Job Specific Interview Questions

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Job Specific Interview Questions

Can you do the job?

Do you have the knowledge sets, skill sets and personal attributes to allow you to do the job?

Types of questions could include:

What parts of your education do you see as relevant to this position?
What prompted you to study…..?
Tell me about a time when you had to communicate information to a group of people.
Tell me about a significant achievement in your life.
Tell me about a time where you had to work towards a deadline. Did you meet it? If not, what would you do differently next time?

Do you want the job?

Do you want to work in this position/organisation? Are you willing to learn? Are you ambitious and keen to succeed?

Types of questions could include:

Why do you want to work for us?
What do you know about our company/practice/business?
What are your short term/long term goals?
Where do you see yourself in five years time?
Describe a time where you set yourself a challenging goal? What happened? What would you do differently?

Will you fit in?

The interviewer wants to determine if you will be a good team player, someone who will be absorbed into the organisation without disruption to the existing team dynamics.

Types of questions could include:

Describe a time where you had to work with a group of people to achieve a common goal?
Can you give me an example of working as part of a team. What was your contribution to the team and what was the outcome of this exercise?
What would you do if…………………?

Best fit between applicant and job?

What makes you the best applicant for this position? Why should the employer take you over other applicants?

Types of questions could include:

Why do you think you are the best person for the job?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Can you give me five words that best describe you?
What skills and qualities can you bring to this position?

Is there anything you would like to add?

This is an opportunity to bring particular skills or qualities to the attention of the interviewer. Have you stated your major selling points?
Were you unhappy about a particular answer during the interview? This is an opportunity to address that.
Why are you the best person for the job? Tell the interviewer!

Is there anything you would like to ask us?

This is your opportunity to find out more about the job, the company, and the industry.
You could ask questions like:
What are the career prospects within your company?
What staff training and development opportunities are available?
Who would I be reporting to?
Where would I be located?
Avoid asking too many questions about salary and conditions of employment such as holidays but know what salary range you are prepared to accept.