So, you have been invited for an interview. Do you really want to work in this position and are very afraid of not passing the selection? Then you need to gather all your willpower and prepare for the conversation: think about your clothing style and rehearse your speech, taking into account likely questions.
11 basic interview questions and smart answers to them can be found here. How to answer complex and non-standard questions to please the employer? What questions the recruiter will ask depends on what position the employee is being hired for, however, as a rule, there is a standard set of questions that are asked to all applicants, which will be discussed below.
Before conducting an interview, the employer usually invites the applicant to fill out a special questionnaire, a sample of which can be viewed.
Lately, situational questions have been very popular, when the employer describes the situation and asks the applicant to choose the correct behavior in this situation.
11 main interview questions with answers
1. How to answer the question - Tell us about yourself at the interview.
When answering this question and other questions from the interviewer, remain calm and speak in a confident tone. Tell us what will be important for the employer to hear: place of study and specialty, work experience, knowledge and skills, interest in this particular work and personal qualities - resistance to stress, learning ability, hard work. This point is discussed in more detail in, where an approximate story of the applicant about himself is given, as well as recommendations on how best to answer.
2. What to answer at an interview to the question - Why did you quit?
When answering the question why you left your previous job, do not talk about conflicts at your previous job and do not speak badly about your boss or colleagues. You may be suspected of conflict and inability to work in a team. It is better to remember the positive moments from past experience, and name the reason for leaving as the desire to fully realize your abilities, the desire to improve your professional level and pay.
3. How to answer the question - Why do you want to work for us?
Start with the positive aspects of the company's work - stability and a professional, well-coordinated team, interest in the field of activity, and then add what attracts you to the position and work schedule, proximity to home, decent wages.
4. Why do you think you are suitable for this position?
How to answer the question - why should we hire you? Here you must prove very clearly and convincingly that you are the best specialist in this field. Tell us about the work of the company and the industry in which you are going to work, do not hesitate to praise yourself, tell us about your achievements.
5. How should you answer a question about shortcomings at an interview?
The question of shortcomings is quite a tricky one. It’s not worth posting your disadvantages as best you can. Name such “disadvantages” that look more like advantages. For example: I’m picky about my work, I don’t know how to distance myself from work. And it’s best to say neutrally: I, like everyone else, have shortcomings, but they do not in any way affect my professional qualities.
6 secrets for a successful interview
6. What strengths do you have?
- communication skills;
- learning ability;
- punctuality;
- diligence.
These are standard examples of advantages that are included in almost every application; they do not carry any special significance for the employer, and do not distinguish the applicant from others in any way.
It is better to talk at an interview about professional advantages that will be useful and interesting to the employer:
- I have experience in negotiations at various levels;
- easily conclude important agreements and contracts;
- I can organize my work day rationally, etc.
Such answers will attract attention and stand out among other answers.
7. What salary do you expect?
The services of a good specialist cannot be cheap. There is an option - name an amount higher than the average salary, or focus on the salary you received at your previous job and inflate it by 10 -15%. Stick to the golden mean, otherwise they may think that you are either a bad specialist or too ambitious.
8. Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?
Persistent and purposeful people set long-term goals for themselves and plan their personal and career growth. If you haven't thought about this question yet, do so before your interview. Focus on your desire to work in the same company, but during this time climb the career ladder.
Do not hide your previous place of work; be prepared to give the phone numbers of former colleagues and managers. If, when answering this question, you hesitate or completely avoid answering, then the employer may believe that you want to avoid negative feedback.
10. Are you ready for professional workload?
The employer can hint at overtime in this way. In this case, ask how often they are possible: how many times a month or for how many hours. If you are ready for such conditions, then confirm your readiness for stress.
11. Do you have any additional questions?
It's time to find out the details of your future work: starting from the schedule and social networks. package, to the requirements for company employees. A person who does not ask questions after an interview shows disinterest. So there must be questions, and it is best to think through them in advance.
