47 Interview Questions & How to Answer Them – Part 2

QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR WORK HISTORY

Question 9

What is your greatest professional achievement?

The best way to answer this question is with the S-T-A-R method, Situation, Task, Action, Results

Set up a situation and task you were required to complete and provide the interview with background context, then describe what you did and what you achieved

Question 10

Tell me about a challenge or conflict you were faced with at work and how you dealt with it

Stay calm when talking about a conflict you had to deal with and rather than focussing on the conflict itself, focus more on the resolution and how you dealt with it and perhaps what you’d do differently the next time a conflict could arise

Question 11

Tell me about a time you demonstrated leadership skills

Perhaps use examples of when you headed a project, when you had to use your own initiative or helped to motivate a team

Question 12

Discuss a time you disagreed with a decision that was made at work?

The best example to use is one where you disagreed with a decision made and handled it professionally and learned something from that experience

Interviewers will look closely at how you start your statement and how you end it

When opening, make a short statement one that reflects more on the takeaway or the reason you’re using this as an example

To end your statement, talk briefly about what you’ve learned or gained from the experience

Question 13

Tell me about a time you made a mistake

The key when answering this question is to be honest without putting blame on another person

Explain what you’ve learned from your mistake and what actions you took to prevent yourself from making that mistake again

Employers are looking for people that are self-aware, can take feedback, and that care about improving themselves

Question 14

Tell me about a time you failed

This question is very similar to the one about when you made a mistake, and you should approach your answer in a similar way

Make sure you pick a real, actual failure you can speak honestly about

Start by making it clear to the interviewer what you define as failure then situate your story in relation to that definition and explain what happened

To finish, you should share with the interviewer what you’ve learned through the whole experience – it’s important to show what you took from the experience

Question 15

Why are you leaving your current job?

Keep things positive – you have absolutely nothing to gain by being negative about your current employer

Frame things in a way that highlights your eagerness to grow and take on new career opportunities and that the role you are being interviewed for is a better fit for you

Question 16

Why were you fired?

If you were laid off, you can simply say that the company restructured and your position was made redundant and you accepted a retrenchment package

If you were laid off for performance reasons, then your best option is just to be honest with the interviewer – it doesn’t automatically become a deal breaker

Frame it as a learning experience – share how you’ve grown since from it and how you approach your job now as a result thereof

Question 17

Why was there a gap in your employment?

Perhaps you were taking care of you children or grandparents, dealing with health issues or taking time to travel for a bit – perhaps it just took you a bit longer to find another job

You should always justify any gaps between positions on your resume and always be honest about why you took those gaps between positions

Question 18

Can you explain why you changed career paths?

Take a deep breath and explain to the interviewer why you’ve made these decisions to change your career path

Most importantly, give examples of how your past experience is transferrable to the new position – it’s often more impressive when a candidate can show how seemingly irrelevant experience is very relevant to the role

This article was taken from Themuse.com and the full article can be viewed here:

https://www.themuse.com/advice/interview-questions-and-answers#c0b1463a-7528-48c4-b219-88db822986b5

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