One of Australia's job search websites has released the five questions most likely to be asked in a job interview – and the best way to answer each questionJob searching website, Seek, has revealed the top 5 questions employers will ask during an interview, based on over 3,000 interviews across different fields and was analysed by two leading recruiters: Steve Shepard, CEO of TwoPointZero and Suzie McInerney, CEO of Six Degrees Executive.
Here are the 5 questions, in the words of Seek:
- Based on your understanding of this role, which of your skills do you believe will be most valuable to our organisation?
This question helps the employer understand whether the candidate has done their research into what the job requires of them on an everyday basis, and whether they can marry their skill set up with it.
If you can explain how your ability to self-manage will help in this working environment, for example, you’re on the right track.
Try to figure out what the company’s main goals are and then align your skills with what will be most valued by the team.
- At times you will be asked to do many things at once. How do you prioritise your tasks?
Employers are looking to find out how you prioritise certain tasks and what sort of language you’ll use to communicate effectively.
If you admit to getting a little frazzled when multiple tasks are happening at once this won’t bode well with your potential employer.
Instead remember a time from your previous job where you multitasked effectively and explain what the outcome was.
A company is going to expect that mistakes will be made at one time or another and they want to understand what sort of trouble you might have caused in the past
- Give me an example of a time when you made a mistake or didn’t deliver on expectations, what happened? What did you learn?
A company is going to expect that mistakes will be made at one time or another and they want to understand what sort of trouble you might have caused in the past.
But don’t let this worry you, so long as you can provide them with a reasonable solution they’ll be impressed by your honesty.
If you can explain what you would have done differently to prevent the mistake that will win you extra points.
- What is the one professional and/or technical skill you would most like to develop?
No one wants to hear that you’re happy to just travel at the same pace as you have been at other jobs. They want to know that you’re motivated to be better than you ever were.
‘An answer that shows a desire to improve behaviour and continuously learn and grow is important,’ Mr Shepard said.
‘Always offer a reason for why you want to develop a particular skill. For example, you might say you’re interested in developing your Photoshop skills in order to enhance your marketing ability.’
No one wants to hear that you’re happy to just travel at the same pace as you have been at other jobs
- You disagree with the way your manager and supervisor says to handle a problem. What would you do?
Employers will want to know how you handle arguments with other people in the workplace.
‘This type of behavioural question is best answered using an example. E.g. this was a time when I didn’t agree with my boss. This is how I handled it, this was the outcome and this is what I learned,’ Mr Shepard said.
It’s best to emphasise that the conflict was resolved in each one of the examples you share though.
