Top 20 Common Job Interview Questions and Answers

Top 20 Common Job bewerbungsbewerbungsinterview Questions and AnswersTop 20 Common Job einstellungsgesprch Questions and AnswersPreparingfor a job interview? If so, you should practice answeringtypical interview questions. If you interview frequently, unterstellung common job interview questions will grow quite familiar. During yurinterview preparation, think about possible answers that will pertain to the job youre applying for, while highlighting your skills and experience. Also brush up on yourinterview skills, so youre prepared to make the best impression. Why Is Anticipating Interview Questions Important? The goal of anticipating interview questions isnt to memorize responses, but rather to get comfortable talking about these topics. This advance preparation will help you feel more confident and less on the spot during the interview. As you develop your answers, select anecdotes and specific examples from your previous work experiences to share with your interviewers. 20 Most Common Interview Questions and Best Answers Start with these questions youll most likely be asked at a job interview, plus the best answers. Then review otherquestions specifically related to the position, so youre prepared to ace the interview. 1. Tell me about yourself. What They Want to KnowAsking about you is a way to break the ice at an interview and make you feel more comfortable. Its also a way for the interviewer to determine ifyoure a good fit for the job. Before you go on an interview, consider what you want to say when youre describing yourself to potential employers. Creating anelevator speech, which is a quick synopsis of your background, is a good way to prepare a response. Im an electrician with ten years of experience in residential construction. After earning my electricians certificate at ABC Tech, I apprenticed with Jones Brothers, and then they hired me as a journeyman electrician. Four years later I earned my certification as a master electrician. Expandmo ra Answers Interview Question Tell Me About Yourself 2. What were your responsibilities? What They Want to KnowKnow whats on your resume, so you can discuss what you did at the other jobs youve held. When youre describing your responsibilities, try to mention those that match the new jobs requirements. Showing that you have done similar work will be an asset during the interview. Focus on the responsibilities that most closely align with the job for which youre interviewing when you respond to the recruiter. As a special ed teacher, Ive worked with grades K-6 at a large inner-city school, partnering with parents and other teachers to design IEPs and support the inclusion of students with disabilities in regular classrooms. Expandmora Answers Job Interview Questions About Your Responsibilities 3. What did you like or dislike about your previous job? What They Want to KnowWhat you liked and what you didnt like about your last job or the company you worked for is an indicator of how you might feel about this position if you were to be hired. Be careful what you say when youre interviewing for a similar job. If the roles are alike, you may want to keep what you didnt like to yourself. Its important to be positive and enthusiastic about the job for which youre being considered. I liked the progressive, staged training program my employer used to teach new hires the ins and outs of financial services there was always something new to learn, and we knew we would be steadily promoted as we became more experienced. I didnt like the commute, though, which is why Im now applying for jobs closer to home. Expandmora AnswersHow to Answer Interview Questions About Your Previous Job 145 Watch Now How to Answer 7 Tough Interview Questions 4. What were your starting and final levels of compensation? What They Want to KnowHiring managers will want to learn how much you earned to landsee if youre a competitive candidate for the company from a salary perspective. Be honest wh en discussing how much you were paid because employers can ask about salary whenchecking your background. However, also be aware that in some locationsemployers are prohibited from asking about your prior wages. Some employers have also implemented policies that restrict questions about salary from being asked. When I started my entry-level job as an accountant, my annual salary was approximately $42K I then became a CPA and currently take home around $80K. ExpandMore AnswersInterview Questions About Your Salary History 5. What major challenges and problems did you face? How did you handle them? What They Want to KnowWith this question, the interviewer is trying to understand how you handle issues and problems. Can you figure out solutions and workarounds when there is a problem? How adept are you at problem-solving? Do you enjoy a challenge, or do you get nervous when theres a glitch? When I was first hired as store manager, our turnover rate was 75% and we were chronically underst affed. I implemented performance incentive programs that reduced attrition by 63% and significantly improved our talent pipeline by focusing on internal training and promotion. ExpandMore AnswersJob Interview Question How Did You Handle a Challenge? 