Interview Questions to expect;
1. What is Your Greatest Strength?
2. What Is Your Greatest Weakness?
3. Tell Me About Yourself?
1. What is Your Greatest Strength?
How should you answer questions about your strengths?
The best way to respond is to describe the skills and experience that you have which directly correlates with the job you are applying for. Be prepared to answer by making a list of the qualifications mentioned in the job posting.
Then, make a list of your skills that match those listed. This list can include education or training, soft skills, hard skills, or past work experiences. Narrow your list of skills down to 3 - 5 particularly strong skills.
Next to each skill, note an example of how you have used that strength in the past.
This will prepare you for when the employer asks you to elaborate on a particular strength. When you answer, you will be sharing strengths that match the qualifications the company is seeking. Also incorporate these power words that help make a good impression into your responses.
2. What Is Your Greatest Weakness?
What's the best way to talk about weaknesses at job interviews?
It's important to respond carefully because you don't want the hiring manager to think that you're not going to be able to do the job. There are several different ways to answer when you're asked during a job interview what your greatest weakness is. You can mention skills that aren't critical for the job, discuss skills you have improved on, or turn a negative into a positive.
How to Answer What Is Your Greatest Weakness
Even though the question is about weaknesses, your answer should always be framed around positive aspects of your skills and abilities as an employee.
- Discuss Non-Essential Skills
One approach to answering this question is to analyze the key skills and strengths required for the position you are interviewing for and then come up with an honest shortcoming which is not essential for success in that job.
- Mention Skills You Have Improved
Another option is to discuss skills that you have improved upon during your previous job, so you are showing the interviewer that you can make improvements when necessary.
You can sketch for employers your initial level of functioning, discuss the steps you have taken to improve this area, and then reference your current, improved level of skill.
If you use this strategy be sure not to mention anything that you improved upon that is related to the job for which you are interviewing.
You don't want your qualifications for the job to be questioned.
3. Tell Me About Yourself?
Interviewers will sometimes start an interview with an open-ended question like "Tell me about yourself." It's a way to break the ice and make you feel more comfortable during the interview process. It's also a way for the hiring manager to get insight into your personality to help determine if you're a good fit for the job.
Sharing too much or too little information isn't a good idea. The interviewer doesn't want to know everything about you, but disclosing too little can make him or her wonder why you aren't more open.
How to Answer the Tell Me About Yourself Interview Question
Although it might be tempting to share a list of your most compelling qualifications for the job at hand, a more low-key approach will probably help you to develop a personal rapport with your interviewer.
Try starting out by sharing some personal interests which don't relate directly to your work. Examples might include a hobby which you are passionate about like quilting, astronomy, chess, choral singing, golf, skiing, tennis, or antiquing.
Interests like long distance running or yoga which help to represent your healthy, energetic side are worth mentioning. Pursuits like being an avid reader or solving crossword puzzles or brain teasers will help to showcase your intellectual leaning. Interests like golf, tennis, and gourmet food might have some value if you would be entertaining clients in your new job.
Volunteer work will demonstrate the seriousness of your character and commitment to the welfare of your community.
Interactive roles like PTA volunteer, museum tour guide, fundraiser, or chair of a social club will help show your comfort with engaging others.
Transition to Professional from Personal
After sharing a few interesting personal aspects of your background, you can transition to sharing some key professional skills that would help you to add value if you were hired for your target job.
Consider using phrases like "In addition to those interests and passions, my professional life is a huge part of who I am, so I'd like to talk a bit about some of the strengths which I would bring to this job."
Share Your Expertise
Be ready to share three or four of the personal qualities, skills and/or areas of expertise which would help you to excel in the job for which you are interviewing. Ultimately, you will want to share several other strengths before the interview is over.
Make a list of your strengths before you go into the interview, so you know what you will share. Look at the job description and match it with your skills. Then share the top few skills which make you an ideal candidate for the job.
However, be careful not to overwhelm the interviewer with too much information. After mentioning three or four strengths, you might mention that you have several other assets which you would like to discuss as the interview unfolds.
At first, you should only mention the asset and allude only briefly to some proof of how you have tapped it to your advantage. For example, you might say that you love to give presentations and that has helped you to generate lots of leads at sales dinners for prospective clients.
Later in the interview, you will want to be more specific and detailed in discussing situations, interventions and results flowing from your strengths.
Avoid Politics and Controversy
Typically, you would steer clear of controversial topics like politics or religion. It's important to avoid any references to topics that would cause concern about your ethics, character, productivity, or work ethic. You also don't need to share personal information about your family.
There is no need to discuss spouses, partners, children, or any other strictly personal information.
watch out for more on interview questions to expect.
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