What are your key strengths?

The interviewer wants to know what you specifically, can bring to the company. This is an opportunity to sing your own praises, though try to keep your strengths consistent with the job description. For example, in a strongly client-facing role, mention your strong relationship building skills. With strongly technical roles, highlight your technical expertise and your ability to quickly solve complex problems. Good general answers include being a strong team player, taking initiative, being a fast learner, being a strong motivator of others and being able to work well under pressure. Remember to have examples ready to back up your claims.

What are your weaknesses? / Is there anything you can improve on?

No one likes being asked this question. Remember, nobody is perfect and the interviewer doesn’t expect you to be. The interviewer is interested to know if you are capable of self-reflection and self-improvement, as well as your ability to cope with a tough question, as you frequently will be in the role. The best approach is to turn the negative into a positive, e.g. a weakness you have or have had in the past and how you’ve gone about or plan to overcome it, for example “I used to be a nervous public speaker until I joined Toastmasters”, or “my previous role was very autonomous and I haven’t had much experience working in teams, however I play a range of social sports”.

What is it about this job that appeals to you? / Why do you want to work with “Company XYZ”?

The interviewer is interested in what motivates you, i.e. the challenge, the prestige of the company or the opportunity to take on higher-level tasks. Familiarise yourself with the job ad and Position Description before the interview so you can talk with authority on key points and how they match your interests and long-term objectives. Talk about the company (do your research) and discuss their notable achievements and values, their products or services and explain why you believe they would be a great employer.

What do you enjoy most about your current/ previous job?

This is a loaded question designed to ascertain if what you enjoy about your role relates to the requirements of the role you’re interviewing for. Remember to keep in mind the key competencies listed in the Position Description.

What did you least like about your previous/ current job?

Do not use this question as an opportunity to vent each and every frustration you had with former employers and individual colleagues. The interviewer simply wants to know if your dislikes will likely conflict with the key competencies required for the job you are interviewing for. Saying you did not enjoy having to spend so much time with customers will ring alarm bells if the job you’re applying for is heavily client facing. Good answers may include a lack of opportunity for career growth, the responsibilities and career path were not in line with your education and objectives, or you did not feel sufficiently challenged.

Why did you leave/ are looking to make a move from your previous/ current job?

Be up front and honest. Short-term contracts, chasing higher remuneration/ higher responsibilities/ responsibilities not in line with long-term career objectives are easily explained away. If you have been terminated however, or if the split was less than amicable don’t try to talk your way around it. If you were terminated for underperformance, say that you disagree with their assessment and outline the problems/issues encountered, what you did to try to rectify the situation and explain why it would not be a concern with the role you’re interviewing for.

Can you give an example of a tough, challenging goal you set yourself and how you achieved it?

This is a penetrating question and can be asked in a number of different ways. To answer this well you need at least one, clear-cut example of undertaken initiative and are able to explain what the end result was e.g. turning around an underperforming team, implementing a new business process or winning a new client resulting in a 25% increase in revenue. Pay careful attention to the second part of the question, as anyone can rattle off a list of achievements, but the interviewer wants to know the processes and the circumstances. Keep the examples as contemporary as possible, and only use university or personal examples if you are a new graduate. It’s about showing initiative and profitably overcoming adversity.

“Personal” questions

A personal question should be viewed as an opportunity to add value to your application. While the vast majority of the interview will be job-focused, personal questions such as ‘what are your hobbies/ outside interests, what do you like to get up to in your spare time, or what are your plans for the holidays?’ are often asked in an off-handed way, but are used by interviewers to get a read on your personality and judge whether you will be a good cultural fit for the company. “Cultural fit” does not mean your ethnicity, religious background or sexual orientation as Equal Opportunity guidelines prohibit such questions. Cultural fit is how easily you will be able to slot in to the team. Different companies and different departments form distinct group personalities, i.e. the “Company Culture”. For their sake as well as your own, the closer your personality is to the team’s personality, the more likely it is the relationship will succeed.

Do you have any questions for us?

Many interviewers expect you to have two or three questions to ask them. In a first interview it is generally advisable to stay away from pointed questions regarding salary, hours and holidays as that can be discussed later. Questions should ideally be focused on areas such as corporate culture, the team you’ll be working with, areas of responsibility, key performance indicators and opportunities for career progression. These questions indicate genuine interest in the company and a motivation to grow your career.

Jeremy Bost