Good news! You’ve been asked to attend a job interview with an employer whose ad you saw… you liked it, and you applied!
Tricky questions to prepare for before a job interview
Good news! You’ve been asked to attend a job interview with an employer whose ad you saw… you liked it, and you applied!
Right out of the gate, you need to give yourself a huge pat on the back. This means that the employer has looked at your resume, maybe your cover letter, and they’ve pictured you in this particular role. Now, they just want to meet you in person to understand a little bit more about yourself, and get a feel for who you are and what makes you tick… so to speak.
From this point, you need to start your preparation for the interview. You’ll be wasting your time and everyone else’s if you don’t.
But where to start?? Ahhhh!!
Gearing up for the questions that the employer might ask you in the interview is a very good place. You’ll not only learn more about the company but, you could even discover things about yourself!
Here are some questions that are commonly asked in job interviews.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Okay Biggie Smalls, don’t freestyle this question! It seems like it’s an easy one to answer, because you are… well, you! But, if this is what you’re thinking, you have been lured into a false sense of security because, on the day of the interview, nerves might make you miss crucial points, which could be the difference between getting the job or not. And all you’ve really done is talked more about how much you love your dog or something completely irrelevant.
Regard this question as a warmup, it will give the employer a snapshot of who you are. You needn’t rabbit on for too long, a few sentences should suffice, make sure you read over this a few times. Try to make it relevant to the job.
Why did you leave your last position?
This can be an awkward one depending on the situation, and there could be a zillion different reasons for why you left your former company but, whatever you do here, never ever talk ‘smack’ about your past employer!!
The best option for the scenario where you thought your boss was a douche, is to maybe say that you were looking for new opportunities to grow and expand your career. That’s not telling a lie, that’s what you’re doing right now!
Keep it brief and then move on.
Why do you want to work for this company?
Make sure that you know about the company and any other facets that might be pertinent.
Your answers could be both personal and professional for example; if the interview is for a mining company, maybe you could talk about your friend that had success within that particular industry. Likewise, you might mention how growth is steady in the sector and you have had previous experience.
If you don’t have a car… they’ll need to be confident that you can arrive at the workplace, in one piece and on time.
This is where you can advocate for the benefits of public transport and how well you understand timetables.
Resume gaps
Gaps are common so, if you have any, have something prepared like; you had family commitments, or, you chose to up-skill, maybe, you fell on ill-health or, you needed to take a break to rejuvenate.
The worst thing that you could say here is that you just couldn’t find a job.
Your experience doesn’t really match any of our requirements so, why would you be suitable for this role?
This is where you can talk about how you are agile and enjoy adapting and learning on the job. You might want to slip in how this is something that you have always been super keen to become an expert in.
Do you have any questions for us?
Make them picture you in the role. An excellent question to do this could be;
“If I was offered this role, in 6 months’ time, what would I have needed to have achieved to make you think that you’d made the right choice in hiring me?
At the end of the interview
Always thank the employer for their time, and anybody else who was present for the interview.
Don’t forget to smile J
Ozford has many resources and wonderful people who can help you gain employment and prepare you for job interviews.
Please let us know and we’ll make it happen!
Further reading:
From this point, you need to start your preparation for the interview. You’ll be wasting your time and everyone else’s if you don’t.
But where to start?? Ahhhh!!
Gearing up for the questions that the employer might ask you in the interview is a very good place. You’ll not only learn more about the company but, you could even discover things about yourself!
Here are some questions that are commonly asked in job interviews.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Okay Biggie Smalls, don’t freestyle this question! It seems like it’s an easy one to answer, because you are… well, you! But, if this is what you’re thinking, you have been lured into a false sense of security because, on the day of the interview, nerves might make you miss crucial points, which could be the difference between getting the job or not. And all you’ve really done is talked more about how much you love your dog.
Regard this question as a warmup, it will give the employer a snapshot of who you are. You needn’t rabbit on for too long, a few sentences should suffice, make sure you read over this a few times. Try to make it relevant to the job.
Why did you leave your last position?
This can be an awkward one depending on the situation, and there could be a zillion different reasons for why you left your former company but, whatever you do here, never ever talk ‘smack’ about your past employer!!
The best option for the scenario where you thought your boss was a douche, is to maybe say that you were looking for new opportunities to grow and expand your career. That’s not telling a lie, that’s what you’re doing right now!
Keep it brief and then move on.
Why do you want to work for this company?
Make sure that you know about the company and any other facets that might be relevant.
Your answers could be both personal and professional for example; if the interview is for a mining company, maybe you could talk about your friend that had success within that particular industry. Likewise, you might mention how growth is steady in the sector and you have had previous experience.
If you don’t have a car… they’ll need to be confident that you can arrive at the workplace, in one piece and on time.
This is where you can advocate for the benefits of public transport and how you well you understand timetables.
Resume gaps
Gaps are common so, is you have any, have something prepared like; you had family commitments, or, you chose to up-skill, maybe, you fell on ill-health or, you needed to take a break to rejuvenate.
The worst thing that you could say here is that you just couldn’t find a job.
Your experience doesn’t really match any of our requirements so, why would you be suitable for this role?
This is where you can talk about how you are adaptable and enjoy adapting and learning on the job. You might want to slip in how this is something that you have always been super keen to become an expert in.
Why did you leave your last position?
There could be a zillion different reasons for why you left you former company but, whatever you do here, never ever talk smack about your past employer.
The best options for this particular they were bad terms, maybe say that you were looking for new opportunities to grow and expand your career.
Why do you want to work for this company?
Make sure that you know about the company and any other facets that might be relevant.
Your answers could be both personal and professional for example; if it was a mining company, maybe you could talk about your friend that had success within that particular industry. Likewise, you might mention how growth is steady in the sector and you have had previous experience.
Do you have any questions for us?
Make them picture you in the role. An excellent question to do this could be;
“If I was offered this role, in 6 months’ time, what would I have needed to have achieved to make you think that you’d made the right choice in hiring me?
At the end of the interview
Always thank the employer for their time, and of anybody else who was present for the interview. Remember to
Ozford has many resources and wonderful people who can help you gain employment and prepare you for job interviews. Please let us know and we’ll make it happen!
Further reading: