Undergraduate Blog / Career Development

Top 8 Interview Questions

This blog was written by Peer Career Ambassador, Rumeer Keshwani.

Do not get caught in an interview without knowing the answers to these Top 8 interview questions!

TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF

A classic question that should not be surprising. Interviewers ask this question because they are looking to see that your attitude is consistent with their company culture. Do not just say you are good at something, but also back it up with specific evidence. e.g. “I am always striving to learn more. For example, I recently enrolled in an Open University course in communications”.

WHY SHOULD WE HIRE YOU?

Interviewers are not just looking at why your experience would make you valuable in this role, but that your personality and attitude is already consistent with the company culture. Again, never make claims about your skills or personality that you cannot back up with specific examples.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST STRENGTH?

The biggest mistake you can make here is hesitating before you answer. The whole purpose of an interview is to sell yourself to the employer. If you are not sure where your strengths are, you look unprepared. When choosing a strength, always back it up with specific examples of how that has helped your previous employers.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST WEAKNESS?

You may be tempted to say something like “I’m a perfectionist'”. Do not. It is to cliché. Instead, be honest about yourself. However, always talk about the steps that you have taken to address this issue. Employers do not want someone who is obviously lying to their faces, but someone who is realistic about their own abilities and skills and someone who cares enough about themselves to address the issue head-on.

WHY DID YOU LEAVE YOUR LAST JOB?

You need to be careful with this one. Answering something like “I didn’t get on with coworkers” will make your new employer think you may not get on with the existing staff. Be honest, and if there were issues with your co-workers or managers then make sure you explain the ways you tried to overcome the issues before deciding to leave.

WHY DO YOU WANT TO WORK FOR US?

Everyone in the room knows that the reason you are there is probably to earn money. Do not say this though. Instead, research the culture of the company, their recent financial accounts. If it is a company that is growing fast and has a work-hard/play-hard culture then say these things. It shows that you have researched the company and that you have a reason for wanting to work at that specific place.

DESCRIBE HOW YOU HAVE OVERCOME A DIFFICULT WORK SITUATION

This is the question that people seem to be least prepared for, so always make sure you prepare an answer for yourself. Make sure it is relevant to the role you are applying to.

DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME?

Before any interview, think of at least 10 different questions to ask. Most of them will be answered within the course of the interview, so you want to make sure you have some questions at the end. Do not ask things that you could find out with a Google search or by looking at their website. Try to think about more insightful