Hi, over the next few weeks I will be publishing regular advice on how to ace your job / university / MBA, or PhD interview. If you would like to book a lesson with me, I will provide you with a 28 page document that I have written with some sample questions and advice on how to answer them. In these articles that I am publishing, you will find a group of questions and the appropriate advice on how to answer them, and in some cases you will even find some sample answers. During a lesson, I will go through the questions with you, let you answer as if you were in an interview environment and then I will check, and if necessary, correct the content of your answer. I hope you find the following information useful and I really look forward to seeing you online if you choose a class with me! I am also offering a 20% discount for any new students for ANY of my lessons. 

Lesson link:

https://cafetalk.com/lessons/detail/?id=11273&key=ec0e3f840eb8c5a75b04f6306f25dd66

·       What motivates you?

Your future employer will want to know what motivates you, both at work and in your life. With work, do NOT say that you are motivated by money or some other form of material reward, everyone comes to work for money but this should not be the primary driver for anyone doing their job (from an employer’s perspective anyway!). Factors like self-development, positive feedback from senior staff and fulfilment of objectives should come before money. Of course if you genuinely love your job then this is also a good answer, but only claim this if the job is genuinely exciting or fulfilling for you.

·       Are you a self-motivator?

All employers prefer to have self-starters on their payroll. The only correct answer to this question is ‘yes’. Provide an example of something you have done in the workplace that required a high degree of self-discipline, maybe an individual project with a tight deadline or an occasion where you inspired junior or less experienced staff to take part in a team project. The use of a real life example is always a powerful answer for questions like this.

·       What are your salary expectations?

If you are applying for an advertised post, the advert may indicate the salary or a salary range. Try to measure your experience and qualifications against the new post’s requirements. If you fulfil all of the qualifications and have an abundance of experience then you can pitch that your salary should be in the mid to upper range. If you fulfil only half of the requirements ie: qualified but not experienced or vice-versa, then you can only expect to be paid a salary in the lower to mid-range. Do not be too greedy when negotiating your future salary. All this being said, most people when they leave one job and start working in a new company will expect a salary increase of between 10-20% to compensate for them starting afresh in a new environment and the possible ‘risk’ that new company may be less secure. However… the new company may offer a better benefits package, bonus system, increased job security, or improved long-term career prospects. Weigh all of these factors up and decide on how much you would ‘need’ to take on the new post.

·       What do you find are the most difficult decisions to make?

The interviewer will ask this to determine your decision making skills and for which situations you find difficult to handle. For example, decisions that affect colleagues in a personal way may be a good answer to show that you are compassionate and empathic. Keep in mind that you are working for a company and any decisions that are made should be ‘for the good of the company’ without being too emotional about the options you are presented with. Maintain that any decisions you make or have made in the past are objective, and not subjective.

·       Tell me about yourself.

This is usually the first question asked because it is a good ice-breaker. You should not use this open-ended question to offer useless information about your hobbies and home life.  Many people will make the mistake of saying, ‘I'm 32 years old, married, and mother of three children aged 5, 7 and 9. My hobbies are knitting and bike riding . . blah blah blah". This is not a good answer.

A good answer to this question is about two minutes long and focuses on work-related skills and accomplishments. Tell the interviewer why you think your work-related skills and accomplishments would be an asset to the company. Describe your education and work history (in brief). Then mention one or two personal character traits and tell the interviewer how the traits helped you accomplish a task at school or work. Do not describe yourself with tired old clichés such as “I am a team player”,  "I have excellent communication skills", unless you can prove it with an example. For example: "I would describe myself as a self-starter. At XXX Corporation, there was a problem with XXX so I created a new inventory system (give details) that reduced expenses by 30 percent".

For example, someone with a new degree in an IT field might answer this question as follows: "I have enjoyed working with computers since I was nine years old and have always been adept as using them.  Throughout junior and high school, friends and relatives were always asking me for help with their computer problems, so no one was surprised when I chose to major in computers". The answer could go on to explain how in college, they discovered they wanted to concentrate their studies on a specific IT field; how their internships or work experience influenced them or led them in a certain direction; and how they have come to decide that they want to work for this particular company and why they would be an asset to this company.