Tips on Interview Questions and Answers

Interview questions and answers are only part of the host of preparation for the interview. The interview is the important thing. All of your time spent writing up job applications, submitting resumes, formulating cover letters and responding to job boards have led you to this. Over the next several days, I am blogging on information that will provide you with key steps to perform at your best and put you in the right position for a job offer.

Knowing your interview audience and the company will certainly help you with preparing your interview questions and answers. For the interview, will it be a panel or individual? If a panel, how many panelists will there be?

For the company, what type of company is it? Is it privately held or publicly traded? How long have they been in the industry? Who is their target audience? Are they the industry leader or a strong competitor? Where are their corporate offices located? Do your research and list down your discoveries.

Collect annual reports, sector news, study their website, investigate them on Hoovers, speak with current/past employees, etc. The more you know about the company, the history, niche, competitors, business model and growth plans, the more prepared you’ll be to discuss their needs and how you are the person to solve their problem.

A normal interview lasts a good 60 minutes. During the first few minutes, the interviewer will slowly set the tone by sharing information on the company and the position. They will then turn to your resume, cover letter, portfolio, and any other sales tool you provided, and begin asking you questions. These questions include: “Tell me something about yourself.”; “Where do you expect to see yourself in 1-2 years?”; “What do you find compelling about this position?”; “What do you see as your key strengths and weaknesses?”; “We are considering many strong candidates, why should we hire you?”; “Why did you leave your last employer?”

These are standard interview questions and answers that you need to be prepared to respond to. Some of these interview questions may be uncomfortable for you. There is no excuse in showing your trouble because you know they are coming your way. Practice your responses. Do some playing with an objective person to help you smooth out your answers.