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 has been the greatest disappointment in your life?

It is better to answer this question with a disappointment you have suffered in your professional or academic life rather than a personal one. Try to describe a time when you set yourself an ambitious goal but was not able to achieve it, give reasons for not being able to achieve it and explain what steps you took in the aftermath to resolve the matter. Do not mention a time when someone else was disappointed with you…. This is all about personal dissatisfaction with yourself and your own performance. Do not mention any disappointments that adversely affected the company or others.

·       What are you passionate about?

This will be asked to find out what ‘drives’ you, what your interests are and how you achieve wellbeing in your life. Try to talk about something that is work related like achieving goals, receiving excellent feedback from customers (internal and external), or from your manager. It is ok to talk about something in your free time that you are passionate about as long as it is a positive activity that reflects your ambitious personality, for example: charity work, or a challenging hobby that demonstrates your ‘adventurous’ side.

·       What types of things really annoy you?

The interviewer will want to know what types of situations trigger your emotions. Do not mention anything minor or petty. You could mention something like “Lazy people who expect everything but are not willing to make any effort to achieve it themselves”. You could give an example of a situation at work where you felt aggrieved because of a colleague who did not add any value to a project but received the same recognition as you.

·       What do other people or your manager most often criticize about you?

A good way to answer this question is to offer a criticism you received that is not very important or not directly related to the position you are applying for. For example, telling the interviewer that you were constantly criticized for coming to work an hour late is not a good idea.  But revealing a minor criticism and telling the interviewer what steps you took to improve yourself is a good way to answer this question. In fact, if you can state that you have already solved the problem and received a higher mark in a subsequent performance review, then say so.

·       Why have you changed jobs so often?

Reasons for changing jobs frequently should always be based on your past employers' failure to challenge you or fail to give you enough opportunity for advancement, and not on the fact that your past employers were incompetent, unfair or you just did not like them. Make sure you point out any jobs you held for a long time and the reason(s) why.  Mention that your current goal is long-term employment and back this up with any proof you have for wanting job stability such as a new baby, new marriage, new home, etc. If the job you are applying for offers you the challenges and environment you have always been looking for, then say so.