3 Common interview questions to expect in today's job market

Navigating the interview process can be daunting and while you can't pre-empt every interview question, you can prepare responses for many common ones. An interview is your perfect opportunity to demonstrate your interest in the position, showcase your career achievements and highlight the value you can bring if appointed.

Here are 3 interview questions you can expect in today’s job market. The following tips are designed to enable you to maximise your chances and increase confidence throughout the interview process.

1. Tell me about yourself or talk me through your CV

Whilst this may feel like a casual question as part of an ice breaker or during a pre-screening process with a recruiter or hiring manager,  your answer is the first opportunity to create a positive impression, so it definitely is worth preparing for.  You should be able to discuss all aspects of your CV or career to date. The interviewer will ask this question to get a rounded sense of who you are and your experience and how you might fit into the team and organisation. Your answer needs to be thought about in advance and be structured and to the point.

Tip

Read through your cv and re familiarise yourself with the content. Spend 5 – 7 minutes talking through your career history out loud and time yourself. Focus on the skills and experience relevant for the job in question and ensure you highlight relevant achievements. Most employers will want to understand more about your more recent experience, so focus on the last 10-15 years in your career history. If your CV has gone to an employer via a recruiter, always ask to see a copy of the CV that they have sent in case it has been changed in any way.

2. Why do you want to work for this company?

Any potential employer is looking for a genuine interest in them as a company and what they do. This is a perfect opportunity to showcase the due diligence you have completed in preparation for the interview, which should include what you understand about their business strategy, clients, performance, competitors and industry challenges as you may find these areas are explored during the process.

Tip

Use a range of sources to search for information (not just the company website), use reliable online news, trade press sources alongside social media and key contacts in your network. Areas to research include:

• What do they do? - Understand their products, services and the industry they operate in.
• Who are their clients? - Sectors they come from, examples of specific clients, understanding of why they buy.
• Who do they compete with? - Company names, market share, anecdotes about how they compete.
• What current news or economic issues affect the company? - Identify appropriate market intelligence and industry news.
• Who are the key people? – Research the interviewers and key stakeholders up to and including the executive teams via LinkedIn.

An important factor is to research the companies’ values and culture too. Understanding the company culture will also help determine if you’ll be happy and productive in that environment but also demonstrate how your values, work style and professional goals align with those of the organisation, being a key reason why you want to work for them.

3. Why shouldn’t we hire you?

This question keeps coming up in some form so prepare for it. The interviewer wants to see self-awareness and that you have a good understanding of the role’s requirements and where there may be a skills gap. Not every company or interviewer will be so blunt. This question could be phrased, what are your areas for development? Or are there any aspects of the job you may require further support or training?

Tip

Consider any aspect of the role where you may lack experience and focus on how you would acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to become more proficient. Alternatively, identify a past weakness, explain how you overcame it and highlight your development in that area. This shows your proactive approach to self-improvement and helps employers anticipate how you might handle similar situations in the future.

Further considerations

Whilst you may have prepared lots of fantastic examples of achievements and where you have added value, also consider examples of difficult situations too. Employers may also challenge you on these negative experiences, such as poor decisions, projects that didn’t go to plan or when you were unable to achieve a positive outcome.  Employers are interested in how you learn from your mistakes. Your ability to reflect on past experiences and apply those lessons to future situations is valuable and demonstrates self-awareness, honesty and integrity too.