company, but still, make sure you do have a defined answer well before you are interviewed.
4. What are your professional strengths and weaknesses?
When telling about your strong workplace features, you need to make sure that the traits that you mention are those that are relevant to the job you apply for. It would be good if you could bring examples of how you managed to show your best sides professionally as well as personally. As for talking about your weaknesses, you need to be very careful, as there is a fine line between being unnecessarily too honest or overconfident. For example, you may want to share that you struggle in communication with your colleagues because you are an introvert and prefer to work on your own. However, it is important to emphasize that you work on your skills of being more of a team player.
5. Do you have any questions?
Here, remember – the answer “no” is unacceptable. It is likely that interviewer was able to provide a great picture of what the company does and what its goals are. However, if you are really interested in the position, you should have the questions in your head in abundance. Asking more in detail about a position, team, the department is a unique opportunity to show your enthusiasm, genuine interest and readiness to work as hard as you can. It also provides a last chance to figure out for yourself whether this role is really for you.
Let’s be honest, attending an interview is not always fun. There are too many things that can easily go wrong. However, there is one important rule – be well-prepared and you will not miss the chance to get the job of your dream.
