Job Interview Questions and Answers

You are excited, as you have been offered a job interview. This is the final hurdle to overcome to get that new job. Don’t mess it up. Make sure you put in the effort to prepare. Those job interview questions are going to come at you, thick and fast!

When you go to your interview, your job interview skills will be tested because you just don’t know what questions you are going to be asked.

All the books and resources you can purchase will give you some idea of the most common questions…there are some you can assume will be asked, like…

“What are your strengths?”

“What are your weaknesses?”

“Tell me about yourself”

You know, the general ones.

But as well as the specific common questions, there are types of questions you need to be prepared for.

Here’s a quick rundown.

Hypothetical Questions.

These ask, ‘If x happened, what would you do?’

For example, “A customer rings the office complaining about the service from the company. The customer is actually real angry and shouting. How would you handle such a situation?”

The thing to recognise is that there isn’t necessarily a right answer. The interviewer may be more interested in how you go about addressing the problem than in your final outcome.

It’s fine to pause and think for a moment before you answer.

Technical Questions.

If you are being interviewed for a technical post or a role, which requires specific skills, be ready for questions which ask you to take the interviewer through a problem or process. This may be a hypothetical situation again but it will involve a technical answer. They may ask you to give an example from your own experiences and take them through it in detail.

So be ready for this kind of question, with examples prepared. In fact, have several examples prepared.

Real Example Questions.

These type of questions are when the interviewer wants to see what real experience you have. Your answer is not based on what you would do (as per the hypothetical question) but it is based upon what you have actually experienced and done.

So for example, “Please give us an example where you have successfully implemented a change”.

So the interviewer is looking for a real example. Something that you have actually experienced. Make sure you have enough examples to choose from. Personally, I would take in a few notes into the interview…just as a reminder. The interviewer won’t mind, as the interview is not a memory test.

Stress Questions.

Some interviewers will deliberately try to rile you or put you under pressure as a test. They want to see how you respond to this treatment. Many people feel this kind of interviewing technique is ethically dubious, and even questions whether they want to work for someone who uses this tactic.

But if you still want the job – and you may well feel that for the post you’re applying for this interview method is justified – you’d better make sure you remain calm and pleasant no matter what the pressure.

So as I said at the beginning, don’t mess this final “job Interview” hurdle up. There will be others who are being interviewed; you will not be the only one.

So prepare, check out the type of job interview questions you may be asked and have your answers ready.

Have lots of real examples of where you have made a difference and achieved something worthwhile.

Now go ahead, stay calm and sell yourself.