Hi, everybody.
My name is Richard McMunn and welcome to this tutorial, which is my Top 21 Interview Questions
for 2020!
So, the year 2020 is upon us and these are the questions that are being asked right now
across all job interviews.
I can assure you, if you watch this tutorial from beginning to end, not only will you know
the interview questions that you're going to be asked, I'm also going to give you some
great tips for scoring highly, beating the competition and above all, passing your job
interviews.
Before I get into those top 21 interview questions, a very warm welcome to this interview training
tutorial.
My name is Richard McMunn.
That's me there in the center, the bald chap!
I've been helping people for about 20 years now to pass their interviews.
And as I say, in this tutorial, we're going to focus on the TOP 21 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
and tips to make sure you pass.
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Thank you very much.
Okay.
Let's get straight into it.
Take notes as I progress - there is plenty to go through here.
First question.
Interview question number one is” TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF?
So, that is this is going to be the first interview question.
You walk into the interview room, you sit down.
They say, welcome to the interview.
So, start off and tell me about yourself?
How do you answer that question?
Here are some tips.
Make sure you focus purely on your work abilities.
Don't talk about what you get up to outside of work.
They are not interested - focus purely on your work abilities, and use powerful words
and phrases in your answers, such as “I am hard working”, “I'm enthusiastic”,
“I'm committed and professional”.
Use those keywords and phrases to score highly.
Tell them why they should hire you.
You could say – “You should hire me because I will learn the job quickly and I will start
contributing positively to the team in as fast a time as possible.”
So that's the first interview question.
The second one, interview question number two is…
WHY DO YOU WANT TO WORK FOR US?
Why have you chosen our company?
Why do you want to work for us?
Here are my tips for answering this to score highly.
Focus on three things during your answer to this interview question.
Say the fact they have exciting plans for the future appeals to you.
So you've gone on their website.
You can see they are a highly-trusted and respected company and they have exciting plans
for the future, and you'd like to be a part of those.
Say the fact that they have a ‘strong reputation’ in the industry is also appealing to you because
you have high standards and also the fact you feel your skills, qualities and attributes
will be put to good use whilst working for them.
So, when they say to you, why do you want to work for us, you can say, “Well, I want
to work for you for three specific reasons.”
and then tell them those three reasons.
Next question.
Interview question number three: “What are your strengths?” or “What are you good
at doing?”
We need to give them strengths which are appealing to them.
So how do we answer that?
Make sure you read the job advert or the job description prior to going along to the interview,
and then match your strengths to the ones that are listed there.
So, for example, if one of the key requirements for the role you're being interviewed for
is to work as part of a team, say one of my strengths is I'm great working with other
people to complete difficult tasks on time, or let's assume one of the key requirements
of the role is delivering customer service.
You can say, I'm great at always putting customers first and I will go out of my way to do a
great job for them.
So, that's the first tip - read the job advert and then list your strengths with the ones
that are on there.
A great strength to use if you are struggling to find one is, you know, my strength is my
ability to take on and complete multiple tasks whilst I am working under pressure.
That's very attractive to any hiring manager or employer.
Another great strength is your ability to always put the customer first.
And also, it is important that you understand how important customer service is to the success
of their company.
Essentially, if businesses don't have customers (and returning customers), they will go out
of business and you as an employee have to deliver great customer service.
Next question.
Question number four: WHAT'S YOUR BIGGEST WEAKNESS?
Guaranteed to be an interview question during your interview!
But again, we have to be very careful how we answer this question.
So here's some tips.
Make sure you do actually give a weakness.
So I've been in interviews before where I've interviewed people and say: What's your weakness?
They say, I don't really have any weaknesses.
Those people who say that, they are not being truthful, we all have weaknesses.
However, the two important things here are the fact that you are aware which weaknesses
you have, and also what you are doing to rectify them.
Do not give a weakness that is a match for the job description or the person specification.
Look at the job advert and if you have to work under pressure to complete difficult
tasks, then don't say: “Well, my weakness is I'm not very good at working under pressure.”
Because you will not get the job!
So, my favorite weakness to give in this kind of scenario where you're responding to the
interview question, what are your biggest weaknesses?
I would say: “I have been criticized before in the past for my inability to say no to
people.
I'm usually the first person to volunteer and put my hand up to do additional tasks,
and I sometimes get overloaded with work.”
If you said that to me, yes, that is a weakness because you can't say no.
But if you're working for me and you're always going to say “yes” to jobs, that's very
attractive to me as an employer; I would want you working for me.