Examples of excellent, good and bad answers to interview questions:
Video - awkward interview questions
How to find out if you are suitable for the desired position after an interview with the company's HR manager? What should job seekers do and shouldn't do?
The structure of the interview with candidates for a vacant position may differ depending on the company, the position itself, and also on the methodology used by a particular recruiter/HR manager. As a rule, at the end of the interview, the recruiter talks about further interaction with the candidate and guides him in terms of response time. The candidate himself can clarify all the points at the end of the conversation.
The best option for the applicant would be to wait for the agreed period. If a representative of the employing company does not get in touch, the candidate may well call back the HR specialist with whom he spoke, or write him a letter asking him to clarify his status for this vacancy.
Perhaps the recruiter is not getting in touch because there is no response on this candidate yet. In this case, the applicant can, on his own initiative, confirm his desire to work in this company, which will be his advantage when considering other candidates.
Applicants should not:
call or write to the recruiter before the announced deadline;
come to the office to clarify the answer, referring, for example, to the fact that you cannot get through by phone or there were no contacts for communication (you can always find out contacts through the company’s website or through open sources);
find in open sources the contact of the head of the department and write or call him to find out your status or even send him your resume.
All these actions, firstly, will not speed up the process of considering a candidate, and secondly, may be interpreted by a potential employer as incorrect and unacceptable according to the existing corporate culture. Moreover, despite the positive impressions from the initial interview, such actions may even serve as a refusal to the candidate for the position.
The candidate should also be prepared for a kind of “homework” - when, after the end of the interview, the recruiter gives some test/task to complete for the next meeting. In this case, everything should be completed within a predetermined time frame.
If the HR specialist informed the candidate about the refusal by telephone or email, then, if desired, the applicant can clarify the reasons for the refusal. If possible, the recruiter will provide him with this information.
Meanwhile, the applicant should not give up and immediately turn away from the employer. You can ask to add your resume to the company database. And if a specialist is really worthwhile, works in a “narrow” field or is a top manager, and has also proven himself properly in negotiations, then they will definitely pay attention to him.
How else to understand at an interview, that your candidacy not interested employer? Should I wait for a call from the recruiter or schedule my next interview?
I often get asked questions like this. In this article, I have collected general tips that will help applicants determine their chances of passing an interview.
Time
It is believed that a 15-minute interview says about disinterest employer. However, an experienced HR manager will say that sometimes 7–8 minutes are enough to make a positive decision, and sometimes even 50 minutes do not guarantee that you will be hired.
The timing of the interview largely depends on the position for which you are applying. Imagine yourself in the shoes of a recruiter and try to understand what information an employer needs to make a quality selection of an employee.
Don't rush to lay all your cards on the table
During the interview, applicants try to show their good side - they describe their professional experience, talk about their qualities. Eichar listens politely, and at the end of the interview, in a friendly tone, says that he will call back later.
For example, an applicant told the HR manager that his strongest qualities are diligence, responsibility, and perseverance. And the employer needs a creative person who loves and knows how to make independent decisions, strives to professional growth, ready for a large amount of work.
Before the interview, carefully read the employer's requirements. During the meeting, do not rush to tell the employer about all your qualities and skills. It’s better to try to find out what qualities an employer is looking for, and using this information, tell us about yourself in the appropriate
context.
Behavior of an HR manager
Body language can tell you a lot. If the interviewer sits straight, leaning slightly towards you, follows you with his eyes, listens carefully and nods periodically, most likely he is interested in your candidacy. If he completely leans back in his chair, crosses his arms on his chest, looks around or at his watch, most likely he has lost interest in you.
A recruiter's inattention may signal a lack of interest. In this case, you will feel that the interview is formal and the interviewer wants to end the meeting as quickly as possible.
If during the interview the interviewer refuses to answer your questions and says that you will find out everything later, then this rather demonstrates his lack of professionalism. At the end of the interview, both parties should not have any questions.
However, even in this case, there is a chance that the employer may change his mind and schedule a new interview if no candidate has been approved for the position.
