\u201cWhat are your strengths?\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
What they really want to know: what your strengths are, but also your confidence level and self awareness.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t say: \u201cI\u2019m an expert at such and so\u201d<\/p>\n
Do say: \u201cI have a real passion for such and so, and that\u2019s always been behind my interest in it\u201d<\/p>\n
Ace it: Don\u2019t brag, and don\u2019t be too humble. Honestly list those qualities that are relevant for the job.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere do you see yourself in 5 years?\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
What they really want to know: whether you\u2019re going to stick around long enough, and whether you\u2019re ambitious.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t say: \u201cWell, hm, I\u2019m not really sure, who knows what life has in store for me\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Do say: \u201cMy long term goal is to eventually be the manager of my own branch… and I\u2019m doing a programming course next month to expand my skills\u201d<\/p>\n
Ace it: Have a plan and show that you take your future seriously. Employers like people who know what they want and have a plan to get it.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy do you want to work here?\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
What they really want to know: how bad you want the job, as well as your ambition and motivation levels.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t say: \u201cI need the money! And the office is on the bus route\u201d<\/p>\n
Do say: \u201cYour company\u2019s mission aligns well with my values and I\u2019m always excited to read about your company\u2019s policies, especially\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Ace it: Be genuinely interested in the company and do your research about them beforehand. What makes your company stand out from the others?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cHow would you describe yourself in one word?\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
What they really want to know: what your priorities are, how you cope with being put on the spot and how you see yourself.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t say: \u201cUm\u2026 just one word? Um, I don\u2019t know. Hm. That\u2019s tricky. Let me think. Um. \u2018Nice\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n
Do say: \u201cWell, I would have to go with \u2018enthusiastic\u2019 because I think if there\u2019s one thing you need to know about me, it\u2019s that I have a lot of energy for the things I care about.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ace it: Relax with this question and don\u2019t get flustered. When in doubt, err on the side of more conservative words like \u201cfocused\u201d or \u201cauthentic\u201d, and think of the best aspects of your professional identity, not your personal one.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you think of your last employer?\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
What they really want to know: whether you\u2019re professional or have a \u201cdifficult\u201d personality. This question weeds out office gossips and people who stir up drama in the workplace.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t say \u201cMy last boss was terrible, and my coworkers were no better. This one time\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Do say: \u201cMy previous employer\u2019s working style was a little different from mine. We managed to see past our differences but I\u2019m currently looking for an employer who can really challenge me\u201d<\/p>\n
Ace it: Never speak badly of another professional in an interview, no matter how tempting it may be. If you got on well with them, say exactly why and try to bring it back to the job you\u2019re applying for.<\/p>\n
Interviewers aren\u2019t trying to trip you up (usually!) so try to relax and focus your energy on giving smart answers. It helps to try put yourself in your interviewer\u2019s shoes: what would the ideal employee say?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
5 More Tricky Interview Questions and How to Ace Them Following from The 3 Worst Interview Questions and How to Answer Them, lets look at a few more sneaky questions an interviewer might throw your way:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34133,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[19],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joblife.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34132"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joblife.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joblife.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joblife.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joblife.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34132"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.joblife.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":171946,"href":"https:\/\/www.joblife.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34132\/revisions\/171946"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joblife.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joblife.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joblife.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joblife.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}