Mock Job Interview Questions and Tips for a Successful Interview
Summary
TLDRThis video script offers insights into common interview questions and the employer's intent behind them. It features a mock interview with an HR professional and a job seeker, discussing questions on appearance, background, strengths, weaknesses, and interest in the company. The script advises job seekers to prepare a concise elevator speech, be honest about weaknesses with a plan to address them, and show enthusiasm for the company. It also suggests preparing thoughtful questions to ask the employer.
Takeaways
- đ First impressions are crucial; candidates should be punctual and professionally groomed.
- đŁïž When asked about oneself, provide a concise 'elevator speech' highlighting background, value to the company, and potential for success.
- đĄ Prepare multiple answers for 'strengths' questions, focusing on education, experience, skills, and personal traits.
- đ Employers inquire about weaknesses to assess self-awareness and plans for improvement.
- đ Show enthusiasm and a genuine interest in the company's mission and opportunities when asked why you want to work there.
- đ Use the question 'Why should we hire you?' as an opportunity to sell your accomplishments and suitability for the role.
- đź Be ready to discuss your future goals and how they align with the company's growth and opportunities.
- đŁ Sharing hobbies can demonstrate you are well-rounded and can contribute positively to the company culture.
- đ Express willingness to pursue additional credentials if it aligns with personal growth and company needs.
- đ€ Prepare open-ended questions for the employer that show you've done your research and are interested in the role and company.
- â° Always be punctual or arrive slightly early, and maintain a professional demeanor throughout the interview.
Q & A
What is the importance of first impressions in an interview?
-First impressions are crucial in an interview as they can set the tone for the rest of the interaction. A professional appearance and punctuality are essential as they reflect the candidate's seriousness and respect for the opportunity.
What should a candidate include in their 'elevator speech' when asked to tell a little about themselves?
-A candidate should include three key points in their 'elevator speech': a brief background about themselves, how they can help the company, and why they will be successful in the role. Personal items should be avoided.
Why do employers ask about a candidate's greatest strengths?
-Employers ask about a candidate's greatest strengths to understand what qualities and skills the candidate brings to the table. It is beneficial for candidates to have multiple strengths prepared, ranging from education and experience to special skills and personal traits.
How should a candidate address their greatest weakness in an interview?
-A candidate should acknowledge their greatest weakness honestly and provide a plan for how they address it. This shows self-awareness and a proactive approach to personal development. Claiming to have no weaknesses or failing to present a plan to address them is not advisable.
What do employers look for when they ask why a candidate is interested in working for their company?
-Employers look for enthusiasm and passion for the specific role and company. They want to see that the candidate has done their research and is genuinely interested in contributing to the company's goals and culture.
Why is the question 'Why should we hire you?' considered an open-ended opportunity?
-The question 'Why should we hire you?' is an open-ended opportunity for the candidate to highlight their achievements, skills, and qualifications comprehensively. It allows the candidate to present themselves as the ideal fit for the position by showcasing their strengths and suitability.
What should a candidate's response be when asked where they see themselves in five years?
-A candidate should express a desire to continue working with the company, contributing to its goals, and growing within the organization. This shows commitment and a long-term interest in the company.
Why do employers inquire about a candidate's hobbies?
-Employers ask about hobbies to understand if the candidate is well-rounded. They believe that individuals with diverse interests can contribute positively to the workplace and bring a balanced perspective.
What is the significance of asking if a candidate would pursue an extra certificate or credential?
-This question assesses the candidate's flexibility, willingness to invest extra time, and interest in personal growth. Employers seek candidates who are open to continuous learning and professional development.
What are appropriate questions for a candidate to ask at the end of an interview?
-Appropriate questions include inquiries about the company's future projections, job responsibilities, and short-term and long-term priorities. Candidates should avoid asking about personal benefits like vacation time in the initial stages.
What general advice is given for preparing for an interview?
-Candidates are advised to prepare thoroughly, anticipate a wide range of questions, maintain professional grooming, and ensure punctuality. Being well-prepared and well-presented can significantly impact the interview's outcome.