Offensive strategy
To find out whether your candidacy is suitable for a vacancy or not, you need to ask the employer's representative a few questions. For example: “Can I consider that I have passed the first stage of the interview?”, “Can I apply for the position?”, “When can I hear from you?” etc. However, it is unethical to ask questions like: “Did you like me?”, “How do you like me?” or “Well, did I pass?” questions. In this case, ask permission to call him personally the next day, specify the phone number at which it is convenient to keep in touch. Be sure to call him the next day. Don't be afraid to seem intrusive!
Every recruiter has their own interviewing methods. Some personnel officers demonstrate traditional politeness, others use stress interview methods or test techniques. Always be honest, open and positive.
Smile at people, and then success will definitely await you!
Thank you letter is optional. Its presence or absence has virtually no effect on the final decision about the candidate. Rather, it is a business etiquette tool that makes it possible to stand out a little from other candidates, emphasize interest in the company and demonstrate business communication skills. You can send a thank you letter a few hours after the meeting or the next day. If there were several people at the interview and they shared their contact information with you, you can send an email to all participants.
The letter should not be lengthy. It is unlikely that anyone will re-read the description of your career achievements and the reasons why the company should choose you. It is better to write a concise letter: thank you for organizing the meeting and express your desire to continue communication.
How to remind yourself
I would not recommend calling the recruiter or company employee you spoke with unless they themselves offered you this option for contact. Often, already at the interview, companies indicate the time frame within which they plan to return to the candidate with an answer. It would be appropriate at the end of the meeting to independently clarify the format of further interaction: when you should expect feedback and whether it would be convenient if you remind them by letter or call after this time.
If a specific deadline has not been agreed upon with you or this period has already expired, it is quite acceptable to remind yourself with a polite letter. In the letter you need to introduce yourself, indicate the date of the last meeting, what position you discussed, and ask whether a decision has been made on your candidacy. You can add that you do not have the goal of rushing the company into a decision: you are only reminding them of yourself because you are very interested in the vacancy (or working in this particular company).
You definitely shouldn’t overwhelm the recruiter with letters and calls. This is unlikely to help the process, but rather harm: it is likely that you will be considered overly intrusive. If the date of the next contact has been agreed upon with you, you should not try to get in touch earlier.
If you call a recruiter at night on a personal number that he did not give you, you risk making a bad impression. Even if you have successfully passed the interview before. This also includes situations when candidates come to a company without an invitation to an interview. Of course, a reminder letter or call from a candidate during working hours is unlikely to cause negative emotions, especially if you agreed on this. It is very important to correctly assess when your initiative will be useful and when it will not.
I had a case where a candidate for an analyst position successfully completed several meetings at the company, but at the last one he got agitated and did a poor job with one of the problems that the manager asked him to solve. The company was already planning to refuse him, but the candidate promptly wrote a very sincere letter about how important it was for him to get a job at this company, and expressed his readiness to come again to solve all sorts of problems and business cases all day long. The company appreciated the candidate’s determination: as a result, he successfully passed the repeated “exam” and received a job offer.
Should I add a recruiter on social networks?
If we are talking about professional social networks such as LinkedIn, there are no restrictions here. Most likely, the recruiter himself will be interested in this and will send you an invitation. Most recruiters use social media as one of their tools to interact with candidates.
But before you add a recruiter as a friend on Facebook or VKontakte, evaluate the content of your profile through his eyes. Are there any photos or posts on your page that could tarnish your image as a candidate? For an HR manager, your profile on social networks is a kind of business card.
You need to be prepared for the fact that some people use social networks only to communicate with friends and may ignore your invitation, especially if you do not know each other.
How to stay visible
Even if you haven’t been hired by your dream company yet, it’s worth keeping an eye on vacancies in anticipation of the one that will match your experience. Or periodically (once every one or two months) remind yourself by letter. But here it is important to observe moderation.
