Classic Interview Questions and Answers

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Question: What is your current job responsibility
Answer: My most important responsibility is to achieve sales. I spend most of my day on the shop floor, talking directly to potential customers and trying to establish their needs. I have a very thorough knowledge of our product range so, if they’re unsure of their decision, I can give them appropriate advice. I can also steer them towards other – perhaps more expensive – product lines that they haven’t already considered. By building rapport with the customer – and addressing any concerns they may have – I have a good chance of closing the sale. I also aim to up-sell on the till where possible, so as to maximise the value of each new customer. Among other responsibilities I help to control stock levels and liaise with head office accordingly so as to make sure we are neither over-stocked nor under-stocked. I am also involved in the financial management of the branch, working alongside the Branch Manager to put together monthly reports, etc. Given my level of experience, I am also tasked with helping to bring on board new members of staff, training them in our systems and helping them to maximise their sales potential.
Question: In what ways are you a team player?
Answer: I certainly very much enjoy working with others; I’m outgoing, I enjoy the team spirit and I’m understanding of the needs of others. I’m good at helping the team to see the bigger picture – to see the wood from the trees – helping them to focus on what really matters rather than getting bogged down in irrelevant detail. I’m also good at helping the team to spot flaws in our approach – and potential problems and pitfalls. I believe I have strong communication skills and, while I don’t yet have experience in a leadership role, I do have a talent for liaising between different team members and resolving any disputes which may arise. Conflict between different team members is rarely very productive and is normally best avoided.

Question: Do you work well on your own initiative?

Answer: I enjoy working with others but I’m equally able to work on my own initiative. I’m not afraid to ask for guidance if necessary but I’m quick to learn and, once I’ve understood what’s required of me, I am more than capable of getting on with the job under my own steam. In my current role I work as part of a close-knit team but that’s not to say that there aren’t certain tasks and projects I have to handle on my own. For example, I have sole responsibility for reconciling credits and debits on our bank statements to our sales and purchase ledgers. It’s not a task that can be shared with anyone; it’s not a two-man job. I set aside one day a week to concentrate on this – because it does require a lot of concentration – reconciling entries which match and taking steps to resolve any discrepancies.
Word of warning:
Even if you do prefer to work on your own, it’s best not to mention this. You don’t want to risk being labelled ‘not a team player’. This question doesn’t ask whether you prefer to work on your own; it simply asks how capable you are of doing so.

 

Question: What techniques do you use to get things done?

Answer: Careful planning is critical to my ability to get things done: planning, organisation and action. I rely heavily on ‘To Do’ lists. These enable me to capture and record everything which I need to action. I maintain a master To Do list but also have separate To Do lists for each particular project I’m handling. I review these at least once a day so as to identify my priorities. I always aim to focus on tasks which have deadlines attached to them and also tasks which will achieve the most in the shortest space of time. Less important items I will either postpone, delegate or, if I am unable to clearly identify the benefits, remove from the list completely. While I have a very heavy workload to juggle I find that these systems enable me to always keep one step ahead and to ensure that nothing slips through the net.

Question: What motivates you?

Answer: I’m very results-driven. Doing a good job and achieving the desired end result is my primary motivation. While I enjoy working on a project on my own, I’m particularly motivated by the buzz of working in a team. It’s very rewarding working closely with others who share the same common goal. I like to take on a challenge; I like to rise to that challenge as part of a concerted team effort – and I naturally appreciate it when my boss compliments me for a job well done.

Question: Are you proactive?

Answer: Yes, I would consider myself to be proactive. I believe it’s very important to be as proactive as possible. As the saying goes, a stitch in time saves nine! When my team is working on a project I always do my best to identify possible problems in advance and to make sure that we address them. Recently, a major project of ours was severely affected by a key member of staff leaving the company overnight (for personal reasons). I anticipated that, as a result of this, we wouldn’t be able to deliver the solution to the client on time. I took the decision to contact the client, explain the situation, apologise for the delay but make the point that the quality of the finished solution was of greater importance than delivering it on schedule. The client appreciated my honesty, was very understanding and was pleased to hear that we’d never compromise on quality just to be seen to meet a deadline.

Question: Are you creative?

