You finally got an interview for an OMG role, after month and months of job searches.
After the first 10 seconds of joy, you start being anxious. It is very important to be well prepared for any job interview, because practice helps improving performances and handling stress. Sweaty hands, babble and giggles are signs that you’re not at ease. How can you avoid all this? One of the most useful things to do is to prepare facing the most common questions.
What are the most common job interview questions?
Even though every interview is different, there are some questions (or topics) that recruiters always ask. This happens on the one hand because they need to verify your skills, competencies and personal traits, on the other hand because it’s easier for them to compare different candidates if they ask the same questions to each of them.
If you have no experience in interviews (or even if you have some!), I suggest you to make practice at home with some friends or in front of a mirror, so that you gat accustomed to answer clearly and professionally. This does not mean that you have to memorize the answers, but that you try to improve your speech and your confidence.
In many cases, “how” you say something has at least the same relevance of “what” you say. You attitude, confidence and manners are factors that are beyond the specific skills required for a job, but are still crucial in order to rock in an interview.
This is why practicing is extremely important to successfully answer the most common job interview questions.
Recruiters ask many different things, but they are always related to the same topics. Here you can find some of the most interesting questions:
- Tell me about yourself
This is the classic start in job interviews. Who are you? It’s not a simple question, so get ready to summarize in few key points your professional career. Your recruiter will not probably be interested in learning that you sang in the school choir, but he will expect to know something about the specific experiences you had in the field. In short, he will expect to find out why he should choose you among all the candidates. - How would your colleagues describe you?
By answering this question you can show your sincerity and your diplomacy. This is also a way to understand how you are aware of others’ judgements. Don’t praise yourself too much. - How can you help our company?
This is an extremely important answer to give, because it allows you to highlight the skills that make you the perfect candidate. If you studied the company history and culture (you did it, right?), you could suggest some ideas that can help in dealing with some actual problem, for example. Be proactive! - How do you handle stress?
Talk about how you would deal with a particularly stressful day. Do not complain: nobody likes moaners. On the contrary, show that you are well organized, clear-headed and multi-tasking. - Tell me about a problem you faced at work and how you solved it
This is a very specific question used to explore you practical skills. I recommend you to think at a real problem that you faced and to explain clearly how you managed to solve it. - What are your expectations from this job?
Be honest, but remember to focus on some of your best skills. Smile, show that you’re willing to learn new things and to accomplish new goals, both in team and by yourself.
I hope that these questions help you to prepare your next job interview. Do not forget to listen carefully to your interviewer, to talk slowly and to ask questions about the role you applied for.
