HOW to Answer Interview Questions about you

Question 1: Why should I hire you?

 

Question translation: What are your strengths and how will they contribute to the success of your team and my company? How do your strengths fit into my company?

How to Answer: This is not an opportunity to wax lyrical about your achievements and use endless clichés to describe your prowess. (A word of advice: AVOID clichés and unnecessarily large words...both will make you look very silly.)

This is the time to tell me what your strengths are (if you haven’t already), why you think it is a strength in relation to this position and how they will benefit the potential team and department that the role sits in and the organisation as a whole. Look at the key desirable qualities or competencies of the role and show how your strengths complement them and how they are ideal to carry out your assignment. Show how you can fit into the company while standing out in terms of quality of work and service. And finally, what do you think makes you stand out as an excellent choice? List any achievements that relate in any way to the job in question. For example a job in a recruitment agency, if in a previous role you were able to see 80% of agency workers get hired or similar in a redundancy situation this is where you should highlight and emphasize it.

 

Question 2: Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

Question translation: How long are you planning on sticking around? What is/ does this job really mean to you? What do you want to have achieved professionally in 5 years time? What do you hope to have achieved in this company via this role in 5 years time and how does that relate to your career objectives?

How to Answer: One of the most common questions ever.  No, not married with 3 children (even if you do) and please not the cliché ‘in a management position’ or ‘climbing up the corporate ladder’. What I want to know is if you are looking to diversify your knowledge or specialize in a particular area in your field. Do you intend to ‘stick around’? Are you one who is interested in expanding their knowledge base and building on it? Do you see this role as just a boot in the door and a step to something better? Never ever let on that a job is a step to something better, the second an interviewer sniffs that you can just say ‘Sayonara’ to that job.  No one wants to hire someone who will skip out the second something better comes on the scene even though it is sometimes inevitable. Why you ask? Well, think of recruitment costs, training, onboarding, and procuring equipment not to mention time spent. Now imagine that after all this, 2 months later that person skips out and you have to do it all over again, yep if I can smell that the job is just a foot in the door and you are not very enthusiastic (don’t be overly enthusiastic either) about it, you can bet I will not be offering you a job anytime soon. Also as much as possible try and give measurable answers.

 

Question 3: What about the role interests you? Why did you apply for the job?

Question translation: Why do you want to leave your previous role for this? What is the difference in your previous role and this that would make you leave it for this?

How to Answer: No, not the benefits. NEVER the pay/ salary and definitely not the opportunity for advancement! It will just make you look like a gold digger and like you are more interested in the job because of the pay and benefits and not in the actual role itself. As I’ve said previously, you do not want to ever give off the impression that you see the job you are interviewing for as a stepping stone to better roles in the company even if to you it is. You can be sure that if so much as a whiff of this intent comes through the job is NOT yours. To answer this sort of question, first talk about any similarities in this role and previous roles you have held, then talk about areas in this role that you feel will give you greater sense of achievement than your previous role and how you see this specific role as more challenging and potentially more satisfying than current/ previous roles. And then talk about how this sort of advancement to this role and the role itself including the company itself (say some fab things about the company) fit in with your ambition and career plans and goals.

 

Question 4: What are you looking for in your next role?

Question translation: Again, why are you interested in this role? How does this fit into your career plan?

How to Answer: Need I say anything? You are looking for this role. As per the previous question, relate it to the job in question. However while you would have answered question 3 like this:

‘I applied for this role due to that fact that I would have the opportunity to manage a full lifecycle implementation of Oracle software because while my previous role entailed this, we already had a system in place and so data was transferred and we did not have build everything in the ERP system’.

Your answer for this question will be more like this:

‘I am looking for a role that will give me full autonomy over a full lifecycle implementation of a ERP system as my previous role was a lifecycle implementation made easier because we already had a system and so most parameters were transferred.’

As in question 3, conclude by showing how this fits in with your career plans and goals.

