08 common Interview question and answers - Job Interview Skills

This video explains how to answer common interview questions, focusing on the interviewer's perspective. It covers self-introductions (highlighting skills and experience), strengths (positive attributes with examples), weaknesses (identifying areas for improvement), future goals (showing commitment), company knowledge (demonstrating research), handling change (providing examples), working under pressure (showing resilience), and decision-making (outlining a process). The key is to provide confident, detailed answers showcasing relevant skills and experience. Interviewers assess confidence, enthusiasm, and communication skills when asking "Tell me about yourself" or "Walk me through your CV." Avoid irrelevant details; focus on education, work experience, and relevant interests. For "What are your strengths?", highlight positive attributes with specific examples. Avoid vague statements; showcase qualities like attention to detail, planning, and approachability. When addressing "What are your weaknesses?", don't be overly negative. Identify a minor weakness and explain how you mitigate it, showcasing self-awareness and improvement. Frame a weakness as a strength (e.g., detail-oriented leading to perfectionism). For "Where do you see yourself in five years?", demonstrate commitment to the company by outlining a realistic career path with a focus on growth and contributions. Avoid unrealistic aspirations. To answer "Tell me about our company," show you've researched the company. Mention specific positive attributes, awards, products, or clientele to demonstrate genuine interest. When asked "How well do you handle change?", provide a specific example of adapting to a change in a previous role, highlighting flexibility and teamwork. For "How well do you work under pressure?", describe a situation where you successfully managed a project under tight deadlines, emphasizing organization and teamwork. Finally, when answering "How do you handle important decisions?", explain your decision-making process, emphasizing experience, pros/cons analysis, seeking advice, and considering consequences. Here's a breakdown of how you can structure your self-introduction: Acknowledge the Question: The interviewer often starts with "Tell me something about yourself" or "Run me through your CV." Interviewer's Focus: Remember, the interviewer is primarily assessing your confidence and communication skills, not just the details you share. Ideal Structure: Background: Briefly mention where you grew up or your origins. Education: State what you studied. Work Experience: Detail any relevant past work experience you have. Personal Interests: Share a couple of your hobbies or interests to add a personal touch (e.g., reading, jogging, specific skills like enjoying numbers). Example Snippet: You could structure it like, "Well, I grew up in [Place], studied [Field], and worked at [Company/Role] for [Duration]. I enjoy [Activity related to the job, e.g., working with numbers] and in my free time, I like [Hobby 1] and [Hobby 2]." Delivery: Present your introduction confidently and clearly. your weaknesses? here for this question, you need not be really negative about your self. i have heard people saying, well, I am a very impatient person or people also say, that I get angry. Easy. well, that's not the right answer. maybe that is your weakness, but you need not bring it out.. the best answer to this, because what the interviewer is looking at is whether you can identify your weakness and how you can cover it up.. so one of the examples, that you can use to answer this question is, I think my weakness is that I am way too detail oriented. I try to accomplish everything and I just want everything to be perfect, but then I realize that I'm losing out on time., So maybe that makes me submitting these projects pretty late. So I think that is one of the weaknesses. so here basically, what you are doing is, you are displaying that maybe, you run out of time, but your'E also giving a very positive aspect to it that, you are a perfectionists. and that' s exactly what we saw as a strength in the previous question too.. so I think this is one of the best ways that you can answer to this question.. the next common question that is asked is, where do you see yourself in five years from now or? the interviewer might also ask that, what are your long term or your short term goals? now here, IV'E seen people really struggle to answer this question. well, maybe, because you yourself have no idea, where you would like to be., so usually people end up saying, oh I would like to be the CEO of this company or I would like to own an airline. that doesn't sound right, so what a good answer to this question would be, because here the interviewer is looking at, how committed you are gonna be to this company?? a very clear path with commitment, because you know what's the attrition rate these days. So he wants to know, how long would you stick to the company? so one of the best answers that you can give, would be, well,, five years from now, I think I would like to be in a management position. till then I would like to gain a practical experience and then eventually become a manager.. of course, I would like to share and also learn a lot of new things from my team members. the next most popular question that is asked is,, so tell me something about our company or what do you know about our company? now here the are your strengths? now here the interviewer is looking at how positive, you think about yourself. it's quite a general question, there's no right or a wrong answer to it, but if you give out one-liners such as, oh I'm a very friendly person, I love being with people and people love being with me. that just doesn't sound great for an interview. isn't it? so what you can say is, my strongest trait is attention to detail. I totally believe in planning and execution. in fact even when I was in college, I used to really organize my week and many people, because of my very outgoing nature. many people have said that I am quite approachable, so