How to ace that interview - Signet Resources

Candidates - 14th July 2014

Preparing for an interview is tough.  Sometimes it’s difficult to know where to begin and how to prepare for those questions that are going to drag you out of your comfort zone and put you on the spot.  There is however always going to be those typical questions that time and time again keep cropping up, giving us a greater opportunity to thoroughly prepare, and have a few key examples in mind.  Here are a few examples of some typical interview questions and how best to try and answer them……..

Tell me about yourself?

A typical opening question…..first impressions are key.  Give examples of your achievements and the skills you’ve picked up along the way.  Don’t speak for too long as your interviewer will ask you to expand on any areas they would like further information on, try to keep it precise, relevant and to the point…. don’t send your interviewer to sleep in the first five minutes.

What is your greatest weakness?

It’s that awkward interview question that always crops up.  Try to be as honest as possible without evidencing your inability to do the job – use your common sense.  For example, don’t say that you’re not very good with people if you’re going for a role in customer service!  By identifying a weakness, you can turn it into a positive by recognising it as a reason for being attracted to the role.  Turn it into an opportunity, and explain how the position would be a great chance  to develop this weakness, evidencing a willingness to learn and develop whilst also highlighting an area for improvement – nobody’s perfect!

What do you believe you could bring to the company?

Try and distinguish yourself from other candidates – what makes you more compatible for the role than others?  You don’t need to tell your life story but having thoroughly researched the company you should have a good knowledge of their values and future plans, giving you some key points to include when describing what you can bring to the company.  You can then use this information to describe how you can fit in, bring further strength to the company and relish the opportunity.

Can you think of a time you failed to complete a task?  Explain how you recovered?

Try to think of a specific time that you failed to complete a task but make sure you are clear on how you learned from the experience and how it has improved your ability to deliver.  Be sure to outline the repercussions, what this enabled you to learn and how you would act differently if the same situation were to arise again.

Interviews can be unpredictable and every interview is different, however, there will still be the same questions that keep cropping up time and time again.  Be prepared and have a few questions that you would like to ask to show your interest and enthusiasm, that will give you more information about the job and a better idea about the culture of the company.

 

 

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