Top 10 Job Interview Questions & Answers (for 1st & 2nd Interviews)

hey everybody Don Georgevich here with job interview tools and today I want to give you my top 10 list of job interview questions and how you can answer them correctly so let's get started first one is tell me about yourself now this is probably one of the oldest interview questions ever but I guarantee it's going to come up at every interview you go on for the rest of your career plus it's not just for job interviews either I've been asked this question in sales meetings luncheons even while shopping for a new car now obviously the way you answer it depends on the context in which it is asked but obviously I'm going to cover it from a job interview point of view and don't just think you know how to answer this because your answer could negatively affect whether you get the job or not and you want to take your time and practice what you'll say when answering this top 10 question even seasoned professionals who've been interviewing for jobs for twenty years or more still fumble their answer to this question and that's what I want you to be prepared for so here are some of the things that you want to do or say when you're answering this question keep your answer brief and related to your career and the position keep your answer on topic and related to your career while talking about your journey tell your interviewer how you got started in your profession perhaps where you went to school or what got you interested in your profession in the first place and then gloss over a few jobs and tell them what you liked about your profession and where you see yourself heading tell them a few things that you learned along the way and how those things have strengthened you now before your interview and even during the interview find out what they're looking for in the ideal candidate for this position this could be experienced leadership strengths management qualities technical abilities you want to find out what is important to them and weave those things into the fabric of your answer that way you sound like the exact person they're looking for now don't do these things don't give your life story because this is of no interest to them doing so will derail your interview faster than you can say next now if you're changing careers and you have some older or unrelated experience don't bring this up because it's pointless unless you're tying in transferable experience now don't end your answer with a question back to the unit interviewer some people think that this makes them look smarter when they ask a follow-up question after delivering their answer but for the most part I think is a poor strategy unless a follow-up question just naturally presents itself but don't force what my advice to you is to practice your answer to this question in front of a video camera without a script cover the three main points talk about the journey and how you got started talk about what you learned along the way talk about what you're looking for and where you see your career heading and then get your answer down to 30 to 45 seconds at the most and then keep watching your video and polishing your answer until you can deliver it flawlessly and when I say flawlessly I don't mean from memory but deliver it naturally and it should sound significantly different each time you say it click here to download my sample answers for tell me about yourself next question is why should we hire you this question is your best opportunity to prove you're the best man or woman for the job the key is to discover what they're looking for and why you're the best person for the job since you'll be competing against many other seeds and professionals you need to articulate why you're the best person for the job let them know that you know what you did in your last job and how that's related to what you can do for them in this job you want to connect the dots for them and show them why you're the right person for this job you'll want to do some extensive research to know what the company is looking for and the best place to get this from is the job descript because employers leave all kinds of clues in there prove that you can help the company solve their problems is the best way to answer this question so here are some things that you need to do when you're answering the question why should I hire you first prove that you're a solution of their problems prove that you understand their problems talk about your understanding of their business the competitors and problems in that industry tell them how you've been successful before let them know that in your last job you were faced with similar problems and you solve them by doing blank and then explain how you can do blank for them in this job and when you connect the dots and demonstrate that you're showing an understanding of their business and their problems and then they will see you as a potential solution to their problems now don't do this don't give a vague answer don't tell them because I'm the best don't tell them because you're hiring don't answer their question with a question now my advice for you when answering this question this is a great opportunity for you to sell yourself and show them why you're the best person for the job get your resume out and put it next to the job description and draw lines from job description duties and the requirements to your resume and then talk about your experience as a solution to their problems and that's why they should hire you click here to download my sample answers for why should we hire you number three what are your greatest strengths now they're asking you in a broad sense so ask yourself what are you best at doing are you a good leader are you a good manager of your time are you a great communicator are you a good planner are you good at convincing others of your ideas whatever you are best at doing give the interviewer the top two or three things you excel at when answering this question do these things first research the Job Description find out what they are looking for and then leverage your strengths to match if leadership is something they are looking for then talk about your experience as a leader and projects that you've led you always want your strengths to be well aligned with the requirements of the position you're applying for talk about your strengths as a solution to their problems now don't do this when answering the question don't rattle off a list of strengths that are out of context with the job don't list personal strengths like you're a good parent don't list strengths that are you're unable to articulate through work experience don't tell them that you're not sure don't tell them that you don't have any and don't be modest with your answer because this is an opportunity for you to sell yourself click here to download my sample answers for what are your greatest strengths and number 4 what is your biggest weakness most people are afraid of this question because it asks you to tell them something that you're not good at doing but if you're like anyone else you have a lot of weaknesses even me so don't sweat it there are two good ways to answer this top 10 question first talk about a weakness and what you have done to overcome it and that way it's not a weakness anymore second talk about a weakness that isn't related to the job perhaps a personal weakness you can talk about a weakness as it's a weakness for you but the interviewer will see