Outlines
đ Interview Questions and Responses
The paragraph discusses common interview questions and how to answer them effectively. It features a mock interview with Noel Lee, a college student, and Rich Mercer, an HR professional. The focus is on first impressions, with an emphasis on being clean, neat, and professionally groomed. The mock interview covers questions about personal introduction, strengths, weaknesses, interest in the company, and reasons for hiring the candidate. The analysis highlights the importance of honesty, self-awareness, and a plan to address weaknesses. It also stresses the value of enthusiasm and passion for the job and the company.
đź Future Goals and Personal Interests
This paragraph explores questions about future career goals and personal hobbies during an interview. It examines the candidate's long-term commitment to the company and their flexibility for additional professional development. The employer seeks well-rounded individuals who can contribute positively to the company culture. The paragraph also touches on the importance of candidates preparing for interviews by researching the company and being ready to answer a wide range of questions. It concludes with advice on interview preparation, including being punctual and professionally groomed.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄInterview
đĄFirst Impressions
đĄProfessional Appearance
đĄElevator Speech
đĄStrengths
đĄWeaknesses
đĄInterest in the Company
đĄAdaptability
đĄHobbies
đĄQuestions for the Interviewer
đĄPersonal Growth
Highlights
Importance of first impressions in an interview
Being on time and dressed appropriately for an interview
How to answer 'Tell us a little about yourself'
The structure of an effective elevator speech
Avoid discussing personal life unrelated to the job
How to address personal strengths in an interview
Preparing multiple answers for common questions
Discussing personal weaknesses and improvement plans
The significance of honesty when discussing weaknesses
Why employers ask about job interest
Showing enthusiasm and passion for the job
How to sell yourself when asked 'Why should we hire you?'
The opportunity to showcase accomplishments in an open-ended question
Additional interview questions available online
Discussing future career goals in an interview
Employers' interest in long-term commitment
The value of hobbies in demonstrating a well-rounded candidate
Employers' interest in personal growth and flexibility
How to handle questions about additional credentials or training
The importance of being prepared with personal success stories
Appropriate questions to ask the employer
Avoiding questions that show a lack of preparation or interest
The necessity of doing research before an interview
General advice on interview preparation
Transcripts
well now we'd like to give you some
insight into the types of questions that
you're likely to hear in an interview
and what employers are really trying to
find out about you through their
questions here are five commonly asked
questions and how to answer
them well Noel thank you for coming in
today we certainly appreciate it did you
find us okay yes sir thank you for
having me we brought in Rich Mercer an
HR professional with 25 years of
experience and Noel Lee a college
student looking for her first job at a
teacher first impressions are important
what did you think when she walked in
the office about maybe her professional
appearance was she dressed appropriately
for an interview she was dressed very
appropriate for the for an interview and
she was on time you want to be clean and
neat and professionally groomed here's a
mock interview between them with some
questions you're likely to hear in an
interview plus analysis of what
employers are really trying to find out
about you through their questions well
if you could tell us a little bit about
yourself that would be great okay well
my name is sow Al Lee and I am a senior
at Radford University and I'm um hoping
to become a faculty member for you what
are you as an employer looking to find
out in that question well we want to
find out what makes her special why
should we hire her and the perfect
answer for this is a one minute what we
call elevator speech where there's three
points to an elevator speech it's a
little bit about her background what she
does Point number two is how she can
help the company and point number three
is why she will be successful okay don't
talk about personal items at all because
you may be a terrific mom or dad but the
company isn't going aren't isn't very
interested in hearing about that they're
interested in hearing about how you can
help them solve their problems and
opportunities what are your greatest
strengths I'd say my greatest strengths
would be my flexibility to work in
situations and um areas that
I might um find out of my comfort zone
should you have more than one answer
prepared for that absolutely it would be
great to have six or seven prepared and
they can be anywhere from education to
experience to um special skills personal
traits such as dependability a loyal um
great attendance it can be a wide range
of things what is your greatest weakness
I have a hard time saying no um however
I do um
when things come my way I try to
prioritize with the most important to
the least important while still keeping
in mind um you know what's best what's
going to be best for my kids that I'm
going to be teaching in the classroom
you asked about her weaknesses why do
you ask that question what are you
trying to find out well we're looking
for people to make sure that they're
