Common Interview Questions

An interview can be a daunting experience - especially if you haven’t had much practice recently. To help you control your nerves it is worthwhile preparing for common questions that you may get asked. But what are the most common and sometimes the most difficult interview questions?

Here are three common questions and some guidance on how to answer them:

How to answer: "Tell me about yourself" This is often the opening question and since first impressions are very important, you want to take the opportunity to present yourself in the most positive light. Without preparation it is easy to waffle, sound hesitant or for your mind to go blank.

Here are some tips on how best to answer this question.

         1. Keep you response to around 3 minutes

         2. Start with an overview of your highest achievement and then run through a short lead up to

             this with other jobs/work you have done up to this point

         3. Don’t go into too much detail

         4. If this is your first job - focus on your key areas of study and how these have led to you

             wanting this role

How to answer: "What are your strengths?" Select your three main strengths/qualities that are the most relevant to the job and for each strength give a specific example of how you have applied the strength to a work situation.

For example if you select team work as one of your key strengths you then need to support this with an example of when you have been part of a team and the contribution you made.

How to answer: "What are your weaknesses?" This is like a trick question which can easily work against you. The best approach it is to think of something you have recently identified as a weakness and have made positive steps to redress.

For example if multi-tasking has been one of your weaknesses you could explain how you have learnt to prioritise things more efficiently. You can then turn the weakness around to actually become a strength.

Its very important to spend time brainstorming questions and answers before your interview, so that you are prepared, feel less nervous and present yourself more confidently in the interview itself.