Answer: Yes, I believe I’m a creative individual. I’m certainly able to think laterally and to be inventive in terms of finding solutions to problems. Quantity surveying isn’t generally seen as a particularly creative profession but I have nevertheless used my creative abilities on numerous occasions, for example converting old manual systems of reporting to highly automated – and much more accurate – spreadsheet based systems. This saved myself and my team a considerable amount of time in the long-term as well as meaning we were less exposed to the professional embarrassment of errors in our calculations.

 

Question: Are you a risk-taker?

Answer:  It depends on how you define risk. I am certainly not somebody who takes unnecessary risks, nor risks that would in any way compromise anyone’s personal safety. However, I fully appreciate that commercial success is dependent on taking risks – calculated risks. If, having given a matter careful consideration and weighed up the possible ramifications, I determine that a risk is – in the best interests of the business – worth taking, then I am not afraid to take it. You can’t always be right – but careful planning and analysis should tip the odds in your favour and ensure that, overall, your decisions pay off. Experience is, of course, essential – and the experience I have gained over the course of my career is invaluable in informing my decisions.

Question: How do you handle pressure and stress?

Answer: Working for a small start-up company the past few years has naturally been quite a high pressure experience on occasion. I’ve had to deal with numerous conflicting demands on my time – and often very limited resources. With careful planning and organisation you can normally reduce the pressure you are under – but there will always be factors at play which are outside of your control. Personally, while it makes a nice break to have a few pressure-free days, I generally thrive under pressure. I use it to help channel my energies into accomplishing as much as possible. Naturally, there are sometimes occasions when the pressure I’m put under is excessive and this can be stressful. However, I’m sufficiently experienced to appreciate that there is only so much you can reasonably be expected to be capable of and the solution is not to panic but to remain focused on delivering your very best.

Question: Can you tell me about a time when you have failed to achieve a goal?

Answer: In my last job we were given the opportunity to pitch for a major contract – at relatively short notice. I was part of a team that spent a good couple of weeks working very hard on the tender and it was clear that our company was undoubtedly the best choice for the contract. Unfortunately, the client had employed a rather inexperienced individual to review the tenders and they fell for a competitor’s sales pitch – which had a lot less substance but a lot more spin. It was a major blow. I was naturally very disappointed at what seemed a very unfair decision, especially having put so much effort into the tender – but I wrote it down to experience and got on with successfully bidding for other contracts. The following year, the client having been very dissatisfied with our competitor’s performance, we were asked to re-tender for the contract. This time, we won it. We did of course learn some lessons from our previous failure but, most of all, we were fortunate that the individual responsible for reviewing the tenders this time was a lot more experienced.

Question: What's the worst mistake you've made at work and how did you deal with it?

Answer: I think the worst mistake I ever made at work was in my first ever job – five years ago now. A more senior member of the team seemed to take an instant dislike to me from the start – and one day she was particularly unpleasant to me in front of several colleagues. Later on, I was talking to one of those colleagues who was, I thought, attempting to console me. Angry and hurt, I foolishly vented my feelings and told her what I thought of the lady in question. I was naturally shocked to find out that she went on to tell everyone what I had said and this certainly didn’t help my relationship with the team member who was causing me problems. Rather than let the situation carry on, I chose to have a quiet word with this lady so as to find out what her problem was with me and to see if we could put it behind us. It turned out it was nothing personal; she just resented the fact that a friend of hers had also been interviewed for my position and had been turned down. Once we had got matters out into the air, her behaviour changed and we actually got on quite well after that. However, I certainly learned a lot from the experience. I learned that careful communication is vital in managing interpersonal relationships and that if I have a problem with someone it’s always best to talk it over with them rather than with someone else.

Question: How would you handle the following situation?

Answer: My first priority would be to answer the calls while simultaneously presenting the waiting clients and the courier with a professional and friendly smile. The calls can be answered and either be put straight through or be put on hold, allowing me to deal with the client and then the courier thereafter. The people waiting in front of me are able to see just how busy I am, whereas those on the phone will simply feel ignored if their calls are not answered promptly – and may hang up. Having successfully prioritised the calls and the visitors, I would then be able to respond to the fax when there is more time.

Question: Can you tell me about a major project you have successfully completed?

