So you’ve got the call, you’ve prepared for it, and here you are.

Your Job Interview.

Now what?

Here are a few typical questions you may get asked during the interview. Hopefully you’ve practiced answers to these questions a long time ago and now you’re ready.

Question: Tell me about yourself.

An annoying question, since it’s totally open. It’s a good thing to remember that your interviewer won’t care about your family, childhood and love-life. Keep it simple- briefly cover your education and training (what makes you qualified to work here), past experience, and focus on the skills and characteristics that will make you the right choice for this job.

Short example: Well, I’m currently studying Computer Science at the University of Waterloo, I’ve held a few coop positions with companies such as Microsoft Canada where I learned a lot about programming and software engineering. I’m a highly motivated fast-learner with demonstrated communication and technical skills, which I feel makes me a great fit for this position.

Question: Why did your leave your last job?

This isn’t your place to complain about a job you didn’t like. Throw something as positive yet truthful as you can find. Good examples are: you’ve learned all you could from that position, you’ve advanced as much as you can, etc. If you can, add something about why the experience with the new company should be better- something about how a conflict of interests taught you it’s important to compromise.

oLahav’s no-no: “You can probably guess how I answered this one. I talked all about how my supervisor was a jerk and kept fighting with me about every stupid detail of my last job. That gave the impression that I wasn’t a team player and couldn’t take criticism, and it made me looked really bad”.

Question: What are your long term goals?

The purpose of this question is to determine whether you fit the company’s long term vision (unless it’s a temporary position), which is important since companies nowadays don’t want to waste resources on employees likely to leave soon. You may want to discuss further training or possibilities for advancing in your position if it’s applicable, but keep in mind what the position is- if there’s no room to advance, it’s better to say you rather become excellent at what you do.

Example: I hope to become very good at being a bank teller. I intend to get some night-schooling and improve upon my existing leadership and management skills so that I may advance to the position of Assistant Branch Manager in the long run, where I hope I’ll be able to utilize more of my knowledge and experience.

Question: Describe a problem or an obstacle you’ve faced and how you handled the situation.

This can be a tough question, especially if you don’t have much experience. Interviewers are specifically looking for problem-solving, critical thinking skills here. You can choose any problem you want, even something as general as not having enough time to study while working, the important thing is your solution. Presenting and explaining the methodical reasoning that led you to reach your solution to the situation is the best response.

oLahav’s no-no: “The problem I talked about was an argument I had with my supervisor at work (the same one from before!). Not a good thing to start with, but my solution was even worse- I complained to the Assistant Manager who then solved the issue. That’s it, no thinking from me whatsoever. Another opportunity to answer a questions well, missed. If I only read this before I’ve done it!”

Thanks for reading! Lesson 3 will involve even more interview questions.

Good Luck Landing the Job!