Whether you are a recent university graduate or still looking for your first job, or you already have experience and are looking for a work experience in a different place, you will have to pass the personal interview in any case. In the beginning, you should know very well that the personal interview is not a test on which your career depends, but is simply just a dialogue between you and the company in which you seek to work to know more about you and assess your capabilities and skills. Even if you don’t succeed, being interviewed in itself gives you experience, especially if you are a recent graduate. It is a valuable opportunity to develop your social skills and gain more confidence, as well as improve your ability to make a positive first impression.
Good planning leads to better results, and being prepared for the interview will greatly reduce the stress you may be experiencing during the interview.
One of the most important steps that can make your job easier is to practice answering questions you are likely to be asked during the interview.
There are dozens of questions that can be asked, including general questions and others related to specific details in your field of study or work. The interviewer may also want to ask you other off-the-job questions to gauge your reaction speed, your level of intelligence, or your culture. Therefore, In this article we will focus on the most important question and their best answer.
1- Talk about yourself
One of the first questions you might receive is this. Be prepared to introduce yourself and explain why you are the best fit for the job. The interviewer is interested in knowing why you are a great match for the position.
Tip: When asked about yourself, Try to avoid disclosing excessive amounts of personal information. You can begin by talking about some of your non-work-related personal experiences and interests, such a favorite hobby or a quick description of your upbringing, education, etc.
2- Why are you the ideal candidate for the position?
Are you the ideal applicant for the position? The recruiting manager is interested in knowing if you meet all the requirements. Prepare a statement outlining why you are the applicant who should be hired.
Tip: Create a strong, succinct sales pitch in your response, outlining your qualifications and the reasons the employer should hire you. Review the requirements and credentials listed in the job description in order to create a response that fits the interviewer’s expectations.
3- What similar experiences do you have that are related to this position?
This question is used by hiring managers to determine how well your prior work experience and educational background match the position. Make a note of your most pertinent skills and compare them to the qualifications outlined in the job description as you are ready to respond.
Tip: It’s crucial to describe how, if employed, your experience will benefit the company. To prepare examples to give the interviewer, use the STAR interview process. You don’t have to memorize your responses, but you should be prepared to discuss your accomplishments in previous positions.
4- How Do You Deal With Pressure and Stress?
What do you do when things at work don’t go according to plan? How do you handle challenging circumstances? Your employer is interested in knowing how you manage stress at work.
Do you perform well under pressure? Do you thrive under pressure, or would you rather have a job with less stress? When anything goes wrong, what do you do?
Tip: The easiest method to answer this question is to give an example of a time when you managed stress well in a previous job.
Do not assert that you encounter stress frequently or never. Instead, frame your response so that it acknowledges professional stress and details how you have handled it.
5- What Are Your Goals in the Future?
Do you constantly move between jobs or do you intend to remain with the business for a while at least? What direction do you see your career taking? Do your future goals align with the career path for someone in this position?
This inquiry is meant to ascertain whether you want to remain or go as soon as a better opportunity arises.
Tip: Reiterate to the interviewer that the role is in line with your long-term ambitions while keeping your response relevant to the position and the organization.
What does STAR stand for?
The Situation, Task, Action, and Result (STAR) approach is an interview technique that provides you with a simple structure you can use to tell a story.
Situation: Describe the situation and include all the pertinent details for your example.
Task: Describe the duties you had in the circumstance.
Action: Clearly outline the measures you took to address it.
Share the results that your activities produced.
By using these four elements to form your anecdote, it will be much simpler to share a focused response and give the interviewer “a digestible but compelling narrative of what a candidate did, “so that they can follow along and gauge how well that candidate might fit with the job based on the response.
In brief, When it comes to the interview process, research and preparation for the interview can determine your chances of getting to the next step of the hiring process. One of the best ways to prepare for a job interview is to practice your answers to the most common interview questions.
Employers need to know why you want the position, why you are the ideal candidate for it, and how well your personality fits the culture of the company. The main determinant of their choice will be how you respond to the interview questions.
Therefore, the most crucial factor is not only what you say, but also how you respond. So, You will perform at your best on the day of the interview if you have already practiced some of the questions you expect to be asked.