English Interview: widely-asked questions and responses

Let's consider the 11 widely-asked questions during English interviews and find out possible answers to them.

1. Tell me about yourself.

• I’m really energetic, and a great communicator. Working in sales for two years helped me to build confidence and taught me the importance of customer loyalty.
• I am punctual, dependable and can be counted upon to finish what I start.
• I understand my customers’ needs.
• I consider myself hardworking / reliable / dependable / helpful / outgoing / organised / honest/ cooperative.

When answering this question, immediately highlight your strengths and undeniable advantages compared to other candidates. Focus on your notable achievements in your professional field, successful work experience, and avoid providing dry biographical information. Speak confidently and to the point about your qualifications, experience, enthusiasm, and responsibility.

2. Why did you leave your previous job?

• I’ve learned a lot from my current role, but now I’m looking for a new challenge, to broaden my horizons and to gain a new skill-set – all of which I see the potential for in this job.
• I’m looking forward to better opportunity to grow in job wise and financial wise. I want to learn more things, where am working.
• I’m looking for a job where I can grow with the company.
• I’m looking for a job that suits my qualifications.
• I was laid off / made redundant, because the company relocated / downsized / needed to cut costs. 

Mentioning that your boss is a fool who doesn't understand anything simply firing you would be considered inappropriate in an interview. Instead, state that you left your previous position because you were seeking a more challenging role, a higher salary, and the opportunity to fulfill your talents and ambitions.

3. What are you currently doing?

• My work is important to me, so instead of rushing to accept the first thing that comes my way, I’m taking my time and being selective to make sure my next role is the right one.
• I am working on several freelance projects, while actively job seeking.
• I’m spending time being a stay-at-home mom and volunteering at my daughter's school.
• I’m taking some continuing education classes and seminars.

Note that in addition to actively looking for a job, you still have enough to do: it can be attending various training courses, obtaining a new education, repairs, long trips, travel, etc.

4. What do you find most rewarding about being in sales (marketing, HR and so on)?

• I really enjoy making contacts, and spending time talking with people. The most rewarding part of being in sales, for me, is the time spent with customers, helping them make the right decision about a product.
• I’m a people person. I was always happiest – and most satisfied – when I was interacting with customers, making sure I was able to meet their needs and giving them the best possible customer experience.
• I'd like to stay in a field related to training no matter what happens. I was too interested in business to work at a university, but I believe that teaching is somehow in my blood. I've been good at sales because I took the time to educate my clients. Now I look forward to training the new hires.

Include as much information as possible in your answer. The HR specialist is interested in your ability to speak the same language in the team, great interest in working in this position, and motivation. Emphasize that you indeed like what you do or are going to do;  leave positive feedback about your previous workplace.

5. What are your strengths/weaknesses?
Strength: 

• I believe my strongest trait is my attention to detail. This trait has helped me tremendously in this field of work.
• I've always been a great team player. I'm good at keeping a team together and producing quality work in a team environment.
• I'm an adaptable person. I work for three different managers, they have very different management styles and expectations of me. I am able to adjust my approach to meet each of their needs.

During the interview, you would have an advantage if instead of "I don't want to praise myself, let someone from my environment say about me", you immediately highlight the qualities that are valued for this position in the company.  That is, talk about your professionalism, reliability, and desire to achieve the desired result for the company.

Weaknesses: 

• I’ve never been very comfortable with public speaking – which as you know, can be a hindrance in the workplace. Realizing this was a problem, I asked my previous employer if I could enroll in a speech workshop. He said “yes.” I took the class, and was able to overcome my lifelong fear. Since then, I’ve given lots of presentations to audiences of over a 100 high level executives – I still don’t love it, but no one else can tell!
• I have had trouble in the past with planning and prioritization. However, I'm now taking steps to correct this. I just started using a pocket planner.
• I might need to learn to be more flexible when things are not going according to plan. This is something I’m working on at the moment.
• I’m a perfectionist and I may be too hard on myself or my co-workers sometimes.

