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Interview Questions and Answers

Job interviews can be stressful - even for experienced professionals who have gone on countless interviews. Like any test the best way to reduce the stress is to be prepared. When revising for an exam there is always a pre defined syllabus that is followed.

Applying the same logic to job interviews, we will focus on a pre defined set of interview questions and answers which you should be ready for. The next step would be to research the company. Knowing as much as you can about the company will give you the opportunity to answer the questions and relate them to the position on offer.

Lets step through some typical interview questions and look at some typical candidate responses:

Job Interview Questions

Tell me about your existing/last job. What were your responsibilities?
What about your boss, the people you worked with – what would they say about you?
What were the pluses and minuses?
What major challenges and problems did you face?
Why do you want to work for this company?
What do you know about our company
What is your ideal job?
Where do you want to be in 5 years?

Job Interview Answers to Questions

Think back to the day to day responsibilities that your last job consisted of. Note down all the things you were tasked with and daily or weekly reports you were required to produce.
How do you think your colleagues saw you in your last role? Try and give a positive response. If you genuinely think your colleagues saw you as the grumpy one in the corner, turn it in your favour and come across as the person who gets the work done and does not like distractions. You will still need to come across as personable though.
What were the best and worst bits about your previous job. What did you enjoy doing and look forward to and what did you dislike? Try not to be too negative and if there was something you genuinely did not like doing explain your reasons.
What challenged you about your last job do not be afraid to say you found something really tough but were eventually able to conquer. This shows grit and determination to finish tasks.
Why do you want to work for this company? Is it because you have been buying their products since you were younger, perhaps reading their magazines since you were a teenager. Explain the reasons why you think you would fit in and do the job on offer.
This, for some companies is a make or break answer. You should always research the company you have an interview for. If you can quote the press where they have been mentioned in a positive light this may go someway to showing the company you have taken an interest in them.
Why do you want to work for this company? Is it because you have been buying their products since you were younger, perhaps reading their magazines since you were a teenager. Explain the reasons why you think you would fit in and do the job on offer.
Think about where you want to be in 5 years time. This will demonstrate ambition and willingness to work hard to achieve your goals.

You and Your CV

Put it online

Keeping your CV up to date is important not just when you come to change job but also as an ongoing task for recording your achievements and new skills. We recommend using services like CVDock, the online CV web site to continuously update your CV.

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Interview Questions and Answers