In order to find the best employee, it is necessary to ask good interview questions. This will allow the interviewer to understand what the applicant is looking for and how they would fit in with the company.
Interviewers should ask questions that they actually want to know the answer to. They should not try and make them seem like a formality, but instead, they should be genuine and sincere. Questions about hobbies, favourite music, previous jobs are all great examples of this.
Why did you apply for this position?
Interviewing for a job is something everyone has to do at some point in life. But it can be a stressful experience, so you need to prepare for it in advance.
The interview starts with the employer asking you a question about why you are applying for the position. You should give a convincing answer that demonstrates that you have researched the company and are confident that this position is right for you.
It is not always easy to answer the question "Why did you apply for this position?" Some people have a different approach to answering the question. You should prepare before going into an interview so that you are able to answer any type of question that might be asked.
The first thing you should do is research the company. Knowing about their culture, work environment, and management style will help you tailor your answer appropriately. If it’s a company with an interesting culture or one that has a great work environment, emphasizing those aspects of the position may help land the job.
What do you know about our company?
The key to a successful interview is being genuinely interested in the company, asking the right questions and being able to show that you are a good fit for organisation.
The most important thing is to show your personality, so it is important not to be seen as a robot when answering these questions.
An example of what you should say when answering "What do you know about our company?"
"I am really enthusiastic about your mission statement where you focus on (.....) and I think it's very noble."
Interviewers usually ask questions to check for their suitability and past experience. While some questions may be trickier, it is important to answer them in a positive and confident way.
“Why did you choose this field of work?”
This question can be asked because interviewers want you to talk about your interest in the industry.
You should mention how much you love certain aspects of the role and talk about the specifics in how it makes you passionate and enthusiastic.
What are your strengths?
This is a question that needs to be answered in an interview. Your strengths are the skills you have that you're able to use. This may include work-related skills, but it can also include other things like personal life skills. When answering this question, make sure not to mention anything about your weaknesses or shortcomings because you want to make yourself sound as positive as possible.
Think of specific strengths and role model it: e.g., leadership, communication, creativity... Make sure you tie back these strengths to the role in question. Align your biggest strengths with the prominent aspects of the role.
What are your weaknesses?
Interviewers ask this question to find out how well you know yourself and to gauge your honesty. The best way to answer it is by asking for the specifics of the question. If they want an honest answer, then tell them what they want to know about you: What are your weaknesses?
People are typically more open to hearing what you have to say if you're honest with them. Admit that you're not perfect, and people will be more likely to forgive your shortcomings.
It is not easy for most people to discuss their weaknesses in an interview setting, but it is important. Asking why they think they are good at the job they are interviewing for while listing their qualifications will show both sides of the conversation. This is a more comfortable way for some people to answer questions about their weaknesses.
The most common answers to this interview question are:
My weakness is that I work too hard.
I get bored easily.
I don’t like to take orders from people.
I’m not a morning person.
My weakness is that I’m not good at meeting deadlines.
My weaknesses are that I can be stubborn and impatient at times.
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While highlighting these weaknesses, it's extremely important to show how they can easily be overcome for the role. Or even irrelevant to the role. This way, you can demonstrate to the recruiter your honestly, while also showing that your downfalls won't affect your performance on the job.
A good answer would show that you know you have a weakness but you’re actively working on getting better at it by taking certain precautions and steps to ensure your weaknesses don't get in the way of working.
So for example when answering this question, you can say...
"My biggest weakness is that I am not good at meeting deadlines. However, I've been proactive in meeting deadlines by setting myself daily goals and weekly targets as a result of missing a deadline in the past. This helps me stay organised and prioritised, ensuring I'm always on time with my deadlines."
This answer would be paired greatly with one of your strengths being that you're always looking to improve.
Try to give answers that will make the recruiter roll their eyes. A perfect example of how not to answer this question would be to say the following,
"I'm a perfectionist and work too hard."
This phrase is often used by people who may not be that experienced or motivated. They might also say it in an interview because they don't know what else to say. It says to recruiters that you're not able to self-reflect and learn from your downfalls and also that you're dishonest with yourself.
An alternative to asking what are your weaknesses is to ask, "Tell me about a time that you failed."
This is a great way to get an insight into the past behaviour of the candidate and how they learnt and overcame their fail. Behaviour-based questions are a great way to predict the future actions and choices of a candidate in their new role. While simultaneously addressing (humbly) their biggest weaknesses.
Share an experience that demonstrates your perseverance and ability to overcome adversity.
What motivates you?
For recruiters, it is important to ask interview questions that can help them understand the candidate's interests, preferences, and motivations. Motivation is one of the most important factors when it comes to productivity. Motivation can take many forms, such as passion, desire, or inspiration. However, when one is not motivated at work it can be difficult to complete tasks and perform well.