Answer: I was recently involved in organising our participation at a trade fair. It was a very major project. We’d never done a trade fair before but we felt it could be a useful method of drumming up new business. It took a considerable amount of planning and organisation on my part; I had to assess everything that would need to be arranged in advance, from hiring the lighting set-up to liaising with our designers on the production of appropriate corporate literature for us to hand out. I had to make sure I didn’t miss the smallest of details – for example I had to check the plans of our stand to ensure our extension cables were long enough to reach all our equipment. On the day itself, we were on site very early to make sure everything was in place, tested and fully functioning prior to the arrival of the visitors – just in case there were any last minute hitches, which, thankfully, there weren’t. The event was very successful and our stand attracted a lot of attention. It was a very busy day. We were able to pitch our services to hundreds of people and pass on their contact details for our sales team to follow up on. Following the success of this event, we’re now looking at future events we can attend.

Question: Can you tell me about a major problem at work that you've had to deal with?

Answer: The weather caused us major problems just a couple of months ago. There was very heavy overnight snowfall and, with all the buses cancelled and only a few trains running, only a few members of our admin team managed to get into work. There was nothing for it but to fire-fight – we didn’t have enough staff to get everything done that would normally need to be done. I established what our main priorities were – what activities were most essential to the running of our department – and made sure that we had those covered. I identified less important tasks that we could postpone for a few days until we had the full team back. I also spoke to all the missing team members to see if there were any other urgent priorities of which we, in the office, were unaware. We worked hard and fast – right through lunch – and, despite feeling that the phone was always ringing, we managed to keep everything running smoothly until things were back to normal.

Question: We have a problem with x. How would you resolve that?

Answer: Can you tell me about a difficult problem that you resolved?
Can you tell me about a major problem at work that you’ve had to deal with?
The meaning behind the question:
Following on from the previous question, this question is, again, directly probing your problem-solving capabilities but, more than that, is doing so in a way that is directly relevant to the job for which you are applying.
The interviewer is trying to identify what you could really bring to the organisation.
They’re also assessing how able you are to think on your feet – because they’ll know there is no way you could have pre-prepared your answer to this one!
Your answer:
Problem ‘x’ could be just about anything. It could be a hypothetical problem but it’s probably more likely to be a real-life problem currently facing your prospective employer.
The main difficulty you face with this question is of course that it’s almost impossible to prepare for in advance. You’re going to have to think fast. However, rather than replying immediately I’d suggest you buy some time by getting the interviewer to talk a little more about the problem. Don’t be afraid to ask them a few questions first to make sure you fully understand what the problem is – and what the circumstances are. As well as arming you with more facts, this will also give you some valuable thinking time.
If you’re asked the alternative question, “Can you tell me about a difficult problem that you resolved?” then you’re lucky – because you can prepare a perfect example for this well in advance of the interview. Please refer to the previous question, Question 14, “Can you tell me about a major problem at work that you’ve had to deal with?” for details of how best to handle this.

Question: What do you do when you disagree with your line manager?

Answer: Inevitably there will be times when I disagree with my manager’s point of view – or with a decision she has taken or intends to take. In my current role, my manager welcomes input from her team and, while I appreciate that it isn’t appropriate to openly disagree with her, I will query issues in private with her as necessary. There may be factors leading to her decision of which I am unaware. Alternatively, once we’ve both discussed our thoughts, we may simply agree to disagree. I have to respect that, at the end of the day, it remains her prerogative to make a decision whether I agree with it or not – and to support her in that course of action to the best of my ability.

Question: How would you describe yourself as a manager?

Answer: I’m a very hands-on manager. While I am clearly in charge of my team, we are nonetheless a team – and I am very much a member of that team. When the circumstances require it, I will assert my authority and lead my staff in the direction I have determined we should go. However, I’m always open to input, ideas and suggestions and consider myself to be very approachable in that respect. I realise the importance of motivating my staff to deliver their best and I’m tactful and diplomatic when dealing with potential problems; I believe a lot more can be achieved through communication than through conflict. I am nevertheless very results-driven and expect every member of my team to pull their weight and help us to achieve our common goals.

Question: Can you give me an example of when you have successfully coached a member of your team?

