The decision to prepare for an interview is a wise one. In doing so, you can research the company and start to plan answers for interview questions. You should also start to ask yourself what are your goals in this interview.
Keep in mind that the industry and the specific job title can affect the questions you’ll hear. However, you can begin to review some inquiries that tend to arise regardless of the field.
10 Common Interview Questions and Their Answers
So, what are your goals? One of your goals right now is to perform well when you go for interviews. In order to so, you should gain a sense of what questions you might be asked. Jot down some answers. You don’t want to attempt to memorize pages of text or read from notes during an interview. However, you can study these notes to prepare for the questions.
1. What Are Your Goals?
The company wants to get to know who you are as a person and how your personal goals align with the company. Therefore, What are your goals? is a common interview question.
While you don’t want to sound as though you’re just repeating the company goals that the business has listed on the website, you should show a cognizance of them and express how your professional goals match with what the company wants to do. Taking this approach is one way to ace the question of What are your goals?.
2. What Methods Do You Use?
Whether you are applying for a teaching position or a job as a graphic designer, the interview team or hiring manager wants to get a sense of how you approach tasks.
Knowing the proper names of methods used in the field is important here. You don’t want to just describe an approach. Actually, you want to show that you know the technical jargon for that technique. Make sure you infuse modern and relevant approach into your answer.
3. What Relevant Experience Do You Have?
Your resume should note your experience. But the interview is a time for you to elaborate on the experience as it relates to this particular job.
If you do not have related experience, then you can explain how the experience that you do have would help you to fill the requirements of the role for which you are applying.
4. What Type of Technology Do You Use?
In many fields, the use of technology is necessary. The specific type of technology will depend upon the particular job and the company. Regardless, you want to show that you know what the most relevant forms of technology are. So, you should discuss your experience uses these tools.
Companies are often eager to hire people who already know how to use the programs or equipment. By doing so, they have to spend less time training the new employees, and a greater chance exists that the work will be done correctly.
5. How Do You Fit with the Company Culture?
If you aren’t familiar with the idea of a company culture, researching it is imperative. This phrase has become important in so many businesses. In other words, companies are certainly concerned with the output of the business. Still, they are also placing an emphasis on how employees interact with one another.
If socialization is a large part of the company culture, for example, then you need to show how you fit in with that atmosphere.
6. Are Your Hours Flexible?
This question could come in a few different formats. For example, the hiring manager or team might ask if you are available to work weekends and nights. On the other hand, these individuals may simply want to know if you have availability outside of the hours originally slated.
Some people like to lie so that they can get the job and then change their hours later. Keep in mind that this unscrupulous method does not tend to work out for either party.
7. What Are Your Salary Requirements?
Having to discuss money on an interview encourages trepidation in a number of people. They are worried that they will make a mistake and say the wrong piece of information.
Talking with other professionals in your field and researching the average salary are both ways that you can develop a reasonable answer to this inquiry.
8. What Is Your Greatest Weakness?
If you say that your greatest weakness is that you’re too perfect or that you try too hard to be perfect, you might not land the job.
While you don’t want to sound as though you are a disorganized person who is always late, you can discuss an honest weakness. For example, you might just be learning a new technology that plays a role in the business but is not central to the business.
9. What Is Your Greatest Strength?
When you answer this question, you should do it honestly, and you should also provide examples.
If you just say that your greatest strength is your ability to work with people or your ability to stay organized but don’t provide examples, it will sound as though you are just making the information up.
10. Are You Willing to Relocate?
The company, even if it does not have immediate plans to move, may be starting to think about expanding or relocating in the future. Providing an honest answer is, once again, pivotal.
You could ask for clarification on this question so that you can better answer. For example, you might be willing to relocate to a couple of states away but not to the opposite side of the country or to another country.
Preparing to Answer
You are now aware of some of the most common interview questions out there. So, you can start to think of how you might respond.
You could practice these questions with another person who has experience interviewing individuals. Doing so can help you to be prepared whether you are asked What is your greatest weakness? or What are your goals?
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