6. What is your greatest strength? What They Want to KnowWhen answering questions about your strengths, focus on the abilities you have that are key to success in the job for which youre interviewing. Dont be too humble. Its important to make the hiring manager aware of your qualifications. My greatest strength is my ability to learn new processes quickly. When placed in a new environment, I actively observe how other people do things so that I can easily pull my weight on the team. Im also open to testing new ways of doing things in order to optimize our efficiency. ExpandMore AnswersInterview Question What is Your Greatest Strength? 7. What is your greatest weakness? What They Want to KnowThere are different ways to tackle questions ab out weaknesses. One is to turn a negative into a positive by sharing an example of how something you considered to be a weakness actually helped you on the job. The other is to speak about additional skills you now have because you worked on those that needed an upgrade. Im an introvert, which I used to regard as being a weakness because I was always shy about reaching out to people. However, part of being an introvert is that Im a great listener, and I find this has really helped me as a Help Desk Technician. Im able to focus on our customers issues, ask the right questions to elicit information, and resolve their tech issues. ExpandMore AnswersInterview Question What is Your Greatest Weakness? 8. How do you handle stress and presaya? What They Want to KnowWhat you do when work gets stressful? Do you stay calm under pressure? Or do you have a difficult time in stressful situations? If youre interviewing for a high-pressure position, the interviewer will want to know that you can de al with the stress. Im pretty good at recognizing when Im beginning to feel stressed. When this happens, I take five minutes to focus on my breathing. I also practice guided meditation in the morning before work for 30 minutes and exercise for an hour in the evening. This keeps me on an even keel. ExpandMore Answers Interview Question How Do You Handle Stress? 9. Describe a difficult work situation or project and how you overcame it. What They Want to KnowWhen youre responding to questions about what you did on the job, be prepared to share an actual example of a challenging situation at work, what the issue was, and how you helped resolve it. Our team, already understaffed, was thrown for a loop when a major customer demanded that we complete our deliverables two weeks ahead of schedule. Normally we try to accommodate such requests, but this time it wasnt possible. I explained the situation to the client, and told them we could either charge them more to support the cost of hiring a temp or, if they accepted the original deadline, wed give them a 20% discount on their next order. They opted for the latter. ExpandMore AnswersWhat Are the Most Difficult Decisions to Make? 10. What was your biggest accomplishment (or failure) in this position? What They Want to KnowWhat are you proudest of? Was there a time something didnt work out, but you were able to learn from it? Let the hiring manager know what you achieved, again sharing examples from your most recent job. Im most proud of having convinced our CEO to implement an internal training and promotion program that allowed our personnel to steadily advance within our organization. ExpandMore AnswersInterview Questions What Were Your Biggest Successes and Failures? 11. How do you evaluate success? What They Want to KnowYour answer to this question will give the interviewer a sense of your work ethic, your career goals, and your life goals. Tailor your response to fit what you expect to achieve if you were to be hi red by this employer. When I wake up each morning enthusiastic about going to work, then lock the clinic at night knowing that weve made a difference in peoples lives, I figure the day has been a success. ExpandMore Answers Job Interview Question How Do You Define Success? 12. Why are you leaving or have left your job? What They Want to KnowThere are many different reasons for leaving a job. You could be moving on because you want more opportunities for growth, you may be looking for a salary increase, perhaps youre relocating, or you have anotlageherreason youre leaving your job. Be consistent in your answer when meeting with representatives of a prospective employer, because they may compare notes. Our business was sold and, although I was invited to transition to the acquiring company, I decided that this was the perfect opportunity for me to explore new career opportunities. ExpandMore AnswersInterview Question Why Are You Looking For a New Job? 13. Why do you want this job? Wha t They Want to KnowWhy did you apply for this position? What do you find most interesting about the job and the organization? With this question, the employer wants to know why you think this job is a match for your career objectives. Take the time todescribe how your qualifications are a match for the job. The more you can show youre qualified, the easier it will be to get hired. From the time my appendix burst as a kid and I spent a week in the hospital, Ive wanted to be a nurse preferably here at James Memorial. Although I went away for nursing school, Im eager to move back home and care for our local community now that Ive become a licensed RN. ExpandMore AnswersAnswer the Interview Question About Your Interest in a Job 14. Why should we hire you? What They Want to KnowThe best way to answer this question is to discuss what you can do for the company. What do you bring to the table? What skills and attributes do you have that will benefit the organization? What will you achieve if you were to be hired? This is an opportunity tosell yourself