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What questions to ask at an interview. Interview Techniques

Interview questions are often not as simple as we might think, and if we answer even one of them incorrectly, we risk not getting the job.

Why are we telling all this? So that you are ready to read between the lines.

Below are the most famous and insidious 7 questions for a candidate that HR managers quite often ask during interviews. Grintern will decipher their secret meaning and teach you how to answer correctly in order to pass the interview with flying colors and surely get the desired position.

1. “TELL ABOUT YOURSELF”

What is HR actually asking:
“How do your education, work experience, and career aspirations relate to the position you are applying for?”

How to answer:
Choose keywords in job and education information that shows you are a perfect fit for the company. For example, a graduate may say: “I went to such and such a university, received such and such an education there and completed an internship at such and such a company. During my internship, I did this and that (listing your accomplishments that match the job description), and as a result, my desire to develop in this field only grew stronger.”

2. “WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 5 YEARS?”

What is the subtext of this question:
“Does this job fit your future career goals? Do you have any career plans at all?”

How to answer:
Under no circumstances should you say that you DO NOT know (even if you really don’t know) and DO NOT focus on your personal life (it’s great that you want to tie the knot and have a couple of kids, but that’s not important right now ). Show the employer that you have thought (more than once) about your career path and your goals in the profession coincide with this vacancy.

3. “WHAT ARE YOUR BIGGEST WEAKNESSES?”

What do they mean:
“Are you capable of introspection? Do you know what you need to improve and do you plan to improve?”

How to answer:
A good answer would be a story from your life in which you really changed for the better. For example, a former boss told you that you need to work on your self-presentation. Remember this fact, then tell the employer how you corrected this defect. Avoid phrases that can be intimidating (“I don’t like working with people”) or clichés (“I’m a perfectionist and work very hard”).

4. “WHAT MOTIVATES YOU?”

What they ask:
"You are workaholic? Will I have to make an effort to get quality work from you?"

How to answer:
The ideal employee motivates himself, so tell the HR manager that you are inspired by the process of achieving a goal, working in a team and/or by developing your skills. Provide an example that could support your words. Also, DO NOT tell your employer that you are motivated by praise. material values or fear of punishment, even if this is the case.

5. “TELL ME ABOUT YOUR FAILURE.”

What is meant:
“How do you react to failure? Do you learn from your mistakes? How quickly do you recover?

How to answer:
This is a question about your weaknesses, i.e. you must show how you turned your negative experience instructive and what conclusions did you draw? Don't say you've never made a mistake (it will sound at least crazy), but don't say things that might scare you away, like “I failed a drug test once...”.

6. “WHY DO YOU WANT TO WORK HERE?”

The real question is:
“Are you sincerely interested in getting a job at this particular company?”

How to answer:
The purpose of your answer is to show how you and the company align in your philosophy and skills. The most important thing is to clearly demonstrate to the recruiter how both parties, you and the company, will benefit if you are hired for a vacant position.

7. “HOW MANY SOFAS IN THE COUNTRY?”

And between the lines:
“Are you smart? Can you handle the pressure on you? Can you think under critical conditions?

How to answer:
If you're faced with an absurd question like this, it's important not to appear caught off guard. Resist the urge to say that the subject of discussion is stupid or unimportant, but rather think about it out loud. For example, when answering this question, you can talk about how many people are in the country, where these sofas can be located, etc.

Now practice your answers on a couple of friends and analyze their conclusions.

To paraphrase famous aphorism, then we can say: whoever has the information controls the interview situation.

Before you go to the office, find out:

with whom you will talk: with the boss, the head of the HR department or his ordinary employee;
interview format (group or individual, question-answer or self-presentation);
dress code and things you need to have with you (documents, gadgets, etc.);
how to get there (being late is unacceptable).

The company website or a call to the office will help you find out.

Map out answers to common questions

Interviews when applying for a job are of the same type and at the same time not similar to each other. Many people have heard about stressful interviews, where they can suddenly start shouting at the applicant in order to unsettle him. There are also so-called case interviews: the applicant is placed in certain circumstances (for example, a conversation with a dissatisfied client) and observed how he solves the problem.

