Job interview answers and questions

wigglebeena

I have an interview for a fairly responsible post coming up, does anyone have links to lists of common interview questions (from the panel)/suggestions for good questions to ask?

Stew68

Hi,

Have a look at the first page of this thread started by Drea earlier in the year. She very kindly listed a load of interview questions that she'd put together.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2982124

t0rt0ise

http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewquestionsanswers/a/interviewquest.htm

There's some

CBosteder

It is difficult to guess interview question for a particular post. Every interviewer has his/her own view and like to justify the candidates according to that point of view. Whatever the question is asked answer it positively. Answer question to show your skill, confidence and smartness. Still, there are some questions you can anticipate in the interview. Here are they,
• Tell me about yourself.
• Why do you want to work here?
• What did like and/or dislike about your past job?
• What interests you most about the position we have open?
• What is your greatest strength?
• Why should I hire you?
• What is your biggest accomplishment to date?
• How was your work rated at your last job?
• What do you think of your last boss (current boss)?
• Can you work under pressure?

For more help you can visit the link,
best-interview-strategies.com/interview-questions-and-answers.html

ultrarunner

Google competency based questions, and come up with a number of examples you can use.

Questions to ask at the end.

What challenges do you envisage within this department / project over the next 6 months?
Based on this interview, what reservations do you have about me succeeding in the role?

Two questions I have used successfully in the past.

caledonian_princess

Last interview I had one of the questions was... What will you do during your first two months in post? It was a bit more flowery than this but basically, think about what you'd need to do in order to get yourself settled in and working well.

t0rt0ise

Question I hate is the obvious first question.. tell me a bit about yourself. Too open ended for me and I don't really know what they expect.

InsideInsurance

CBosteder wrote: »

• What did like and/or dislike about your past job?
• What interests you most about the position we have open?
• What is your greatest strength?
• What is your biggest accomplishment to date?

For most of these you can also expect the opposite... whats you greatest weakness, whats your biggest mistake to date etc etc

jazzypinkpuppet

I am involved in the recruitment and interviews at my work. I have just interviewed 40 people in the last week, for three positions.
The best advice I can give you is research the company and job role before you go, this was one of our criteria. Also dress to impress, this really does have a big impact.
We ask "so tell us a little bit about yourself", all we are looking for is a general bit of background, to be honest I couldn't care less what their hobbies were I was looking for how they spoke, if they made eye contact and if they had good conversation skills, were easy to talk to and would fit in with the existing teams.
Smile and be confident good luck.

purplehearts066

A lot of companies now used 'competency based' questions, or at the least will want you to evidence your answers with specific examples from your work or personal life. This tends to be especially true for responsible jobs.
For example - it will probably not be enough just to say 'I am good at teamworking' - you will need to give a specific example of a time you have worked well as part of a team, describing your own role in the team, your personal responsibilities, what the outcome was, what you would have done differently.
To prepare, think of a list of competencies/skills required for the job, referring to the jobpack/ job advert/ job description (if it has a person spec, even better! that will tell you exactly what qualities the employer is looking for)
These could be - teamworking, nterpersonal skills, time management skills, organizational skills
For each one, think of an example from your work or personal life, which illustrates a time you have used those skills. Explain your own personal role and responsibilities.

More info here: http://blog.giraffejobs.co.uk/how-to-answer-competency-based-interview-questions/

When thinking about answers you might give - turn it around and look at it from the interviewer's point of view. If there is a panel, they will usually be making notes on your answer, and giving your answer a score - possibly from an model answer they have already prepared. Imagine if you were the interviewer, what answer you would give the best score too.

This website: http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/interviews/ivquest.htm
is excellent and I found it invaluable. It has loads of different questions with sample answers, info on preparing for competency based interviews, advice on interview skills and techniques.

Good luck!