Answer: In my current job for a mail-order company, I work as part of a team, processing orders received and liaising directly with our customers by telephone to handle and resolve any problems or queries. While administration forms the majority of the workload, there’s also a lot of customer contact. Recently, my manager took the decision to hire a new team member who had a lot of very valuable customer-facing experience but not so much administrative experience. While the new member of staff clearly needed no help dealing with customers on the telephone, it was obvious from the start that she was clearly struggling with the administrative side of things. As one of the most experienced members of the team, my manager asked if I could take this lady under my wing and help her to resolve the administrative difficulties she was having. Over a period of several days I took the time for her to initially shadow me in the work I was doing before moving on for me to let her do the work herself under my careful observation. She learned very quickly and within the week she was fully up to scratch and has since become an invaluable member of the team.

Question: What is your customer service philosophy?

Answer: I believe the customer is central to everything we do. Profits are certainly our ultimate goal but, without customer satisfaction, profits will suffer. I consequently attach a lot of importance to customer service. A business is nothing without its customers and it’s vital to recognise this. I believe I have strong customer service skills – and working with the public is certainly something I enjoy. It’s not always easy of course. Recently, I had to deal with a particularly difficult client who was – fairly unreasonably, it has to be said – very dissatisfied with the solution our sales team had sold them. Rather than let the complaint escalate, I took the time to calmly and patiently listen to the customer and to demonstrate that I understood and empathised with their concerns. This alone took a lot of the wind out of their sails. I went on to give them my viewpoint, addressing their concerns one by one and explaining why I felt the solution they had been sold was the best one for them. It turned out that they had principally misunderstood what was being offered and, once realisation set in, they were actually quite apologetic!

Question: How did you get your last job?

Answer: It was actually quite complicated. I was keen for a new challenge and had already started looking around when I saw in the local newspaper that they were opening a new branch in the area. I sent in a speculative application to the HR department at their head office and they wrote back to say that they would only be recruiting through their preferred recruitment agency. So I called them up immediately and, having run through a few key points on my CV, managed to persuade them to at least interview me. They also interviewed a spread of candidates from the recruitment agency but, after a second interview and then a third interview with the Marketing Director herself, I was ultimately offered the job.

Question: What does your current job involve on a day-to-day basis?

Answer: My most important responsibility is to achieve sales. I spend most of my day on the shop floor, talking directly to potential customers and trying to establish their needs. I have a very thorough knowledge of our product range so, if they’re unsure of their decision, I can give them appropriate advice. I can also steer them towards other – perhaps more expensive – product lines that they haven’t already considered. By building rapport with the customer – and addressing any concerns they may have – I have a good chance of closing the sale. I also aim to up-sell on the till where possible, so as to maximise the value of each new customer. Among other responsibilities I help to control stock levels and liaise with head office accordingly so as to make sure we are neither over-stocked nor under-stocked. I am also involved in the financial management of the branch, working alongside the Branch Manager to put together monthly reports, etc. Given my level of experience, I am also tasked with helping to bring on board new members of staff, training them in our systems and helping them to maximise their sales potential.

Question: What contribution do you make to the department in which you work?

Answer: While I am technically part of the IT department, all my colleagues focus very much on keeping the company’s computer infrastructure fully functional. As the company’s only Web Developer, I work very much on my own in managing and enhancing the website. I do liaise closely with other departments though, most particularly Marketing and HR. As the website is primarily used as a marketing vehicle and as a way to source new employees, my work is of significant importance to both of these departments. The systems I put in place to collect potential sales leads online make a major contribution to the results of the sales team – these days more and more of our new business comes via the website. And, by identifying ways to attract potential new employees online, I have contributed to a reduction in the amount we spend on recruitment consultants – again resulting in a direct impact on the company’s bottom line.

Question: What changes have you made to your current job role since you started?

