We took a survey where we asked job seekers about the hardest questions they have ever had to answer in a job interview.
Phot credit: Tima
When it comes to job interviews, there are hard questions that make the affair seem intimidating and make many interviewees sulk at the thought of encountering those questions. We took a survey where we asked 50 job seekers about the hardest questions they have ever had to answer in a job interview.
The questions are organized in order of intensity from the most difficult and popular question to the least.
Personality and Weakness questions
1. What’s your biggest weakness?
You have to be honest about this but also ensure that you show how the weakness transforms you to be a better worker. For example, "I’m a bit slow because I ensure that my work is delivered with absolutely no mistakes."
2. What do people most often criticize about?
Similar to the weakness question, acknowledge that you do get criticized for some things because we are not perfect. But you can show how what people criticize you about can be an advantage for the employer. For example, "People often say I’m too cautious and that I don’t take on risk easily. However I must do my due diligence before I take on a deal."
3. What has been your greatest achievement?
Take the opportunity to show the employer how you have used your skills and experience to bring value to your former employers. You also need to have numbers that quantify your results. For example, "I raised our sales revenue by more than 70% because I took the time to study the market before doing the sales."
4. Tell me about yourself?
You need to be brief, concise and straight to the point. Ensure that you tell the aspects about you that are relevant to the job that you are seeking. You can include your years of experience, skills, brief education background and line of career. Do not repeat what is already in your CV.
Job related questions
1. How much do you expect to get paid?
You need to have done a lot of job market research to know how people in your same position are getting paid. If you underquote you might fail to get the job because it shows that you don’t offer quality services.
2. Why should we hire you?
This is where you need to have done your homework about the company and their needs. You should show that you are well suited to meet their needs and solve their problems.
3. What is something that you didn’t like at your previous job?
First, do not be malicious against your former company as that will be an ultimate disqualification. You can include a response such as “I felt like I had reached the ceiling in my position and needed a bigger challenge so that I can grow in my career.”
4. Why are you leaving your current position?
You can answer by showing that you are looking for bigger responsibilities and bigger challenges so that the employer can see that you are growth-oriented.
These following are some of the uncategorized responses that we got from some of the respondents:
1. What would you do in the first 30 days of your reporting to work?
Many people love to play safe on this question by saying they will take the time to study what is required of them and learn the company culture. However, if you want to stand out you can propose new ways of working and innovations since you have already done a thorough background check on the company and their style of working.
2. Where do you see yourself after five years?
As you answer you need to keep your potential employer in mind. Show that you have the hunger to grow in your personal career and progression which will in turn help the company to develop. For instance, as I keep working hard and learning more, I will have grown to the manager level because the department I am in will have grown enough to handle more employees.
3. Which questions to ask the interviewers
This is where you get creative and show the interviewer that you have done enough homework about the company. It will help you stand out among many other qualified interviewees. You can ask about an initiative that they have started which you are excited about.
4. What are your career goals?
The recruiter just wants to see that you are visionary and that hiring you will be a worthy investment in you which will also bring them benefits. Be sure to align your personal goals with the role you are interviewing for.