Applying to all vacancies indiscriminately in the hope that at least one of them will invite you is the wrong way. The company may view this as indiscriminate career development.
It is important to understand that neither the recruiter nor the HR manager is interested in protracted negotiations with candidates. Unfortunately, at the moment, the stage of interaction within companies (especially large international structures) is very long: there are too many participants in the process, and often many are located in different countries. From sending a resume to the first interview can take from a week to a month, and the entire process of negotiations with a company can take from six months to a year.
An interview with an employer or his representative (recruiter) can have the following results for the applicant:
A skilled job seeker tries to get the most out of each interview, even in cases where he immediately receives an outright refusal or simply understands that he most likely will not be offered the job.
If after the interview you can clearly formulate and evaluate your results on each of the above points, then you didn’t go to the interview in vain.
WORK OR FAILURE?
A typical mistake of many applicants is passivity in finding out the results of the interview. At the end of the interview, quite often you are told only general words, but nothing specific about the results. Or they promise to call. And you are content with this, bow and leave.
A skilled applicant will not be satisfied with this and, before parting, says, for example, this: “I would be very grateful if you would comment on how, in your opinion, I am suitable as a candidate for the vacancy we were talking about.” There is no need to rush to get up; it is better to ask this question while you are still sitting. Sometimes this phrase alone is enough for the interviewer to start talking. Sometimes it is necessary to show some persistence in order to still get a comment.
It is also advisable to clarify when to expect the promised call. And then, citing the fact that it will be difficult to catch you at this time, agree on when you can call the interviewer yourself. Then you will, to some extent, provide yourself with the opportunity to control the progress of further consideration of your candidacy.
Not every interviewer will be pleased with such insistence. But in most cases it will work in your favor. You will not only receive additional information to correctly assess the results of the interview, but you will also earn additional points by showing yourself as a specific, business-like person.
Sometimes it can happen like this: you will force the interviewer to admit that he does not consider you a suitable candidate and is very pessimistic about your chances. But the unpleasant truth is better than ignorance. Moreover, even in this case, you can continue the conversation and get additional indirect results, which will be discussed below.
USEFUL CONTACTS
In particular, you may want to ask the interviewer if there is any current or future vacancy for which you would be a good candidate. And can the interviewer recommend you some other place where there is currently a need for a specialist like you.
It is also advisable to discuss with the interviewer (especially if it is a recruiter from a large company or a recruiter from a staffing agency) about your possible call in the future in case something suitable comes up.
CONSULTATION
Don't be shy about asking the interviewer for advice at the end of the interview, say, on improving your resume. I assure you, in many cases they will not refuse you and will tell you a lot of useful things.
You can ask other questions. For example, tell the interviewer that you may have to attend other interviews, and ask if anything needs to be changed or improved in the way you conduct yourself in an interview and answer questions.
You can also ask for advice on how best to continue your job search. Or ask about an assessment of the realism and validity of your salary expectations.
The answers to the above questions would probably be of interest to many applicants. But false modesty or indecisiveness prevents you from getting them. Don't be shy: "The child does not cry - the mother does not understand." In most cases, you have nothing to lose and only gain by asking questions.
TRAINING
For applicants who are not yet experienced in job search and self-presentation at interviews, I recommend going to them even when the offer does not seem attractive enough. Walk to exercise. At the same time, it is important to have the right mindset so that possible failures are not perceived as psychological trauma. It is recommended to keep notes on the results of interviews. Record what questions you were asked. Evaluate and analyze your answers. And on this basis, work out optimal answers to similar questions in subsequent interviews. Then every interview will be useful training for you. And you will gradually turn into a skilled applicant.
SO HOW TO EVALUATE THE RESULTS?
Quite simple. You just need to determine for yourself after each interview to what extent you tried and were able to achieve each of the four results discussed above. Moreover, for each of them, I advise you to rate yourself according to the usual five-point system and calculate the average score. This way, you will be able to control how your ability to conduct interviews correctly and achieve positive results grows.
