Switching from one job to the next can be a fun and exciting experience. When you are looking to switch jobs, it is important that you are prepared for the interview. Generally, there are common interview questions that you should be prepared to answer. There are 8 interview questions in particular that continue to be common, and you should be prepared to address them.
What Can You Tell Me About Yourself?
This is often one of the first questions that will be asked. While it is OK to touch on your personal life, you should aim to focus more heavily on your professional and educational background. It is also a good idea to highlight your professional goals and what you are looking for in your next opportunity.
Why Do You Want to Work Here?
Any employer is going to want to know that you are committed to their organization. When responding to this question, you should highlight some positive things you have learned about the company. This can include the organization’s recent growth and expansion, reputation with customers and employees, and any other information that makes you excited about the role. It is important to do some research on the company, so you can answer this question appropriately.
Why Did You Leave Your Job?
It is also very common for a hiring manager to ask why you left your last job, or any job you have had in the past. When explaining why you left a job, it is important that you keep the response positive and focused on the future, as opposed to the past. You should do your best not to say anything negative about your past employer or manager while focusing on your desire to grow with another organization.
What are Some Strengths and Weaknesses?
When answering this question, it is important to think about what skills and strengths would be helpful to the specific role or organization. When answering about weaknesses, you should ensure the employer is aware that they are not meaningful for the role or that you can show how you are working towards addressing them.
How are You Qualified for this Position?
As you are looking to be hired, an employer is going to want to get a sense of your ability to handle the tasks at hand. If there is a specific skill set that you have, a license you hold, or experience that aligns with the job, you should ensure that you answer it appropriately. You should ensure that you review the requirements of the job and are prepared to answer how you meet each of them?
How Do You Handle Pressure?
All jobs are going to come with stressful times and challenges. A prospective employer will want to know how you conduct yourself under pressure. It would be a good idea to describe how you manage stressful situations and even give an example of when you did work through a stressful situation.
Why Should We Hire You?
This tends to be the last direct question that the interviewer will ask. This can be a great time to summarize your achievements and qualifications for the role. Ultimately, you should then close your response by saying you are excited about the opportunity and know that it will be a great fit.
What Questions Do You Have for Us?
After you have answered questions, it is important that you have some questions to ask the interviewer. Ideally, you should have at least 3 to 5 to ask about the company, the individual role, and anything else that you are curious about. While it is important that you show you are educated and interested, this is also the time to have any questions answered that you may have when determining if the job is one that you should take to further your career.
Going through the process of applying for a new job can be quite exciting. While you can be happy and excited about the opportunity, you may find that the interview process can be stressful. When you are applying for a new job, there are various interview questions that tend to be common with most employers. By reading through these eight common questions, you can prepare your own answers to help ensure you are ready for the upcoming interview.