It is not always possible to find out what type of interview is preferred in a particular company, so you need to be prepared for anything.

To do this, make a card with answers to typical questions and requests (they are asked in 99.9% of cases):

top 5 of your main advantages;
what are you good at;
strategic directions of self-development;
proposals for the company's work;
your life and work philosophy;
your short and long term goals;
unusual problems that you had to solve.

You should also prepare in advance a list of topics that you would like to discuss with the HR manager.

Interpret the employer's questions

"A" doesn't always mean "A", and two and two don't always mean four. Recruiters sometimes ask insidious questions, where behind a simple wording lies a cunning plan - to force the applicant to say more than he should.

A simple question: “What salary would you like to receive?” But the answer helps the interviewer understand your motivation: money, social security, work schedule, etc. If you are asked whether you have had conflicts with management and how you resolved them, then most likely the HR manager wants to know whether you are inclined to take responsibility or are accustomed to shifting it to others.

There are many tricky questions. You need to be able to see the “double bottom” (without fanaticism!).

Think about your nonverbal behavior

HR managers are people, not automatons. They, like everyone else, pay attention to non-verbal signs: appearance, facial expressions, gait, gestures, etc. An experienced professional may be rejected only because he behaved incorrectly.

Think about your body language in advance. If you habitually jerk your leg out of excitement, then sit cross-legged. If you tap your fingers on the table, try using something to occupy your hands, such as a ballpoint pen.

HR managers are people, not automatons. They understand that you are worried. But naturalness in nonverbal communication will increase your credibility.

Set taboos on certain topics

“Tell me about yourself,” asks the interviewer. “I was born on April 2, 1980 (according to the horoscope Taurus). In his youth he played football and was captain of the city team. Then he graduated from the institute…” - if the applicant’s story is something like this, he won’t see the position like his ears.

There are things that are absolutely uninteresting to an employer and that in no way characterize you as a professional. In the example given, this is the year of birth (this can be read in the resume), zodiac sign and sporting achievements.

There are topics that you need to taboo for yourself:

summary summary;
personal life goals(buy a house, have children, etc.);
reputation of the company and its employees;
skills and experience unrelated to future work(I cook well, understand plumbing, etc.);
failures that demonstrate incompetence.

Just as you made a plan of what you will talk about, write down and remember the topics to ignore. Also think about how to answer correctly if you are asked about it.

Contemplate to calm down

An interview is a nerve-wracking affair. You can forget your name, not to mention demonstrating your business skills.

To calm down, look around. Inspect the office, equipment, employees. The details will tell you a lot about the company where you are going to work, and their analysis will help normalize your nervous system.

Taking a critical look at the firm and future colleagues can enhance feelings self-importance. Remember: the company needs a good employee as much as you need a good job.

Take the initiative

In an interview, as a rule, there comes a moment when the interviewer and interviewee change places and the applicant has the opportunity to ask questions that interest him.

Don’t waste time on useless “Will you call me or should I call you back?”, “Why is this position open?” and so on. Show yourself as a proactive employee. Ask:

Does the company have any current problem? How do you think I can help you?
Could you describe what you envision as an ideal candidate for this position?
What advice would you give to someone starting to work at your company?

There are also a number of questions that are not recommended to be asked. You can tell which ones by clicking on the button below.

Following these tips will prepare you for your interview and increase your chances of getting hired.

Any extras? Write them in the comments.

Career in the IT industry

At the end of the interview, the recruiter usually asks each candidate if there are any questions. People often get lost and don't find what to ask. And only after some time (often when a person is already working in a company) questions arise of their own accord that should have been asked about in advance, rather than taking a pig in a poke and wondering “How did I get here? Where was I looking? Why didn’t I think about this? This is the so-called “staircase effect”. I have prepared a cheat sheet so that you, %habrauser%, are not at a loss.