Question number five, WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN FIVE YEARS’ TIME?
There is one specific reason they want to ask you this question.
Only one reason.
They are going to be spending time, investing money and resources training you up in the
role, and then if you leave within 12 months, they've got to find someone else.
And it's not easy to find the right person, going through a recruitment selection process.
So they want you to stay there for a long period of time.
When you're answering this question, you have to say you're going to still be working for
them.
That's very important.
Say you expect to be competent in the role and well-respected by your work colleagues,
supervisors and peers.
So if they said, where do you see yourself in five years time, I would be saying, “Well,
first of all, I still expect to be working within this role and to be competent and well
respected by my work colleagues, managers and supervisors.”
I would also then go on and say: “I would also be willing to help train up other people
in similar roles to this one, due to the length of time I will have been here and also the
experience I would have gained within the role.”
So that would be my model answer to that question.
By the way, I hope you are you are enjoying this tutorial.
Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE.
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Thank you.
Question number six of our top twenty one interview questions for 2020.
Why do you want to leave your job?
Difficult question, but there is an easy way to answer this.
So, why do you want to leave your job?
Here are some tips.
Do not, under any circumstances, criticize or be disrespectful to your work colleagues
or your manager.
Don't say I want to leave my job because I just don't get on with the team, or they don't
understand me.
There is a better way to answer this.
A good thing to say is…
“Basically I am now ready for a new challenge where my skills and qualities are going to
be put to good use.”
So, you will leave your previous job on good terms and with fond memories of the great
things you achieved whilst with your previous employer.
You have to put yourself in the shoes of the interviewer.
What do they want you to say?
That's the key tip for passing any interview.
If you were interviewing me and you said, why do I want to leave my job?
And I said I didn't really get on with my boss.
You don't know the circumstances surrounding that situation, or all you hear is me being
negative.
OK, so we need to avoid that at all costs.
Interview question number seven.
When have you delivered excellent customer service?
So, this is a behavioral type interview question, a tough interview question.
My advice is to make sure you give a SPECIFIC EXAMPLE of when you have delivered great customer
service, and you do that by using what's called the STAR technique.
When you construct your answer, use SITUATION, TASK ACTION and RESULT.
I'll give you an example of that in a second.
So, here is my sample answer to the interview question: When have you delivered excellent
customer service?
Here we go.
“Whilst working in a previous job, I helped a customer who was having problems choosing
a product specific to their needs.
I spent time explaining the products we had available, and which ones in my opinion, would
be most suited to their needs.
Although it took me longer than usual to deal with the customer, I felt it was important
to provide outstanding customer service in line with my employer’s customer service
values.
Once I had finished helping the customer, they thanked me for the time I had taken ensuring
they got the right products and they then went away and left a positive review online.”
That's a specific scenario utilizing situation, task, action and a positive result at the
end.
Interview question number eight.
What would you do if you didn't get on with someone within your team?
This is pre-empting some form of conflict.
What would you do if you didn't get on with someone in your team?
Now, some people will say, well, to be honest, it wouldn't be my problem.
It would be their problem.
I get on with everybody.
I would just leave them and just get on with my job.
That's not what you want to be saying here!
How do you answer this question?
First and foremost, be the better person.
Say you would tackle the situation positively with a view to resolving any conflict quickly.
Now remember this.
The aims and goals of your employer, the company you are working for, must always come first.
Any form of conflict in the workplace is counter-productive.
It's negative.
So, you should be the one who sorts it out quickly.
Now, if you can't sort it out, you would always act with professionalism at all times, and
you do all you could to get on with the person for the sake of the team.
The important thing here is to always put the team first and the company you are working
for.
Question number nine of our top twenty one interview questions for 2020.
How do you handle pressure?
Some people can't handle pressure.
The way to handle pressure is to understand what it is and how to prioritize your task.
Say…
“I understand that pressure is all part and parcel of everyday working life, and I
actually perform really well whilst I'm under pressure.”
And then the best way to work under pressure is to follow these three things.
Number one, say I priority prioritize which tasks are the most important ones which I
need to do first.
Then I will draw up a list of priority tasks and by what time and date they have to be
completed by.
And then number three, I will work solidly and put in the extra hours if needed, to get
the task done, within the set timeframe.
That shows you have a logical approach to handling pressure in the workplace.
Interview question number 10.
Why should we hire you?
This is sometimes posed in a different way.
Why should we hire you over the other applicants?
The best way to answer this is simply to say this.