Answer: When I first took over the role, I noticed that my predecessor (who was in the job for many years) had been using a number of rather out-dated and laborious systems to help them manage the allocation of work to our sub-contractors. This was clearly wasting a significant amount of time – and time is money. I therefore consulted with my manager and outlined a proposal to scrap these various manual systems and replace them with a single system running on software I had become adept at using in my previous role. Given the low cost of the software and the obvious advantages of my proposal, my manager agreed to the plan. Having spent a couple of weeks setting up the new system, I consequently reduced my workload substantially and I was able to use this spare time to help my manager with his financial reporting. This gave me useful, additional experience and also freed up my manager to spend more time on other issues.
Word of warning:
For some reason, candidates are particularly prone to misunderstanding this question and interpreting it along the lines of, “What changes have you made in your current job?” This is a very different question and, no matter how good your answer to this question, your interviewer won’t be impressed if you fail to answer the question they actually asked.

Question: What have you learned in your last job?

Answer: My last job was an excellent learning opportunity and I developed my skills and experience in numerous different ways. While I already had strong IT skills, I didn’t have any previous experience of Microsoft Access. When my employer introduced a new order management system which used Access they gave me the opportunity to undertake additional training so as to be able to work effectively with this. I was then able to put this training into practice on a day-to-day basis and I am now extremely adept at using the package. I also learned a great deal about handling customers. My previous roles were not customer-facing so it was great to have the chance to develop this area of my experience.

Question: Can you tell me about your last appraisal?

Answer: My last appraisal was very positive. My manager felt that I had made excellent progress in many areas and had really mastered the intricacies of the project we were working on. He did say that he felt other members of the team had become too dependent on me and that a lot of my time was being taken up in showing them how to tackle difficult or unusual issues. While he perceived this as an area for improvement, I perceived this as further evidence that the time is now right for me to take a step up to a management-level position – hence my applying for this role with yourselves

Question: How would you describe your current boss?

Answer: I’m fortunate to have a pretty positive working relationship with my boss. She gives me a high degree of latitude to get on with my job while always being there to help me with any unusual or difficult situations – to lend me the benefit of her experience. Like many managers, she’s often very busy but she does a good job of closely supervising her team, steering us in the right direction and helping us to achieve the results that are expected of us. I know she appreciates the work I do and this obviously helps to motivate me and to strive to achieve my very best.

Question: Why did you leave that job?

Answer: Unfortunately, a major client, that my department was responsible for supplying, decided to withdraw completely from the UK and close all their branches. It appears they had over-reached themselves in deciding to expand beyond the USA. Almost everyone in my department was subsequently made redundant. However, with hindsight, it all worked out very well in the end because I was able to secure a new – and more senior – position within just a couple of months.
I was only in that job for a couple of months and I unfortunately left it sooner than I would have liked to. I had an initial probationary period of three months and, during that time I regrettably had an argument with a customer. I felt they were being extremely unreasonable and, rather than pacifying them, I let the situation escalate. It turned out that they were a long-standing customer and they used their influence to insist that my manager dismiss me. I was young and inexperienced and I learned a great deal from this. I would certainly never now argue with a customer; I know that there are much better ways to resolve such a situation.

Question: Which of your jobs was the best?

Answer: I have tried to plan my career path carefully, only changing jobs when the right role has presented itself. However, I would say my best ever job was my role with Elisabeth Elkins Catering.  I was given a considerable degree of autonomy to conceive, plan and implement our marketing strategy. I had a highly productive working relationship with the Managing Director and the outcome was clearly very successful – our sales more than tripled by the end of my two years.
Word of warning:
Avoid citing your current job. The interviewer will wonder:
  • If it’s that great then why do you really want to leave?
  • If they do give you this job, is there a risk you might later regret it?

Question: Why is there a gap in your CV?

