How to Answer Common Interview Questions

There are countless of common job interview questions presented in variety of forms. They can range from standard interview questions asking the applicant about his or her background to how his or her experience and personality would fit with the company values and long term goals. Some questions are easier to answer than others nevertheless preparation is the key to come with confidence to set yourself apart. We have put together few of the many common job interview questions candidates often get asked. See below whether your answers are compatible to what recruiter is looking for.

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What are your long term career objectives?

When recruiter asks you this question it may be the case that he wants to know that you are thinking long-term and that your long-term career goals and aspirations are compatible with that of an organisation. Make sure to state that your long term career goals are related to the job you are interviewing for. Formulate your answer to leave the impression that working for the company has always been your long range career aim. Be confident in your reply but don’t overdo it.

 

What would you say is the best working environment?

You may want to say that the best working environment is the environment where people work as a team towards clearly defined goals e.g. KPI’s of the department or organization, where everyone is valued member of the team and where employees are treated as fairly as possible. An ideal work environment would be one where employees feel recognized and are appropriately rewarded for the contribution they make.

 

How did you resolve conflict?

When you are being asked this question hiring manager wants to know whether you have the capability to resolve issues that might arise from work related clashes between you and your colleagues. Don't state that you never had conflict as we are human beings and it is normal that from time to time there is some kind of disagreement among ourselves. However demonstrate that you have resolved conflict in non-confrontational manner. For example, emphasise in your answer that you have discussed problem first in thoughtful and private manner. Show that you constructed your discussion around aims and objectives of the team or department that you work in. Demonstrate that you proposed solutions which would eliminate issue and benefit team or department in reaching its goals.

 

Do you work well under pressure? How do you manage stress?

This is another common job interview question that tests your skills to handle large amount of workload with tough deadlines. Recruiter wants to know that you have the capability to meet deadlines and prioritise tasks to get necessary work done. Don't tell the person who interviews you that you haven't been under pressure as everyone at one time or another experiences certain degree of stress. In your interview all you need to prove here is that you can handle stress well and that it does not have impact on your job performance. For example to tackle the stress you may say that you use organisational, planning and time management skills to plan the work ahead of time and thus you avoid having to deal with everything at once. Show that you mange stress by tackling difficult tasks early on in the project.

There are countless of common job interview questions presented in variety of forms. They can range from specific questions asking the applicant about his or her previous position to how his or her experience and personality would fit with the company values and long term goals. Some questions are easier to answer than others nevertheless preparation is the key to come with confidence to set yourself apart. We have put together few of the many common job interview questions candidates often get asked. See below whether your answers are compatible to what recruiter would be looking for.
What are your long term career objectives?
When recruiter asks you this question it may be the case that he wants to know that you are thinking long-term and that your long-term career goals and aspirations are compatible with that of an organisation. Make sure to state that your long term career goals are related to the job you are interviewing for. Formulate your answer to leave the impression that working for the company has always been your long range career aim. Be confident in your reply but don’t overdo it.
What would you say is the best working environment?
You may want to say that the best working environment is the environment where people work as a team towards clearly defined goals e.g. KPI’s of the department or organization, where everyone is valued member of the team and where employees are treated as fairly as possible. An ideal work environment would be one where employees feel recognized and are appropriately rewarded for the contribution they make.
How did you resolve conflict?
When you are being asked this question hiring manager wants to know whether you have the capability to resolve issues that might arise from work related clashes between you and your colleagues. Don't state that you never had conflict as we are human beings and it is normal that from time to time there is some kind of disagreement among ourselves. However demonstrate that you have resolved conflict in non-confrontational manner. For example, emphasise in your answer that you have discussed problem first in thoughtful and private manner. Show that you constructed your discussion around aims and objectives of the team or department that you work in. Demonstrate that you proposed solutions which would eliminate issue and benefit team or department in reaching its goals.
Do you work well under pressure? How do you manage stress?
This is another common job interview question that tests your skills to handle large amount of workload with tough deadlines. Recruiter wants to know that you have the capability to meet deadlines and prioritise tasks to get necessary work done. Don't tell the person who interviews you that you haven't been under pressure as everyone at one time or another experiences certain degree of stress. In your interview all you need to prove here is that you can handle stress well and that it does not have impact on your job performance. For example to tackle the stress you may say that you use organisational, planning and time management skills to plan the work ahead of time and thus you avoid having to deal with everything at once. Show that you mange stress by tackling difficult tasks early on in the project.