General Interview Questions

1.) Tell me about yourself- a.)Education

b.)Experience

2.) How would you describe a solution to someone with no technological ability.

a.)be patient
b.)use terminology that the person you are speaking with can understand

3.) How much do you know about the product or service?

4.) Why should we hire you as an employee?

a.)Excellent customer service skills, I had worked at the local supermarket and had a
customer service award in addition I have received the Army Commendation medal for
my outstanding performance; additionally after holding several positions in the Army I
have learned how to multitask and prioritize responsibilities. I also had the opportunity
to develop my communication and leadership skills over the years

5.) Why did I decide to apply for this position?

a.) I have been working with computers for years and wanted to help people solve
their computer related issues.

6.) What are your biggest strengths?

a.) Give examples of stressful situations
b.)Working efficiently while under pressure

7.) What is your biggest weakness?

a.) The assessment test scores reflected some of my biggest weaknesses and I
have a lot of room to improve on learning the Microsoft office suite.
 Here’s our definitive list of the most commonly asked interview questions:

1.Tell me about yourself

2.What are your weaknesses?
3.Why should we chose you for this job?
4.What are your hobbies outside of work?
5.Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
6.Why are you leaving your current position?
7.What are you main strengths?
8.Why do you want to work here?
9.What motivates you?
10.Do you prefer working by yourself or in a team?
11.What are your salary expectations?
12.Tell me about an achievement you are proud of?
13.Tell me about a challenging situation and how you overcame it
14.What do you know about the company?
15.What would your colleagues say are your best qualities?
16.What experience can you bring to this job from your previous role?
17.What makes a good team leader/manager?
18.What do you consider to be your biggest failure?
19.How do you deal with pressure at work?
20.Why is there a gap in your work history?

How to answer interview questions

1. Tell me about yourself

This will normally be the first question you’ll get asked in an interview. Here, the interviewer is
looking to get a sense of what you’re like as a person and get an overview of your experience and
work history.
Keep it short and to the point, making sure you focus on the elements you really want to talk about.
Be careful not to simply regurgitate the work history on your CV. It’s important to be bright, positive
and relaxed to make sure you make a great first impression.

2. What are your weaknesses?

The biggest mistake you can make with this question is to say that you don’t have any weaknesses.
The interviewer is looking to employ a human and not a robot, so avoid this answer as you risk looking
arrogant. Same goes for dressing down a positive as a negative, e.g. “I’m a perfectionist” or “I work
too hard”. The interviewer is likely to see straight through this!
 Use this question as an opportunity to identify something you would like to improve on. Identify a
weakness, but then suggest ways in which you can resolve it. Employers are much more likely to
respond to an answer like this as it shows that you are willing to invest time into your own
professional development and are not complacent.

3. Why should we choose you for this job?

This question is a difficult one as it is basically asking you to blow your own trumpet, and say why
you are better than the other candidates. However, there is a tactical way to do this so don’t just dive
straight in.
This question gives you the perfect opportunity to show why you are suited to the job. Bear in mind
that it’s likely that other candidates have the same or similar qualifications as you, so here you need to
show what makes you different, and what skills you can bring to the role that maybe others can’t.

4. What are your hobbies outside of work?

Employers will often ask questions about your personal life to get an insight into your personality
and see how you’d fit in with the team. Although this question is relatively informal, make sure your
answer is sensible.
If you’re part of a sports team or community group, this is a great thing to mention as it shows that
you can work in a team or enjoy helping others. If you enjoy reading industry blogs or watching
webinars on the weekend, it’s great to mention this too. But, if you don’t do these things, don’t lie.
Cycling, watching the cricket or trying out new recipes are all good enough answers!

5. Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

This is one of the most typical interview questions, so it’s important that you’ve thought about your
answer. For this question, the interviewer is looking for an answer that shows you have goals and
are ambitious. Be honest but realistic.
Avoid talking about money, or about starting up your own business as these are not the intentions
your potential employers will be looking for you to have. Instead, put your ambitions into context within
your role and the company, his will show the interviewer that you are committed and driven.

