This is a guideline to help you excel at your interview.  You already have a stellar resume, its time to show the interviewer these skills in person. In order to do this you’ll need to prepare answers to popular interview questions ahead of time & rehearse them thoroughly.

You never know what questions you’ll be asked at a interview, read through this guide to get yourself prepared for some questions you’ll likely see.

Check out part 2 of our guide for the answers to more advanced interview questions.

Why should I hire you? Why should i remember you?

Summarize your skills and why they match the position you are interviewing for. Point out any unique attributes you may have and how they help you as an employee.

Have at least 3 reasons and examples prepared to answer questions like these, you should be able to sell your self with your examples and enthusiasm.

See why practice is so important

Review your research into the company to show your commitment and that you are serious about the position  Speak enthusiastically and show them why you deserve the job.

What is your greatest strength?  Greatest weakness?  What do you offer to the job?

Prepare 3 strengths and 3 weaknesses beforehand. Prepare specific examples to talk about.

Always be sure to talk about working in teams, people skills and leadership in your strengths.

For your weaknesses try and make them a positive trait in disguise

Example

I am an extremely hard and dedicated worker, one of my downfalls is i expect everyone on the team to be working as hard as me.  Sometimes i have to pull myself back and realize not everyone is as dedicated but i try and use these moments to better understand how to deal with people.

Are you looking for a temporary job or a full time position?

Always answer full time (even if you don’t want it) and explain why.  You can follow up here and ask what type of hours the position entails.

Do you like routine tasks and regular hours?

Even if you don’t explain that you understand the importance of routine tasks.  Tell them you understand how it builds routine which is essential for being highly productive everyday.  Mention how you like the chance to repeat tasks so that you can eventually master it and make it a more efficient process.

Describe a difficult problem you’ve had to deal with. Describe how you resolved a conflict with an employee.

Answers to these questions can be worked out by showing the employer how you analyze situations.  After the question is asked take a moment and reflect then explain what you would do.

• Explain how you analyze situations before proceed
• Explain how you are fair and like to gather information before acting
• Mention acting within company policy

What kind of experience to you have for this job?

Before you answer gather as much information as you can. Ask what your responsibilities and your duties would be. Ask what a normal day would look like for you in this position.

• Once you have the information apply your skills to the task at hand
• Give specific examples where you had to deal with similar responsibilities or situation
• Show how your skills are transferable to this position

How do you organize your time?

Describe a productive day from your last job.  Point out how you planned to get certain things accomplished and how you worked towards it.

Tell them how you write things down, make lists use your phone or whatever works for you.  Mention specific examples where this has helped you out.

How do you work in groups? (Note: questions about group work are NOT forums to bash your colleges.  Even if they were the worst person to work with don’t mention it. Complaining about people comes off as terribly unprofessional)

Talk about specific group projects including the goals, the obstacles and your responsibilities of the project,

Describe positive relationships with your partners but also mention instances where you had to overcome a personality difference.

Example

Our group got along very well, although there were a few instances where we had a clash of ideas.  Some people wanted to move in one direction the others in the opposite.  What I did to work through this issue is start a group conversation about the pros and cons of each idea.  After talking it out we were able to come to a mutual solution that worked for everyone.

When your on the job, how do you deal with unexpected situations?

Again mention your process for working through problems.  Talk about how you would prioritize the tasks by deadline and general importance

Mention an example of a specific time you were working on something and a problem came up.  Talk about what you did to work through it and still get everything accomplished.

Whats the toughest job problem you’ve had to deal with?

Tell a story about a time you had to overcome a workplace difficulty.  Again talk about how you processed the situation and how you were able to be successful.  Show how these skills can be applied in this job.

Would you rather work with other or alone?  Are you a leader or a follower?

Start off by talking about the importance off each member on the team.  Mention your flexibility and how you are able to fill either role on a time.  Give specific examples of when you were a leader or a follower and how it benefited the team.

How do you handle stress? Can you work under pressure?

Talk about your techniques for relaxing at work.  Give examples of stressful work situations in the past and how you’ve gotten through them

Talk about how stress positively motivates you to work harder and more efficiently.  Talk about your problem solving process.

When preparing for these questions make sure you are writing your examples and stories down.  Writing them down makes them stick in your head and during the interview it will come to you more naturally.

The point of reading guides like this and writing down things is to prepare.  If you want to be good at interviews and getting jobs then you need to practice.  If you are willing to put in the work then the results will come to you.

Please leave a comment below with any questions or comments you have, we love to here from you!  Read part 2 here.