It is sad that a lot of qualified candidates get rejected because they fail to answer some of the general-purpose questions during a job interview.
Listed below are seven questions that a lot of candidates find confusing and hard to answer and their suggested answers to them.
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1. Tell me about yourself
Give a brief summary of your professional life. Talk about the personal aspects that make you a wonderful employee: ambitious, professional, team player, etc. Don't tell boning details that are irrelevant to the job or too personal.
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2. Why do you want to work here?
This question is about you and your own interest, so address it in that context.
Suggested Answer: "If I told that it has been my childhood dream to work here, I would lying, however; I think XCOMPANY provides the professional growth I look for in any potential employer and I believe that my skills will be needed in the foreseen future, which ensures stability."
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3. What is your biggest weakness?
Make weaknesses out of highly desirable qualities. "I’m a perfectionist that finds hard to compromise on quality. I’m too strict. I’m a workaholic, I must learn how to balance work and life."
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4. What is your biggest achievement in your professional life?
Provide at least one even if you don't think it is major. Talk about a problem that you solved and how it helped the organization grow. Employers appreciate benefits that can be measured in numbers.
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5. Why should I hire you?
I would personally answer this way: "I would be lying if I told you that I'm better than anyone else you interviewed for this job, I can't make that claim but I can tell you this: you will not find anyone that is more excited, more eager, and more passionate about this opportunity more than I am, and that is a fact."
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6. Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Don't say that you have no idea or that you are not sure. You need to have a clear career development path in your mind and you need to explain that to the interviewer. Say how would like to climb the ladder step by step and evolve within the company. Talk about how you see yourself as an integral part of the company.
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7. If you win the lottery, would you still work?
Don't say no. Say that work is an essential part of a human being's life and everybody needs to work but tell the interviewer that your scope of work might change and you will not be doing the same things you are doing today.