6. Why are you leaving your current position?

The worst thing to do when faced with this question is to speak about your current employer or
colleagues in a negative way. This will make you look unprofessional, and alluding to rifts between
you and your manager or colleagues will make you appear difficult to work with.
Instead, focus on what appeals to you about the role you’re applying for and why you’re looking to
explore new opportunities. Your answer should reflect your aims for positive personal
development.

7. What are your main strengths?

For this question, don’t fall into the trap of reeling off a list of generic qualities. Instead, focus on 3
or 4 key strengths that make you suited to the role. Give examples from your previous experience for
each strength to demonstrate your capabilities to the interviewer.
8. Why do you want to work here?
This question gives you the perfect opportunity to show that you have thoroughly researched the
company you’re applying to. This is your chance to show that you have a good understanding of the
role and what is required of you, explaining how this job will aligns with your personal career goals.
When answering this question, it’s important to keep the focus on the employer and explain what
you can do for them, and not the other way around.

9. What motivates you?

There’s no right or wrong answer for this question as everyone’s answer will be different. In this
instance, the interviewer is looking to find out what makes you tick, and what you really value.
Therefore, your answer needs to reflect this. Whatever your answer is, make sure you say why.
Be careful saying that money is what motivates you. Although it might be honest, it can lead your
employer to worry about you leaving the company at the first sign of an opportunity with a bigger
salary.

10. Do you prefer working by yourself or working in a team?

This question is a tricky one as both are hugely important. Show that you are aware of the benefits
of both and that you understand that you need to be comfortable working in either scenario.
It’s fine to have a preference, as many of us will prefer one to the other, but the key is to make sure
you demonstrate that you can do both.

11. What are your salary expectations?

Usually you will have a good idea about the salary on offer so answering this shouldn’t be too
difficult. Suggest a range of pay you would be happy with, but do not name a specific amount.
Do your research into the industry and what other companies pay their employees for the same
role to I nform your answer before the interview.

12. Tell me about an achievement you are proud of?

This question is very popular with employers so you need to make sure that you have an answer
ready. Generally speaking, the interviewer is looking for a work-related or academic answer, so it’s best to
avoid talking about your personal life unless you can relate it to work.
Although you may have a number of accomplishments you are proud of, you’re best to choose one
that you can speak about in detail. Explain what the situation was, the challenges you faced, how you
dealt with it and the outcome in a concise and confident manner. Show enthusiasm and speak proudly
about your achievements to invoke a positive response from the interviewer.

13. Tell me about a challenging situation and how you overcame it

For this question, the interviewer is testing your ability to be resilient and cope under pressure.
Your answer should focus on a work-related issue, explain clearly the measures you took to overcome
the problem. This question gives you the opportunity to demonstrate how you can use your initiative
and act with integrity. Don’t fall into the trap of criticizing your company or colleagues and trying to
present yourself in a superior light. This will come across as unprofessional and arrogant.
14. What do you know about the company?
Research, research, research! In order to answer this question well, you must show an
understanding and awareness of what the company does. This includes the different service areas
it offers, who their main clients are, and a good idea about the size of the company. You should also
research the history of the business, find out when it was started and what the company has
achieved.
It doesn’t matter how competent and qualified you are for the role, turning up to the interview
unprepared for this question can completely ruining your chances of getting the job.

15. What would your colleagues say are your best qualities?
The interviewer is looking to assess your relationships with your colleagues and how you engage
with other team members. They’re looking to see if you’ll be a good match for their team. Avoid giving
vague or over the top claims, this will dent the credibility of your answer.
Instead, prepare for this question prior to the interview. Ask your existing colleagues what they
would say about you and think about examples you can use to back their comments up. Qualities that
your future employers would want to see include; being positive, hard-working, dependable and easy to
get along with. If you have already left your position and do not feel comfortable contacting your old
co-workers, think back to previous appraisals and use the positive feedback you received to form your
answer.

