How to Answer Five Typical Interview Questions
Written by Valentine Fabre
Moving up to the interview stage of an application process is both exciting and motivating, yet in order to stand out from the crowd, you must bring forward more than your unique personality. Of course, it is a valuable asset, but so is your preparation for any relevant questions coming your way.
On top of preparing yourself with the typical STAR method, here are a few tips on how to answer five of the most typical interview questions.
“Tell Me About Yourself.”
Often asked first during an interview, this question helps the hiring manager assess your personality and professional history better, and offers you a chance to make a great first impression. To avoid falling into the facility of enumerating your CV, it is essential to prepare a concise and compelling answer, tailored to the specific role and employer.
One of the most popular approaches to this question is to use the Present/Past/Future formula. Starting with your current role, you can move on to previous experiences and then draw expectations for the future, while emphasising the set of hard and soft skills gained throughout your career and educational history.
“Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?”
As the varyingly uncertain job market sees young professionals switch jobs more than their predecessors, this question is highly likely to come up during the interview to help the hiring manager ascertain a long-term fit.
Feel free to remain general while discussing specific short and long-term goals. While you do not have to know exactly where you will be in five years, expand on what are the set of skills you would like to develop as well as the experience you hope to gain while tying it down with the job you are applying for.
From your answer, the interviewer needs to be able to understand your ambitions, as well as make sure that you have realistic expectations of yourself and the industry.
“How Do You Handle Working Under Pressure?”
Pivotal for the rest of the interview, how you answer this question is meant to help the interviewer evaluate your personality as well as your approach to work.
Every position comes with its associated pressure, so being able to formulate a strategy to deal with stress will be highly beneficial. Talk about the specific ways in which you handle pressure at work, using past examples where you were either able to resolve an issue, or that have taught you insightful, applicable lessons. Explain how you remained proactive and have been able to successfully pass through those hardships.
On a personal level, you can share how you maintain a healthy work/life balance, whether it is going for a run, picking up a book or catching up with friends. In addition to signalling your resilience, this will also open up the floor to further bonding with your interviewer.
“What Are Your Salary Expectations?”
At a time of high inflation, mass layoffs and a competitive job market, salary expectations are a focal point during the interview process. While it is extremely challenging to sustain yourself off creative role as a junior employee, it is essential to develop an idea of a job’s worth as well as yours.
Always research the market before going into the interview. Look at similar positions and organisations in your specific locality and enquire within your network for an estimated value of your personal experiences and skills to generate a sound understanding of the realistic salary range for the position at hand.
During the interview, feel free to ask the interviewer for the allocated budget as well as to require more information about the job spec before giving your formal answer.
“Do You Have Any Questions?”
Usually the final question of the interview, it can easily be overlooked despite its importance. Not only does asking questions demonstrate a real interest in the position, but it also makes for the perfect opportunity for you to ensure that the job is the right fit for you.
While many questions about the job and the company will probably have been answered throughout the interview, ask questions that target the interviewer’s personal opinion and preferences to create a stronger bond. Things like what they enjoy most about working at the company and their job, or what a typical day looks like for their team. Pitch in with your experience and shared preferences (if there are any) to highlight your compatibility for the job.
Finally, be creative and enthusiastic with your questions as this is the perfect way to discover important details about the work environment. Remember a job interview is a two-way street, where both the hiring manager and candidate look for the right fit.
For more advice and assistance with interview preparation, book a one-on-one session with one of our experts now on The Glowth Academy.
Written by Valentine Fabre