Typical Interview Questions 

Before going to any interview you need to be prepared. I am not

talking about dry cleaning your best suit, setting your alarm
clock early or making sure your shoes are nice and shiny. They
are important as looking neat and clean will help to form a good
first impression. I am however talking about how to best prepare
by reviewing some typical interview questions you will be asked.

Here's a list of some of the typical interview questions asked.

#1 - Can you tell me a little about yourself? - Tell them you are
a very hard worker and a fast learner. Always try to tie your
positives in with the company. Give an example of you work hard
and motivate yourself. You could tell them you try to understand
all aspects of your job so you can best interact with other
employees and team players. If there is an area within a job you
do not understand then you like to set aside some time to
research and learn that area.

#2 - What are your weaknesses or what is your biggest weakness? -

Always try to turn your weakness into a positive or demonstrate
how you have tried to overcome your weakness. e.g. You used to be
computer illiterate but you took the time to do evening classes
after work.

#3 - Why do you like this company, what attracted you to us? -

Make sure you have researched the company. Look for them online
or in magazines or read some brochures they might have. You can
tell them how you love their product or service. How your are
very impressed with...You can finish this sentence with what ever
you found in your research. This will show enthusiasm and
demonstrates interest on your part by actually researching the
company. This always goes down well with the interviewer.

#4 - What do you like to do in your spare time? - Be honest here.

Say if you like sports, cinema, going to plays or concerts. Make
sure you say something that shows you as being active. Just
saying you sit at home in front of the tv everyday is boring and
while there's nothing wrong with that, an interviewer will see
you as more motivated and outgoing if you like to do more.

#5 - What do you think are good qualities in a boss? - A boss

should be able to motivate you and help you meet or beat
deadlines. They should be fair and always give feedback. If an
employee does something incorrect then constructive criticism is
better than just giving out. Every boss should be approachable.
#6 - Why should we choose you for this job? - To begin with it
can be good to reflect on your resume for a moment. Only do so
briefly as they know what is on your resume and are looking for
more. Tell them your personal qualities, how motivated you are.
Explain how you researched their company before coming to make
sure it was a right fit for you. How you feel the company and
your skill set and personal qualities will compliment each other.

There are more typical interview questions and answers. Feel free
to look around this site or select the resources provided.

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Answering Interview Questions

The best approach to answering interview questions is to be

prepared. Even the toughest interview questions have a good
answer and being prepared is one of the best things you can do to
help make sure you do not crack with the pressure.

Being able to answer interview questions is not always easy but

is something that gets easier with practice and preparation.
There are common questions asked by employers at interviews. You
should be able to make a great impression answering interview
questions because they are common and as such you can prepare
great answers that will impress. It is important to note that
employers usually send their senior staff or human resources
staff to special training programs for techniques on conducting
interviews. As such there is a higher chance they will use
interview questions taught from their training.

To give you an idea, here are a couple of questions that have

some sample answers to help you.

#1 - What motivates you?

It's important to be honest. If money motivates you then give

that answer. Potential employers will appreciate and respect the
honesty you show them.
#2 - Are you a team player? Do you work well with others?

This question allows you to talk a little. Do not give a short

yes or no answer. Give an example of how you are a team player.
Be creative, if you have team leader qualities do not be afraid
to highlight that in the interview.

#3 - What weaknesses do you have?

Again you want to be honest here. Pause and reflect for a moment.
You do not want to be negative here but want to show how you go
about improving yourself in areas you feel you have a weakness
in.

Make a mental note of the name of the person(s) interviewing you.

Make sure to call them by their first name if they give it. This
will help to build rapport and ease tension in the interview
room.

When the interview is finished feel free to ask questions, in

fact I encourage you to do so. It shows an interest on your part.
Try to research the company/business before the interview so you
can ask questions about anything you are not sure about. Most
companies have an online presence so finding information is
relatively easy. If they do not have a website then pick up the
phone and ask them to send you a brochure (if they have one) or
just talk to someone in the office if they have a minute. Ask
about the salary, bonuses, commission, perks, terms and
conditions etc. Ask them about future development in the company,
this shows that you have drive and ambition.

Remember that preparation is key in answering interview

questions. Do your homework, research tough interview questions
and you will land your dream job in no time.

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Best Interview Questions 

When going for a job interview it is best to be prepared and have

one or more questions to ask the interviewer. It shows you have
an interest in the job and may set you apart from the rest of the
interviewees. Of course more questions will also give you a
better idea if this is a company you would like to work for or if
it is a good place to work.
Remember they are interviewing you but you also want to interview
them a little also. We are going to have a look at some of the
best interview questions to ask. These are questions that will
give you a better idea and understanding about the company and
what is expected of the job they advertised.