it as a strength that's my personal favorite is to turn a weakness into a strength now do this when you're answering the question what is your biggest weakness when talking about your weakness show what you've done to overcome it so it's not weakness anymore number two talk about a weakness that is not related to the job talk about a weakness so that your interviewer sees it as a strength now don't do this when answering this question don't say that you don't have any weaknesses don't tell your interviewer that you're perfect in your work and you have no weaknesses don't tell them a real weakness because chances are it's not really a weakness at all and you're just overly critical on yourself don't worry we all are don't tell them that your weakness is a lack of tolerance for people who ask stupid questions though one day I'm going to say that really that my advice for you if you have absolutely no idea what to say consider saying something like I can get frustrated with people who miss deadlines especially when my work depends on them completing bears click here to download my sample answers for what is your biggest weakness number five why do you want to work here now this is a genuine question and all I want to know is what you like about the company its products or services so what is your driving reason for wanting to work for them have you always had a lifelong goal of working at Google or Goldman Sachs I mean this is your chance to express why you want to be a member of their team and most importantly the contributions that you feel you will make as a loyal employee now this question helps weed out desparate job seekers who are just looking for a job and not a lifelong career so do this when answering this question tell them what you like about their business is it their products reputation services whatever it is express your interest in it this is a great time to compliment them on the products or reputation you will want to dig deep to find out what it is that attracts you to them and express it now don't do this don't tell them you like their location don't tell them that you heard they pay well and have great benefits don't tell them because you heard it's a great place to work don't tell them because your friends work there don't tell them you want to work there to get some experience my advice for you try to connect your reason for wanting to work there with something personal or emotional maybe when you were a kid you saved a little kitten from harm and you felt really good about that and since that moment on you knew you always wanted to help animals and that's why you want to be a vet today click here to download my sample answers for why do you want to work here number six why did you leave your last job now unless you're still working you're going to get asked this question even if you're working they're still going to ask you why do you want to leave but more often than not it's you're not working chances are that you were laid off terminated or you just quit so you just have to let them know the reasoning behind why you're not working it's your most recent job now if you left of your own free will then explain why you left and what your plans were if you were fired because of performance reasons then a simple explanation is all that's needed but make sure that your lack of performance reasons will not affect the requirements for this new job so if you were laid off then just tell them that many of us were laid off due to the economy and slowing sales of our company and products but warm that up a little bit and put it in your own word so it makes sense and it sounds natural so do this when answering this question if you left of your own free will then tell them why you left and reflect positively on your former employer and tell them that it was a hard decision to make but you felt it was the right decision for you at the time now if you're fired then be as brief as possible and explain why if you were laid off due to downsizing or the economy then tell them this as long as they're true now if you were fired tell them what happened and accept responsibility for it now don't do this don't badmouth your past company boss or coworkers don't say that the pay was bad and you wanted more money don't say that the hours were terrible don't say that you could not get along with your past manager don't lie if you were terminated and don't defend yourself or place blame on the employer my advice for you in answering this now remember you're not there to defend why you're fired you're there to talk about what you can do for them so it's very important to keep your answer brief when answering this question if they want to know more they will ask you but don't volunteer too much information because it will make them more cautious about you now more than anything if you were fired accept responsibility for what happened because this shows courage and then explain that they were right and you were wrong but that you learned from this experience and you're a better person because of it click here to download my sample answers for why did you leave your last job number 7 what is your biggest accomplishment though many people believe this is the same as the other top 10 question what is your greatest strength but it's really a completely different question and here's why an accomplishment is a noteworthy high-profile task or project that you worked on or completed basically you accomplished something and it may or may not have played To Your Strengths your strengths might be in managing people but your biggest accomplishment was writing a white paper that was published in Scientific American magazine do you see the difference do this when answering this question about your accomplishments first it's best to talk about a noteworthy accomplishment that is aligned to the requirements for the job you're applying to treat this somewhat like a behavioral question and answer it using the star method set up the situation talk about what you did the action and then talk about the results of what you your project or your team accomplished it's best to use a work related story but if you're out of good stories consider as a last resort a personal story or a personal accomplishment now don't do this when you answer the question don't think that you need a grand accomplishment where you saved your last company from failure don't use a personal accomplishment unless absolutely necessary avoid using a Bushmen that does not cast you as the hero avoid using an accomplishment that is not related to career my advice to you pick something you did in your career that has meaning to you and helped your last or current employer pick something you enjoy doing and then it made you feel good about doing it optimally pick an example that is related to the job or your career or the type of company that you are interviewing with click here to download my sample answers for what is your biggest accomplishment number eight describe a difficult problem you were faced with in your career and what you did to overcome it now this question is sure to come up and though the interviewer asked how you dealt with or solve the problem he really wants to hear how you worked with a team of people to solve a problem this is a problem-solving question that tests your critical thinking skills and is looking for two pieces of information your definition of difficult and how you handle the situation now this is a great