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Interview Advice

What Motivates You?
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You need to give an answer, as always, that benefits your potential employer and links into the key responsibilities of the job. So don’t say “£100,000 per year with all the trimmings!” Give an answer along the lines of “I’m happiest when I can see a project through from start to finish”, or “I get a real kick out of managing a team that is happy and knows it is successful”.

How Well Do You Take Direction?
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Keep in mind the fact that your interviewer may become you’re boss should you get this job, so remember it’s their direction you will be taking. The answer here has to be that you take direction well. You can add credibility to your answer by expanding it and adding something like “I don’t see how a team can function effectively unless it’s members are happy to take direction from their leader”.

How Do You Handle Criticism?
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Remember you’re interviewer may be anticipating becoming your boss and will inevitably have to criticise you from time to time. They want to know whether this task would be easy for them of whether you will make it difficult for them.

So perhaps you could answer this question along the lines of “I’m always happy to be given constructive criticism and welcome this. It helps me learn from my mistakes and improve my performance”. 

What Is Your Management Style?
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Make sure your answer to this is relevant and don’t try and give a text book answer. You can make your point in a couple of sentences such as “I prefer a carrot rather than a stick approach and I have an open door policy. I believe you have to be firm with your team but you also have to treat them with a fair approach”.

How Do You Work In A Team?
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This is another question you need to answer honestly, but pick a relevant way to express your teamwork style. Give a fairly brief answer, such as “I enjoy being part of a team, and I like the flexibility that it demands. I get a real kick out of collective success”. Follow your remarks up with an example of what you mean. If teamwork is going to be an important part of the job you are applying for you should certainly expect this question to come up so make sure you have your answer ready.

How Do You Operate Under Pressure/Stress?
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Again, this is a question you will only be asked if it is relevant to the job. A good full answer will serve you better on this one rather than a brief one. So tell your interviewer that you work well under pressure and if you really do enjoy it tell them. It’s always good to give an example of a situation that you have handled where there has been a large amount of pressure. It might be prudent to add that you operate good time management and organisational skills which help you deal with pressurised situations and minimize stress levels.

How Do You Get The Best From People?
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How Do You Resolve Conflict In Your Team?
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Why Have You Been With Your Employer For Such A Short Time?
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Your interviewer doesn’t want to take on someone who is going to leave in six months’ time. So show them that you don’t really flit between jobs whatever your CV may show. Perhaps you could answer with “I’d like to settle in one company for several years, but I’ve found that up until now that I’ve had to move in order to widen my experience and avoid getting stale in the job”

When Would You Expect Promotion?
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You shouldn’t give a firm timescale on this. The answer is, you should expect promotion when you deserve it. “I would hope to be promoted once I have demonstrated my value to the company and shown that I am worth it.”

And show how this job suits your long term aims: “That’s why I want to join a company that is growing so that promotion opportunities will be there when I’m ready to move up”, or “That’s why I want to join a company that is growing so that the promotion opportunities will be there when I’m ready to move up”, or “That’s why I want to join a large organisation so there are plenty of opportunities when I’ve gained the skills and experience”.

You May Be Overqualified For This Job
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The worry the interviewer is revealing here is that if they offer you the job you will quickly become bored and leave. You may have reservations on this front yourself, but at this stage you should still be giving it your best to get this job. If you’re going to turn it down do so when its offered – you should never write it off halfway through the interview.

So for the moment you’re going to give the best answer you can. Say that strong, dynamic companies can always use whatever talents they have to hand. You want to stay with the company for a while and if your experience and skills are strong enough you’re sure they will find a way to keep you challenged and making a full contribution.

What Is Your Present Salary?
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It’s a bit of a cheeky question this one and you want to give a non committal answer. If you go straight in with “I earn £ xxxxx plus expenses plus a Company car and free weekend tickets to the Barnsley games” should you be offered the job they will offer you as close to this as your present package. So it’s a good idea to say something along the lines of “Well I think salaries can be a little misleading, it’s the whole remuneration package that really counts and of course that’s harder to quantify”, “I think it would be better to discuss this should you decide I am the most suitable candidate for the role”.

Why do you want to work for us?
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Don’t talk about what you want; first talk about their needs; you want to be part of an exciting forward-moving company. You can make a definite contribution to specific company goals and visions.

What can you do for us that someone else can’t?
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Relate to past experiences that represent success in working for your previous employer; talk about your fresh perspective and the relevant experience you have to bring to the company. Highlight your track record of providing creative, workable solutions.

 Why should we hire you?
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My knowledge, experience, abilities and skills gained through previous employment and the ability to learn and develop given the chance with your company.

What do you look for in a job?
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An opportunity to use skills and to perform and be recognised.

How long would you stay with us?
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Always a difficult question as no one can see into the future but your answer should be along the lines of “as long as we both feel I’m contributing, achieving, growing with the company etc.