General Interview Questions Employers Ask

General Interview Questions Employers Ask

Once you are in the interview process, you can expect a series of open-ended questions.  Below are a few general, sample questions.  I have taken the liberty to provide a framework for the answers hiring managers are seeking.

• Tell me about yourself?
  • Focus on personal and professional values
  • Why you chose your career path
  • Highlight experiences (life, career, education etc..) you are proud of
• What is your greatest accomplishment?
  • Choose an example that was helpful to an employer or project
  • Discuss how you achieved the success, not just that you achieved success
• What is your greatest strength?
  • Focus on top 3 (1 may not be enough however more than 3 may give a negative impression
  • leadership skills
  • team-building skills
  • organizational skills
• What is your weakness (improvement area)?
  • DO NOT SAY:  I tend to expect others to work as hard as I do,” or “I’m a bit of a perfectionist” or “I work to hard”
    
  • State your true improvement areas and how you are working or have worked on them.
  • Employers want to know that you are aware of your shortcomings and willing to do what it takes to improve
• How do you handle stressful information?
  • Tell how you use time management, problem-solving or decision-making skills to reduce stress.
  • It is fine to discuss your work-out regiment
  • Don’t make a “poor taste joke” such as “I kick the dog”…yes someone really told me this, they did not get the job.

• What is the toughest problem you’ve had to face, and how did you overcome it?
  • Tell a story here, 2 minutes should be enough time (discuss projects that were off schedule, job search in 2009 etc…)
  • Answer from a professional standpoint (one example may be overcoming the transition from manager to individual contributor, etc…)
  • Do not discuss personal issues such as bad relationships, divorce, TMI…
  • Personal problems that are acceptable include; putting yourself through school, overcoming an obstacle to reach a personal goal etc…

• Why do you want this position?
  • Here’s where your research about the company will help you stand out among the other candidates
  • Discuss the pros of the job and how your skills match
  • Openly discuss any shortcomings you may have and present how you will overcome
• Why are you the best person for this job?
  • Emphasize several reasons why you should be hired (skills match, behavioral match, company cultural match).
  • Do Not provide “canned” answers such as;
    • “Due to my extensive experience in (insert job function)”.
      
    • “ I’m a fast learner”.
      
  • Provide detailed answer such as;
    • Due to my extensive experience in (insert title)  and skills in (key items they are seeking from the job interview)
    • Provide an example of times you had to learn something quickly, how you came up to speed and the final results.
      

I am sure there are tons of other general questions.  Please feel free to comment with some general interview questions and how you think people should respond.