If you’ve got an important interview coming up, then you’ll want to be prepared. However, when you don’t know what your prospective employer is going to ask you, it can be tough to know how to think about an appropriate response. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of some of the trickiest interview questions and how to frame your answer so that you can be sure to blow them away.
What do you think is your greatest weakness?
While a lot of interviewers will tend to ask you about your experience, skills and what you believe you’re good at, you might also be faced with a question about what you believe are your weaknesses or areas where you think you can improve. The trick is to anticipate this question and to identify a weakness before you walk into the interview. This way, you’ll demonstrate your problem-solving capabilities.
Example: Discuss something that you have struggled with in the past, such as meeting deadlines, and how you were able to overcome this.
Give me an example of a time where you have had to think analytically
Depending on the role that you have applied for, you may be asked to demonstrate a time that you have thought analytically. This is known as a behavioural question, and your interviewer is asking you to demonstrate your competency for the role. They might ask you what formal analyses you undertook, how you structured said project, what obstacles you encountered and how you overcame them.
Example: Talk about a project you completed, the goal you were required to achieve and the deadline that you were given. Think analysis, decisions, actions.
How would you handle a stressful situation?
Any job can be stressful, and it’s important for your prospective employer to know that you’ll be able anything that they throw your way. To answer this question effectively, it's best to provide specific examples of times that you’ve overcome a stressful situation and how the pressure made you become a better employee overall.
Example: Talk about how pressure is important to you, as it allows you to stay motivated and productive. Identify how you’ve managed to create and stick to schedules so that you can achieve the given deadline and how you haven’t let such a time hinder the quality of your work.
What salary range are you looking for?
For many people, discussing their desired salary is a difficult subject, particularly at such an early stage. You don’t want to undersell yourself nor do you want to be too confident so ideally, you’ll have done some prior research to get an idea of how much the position will pay. With sites such as CV-Library, you can arrange your potential job options by salary, making it easier to find one that suits you.
Example: Think about the responsibilities of the position, the benefits you’ll have and the reputation of the company – all factors that need to be considered before you lay down a number.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Questions about your future are important to your interviewer because it will give them an idea of where you want to progress in the industry. It’s important, to be honest, but at the same time, you don’t want to talk about future goals that are irrelevant to the post. You don’t want to talk about your desire to become a writer when you’re applying for a role in accountancy, do you?
Example: Emphasise how interested you are in the job that is on offer before discussing your motivation for moving up in the field. Make sure that you don’t rush past the first job, as a lot of employers may question whether or not you’re actually motivated to work your way up.