General

1. Work schedule and can it be moved?
I love to sleep. But at my last job, the “work morning” started at 7:30. Not only was I quite often unable to arrive at this time, but I spent half a day trying to get myself into working shape. Somewhere before 10:00. From 10:30 to 11:30 I worked hard. Then there was lunch. And then I wanted to sleep and not work, because... I haven't gotten enough sleep since this morning. Needless to say, instead of the 8 hours for which the employer hired me, I worked in the “flow” for only 3-4 hours. So you need to decide for yourself the question - when am I most productive? And discuss the work schedule with management. And one more nuance. Try to fix the discussed schedule in employment contract or a contract (hereinafter referred to as TD), if the employer agrees to a personal work schedule for you. No verbal agreements. Otherwise, they will start twisting your hands while you are working (as happened to me).

2. Dress code?
Here I think no explanation is needed.

3. Vacation?
If you change jobs before the summer, the issue of vacation may suddenly arise. Moreover, if one of the family members has already “staken out” a vacation from their job. Employers are reluctant to give vacations in the first six months or even give them only after a year. But if you really need it, you can bargain. The main thing is not to forget to remember this at the interview. The agreement must be recorded in the TD.

4. Business trips?
Some people love it, some don't. But when business trips last for 2-3 months, this must be immediately clarified at the interview and taken into account.

5. Payment for processing?
If there is a provision on compensation for overtime, please show it. Usually this clause is included in the collective agreement, but compensation is rarely paid in reality. But here you can’t put a straw in it, and you’ll only find out when you jump into the pool with your head.

6. Can I bring personal devices?
Question about both the access mode and working with them (if you are a developer mobile applications). The court also has the following question:

7. Are devices provided for use or for work?
At our work, managers were given a working iPad and laptop. A nice bonus I must say.

8. VHI – additional medical insurance?
What does it include? Check with your dentist. Some companies do not include dentistry in their VHI package. People then get upset when they have to pay their hard-earned money.

9. Non-disclosure agreement?
Whether there is a? What does it include?

10. Is training paid for by the company?
Every year, or more often, lists of courses are compiled to which employees can be sent to improve their skills. You can ask what courses you can take this year. Does the company pay for them? And how much will they cost you personally? For example, there is a practice of demanding that you work for a company for some time or that you receive a refund of the money the company spent on you. You might also be interested in this practice. But here they can lie to you.

11. Employee parking?

12. In what rubles is the salary paid - domestic or foreign?

13. Work from home?
Is it possible? Are there people who work like this?

14. Is there a job description?
The employer really likes to assign non-core work to ordinary employees. Delegation, so to speak. But no one will tell you about this in advance. They may send you to refill cartridges or repair your printer. "Tyzhprogrammer"! This is especially popular in small companies. Be puzzled job description worth it, because This is a document according to which you do not have the right to be assigned additional responsibilities that are not specified in it. However, each instruction contains the following paragraph: “follow instructions from management.” It all depends on your quarrelsomeness.

15. Office?
Open space or offices. Do you have the furniture and equipment so you can go out on Monday and start working? No need to listen to the recruiter here! Here you need:

16. Ask to see your future workplace?
A wonderful offer may suddenly turn out to be a windowless room in the basement, without furniture, without a computer, or an open space buzzing like a hornet's nest. If they don’t want to show you a place, this is a reason to be wary and insist. On the way there and back, you can talk with your future colleagues and ask about questions that the recruiter might have lied to you about. For example, regarding overtime, etc.

17. Feedback on the vacancy?
Actually, deadlines and nothing more.

18. About the resume?
You can also ask about improving your resume. What caught the recruiter's attention, and where does it need to be improved?

Salary

In addition to trading about the rate and premium, do not forget about:

19. Probation period?
For what period? What is the salary for this period? Is it possible to review based on the results of the probationary period?

20. Advanced training?
This point is about certification and taking courses. I think you want not only to hang a piece of paper in a frame on the wall, but also to feel the heaviness in your wallet from the increase. This issue can also be discussed in advance. If the employer is not interested in your professional growth, then should you be interested in him?