to the hiring manager. I am a superb consultative salesperson, never failing to surpass my quotas and break prior personal sales records because I truly enjoy working with customers to match them with the brands I know theyll love as much as I do. ExpandMore AnswersInterview Question Why Should We Hire You? 15. What are your goals for the future? What They Want to KnowWhen you respond to questions about your future goals, its a good idea to mesh your objectives with what the company might offer as acareer path. At the least, make sure your goals involve staying with this company for more than a short-term basis. My goal is to sign on with a national retail organization where I can eventually advance to a role as a regional sales manager. ExpandMore AnswersInterview Questions About Your Goals for the Future 16. What are your salary requirements? What They Want to KnowQuestions about salary can be tricky, especially if y ou dont know what the job pays. One approach to answering this question is to say youre flexible, based upon the entire compensation package including benefits. I average around $39K annually, and I know from online salary calculators that the approximate salary here for professionals with my experience ranges from $38K to $40K. But Im open to negotiation, depending upon your benefits package. ExpandMore AnswersSalary Negotiation Tips (How to Get a Better Offer) 17. Who was your best boss and who was the worst? What They Want to KnowThis question is designed to discover what type of leadership and management style works best for you. Be careful answering, and dont be too negative. Even if you had a terrible boss, how you speak about them can leave the interviewer wondering how you will speak about other supervisors if you didnt get along with them. My best manager had an open-door policy where we were always welcome to speak to her privately about issues. Ive never had a bad manager . Im not as comfortable with those who prefer to micromanage my work, but when this happens I try to gain their trust so that theyll feel more confident about giving me some autonomy. ExpandMore AnswersJob Interview Questions About Your Best and Worst Bosses 18. What are you passionate about? What They Want to KnowWhats most important to you? What do you love doing? The answers to this question dont have to be all about work. The company is looking to determine if youre a well-rounded person, and what you enjoy doing outside of work can give them insight into the type of employee youd be if you were hired. I am passionate about folk music, and love to attend festivals during the summer. I also play fiddle with a local band on the weekends. ExpandMore AnswersInterview Question What Are You Passionate About? 19. Questions about your supervisors and co-workers. What They Want to KnowDid you get along with your manager? Have you worked with difficult colleagues? How you interact with su pervisors and co-workers will provide the interviewer with insight into yourinterpersonalandcommunication skills. I think I get along well with both my manager and my colleagues, because I approach everyone with respect. When issues arise, I try to ask for clarification and find points of agreement we can use to resolve differences of opinion. ExpandMore AnswersInterview Questions About Co-Workers and Supervisors 20. Do you have any questions for me? What They Want to KnowThe last question at a job interview is usually one about what you want to know about the job and the company. Be ready witha list of questions to ask. You may seem disinterested if there isnt anything you want to learn more about. Do you have a formal schedule and mechanism for performance reviews? How soon after hiring would I receive my first review? ExpandMore AnswersBest Questions to Ask in a Job Interview Tips to Answer Common Interview Questions Here are a few more tips to help you build your confidence before your interview. Practice responding to the most common interview questions aloud.Ask a friend to role-play the part of your interviewer so that you can practice maintaining eye contact as you think aloud. Prepare for a fewcurveball questions.Some interviewers like to ask their prospective hires challenging questions or even questions where there are no right or wrong answers, in order to see if they can keep their cool under pressure. Review thesecurveball questionsso you wont be taken by surprise. Know what employers shouldnt ask.Not all potential interview questions are fair game for hiring managers. Before your next job interview, its a good idea to familiarize yourself withillegal job interview questions, such as, How old are you? or Is English your first language? Should you encounter one of these, you can later decide if youd prefer not to work for an organization that asks these questions, or whether youll chalk their misstep up to carelessness. How to Make the Bes t Impression Remember that, in your job interview, you will be evaluated not only upon your response to questions, but also upon how well you listen to your interviewers. Pay careful attention to them as they speak, without interrupting, especially when they describe the culture of their organization and their expectations for whomever they hire. Its also a good idea to take brief notes during your meeting. Use these immediately afterwards to craft athank you note for the interviewto express your gratitude, reaffirm your interest in the position, and touch upon any points you forgot to make during the interview.

