Intreview Basics

This is a list of typical interview questions from the world of business from Bradley CVs, (Bradley CVs, 7 West End Avenue, Gatley, Cheadle, Cheshire, SK8 4DR, UK). http://www.bradleycvs.co.uk/interview/index.htm

The questions in BOLD RED are for the interviewer and the advice in PLAIN BLACK is for the candidate. Remem-ber that you will be both interviewer and candidate. There are of course a large number of possible questions, but you will be able to select a shorter list of questions that you intend to ask. In addition, I may select some questions and ask you to write convincing answers in a class exercise.

The vital thing for the candidate is to be positive!

1. Why do you want this job? Think carefully about this question. Stress the positive aspects which have attracted you to applying for this position. Do not mention the negative aspects of your current job or the job in question.

2. What qualities do you think will be re-quired for this job? Their advertisement for the job may help you a little bit, but you should also think of the other qualities that may be required. These may include leader-ship ability, supervisory skills, communication skills, interpersonal skills, problem solving, analytical skills, etc.

3. What can you contribute? This is your chance to shine. Tell them about your achievements in your previous position(s) which are relevant to the new position you are applying for.

4. Why do you want to work for this com-pany? Emphasise the positive reasons why you want to join their company, but avoid as-pects such as more money or shorter hours. These would not endear you to a prospective employer.

5. What do you know about this company? This is your chance to impress the interviewer with your knowledge of their company.

6. What interests you about our product (or service)? Again, your research into the com-pany should aid you in answering this ques-tion.

7. What can we (the new company) offer that your previous company cannot offer? Tread carefully here! Again do not mention money. Stress opportunities for personal growth, new challenges, etc.

8. Why should we employ you? The answer to this question will be based on your previous experience and achievements which relate to the company. At the end you could add that you think there is a good fit between you and the job, and do ask the interviewer for their opinion.

9. How long do you think it would be before you were making a significant contribution to the team/company? If you think that you could contribute from day one then say so. Then turn the question round on them and say how soon would they expect it.

10. How ambitious are you? Depending on the position you are applying for you may want to sound fairly ambitious, but do not look as if you are after the interviewer's position.

11. What do you like and dislike about the job we are discussing? Likes: stress things such as a new challenge or the opportunity to bring fresh experience to the company. Dislikes: Imply there is nothing to dislike about the job, which is why you are so interested.

12. Why did you choose a career in ...? Be posi-tive about your reasons. If you have changed careers make a logical argument as to why you did so.

13. Why are you changing careers? This ques-tion will only be asked if you are making a radical change in your career. Always stress the positive aspects of the change rather than the negative aspects of your previous career - you do not want to come across as someone who is moving just because you hate your old career.

14. What do you think of the last company you worked for? You should stress the positive aspects of your last company saying that they were a good company to work for. Tell them about the training you received or the work re-lated experience you gained.

15. Why did you join your previous company? Why are you leaving now? Always be posi-tive about your reasons for joining and leaving a company. Be very careful that you do not say anything negative about your present em-ployer. If you do, the new company will won-der what you will say about them when you leave. You might want to stress that you are looking for a new challenge!

16. How long have you been looking for a new job? If you have been unemployed for a long time this may be a rather tricky question to an-swer. But be honest. If you have been away on holiday or done some voluntary work you could mention this.

17. Do you prefer to work in a small, medium or large company? Remember where you are! If the company interviewing you is a small to medium sized company say that you enjoy a close atmosphere with a good team spirit. At a large company say that you enjoy the stability of working for a large and estab-lished company.

18. What are you looking for in a new job? Make sure your answer fits in with the com-pany who is interviewing you. A suitable reply would be that you are looking for a new job where you can apply your existing skills and learn new ones.

19. What did you think of your man-ager/supervisor? Say that he/she was the sort of person you could learn from and you com-municated well, which meant that the task in hand was completed on time.

20. What did you do on a day to day basis? Stress the positive things you did including your achievements. Even if some or much of it was paperwork, you can still show your inter-est in the way it was tackled.

21. What motivates you? Our suggestions are ca-reer growth, opportunity to learn new skills, good co-workers, etc.

22. Do you know how to motivate other people? Hopefully you can say "Yes", and say that you have to find out what motivates a person and give them recognition for a job well done. You should always give them encouragement and help them when required.

23. Are you competitive? Your answer depends on the sort of job you are doing. If you will be working as part of a team you will need to show that you can work in the best interests of the team and not just for your own benefit.

24. Are you aggressive? If you mean by this someone who gets things done, then the an-swer is "Yes". You need to defuse the implica-tions of this question.

25. What do you dislike doing? Say that you are prepared to do whatever it takes to get the job done well and on time and try to do disagree-able things first to get them out of the way rather than putting them off.

26. What problems did you encounter in your last job? What annoyed you about your last job? Stick to the problems that you were able to solve, i.e. "I had problem X, which I later managed