It is always important to be prepared for an interview and go in with confidence. You may not know what to expect necessarily but you can prepare yourself by reflecting on potential questions which they may ask you. Potential employers are interested in getting to know you as a person and potential employee but evaluating your skills, experience, talents, dynamism and interest for the position. Additionally, they would like to see whether you would fit in with the team, environment and them. Importance must be had for the thoughtful processing of what you would say. Remember to intertwine your past experiences, volunteer and work within your answers and demonstrate how they would make a substantial contribution to their work. Do not hesitate to ask for a minute to think through what you will say if you feel you do not know what to say at the moment or feel stuck on a question. Just remember not to lose your poise and control of your jittery emotions.
Always make sure you have good poise, sit up straight and look alert. You can use gestures just do not go overboard by speaking with your hands the entire time. Do not forget to iron your clean clothes. Avoid wearing non-neutral colors, stick to white shirt, grey or black suits and have your hair well kept and brush your teeth before. For the ladies, please go minimal on the makeup, just a simple lip balm (non-shiny, non-glossy, no color), and light mascara will do. Slick your hair back in a bun or neat ponytail.
Please tell us about yourself. This is your opportunity to shine your gifts, talents and achievements you are most proud of. You can also discuss improvements you have made and express your great interest for the job. This is not a time to get personal about your private life or such. Keep your answer to a few minutes and have in mind beforehand what you would like to say. Do not feel ackward to ask if they have any further questions on this or would like you to elaborate on your answer.
Tell us about the work we do here. Study their website, material and information you can get your hands on. Know their workplace inside out, be up to date on their upcoming programs, media snippets and even know a few names and what they are in charge of. Express your interest in a couple areas you mentioned and why you are drawn to them. Be familiar with the strengths and challenges as well as market trends, as applicable.
What are your strengths? This is not a chance for you to lift your chest and brag. A tinge of humility goes a long way. Respond with skills you know would complement what they are looking for and what they already do and mention how it could be an asset. Mention that you are certain their work will be rewarding, challenging and a growing learning experience and that you feel it would be a privilege to work with them and expand upon your strengths.
What are your weaknesses? Carefully choose a weakness. Choose a weakness which can be addressed, such as presentation. Do not say that you struggle with work life balance as it may come off that you may not be able to deal with the demands of the potential job. You could mention that you can be overly attentive to detail or self-critical.
What are you looking for? Elaborate upon why you are attracted to this work. Extract your past experience, skills and the requirements they are seeking. You could mention their strengths, their reputation, value and challenge they would give you. Never say you are just in it for the money.
Why did you leave your last job? Remember to stay optimistic and not be taken back by this question or look surprised. Think of a circumstance which is not personal or individualised and never ever criticise your employer it is exceedingly distasteful and immature.
For university students entering the workforce, you may be asked which classes you least enjoyed. Do not say that you did not enjoy any particular class directly. You could mention that you enjoyed human rights to contracts because it drew upon topics which you are passionate about, for instance inequality and access to the law. Nonetheless, lift up the course that you did not like and still complement. For example, you could say that you gained an appreciation for contracts class because you realized how there is inequality of bargaining power between employers and employees in a contract and how your interest can be found in different areas in more subtle ways and you knowledge can be translatable into diverse domains. Never directly negatively comment on a course, teacher or seminar.
Describe for me a difficult situation at work and how you dealt with it. Your potential employer would like to see how you respond under pressure, stress and disagreement with others. Pick examples which demonstrate your problem-solving, peace-making and communication skills.
Tell me about an initiative or project you started. This must be a concrete example which is connected to the potential job. Show how you can take on leadership and work autonomously as well as in a team. Demonstrate your innovation and flexibility at the same time.
What are your career goals? The reason why they are asking for your motives for joining and objective is to test how long you will be staying and how committed you will be to their work.
If you are applying for a lower-paying job when you have qualifications for a higher paying job (for instance going into public interest rather than corporate or business sectors), will the lower salary bother you? Confidently state your reasons for being OK with a lower salary. You could say that you were always gearing towards this career or job and that you were aware with what that entails and you do not plan on changing your mind. Demonstrate your steadfast dedication to your field.
What are your salary expectations? Do not discuss salaries at the interview. If obliged, simply give a realistic salary, so do a bit of research on that beforehand.
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