Interview Strategies 3.3 Common interview questions 3

Here are a few of the most common interview questions with advice on how to approach
them.

1. Why do you want to leave your current job?

Interviewers ask this question to find out what is important to you in a job and how you cope with undesirable situations. They also want to know if you are leaving (or if you left) for a good reason.

Select professional rather than personal reasons. Try to be positive, even if you are leaving your current job due to negative experiences.

Don’t criticize your current employer. Keep your answer short.

Useful language:

• Recently, it has become clear to me that…
• The opportunities to grow my expertise are limited in my current position.
• I’ve learned a lot in my current role, but I’m looking for an opportunity that provides more…
• While I’ve gained important skills in my current role, like…. and…, I want to focus more on…
• I’m looking for a new opportunity that doesn’t exist at my current company.
• I’ve come to a point where there are no longer growth opportunities on my team.
• I am interested in learning more about…
• I’ve enjoyed working with a great group of people at my current employer, but this current opportunity offers me…

NOTE: If you are not currently employed and

a. you were let go (fired):

• Looking back, I can understand that my former employer and I had different expectations about my role and the direction I needed to take.
• I realize there are some things that I could have done differently.

b. you were laid off:

• Unfortunately, I was impacted by company restructuring. This meant that…
• I was laid off from my last position when our department was closed down as a result of corporate restructuring.

2. What do you consider to be your biggest professional achievement?

Interviewers ask this question in order to understand what your values are, how you view success, if you have the desired soft skills and if you have ambition and the drive to succeed.

Although it is important not to be arrogant, you should not be too humble when answering this question. It is an opportunity to let you show the interviewer that you are the best person for the job.

Try to choose a recent example if possible. It should be something that had an impact on your career. Give specific details. Be honest in your answer.

Useful language:

• My greatest professional achievement was…
• So far, my greatest professional accomplishment has been…
• I have had many achievements in my career, but a recent one was when…
• This experience taught me…
• As a result of this…

3. What is your management style?

Interviewers ask this question in order to see whether you can be an effective leader. They can ask this question even if you aren’t interviewing for a management position.

Like the previous question, when answering this one, you need to be confident without sounding arrogant.

Try to show that you are flexible and believe in teamwork and helping people develop.

A good strategy to follow is to:

1. Define what you think good management means.

2. Add something about your personal approach and try to match it with the requirements of the current position.

3. Give an example.

Useful language:

• There are many management styles out there.
• In general, I think a good manager…
• For me, the best approach to management is…
• I see good management as…
• I try to embody this style.
• I don’t have one rigid management style. Rather,…
• I try to adapt my management style to meet the needs of my team.

4. How do you handle stress and pressure?

The interviewer wants to know how you react to job-related stress and how you cope with stressful situations in the course of your work.

You need to provide specific examples of how you have handled stress effectively in the past. It is worth mention that you find some stress to be a motivating factor in your job and how it can actually help you to work more productively.

Don’t say that you never get stressed or that you try to avoid stress. This could actually be counter-productive.

Useful language:

• I don't like to let stress take over a situation. Instead,…
• I've found that a healthy amount of stress motivates me to…
• I try to react to situations rather than to stress.
• I actually work better under pressure.
• Stress can be a big motivator for me.
• From a personal perspective, I manage extra stress by…