For candidates, this question tells interviewers an awful lot about you. It tells them what type of person you are, how you can be managed, what may impact or boost your work ethic etc.
Below is an example of how to answer:
One of my personal strengths is being well-driven by results. I like having clear goals to work through, and the freedom to come up with an effective approach for meeting them. My last job had incredibly ambitious yearly targets. We all worked together with our manager and produced a time plan broken down by month for how we were going to meet the year-end goals. It was a real thrill when we stepped back and realised that these targets were still within reach!
This is a great example of a response that is focused on achievements and results. It is positive, and it includes how the person has already accomplished skills they may be required to do in the job they're applying for.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Ideally, the interviewer will be able to see your drive and passion during the interview. But in case they can't, it pays to have an answer prepared for this question. 5 years is an arbitrary time frame, but it's a common question because it helps employers get a sense of where their employees are headed in the future.
Different people have different perspectives when answering this question. One person may want to continue in the same position while another person may want to move up in their field. It would be best if you think about where you would like to be in five years and what you need to do now in order for that goal to happen.
An example answer could look like this:
“I am really excited to take on more managerial responsibilities in the next few years, and potentially even lead some projects. I’ve been lucky enough to work with some great managers so developing into a good manager myself is important to me and for motivating and inspiring the team working for me.”
What are your long-term career plans?
The answer to this question depends on the kind of company you are interviewing for.
For an IT company, you can say that you are looking to learn new tech skills by working with them. For a media company, you can mention that you are looking forward to taking up different roles in the future.
Tell me about yourself.
How would you describe yourself in one sentence? It’s difficult to answer this question effectively in one sentence, but make sure you are specific with your strengths.
This is a common question for interviews and it’s not something that can be answered in one sentence. You need to explain your background, what you do for work, what your current position is and what you are expecting in this job.
Why should we hire you?
An important factor in the hiring process is the answer to interview questions.
The first question is usually, “why should we hire you?”
To answer this question, you must know your strengths and weaknesses.
In addition, it is best to have examples from your experience to show why you are a good fit for the position.
What made you leave your previous job?
The interviewer is trying to figure out your motive for leaving your job. It is important to be honest and transparent about the reasons why you left.
When faced with the question "What made you leave your previous job?", we should first be aware that this can be a difficult and uncomfortable question for some people and that it is not always easy to answer.
The first thing we should do is make sure that we are not reacting emotionally to this question, but instead answering in a proactive manner with a constructive response. We need to make sure that we are answering the real reason as opposed to something superficial.
The best way to answer this question is with an explanation of how our skill set has grown or how our interests have changed since then, or what new opportunities there are at the present company that we
Describe your work ethic.
To answer a question about work ethic, you have to focus on the "what" and not the "why". The interviewer doesn't care why you have a strong work ethic; they just want to know what it is. Here are some helpful tips for answering how to answer Describe your work ethic questions:
- Describe concrete examples of when you exercised your strong work ethic
- Focus on the positive aspects of working hard
- Convey your optimism and eagerness for challenge
How to answer this question:
“I'm diligent and responsible. For me, work is stimulating and I find it easy to stay motivated. I've found that I feel much better on days when I have productive, great days. It feels rewarding too. I do feel fortunate as well though as either my work ethic or motivation has not been a problem for me so far and I count it as one of my strengths.”
Tell us about when you had to deal with a difficult person
The interviewer wants to know how the interviewee dealt with difficult situations. They want to know if they can handle pressure and stress.
The best way to answer this question is to give an example, preferably one where you were able to come up with a solution or result that was satisfactory. Describe the situation in detail - what happened, how it made you feel, and what you did about it.
Interviewers want answers like these because they want to know if you are able to deal with stressful situations
How do you respond to colleagues making mistakes?
There are a few approaches to take when answering interview questions. The interviewer wants to know your personality and how you would react in certain situations.
The first way is to tell them what you would do if the situation happened. The second way is to give them a hypothetical situation and get their feedback on how they think it should be handled. When dealing with colleagues making mistakes, it might be best to approach the person and see if they need any help or if they just need someone to listen. If there's something that's bothering them, try to help them out and see what you can do for them.
Answering common video interview questions
Asking the right question is just as important as answering it in an interview.
Recruiters are responsible for finding the right talent for an organization. One of the main areas that recruiters should be focusing on is their interview questions. They should ask great interview questions to find out how well qualified the candidate is for the position they're applying to.
Likewise, candidates who answer interview questions with great examples, showcasing their abilities, personality traits and experience will be coming out on top!
If you found this post most common video interview questions helpful, you’ll find this blog post interesting: Analytical Thinking Interview Questions.