Job interview tips and common questions

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Thats a good post and helps alot but does anyone have any ANSWERS for some of the questions? Like stengths and weaknesses does anyone have an example of what they would say or just quotes to answers like what youve said as to why you would be suitable for a job? or why should you be hired etc etc

Thanks.

Reply 21

black_mamba

There are numerous books out there that give some sample answers, very useful actually! Check your uni/school careers advice service as I doubt you'll find this sort of information online.

Reply 22

Nutter

Analog4Life

Here is a very nice guide to interview dress etiquette. In depth and illustrated with nice pics. It covers a lot more of the finer details that are important for serious career interviews.

For men:
http://www.*********.com/interview.asp

For women:
http://www.*********.com/eBook/Womens_Interview_Dress_Etiquette.pdf

hope it helps,

Cheers

I'm not quite sure why that word is disallowed on TSR but for those who still want access to the link, a simple (and smart) Google search would yield it as the first result, so fret not.

Reply 23

Realist101

My Tutor Told Me That To Succeed At Interviews The One Must Be A Very Good Speaker. Excellent Communication Skills Are A Must, A Good Sense Of Humour Can Also Swing It, Ive Read Stories Of People Embarassing Themselves In Front Of Employers But Quicking Thinkin Helped Diffuse The Situation. Also For Interviewers They Hav To Go Through Many Candidates, One Such Try Hard As To Differentiate From The Crowd. My Tutor Went On Further To Say That Many Applying For Jobs Are Almost Robotic And Display Little Or No Emotion, One Should Try Hard So As To Be Friendly And Pleasant Without Having To Resort To Robotic And Rehearsed Answers

Deleted.

In your interview, ask questoins about the company/your job information

Like what are the working hours etc.. how big is the office etc..

It shows that you are interested in the job,

Reply 26

Segat1

Questions they will/may ask you, and some answers:

What are your strengths? Easy!!

What are your weaknesses? I usually say I have trouble delegating, as I prefer to complete work to my own high standard. But I have learnt that trusting someone to do a good job frees up my time and allows me to concentrate on my core job role. Blah blah

Why are you leaving your current employer? - Looking for a challenge, current role is restricting etc...

Tell me about a time you used leadership/initiative/good judgement. What happened? What was the outcome?

Tell me about a time when you made the wrong decision. What was the outcome? Show what you learned from this experience. Not that you were fired.

Why do you think you'd be good at this role?

What can you bring to this organisation?

Do you feel you can work well unsupervised/in a team/both? Examples

How are you under pressure?

Reply 27

loftx

My advice is be yourself - interviewers are people too, and along with someone who fits the critera for the job they'll also be looking with someone who's friendly, enthusiastic and they think they'll enjoy working with.

Reply 28

danni_bella

Also good job agencies if you know of any have great videos and stuff you can watch to prepare yourself.

They're usually funny tho because they're from the 80s, the last time I watched one I had to stop myself from lol.

But they're good. :smile:

Reply 29

xspongeyx

i have an interview for a database analyst job next tues. anyone give me any tips on IT sort of interviews

Reply 30

beach surf babe

I've got an interview/trial thing today.... :eek:

Reply 31

xspongeyx

ive been told theres gonna be a short test in my interview :s-smilie:

Reply 32

xspongeyx

ive been told theres gonna be a short test in my interview :s-smilie:

Reply 33

flyboy123

Great thread....thanks

Could someone sticky this pwease?

Reply 34

kazap

I had the 'pleasure' of sitting in on a couple of grad interviews we gave at my company. Here are my thoughts from the other side of the table:

Show some personality and character, we are people too, when meeting anyone we all form an impression of that person, several of our candidates just came over as boring people we didnt want to work with.

Make eye contact, talk confidently, sit up straight, dont hide behind the table.

Do some preperation! It was frustrating to have someone infront of us who didnt even know why they were there, gives such a bad impression.

I wrote off at least one person on their wet handshake! Its true, its so off
putting.

Have some respect for you interviewer, I got a few really badly judged 'cheeky' comments that just made me think "youre a knob".

Listen carefully to what we say, again its very frustrating when you ask someone to repeat what youve been discussing and they dont have a clue. Remember names, use them.

Dont lie, you may talk yourself ito a job that isnt suitable for you. A good interviewer will be testing what you say and will pick up on the slightest contradiction. The scribbles they are making may be notes on what they think of you, but it will also be notes on what you say, so be prepared to justify any comments and contradictions.

Oh and giving interviews can be scary too, it also gets boring after the 1st one, so try and get some of your personality across!

Good luck!

Reply 35

xspongeyx

anyone had an interview for british gas for a customer service advisor?

