INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

WHY EMPLOYERS GIVE YOU POWERFUL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND HOW TO USE THEM TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND HOW TO USE THEM TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

You learnt some particular approach hacks in our last piece about how to respond to the common job interview question, “what’s your greatest weakness.” The business end of things is discussed in this article. The purpose of these interview inquiries remains unclear. Why, therefore, do your responses have such a strong impact on the conversation?

Questions like “tell me about your greatest weaknesses and strengths,” “why do you want this job,” and “why do you want to leave your current job” are common in the hiring process because employers want to know that they can trust their long-term investment in an employee to see them through any challenges that may arise.

When a company decides to hire you, they are taking a significant risk. Paying you a salary and perks requires the company to do extensive research into your past performance, project into the future, and make a calculated gamble.

There are a lot of outlays and investments involved in paying you a salary. In addition, there is the mountain of paperwork that must be completed, including managing an HR department or contracting out the recruitment process, forking over cash for background checks, and posting job openings online. There is also the expenditure of time and money to train you and get you up to speed with the rest of the staff, which may take weeks.

This is all in anticipation of your actual performance and the “rate of return” you provide to your new employer. Break-even point, or the time at which an employee begins to contribute meaningfully to the company, can take anything from a few weeks to a year or more for executives.

According to research conducted by Mellon Financial Corp., businesses lose between 1% and 2.5% of their annual income when training new hires to reach peak efficiency.

Please pause to consider the company-side implications of this.

You, the new employee, are an unknown quantity in any business, no matter how huge. They require your help, but they also need to be cautious.

It’s possible that the questions and procedures used by businesses to screen and hire new employees come out as archaic, unjust, impersonal, or whatever else you choose to call them. In all honesty, that is the case.

Having assurance and evidence that you are stable, reliable, flexible, open, learning capable, and problem solving while working with people is essential for a firm. These questions aren’t meant to probe your motives or intimidate you into hiding your flaws and lacklustre performance. Similar to the resume submission process, this is a trial run:

    • to check for warning signs in how you respond
    • to assess your ability to provide a comprehensive account of your prior professional activities and experiences (with concrete evidence, not BS)
    • so you can handle any situation with confidence and ease
    • to realise that you don’t exist in a vacuum in which everyone else is at fault but you.

There is no right or incorrect solution to the question of what to include; nonetheless, there are improper answers. In fact, the interview is where you may really shine.

Why?

The reason for this is that when you are asked questions by a potential employer, you have the opportunity to shape the story. You may now speak in the interview.

Currently, you are the shrewd editor, astute filter, and astute gatekeeper. You’re in a good position to tell recruiters about your “little bits of vulnerability,” but you swiftly shift gears to talk about your accomplishments and how you overcame adversity.

Detail level is up to you. You get to pick the impressive numbers, anecdotes, and career highpoints to emphasise.

Do you really think that’s not a fantastic place to be? If you only knew how strong you really are.

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