Today on LetThemTalk we're going to look at how to answer some common
interview questions. Now this video is one of a series I've made on interview
technique. How to write a cover letter? and all the skills you need to get a job
check out the playlist up here somewhere and in previous videos we've already
answered the questions; can you tell me about yourself?
and do you have any questions for us? so we won't be looking at these questions
today. And if English is not your first language remember focus first on the
content and getting your message across - that's the most important thing, much
much, more important than making a small grammar mistake. So be authentic and
don't memorize your answers and I'll try to give you some tips on how you can
turn the fact that you are English learner to your advantage to find out
more stay tuned.
Let's get started. Let's choose the first question which is this one: What do you
know about the company? what do you know about the company don't say "your company
well you tell me I'm here to find out aren't I" no god no this question is a
biggie, this job is your career you'll be working there every weekday maybe
weekends too for years. Now if you couldn't even be bothered to find out
who they are then it shows a lack of respect, a lack of interest and frankly
you've lost the interview right there. You've got no excuse for this one
you've got the internet to do some research online find two or three items
that you found relevant and perhaps flatter them a little and ask a
question. Start by saying what they do how long they've been around. So for
example, you're going for a job at hotel reception for a famous hotel chain "I
know that you're one of the leading hotel brands in the world you run hotels
in 58 countries according to your website (but only 57 according to
Wikipedia I wonder which one is correct maybe you can clarify that one for me) I
know that you've got over 4,000 employees, I know most importantly that
you have a great training program for new starters and a proven career path
for those who are ambitious enough and that's why I'm here today."
Next question let's choose this one: Why did you leave your last job? why did you
leave your last job good question. "Well my manager was an idiot, I hated my
coworkers and they didn't pay me enough". Don't say that no. Negativity NO
BADMOUTHING. Negativity will never get you the job even if it's true okay there are
lots of reasons you want to leave. You could say "I've had several good
years at the Purple Elephant and it will be sad to leave because I've built some good
relationships there but the job you're offering is quite exciting and these
types of positions don't come up so often so I thought I should step out my
comfort zone and grasp the opportunity. I believe it's a role where I could make a
difference. If I stayed at the purple elephant, yes, I could carry on as before
but it would be less interesting." ok a bit of a bull** answer but it
doesn't matter as long as you don't badmouth your previous employers. Also
there are many legitimate reasons for leaving your current job. For example, the
commute could be too long or you might be made redundant and that's ok just
be positive about the job you are leaving behind. What's next: What are your
strengths? So try and be honest here. Yes have a look at
the job specification and find out what they need. However what you shouldn't do
is give a personal trait unless it's particularly relevant to the job so
don't say for example "I work hard" this is expected it's suspected to be
normal don't say "I'm very honest" again this is
a given it's expected or don't say "I'm a team player"
everyone's a team player so say a real strengths and give an example so if
you're going for that job in hotel reception you could say "I'm good at
learning languages at the moment I'm learning Russian
I won't call myself fluent but in my last position I was able to give
directions to an elderly Russian lady who didn't speak any English and she was
really appreciative and gave me a gift of some tea at the end of a stay."