21. Indexation and revision of salaries?
The recruiter usually talks about this quite well himself, but he may forget.

22. Bank card?
Can I use my bank account to transfer salaries? At my last job, I ran like this every month - shifting! This is because the bank, on whose cards the money was credited by the employer, had only 20 ATMs in a city with a population of one million.

23. Prize?
It depends on what factors and when it is calculated (quarterly or monthly).

Labour Organization

24. Provision of HW and SW by employer and use of HW and SW by employer?
How many monitors are you talking about? Give me two. Are you using NetBeans or Eclipse, what if I work on IDEA? What are your servers running on? On Windows Server? Are you using rar or zip? Thank you, goodbye, it was nice chatting! Here you can ask about electronic document management(in my former company he was a rare disgusting thing!). Where does communication and correspondence take place? Can I use my own PC or my own software? Is it possible to bring pets to work? Whether there is a kindergarten for children - to grow up in a corporate environment :-)?

25. Organization structure?
You can ask for a diagram of the organization’s structural divisions and show where your place will be. Thus, you can easily calculate how many bosses you will have (I had 7 of them at one time). One may be puzzled by the question: who does architecture and analytics? But these questions are not suitable for outsourcing companies, where everything is extremely simple and clear - team, team lead, architect, testers, project management, management and service (accounting, etc.).

By vacancy

26. Re-opened or not?
Here we are getting closer and closer to talking about projects and your direct activities. This vacancy is an expansion of staff for an existing project, recruitment for a new one, plugging a hole in the staff (after all, “a holy place is never empty” is the motto of semi-state offices and the kites revolving around them). If a vacancy has opened due to dismissal, you can ask why the previous employee quit. It all depends on the sincerity of the recruiter. And you won’t be able to protect yourself from frustration here.

27. What problem does the vacancy solve?
Jobs are opened for a reason, but in order to eliminate some need. This is the need you need to try to find out. What specific problem does the employer have that requires only your help? For example, there are not enough people. We need professionals with certain qualifications or knowledge. There is a need to increase team productivity, etc.

Project

Conversation directly about your future work with your future supervisor.

28. Tell us about the project?
When did it start? What stage is it at? What technologies are used in the project? What technologies are planned to be added to the project? How many people are involved in the project? Customer/monetization? Asking for a short speech about the project (let them dodge like startupers :-) is not all you need to sweat at the interview). What happens if funding stops tomorrow? Is it possible to ask for another project over time? What code will you have to work with (legacy/new) and how much can it be changed? Are you hiring for support or development?

29. What can I write in 2-4 years on my resume?
This is very important question, thanks to which things can turn out about you good impression as a candidate with potential! If the answer to it is vague or something like “You can write the following: I worked at Horns and Hooves LLC, I gained enormous experience working with horns and hooves,” then the question needs to be clarified: What platforms and technologies are used? Are Agile/Scrum/DevOps or other methodologies used? Continuous integration tools, VCS, TDD, what is used by Project Management, what is used for Bug-tracking.

30. What won’t I write on my resume, but will it make my life easier/complicated?
When and who writes tests? Is there a test team? How testing is carried out: unit tests and blackbox tests. Is there a code review?

31. SW versions?
Another important issue to take into account. For example, who in 2 years will need java 6 if version 9 or even 10 is already released. The same goes for frameworks.

When all the questions have been asked, do not forget to ask to be taken to your future workplace.

Phew. There were a lot of questions. And answering all the questions will take a lot of time. If you wish, you can forward these questions to the recruiter and ask them to answer these questions via email. But personally I wouldn't do that. Firstly, the logic is as follows - “they want to hire me, they’re wasting my time on an interview, let them spend a little of theirs.” Secondly, if you asked so many questions to a recruiter, manager or future colleague, you will get the impression that you are a candidate who is really interested in this vacancy. And this is better than a much vague answer to the recruiter’s hypothetical question “Why do you want to work in our company?” And you will certainly be singled out among other candidates. And this will increase the likelihood of a positive decision on your candidacy.

“Why is the manhole cover round?”, “How many golf balls will fit in the school bus? - these interview questions are asked to candidates for employment in Microsoft company and Google. The employer's goal is to determine the candidate's way of thinking. Domestic leaders also torture their applicants.