How to build a personal brand people will remember

How to build a personal brand people will rememberHow to build a personal brand people will rememberToday, one of the most common questions industry professionals ask themselves (or get asked) is how they plan to build themselves into a brand.Ten years ago, this question didnt even exist.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreIn fact, 10 years ago, in 2009, vlogging on YouTube welches just starting to gain (niche) popularity. Blogging was still seen as this weird basement-dwelling hobby, Facebook was starting to warm people up to the idea of sharing their thoughts online, and Twitter was where you shared the thoughts you didnt feel comfortable sharing on Facebook (still true).Fast-forward a decade, though, and now the concept of building yourself as a brand on the internet is not only popular and accepted - its actually seen as a viable career path.By Building Yourself as a Brand, You Become One (or Several) of the Following ThingsInfluencerThought LeaderPersonal Branding ExpertOnline PersonalityInstagrammer / YouTuberNow, some people argue this societal shift happened because social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, etc., democratized peoples ability to gain social status. I first heard it framed this way when I was talking to a friend,Nico Bossi, who is part of the venture capital firm,Alpha Edison- and I agreed. Before the digital landscape made it possible to create and gain your own status, elevating yourself in society was largely dependant upon some sort of validated, external source saying so.For example, you couldnt gain status as a musician unless you were signed by one of the major record labels. Or, you couldnt have your own TV show unless you were signed by a major network.Today? If you have 2.2 million subscribers on YouTube, the world is at your fingertips.There Are Massive Benefits in Todays Society to Building Yourself Into a BrandMy personal belief is that all of us, whether we are conscious of it or not, are in some way, shape, or form, building a brand for ourselves on the internet.And the reason is because, by definition, if you are online in any way, shape, or form, you are playing the game. Even if you have almost no presence at all, your lack of presence is actually still sending a signal. Your half-hearted social profiles are still telling a story to anyone who comes across them. Your Facebook status updates, no matter how simple they are, represent you at scale. Which is why, my personal philosophy is this youre playing the game whether you know it or not, so you might as well play it consciously.Here are three simple ways Ive gone about playing it myself - and how you can be more deliberate in the way you build yourself into a brand.1. Everything You Do, Have Done, and Will Ever Do in Life, Has a Place in Your StoryI started taking my personal brand seriously when I was 23 years old.Id just graduated from college with a degree in fiction writing, and I knew I wanted to build a career for myself as a writer - specifically a best-selling author. At the time, I was working at an advertising agency as a copywriter. I learned very quickly (from my mentor, who was the creative director) that people dont buy products. They dont buy books.They buy brands, and they buy authorsSo I started to think about what unique pillars I could associate with myself and my personal brand. What stories could I come back to over and over again?The first one that came to mind, of course, was the fact that I spent the entirety of my adolescence playing World of Warcraft - and becoming one of the highest-ranked players in North America. The second was the fact that (at the time) I was a full-on bodybuilder, eating six meals per day and lifting seven days per week. So, I took these stories and built on them endlessly. I wrote about them online. I reflected on the lessons they taught me. And I us ed them as cornerstones for everything else I wanted to write about and share.Instead of shying away from parts of your life you think not everyone will understand, appreciate, or be open to, do the opposite. Include them. Find the common threads. These stories are part of you, and they will help others feel like they know who you are as a menschengerecht being.2. Control What People See by Being Deliberate About the Media Attached to Your NameThe internet is a TV screen.The most exaggerated example of this would be a YouTuber, sitting in a Lamborghini, counting a stack of hundreds talking about real estate. It doesnt matter whether this is the YouTubers real life or not - this is TV, remember?What matters is whatyouchoose to do withyourown brand.Very early on, I realized that the quality of the media you publish online tells another story. If people see you being filmed with a high-grade camera, they assume youre professional, successful, etc. If your photos are clearly taken by s omeone who knows what theyre doing, people assume you have resources to invest in your content - which means youre professional, successful, etc.So, get a professional headshot. Fix your Twitter cover photo. And realize, it doesnt matter what industry youre in quality of media tells a story.3. The Best Way to Write About Yourself Is to Be DirectAnd the more direct you are, the faster youll scale your message.Ive worked with more than 200 founders, executives, NYT best-sellers, Grammy winners, zwischenstaatlich public speakers, angel investors, venture capitalists, and more, helping them build effective personal brands for themselves. And one of the most common mistakes I see, over and over again, is people thinking saying less is saying more.Let me tell you somethingThis strategy works incredibly well in the real world. Right? You walk into a room - lets say a private event or dinner. You dont feel the need to run around and tell everyone how great you are. You let conversations u nfold naturally. And then, later in the night, usually after a few glasses of wine (and after youve already played the humility card), you decide to divulge.This isnt rocket science. I see this exact situation happen four nights a week.However, this is a horrible strategy on the internet. You gain nothing by writing in your LinkedIn bio, I help make the world a better place. As a reader, a user, and someone who clicked and wants to know what theyre looking at as quickly as possible, I have no idea what that actually means. Do you work for a non-profit? Are you the founder of a social impact startup?I find people avoid saying the truth for one of two reasonsThey fear coming off as being egotistical (because theyre talking about themselves).They want to be mysterious. (Which, theyre not. Theyre just being confusing).Youre 10x better off just saying what you do, how you do it, and why.Dont say, I help make the world a better place. Say, Angel Investor. Formerly VP of company. Passionat e about startups working toward a sustainable future.Clarity is king.This article first appeared on Medium.