Also you can give an example which is always nice. If English is not your first
language but you've learnt it to an advanced level you could talk about that
too. Let me give you an exactly another example. If you're applying for job as a
web designer you could say "I'm very good at the ergonomic side of web design
often developers focus on the functionality and the look of the site
these are, of course, important but making a site
easy to use and easy to navigate is at least of equal importance. Recently I
read a book called 'Human Factors in Web Design' and it taught me a lot and, I must
say, I've gained a lot of expertise on this subject over the last few years so
I would say that I'm good at making websites that are not only good to look
at but also a joy to use as well". And if you don't have many technical skills or
experience you can still give a good answer. For example you could say that
you are good at anticipating people's needs or something like that of course
it should be a true strength and you should always give an example. Turn it
into a story. We all love stories. Next question. Well
logically we should do this one: What are your weaknesses? Personally I hate this
question I hate this question I don't know why recruiters ask it it's a really
dumb question but answered they they do. So don't give some negative that
is are positive don't say "I'm a perfectionist"
Don't say "I work too hard" Please god no these clichés will make you sound like
an idiot. Don't talk about failings that are unrelated to your work so don't say
"I'm a terrible ukulele player", "I'm not very good at Jenga" ok don't say
something that could lose you the job. "Sometimes I lose my temper and I
get violent" "I'm always late." no, no, no, don't say
anything like that. Tell them a true weakness but not one that will impact
negatively on the job and show them what you're doing about it okay I
personally (believe it or not) I have many weaknesses
hard to believe, let me give you a true weakness of mine: I'm not good at
timekeeping. This is in spite of the fact that earlier in my career I went on
several time management courses. I used to laugh about it and say 'you cannot
manage time, time manages you' but I realized at some point that this was
inefficient and this inefficiency wasn't good and someone recommended
something called the Pomodoro method and you can look it up okay you look it up
on Google and although I'm not cured it's helped a lot. Basically you divide your
day into 20-minute slots and each slot is called a pomodoro and you take a small
break between each Pomodoro and a long break after three Pomodoros or is it
pomodori? I don't know anyway you get the picture and actually it's been quite
effective so I'm not perfect but I've definitely improved. By the way if you're
not a native English speaker you could say that to: "My English is not quite as good
as I would like it to be but I'm studying hard to improve it and there's
a great YouTube channel called LetThemTalkTV which really helps." That'll definitely get
you the job. Nest question: Where do you see yourself in five years' time ? where do
you see yourself in five years time some things not to say. "Well I plan to be a
consultant earning lots of money somewhere else". "Actually I'm just using
this job as a stepping-stone to reach the place where I want to get to."
yes of course don't say that. Personally I hate this question because it almost
always obliges you to lie. Secondly, who knows where you're going to be in five
years' time I don't even know what I'm going to have for lunch. One thing we
know for certain about the future is that it's uncertain. It's a dumb question
but I would answer it something something like this: "I hope you don't
mind if I don't answer that question directly, I would rather just focus on
the present. This job is a great opportunity and what I want to do is to
make it my own to the best of my ability. I hope to learn and grow in
this position and as for the future, who knows? Maybe a senior role, a managerial
role or, I might want to specialize in an XYZ field or maybe something totally
different. Jobs change, people change, technology changes, 'Social media
consultant' that job didn't even exist five years ago. so we shall see, what we
shall see." So that might not be a perfect answer but at least it has a ring of
truth to it. Ok let's see what have we here: "What are your salary expectations?
Difficult one. Don't answer this question directly. If you ask for
too much you could be eliminated. If you ask for too little you'll either get a
low offer or you'll be eliminated they might think that you're
valuing yourself well below expectations and that's not good. So what do you say?
Two strategies: "I'm not thinking about sell right now I'm thinking about the
career but I'm sure your offer will be in line with the industry average and
that's fine." Later on, once you receive an offer, then that's the starting point
of your negotiation and you can nudge it up a little but it should be them that
gives the first number. secondly, "at this moment I've been thinking more about the
job and the interview than the salary. Could you give me the salary range for
this position? "Once you get that you can either say that it's acceptable or, once
again, you can try and nudge it up higher. if this is the time for negotiation. For
example, they say forty-five thousand something dollars, pounds whatever you
could say "That's a good offer but given my experience in this field would you
consider going up to fifty thousand and the this additional five thousand could
be conditional on my meeting certain sales targets within the first year." ok
the last part about meeting targets might not work for them but it's another
way of framing your commitments to the job which will help you pass the
interview. Let's look at the next question the final question in fact: Why should we
hire you? Good question
so the subtext here is what makes you different? why are you better than the
other candidates? so what is your unique selling point your USP?
Don't start rattling off all your experience and qualifications they
already have your CV. Just pick up on one or two points that make you stand out
and back it up with something about your motivation or key personality traits
that will work for them. This is particularly true if you don't have much
work experience. Learn your answer but don't script it. The way you express
yourself is really important here so let it come from a heart. So for example
let's say you're a recent graduate without much experience "There are three
good reasons why you should hire me. Firstly you can see that I have a good
academic record I excelled at university in my chosen field and secondly I have
one years' experience in this field yes one year doesn't see much but during
that time I significantly improved my technical skills I learned a lot of key
software and worked with some important clients in the sector such as [...name the
clients] thirdly let me, if I may, draw your attention to my personal qualities
I'm hardworking and creative and I can bring something unique to your team and
looking at the job description you can see that I'm perfectly suited and I
relish the challenge to make my mark. My past experience is limited but my future
potential is unlimited.