Job interviews can be quite stressful for job applicants. In a job interview, you should expect questions that will be related to your education, your qualifications, your work experience, but also certain questions related to your character. No matter how hard you try to be prepared for any job interview questions, there are always questions that will surprise you. There are generally certain questions asked by employers or the HR team conducting the interview, no matter what position you are running for. Let’s say these are universal issues. Because of the stress you face, it is sometimes possible to give the wrong answer to one of them. To prove yourself as an outstanding candidate, you need to answer not only the typical questions but also the unexpected ones.
Frequently Asked Questions in a Job Interview
Tell us briefly about yourself?
This is the most commonly asked question and is often the first question asked in a job interview. Its weight is precisely because it is a general question, to which it is very difficult to give the correct answer. Therefore, in order to be able to answer this question more easily, you should prepare in advance. Think about what your biggest accomplishments have been in your previous job or education, then think about the ways in which you as a candidate can contribute to the company according to the position you are running for. Let this be your guide when answering this question.
What do you know about our company?
This question is one of the questions for which you definitely need prior preparation or research work. You should not allow yourself to go to a job interview in a company without knowing anything about the company in which you are applying for a job. Find information on Google, do some research on the company before you go to the interview. If the company you are applying for has its own website, then you can find all the information right there. It is important to know about the goals of the company, its reputation, who are the partners of the company, problems it faces and so on. In this way you will be able to properly answer the question, and you will also show interest in the company and the specific position. You will show your research skills, and you will show the team that will do the interview that you are interested in the company and that you do not care where you work. In this way you will provide enough information to answer this question exhaustively, and at the same time you will avoid feeling uncomfortable.
What are your strengths / weaknesses?
This is one of the nasty questions that is often interpreted as a trick question. If you are a shy person you will definitely not be comfortable when asked this question. However, you should be worthy of answering this question, and your employer will ask you to understand if you are a self-critical person. It is wrong to list your strengths and list only a few weaknesses. You should neither be too modest nor brag about yourself too much. The balance is best in this situation. It is best to list a few strengths as well as a hardworking, accurate and responsible person. On the downside, it’s a little harder to find the right description, because you would not want to point out to your employers why they do not want to hire you. You should choose to list weaknesses that will not deprive you of points. So as a weakness you can state that sometimes you work too hard for work and that sometimes results in more stress.
Why did you leave your last job?
This is another unpleasant question, to which it is more difficult to find a suitable answer if you are not prepared in advance. The truth is that we have all left a job because we were not satisfied with the job, salary, position, maybe because of the bad attitude of the superior, colleagues and so on. However, it is not good to present the bad things you experienced in the previous job to the new potential employers because you will leave a bad impression. If you were fired from your previous job, be honest and say it, but without going into too much detail. Instead of details, point out that that experience made you a bigger professional. If you left your previous job voluntarily, you can explain that it was not a sufficient challenge for you or that you want to focus on your professional development and therefore apply for the appropriate job in the company where you are currently.
Why do you want to work in this position?
The most important thing is not to answer this question with too long philosophical speeches and stories that this is your dream job. In reality, no one will impress you and you will not leave a good impression. Instead, you can explain that you have strong knowledge in that area and that you want to develop professionally in that field.
What salary do you expect?
This is a question that almost no one knows how to answer correctly. It is best not to avoid answering this question. The most important thing is to know your own values and to know how much you want your work to be paid. You should not say too low a salary, nor too high. You should not underestimate yourself and accept too low a salary, because later it will be much harder to get a higher salary, and if you say too high a salary you will have to prove yourself for too long about whether you deserve that salary, and you will always have disadvantages . Do some research to find out how your salary is going for the position you are running for.
Why should we choose you?
By answering this question you need to convince your potential employer that there is no other more suitable candidate than you. If you already have work experience in that area, indicate the skills and experience you have gained. If this is your first potential job, you can point out that as a young colleague you can bring new and fresh ideas and that you have the energy to deal with all kinds of situations as well as stressful work.