question for showing that you were creative and capable problem solver I mean you should have at least one of these stories ready to go so do this when answering the question first prove you were capable of handling any problem that may arise in your new role your story should be one which puts you in a tough position were you analyzed and discussed a problem reached a conclusion and that you came out on top be concise talk about the people you had to work with and what was expected of them and how you tied it all together to reach a goal a success story will be your best selling point in answering this question the story you tell should demonstrate that you have all it is required to excel on this job now don't do this don't say bad things about your past colleagues managers or your company don't tell them a rambling story that jumps from one story to the next don't tell them how you fix the lightbulb or ng the copy machine avoid telling a personal story unless you have nothing else to say my advice for you the best way to answer this question is by using a good team player example maybe you had to work with some very difficult people to accomplish a project or task that no one else wanted to work with but you were able to get everyone working together to complete the project with a tight budget and a deadline and keeping everyone in line and getting the whole project completed on time and under budget you want to set up your answer using the star behavioral method where you talk about the situation the action you took and then the results you achieved click here to download my sample answers for describe a difficult problem you faced and how you dealt with it number 9 where do you see yourself five years from now many job seekers are afraid to answer this top ten question because an answer that is inconsistent with the current position could disqualify them but at the same time who wants to be doing the same thing for the next five years the best and safest way to answer this question is to give an answer that is based on the logical progression of the position that you're interviewing for that way you're showing them that you want to do the current job at hand but as you get better at it you would like to take on more responsibilities and challenges and grow in that position so do this when you answer the question your answer should reflect your commitment to the job get them a real plan for this position and where you see yourself going in it you show them how you'll do it and the resources that you'll need along the way to prove you have solid plans on how to attain your future goal now since they're looking five years in the future allow them to visualize you in this position five years from now show them a natural progression of you in this role be realistic with your 5-year plan now don't do this don't tell them that your plan is to use this position as a stepping stone in your career or they'll feel like that you're using them for your own personal career gains don't give them an impossible five-year plan that is absolutely inconceivable don't tell them you want their job that's far too threatening don't tell them that you want to work here for a while and then move to another company that is your dream job my advice to you when answering this question start with your short-term career goals or goals for the position and then move towards the long-term and explain why that is the direction you want to move it if you don't say why it's harder for them to figure out if you're just sprouting off a meaningless answer or if your heart is really in it click here to download my sample answers for where do you see yourself in five years okay this one is number 10 top 10 questions do you have any questions for us now this question usually hits jobseekers like a ton of bricks and most of them will simply say no and that's the worst response you can give because it signals to the employer that you're not very interested in this position and anyone who's seriously considering making a job commitment to an employer will certainly have many questions if they don't they're not as serious about the job or they're just desperate and willing to take anything you should have a good handful of questions already planned out before your interview you want to ask them questions that will help you qualify them as a place you want to work you may not realize this but you are interviewing them too and you have the right to tell them no thanks just as much as they do so do this when you're answering this question ask meaningful questions that will help you qualify them as an employer for you your question should reflect what you can do for the company ask them questions about the position and their goals for the position as this will be a sound demonstration of your sincere interest highlight some of the things that you discovered about the company after your research ask the hiring manager if they feel you know if you'd be a good fit for this position now don't do any of this never say no don't ask random questions for the sake of asking questions don't ask questions that are unrelated to the position don't ask about benefits unless you're wrapping it up and you are on the topic of discussing salary and benefits my advice for you create a list of questions before the interview that will help you qualify this employer as a place you want to work at ask questions that will help you decide if you want to work there or not as you're going through your interview weave in your questions throughout the conversation and get them answered because you don't want to wait until the end and then ask all your questions at once because you'll likely be out of time my advice for you create a list of questions before they have you that will help you qualify this employer as a place you want to work at ask them questions that will help you decide if you want to work there or not as you're going through the interview weave in your questions throughout the interview ask them questions while they while the interview is going on and get them answered because you don't want to wait until the end to ask all of your questions as you'll likely be out of time as you ask questions throughout the interview your interview will be more like a conversation and you'll be viewed as a stronger and more genuine candidate one who's truly interested in this job and is doing his or her due diligence click here to download my sample answers for do you have any questions for us alright that wraps up the top ten job interview questions and how to answer them if you're looking for more questions and answers I have an entire book called the complete interview answer guide with over 130 different questions and answers in it with my strategy for how to answer each question I hope you enjoyed this video because I had a great time making it for you for more great answers to interview questions tips advice get signed up for my free 7 day online interview training program a job interview 2 viscom / seven days we'll see you next time

Channel: Don Georgevich

Views: 5,275,643

Rating: 4.7508664 out of 5

Keywords: jobs, interview questions, job interview questions and answers, behavioral questions, behavioral interview questions, interview tips, job interview tips, job interview answers, top 10 job interview questions, top ten job interview questions, job interview

Id: Csl2ccBpo4g

Length: 24min 29sec (1469 seconds)

Published: Thu Oct 27 2016