As promised, here are a few examples of some questions they might ask you at the interview and ideas on
how to answer them. Get practising!
Tell me about yourself.
You mustn’t talk about your family and life history. You must refer to your job-related skills and qualities.
What do you know about the type of work we do?
You must show you know a lot about the company, so it’s important to do lots of research before the
interview.
What things do you do well?
You have to use this opportunity to talk about your skills and show that you’re the right person to work for
them. Note down some ideas before the interview.
What areas do you feel you need to improve?
You don’t have to talk about anything negative in detail. Try to think about areas you’re already trying to
improve. So, you can end in a positive way like: ‘I’m definitely getting better’, or ‘I’m going to do a course
later this month.’
What do you know about our company?
What can you offer that other candidates can't?
Why do you want to work for us?
What's your biggest weakness?
What's your biggest strength?
What motivates you?
What would your ideal job be?
Where will you be in five years time?
Do you have a long term career plan?
How would you rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10?
How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
How would your current colleagues describe you?
How would you define success?
How do you respond to criticism?
How long would it take you to make an impact in the role?
How do you interact with people at different levels?
How much do you earn in your current position?
What is your salary expectation for this job?
What's the meaning of life?
Can you explain your last three job moves?
What makes a productive work atmosphere?
What makes you angry?
Do you have any questions for us? Why are you interested in working for this company?
Why do you want to leave your current job?
What only can you offer us?
Do you have plans to travel?
Tell about the career achievement you are most proud of.
What is your dream job?
How did you find out about this vacancy?
Tell us about your academic background.
Describe yourself.
Tell me how you dealt with a difficult situation.
Why are you looking for a new job?
Would you work on weekends and holidays?
How would you deal with a brave client?
What is your salary claim?
50 questions to help think about the answers to the interview. (Part 1)
1. What are your strengths?
2. What are your weaknesses?
3. Why are you interested in working for this company?
4. Where do you see yourself in five years? And in 10?
5. Why do you want to leave your current job?
6. Why is there a gap in your professional career between (date) and (date)?
7. What only can you offer us?
8. Name three points your former boss would like you to improve.
9. Do you seek a replacement in the market?
10. Do you have plans to travel?
11. Tell about the career achievement you are most proud of.
12. Tell about a time when you made a mistake.
13. What is your dream job?
14. How did you find out about this vacancy?
15. What do you expect to accomplish in the first 30 days, 60 days and 90 days of work?
16. Tell us about your resume.
17. Tell us about your academic background.
18. Describe yourself.
19. Tell me how you dealt with a difficult situation.
20. Why should we hire you?
21. Why are you looking for a new job?
22. Would you work on weekends and holidays?
23. How would you deal with a brave client?
24. What is your salary claim?
delete XwgD1kHr/IVcSSg
25. Tell me about sometime that went beyond and also below what was expected for a project.
26. Who are your competitors?
27. What is your biggest failure?
28 What motivates you?
29 What is your availability?
30 Who is your mentor?
31. Tell me about the time you disagreed with your boss.
32 How do you handle the pressure?
33 What is the name of your CEO?
34 What are your career goals?
35 What motivates you to get up every day?
36 What were the strengths and weaknesses of your bosses?
37 What would the people reporting directly to you say about you?
38 If I were to call your boss now and ask what points do you need to improve on what he would
say?
39 Are you a leader or a follower?
40 What's the last book you've read for fun?
41 What are the annoying habits of your colleagues?
42. What are your hobbies?
43 What is your favorite website? 44 What makes you uncomfortable? 45 What were your leadership
experiences 46 How would you fire someone? 47 What do you like and dislike most about working
in this industry? 48 Would you work 40 hours or more a week? 49 What questions did I not ask you?
50. What questions do you want to ask me?
Model Interviews
0:01Skip to 0 minutes and 1 secondSo can you tell me why you think you're suitable for this job? Yes. Well,
first of all, I consider myself a very creative person. So I'm good at solving problems. That's useful in any
business. And also, I think that for this job you need to be patient and work well with people, which is
something I do well. In what way? Well, people always say how patient and polite I am. These are good
qualities to have when trying to fix problems that often cause stress to others. Can you give me an example?
Of course.
0:40Skip to 0 minutes and 40 secondsJust last week, the internet stopped working in the office. It was
nothing too complicated to fix, but I needed some time. One colleague got really annoyed and was quite
rude to me, but I just remained friendly. I see. I believe it's important to be calm in situations like that. It
doesn't help to get stressed and annoyed. And it worked. Soon my colleague was thanking me with a smile.
You said earlier you were good at solving problems. Can you tell me more about that? Of course. I love a
challenge and I hate to fail. When I start working on something, I like to do it well and finish it. My
colleagues know I'm reliable and always get the job done.
1:24Skip to 1 minute and 24 secondsAnd how about deadlines? Are you able to meet tight deadlines? Oh,
yes. I'm a fast worker, but I'm also always careful to do the job well. That's good to know.
So Mali, I have your CV here, and I can see that you have some experience working in a shop. Yes, I do. As
you know, the job you're applying for is an office job. Have you ever worked in an office? No, I haven't. But
it is something that interests me. I have worked as a shop assistant for a long time, so I have experience in
dealing with customers. I think this will help me for this job. OK, but are you a competent computer user?
That's important for this job. Oh, yes, I am. I haven't done a course, but I use the computer a lot at home.
1:30Skip to 1 minute and 30 seconds I'm good at writing and organising e-mails, preparing spreadsheets,
and using the internet of course. I see. And so why do you think you are suitable for this job? Well, as I said,
I have lots of experience in looking after customers and making sure that they get good service. Oh. Have
you had to deal with complaints? Yes, I have. It doesn't happen often. But occasionally, I have to deal with a
customer complaint. So can you tell me a little bit more. How do you think your experience in dealing with
customers will help you specifically with this job? Well, I've learned a lot about communication skills, and
I'm sure this will help when dealing with suppliers.
2:21Skip to 2 minutes and 21 secondsOK, and are there any other skills you have for this job? Yes. I have
good organisational skills, and I'm good at managing people. Can you tell me more about your experience in
this area? Yes. I don't actually have a managerial role. But in my current job, I am responsible for training
new shop assistants in the department and for making sure that they are motivated. This is something that I
very much enjoy, and I know I do it well. That sounds interesting
