Regardless of your field or experience level, certain job interview questions are almost guaranteed to come up during your meeting with the hiring manager. By knowing how to answer them, you’ll increase your odds of making a great first impression.
Here’s a look at five of the most common interview questions around, with tips on how to craft a great response.
- Tell Me About Yourself
This seemingly simple question looks like an open invitation to talk about any aspect of your life. However, if you want to impress, your best bet is to give an overview of your career story. Put a slight twist on the classic story-telling strategy by first discussing your current role and then going back to provide some chronological details.
Along the way, punctuate your answer with key achievements to highlight the best of what you bring to the table. Mention specific skills that are relevant to the job and quantify the details, when possible, to add context. Finally, close by explaining why this job is a great fit for your goals and how you’re an excellent fit for the position.
- How Did You Hear About This Position?
While this question doesn’t look like an opportunity, it’s actually a chance to highlight your interest in the company or an existing connection. Saying that you learned about the role through a current employee or member of your network can work in your favor if that person is in good standing with the company. Discussing how you found it through a company resource – like its social media or career page – demonstrates your interest in that specific organization.
If you saw it on a job board, be honest about that. However, add in why it caught your interest to make your response more impactful.
- Why Do You Want to Work for This Company?
With this question, the best answers contain specifics. You’ll need to research the company before your interview to gather some details. Then, you can feature them in your response.
Usually, specific references to the company’s products and services work well. The same goes for discussing the organization’s mission, values, or overall culture. Just make sure you go into detail about why it piqued your interest.
- Why Do You Want This Job?
Like the question above, specifics are essential. You want to show that you took the time to research the role, know why you’re a great match, and considered how the job fits into your career plan. By adding in something that hits all of those points, your answer will likely be a winner.
- Why Should We Hire You?
This question is a chance to showcase the best of what you have to offer. You want to approach it similar to a classic elevator pitch, seizing the moment to briefly sell your skills and experience. Ideally, you also want to highlight a unique but relevant achievement, as that can help you stand out from the pack.
Ultimately, the five interview questions above come up in nearly every interview. By using the tips above, you can answer them like a pro. If you’d like to learn more about how to stand out during an interview, the team at The Squires Group can help. Contact us today.