 

Question 5: Walk me through your CV

Question translation: How does your previous experience fulfil my requirement for this role. How does it make you the best candidate for the role?

How to Answer: Always start with your earliest RELEVANT experience. You don’t always have to discuss about every job you’ve done if it is not related to the role in question. As you discuss each role emphasize duties, achievements and qualities which are required for the position in question. Using the job description, determine the most desirable and essential qualities and duties to be carried out and then look for areas in your previous experience which bring these to the fore. These are the areas you should discuss when this question is asked. This will help to show that you have both the experience and the expertise for the new role.

How to Stand out at Interviews – What they don’t tell you...PART 2

5.      Relax – Be cool, calm and collected

Just as you are being assessed for a position in the company, you should also be assessing whether the company, environment and job are right for you. Be unflappable, unfazed. Don’t rise to certain questions or perceived slights. Sometimes it is a way to assess how you react. Choose wisely what to react to and how to react. Use silence to your benefit. Don’t get agitated, just smile and wait. You’ve answered the question and it’s now over to me your interviewer to continue. Just look at the interview expectantly they will get the message loud and clear. However, if you are one of those people that really don’t know how to be quiet, you can say something like ‘Was there anything else you wanted to ask me?’ or ‘I hope that has answered your question satisfactorily, please let me know if you would like me to expand further.’ However, I still say just keep quiet, like the Dalai Lama said ‘Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent.’ and I wholeheartedly agree.

Have a relaxed smile, not a cheesy grin or a wide smile or straight face, but a polite smile as if you were about to meet the Queen or Barack Obama for the first time. This will help to lend an aura of approachability.

 

6.      Mind your Language

Just like the popular 1970/80s British comedy series, ‘Mind your Language!’ Ensure that whatever you say cannot be misconstrued. Speak clearly and to the point with no double entendres and avoid any puns intentional or otherwise. Ensure that you tailor your language to the industry the company is in as well as to your job field. Make sure you use industry-speak/ terminology.  Where applicable, use quantifiable achievements as much as possible (sure winner especially in roles that involve reporting and monitoring trends etc). Also when asked certain competency questions, tailor your response to show how your experiences relate to the company and the job you are coming to do and how it can thus benefit the company.  When asked about yourself and experience, again, emphasize areas that most closely relate to the job in question and the company/ industry.

If swearing is a pastime, while I don’t think I should mention this, I still will...CUT IT OUT. Be polite to all whether cleaner or receptionist, you never know who is watching. Sometimes the interviewers ask receptionists their impressions and use that in their assessment. Also, always ensure there is a clear progression in whatever you are saying and that your answers flow smoothly while giving the requisite information. Practice by looking in the mirror to see how you look when you speak and improve your grammar and tense usage.

 

7.      Expert Knowledge

How do you answer your interview questions? (this will be discussed in-depth in the subsequent post, but I will highlight a few things here)

Be sure you know exactly what is needed from a question. What characteristic is required to be portrayed for a competency based question? What part of your experience relates more closely with the job in question? What do they want to know? Listen carefully and ensure that your answer shows you have what it takes and whatever they are looking for. If you are not sure, ask for the question to be repeated, you will never lose points for asking an interview to ‘please repeat the question’. When answering, get straight to the point, you will most likely be interrupted if you are waffling and while that may not necessarily detract from that answer that will most likely ruffle you, make you more uncomfortable and may adversely impact your subsequent answers. Answer confidently and calmly and show that you have complete mastery of your area of expertise. Let them know that you know what you are talking about. Use the structure for answering questions that I will explain in my subsequent posts that will address answering normal and competency based questions. When used effectively, it never fails. Also, if it is a question that can be answered different ways, answer in the way that relates to the job. E.g. if it is a HR administrator job and you are asked if you have experience of redundancy, talk about the administrative processes involved; if a HR manager role and the same question comes up then talk about the redundancy process itself. So essentially are they looking for the technical answer of the managerial answer? It will always depend on the job.