“I have read the job description in detail and I strongly believe I have the necessary
skills, qualities, attributes to carry out the job to a very high standard, and if you
hire me, I will work hard to fit into the team so I can start contributing positively
in a very quick timescale.”
That's a short, punchy and positive statement that would be attractive to any interviewer
or recruiting manager!
Interview Question number eleven.
When have you worked as part of a team?
So again, it's a behavioral type interview question.
Make sure once again you use a star technique of situation task action result and when creating
an answer to questions that are based around team working.
Make sure you say that you listened to the brief, that you allocated team tasks based
on each team members strengths.
You then worked hard as part of a team to do your particular job to the highest standards
possible.
You then supported other team members and you also worked really hard to achieve a successful
outcome.
That's how you should answer questions based around teamwork.
Question number twelve: What didn't you like about your last job?
This is a difficult question and it is okay, I suppose, to say – “Well, there wasn’t
really much I disliked”, but it's better to give something that you didn't like.
So, don't say you didn't like your manager or a particular member of the team or a work
colleague.
Avoid that at all costs.
But you could say this: “There wasn't really anything I disliked; however, I sometimes
found my employer's lack of ambition slightly frustrated me as I felt they could have achieved
so much more.
I'm actually quite a positive and enthusiastic person, and I would have loved it if their
future plans would have been more ambitious.”
That shows that you are somebody who is ambitious and enthusiastic, which is very attractive
to any employer.
Or you could even say this…
“Well, there wasn't really anything I disliked.
However, I felt my skills and qualities were not always used to their full potential.
Whilst I always did my job properly, professionally and on time, I felt I could have done so much
more for my employer, given the opportunity.”
That just shows that you're in a job where your skills are not being used to their full
advantage, but you're going to work for this company that you're being interviewed for,
and they have the opportunity to really use somebody who is positive and enthusiastic!
Interview question number 13: What three things would your last boss say about you?
So, what three things would your last boss say about you?
They might say that you were reliable, trustworthy, and when you were given a job, he or she knew
it would get done to the right standard and on time.
That's a great thing.
Or they could say that: “The standards of work you delivered were the benchmark for
others to follow” that’s a brilliant thing to say!
“The standards of work that you delivered with the benchmark for other people to follow.”
Or, that your positive, professional and hardworking nature always rubbed off on others, and that
he or she could rely on you to do your job properly on time and to the standards expected.
So you can take a note to those three things and use them when you are asked the interview
question: What three things would your last boss say about you?
Interview question fourteen of our top twenty one interview questions.
What are your salary expectations?
Now, this would normally come towards the end of the interview, and if you are asked
this tough interview question, this is how to approach it, because what you don't want
to do is to give a low salary that you are kicking yourself later on for because you'll
be stuck with that salary for at least 12 months!
But also, you don't want to go in overconfident and say something that is unattractive to
them.
So here's how to do it.
First and foremost, do some research, go online and see what the standard average salary is
for your role within the industry.
So a great website to do that research is GlassDoor.com… that will give you the range
of salaries for your particular area, for your job, the job that you're applying for.
So then, let's assume the salary range for your job is, for example, $21,000 to $27,000.
You could say, I believe that I'm worth the top range of $27,000, but I am prepared to
take a slightly lower salary of $25,000 because I understand I have to prove that I'm going
to be a great fit for the role.
So that is a good option to follow.
So, you've done some research to say the salary range for this job is twenty one thousand
- twenty seven thousand.
I believe I am worth the top range.
However, I understand you know you are employing me.
You don't know me yet.
I have to prove to you, so I'm prepared to take a slightly lower salary of $25,000 and
I'll prove to you how good I am, and that gives you a salary that you're happy with.
But then later on down the line, if you're really good in your job, you can then go back
and say, okay, I've done a great job for the last 12 months, will you increase my salary?
So that works for you.
And that also, more importantly, works for them as well.
Interview question number 15.
Can you give me an example of a difficult situation you faced in a previous job and
how you dealt with it?
So, can you give me an example of a difficult situation you faced in a previous job and
how you dealt with it?
So, the latter part, how you deal with it is really important.
Here's a great answer to this tough interview question.
“I was working as part of a team when my manager came in and told us all the deadline
for completion of the project had been cut significantly.
This meant we now had only seven days to complete the project successfully.
I approached the situation by being positive, putting in the extra hours needed to complete
the project and by also motivating the other members of the team to do the same.”
If you want to pause the video at this point and write that down, please feel free to do
so.
That's a great answer to that tough interview question.
Question number 16.
Explain the gaps in your employment?
This is a tough one, a very, very tough one.