#1 - What would be a typical day in this job? This will give you
an outline of what the company expects of you and what you can
expect to be doing if you are successful in securing the job.

#2 - What is your ideal candidate for this job, could you

describe him/her for me? This will tell you if you if you have
the right personality and qualities the company is looking for.
It will also allow you to probe with more questions and elaborate
on their answers.

#3 - What would be the best and worst parts of this job? This
will give you an insight into the job position and maybe tell you
if it suits you or not. It may also show some positives and
negatives that the job offers. Remember to focus on the positive,
or better still turn the negatives into a positive.

#4 - Why are you recruiting for this position? The answer to this
will show you if the company is growing (which is a good thing)
or if the previous person in the job decided to quit or was fired
or maybe they were promoted.

#5 - Who do you compete with and which are your main competitors?
This will give you a feel for the companies position in their
market.

When you ask questions in an interview you can find out more
information about the comany and the job you applied for. Asking
the best interview questions you can will demonstrate your
interest in the company and will set you apart from other
candidates

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Common Interview Questions 

Before any interview the best thing you can do is to prepare.

Being prepared for common interview questions will give you a
much better chance of a successful interview. How you look is
important so remember to be neat and tidy. A suit is not always
necessary but a shirt, tie, slacks and shoes will make a much
better impression then open shirt or a track suit. These are
things that are easy to prepare and you should get them out of
the way so you do not even have to think about them. This will
allow you to prepare mentally for the questions that the
interviewer will be asking you.

Try to anticipate what types of questions will be asked in the

interview. A good tip for this is to put yourself in their
position. What would you ask you?

Research the job and company thoroughly. Find out everything you
can and that will give you an edge over your competition. Go
online, read brochures, reviews, check out their competition.
With this knowledge you will be well prepared for any questions
they might ask you realting to the company and as a result you
will answer them clearly and with confidence.

Do not try to be someone you are not. Always be yourself in an

interview as this will allow the interviewer to get a true sense
of what you are like. There are always common interview questions
and having and idea of what they are will enable you to better
prepare answers for them.

It is important to note that we are preparing answers here not

memorising them. Any interviewer should be able to pick up on
someone who has prepared and someone who is just rattling off
facts they memorised. If you rely solely on memorisation and you
get a mental block then you will be thrown off kilter.

Let us take a look at some common interview questions.

#1 - Tell me a little about yourself. This one is pretty much

guaranteed to be asked. Use it to your advantage. It will allow
you to show them your personality and to give them information
that may help you to secure the job.

#2 - Why should we hire you? Again this is a standard question in

interviews. Here you get a chance to sell yourself. Tell them
about past achievements, what drives you, what your goals are
etc. Do not go overboard here as arrogance will turn people off.

#3 - Where do you see yourself in 5 years? This is asked to see

what your level of commitment towards your career choice might
be. If you want to impress you may say something like: I see
myself working hard and progressing through the company ranks. I
want to be an authority figure and lead/direct other people to
success within the company. My goal is to always have personal
growth as well as career growth and you believe this company can
offer such an opportunity.

Job interviews can be hard on the nerves, to say the least. But
being prepared for these types of common interview questions will
make the interview go a lot more smoothly. It will also allow you
to interact better with the interviewer thus building rapport.
Rapport can help set you apart from other candidates as people
want to work with people they like and get along with.

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Difficult Interview Questions 

Your interview is going great. You are about half way through and
confident that you are presenting yourself in the best possible
light. Then the interviewer asks another question but this time
it is a difficult one. It has caught you off guard and you are
not sure how to best answer it. You start to stumble your words
or, palms start to sweat and the vision you had of getting your
dream job is quickly fading away. What do you do now? Difficult
interview questions can be overcome if you know how.

To prepare for an interview beforehand is going to give you the

best chance to perform at your best when it comes to answering a
difficult question like - 'Why should we offer this position to
you?'. Make a list of potential interview questions that may be
asked. These should be general as well as specific to the job.
Take some time out and practice answering these questions.
Practice as many times as you need to until you can confidently
give a good solid answer. Keep practicing until the question and
answer no longer makes you feel uncomfortable.

Questions like 'Tell me a little about yourself' should not be

dismissed as an easy question. This one often has candidates
stumbling in interviews. Rehearse and practice each answer for
every question. Try not to get caught up in just preparing for
the difficult questions. Neglecting the 'easy' questions will
leave you unprepared to answer simple questions. It's often best
to practice questions perceived as being easy first as this
allows you to get them out of the way and to focus on more
difficult questions.
You wont be able to think of every possible question that may be
asked, as a result you will encounter some questions that you
hadn't thought of previously and haven't prepared for. First
things first, take a deep breath. Repeat the question in your
head. Use your mock interviews to link between this question and
questions you have practiced for. It may just be a variations of
a different question. If you can link it to something else or
another question then you will be bettre able to answer and it
wont seem so overwhelming.