honest with themselves and us we're all
human we all have uh weaknesses we want
to make sure that they've identified
they know what they are and and they
have a plan in place to address it
that's what we're looking for it's okay
to have weaknesses we're all human what
we don't want people to say is GE I
don't have any weaknesses cuz we know
that's not true or yeah I have a
weakness and then not have a plan in
place to address it that that's not
appropriate why are you interested in
working here I've heard a lot of uh good
things about the company uh about the uh
school that um interests me I think that
you all are being very very Innovative
in your educational um opportunities
that you're given to your students and I
want to be a part of that we're looking
for an individual who has enthusiasm and
passion for want to work here well we
don't want people to just come in and
and looking for a job anywhere we're we
want people that have the interest
because we have opportunities and
problems to solve we want people to come
in with energy a high energy level and a
high passion to come in and help us
address them why should we hire you
I think you should hire me because I am
um very adaptable to situations um that
are given to me I uh am very responsible
I have a great work ethic if you know I
need to be somewhere in an hour give me
a call and I'll be there the next
question was pretty open-ended you asked
her why we should hire you that sounds
to me like an opportunity to sell
herself oh it's a terrific opportunity
it's an opportunity for her to bring to
the table everything about her that's
good about her her ACC complishments her
skills her education anything she wants
it's an open opportunity to say why
she's the one and people should take
full advantage of that now those were
just five commonly asked interview
questions but we actually have five more
questions that you can see online to
watch more of this interview go to bluid
PBS.org and you can see the complete
mock
interview uh let's see where do you see
yourself five years from now um I see
myself uh hopefully still working with
you all we're interested in people
coming in stepping up and fixing our
opportunities we don't want to come in
train someone and have them go off to
another employer some you know in a year
or two we've invested with people we
invested time and training in people and
we want them we want to have them stay
with us for some period of
time what are some of your hobbies I
love being outdoors fishing
four-wheeling anything um I love uh
going to uh community events why does it
an employer care what she does in her
own time well we want people that are
well-rounded we don't want people that
are focused solely on the job we believe
that a well-rounded person can make a
very good contribution to the company
people that are singularly focused we
find don't necessarily make as good a
contribution would you be willing to
pursue an extra certificate or
credential
um I believe so right now I just want to
focus on um getting um a good foundation
um later on depending on funding whether
or not I'd be able to pursue that what
are you trying to find out in that
question well we're two things we're
looking to see how flexible she can be
and also will she put in extra time if
needed we're interested in people with
personal that have personal growth on
their mind but also we have we have
again opportunities and we're looking
for someone that can grow with us and
help help us solve and address these
opportunities what were you hoping we'd
ask today but didn't one of the
questions that I think I would have
liked you to ask is what my greatest
disappointment is because I don't look
at experiences as disappointments I look
at them as growing experiences what's
the key to that question well again this
is another open-ended opportunity to say
why she's terrific and you when you
prepare for an interview we not all the
good things that you people do come up
in the interview so this is an
open-ended opportunity for her to come
up with something that she's prepared
for and has done a very good job and
just for whatever reason hasn't come up
in the interview so it's a wonderful
opportunity for candidates again another
bragging opportunity you got it do you
have any questions for us what would my
responsibilities be as um a teacher at
your school this this requires the
candidate to do their homework um good
questions along these lines are gee what
are the projections for profitability or
what would be my
duties the priorities the near and short
the shortterm and the long term uh
questions that wouldn't be appropriate
to ask here would be GE can I have
vacation in the first month that I'm off
or or things along those lines so we're
interested in in people that are
interested in us and have done their
homework on us so do your research
before you come to the interview you got
it okay anything else uh people need to
know about preparing for an interview
just prepare um you may get asked
anything um and be professionally
groomed and they on time if not a little
early
Voir Plus de Vidéos Connexes
Best strategies to answer 10 Top Questions asked in Interviews
Top 5 Interview Questions To Ask In A Job Interview
TOP 10 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS & ANSWERS! (How to PREPARE for an INTERVIEW!) INTERVIEW TIPS!
Top 10 Job Interview Questions in English
Job Interview Do's and Don'ts
TOP 7 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS IN ENGLISH! (How to ANSWER Job Interview Questions!)
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)