I believe these are my strengths.. the third most common question that here the interviewer is not really interested in your answer. what they are looking at is your confidence, your enthusiasm and the passion that you answer with.. so it's the best time that you show off your communication skills. now usually I have observed that many people end up saying, ahh I love watching movies, I think I love partying. i have so many friends, so I really enjoy partying.. no that's not the right way that you answer to this question.. what you need to talk about is your education, where you grew up or you can also talk about your past work experience, if you have any and your personal interests.. for example, you can say, ahh well I grew up in France and I studied accounting. I also worked for an accounting firm for about eight months and I really enjoy numbers, so maybe that's exactly the reason, I love to solve them.. solving them is so much fun. and in my spare time, I really like reading and also go out jogging only if the weather allows me too.. so that's the way you would answer to this question.. interviewer of course has knowledge about his own company, right? that he's working for, but what he is looking at is whether you are serious about this job or not,? whether you have just come for one of those random interviews? so many people are usually let down, because of the lack of research about the company, So what you need to do is research. go online, learn about the positive attributes about the company. learn about their products, their history and etc.. So one of the best ways that you can answer to this question is, oh well, your company is very well known for the customer service and you also won an award for the best service provider in the country. and of course,, you also have a great clientele, so that's one of the best ways that you can answer this question.. sixth most common question that is asked is,, how well do you handle a change? Well,, the philosophy behind this question go, so would you be able to handle that? people usually end up saying, oh of course, I am great at handling a change. well, trust me the interviewer would not be impressed with this answer.. how you can answer to this question with an example, would be. well, of course I can handle a change, because in my previous company, one of our bosses, one of our immediate bosses had to quit and there was this new boss, who came in and he had completely changed our strategy of a project.. so of course, I'm very flexible and hardworking too, so we managed it with our team efforts and definitely the results were pretty good.. so this is the way that you could answer to this question.. the next common question that is asked is,, how well do you work under pressure? Now, the reason behind this question is the employer or the interviewer wants to get really panicked under pressure? because these days companies, of course, expect you to take more and more responsibility, and of course, a greater work load.. so the best way to answer this question is,, well, definitely working under pressure or without pressure, works just the same for me.. in fact, in one of the companies that I was working,, there was a project that was given to us, which had to be completed in four days. which usually takes ten days, and the whole team is like so stressed out, they panicked and they just didn't know what to do,, but then I insured that they settled down. . we prioritized our work and in fact, in a very organized manner, we completed the project.. of course we also worked late nights, but that definitely helped to submit our project in four days.. So I think working under pressure is not too bad for me.. so this is one of the best ways that you can answer to this question.. the last common question hiring you for a management position or for a lead position. he wants to know that someday when you have to handle a very important, a very critical decision. how would you do that? so many people end up saying, you know what? I really haven't come across, I really haven't dealt with such difficult situations.. that's not the right answer you would say., one of the best answers that I can help you with is, you can say, handling decisions is definitely considered to be a little difficult, but I am sure I can do it, because my experience. I would rely on my experience,, I would also weigh on the pros and cons. of course, I would also take some advice from my team members and I'm sure that would help me to come on a decision. we will also look at the consequences of the decision.. so definitely I can go ahead and make decisions. so that brings me to the end of this lesson. I hope all of these questions and answers are helpful for your interview. and if you are going for an interview. wish you all the very best. do well and I will see you soon in the next lesson.. take care. thank you.. Based on the context and general interview best practices, here are key points to be aware of before attending an interview: Research the Company: Understand their mission, values, recent news, and the role you're applying for. Know Your CV/Resume: Be prepared to discuss everything on your resume in detail. Prepare for Common Questions: Practice answering standard questions like "Tell me about yourself," "Strengths/Weaknesses," and behavioral questions. Structure Your Introduction: Have a concise summary ready covering your background, education, experience, and interests. Understand Interviewer's Intent: Recognize that interviewers assess not just what you say but how you say it – focusing on confidence and communication. Prepare Your Questions: Have thoughtful questions ready to ask the interviewer about the role, team, or company culture. Plan Your Outfit: Choose professional attire that aligns with the company culture. Logistics: Confirm the interview time, location (or virtual platform details), and interviewer's name. Practice Your Delivery: Rehearse your answers aloud to ensure clarity and confidence. Mindset: Approach the interview with a positive attitude, ready to showcase your skills and enthusiasm.