Answer: There are two elements here:
  • The interviewer will be interested in the reasons for there being a gap in your CV – why you experienced a period of unemployment.
  • They will also be interested in what you did during that period of unemployment.
Your answer:
Most people have a gap or two in their career history. It’s very common and not normally anything to worry about. There is, however, only one explanation that an employer is really going to view favourably:
  • Further training/education
Other common – and conceivably constructive – reasons include:
  • Raising a child
  • Caring for another dependant
  • Travel
But there are also reasons which will definitely be viewed negatively:
  • Inability to find a suitable position
  • Ill health
If the reason for the gap in your career history isn’t obviously negative then there shouldn’t be a gap in your CV - you should have included a brief entry explaining the situation. This will prevent an interviewer from asking you, “Why is there a gap in your CV” and will instead prompt them to ask the more positive question, “Can you tell me more about this break in your career history?”
Further training/education: This is very simple and should already be covered within your CV - but maybe the interviewer has missed it. You need simply politely draw their attention to the further training/education you undertook and use this as an opportunity to talk about why you chose this option and how it adds value to your application.
Raising a child/Caring for another dependant: If you took time out of your career in order to care for a family member or close friend then it is very much your own private affair – but one that an interviewer should hopefully view favourably. You should have included a brief entry in your CV explaining the circumstances and the interviewer should refrain from probing too deeply into the matter. The same applies for time out to raise your own family.
Travel: Taking a sabbatical to go travelling is often seen by an employer as a positive thing. Many will believe that the cultural awareness and sense of independence you will have gained as a result of the experience will prove to be of value to them. Also, if you’ve already taken time out to travel then it means you’re less likely to suddenly disappear to travel the world just as they’ve got you settled in. This is a common worry among employers, particularly when it comes to younger employees. If you’re questioned on this then it is important to emphasise that it was something you “needed to do” and now you’ve “got it out of your system”. You may also be able to make reference to any temporary and part-time work you undertook in other countries if that could be an additional selling point for you.
Unfortunately, general unemployment and ill health are unlikely – at least initially – to be viewed favourably by an interviewer.
Inability to find a suitable position: This is definitely the most common cause for there being a gap in a CV. The problem you face is that if you tell an interviewer you were struggling to find work then that’s inevitably going to worry them. You need to deal with this by explaining carefully that the right job isn’t always available at the right time. For further advice on how to handle this then please take a look at Question 13, “You’ve been out of work for a while. Has it been difficult finding a job?” in the next chapter, Chapter 4: The top 25 tough questions: taking the heat.

Ill health: If you have been absent from work as a result of a significant illness or a major accident then the interviewer should appreciate that these things do happen. For further advice on how to handle questions about your health please take a look at Question 14, “What's your sickness record like?” in the next chapter.

Question: What do you know about us as an organisation?

Answer: I’ve naturally done some research into your organisation so as to ensure that I fully understand what kind of organisation I would be working for. I read on your website that your sales levels have grown at an average of 25% year on year for the past five years and that you are now working on your expansion into the United States. You’re clearly a very progressive organisation and that’s exactly what I’m looking for. I want to work for an organisation which doesn’t stand still, which is expanding and taking on new and interesting challenges. I’ve also read a lot of customer comments on various third party websites and the quality of your service is clearly very impressive.

Question: What do you know about our products/services?

Answer: I’ve actually got one of your posters framed on the wall at home. I was already familiar with the range you offer and, since seeing this vacancy advertised, I have had a closer and more detailed look. I’m naturally impressed by what I’ve seen. They’re printed to a high degree of quality – something which isn’t always the case with posters produced by other companies – and yet they remain very reasonably priced. While you certainly have many interesting – and commercially appealing – designs, I do feel that some parts of the range are becoming a little dated. I would certainly welcome the challenge not only of revamping existing designs within the range but also of further developing the range in new and interesting directions.

Question: What do you think are our organisation's greatest strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats?

Answer: I think your greatest strengths are your market-leading position and the customer service philosophy which has resulted in this. Every business has its weakness and I think we’d agree that your greatest weakness is the lack of a comprehensive marketing strategy. As we’ve already discussed, you focus on a few key marketing avenues and are leaving a lot of money on the table in certain other areas. I firmly believe this is something I can help you with and that the development of a broad and consistent marketing strategy is consequently also your greatest opportunity. I also reckon that expanding internationally represents another major opportunity. As for threats, the greatest threat is quite simply the competition. It’s vitally important for you to continue to stay one step ahead of them.

Question: What do you know about the vacancy for which you are applying?

Answer: I’ve carefully studied both the job description and the person specification so I believe I’m fully aware of the precise duties and responsibilities the role entails. You’ve also helped to clarify a few points during the course of this interview.

Question: How do your skills and experience match the job description/person specification?

