Top interview questions!

It’s critical when you are about to head into an interview to arm yourself with knowledge. While you cannot prepare for every single interview question that could possibly come up you can practice answering these 3 most commonly asked interview questions.

Can you tell me about yourself?

Why it’s asked:

Employers are not looking for you to actually tell them about your personal life, like your favorite tv shows or how awesome your spouse is. They are expecting you to tell them about yourself while giving them a brief overview of who you are, professionally speaking.

How to answer:

You should be ready with a one-minute answer that summarizes where you are in your career, with an emphasis on your most recent job while highlighting your strengths.

Ask yourself these questions to help you prep your answer:

-What are the three strongest reasons I am a great fit for this job?

-What are some positive things I can say about the company, and how can I connect what they do with what I can bring to them?

-Why do I really want this job beyond having a steady paycheck and perks?

-What are three AWESOME things I did in my previous position that I can also offer in this new role?

-What is the EXACT job description and how do MY skills match up with it?

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Why it’s asked:

The interviewer wants to understand more about your career goals and how your role in the company factors into that. They are looking to hire someone who is motivated, proactive, and likely to stick around and work hard if hired. They want to see if your goals reflect that.

How to answer:

Express your interest in a long-term career at the company. Your interviewer wants to know that you’re ready to settle in and grow with them. Of course, as we know anything can happen over time. Just remember that the organization is going to be investing considerable time, energy, and money into hiring and training someone for this job. It’s important to show them that you are a worthwhile investment!

What is your biggest weakness?

Why it’s asked:

Employers typically ask this question to help them determine how you can self-assess and reflect on yourself and what you’ve done previously. They are also looking to see what you have improved upon and how you are working to overcome your weakness. Doing so will give an interviewer a better understanding of who you are and how you work.

How to answer:

It’s important to share an actual weakness you’ve been working on improving. Giving a superficial answer won’t help and employers will see right through it! If you’re not good at public speaking for example, but you’ve been taking a course to help improve those skills make sure to share that. As you head into the interview have a weakness already picked out in advance and an answer for how you are working to improve it.

For more tips be sure check out this article on how to nail your virtual #interview!

What are some interview questions that you think are tough?