Welcome to Greg Langstaff's Job Search Mini-Blogs, where I give you a quick burst of awesome advice so you can get what you need and go continue being your awesome self.
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There are three very common interview questions that no one seems to quite know how to answer. Keep these tips in mind as you prepare your answers and you'll rock these questions!
1- Tell us about yourself
Possibly the most ambiguous interview question of all time. What the interviewer wants to hear about at the major transition points in your life that led you to be interested in this field of work.
A condensed example: I studied Creative Writing in school and I became the Communications Director of Creative Arts Students Association, which I really enjoyed. So I took a post-grad certificate in corporate communications and I've loved this kind of work ever since.
2- Why are you interested in this position?
This is a two part question and most new professionals make the mistake of answering one or the other. The parts are; a) why do you want to work at this organization, and b) why do you want to do the work required of this position.
A condensed example: I've always admired McDonald’s commitment to philanthropy and I had a friend who stayed at the Ronald McDonald House when she was young so I've seen first hand the positive impact your organization has. I feel the sponsorship partnership coordinator position is a great fit with the skills I developed as the Community Outreach Chair on my school’s Relay for Life Committee.
3- Tell us about a weakness of yours
Don't tell them a weakness. Tell them something you used to be bad at but have gotten better at. Then tell them how you got better and the result of your improvement.
A condensed example: I used to have trouble with difficult conversations and the cashier team I supervise had a bunch of tension I didn't know how to deal with. So I signed up for a Difficult Conversations webinar online and I applied the skills I learned there to help the team resolve the personal conflicts we were having.
Need help finding your excellent answers to these and other common questions? Reach out and I'll make you a master interviewer.