Answer: I believe my skills and experience are a very good match for the person specification. You’re looking for someone with a significant amount of high-level experience in the retail clothing sector. I now have 25 years’ experience within this sector, most recently as General Manager of a flagship central London store. You need someone with considerable skill in financial management, able to build turnover – and, most importantly, to build turnover profitably. In my current role my branch now has an annual turnover of £5 million – 40% higher than when I took over the role three years ago. Our profit margin has also grown – from 10% to 15%, meaning that profits have more than doubled in just the last three years. The role demands an individual who is adept at managing and leading a large team; I’m currently responsible for 65 retail staff. The role also requires an individual who is able to build profitable long-term relationships with key, high-value clients. Successfully catering to the needs of VIP clients is essential to my current role and certainly an aspect that I very much enjoy. Overall, I feel I’m a very good match for the job but would of course be delighted to discuss any particular points in greater detail if you wish.
This answer has obviously been written from the point of view of someone seeking a very senior role. However, the basic principles can easily be adapted to your own precise circumstances. Remember that my examples are purely intended to help illustrate the points made; it’s essential for you to think for yourself and to create your own answers.

 

Question: What appeals to you most about this vacancy?

Answer: I’m particularly taken by the importance you place on customer service. In too many organisations customer service is very much a secondary priority whereas you place the customer at the centre of everything you do. As a Customer Service Manager, I am naturally very committed to excellence in customer service – and I am very keen to work with an organisation that attaches the same importance to customer service that I do. A business is nothing without its customers; it’s vital to recognise this – and your reputation for customer service is clearly enviable. It sets you apart from the competition.

Question: Why have you chosen this line of work?

Answer: Both my parents are accountants so I grew up listening to them talking about their work together – and I was always very interested in their working lives. While I considered a range of other options, I’ve always had a particular talent for mathematics and, ultimately, accountancy was evidently the best choice. I enjoy working with figures; I enjoy applying my mathematical abilities to real-world problems. I also enjoy working with others and I find it very rewarding to get to grips with a client’s precise circumstances and to then help them to find the best solutions to the financial problems they are facing. Accountancy was without doubt the right choice for me.

Question: Are there any other organisations to which you are applying?

Answer: Finding the right position is obviously very important to me so I am being rather thorough in my job search. I have been quite selective but I have identified a number of different jobs and organisations which fit my criteria and my applications for these vacancies have reached varying stages. However, this opportunity with yourselves remains my preferred choice – both because of the specifics of the role in question and because the organisation itself is one I feel to be particularly appropriate to me.

Question: How does this job compare to others for which you are applying?

Answer: This job clearly has the edge on other applications I am pursuing. I have taken my time to identify a number of possibilities which are closely suited to me – so as not to waste my time nor anybody else’s. They all have various pros and cons but I am particularly attracted to this job because I feel it offers the best opportunities for me to develop professionally and make a major contribution. It’s a perfect match for my skills and experience. I also believe I will fit in very well with the organisation as a whole.

Question: Can you describe your ideal employer to me?

Answer: My ideal employer would be a large yet growing company with a strong reputation within its sector, a company which offers plenty of scope for progression within the hierarchy. While my preference is for a larger organisation, I want to work for a company which nevertheless has a dynamic and progressive approach. Your organisation certainly more than meets those requirements.
Word of warning:
It would be inappropriate to openly state that you feel their organisation to be the ‘perfect’ employer. You will inevitably come across as phoney!

Question: What sort of person would you most like to work for?

Answer: I’d most like to work for someone who has the same approach as I do to getting things done – planning, organisation and action. Also, I’m always keen to take on new duties and responsibilities so I’d welcome a manager who was prepared to give me the chance to continue my professional development. Besides this, a good manager is of course always approachable, supportive and sensitive to the needs of their team; while I’m good at working on my own initiative, every team needs a leader to give it direction.

Question: In what ways is your degree relevant to the work you are now doing?

Answer: While my degree in Geography is of course not directly relevant to my current role as a Market Researcher, it was nevertheless a very worthwhile experience in many different ways. I developed a broad set of transferable skills, including how to compile, interpret and analyse data – skills I now apply on a daily basis. I also undertook a number of team projects, working together to achieve a goal, including writing up the results of our findings – and how best to structure and communicate our arguments. Undertaking a degree course was of course a major personal challenge and I definitely matured significantly during my time at university – learning how to plan and organise my own workload so as to meet all my deadlines.  I feel it has definitely helped to prepare me for my current career.