A good tip is to break down the question. Take it apart bit by

bit. If you are not sure about the question then the interviewer
and ask them if they can clarify it a little for you.

If you are not sure how to answer a question or you don't

understand then inform the interviewer. This is better than
blundering your way through with a poor answer. An experienced
interviewer will spot BS a mile away. If you're bluffing then the
last thing you want is the interviewer to call you on your fake
answer. Just say that you don't have and answer for them but
given some time to research and ask others you could have the
right answer for future reference. This shows honesty and
integrity, traits any employer likes in an employee. Follow this
advice and you will be able to handle all difficult interview
questions.

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How To Answer Interview Questions 

With all your past experience, knowledge you have acquired and a
great resume, none of it matters if you do not know how to answer
interview questions effectively. A lot of candidates for jobs
ruin their chances  by not being properly prepared for their
interview.

Not having prepared for interview questions leads to candidates

saying the wrong things, stumbling over their words and sometimes
actually making up a response. Your interviewer will see straight
through you and wont even thing twice about you after the
interview is over. This situation doesn't have to happen and you
can avoid it. By just taking a little time to check out how to
best answer interview questions you will be giving yourself a big
lead over other candidates for the position.

There are great resources available to you to learn how to best

answer job interview questions. Go onto the internet and search
using google, yahoo or msn. There are so many websites that are
dedicated just to job hunters. Some even offer services to coach
you on how to answer questions effectively in an interview.

The people giving services on these sites are usually people that
do the hiring for a lot of hr offices in lots of different
companies so you would do well to listen to their advice. There
is nothing like seeing how someone well spoken and confident
would answer questions in an interview. Review and learn from
their example. A lot of questions you find will be fairly common
interview questions and as such you can be well prepared on how
to answer them in your interview.

Write out several common questions and questions you would ask if
you were the interviewer, then prepare your answers. Take the
time to prepare logical and intelligent answers/responses to the
questions and take the time to practice your answers. Doing a
mock interview with a family member or friend will give you a lot
more confidence when you are in front of the actual interviewer.
Taking a dry a couple of dry runs will better prepare you for the
real thing. Practice makes perfect.

If you want to really get this down and perfect your performance
then you could record your mock interview with a camcorder. Let
the person doing the mock interview look at it with you and ask
their thoughts on how you did. Seeing yourself on camcorder will
give you a chance to view your body language which is also very
important and will be discussed later.

Do your homework and practice how to answer interview questions

and you will be much closer to landing yourself that dream job.

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Second Interview Questions 

Well done, you have made it to the second interview. So what

happens here and what are your best strategies for securing your
dream job. It is fair to say that if you are going back for a
second interview then things are looking good for you. You made a
good first impression with your interviewer, enough for them to
ask you back. However it is important not to get a false sense of
security. You have to prepare for your second interview just like
you had to for your first.

The interviewer has probably asked you back to get a little more
information about you. There may also be a more senior person at
the interview also, probably their boss or a department
manager/director. They may have already decided that your the
person for the job but their boss wants to meet you to make sure
they are making the right decision.

There may be a shortlist of candidates for second interviews and

your interviewer wants to look more into your experience and
interpersonal skills in more depth. Be positive as getting this
far is a good thing so give it your best

They may ask you  more indepth questions and quiz you to see if
you really know what you are talking about. Review and research
the company and the requirements of the job to prepare for this.
Make sure you can back up the knowledge shown on your cv.

You may be shown around the building or offices and be introduced

to potential co-workers. Be friendly and try to make a connection
with them.

You may be invited for a meal, this is a good chance to show your
easy personality. Remember your table manners.

You know they already like you because they brought you back for
a second interview. Now they are looking to prove themselves
wrong, for a reason to not like you. Do not get too cocky or in
their face as you are not the only candidate going for a second
interview. Always try to connect personally and build rapport.

Sometimes an second interview may end with an offer but often it

may not. This does not mean you wont get the job but to help
imprint your enthusiasm further you should ask, 'What happens
next in the process?' and 'when can you expect to hear from you?
I really like what you have to offer here and enjoyed myself
today. You will be able to tell if they like you but if you can't
read them then that doesn't necessarily mean they don't like you.
Try to ask a company related question about something that
happened to them in the last 12 months, a deal they signed for
example.

As you can see a second interview wont have the same typical
questions as your first interview. It will be more of a get to
know you session to see if their first impression about you was
correct. There should be no difficult second interview questions
if you prepare yourself beforehand

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