The most commonly asked interview questions and how to answer them.
According to Monster, one of the leading job board sites in the UK, there are ten questions that are most likely to pop up in your interview. Here at Aldena, it is our responsibility to give our candidates the best guidance when it comes to securing their dream job. What a better way to do this than to inform them about the most commonly asked questions and how to answer them! Let’s read below.
So, our first tip starts here. Read the most commonly asked questions below and answer them for yourselves by thinking deeply about who you are, including your strengths, weaknesses and ambitions. This is also a great exercise to do before writing a CV or Cover Letter as it gives you the opportunity to reflect on all of your attributes and experience.
1. The most commonly asked question: What can you tell me about yourself?
Aldenas Top Tip: You want to give the interviewer a positive insight into how you would fit in as an employee. Tell them about you and your personality and link all of your positive attributes to the role you are trying to secure. Remember, they can see all of the information on your CV so make sure you highlight the most impressive information when answering this question.
2. Can you list your strengths?
Aldenas Top Tip: Anyone can list adjectives, like ‘capable’, ‘hard-working’ ‘enthusiastic’ ‘determined’ and so on. To stand out from other candidates, let your interviewer know your strengths and provide concrete evidence of you showing them in industry. If you are a strong organiser, for example, then talk about a project that you coordinated or a new procedure that you formulated. If you are good with numbers, then talk about your skills with spreadsheets.
3. What weaknesses do you have?
Aldena’s Top Tip: Don’t be arrogant and say that you don’t have any weaknesses. It is impressive if you can identify areas of your work that needs to be improved.
4. Why should I consider hiring you?
Aldenas Top Tip: Do your research about the employee and the company. If you can pinpoint what the company is wanting to achieve before you walk into the interview, you can address how you will help them achieve their goals. In the same breath, inform them about your soft skills; let them know you will achieve their goals whilst being a friendly, organised and professional employee.
5. Where do you see yourself five years from now?
Aldenas Top Tip: This is your chance to talk about your wider ambitions and goals. It is okay to say you’d like to progress on from the position on offer in most cases. Bosses want to hire people with determination so don’t be shy about sounding ambitious or hungry for success.
6. Why do you want to work here?
Aldenas Top Tip: Linking to point 4, this is your chance to show that you have researched the company. For example, if you have researched that the company you want to work for has 15 employees, you could say “Being in a close-knit team of 15 is an environment in which I could thrive in”. Use your pointers from question 4 and let them know how you will help them achieve their goals “Being in a close-knit team of 15 is an environment in which I could thrive in. I would liaise with the marketing manager to ensure we are analysing monthly data to see how effective our advertising campaigns are”.
7. What is your salary expectation?
Aldenas Top Tip: Research the average salaries of your role at other organisations in the industry. Use this as a guideline. From here, evaluate your experience, availability and hours to help you find a salary that is appropriate to you. Do not hesitate when informing your interviewer about the salary you are after. If you are the right candidate with the right experience, the client is usually willing to be flexible with the salary.
8. What motivates you?
Aldenas Top Tip: This is a chance to show your individuality and personality. Let them know what motivates you and why it is important to you. There is no wrong answer you can give so be confident with this question.
9. What makes a good team player?
Aldenas Top Tip: Again, avoid the trap of listing descriptive words that summarise what is a good team player. Instead, think about actual examples of you demonstrating your ability to build bridges, form networks and help others. Similarly, to the previous question, this gives you the opportunity to showcase your personality and personal hobbies. Let them know your team skills by using examples from clubs and organisations outside of the work timetable.
10. Is there anything that you would like to ask me?
Aldenas Top Tip: Always have at least one question prepared in advance. This is your chance to drill down into an area of the business that might not have been covered in the interview. Alternatively, you may simply like to ask for feedback on how you have done in the interview. A good tip is to pick up on something that has been mentioned in passing by the interviewer about the job. Ask him or her to expand on this. Not only does it make you appear interested, but it shows that you have been listening attentively to what has been said. It should leave the interviewer with a good final impression of you.
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