Ten Questions Job Seekers Should Expect in a Job Interview: Getting Ready for an Interview

You are going for a job interview and suddenly, you realize your prospective employer will ask you questions. You definitely want to make a good first impression.

What questions should you expect? How can you prepare to answer them?

Consider the following ten questions you as a serious candidate should expect in a job interview.

Where did you learn about this job?

Job listings are advertised in many different ways, for example, on the internet and in newspapers or you may learn about a job by word of mouth from someone else. At times, there are job banks with lists of potential employers. By answering the question of how you learned about the prospective job appropriately, your prospective employer will learn a lot about you personally, as well as receive feedback about his or her advertising campaign in respect to hiring other, prospective employees. Many employers like to hire those who hear about jobs by word of mouth, particularly if they come with a personal reference from the person who told them about the job opening.

What is your previous employment experience?

Some employers prefer to hire new employees with no previous work experience, so that they can train them from the bottom-up. Others want to see a full list of your employment experience in relation to your academic record, plus specific skills and/or training. When listing your previous employment, begin with the most recent experience. You may also include other experiences that you have had like entrepreneurship or skills-related training.

Did you bring a resume?

A resume gives your prospective employer the basic information he or she needs. Remember that your resume is about you and your prospective employer wants to learn about you as a person. He or she needs to know what your qualifications are with respect to the job offered. Prepare a resume with a cover letter ahead of time, so that you have it with you when you go for your interview.

Do you have a letter of reference?

A letter of reference from someone who knows you or a person you have worked for previously, will show your new employer how he or she felt about you, as well as your degree of success on your previous job.

What are your job expectations?

Everyone seeking a job has certain expectations. In order to ascertain whether you should be hired, it is important for your prospective employer to know that your job expectations are similar to his or hers employment needs.

Why should I hire you?

Many new job seekers will not anticipate that question, but it is a good question for an employer to ask you as a prospective employee, because he or she can see immediately what you expect to contribute to the position he or she wants filled. Prepare a good answer for this question because what you say may get you hired.

Why did you leave your previous job?

Your answer to this question makes it apparent to your potential employer whether or not you were happy with your previous employer and employment. This gives him or her some idea of what to expect in the future, if he or she decides to hire you.

What are your other interests?

Many employers are seriously interested in their employees. By revealing your other interests to an employer, he or she will see how active you are, whether you are a good fit for this company or organization and if you have interests in common. It is a well-known fact that active people tend to be the best employees.

Is there any reason why you might not be able to fulfill your job expectations?

Most new employees have issues or concerns like transportation, time management, fears related to new job descriptions, their ability to cope with a new job, family concerns and/or juggling finances. Discussing these kinds of concerns prior to starting a new job allows your prospective employer to get to know you and to be able to assist you, as necessary.

Do you have any questions?

When you go for a job interview, you will have questions about your new job description. These may involve starting date, wages, benefits and bonuses. Most employers will be ready and willing to answer these questions for you. It can make starting a new job easier for you, if there are no job misconceptions or misunderstandings. If you cannot think of any questions, ask your prospective employer what he or she sees as the vision for his or her company.

Understanding why employers ask questions is important. Equally important is your response to these questions. Respond politely and carefully. The questions are not an invasion of your privacy, even though it may feel that way.

When you are able to answer these ten questions, you are probably ready for your job interview, but always expect the unexpected.