Basic interview questions

Interview - important stage employment. Both sides must prepare for this meeting in advance.

Questions for an applicant during an interview

At the first interview, the applicant should be asked a number of general and special issues 1) Work schedule. No matter how interesting the job is (office location, tasks to be solved, team), if the work schedule does not correspond to your biometric clock or daily routine, you should not agree to it. In the first case, labor productivity decreases sharply, and in the second, you will not have time to do household chores. Another question is if this schedule can be moved and agreed in advance with management. 2) Availability of vacation. Before changing jobs, the candidate may already have plans for vacation. According to the law, only after six months of work an employee can go on vacation. If you do not fit into these deadlines, you should immediately discuss this issue with the employer during the interview and fix it in the employment contract. 3) Business trips. The very fact of business trips and their duration must be immediately agreed upon at the interview. 4) Payment for processing. If you have to pay overtime, you should ask in advance how it is paid. There is no way to protect yourself in advance. But make sure there is a provision for compensation in collective agreement, need to. 5) Can I use personal devices or are all devices provided at work? This question is more about access control and working with it. If the company allows you to use your own device, be prepared for the fact that your messages via instant messengers social networks will be tracked without your knowledge. 6) Training at the expense of the company. Large companies annually organize advanced training courses for their employees. Find out what courses and under what conditions you can enroll this year. Typically, a minimum amount of experience in a company and partial payment for classes is required.

Employer questions during an interview

The recruit at the interview will be interested not only general information about the applicant. How do you look at life? How do you deal with problems? Some express a passive position, that there is little joy in their life, all people are evil and, in general, fate is to blame. This indicates that the candidate is not confident in himself, does not trust others and is pessimistic. A person aimed at success expresses a different position: all difficulties are surmountable and a person’s fate is in his hands. What attracts you to this vacancy? The template answer “I want to work in a stable company” is not suitable. It is better to mention the possibility of professional growth in a group of professionals. Why are you worthy of this position? When answering the question, the candidate must clearly and convincingly state his professional advantages. The ability to draw up a sales plan is already the responsibility of an economist, but quickly processing a large amount of information from the sales department is a valuable skill. What are your strengths? The candidate must name the qualities required for the position and support them with facts. If this is “sociability and accuracy,” then you should clarify what exactly they are manifested in and how they influenced achievements at work in the past. Did you have any other job offers? Interest in the candidate will increase if he talks about other offers, but note his interest in this particular job. It is good if the candidate expresses a desire to receive job satisfaction. Not only the moral climate, but also the opportunity to obtain high results from work depends on this. Will your personal life interfere with your work (long working hours, business trips)? If you are willing to work extra hours, then management should know about it. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? People without initiative cannot answer this question. But a purposeful person will talk about his plans in the professional sphere.

