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Tutor Mark Roy 's Column

Ace your job or university interview!! Part 21

Sep 7, 2020

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

 

·       If you could choose anyone (alive or deceased) to have lunch with, who would it be?

 

This is a similar question to the previous one and therefore a similar answer is best.

 

·       If you could be any animal on a carousel what would you pick and why?

 

This may seem like a strange question to ask but the reasoning behind it is simple; the interviewer will want to know how you see yourself in animal terms. For example, if you choose a lion, it may indicate that you are competitive, fierce, assertive when you need to be and ‘the king of the jungle’, i.e.- you like to be in charge. If you said a cat, it may indicate that you enjoy sleeping a lot and enjoy a life of leisure (therefore not a good answer to give an interviewer!!).

 

·       What did you do during this six month gap in employment?

Everyone, at some point, will probably have a gap in employment. It is quite important from a future employers point of view that you use your time effectively as there will most likely be periods where you are not so busy in your new job. A good answer is one that states you used your time pursuing further education, job searching, home maintenance or even doing some voluntary work. A good example answer is given below:

For the first month, I worked on my ‘to do list’ at home and accomplished a great deal. Then I began building a plan to re-enter the workplace. While it took a little longer than I'd anticipated, I've learned a great deal about myself, am rested and looking forward to new challenges in the workplace”.

·       What do you love / What are you passionate about?

 

In answering this question, it is quite ok to talk about an interest outside of work that you are passionate about as long as it reflects you in a positive light, for example doing charity work at weekends, being an active member of a tennis / golf club. Of course giving an answer oriented to your profession is also good, for example you may strive to achieve perfection in the workplace or to obtain positive feedback from managers or customers.

 

·       What led you to this point in your life?

The interviewer will want to know if you are unhappy with your ‘lot in life’, are frustrated, or feel ‘lost’. Try to give a positive answer even if you are not entirely happy with everything you have achieved, and always say that you seek self-improvement as a means of achieving your aims in life. An example answer is given below:

My ‘road of life’ has been interesting, sometimes challenging and always rewarding. The steps along the way that have led to this point in my life are, in some ways, very different than I had imagined; however, I like who I am today in part because of my past. An example is when the second company on my resume suddenly closed their doors during a down-turn in the economy. For a very brief time, the road ahead was unknown; however, I discovered I had previously untapped strengths such as perseverance”.

This column was published by the author in their personal capacity.
The opinions expressed in this column are the author's own and do not reflect the view of Cafetalk.

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