Whilst it is impossible to anticipate all the questions that might be asked in interview, you should however prepare for the most common ones that professional interviewers tend to rely on. I have outlined below the ten most popular interview questions and given some guidelines on how to best answer them.
Behavioural interviews (also known as competency based interviews) are becoming increasingly popular in the contemporary recruitment process. They are regularly used by Multinationals and the public sector and are seen to be a good predictor of future employee success. As many “traditional” interviews have also started incorporating behavioural questions into their structure, it is important to be fully prepared for this style of questioning – to both understand what is being asked and how best to present your answers.
This is a very popular interview question and when answered well is a great way to mark you out from other job applicants. Employers are interested in establishing what you know about their company as it helps them determine:
How interested you are in working for the company. Making the wrong decision reflects very poorly on a recruitment manager and they will do everything possible to minimise this risk. By showing a genuine interest in the company, you will position yourself as a credible applicant with a desire to succeed, fit in and develop with the role.
Your commercial awareness. By demonstrating in interview that you have extensively researched the company and have taken the time to understand their positioning in the marketplace, their key business drivers and the commercial pressures they face – you will show your ability to think outside the box and the value added you are bringing to the organisation.
Being told that you were unsuccessful in interview is a brutal blow but it is important to view each interview as a learning experience, quickly identify where you fell down and make the necessary changes to ensure that next time round you get over the line. To help you critically assess your performance, I have outlined below the five most common interview mistakes.
