If you recently changed your career path , the interviewer is sure to ask about it. A lot of people go through a career change. Some even do it several times in their lifetime! When asked this question, all you have to do is answer truthfully. I realized that being a doctor is not for me. While I did enjoy my 3 years in med school, the 6 year study period was too much. I wanted to start making money and help out my family way before that, so I dropped out of university and started taking online courses in accounting.
Simply because I enjoy doing sales much more than accounting. After 5 years of working as an accountant for Firm X, I decided I wanted to try something new. I asked my boss at the time to let me transition to the sales team, and I ended up liking it AND being pretty good at it. I learned as much as I could at this position while delivering amazing results. It was, however, time to switch to something new. The management was too controlling and micromanaging.
I prefer to have some control over my work, and being able to contribute by going above and beyond my requirements. Of course, I went through the off-boarding properly. Meaning, gave a timely resignation notice , and transferred all the essential company knowledge to my replacement. The fault was in my communication skills at the time.
The losses were not more than 3-figures, but apparently, the relationship with the client was already strained, so they ended up leaving. You probably have a very good reason for it. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that if you were laid off at work, or you quit and had trouble getting a new job , you should be very subtle about it.
If you got fired and the interviewer asks you about it, you should be honest. After all, they can easily check-in with your previous employer. My boss is a total tool, and he hates me for no real reason. He yelled at me for no real reason! In the example above, the interviewee gets defensive. The interviewer was unclear about the job responsibilities - from what I understood, they were looking for a senior-level marketer to oversee their email marketing operations.
At the end of the day, though, it turned out that the company was looking to experiment with email marketing, and specifically for someone to set it up from scratch. Now, you should look at this as a red flag. Do you offer overtime pay for this kind of situation? During my weekend-off, not one, but three of my coworkers got sick, and I had to spot for them.
The weekend was peak season in Nantucket, so the restaurant was getting seriously overwhelmed. All of a sudden, we went from being very prepared for the season, to complete panic. Had to jump between serving, bussing, and line-cooking, but overall, managed to survive through the weekend successfully.
My position as a PR manager involves constantly keeping track of our clients brand reputation, and if something goes wrong, dealing with it as fast as possible. In a lot of cases, you need to be very proactive - if you wait for your entire team to have a meeting on how to deal with the issue, it might already be too late.
There were different situations where I had to take charge and react to problems literally the moment they arose, whether it was during my work hours, or not.
When asking this question, the interviewer wants to learn if you have any medical conditions that could impair your ability to do the job correctly. However, you might want to disclose anything that could potentially have an impact on how you perform. Chances are, at this stage of the interview, you already know a lot about your future position and the company. From all the info you gathered, suggest a handful 3 to 5 initiatives you could take on:.
Describe several things you think are going to be functioning better:. Give the interviewer an exact example of when you excelled at working with a team. This one time while working at [Company X], I was assigned to an existing team working on a web application for a business process management company.
I optimised their development cycles and oversaw a team of three developers while collaborating with the other two dev teams. You could also give a more strategic answer.
You need to be a risk taker to an extent, but being too risk-friendly might make the entire company go bankrupt. As with most interview questions, you should give examples of situations where you had to take risks, and what the end-results were. I believe that to achieve real results, you always need to be willing to take a certain level of risk. Pretty much any marketing initiative you launch is tied to risk. You can plan everything from beginning till the end, but no matter how well you plan it out, things might just not work out.
The most important things are to one, minimize your risks, and two, minimize potential damages if everything goes very, very wrong. While working at Investment Bank X, we had a very interesting policy for investing in new fintech projects. We used to avoid moon-shots, high-tech projects, as well as anything that had an experimental business model. Our strategy was to invest in proven tech. As in, proven product-market fit, business model, etc.
In most cases, these were runner up companies. More often than not, this ended up being more profitable, and significantly less risky. I would break up large assignments into small, individual tasks, and prioritize based on:. This way, my work became a lot more manageable. The most times I had to experience such situations, the better I performed overall. I look at it as a challenge - a situation where I really have to up my game to succeed.
As a cook, working under pressure is pretty much part of the job. By definition, hard work is when you, well, work hard. Smart work on the other hand, means doing the work efficiently. Keep in mind, though, that by asking this question, the interviewer is looking to understand what your work ethic is like. Smart work, on one hand, lets you figure out the best and most efficient way to get things done.
For an example of smart for, during my time at [Made Up Corporation], I was in charge of the sales department. On the other hand, the whole migration process took around 3 months of hard work. So, you should be able to pick up new tech ASAP. I have my own personal short-story blog, and contribute actively to several online writing communities such as Writing Prompts on Reddit. I like to keep active, as it really helps keep me productive. And your product kinda sucks, no offense. Talk about anything that might seem off about their product or business:.
Remember the STAR interview method we discussed all the way up? Well, it can be used to answer just about any behavioral interview questions. To brush up your memory, the main idea behind the STAR method is that each answer should involve the following:.
