Interview questions with answers
Carry out your next interview with confidence by checking out the most common interview questions and answers.
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Carry out your next interview with confidence by checking out the most common interview questions and answers.
You can never be too prepared for an interview, but you can be underprepared! An essential part of finding a job should be practising your answers to the most common interview questions. Youāll likely encounter most (if not all) of these questions in your interview, so follow our lead to bag that role with these top 5 interview questions and sample answers!
Hiring managers like to kick off an interview with this question. Itās an invitation for you to speak openly about your interests, personal life, and your professional background. Start off by giving a short overview of your personal life to show your personality, and then move over to a brief summary of your work experience.
Example
āI come from a big family of 7 in South London. Iām the eldest of my siblings. Iāve always been a keen sportsman having played football most of my life for local teams. Professionally, Iāve always worked in sales since the age of 16, having most recently worked selling technology to businesses. Currently looking for a new challenge in high-end sales.ā
The most powerful way to answer this question is to do your research on the company and incorporate their achievements, products, mission and culture into your answer. You want to convey a genuine interest in the company.
Example
āI have a personal interest in tech, so working for a tech manufacturer as well reputed as yours is really appealing to me. I have looked into different companies but not only did your product stand out, but I really like the look of your company culture and values too – it seems like a very collaborative and innovative place to work.ā
The key to answering this question is to know the skills listed in the job description, and use examples from your work experience that demonstrate you have those skills.
Example
āTo succeed in this role, you really need to be able to communicate effectively and be very self-motivated, which are two skills I developed in my last role as a Sales Consultant. In this role, I was carrying out face-to-face sales consultations with Senior decision makers daily, and also set myself personal daily, weekly and monthly goals to give me something to strive towards.ā
Teamwork is an essential part of most roles. Hiring managers want to hear details about your teamwork, including the role you had to play, any targets, any challenges you overcame and, most importantly, the end result.
Example
āOur sales team had our biggest monthly target to hit of Ā£24,000 worth of sales. As part of our planning process, I initiated a team meeting whereby I split our team up into sub-teams to tackle different areas of the country to get the maximum coverage. Each day, our team would have a debrief call and share tips on what sales practices brought about the best results and encourage one another. As a result, we exceeded our monthly target and received a bonus!ā
By asking this question, hiring managers want to see you have a good level of self-awareness. Donāt be cliche with your answers, try to be as honest as possible. At the same time, pick a strength that is very important to the success of the role, and pick a weakness that wonāt severely impact your ability to do the role. Itās also important to talk about how you overcome your weaknesses too!
Example
āFor my strength, Iāve always been told Iām a strong communicator and have a way with people. I think this is true and I really enjoy interacting with people. As for my weakness, I must admit Iāve had to work hard at my organisational skills as this doesnāt come naturally to me. To help me be more organised, Iāve gotten into the habit of making daily checklists and setting reminders to make sure nothing gets missed.ā
Never walk into an interview without rehearsing your answers first! Practising will give an edge and help you feel more confident. Donāt forget to also prepare your own questions to ask the interviewer – this is an absolute must, guys!
Got an upcoming interview? Head over to our blog for more interview advice.
fconlin
2 years agoThis is fantastic !!!I havenāt had an interview for at least 24 years and I have to be honest forgotten just how nerve racking it can be, these are great interview tips and this will help me for my next interview.
sadruddin
2 years agoIt was very helpful for me
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