How to Stand out at Interviews – What they don’t tell you...PART 1

There are certain things you can do before and even at interview stage that will bag you that job. Here I discuss the seven most vital principles which can mean the difference between a ‘You’re Hired!’ and a ‘You’re fired!’

1.      Network

Reach out. Ask. Everyone likes to be independent and utterly knowledgeable however, no man is an island. Reach out to those closest to you and ask for as much information as possible on interview etiquette, company information but also company culture (this should always be in addition to any information gleaned from the internet). There is always extra information that someone who works for your desired company will know. So if you don’t know someone who works there, look for someone who does, use your network...LinkedIn, Branchout, friends etc. Get their insight on how they landed their job, I have always found this useful. You may be asking what they can tell you that you won’t find online. Well for starters, the company culture and the kind of characteristics that are sought after, a guide on the sort of things to know about the company and advice on how to show your best side at the interview. Believe it or not while interview questions may be the same, different companies have different methods of assessing you sometimes it is what you ‘don’t’ say.

So Stop trying to do it all your way.  The only way you can see farther is by climbing on the shoulders of those who have gone ahead.

 

2.      Pre-prepare

Live Ready. Even before you are invited to an interview you should always be prepared at least with answers to typical interview questions. As your experience and skills increase, your examples and interview answers should change and become better, more relevant and varied. I have a document on my pc that is specifically interview questions and my own answers including my strengths and weaknesses. I am constantly updating it and so when I get a call for an interview, I just quickly do background research on the company research and then review my document. At any point in time you should be ready for an interview even if you are gainfully employed because you will almost always be looking for opportunities for advancement whether within your company or externally. I have had calls that were on the spot preliminary interviews without previous notification, after the first time I was caught unawares I learnt this lesson. I have also had calls for interviews the next day or at very short notice, again, because I was pre-prepared it was not a hardship for me to prepare myself as I was literally just doing a quick research of the company and then a review of my document. Also prepare questions to ask the interviewer about themselves and the company.

 

3.      Dress to Impress

Don’t just dress to look good at the interview, dress to show that you fit into the company culture and style. For some companies you can get away with and may even fit in better if you wear a mismatched suit (i.e. black jacket, brown trousers, properly accessorized) for guys and ladies or for ladies a dress and a jacket; and at some places you will not get away with anything less than a power suit or a dressed-to-the-nines dress suit. Make it a point to know what sort of company it is and dress accordingly and fitting the position you have applied for. When you walk in, it should be obvious you’ve made an effort, but at the same time a new employee or even your fellow interviewees should look at you and mistake you for an employee. I know people who have gone in for interviews and as they walked in all the other interviewees snapped to attention because they thought their interviewer had arrived. That’s the idea. That’s what you want to happen when you step in, and this is enhanced by how you carry yourself.

 

4.      Excellent Carriage

When you walk into the room, the first thing that is observed is how you carry yourself. Are you arrogant, Shy, Proud, lack confidence or uncomfortable? When you walk into the room you should make the interviewer sit up and take notice. NO, not because you are proud but because they should see a confident, pleasant professional walk in. This is the first impression that is gleaned of you before the interview starts and as a wise person once said ‘You never get a second chance to make a first impression’. Walk like you are going to give very good news to your biggest client, with anticipation but always professional because do you know what, you are going to give them good news...their best employee has just arrived! While we are on the subject of carriage, people always ask ‘How should I sit at an interview?’ It is always said to sit relaxed but not too casual. Let me make it easy – sit how you would if you were the CEO of an organization receiving a potential investor; in this scenario you would be calm, in control, relaxed, cordial but still and above all professional, that is what you want to portray. Ladies, I always say sit with your legs crossed at your ankles and neatly to the side. Men I would advise just sit straight and no ankles on knees leg-crossing. And try to avoid tapping feet/ shoes or finger, picking nails or fidgeting.