Doing a little research for my own job campaign I came across a very long list of ‘common’ interview questions which I thought I’d share.

I guess it would never hurt to be at least a little prepared so here they are. Enjoy!

# What do you know about our company?

# Who are our competitors? What are our products? Who are our customers?

# Why have you applied for this particular position?

# How did you learn of the vacancy?

# What are your salary/wage expectations?

# Tell me about the issues in the general press that relate to the industry/vocation for which you are applying.

(more…)

Top Tips for attending assessment centres.

Assessment Centres are often used when a large number of candidates are being interviewed for a set number of roles.

One of the main benefits to the potential supplier is the fact that they are able to observe behavior in a live environment as well as processing a large number of potential candidates in a shorter time..

`People watching` is often most key when an employer wants to gain an appreciation of your ability to work in a team and deal with people face to face.

Dependent on the type of role you may be asked to take part in a roll play excersise, this could take the form of you being the member of staff whist one of the assesors plays the customer. This is often the case when you are applying for a role relating to telephone based work where being able to deal with people over the telephone is a key skill.

How would your boss rate you in the following areas?

How would you rate yourself?

- Problem solving

- Communications

- Motivation

- Interpersonal skills

- Administration

What is your greatest strength? Weakness?

Why should we hire you?

What can you do for us that another candidate could not do?

How would you describe your personality?

Why didn’t you do better in college?

If you could start your career again, what would you do differently?

What are your five biggest accomplishments in your present job?

How do you know when you’ve done a good job?

Why are you earning more?

What are the most important criteria involved in good management?

Why do you feel you have top management potential?

What are the weak spots in your work habits? What are you doing to overcome
them?

How do you allocate your time during a typical day?

How do you set priorities?

How do you assign tasks? What controls do you use?

What types of tasks do you feel you cannot delegate?

Do you have a succession program set up?

How have you contributed to change in your organization?

How do you determine if a subordinate is good?

Have you used MBO? What were the results?

Describe how you plan and organize your work.

Do you have many “crises” in your job? Why?

Are you a better planner or implementer?

How do you administer the subjective part of your incentive program?

Common interview questions relating to motivation:

What are your short-term objectives? Long term?

What do you look for in a job?

Give me the reasons for your last three job changes?

What new goals or objectives have you established recently?

What is the best aspect of your current position? The worst?

What interests you most about the position we are discussing? The least?

What factors would lead you to leave your present position?

What aspects of your previous positions have you disliked?

Do you prefer staff or line work? Why?

Describe a crisis situation when energy was an important consideration?

What kinds of events make you emotional?

How do you react when your boss puts pressure on you?

What are the aggravations of your present position?

Do you enjoy hectic activity?

In your present position, what problems have you identified that had previously been overlooked?

How have you changed the nature of your job?

What are three basic managerial criteria you use in judging a colleague?

Have you helped reduce costs? How?

Describe typical problems you are likely to face during the day and ways in which you reach solutions.

What was your most serious problem, in the last year?

What was your worst mistake in recent years?

Describe changes you have recommended.

Describe situations where your judgement proved valuable.

How do you measure a subordinate’s judgement?

Who has sought your opinion in the last month and what was the nature of that inquiry?

Why did you take your company into product “x” market?

What are some difficult decisions you have made? How would you evaluate your present firm?

There are a number of questions which are pretty likely to crop up in most interviews so think about your responses to the twelve most commonly asked interview questions…..

Tell me about yourself.
What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
Why did you leave your old job?
Why do you want to work for us?
How did you like your old job?
What kind of salary are you looking for?
What do you know about our company?
Why should we hire you?
What did you think of your old boss?
What are your long term goals?
Do you mind working long hours?
You seem overqualified (or underqualified).

Body Language is a secret and hidden language all of its own. Learn how to use it properly in an interview. Doing so correctly will make you look and feel more confident, which in turn will improve your chances of having a sucessful interview.

Handshake

Shaking hands with your interviewer is good practice although it is not common in Hong Kong, even in the business field. It helps you create a friendly and professional image. Make sure your handshake is prompt and firm.

Posture

You can place your portfolio or briefcase on the side of your chair or on your lap. Make sure you feel comfortable with your posture. You may sit upright or perhaps lean forward a little to project an eager and confident image. You should not fidget. Make sure you are seated properly in your interview suit and that it is not creased.

The use of your verbal language in an interview can reflect positively or negatively on the over all impression you leave behind once you’ve completed your interview.

If you cannot hear the question, do not ask the interviewer to repeat directly using

“Pardon me” or

“Excuse me, can you repeat the question again?”

They make the interviewer feel that you have not been paying attention. Use key words the interviewer has used and rephrase the question to ask for clarification. You can use, for example,

“Do you mean…?” or

“Do I understand correctly that you mean…?”

Be careful in using expressions such as

“Sure”

“Obviously”

“Of course”

“No problem”

“As you know”

They make the interviewer feel you are conceited and arrogant. Offer answers that are factual and modest. You can rephrase your answer in other equally positive ways, for example,

“I believe that…” or

“I don’t see a major problem in…”

Be careful in using expressions such as

You need to concentrate and listen very carefully to the questions. Make sure you understand the question before offering any answer. Allow the interviewer to finish asking the question before offering an answer.

If you miss the question or are not sure about it, rephrase the key words and ask the interviewer to clarify. Do not attempt to answer without fully understanding the question.

If you do not anticipate a question and have not prepared an answer for it, pause and think before offering one. It is better to think carefully for an appropriate answer than to offer an answer in a hurry. Make sure you do not spend too much time thinking.

You need to take the initiative in providing useful information for the interviewer in order to evaluate your suitability for the position. Do not give Yes/No answers only. Give your answer directly and support it with relevant evidence from past experience because interviewers do not have time to listen to your long and comprehensive replies.