What the interviewers want to know in this case is how well you handle conflict and difficulties. So, the answer here should be pretty straightforward. You should describe a challenge you faced at work, and explain how you solved it. I noticed this over the weekend and saw that they were basically wasting money on nothing.
I took the initiative and immediately got in touch with the client to let them know about the issue. Then, we set up an impromptu meeting on the same day, and fixed the account before any real damage could be done. Two days before deploying, we found a major bug that messed up the whole front-end user experience.
It was a very collaborative atmosphere, and the team and I worked together on almost every project. Everyone's weak point was countered by another's strong point. I learned more working there than I ever did in college, and I'm excited to apply these skills to a new position. This question can tell employers about types of work you enjoy, your experience level with certain workplace scenarios and whether or not you would be a good culture add.
Avoid saying anything negative about your former employer, managers or colleagues. Make your answer about your career growth and enthusiasm for joining their organization. I deeply enjoy being challenged and getting better at what I do, which I understand is a top priority for managers at your organization. How you handle stressful situations is an indicator of your ability to solve problems.
Spend some time thinking about your response to stressful situations and provide an example that communicates your abilities around perseverance, resilience and stress management. Instead, think of a few achievements that showcase your work ethic and values.
The STAR method is a great tool to ensure you highlight the parts of your story that employers want to hear. I noticed other brands were experimenting with videos and seeing great engagement from their customers, so I asked my boss if we could do a low-budget test. She agreed, so I produced a video cheaply in-house that drove double the engagement we normally saw on our social channels.
Employers may ask this of anyone who might be leading or teaching others. Your response will allow employers to gauge your personal skills and if you would be a good culture add. A good answer will concisely identify what you think teaching should achieve and include concrete examples to illustrate your ideas. This way, they feel ownership over the learning rather than feeling micromanaged. For example, in my last role, I was editing an article written by a copywriter I managed.
In a one-on-one meeting, I asked her what she thought was the main point of the article if she had to sum it up in a sentence.
From there, I asked if she thought the focus was clear in the article. As a result, the article improved and my direct report learned a valuable writing lesson that she carried into her future work. Your answer can either come from the perspective of a customer or a customer service provider. Instead of simply stating the facts, the flight attendant apologized sincerely and offered me a free drink or premium snack. To me, this apology went a long way in smoothing things over.
The freebie was a bonus that made me feel valued as a customer and choose the same airline for my next flight. An interviewer may or may not already be familiar with your background. Regardless, this question gives you the chance to detail your experiences that are most valuable to the prospective role.
Consider these tips for answering:. When I became a senior financial analyst, I supervised other analysts and trained them in providing the most helpful experience to our customers. End with a goal statement: "As your senior financial consultant, I aim to integrate my individualized approach to helping clients build the retirement fund they will depend on.
Employers ask this to help them understand how your definition of success influences your goals and how you measure them. I work toward completing my individual duties as effectively as possible, balancing that with professional growth and contributing to larger organizational goals.
Many jobs involve moments when, for varied reasons, there are unexpected situations that require swift action. The ability to stay calm, think logically and act correctly in such a scenario is a major asset. This is another good instance of when to use the STAR method to talk about a specific time you were faced with a challenge, might have succumbed to stress but managed to calmly find a solution.
I find that routine can make us complacent, so I try to look for challenges that push me to grow. One time, I was supposed to deliver a project to a client in five days. A colleague who was working with another client had the same deadline, but he had to take a leave of absence due to personal reasons. I was forced to take up both projects at the same time. While I felt an initial sense of panic, I tried to reframe it as an opportunity to see what I might be capable of. Instead of letting the stress get to me, I came up with a very detailed time management plan and found new ways to boost my efficiency that enabled me to deliver both projects on time.
Employers typically ask this question because they want to ensure that your interests and passion align with their job. Describe a job in general: " My dream job would be a leadership position where the other team members are active participants and communication happens daily Discuss your values: " Tailor to the job for which you are interviewing: " Research the company in-depth to understand its culture and business needs.
Explain why your skills, experience and characteristics uniquely position you to advance organizational objectives. Use an example from your work experience that speaks to your skill set. In a previous position as the purchasing lead, I had to decide which supplies to order to stay within the budget, but I had a limited amount of time to make a decision.
I will bring the same interest and motivation for making an impact here at ABC Company. Employers ask this question to gauge how you interact with various stakeholders or colleagues of differing opinions. Often, being the right person for the job involves more than just hard skills, hiring managers also value candidates who can collaborate with others and approach conflict in a productive way.
A good answer will discuss a time you encountered a conflict with a colleague, client or manager and maintained the patience to resolve it. Use the STAR method to construct your response. When I approached him about it, he reacted defensively. I kept calm and acknowledged that the deadlines were challenging and asked how I could assist him in improving his performance. He calmed down and told me that he was involved in another project where he had to do tasks that were not in his job description.