16. What experience can you bring to this job from your previous role?
When it comes to this question you’ll need to explain how your previous experience translates into
this role and how it will enhance your performance. This should be fairly easy to answer if you’re
applying for a job which is similar to your existing role, as a lot of your previous experience should
correspond directly. Ensure that you have specific examples you can use in your answer and talk about
how you’d apply what you have learned from previous roles.
The difficulty comes if you’re switching from one industry to another, or if you’re starting a new
career path. If this is the case, focus on transferable skills that you can bring to the role such as being self-
motivated, working in a team, time management skills, using your initiative and great
communication skills.

17. What makes a good team leader/manager?

This is a difficult question as most people will have different ideas about what makes a good
manager. If you’re applying for a managerial role, or if you might progress into one, you’ll need to show
a good understanding of the most important qualities to manage people effectively.
Setting realistic goals, giving constructive feedback and providing support to team members to help
them build their skill-set are all good examples of excellent management qualities.

18. What do you consider to be your biggest failure?

The key with this question is to see it as a positive and as an opportunity to discuss your personal
growth. The biggest mistake you can make with your answer is to say that you haven’t had any
failures. This will come across defensive and will damage your credibility.
 Choose an answer that you can draw positives from and explain what you learnt from this failure.
It’s I mportant to be accountable for your own mistakes, so avoid blaming your failure on anyone else.
Instead, explain why you failed, and how you used this failure as a springboard for success.

19. How do you deal with pressure at work?

A good way to approach this question is to explain the measures you put in place to prevent an
issue f rom spiraling into a stressful situation. For example, balancing projects effectively and keeping to a
tight time schedule. Give an example of when you were faced with a difficult situation and how you kept
a cool head.
The interviewer will be looking for you to demonstrate that you are able to work well under
pressure and stay focused on the task in hand. Getting overwhelmed by stress can be counter-
productive, especially when working in a team. Employers will look to avoid hiring candidates who crack
under pressure.

20. Why is there a gap in your work history?

As awkward as it may be, if you have a significant gap in your work history you need to have an
answer prepared as it’s likely that the interviewer will ask you about it.
Whether you took some time out to travel, to start a family, or if you were let go from a previous
job, ensure that you speak about it in a positive way. Explain what the break taught you and how it
contributed to your personal growth.
Do not lie about gaps in your work history or the dates you were at a particular company, your
potential employer can easily check up on this and you won’t get away with it.

Questions to ask at an interview

When you hear the ill-fated words, “do you have any questions?” make sure you’re prepared with the
following:
When can I expect to hear from you and what are the next steps?
We’ve all been there – you’ve come to the end of the interview, and you’re wondering how you’ve
done and when you’ll hear back from the employer. If they haven’t volunteered this information yet, then
do ask about the next stage in the process. This will give you an idea what to expect next as every
company’s application/interview process is different.
Do you have any doubts about whether I am suited to this position?
This is a bit of a brazen question, but it will help clarify any reservations they might have about you
(which you can then address) in addition to reaffirming why you are in fact the right person for the
role.
Is there an opportunity to grow within the company?
The trick to this question is how you word it. You don’t want it to sound like you’re only concerned
with career progression and that this is a tactical move. The interviewer wants to know that you’re
excited about the job at hand and you’re keen to be doing the work.
 However, asking about an opportunity for growth shows that you want to stay with the company
and to contribute in a meaningful way. They want someone who’s ambitious and who won’t rest on their
laurels, just make sure you convey this passion and drive the right way.

How do I follow-up after an interview?

Be sure to send the employer a thank you note; not only will they appreciate the gesture, but it will
keep you on the company’s radar. Then try and sit tight until decision day. If you still haven’t heard back
by the agreed date then it might be time to put in a personable, professional call or email.
If there’s still no word, chances are the recruiter or employer are still deliberating, so badgering
them for f eedback won’t do you any favors. Even if you got on famously, don’t be tempted to get in
touch before t he agreed date or to send your interviewer an invitation via Linked In.