Interview Typical Questions
Paula wrote in and asked, “What are some typical interview questions? Can you list some interview mock questions from a typical interview and how to answer them? I especially want to be able to answer the weakness interview question.”
In this article, I’ll answer all of these questions and many more. You might want to check out my How to Get People to Like you article as well. It shows you how to establish good rapport, so that the interviewer will like you.
What to Wear for an Interview
If you are not certain what to wear, error on the side of caution and follow these rule’s.
Recommended Mens Interview Clothing
- Dark Suit: Navy blue and grey received the most votes. Dry cleaned as well
- Plain Silk Tie
- Plain Long Sleeved Shirt: Light colors are preferred and the shirt should be starched
- Black Shoes
Recommended Womens Interview Clothing
- Dark Suit & Dress: Same color as the men, but dresses received the most votes
- Plain Top: Again no patterns
- Jewelry: As little as possible
- Nothing Revealing
Entering the Interview
- Bring everything in one brief case, that is organized
- Have many cover letter’s and resume’s
- Offer a solid equal, up and down handshake
- Maintain eye contact 60 to 70% of the time
- Act enthusiastic, but professional
- Have an interesting story to tell, if the interviewer is chatty
- After you enter the room provide them with 3 to 5 seconds to look you over
- Sit when asked to
- Read my article on Getting People to Like you for more info
Answering Common Questions
I’m taking these question’s directly from a local corporation’s interview sheet.
“Tell me about yourself?”
- Don’t provide your life history
- They want your job history and the skills that make you a good hire
- Don’t get personal
- Talk about how experiences fulfill the needs listed in the job advertisement
- This should take no more than 90 seconds to answer
“What are your strengths?”
- List the same skill’s they stated they were looking for on the job advertisement
- Don’t repeat the list verbatim (Use your own words)
“What are your weaknesses?”
- If you don’t give any, they will think you have ego problems
- Give a weakness that is a strength. Ex: If you must work with a lot of people, state that you don’t prefer working alone, or you prefer interacting with many people or you get bored.
- Provide ways that you are working to overcome these weaknesses
- Explain how you don’t let these weaknesses effect your work
“What (excites / motivates) you?”
- Tell them that using the skill’s they are looking for motivates you (List those skills)
- Ex: “I get charged up when I help people solve their problems”
- Never answer money
- Your best bet is to say solving specific problem’s excites you
“What are you most proud of?”
- Keep these answers related to work (Never go Personal)
- Give examples of how you helped past employers a lot of money, because of your efforts
- Give examples on how you solved the problems the advertisement said they needed solved
“What is your biggest failure?”
- Don’t say you have never failed
- You may say, “I look at a failure as feedback on how to improve”
- Give an example in which unforeseen circumstances caused the failure
- Never blame other people for any failure you describe
- Talk about how mistakes have made you a better person
“How do you (stay organized / get work done on time)?”
- State that you constantly prioritize your most important tasks and then stay till the job is done
- Give an example of when you did just this
“How do you handle pressure?”
- State that you enjoy pressure, and don’t want a boring job (Unless this job is boring)
- Give an example of when you handled a high pressure situation in the past
“Have you ever lost your temper?”
- Say, “I’m not the type of person that thinks getting angry solves problems. If I get frustrated, I just stick to it and get the job done.”
“How do you deal with stress?”
- Tell them how you relieve stress through physical activity or socializing with friends
- Of course don’t talk about going out for drinks
“Our company believes in … how do you feel about that?”
- Any company culture question’s must immediately be agreed with
- Then give an example of your actions embodying this culture
“Are you detail oriented?”
- Same as the organization question above
- Give an example of when being detail oriented helped save money, or customers
“Rate yourself on…?”
- If you are asked to rate yourself on specific skill’s, always answer with an 8 or 9
“Tell me something interesting about yourself?”
- Give the interviewer an interesting story about something that happened outside of work
- Make sure your rule in the story had you doing something exciting, but not illegal
“Tell me about your last performance review?”
- Stick with the positives and ignore the negatives
- Never say anything bad about anyone else
“How do you handle criticism?”
- Companies will not hire someone that doesn’t welcome criticism
- Say, “I welcome criticism, if it is constructive. I then use it to improve my performance anytime the situation occurs again.”
“How do you try to improve?”
- Give an example of a failure, based off of an unforeseen issue, and how you prepare yourself from similar issues now
“What would random person say about you?”
- I’m the person people come to for (insert strong quality)
- Give an example in which you back up that skill
“Do you prefer working alone or on a team?”
- Your best answer will be based on what you will be required to do with this company
- Always give a positive example on the other side as well
“Why are you leaving your current employer?”
- Never give a negative response on either your employer or co-worker’s
- Explain how excited you are to work for this new employer
- Maybe it is a dream?
- Explain how the previous employer helped you gain the skill’s needed to work for this better company
“Why should we hire you?”
- State what their advertisement said they were looking for
- Explain how you are experienced in each skill and be specific
- Also, explain what added value you provide that other candidates do not
That’s All Folk’s
I hope I answered all your question’s. If you have a question on this topic, or any other topic, leave it in the comment section below.
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Its been nice to go through your post. It has been informative, thanks
You’re very welcome. I’m glad you found it useful. Thanks for taking the time to say hi
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Thank you
I’m glad you liked it