FREQUENTLY ASKED INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
BE PREPARED! It is always advisable to put together a bank of examples and prepared answers. Although the plan is obviously not to repeat them word for word, the ideal is to use them as the basis for the vast majority of the questions posed.
Structures of an interview changes dramatically and very much dictated by the interviewer and their preferred approach. Some prefer an informal method and will have a chat over a cup of coffee, others prefer the less popular 'stress interview' firing aggressive and sometimes insulting questions at you to see how you react. No matter what the interviewer’s preferred method, remember they are all trying to find the same information: Can you do the job? Do you really want the job? and finally will you fit in within the organisation?
Below are a few of the most popular questions aked at interview:
Company / job specific questions
- What do you know about our organisation / industry / competitors / products?
- What key qualities do you feel are important in this role?
- If successful, how will you approach this role and what key issues will you address in the first three months?
- In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge facing our organisation / sector at the moment?
Biographical interview
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Competency based interview
These questions will almost always start with 'Give me an example of when you...';
frequently followed by
- took a difficult / unpopular decision and how did you deal with this
- disagreed with your boss and what action did you take to address the dispute
- were part of a badly performing team and how did you address this
- demonstrated initiative
- identified and addressed a serious operational / financial problem
- delivered results within a highly pressurised situation
Stress interview / difficult questions
- Your CV seems to be highlight that you are overqualified for the position?
- You seem a little under qualified?
- This role requires extensive sales experience, your CV doesn't make any mention of a sales background?
- You have a number of employment gaps in your CV?
- How do you feel this interview is going?
- Some people may consider your attitude to be a little 'cocky' - what would you say to this?
- What is the biggest mistake you have ever made?
Finally at the end of an interview, you are very likely to be asked whether you have any questions ready for them. It is imperative that at this stage you have a wide range of pre-selected and well prepared a few pertinent questions, but, ensure when asking them that you don’t cover old ground. If the answer has already been covered during the interview, don’t repeat this.
Good questions to ask include:
- Referring to a new products available or competitors advantages and asking how the company are planning to address this?
- Asking how they are dealing with a new regulatory / legislative change?
- How will my performance be monitored?
- What will be expected of me in my first six months / one year?