For the remainder of the project, the technician delivered great work. Avoid voicing concerns about your current position or company—negative comments about your employer are often interpreted as unprofessional. Research the role and company ahead of time to understand how it relates to your background. An impactful answer will discuss your hard and soft skills and use the STAR method to illustrate how your unique skills might benefit the team or organization.
After talking to her for a few minutes, we realized that she felt too much pressure to participate in company events. I started introducing events that involved fewer competitions and more casual environments, and she quickly grew more comfortable with her team.
Much like preparing for a test in school, the best way to succeed in your interview is to study and practice. Research the company and the job, and practice your talking points until you feel confident about your answers. The more you prepare, the more likely you are to leave a lasting impression and outperform fellow candidates.
Come equipped with examples of work from previous jobs, as well as ideas for the new job. Try and make the interview as conversational as possible by showing genuine interest in the job, company and your interviewer. Top 10 Interview Questions 1. Tell me about yourself. How would you describe yourself? What makes you unique? Why do you want to work here?
What interests you about this role? What motivates you? What are you passionate about? Why are you leaving your current job? What are your greatest strengths? What are your greatest weaknesses? Find jobs. Company reviews. Find salaries. Upload your resume. Sign in. Example interview questions. Basic interview questions. Can you explain these gaps in your resume? Are you willing to travel? Are you overqualified for this role? Would you be willing to work nights and weekends?
What qualities make a good leader? What is the name of our CEO? What do you know about our company? Why are you changing careers? Can you walk us through your resume? Why is our company interesting to you?
Who was your favorite manager and why? Who are our competitors? Why are you the right person for this job? What is your greatest personal achievement? Where do you see yourself in 10 years? What do you know about our industry? When put on the spot, selecting your hobbies and interests that are simultaneously work-appropriate and not too vague can present a real challenge - especially under time pressure.
We dive into why employers ask the question, the difference between hobbies and interests, loads of example answers and what to avoid when answering! How to answer what are your hobbies and interests. If you're not interviewing elsewhere, does that decrease your value? And if you reveal every detail of companies and roles you've been applying to, are you breaking any rules?
Check out these 'are you applying for other jobs' best answers, where we have broken the interview question down, with model answers for if you're interviewing for jobs in other industries, if you are interviewing for competitors and if you're not interviewing anywhere else at all. How to answer are you interviewing anywhere else. It's also important to consider being asked different variations of common interview questions, so that you're not caught off-guard on the day, for example, 'what stress management techniques do you use?
Every job will involve some level of stress — so employers want to know that you can handle it in a professional and constructive way. But what is the best way to approach this common interview question? How to answer how do you handle stress. Attempting to describe your personality in a graduate job interview can be tricky - and this is especially true when you're limited to just a few words.
What's the best approach to this common job interview question? Choose from our list of words to describe yourself in an interview, you'll want to select the words that describe your working style, personality and priorities in the very best light! How to answer describe yourself in 3 words. Number 13 of our guide to the most common job interview questions and how to answer them 'what motivates you at work?
Want to boost your employability and increase your chances of job interview success? Find out the best way to answer this interview question, example answers as well as what to avoid when answering How to answer what motivates you at work?
In a graduate job interview, employers will be looking for information to help them make a decision on whether or not they should hire you. We look at a variety of top, example answers and ways to explore what truly sets you apart from the hundreds of other candidates applying for the same job as you!
How to answer what makes you unique? Although it might seem that employers ask this interview question to catch you out, in reality in most cases the interviewer simply wants to gain an understanding of the reasons behind your job search, and your incentives for leaving your current graduate job. Click the link below for top advice on how to answer from graduate recruitment experts. We reveal multiple example answers as well as a list of reasons for leaving a job, and much more! How to answer why do you want to leave your current job.
Tip: Change the playback speed in the settings at the bottom right corner, to suit your learning requirements! Please feel free to embed this video on your website get in touch for more info , or subscribe to our YouTube channel for more great interview questions videos and career advice tips for graduates. If you've been through all of our killer interview answers for those tricky interview questions, you will have realised there is a pattern we follow for our job interview question and answer samples The STAR interview technique!
This is a highly effective way of answering graduate job interview questions. The situation, task, action, result format can be used to answer competency-based interview questions, by drawing upon real examples and tangible results.
Find out how to use the STAR technique in a graduate job interview:. Now you've thought about the common interview questions and answers, take a look at our other advice to ensure that you ace every part of the graduate interview. From what to wear, to how to relax before the big day, we have got you covered with more interview tips and tricks. What to wear to a job interview. How to relax before a job interview.
Graduate job interview preparation checklist. Graduate phone interview tips - how to answer the call. Graduate assessment day interview tips. Search Jobs Common Interview Questions and Answers How to answer common interview questions From the ordinary to the weird and wacky and sometimes tough interview questions to answer, this series covers the common interview questions an employer might ask.
Industry specific interview questions and answers. View our YouTube channel.
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