Interview Questions

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During an interview there are a number of questions that can be asked. The most common ones have been included below for your reference.

It is important that you think about how to answer each of these questions as it will decrease your stress levels and make you more confident during the interview. This will give you a better chance of being successful in the recruitment process.

• Tell me about yourself.

To answer this question, you need to provide a brief summary of your education, experience and soft skills you have. It also is helpful to provide some insight into your personality by mentioning something you do on your free time. This answer should not take more than 1-2 minutes.

• What motivated you to apply for this position?

The interviewers are trying to establish if you just need a job or if you genuinely care about who they are as an organisation. This is where you need to showcase your knowledge of the position description and clearly explain how you fulfil the main job requirements.

• What three accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction? Why?

In this question, the interviewers are looking for what motivates you and if you will be a good fit for the team.

• What do you know about the company?

This is your opportunity to really showcase what you have researched about the company. An interviewer will know quickly if your research was just a quick look on their website or if it was more comprehensive. It would be useful to check their website, LinkedIN, number of staff, their history, if there are any changes in legislation affecting their industry, etc.

• Describe a time when you have had to make a difficult decision.

You need to answer this using the STAR technique. What was the situation? What was the task that needed to be done? What was your action? What was the result?

• Describe a time when you played an important role in a team. Tell me about a time when you worked effectively in a team.

This one is also a behavioural question which requires STAR technique to be answered effectively.

• Describe a time when you showed strong leadership skills.

This one is also a behavioural question which requires STAR technique to be answered effectively.

• Why would you be the best person for this role?

In answering this question, go back to the requirements of the role but also focus on soft skills and, possibly, life experiences that make you want to work in this industry and not give up when under pressure.

• Tell me about a time when you were involved in a project? Explain the project planning and management process.

This one is also a behavioural question which requires STAR technique to be answered effectively.

• What do you like about our organisation’s website? Please comment based on your research.
• What value can you add to our organisation?

An opportunity to showcase your research and how you would fit into what the company is trying to achieve.

• How have you maintained your professional currency since graduation?

You need to be able to clearly outline how you are still involved in your profession. Eg. Professional membership, involved in projects in your spare time, reading related literature, etc.

• Give me an example of how you have assessed risk as part of your decision making process? Another behavioural question which requires STAR technique to be answered effectively.
• Tell me about a situation where you had to solve a difficult problem. What did you do? What was the outcome? What would you do differently?

Another behavioural question which requires STAR technique to be answered effectively.

• What are your strengths / weakness?

Your strength needs to be directly related to one, or more, of the job requirements.

Your weakness needs to be unrelated to the job requirements and you need to explain how you are working to overcome that weakness.

• Why are you considering leaving your current job?

If you are currently working, you will be asked this question and you need to clearly explain why you would leave, without saying anything bad about the current company, manager or staff members.

• What are your salary expectations?

You need to research what the market is paying for that type of role and then be able to give a range. For example: My salary expectations are between $45,000 and $55,000.

• Where do you see yourself in 3 or 5 years?

This is a difficult question which needs to be answered well. You need to think about these answers before you get to the interview. This is not a type of question that you can work out during the interview. Generally, a good answer would be that you see yourself in the same company with increased responsibilities. It is not wise to say you are ambitious and want to be a manager, that may happen over time, but when you are interviewing for a graduate position, you shouldn’t say that.

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What questions should you ask them?

• What is your expectation for the staff working in this role?
• Questions which demonstrate how you can contribute to them.
• Questions that show you have researched about the company.

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DO NOT ASK:

• What kind of training will I receive?
• What type of advancement opportunities are available with your organisation?
• What is your timeframe for the remainder of the hiring process?