Preparing for an interview can be a daunting task. There is so much available online that you can easily get overwhelmed. We think it’s important to prepare but not over prepare for an interview. Often over rehearsing can often lead to worse interviews than those that are more off the cuff.
To help you prepare for your next interview we have condensed our list to the Top 5 interview questions you will face and curated our top tips on how to approach them. Watch our video below to help feel prepared for your next interview.
We’ve summarised the key points from the video with examples below.
1. Tell me a little about yourself
The value of this question to an interviewer is to:
- Gain that all important first impression
- Ascertain your level of confidence & your ability to hold a conversation
- See how you might fit in with the existing team
Your answer:
- Don’t repeat your CV word for word
- Don’t give them your life story or get too personal
- Stay professional
- Be honest
- Sell yourself, its not a time for modesty!
Try the Present / Past / Future method to structure your answer:
Present: Share your current position, your biggest achievement perhaps or responsibilities you hold
Past: Touch on your experiences/skills gained relevant to the role you are applying for
Future: Share why you are excited about the role and opportunities it may hold
An example of this:
I currently work as a senior midwife on the labour ward at a large hospital where I practice midwifery and have successfully helped train junior midwives through their preceptorship period.
Before that I worked as a junior midwife for 3 years gaining experience in all aspects of midwifery including community postings.
Whilst I really enjoy my current role, I would love the opportunity to specialise further into working with diabetic patients as this is an area that really interests me, which is why I am excited about this opportunity.
2. What do you know about the company?
The value of this question to an interviewer is to:
- See if you have done your research
- See how you express your understanding of the company
- Determine if they need to fill in any blanks
- Find out if you show any interest in working for the company
Your answer:
- Read the job description
- Read the company’s website
- Browse the company’s online presence – follow them on social media, read their recent posts and notice who they interact with
- Ensure you can articulate with confidence what the company does, what they offer, who are their clients, size, locations, competitors
- Use this research time to explore what areas interest you about the company and the role, communicate this in your interview, it will show genuine passion and genuine interest.
An example of this:
The company offers branding and marketing solutions for small to medium creative businesses and entrepreneurs using a productised method. Your clients are typically working within the creative industry such as artists, architects and product makers.
The company was founded in 2015 and has grown to 40 employees spread across two locations, London and Manchester. You have a strong online presence but also host offline community meetups in London twice a year.
I’m very interested in learning more about the method of extracting client requirements in a productised approach. My experience in graphic design is that clients differ wildly in their approach, so I have been really interested in how to streamline this process.
3. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
The value of this question to an interviewer is to:
- Understand your strengths and weaknesses and how you can complement the existing team
- Uncover any gaps in training they may need to help you with
- Understand where you can add value to the role/company/team
Employers are not trying to catch you out, they want to see if you are a good fit, have a level of self-awareness and even a proactive approach to professional development.
Your answer:
- Don’t use a cliché answer
- Be honest
- Tailor strengths to the job description, pick one or two technical or soft skills listed in the job description that you truly have and are confident in. Share how you are qualified in these skills, experience you have, how you can add value, have an example prepared to back up your strength.
- Reframe weakness with an actionable example of steps you have taken to try and improve or work on your weakness
An example of this:
I can build a good rapport with clients. During my role as Project Manager I worked alongside many outside agencies and was able to quickly build strong connections that helped the projects run more efficiently due to the good working relationship I had created. As a result, many of these clients bought repeat work back to the company.
I can often spend more time than needed on a task that could be delegated elsewhere. I’ve never missed a deadline, but I acknowledge tasks will move quicker when delegated efficiently. In my latest role I implemented a task management solution using Trello to help monitor my tasks and those that have been delegated to other team members. This has helped me feel more confident delegating tasks more efficiently due to the visibility of task progress.
4. What are your goals?
The value of this question to an interviewer is to:
- Understand your ambitions, where you may fit in the company and your level of commitment
- Most employers now do not expect lifetime commitment but expect a level of commitment compatible with the company’s path.
Your answer:
- Ensure it involves the company / role you are interviewing for
- Keep it to work goals
- Provide a short and a long term goal
- If you are aware and interested in a career path the company offers or advocates, show interest in this
An example of this:
Short term I would love to strengthen my project management skills, taking on bigger and more high-profile projects over the next 5 years. Longer term I would be interested in transitioning to a managerial role as I am passionate about working with people and helping upskilling team members technical skills.
5. Do you have any questions for us?
The value of this question to an interviewer is to:
- Understand your level of engagement / interest
- Ascertain your understanding and confidence
- See whether you have been proactive and prepared for it
Your answer:
- Clarify any uncertainties and remove any doubt from the interview
- It’s also an opportunity for you to dig in to whether the job is a good fit for you too!
- Learn more
- Clarify next steps
Example questions you may want to ask:
What does a typical day look like?
How will performance be reviewed?
What can you tell me about projects I would be immediately involved in?
Remember what distinguishes you from other candidates is you, so don’t answer with what you think you should say, be yourself, be honest and be prepared and you will get the most out of the interview process.