Question: What have you learned and how have you developed over the last year/five years?

Answer: Over the course of the past five years, I have made an effort to develop my skills and experience in numerous different ways. I have matured as an individual and my experience of working with others – both colleagues and customers – has contributed a lot to my interpersonal skills. I am also better able to see the bigger picture and how my role relates to the overall goals of the organisation. Having built up a broad range of experience, I am now much more productive in my role – and much better equipped to handle unusual or difficult situations. In terms of training, I have learned a range of new IT skills, including Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft Access. I have also undertaken an evening course in business administration which has helped to shape the way I work and has given a formal structure to many of the skills I was already developing on a practical basis. I am also now a qualified First Aider.

Question: What sports are you/have you been involved in?

Answer: There’s currently little routine to my life. Business needs are such that I travel very frequently and consequently work irregular hours. This leaves little room for me to participate in any sporting activities. However, I do like to keep myself fit and healthy and, if at all possible, I take the opportunity to go for a walk in the morning before I start work. This helps to wake me up, get some oxygen into my brain and I also use the time to think through the day ahead of me and what it is that I need to achieve. I’m aware that there’s a lot less travel involved in this job so this means I may have more opportunity in the future to play tennis again.

Question: Do you know what the current headline news is?

Answer: I like to keep abreast of current affairs – mainly via the BBC News website, which gives me a thorough, but balanced, overview. The major news at the moment remains the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. It’s a tragic situation and it’s very hard to see what the long-term solution is going to be, so deep-rooted are the problems.

Question: How quickly can you adapt to a new work environment?

Answer: I believe I’m very good at adapting to changes in my circumstances. While every organisation is different and no two jobs I’ve had have ever been the same, the core requirements of my role don’t change. I appreciate that there will inevitably be new procedures that I need to absorb and adhere to – and it also takes time to forge positive working relationships with new colleagues. However, I don’t anticipate it taking very long at all before I’m fully up to speed and making a major contribution. When I took up my current role, I’d been with my previous employers for more than five years. It was clearly a major change for me. I nevertheless settled in very quickly, got to know my colleagues and to understand the way the organisation worked – and I already felt quite at home before the end of my first month.

Question: Would it be a problem if we asked you to work overtime/evenings/weekends?

Answer: I’m reasonably flexible and if business needs are such that it would be advantageous for me to worker longer hours – and even weekends – then, depending on my other commitments, I would certainly be prepared to do so. However, I would hope that this would be the exception rather than the rule. I do believe in a life outside of work and, while my job is clearly very important to me, I would generally like to keep my working hours within normal bounds. In my current role I have had to put in some overtime during especially busy periods – and I have had no objections to doing so. However, I am efficient and productive and I generally manage to complete my work without having to resort to overtime.

Question: What is your current salary package?

Answer: -I currently have a basic salary of £32,200 with a Ford Mondeo company car. I also receive an annual bonus; this year it was £2,500. While my remuneration is clearly important, it’s most certainly not the only deciding factor in my choice of a new job and a new employer. Continuing my professional development within a suitably challenging role is also very important to me.

Question: What salary package are you expecting for this role?

Answer: The opportunities I’m currently pursuing generally involve salary packages between £35K and £40K and I am comfortable with this range. While the salary on offer won’t necessarily be the deciding factor in my choice, I am naturally keen to achieve a position which offers nearer the high end of this scale – a package which best reflects my worth.

Question: When would you be available to start?

Answer: My current contract stipulates a notice period of four weeks but I fortunately have 10 days’ leave available to me which effectively reduces my notice period to just two weeks. On receipt of a firm job offer I would intend to resign immediately from my current position and conceivably start my new role just two weeks later.

Question: Do you mind if we contact your current employer for a reference?

Answer: I understand the importance of references and would be delighted for you to have a word with my referees – I’m confident they’ll be very supportive of my application. However, because my decision to change jobs is quite a sensitive issue – particularly with regard to my current employer – I would of course prefer if we could leave the issue of referees until such time as we might be discussing a firm job offer.
Source: www.cvcentre.co.uk re-posted by Abdulgafar Esho (www.econsforumnews.blogspot.com) Author: James Innes

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