This is the job interview cheat sheet that you must read!
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Are you about to face an important job interview? Then, you must ensure that you prepare yourself in the best ways possible. From researching employers to picking out a power suit, you will have a lot to do these last few days.
Our career experts agree that many excellent candidates mess up their job interviews due to a lack of preparation. Today, we share some interview tips that will help you perform better and more confidently during your next big day.
When the interviewer says, “Tell me your story”…
Most interviewers choose to kick off the conversation by giving you a chance to introduce yourself. This isn’t an opportunity for you to narrate the story of your life from where you were born to where you went to high school. This is the first chance you get to give yourself a killer introduction that resonates with the interviewer. We suggest talking about your work journey, how you've advanced in your career, your unique value proposition, and why you like the employer.
If asked, “What sets you apart from the other candidates?”
The employer wants to know whether you have the confidence that you can perform better than anyone else in this role. When answering this question, you should highlight around five of your best skills and experiences that align with the role. Instead of simply saying that you have the skills, try to showcase them using real examples from your career. If you can add a few numbers to the mix, even better.
When the employer asks, “Why do you want to work here?”
Every employer wants to hire someone who is actually interested in them as a company. No employer likes to get the feeling that this job is just another steppingstone for you. It is your job to make sure that the employer feels valued and appreciated when answering this question. Here are some things that you can incorporate into your answer:
- Your knowledge of the employer
- How your career values align with their business values
- Any important projects that piqued your interest
- Your experience with a product or service offered by the employer
- Why you are passionate and enthusiastic about the role and the company
If you are asked, “Why do you want to leave your current role?”
This is treacherous ground, so tread wisely when answering this question. The employer wants to know your motivation behind leaving your current role. It’s important that you don’t indicate that you are ungrateful or disloyal to your current employer when answering this. The most important thing you should do is to not badmouth your current employer. Instead, focus your answer on what you plan to learn from the new role. Avoid saying something that signals that you can’t handle the pressure of the current role.
When asked a behavioral question
Behavioral questions are a common type of interview questions that are designed to find out how you respond to different difficult situations at work. You can use the STAR method to answer these questions. Be sure to keep your answers concise and informative. Here are some behavioral questions that come up all the time during interviews, no matter the role or industry:
- Can you give us an example of a challenge you faced during work and how you handled it?
- Describe the measures you took to make working with a difficult coworker easier for the team.
- Talk to us about a time that you failed as a manager. How did you handle it?
- Can you describe a time when you persuaded someone to see things your way?
- What’s the biggest crisis you’ve handled at work and how did you do it?
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