{"id":426,"date":"2018-04-29T22:31:53","date_gmt":"2018-04-29T22:31:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/?p=426"},"modified":"2018-05-02T01:25:02","modified_gmt":"2018-05-02T01:25:02","slug":"video-we-answer-the-most-common-interview-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/career\/video-we-answer-the-most-common-interview-questions","title":{"rendered":"VIDEO: We answer the most common interview questions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Although there is no set format that every job interview will follow, there are some questions that you can almost guarantee will crop up. Use this video series as a guide to the kind of answers your interviewer wants to hear.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Tell me about yourself<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>This is usually the opening question and, as first impressions are key, one of the most important. Keep your answer to under five minutes, beginning with an overview of your highest qualification then running through the jobs you\u2019ve held so far in your career. You can follow the same structure of your CV, giving examples of achievements and the skills you\u2019ve picked up along the way. Don\u2019t go into too much detail \u2013 your interviewer will probably take notes and ask for you to expand on any areas where they\u2019d like more information. If you\u2019re interviewing for your first job since leaving education, focus on the areas of your studies you most enjoyed and how that has led to you wanting this particular role.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jNSMPrvEWxo\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h5><strong>What are your strengths?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Pick the three biggest attributes that you think will get you the job and give examples of how you have used these strengths in a work situation. They could be tangible skills, such as proficiency in a particular computer language, or intangible skills such as good man-management. If you\u2019re not sure where to start, take a look at the job description. There is usually a section listing candidate requirements, which should give you an idea of what they are looking for.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/igSbCFqrE6Q\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h5><strong>What are your weaknesses?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>The dreaded question, which is best handled by picking something that you have made positive steps to redress. For example, if your IT ability is not at the level it could be, state it as a weakness but tell the interviewer about training courses or time spent outside work hours you have used to improve your skills. Your initiative could actually be perceived as a strength. On no accounts say \u201cI don\u2019t have any weaknesses\u201d, your interviewer won\u2019t believe you, or \u201cI have a tendency to work too hard\u201d, which is seen as avoiding the question.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Why should we hire you?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>What can you do for us that other candidates can&#8217;t? &#8211; What makes you special and where do your major strengths lie? You should be able to find out what they are looking for from the job description. \u201cI have a unique combination of strong technical skills and the ability to build long-term customer relationships\u201d is a good opening sentence, which can then lead onto a more specific example of something you have done so far in your career. State your biggest achievement and the benefit it made to the business, then finish with \u201cGiven the opportunity, I could bring this success to your company.\u201d<\/p>\n<h5><strong>What are your goals?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Where do you see yourself in five years time? &#8211; It\u2019s best to talk about both short-term and long-term goals. Talk about the kind of job you\u2019d eventually like to do and the various steps you will need to get there, relating this in some way back to the position you\u2019re interviewing for. Show the employer you have ambition, and that you have the determination to make the most of every job you have to get where you want to be.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Why do you want to work here?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>The interviewer is listening for an answer that indicates you\u2019ve given this some thought. If you\u2019ve prepared for the interview properly, you should have a good inside knowledge of the company\u2019s values, mission statement, development plans and products. Use this information to describe how your goals and ambition matches their company ethos and how you would relish the opportunity to work for them. Never utter the phrase \u201cI just need a job.\u201d<\/p>\n<h5><strong>What are three positive things your last boss would say about you?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>This is a great time to brag about yourself through someone else\u2019s words. Try to include one thing that shows your ability to do the job, one thing that shows your commitment to the work, and one thing that shows you are a good person to have in a team. For example, \u201cMy boss has told me that I am the best designer he has ever had. He knows he can always rely on me, and he likes my sense of humour.\u201d<\/p>\n<h5><strong>What salary are you seeking?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>You can prepare for this by knowing the value of someone with your skills. Try not to give any specific numbers in the heat of the moment \u2013 it could put you in a poor position when negotiating later on. Your interviewer will understand if you don\u2019t want to discuss this until you are offered the job. If they have provided a guideline salary with the job description, you could mention this and say it\u2019s around the same area you\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/x-sbm0S3YO0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h5><strong>If you were an animal, which one would you want to be?<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Interviewers use this type of psychological question to see if you can think quickly. If you answer \u2018a bunny\u2019, you will make a soft, passive impression. If you answer \u2018a lion\u2019, you will be seen as aggressive. What type of personality will it take to get the job done?<\/p>\n<p>You should always have some questions for your interviewer to demonstrate your interest in the position. Prepare a minimum of five questions, some which will give you more information about the job, and some which delve deeper into the culture and goals of the company.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QImVA2SMtqQ\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"CLICK HERE to watch all our career advice videos\" href=\"http:\/\/career-services.careerone.com.au\/video-index-page\/home.aspx\"><b>CLICK HERE to watch all our career advice videos<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There&#8217;s no set format for a job interview&#8230; but there are some questions that you can almost guarantee will crop up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":427,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,126],"tags":[76,74,75],"class_list":["post-426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career","category-job-interviews","tag-common-questions","tag-interview-tips","tag-video"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=426"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":431,"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426\/revisions\/431"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.careerone.com.au\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}