8 Questions and Answers to Help You to Ace Your Job Interview
To make sure that you perform at your best in an interview, it is crucial that you practice answers for commonly asked questions. But be wary of memorizing answers as this could make you sound robotic or unnatural in front of an interview panel.
Try to plan out and practice your answers ahead of time with someone acting as an interviewer, this way your answers can come naturally and meet cultural expectations for an interviewer.
1. Why do you want to work here?
“Why do you want to work here?” is often asked during job interviews and is an essential question that requires preparation and careful answers in order to effectively screen out unqualified applicants and demonstrate your enthusiasm for the position.
Make sure you mention specific skills, talents, and achievements you possess when answering interview questions; this will demonstrate that they fit well with the culture of the company in which you’re being considered for employment. Also discuss company goals and values which align with those of yourself as a candidate – instead of solely emphasizing money or other perks as this could come across as insincere.
2. What are your strengths?
List your strengths as skills or traits that set you apart as an applicant, without just listing adjectives irrelevant to the job specification. Vague or general responses risk becoming unmemorable or sounding arrogant.
Selecting and providing concrete examples to support your responses are two proven strategies for easily answering this question. As with previous questions, simulating interviews with friends who can act as recruiters will enable you to speak more naturally during interviews and come across as confident and capable individuals.
3. What do you know about the company?
Companies often pose this question to see whether you have conducted your own research and are interested in their organization. Try finding out some key facts such as who the CEO is and for how long they have been in business.
Additionally, reading the company blog or social media pages will allow you to gather information on recent projects and news that is related to them. Be sure to mention any pertinent details when responding to questions; this will show your knowledge and show that you were prepared for an interview. Speak slowly and clearly when answering questions as nervousness may cause you to mumble words or speak too quickly – both qualities which show promise at an interview!
4. What are your weaknesses?
Interviewers use this question to gauge your self-awareness, whether that means understanding both your strengths and weaknesses or addressing weak areas and making them strengths. They want to see whether you are willing to put in effort in turning weak areas into strengths.
Answering this question honestly but without being overly self-critical is key for demonstrating you are an employee ready and willing to grow professionally. If you tend towards disorganization, talk about how you have been working towards improving this weakness through classes taken or books read – even mentioning specific courses can help address it!
5. What do you have to offer the company?
Interviewers ask this question to find out what value you would add to their company, so it’s important that when answering this question you do not undervalue yourself or fear speaking up; take this as an opportunity to think carefully about yourself, your skills and experience, as well as how they could benefit their organization.
Researching your job description and noting the skills that align with it are also key in order to provide more convincing answers. For instance, if the position requires interpersonal abilities you could use a story about how your ability to build rapport could benefit the company.
6. What do you expect from the company?
Answer this question in such a way as to demonstrate you understand what the company needs from their employee, while at the same time using this opportunity to highlight your own goals and aspirations.
Alternatively, if the interviewer emphasizes how restrictive the culture is at this company, you could talk about how your work ethic would fit in and provide examples from past situations when you handled difficult customers or work situations successfully.
Interviewing can be stressful, but you don’t need to let it get the best of you! By studying common English job interview questions and knowing how to respond appropriately, you can feel more at ease during interviews.
7. What is your salary expectation?
Employers typically ask this question to assess whether you’re willing to discuss salary negotiations. An effective response can help secure a higher salary.
When responding to this question, it’s wise to provide a range instead of an exact number. This allows room for negotiation while showing that you have done your research. Providing such a range also gives the interviewer a sense of your value as an employee and whether or not they are willing to offer you a salary that meets your expectations – saving both parties both time and energy in the long run.
8. What do you expect from the company?
Interviewers frequently pose this question to see how much you expect out of their job and whether they think you will fit well within their company culture. This question offers the perfect chance to demonstrate that you are an outgoing individual who is eager to put forth effort at their workplace and make an impactful contribution.
Remind yourself to provide brief answers that get straight to the point. Your interviewer may use this question as an opportunity to assess your vocabulary and grammar skills – such as whether or not you use conditional tense when discussing hypothetical situations. In addition, practicing English interview questions before meeting is highly advised for non-native English speakers – good luck!