Winning Answers to Common Interview Questions?

Answer 1

Preparing and rehearsing to answer interview questions is one of the most important things job seekers can do if they want to get hired.

Great, confident answers can overcome showing up late for the interview, lack of a quality wardrobe and spilling coffee on the interviewer, but a lack of preparation can kill your job prospects, regardless of whether you scored perfect 10's on every other aspect. If you can't be bothered to spend 10-30 minutes of prep time in order to get the job, how is an employer able to expect that you will work hard on the job every day?

Master these common interview questions and win your dream job.

What Are Your Weaknesses?

Don't say that you don't have any. Find a way to spin this in your favor. Have you worked too hard in the past but now found a better way to be more efficient at managing your time?

Why Do You Want to Work for Us?

Make sure you've done your research. Are they a rapidly growing company? High profile? Or are you working in a specific niche you are excited about, and you like their style?

What Are Your Strengths?

Make sure to tailor your answer specifically to the organization and position you are applying for.

How Do We Know You Will Stay if Hired?

Hiring and training is incredibly expensive. Highlight connections to the local area if you are relocating and how you now desire or need more stability now if you have had many jobs in the past.

How Have You Overcome Adversity or Challenges in the Past?

Be sure to think this one through carefully and have a solid answer which recounts a real experience that demonstrates the strengths or skills your interviewer is seeking.

Your Best Achievements?

Use real figures and results here. Did you help to double income, slash expenses or increase productivity at a previous employer?

Sell Me Our Product

Whether you are applying to be a waitress, broker, store clerk or account manager, you are going to be in the business of selling the company and the company's product on a daily basis. Rehearse your pitch again and again and have rebuttals for common objections. Salespeople should have a pretty standard pitch that can be applied to anything on the spot, from a paper clip to the most ordinary pen.

What Do You Expect From Us?

Forget all the fancy answers and dream talk. What you really need is access to the appropriate tools to do your job, the opportunity to earn advancement and to get paid consistently for showing up on time and doing a great job.

Tell Me about Yourself

This is perhaps one of the most controversial of common interview questions. Some interviewers will tell you never to actually talk about yourself personally. On the other hand, savvy hiring managers know that the most cost effective hires are those with personal lives outside of the office too. Staying fit, barbecuing with family and potential clients and attending industry seminars are all powerful pluses. Just don't tell them about your gun collection, secret society memberships and habit of drinking twenty shots of spirits back-to-back on the weekends.

Past Employment Dates

Have a copy of your resume handy for you to refer to.

Where Do You Envision Yourself in Five Years?

Don't go overboard and scare them into believing you won't stick around, or be too modest and make them think you don't have any ambition or drive at all. Ideally, you probably want to take your immediate supervisor's position so that they can move up and get paid more.

Answer 2

Preparing and rehearsing to answer interview questions is one of the most important things job seekers can do if they want to get hired.

Great, confident answers can overcome showing up late for the interview, lack of a quality wardrobe and spilling coffee on the interviewer, but a lack of preparation can kill your job prospects, regardless of whether you scored perfect 10s on every other aspect. If you cant be bothered to spend 10-30 minutes of prep time in order to get the job, how is an employer able to expect that you will work hard on the job every day?

Master these common interview questions and win your dream job.

What Are Your Weaknesses?

Dont say that you dont have any. Find a way to spin this in your favor. Have you worked too hard in the past but now found a better way to be more efficient at managing your time?

Why Do You Want to Work for Us?

Make sure youve done your research. Are they a rapidly growing company? High profile? Or are you working in a specific niche you are excited about, and you like their style?

What Are Your Strengths?

Make sure to tailor your answer specifically to the organization and position you are applying for.

How Do We Know You Will Stay if Hired?

Hiring and training is incredibly expensive. Highlight connections to the local area if you are relocating and how you now desire or need more stability now if you have had many jobs in the past.

How Have You Overcome Adversity or Challenges in the Past?

Be sure to think this one through carefully and have a solid answer which recounts a real experience that demonstrates the strengths or skills your interviewer is seeking.

Your Best Achievements?

Use real figures and results here. Did you help to double income, slash expenses or increase productivity at a previous employer?

Sell Me Our Product

Whether you are applying to be a waitress, broker, store clerk or account manager, you are going to be in the business of selling the company and the companys product on a daily basis. Rehearse your pitch again and again and have rebuttals for common objections. Salespeople should have a pretty standard pitch that can be applied to anything on the spot, from a paper clip to the most ordinary pen.

What Do You Expect From Us?

Forget all the fancy answers and dream talk. What you really need is access to the appropriate tools to do your job, the opportunity to earn advancement and to get paid consistently for showing up on time and doing a great job.

Tell Me about Yourself

This is perhaps one of the most controversial of common interview questions. Some interviewers will tell you never to actually talk about yourself personally. On the other hand, savvy hiring managers know that the most cost effective hires are those with personal lives outside of the office too. Staying fit, barbecuing with family and potential clients and attending industry seminars are all powerful pluses. Just dont tell them about your gun collection, secret society memberships and habit of drinking twenty shots of spirits back-to-back on the weekends.

Past Employment Dates

Have a copy of your resume handy for you to refer to.

Where Do You Envision Yourself in Five Years?

Dont go overboard and scare them into believing you wont stick around, or be too modest and make them think you dont have any ambition or drive at all. Ideally, you probably want to take your immediate supervisors position so that they can move up and get paid more.