Interviews & Tips

1. Frequently asked interview questions
2. Interview Tips
3. Competency Based Interview Questions

Frequently asked interview questions

Tell me about yourself.
What do you see as the next step in your career?
Where do you see yourself in five years time?
What do you believe your strengths to be?
What do you regard as your greatest weakness?
What is your greatest achievement to date?
What one thing would you change about your present job/circumstances?
What has been the biggest disappointment in your career to date?
Which is the most important to you: money, status or recognition?
How do you typically behave in times of crisis? Example?
Describe your management style.
Do you prefer to work on your own or with others?
What was the the last thing/person that made you very annoyed?
Why have you applied for this particular position?
Why do you think you are the right person for this job?
What skills do you have to offer?
What do you know about the company?
How do you react to criticism?
Why do you wish to leave your current position?
Describe your first week in the job if you were successful?

Interview Tips

Know
- your own skills, abilities, achievements.
- your CV
- what you have to offer
Know
- the company
- it’s market
If you’re transferring/ changing industry, draw comparisons from your whole career
Show interest in the company and the position
- Demonstrate Ability
- Let them know that you want the job and that you can do it
Be Positive
- Dress anything negative in a positive way
Show the interviewers that you are a person they will want to work with
- Be Energetic + Smile
Relax the worst thing that can happen is you don’t get the job
Interview them
Look your best
- NO dirty shoes, laddered tights, long/chipped nails
- these will distract you and them from the interview itself
Don’t be late
- Know your venue
Don’t waffle or fabricate
Maintain good eye contact

Competency Based Interview Questions

In answering these types of questions, answers should be phrased as follows;

1. In the First Person
2. In the Past tense
3. & With Specific examples

Core Competency Model

Decision Making Ability

Makes decisions quickly and follows through on the chosen course of action. Takes responsibility for their own decisions.

Flexibility

Adapts to the characteristics of the current environment. Takes on additional tasks to those recruited for. Open minded and open to change.

Interpersonal Skills

Can be clearly understood, particularly by a technical audience. Alters their style of presentation according to the level of the audience.

Self Confidence

Confidence with their own abilities.

Team Player

Can work with people of a similar level, sharing common goals. Perceives what the common goals are and works as part of the team.

Integrity

Genuinely interested in their work and will give 100%. A trustworthy member of the organisation with no hidden ulterior motives to their actions.

Supervisory Ability

Able to motivate, co-ordinate and hold the respect of the group.

Organisation/Planning

Plans their schedule and meets the deadlines imposed. Logically works through activities, choosing the best approach to meet the necessary deadlines. Can deliver the goods.

Self Reliance

Has a level of independence from others and is able to use their own initiative to achieve the results. Not overly accommodating of others and does not need to depend on others to get decisions made.

Assertiveness

Holds onto their own ideas and makes those ideas heard within the group. Does not compromise purely on the basis of what others say.

Ambition

Has a defined career path which they are motivated to achieve. Is committed to the projects they are involved with and will see them through. Has a high degree of loyalty.

Forthrightness

Is up front and open with others whilst retaining a high level of political aptitude.

Energy

Enthusiastic, high stamina levels and a degree of willingness.

Maturity

Gains the respect of others and has a personal presence. Relates to others regardless of age and experience.

Personal Outlook on Life

Positive, optimistic outlook on life whilst retaining a serious focus.

Attention to Detail

Precise in their work, can clarify information and recall facts when necessary. Able to work on the finer points of a complex problem. Understands the importance of administrative detail.

DECISION MAKING ABILITY

Can you describe a situation where you had to make a quick-decision?
How did you feel about the speed at which you had to make that decision?
What did you do to follow through the decision you had made?
Describe to me a time when you weighed up all the likely risks or knock-on effects before making a decision.
Tell me how you arrived at your final decision?
Tell me about an instance when you have had to defend a decision you have made.
How did you set about defending that decision?
With hindsight, would you have approached that situation differently?
Can you describe a situation when you had to take an unpopular decision?
How did you persuade others to work with you?
Why did you feel that this unpopular decision was the best course of action?
What factors did you take into account in making your decision?

FLEXIBILITY

Tell me about a situation which has involved a significant change in the way that you work.
How did you feel about the change(s)?
What did you do to adapt to the new ways of working?
When carrying out a task do you tend to go by the book or look at new ways of doing the same thing?
Can you give me a concrete example of when you have done this?
Describe a situation when you have preferred to stick to the rules.
What additional responsibilities have you taken on which have not been directly related to your day to day activities?
Why did you take on those additional responsibilities?
What do you think that you gained from them which you could not have otherwise gained from your job?

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

How have you approached presentations to non technical or non industry related audiences'?
How was the presentation received?
What you have done differently if you did the presentation again?
How does this approach differ to presentations you have made for technical audiences?
What type of audience do you feel most comfortable giving presentations to? Why?
What aids have you used to assist you in explaining complex information?