Psychological issues and pitfalls when hiring

Psychological tests are carried out when hiring, studying the motivation of employees, their psychological compatibility. Stress testing is carried out to weed out particularly sensitive candidates. How to pass an interview? Testing for an interview is not an appointment with a psychologist. You need to answer clearly, as most people do, and show a minimum of originality, unless you get a job as an art director in a company. Experts recommend answering questions on behalf of the “ideal hero.” To do this, you need to have an image of a candidate who is completely suitable for this position. Design tests are most often carried out according to the Luscher method. You can select the correct answers to questions in advance in the relevant literature. To pass intelligence tests, you need to carefully study the conditions of the study. Even if you don't know the correct answer, you can always try to guess it. To pass professional tests. You must have knowledge and skills in your chosen specialty. Such tasks should not be underestimated. You need to prepare in advance for the knowledge test. To bank and financial institutions For many people, “working in a bank” is associated with financial independence. As in any other area, it has its own specifics. In addition to professional knowledge Good communication skills are also important. Banks are ready to hire people without experience and train them in the specifics of their activities. The candidate comes for an interview and answers a number of general and specific questions regarding his character. The level of stress resistance is determined in practice. You can talk about career growth in just two years successful work. They recruit specialists with different educational backgrounds. Priority is given to persons with economic education. The last stage interviews in large banks is a polygraph test. It happens unexpectedly. The purpose of testing is to obtain confirmation of the information told during the interview. Testing is carried out in several stages. First, the candidate is introduced to how the sensors work. Then he is provided with a list of questions so that he can edit them or exclude some items. Testing begins after the final version of the questions is approved and the subject’s consent to participate in the test is obtained. You only need to answer “yes” or “no”. A vague question can lead to wrong reaction test taker. Answer questions regarding religion, politics, nationality and sexual relations the subject is not obliged. To law enforcement agencies Before you get a job in law enforcement, you should clearly define the vacancy. There is a clear list of requirements for each position, which includes personal qualities and level of professionalism. Candidates who have served in the army or graduated from a military department have more advantages. The key stage in testing unscrupulous employees is a polygraph test. If the test results reveal a tendency to gambling, alcohol or dangerous for environment illness, then you can forget about working in law enforcement agencies. Neither a certificate from a narcologist nor a diploma will save you here. You should not try to deceive the polygraph. The specialist immediately recognizes all attempts to avoid answering and perceives them as a signal that the person has something to hide. The police conduct polygraph tests not only among newcomers, but also among their own employees, starting with the head of the department. Although from a legal point of view these actions are not legalized.

Many questions that are asked to a candidate for a particular position during an interview are key, and the answers to them are given to the employer or a representative of the recruitment agency necessary information about the applicant. Perhaps someone thinks that interviewers are most interested in his education, but this is not always the case.

Are you a worthy candidate?

Sometimes an employer only needs a few words from a potential employee to draw an appropriate conclusion about him. Literally everything is taken into account: the manner of conversation, and the uniqueness and sincerity of the applicant. Secondly, the content of the answer itself is assessed. So, when applying for a job you may be asked:

Tell us a little about yourself? Very often, already at this stage the candidate may have difficulties, so personal information (literally a few of the most important sentences) should be prepared in advance;

Reasons for leaving previous place work? This question is the key one - the answer to it fully reveals the degree of reliability of the candidate, his loyalty and willingness to work in one place for a long time;

Tell us about your experience in the position you are applying for? You should speak clearly about your professional experience, supporting your words with facts. It is worth mentioning completed projects, concluded contracts or attracted clients;

Do you consider yourself successful? Even if you don’t think so, the answer should still be affirmative: yes, I consider myself successful, I always strive to achieve goals and know how to use my advantages. Such self-confidence always has a favorable impression on employers;

Do you know anything about the organization you want to work for? Similar questions are often asked by managers who are particularly concerned about the company’s culture. It is best to prepare for this and study information about your future place of work in advance;

How has your knowledge improved over the past few years? To reinforce your words, it is best to show the interviewer several certificates (if you have them) of completing courses, seminars, trainings or other professional development activities;

Have you applied for similar positions in other organizations? This question should be answered honestly, otherwise the employer will begin to doubt the loyalty of the future employee. Yes, I sent out my resume, but I’m ready to focus on achieving results in this particular company - the ideal answer when applying for a job;

Your expected size wages? In no case can you answer unambiguously. It is best to ask what limits you can make a claim, and also ask the interviewer about his proposal. Otherwise, a good answer would be a certain range “from ... to ....”;

Tell us how you can benefit the organization? The most successful question for an applicant when applying for a job, as it allows you to talk about your business qualities, professional skills and abilities. A great chance to present yourself from the most advantageous side - and try not to miss it. No platitudes - work overtime or become part of a team. Everything is only positive and active - to lead, attract, surpass or improve;

Is there anything annoying about the people around you? Be very careful: the employer does not want to hear about overly talkative colleagues or a picky former boss. A good answer can only be given after some thought - and this answer is no;

Do you have any questions? Necessarily! when applying for a job, they must be carefully thought out and written down. It’s good if they relate to the prospects for the development of the organization, your own career growth employee or the projects he will have to deal with. This is what will help the employer evaluate you as an interested and proactive candidate, and make a positive decision to hire you.

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