But first and foremost, always be honest and upfront about why you had time away from work.
And the reason is, being honest is an attractive quality to any employer.
So, most people will be dishonest, but you don't want to get caught out because if you
do later on down the line, there is a strong opportunity or strong chance you will lose
your job.
So be honest.
But the key here is to think about what are good reasons to be off.
So maybe you did some volunteering while you were off?
Maybe you traveled where you were experiencing different cultures?
Maybe you have to be out of work, unfortunately, to look after sick or ill relatives, or maybe
you are raising or supporting your family?
The key is to try and reframe the reasons why you were off by saying the time I had
off enabled me to improve my existing skill set and I now believe I'm a much better or
more focused employee for that experience.
Question 17, interview question 17.
What's your greatest achievement to date?
So if they say to you, what's your greatest achievement to date, think of a work-related
situation that you were in that helped the employer.
So give them an achievement where there was a massive benefit to the company you were
working for.
So you could say: “My greatest achievement to date has to be the time I worked as part
of a team to secure additional sales contracts for my employer.
We’d worked really hard as part of a team to win the contracts and it put our employer
in a great position for the future.”
You are answering that question intelligently if you use something like that because you're
putting yourself in the shoes of the interviewer, which as I've said all along during this tutorial,
that's really, really important.
Interview question 18: What would you do in the first 30 days of starting?
So they give you the job.
What would you do in the first 30 days?
This is important to have already considered what you will do in the position.
And this interview question catches a lot of people out, but not you.
You're going to focus on three things as follows.
“I would concentrate on three things: First of all, I would obtain a full brief from you,
my manager, on what you expected from me and the standards I needed to work to.
Secondly, I would get to know my team really well so I could understand the type of things
I could do to start contributing positively to the organizations goals quickly; and finally,
I would look to complete my first important project or task in the fastest time possible
to show you what I am capable of within the role, and to also repay the faith you have
shown in me by employing me in the position.”
When you're answering the interview question, what would you do in the first 30 days of
starting?
Focus on those three things to get the highest scores possible interview.
Question number 19: When have you had a disagreement with your manager?
This is a tough, tough interview question because we all disagree with our managers,
but it's how we disagree that's important.
You might decide to say something like this: “Following a team meeting I disagreed with
a proposal my manager had put forward.
I decided to speak to him in private to offer an alternative suggestion.
I explained to him, in a respectful and professional manner, the reasons why I disagreed with him,
and that I thought there might be some mileage in exploring the option I had come up with.
He listened to my suggestions but decide not to go ahead with them, which I totally respected.
I think it’s always good to say if you disagree with something, providing you put the needs
of the company first and you do it with respect and professionalism.”
Because I don't want to employ someone who is just going to agree with everything I say.
I want to be challenged at times, but I want somebody to challenge me in a positive way.
And if I don't agree with them, I want them to respect that also.
So, that's a great answer to that interview question.
Interview question 20.
What motivates you?
This, on the surface, seems like a very easy interview question to answer.
But you have to be careful what you say here.
So these are the things.
This is what I would say when someone says to me, what motivates you?
I would say three things motivate me: doing a great job for my employer, continually improving
within my role and also feeling that I'm continually contributing and adding value to the company
I am working for.
Those are three great things to say!
So again, pause the video if you want to write those down.
You can use that within your answer to the interview question “What motivates you?”
Question 21: Do you have any questions for the panel?
You get to the end of your interview.
You've answered all the questions.
This question can ruin it for people!
They either don't ask any questions, or they ask silly questions.
But you are going to ask smart questions that cap off the interview and put you across as
the person they need to hire.
So, what questions are you going to going to ask?
Here we go.
Number one, what would you need me to concentrate on in the first few weeks of starting?
You're already thinking about being in the role and helping the employer achieve their
goals.
Next question, what are the future plans for the company and do you have any exciting products
or services being launched soon?
That shows that you are interested in their future.
And then: What's frustrated you about previous employees who occupied the same role that
I'm being interviewed for today?
Already you're thinking about doing things the right way and to the satisfaction of your
manager.
I would only ask two or three questions.
Pick them from those if you want to, to gain the highest scores.
Thank you for watching.
I hope you've enjoyed that!
If you click the link below the video, you can get answers to loads of interview questions
from from my website, PassMyInterview.com.
I hope you've enjoyed that tutorial.
I very much appreciate the support.
Don't forget to subscribe and I'd appreciate it if you hit the LIKE button.
Thanks, guys.
Have a brilliant day and I hope you pass your interview.
All the best!