SELF CONFIDENCE

Describe to me a situation where you have felt unsure in how to approach a solution.
How did you go about reaching a solution? What did you learn from that situation?
Tell me about a situation where placing confidence in your own opinion was fully justified.
What was it about that situation that made you so sure of yourself?.

TEAM PLAYER

Describe a project where you had to work on something in close collaborations with others over a period of time
What were the main problems you encountered?
How did you overcome these problems?
At the start of a project, describe how you have worked with other team members to set the team's objectives?
How did you set out to meet those objectives?
How did you take into account individual objectives as well?
Describe a project on which you have had to work on your own.
Did you feel it was easier to work alone or as part of a team? Why?
What difficulties did you face working alone?
How did you overcome these difficulties?

INTEGRITY

Tell me about a situation where you have shown loyalty when it might have been easier not to e.g. making an unpopular decision, defending someone else's unpopular decision etc..
Why did you take that particular stance?
Describe to me a project or job where you gave 110%.
Why did you input so much into this?
What did you personally gain from such an input?
Give me an example of when you have not given a full 100% to a project or task.
Why did you not put everything into this particular task?
What would have motivated you to give a little more?

SUPERVISORY ABILITY

Describe a time when you have led a team.
What approach did you take?
How did you gain the respect and trust of the team members?
How did you keep the group motivated?
Would you have done anything differently? Why?
Describe how you have had to persuade or influence your co-workers to accept your ideas or plans.
What were the main obstacles you had to overcome?
What were the responses of your co-workers to your ideas or plans?
How did you handle their responses?
What did you learn from this situation?

ORGANISATION / PLANNING

Tell me about a major project or task you were involved with from start to finish.
Describe in detail the approach you took to organising and carrying out the project or task through to completion?
How did you keep yourself motivated?
Can you describe a situation where you have had to change your plans at short notice?
What approach did you take?
What impact did this change have on your ability to meet any deadlines associated with the work?
Can you tell me about a time when you had a number of tasks going on at once?
How did you prioritise those tasks?
How did you organise your timetable to accommodate those tasks?

SELF RELIANCE

Can you tell me about a piece of work, task or an event where you had to use vour own initiative to move the process along?
How much of a risk were you taking in implementing this initiative?
How successful was this initiative?
What modifications did you have to make to your initiative along the way to achieve the expected outcome?
How important do you feel your initiative was to the success of the work, task or event?
Tell me about a situation where you were dependent on someone to make a decision to be able to proceed.
What did you do while you were waiting for that decision to be made?
What impact did that person's decision have on the success of the project?

ASSERTIVENESS

Tell me about a time when you have listened to someone else's perspective on something and taken on board what they have said.
Describe what happened
To what extent did you change your perspective?
Can you describe to me when you have had to compromise your idea, decision or views?
Why did you compromise?
What influenced that compromise?
How do you feel about the compromise you made now?
Describe a situation where you tried to put forward your views but no-one seemed to be listening.
How did you get people to listen?
To what extent were your views accepted?

AMBITION

What career path did you set out for yourself as a newly qualified graduate?
How far have you got down that path?
What modifications have you made to that path with experience and knowledge?
Tell me about a project you gave up on?
Why did you not see it through to the end?
How did you feel at the point at which you gave up?
How do you feel when a project is successfully completed?
Which part of a project do you enjoy the most, the start, middle or the end?
Why? Give me some examples from past projects.

FORTHRIGHTNESS

Can you tell me about a situation where being upfront (less tactful than usual) helped you to achieve a goal?
Why did this approach work in this situation?
Describe a situation where you were caught up in a political situation.
What was your approach - put your cards on the table or play the politics?
Why did you take this approach?

ENERGY

Can you describe a time when you had a very boring job or task to do?
How did you cope?
What did you do to maintain enthusiasm for the task?
Tell me about a recent occasion when you have worked long hours on a project.
How did you feel about doing this?
What was the outcome, both for the project and for you?

MATURITY

Tell me about the most senior and the most junior people you have worked with.
What was the nature of your relationship e.g. boss, supervisor, project co¬worker etc?
What did you do to gain the respect of these two individuals?
How have you approached building relationships with your work colleagues'?

PERSONAL OUTLOOK ON LIFE

How do you deal with life's setbacks?
Can you give me an example of a recent setback and how you dealt with it?
What do you look for in problems - obstacles or hurdles?
Can you give me an example to back up your answer.
How have you been described in the past -. as a more sober or happy-go-lucky type of person?
Who described you in that way? For what reason?

ATTENTION TO DETAIL

How do you find detailed work?
How enjoyable is it'?
In the past which has been your role in a project team, to sort out the fine print or pull together all the strands of activity?
What makes you good at this role (either fine print / pulling strands together)?
How would you deal with working in the other role? Can you give me an example of when you have taken on this other role?
How do you deal with routine administrative tasks?
Can you give me an example of when you have justifiably missed an administrative deadline to achieve your top priority e.g. your current project?

To top