Reply 36

PixelHoney

I agree! I have an interview next week with House Of Fraser and I know this will help me alot. Thanks for that :smile:

yeah sticky it

bump

With the Why did you leave your last job - working hours could come into the 'right' answer. If your last job was only 1 afternoon a week and you are currently applying for a full time job (or just more hours) then the fact that you weren't able to increase your hours at your old company wouldn't go against you and would be seen as avalid reason for leaving

Reply 39

EBS_1983

Alex Mann

Blimey, so many threads asking 'what will I be asked at my interview', and I'm likely to get RSI form typing out the same thing over and over again. As the thread title said, ENOUGH. :wink:

So I thought I would type out all the questions I think you could be asked, and some ideas for the answers. Please feel free to add to the list. If people don't mind, any others questions people think of I will edit into the list in this post so people can easily access it without trawling through the thread!

Why do you want this job?
This answer should be positive. So, for example, you want the experience, or you want to develop expertise in this area, or you have a similar job before and enjoyed it, or it is a personal interest. Do not mention money, and do not slag off your previous employers.

What qualities do you think you will need?
There are obvious qualities that will be needed for every job. So, for example, communication skills, a good work ethic, a will to learn, customer service skills, problem solving, analysing, leadership, teamwork etc. For further clues, you could also have a look at the Job spec. If it actually says in the Spec what the ideal candidate needs to be able to do, then that is your answer!

What will you bring to the job?
Same answer as above really, but also mention anything you have done in the past that is relevant, especially if you were successful at it! Just 'experience' is also good.

Why do you want to work for this company?
Similar to 'why do you want the job' but here is your chance to show you have researched the company. Try and come up with one positive that the company has. For example, GAME have a reputation for being specialists. Avoid saying things like you want shorter hours or they're more flexible or whatever. Just be really complimentary about the company!

What interests you about our products?
Research for this one is key. For example, in Debenhams, I would at this point list off some of the designers (John Rocha, Jasper Conran, Nigel Cabourn etc) and say they have a great reputation.

What can we offer that your last job didnt?
Be very careful. Again, avoid money or anything which could be conceived as being 'greedy'. Personal development, job satisfaction and new challenges are all good answers!

Tell me about yourself.
This is a really awkward 'question'. Basically, don't go into too much detail. Don't go back into childhood experiences or say anything negative. In a way, this question could be re-phrased as 'tell me some good things about you'. So, for example, you could say that you enjoy playing football and you were the captain of your local team (this shows leadership).

What about the position do you like?
This should be things such as the challenge, you enjoy working with the product area (clothes?), good location, nice facilities, good atmosphere etc. If they ask you to list things you don't like, only mention small things that really don't matter (the uniform isn't the nicest colour!)

Give me an example of a time you helped someone?
These ones can sound hard, but they're really not. Even if you have no work experience, it can be something that seems really insignificant if it shows you in a good light. As I have worked in a shop, my standard answer is about someone who came into the shop, I solved their problem, then did something extra for them to leave a good impression, and then made sure the problem couldn't be repeated. If you haven't worked before, how about a time you have helped a friend when they were feeling down?

Why are you leaving your current job (if relevant)?
New challenges, want to move into a different area of the industry, personal development etc. Do not mention money, or working hours, or if you've had an argument with someone, or if you didn't like the job etc.

Name 3 good things and 3 bad things about yourself.
The good is easy: leadership, communication, teamwork, customer service, quick learner etc etc. The bad things: there is a lot of debate about this. Don't say 'nothing', obviously. I personally would go for something that can also be seen as good, for example: "I am a bit of a perfectionist so sometimes I can overrun on certain tasks", or, "sometimes I need to slow down a bit, as I am keen to get things done but this sometimes means I miss detail" etc etc. The other approach is to point out things that really aren't relevant to work: my handwriting is scruffy. Another way this question could be asked is "if I spoke to your old boss/teacher, what would he say are your strengths and weaknesses".

Can you work under pressure and meet deadlines?
Obviously, this is a yes, but try and give evidence of this. For example, "at Christmas we had to merchandise a fixture in an hour and we did in half an hour even though the shop was busy". If you haven't worked, can be something simple like "I handed in all my coursework with time to spare".

What sort of pay would you expect?
For a lot of part-time work this isn't applicable. But if you are ever asked this, reply with a question: "what is your range for someone in my position". If they don't give an answer, specify a range (set your minimum above what your real minimum is).

What was the last film you saw?
Sounds odd but it is asked. Mention something mainstream that everyone will know, and obviously, no psycho-killer films. Just something nice and, well, normal, lol.

HI

at an interview would it be wise to ask questions urself to the interviewer??for example

why is the job available??

as some website ive read say u shud not ask any questions and some people say u shud