You can’t be certain of the exact questions your interviewer will ask, although, it does help to prepare for common interview questions to give you confidence and your best shot at landing the job .

Given that you might not know what you’ll be asked, the most effective way to prepare for any interview is to reflect on yourself and your experiences. In each question, the interviewer is seeking insight into your experience and your fit for the role.

Questions you can expect to be asked:

  1.  Tell me about yourself.

This is often the first question interviewers will ask. Relax and take a deep breath. They just want to get to know you better. Be genuine and honest about who you are. However, take note that interviewers like hearing stories, so phrase your answer with a structure consisting of a beginning, climax and conclusion. Most importantly, make your answer relevant to the role you’re applying for.

An example for entry-level roles:

In high school, my maths teacher would always give our class a problem at the end of every class for us to solve in groups. This not only grew my problem-solving and analytical skills from a young age but also sparked my interest in viewing a problem from different angles to come up with the best solution possible. Such experiences, drove me to study Commerce at The University of Melbourne so I could continue to grow my skills and pursue my dream career in management consulting.

For mid and high-level roles, you don’t have to go back to your experiences in high school. Think back to the part of your career that made an impact on where you are today and why you’re applying to this role.

  2.  What do you know about the company?

Make sure you have done your research to answer this question. Interviewers want to know if you have spent the time and effort to discover what the company stands for, its vision and its values. Having done your research will show that you have purposely applied for the role and indicates that you’re more likely to be engaged in the role.

  3.  Why do you want this job?

This is a simple yet impactful question. Stay away from directly mentioning the financial benefits that come with the job, but rather, focus on talking about what you intend to bring to the company and how you will make an impact on the bottom line, the culture and values of the company.

For entry-level roles where you might not have the experience you need, talk about your intent to be dedicated and committed to the role responsibilities mentioned in the job ad.

  4.  Why should we hire you?

Make the interviewers’ jobs simple for them and spoon-feed them exactly what you have to offer. Be concise, clear and most importantly, make it relevant to the role. Tie in your previous experience, and results from those experiences to the outcomes you plan to achieve for the business.

It can be very helpful to use sentence starters such as “firstly”, “secondly” and “lastly”. This helps you to structure your thought process as well as guide your interviewers in the direction that you are heading towards.

  5.  What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?

Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses. Interviewers know when you have googled, “what weaknesses will give the best impression in an interview” and used those answers.

Trust me, they would much rather genuine responses as it shows that you are self-aware.

Make sure that when you do list out your weaknesses, to also include how you are actively trying to work and improve on them. This shows you aren’t complacent but rather active in your growth and self-development.

  6.  Tell me about a challenge or conflict you’ve faced at work and how you dealt with it.

Think back to a time when you experienced a conflict at work and use that as an example. Phrase your answer in terms of the STAR approach.

• Set the context by telling the interviewer the situation.
• Introduce the task at hand.
• Explain the action you took.
• End with the result of your action. Bonus points if you talk about what you learned from the situation.

Interviewers are looking for cooperative individuals who take the initiative in settling conflicts professionally.

  7.  Where do you see yourself in five years?

This can be quite a vague question that can be hard to answer. So, structure your response in terms of your short-term goals and long-term goals. Mention how by five years time, you would have hoped to achieve your short-term goals such as … and you’re then pursuing your long-term goals which are …

When answering this question, try and relate your response to the position you’re interviewing for in terms of how the job will play a crucial role in your journey.

It’ll also be impressive to the interviewer if you mention the steps that you will take to achieve your long-term goals. This shows that you are goal-oriented, proactive and ambitious.

Some other frequently asked questions include:

• What’s your dream job?
• Why are you leaving your current job?
• What are you looking for in a new position?
• What type of work environment do you prefer?
• How would your boss and co-workers describe you?
• Why was there a gap in your employment?
• How do you deal with pressure or stressful situations?
• What do you like to do outside of work?
• Can you explain why you changed career paths?
• Why were you fired?
• What is your greatest professional achievement?
• What other companies are you interviewing with?

If you’d like to learn how to answer any other common interview questions, fill in the form and one of our consultants will be happy to give you their advice.