5 Big Mistakes You Are Making on Your Resume

5 Big Mistakes You Are Making on Your Resume 5 Big Mistakes You Are Making on Your Resume Crafting a resume that stands out from the crowd is no easy feat. To do so, you must first understand the principle objective of any resume not to land your next job, but to open the door for your first interview. Having your resumes primary purpose clear in your mind will help you focus on what is really important in a resume.Believe it or not, many candidates still make some very basic errors on their resumes. The following list outlines five major mistakes that candidates make all the time. Make sure youre not guilty of them yourself1. Including Links to AllYour Social Media AccountsYou may have a presence on every hot social media network, but is each profile relevant to your potential new employer? For example, if you regularly share personal information and pictures on Facebook, including a link to this page on your resume may not be a great idea.Instead, it is recommended you include on ly links to the social media networks that are relevant to the target position. For example, if you use Twitter to share news related to your industry, adding a link to this social profile will be a success.Bear in mind that according to Jobvite,93 percent of recruiters will review a candidates social profiles before making a hiring decision. It is therefore important to make sure your privacy settings are properly maintained on all social media sites - especially those you dont want recruiters to landsee2. Using Boring Resume TemplatesThere is no harm in using a resume template. The problem occurs when you use a template without making any changes. If your resume looks exactly like everyone elses, how are you going to stand out?You should choose a modern resume format that aligns with your industrys best practices. Then, you can adjust the different sections so you highlight the information most relevant to the job to which you are applying. Doing so will make your resume more att ractive to the recruiters eye and help them find the information theyre looking for more quickly.3. Overusing Adjectives and Adverbs Instead of VerbsAccording to a study conducted by CareerBuilder, terms such as best of breed, go-getter, think outside the box, synergy, and others are outdated and overused. Instead, candidates should be using more specific action verbs like achieved, improved, and resolved, which more clearly show hiring managers what they have done and can do.4. Leaving Out Quantifiable DataInstead of relying on words to describe your last job success, consider including some good-looking numbers. Adding quantifiable results to your resume will do two things First, it will show recruiters the kinds of amazing results youve produced in the past. Second, numbers will catch a recruiters attention as they scan the resume, thereby sparking their interest in you.According to a study conducted by The Ladders, recruiters spend only 6 seconds reviewing an individual resume. By using numbers, you can make busy recruiters stop for a second. Then, youll have them right where you want them with all their attention on a relevant section of your resume.5. Writing a Resume Thats Too Long or Too ShortThe perfect resume length is up for debate, and unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all solution in sight. However, according toLaszlo Bock, Googles former senior vice president of people operations, a good rule of thumb is one page of resume for every ten years of work experience.This means you need to be very concise with your resume. Leave out experience that is not relevant to the job you are applying for. Remember that the objective of your resume is to secure an interview. This means you should summarize your career and demonstrate your top, most relevant achievements. Leave the detailed elaborations for the face-to-face interview.Maria Onzain is a digital marketing expert who writes about careers, education, ed. tech, and life hacks.Master the art of c losing deals and making placements. Take our Recruiter Certification Program today. Were SHRM certified. Learn at your own pace during this 12-week program. Access over 20 courses. Great for those who want to break into recruiting, or recruiters who want to further their career.