At the interview, you should NOT convince the HR manager that you don't know a lot, can't do it, and so on.  Mention a couple of your weaknesses at the interview, sugarcoat them a bit though: "striving to do everything on time and with quality, I can take on several things at once, but I'm working on it; I am too hard on myself and others".

6. Tell me about a difficult situation you have faced?

• In my last job I sometimes had to find answers to IT questions. I would often go on the Internet and look for blogs on the topic I needed to learn about. I enjoy learning new things, so research is actually one of my hobbies.
• I have faced a number of difficult situations, but the one that comes to mind now is.. (describe the situation). I was able to deal with it by assessing the situation, determining the possible different approaches and deciding on the most effective one. I had to remain unemotional and objective and focused on a solution.

This question is about difficulties in professional life, not in personal life. In fact, during an interview, the manager prefers to know how you "rise after falling" and the way you continue to behave, as well as what you really consider to be failures.

7. Where do you see yourself in 3-5 years from now?

• Although it is hard to predict the future, I sincerely believe that I will become a very good financial consultant. I believe that my abilities will allow me to excel to the point that I can seek other opportunities as a portfolio manager (the next step) and possibly even higher.
• In five years I see myself as a valued employee of a company. I want to be an expert at my position and start training to be a manager.
• My goal is to become a lead in five years. Although not everyone gets promoted to this level, I believe I can achieve this goal through hard work.

"How come I know that life is unpredictable?". Responses like these will only showcase your passivity and lack of initiative. You'd  better share your career goals and plans for professional growth, thus demonstrating your desire for success and the effort you're willing to make in order to achieve it. 

8. Why should we hire you?

• I am a fast learner, I had to learn a totally new operating system in my last job and I was up and running within a couple of weeks.
• You require someone who can perform a wide range of administrative duties. I have a track record of carrying out these different tasks efficiently and successfully.
• I have the right combination of skills and experience for this job. I also bring the additional quality of strong analytical and problem solving ability as shown by my introduction of a more efficient work flow system at ABC Company.

Demonstrate your persuasive skills. You possess all the necessary skills, knowledge, and experience to be a valuable employee of the company – don't be shy about it. 

9. Do you have any questions?

• Do you have any examples of projects that I would be working on if I were to be offered the job?
• What is the typical day for this position (job)?
• Does the company offer in-house training to staff? 
• Who would I report to? Who would I be working closely with?
• Are there any benefits your company offers its employees?
• When will I get an answer? How soon can I start?

Needless to say, there are some questions! Never claim in an interview that you completely understand everything. Instead, inquire about why the previous employee left this position, what qualities the new employee should possess to become part of the team, and what a typical workday in the company looks like. Find out all possible unclear details.

10. What are your salary expectations?

• I’m more interested in the role itself than the pay.
• I am currently earning $..., I would obviously like to better that figure but my main interest is the actual position.
• I am interested in finding a job that is a good fit for me. I'm sure whatever salary you're paying is consistent with the rest of the market.

Either overestimating or underestimating your worth won't be unprofessional. It's advisable to find out about the salary range for a similar position in the job market and declare a slightly higher number than you are willing to accept. Alternatively, you can provide a salary range, indicating the minimum and maximum you are prepared to consider.

11. Are you married? (questions about children and so on).

• I'd prefer to stay on track with job-related issues rather than personal ones.
• Yes I am. My work is very important to me, though, so I make sure nothing interferes with my giving 100% to my job. I can travel and work weekends when necessary.
• I do intend to have children, but not for several years, and when I do, my leave would be very short.

You won't have to reveal secrets.  On the contrary, one of the reasons why an HR manager asks such a question is your ability to defend your private territory and how you can avoid discussing unwanted topics.

In addition to the standard interview questions, you may be asked to undergo an assessment of your abilities and knowledge, including taking IQ tests. However, be prepared that you might need to find answers to questions such as:

• What's your zodiac sign?
• What would you change about this room?
• What animal do you associate yourself with?

When responding confidently and to the point, remember that during the interview, your gestures and facial expressions as well as the pitch and tone of your voice are being closely observed.