STRUGGLING to LAND THE INTERVIEW?

1) Tell me something about yourself. TIPS: A good rule of thumb is to structure your talking points as follows: Briefly introduce yourself: What’s your name? How long have you been working as [profession]? What do you love about your job? What are your top 2-3 achievements that are relevant to the job you’re applying for?

2) How did you hear about this position? TIPS: Show excitement and curiosity. If someone inside the company told you about the position or recommended that you apply, definitely make sure to mention that.

3) Why did you decide to apply for this position? TIPS: When asked this question, your answer should include 2 things: What motivated you to apply for this position, specifically. Why this company? Have you heard of them before?

4) What are your biggest strengths? TIPS: For this question, you would want to narrow your answer down to at most three strengths. Pick 1 or 2 skills that would help you really excel at the job, and 1 or 2 personal (more or less unrelated) skills.

5) What is your biggest weakness? TIPS: The key here is to mention a weakness that’s real, but not something that would get in the way of you doing your job.

6) What do you know about this company/organization? TIPS: What does their product or service do? What impact does the product / service have? What’s the company culture like? What are the latest news about the company? How are they performing? ...And pretty much whatever other type of info you can dig up.

7) Why should we hire you? TIPS: Here are 3 general points you can mention: How you’re super passionate about working for the company (and why). How your skills fit their requirements. How you’re going to help the company solve their existing problems. Improve a metric, setup a process, etc.

8) What are your salary requirements? TIPS: When answering, keep these 3 things in mind: 1 What’s the average salary for someone of your skill-level? 2 How much does the company pay employees of your skill level? GlassDoor should be super helpful here. 3 Finally, how much are you getting paid in your current company? In most cases, you can probably negotiate a pay bump from what you’re currently getting.

9) What are you looking for in a new position? TIPS: Instead, explain to the interviewer that this job at this company is the perfect fit for you. Mention what your short-term and long-term career goals are, and how this position ties to them.

10) Are you considering other positions in other companies? TIPS: The interviewer is probably asking because they want to know whether they have competition in hiring you. They also want to know if you are serious about the industry and are legitimately looking to be employed in this field of work.

11) What is the professional achievement you’re most proud of? TIPS: Keep in mind, though, that you want to be very specific with your answer. To get this right, try using the STAR method. It goes something like this: S: Situation T: Task A: Action R: Result

12) What kind of work environment do you like best? TIPS: For example, some organizations are pretty structured and hierarchical, they require tight organization and have a well-planned day filled with rules and guidelines on how to do things.

13) Where do you see yourself in five years? TIPS: In general, the motivation behind this question is for the interviewer to assess whether you are an ambitious person or not and whether you have realistic expectations for your career.