Correct job interview, sample questions. Dialogue on the business topic “Interview

Job interview: sample dialogue, questions and answers, hidden pitfalls and stress testing. Any person looking for a job may face an interview, or, as it is often called now, an interview.

Why are interviews conducted?

The interview is an important part of the candidate selection process. If a candidate is able to hide his shortcomings or embellish his strengths in his resume, then during an interview an experienced personnel officer or manager will easily identify the weaknesses of the future employee.

This is achieved by a number of special techniques that force a job candidate to unwittingly tell the truth or lie too obviously. The interviewer always has an advantage during an interview, since he can prepare the dialogue in advance, but the candidate often has a difficult time.

Therefore, you need to prepare for a job interview in advance, thinking about the answers you will have to give to difficult questions.

Open questions are traps for candidates

An example of interview dialogue will give some idea of ​​how it might go and what to expect during it. First of all, you need to understand that during an interview, open-ended questions are usually asked that force the candidate to give detailed answers.

An example of an open-ended question would be: “Tell me about your strengths and weaknesses.” This question cannot be answered unambiguously, unlike the closed option: “Do you have any shortcomings?”, to which you can briefly answer “No.”

Open-ended questions often prompt the candidate to answer in a way that unwittingly reveals his hidden motives and character traits. Looking at an example of a job interview, we will try to delve into the most popular questions and their hidden meaning, and also try to identify the pitfalls that await the candidate at the interview.

Dialogue example

So, example of a dialogue when applying for a job, which probably ended in failure for the candidate:

Good afternoon. My name is Irina Viktorovna, I am the head of the department where a vacancy is required. This is Svetlana Semenovna, a specialist in the HR department. Please tell us about your achievements in your previous job.

I showed very good results and completely changed the work of the department. My opinion is considered the main one when making decisions. When I quit my job, everything collapsed there.

The answer in this dialogue shows the inability to work in a team, inflated ambitions, and dubious achievements. During an interview, it is more correct to indicate achievements based on numbers: percentage of revenue growth, market share, etc. When describing achievements, you should often use the pronoun WE rather than I. In this case, it is advisable to emphasize your contribution to the common cause, for example, by indicating your area of ​​responsibility.

Why did you leave your previous job? (Identification of propensity for conflicts, type of motivation).
- I'm tired of putting up with the fool boss, and the salary is small.

It is undesirable to indicate a conflict with management or the team as a reason - this indicates problems in communications. A reference to insufficient salary is permissible only in combination with an indication that it lags behind professional achievements.

What attracts you to our vacancy? (Identification of motivation).
- I hope for a high salary, and the work seems easier.

As a motivation during a job interview, it is better to indicate the desire for professional and career growth, expanding your area of ​​responsibility, and acquiring new experience.

Tell us how you can be useful to our company. (Identification of professional skills, work experience).
- Yes, I don’t know anything about your company yet. I'll get a job and then I'll figure it out.

It’s easy to find out about the company, its achievements and plans online in advance. During the interview, you need to be prepared to discuss specific details of the future job. When answering this question, you need to rely on previous experience, if you have it, or point to your strengths, if you don’t have it.

Do you really hope to get a job somewhere with your manners and in this stupid tie? Do you even have any idea about decent clothes?

Attention, stress testing! During an interview, questions are often asked aimed at annoying the interlocutor, even insults, in order to look at the reaction under stress and the ability to maintain a constructive dialogue.

Stress questions should be perceived with a certain amount of irony, calmly answering their essence and not paying attention to the tone. For example, in this case you can answer like this: “My professional experience allows me to hope for a decent job. As for the tie, this is a new trend that not everyone knows about yet. It is sewn according to a special design by a famous designer. In a year everyone will be wearing these.”

What salary are you expecting?
- I’m not going to receive less than 100 thousand.

You should try to avoid answering this question by expressing the hope that the employer will voice it. If the announced figure is less than expected, it is better to say so and immediately ask about growth prospects.

Describe your strengths and weaknesses. (Identification of self-esteem).
- I’m a great specialist, and I have no shortcomings.

It is advisable to tie the story about the advantages to a specific vacancy, for example, talk about the ability to analyze or work with your hands. You can point out your strengths as weaknesses during the interview. For example, cite being too enthusiastic about work or being harsh with subordinates as a disadvantage.

How to behave at an interview

The given example of dialogue during an interview when applying for a job to some extent gives an idea of ​​the goals of the interview itself and the questions that are asked during the process. Of course, there are a lot of possible options, but if you prepare well enough for the interview, you won’t have any problems with new situations.

During an interview, a candidate for a vacancy should be optimistic, friendly, not too uptight, and open to conversation. You should not try to quickly answer questions that are not clear. Usually, any interview question has a hidden meaning other than its own content.

It is not always possible to immediately catch it, especially after stressful issues. Therefore, when applying for a job during an interview, you need to maintain an even mood until the very end and remember your value as a specialist.

• • Type No. 1. Multi-stage
  • Type No. 2. Monostage
• • 1st stage. Talking on the phone
  • Stage 2. Preparing for the meeting
  • 3rd stage. Interview
  • 4th stage. Results
• • Tip #1. Don't be late
  • Tip #2. Maintaining Appearance
  • Tip #3. Respect for the employer
  • Tip #4. We behave confidently
  • Tip #5. Let's talk about ourselves
  • Tip #6. We behave naturally
• 5. Selling a pen at an interview - 7 recommendations + example
• 8. Conclusion

A new job is an important chance in the life of every person. This is essentially an opportunity to change your current state of affairs. For some, it is important to increase the level of wages, for others they strive for self-development and improvement, while others need a comfortable environment in the team and normal working conditions. In any case, we are always looking for such prospects when changing our places of work. And, in order to get the coveted position, you need to set yourself up correctly and conduct that very first interview with the manager, to behave with dignity and confidence. How to do it, etc. read on.

The procedure itself does not seem complicated; it is important to gain a level of trust and convey your abilities as a specialist in the field for which you are applying. But, in fact, there are even some parameters that allow you to assess not only your personal qualities, but also your professional ones, even at the first meeting. How to successfully pass an interview will be discussed further in our article.

From the article you will learn:

• How to pass a job interview?
• How to behave correctly during an interview?
• Popular job interview questions and answers
• What rules should you follow?
• How to lead and what to tell your potential manager?
• Let's analyze a popular case - “How to sell a pen at an interview”

So, let's try to figure everything out in order.

Before going through an interview, you need to correctly compose your resume and send it to the employer, so we recommend that you read our article: “”, where you can download ready-made resume samples and templates, recommendations and errors in writing, etc. are discussed.

1. What is a job interview?

In fact, an interview is a certain process that involves getting to know the employer and the applicant. During the conversation, each of the two parties draws conclusions for itself and makes a decision. The manager offering you the position considers your characteristics, business qualities and your level of compliance with the standards accepted by the company.

And, on the part of the applicant, by and large, the relationship between the level of remuneration and its conditions, prospects for personal growth, and even his own workload schedule are determined.

Currently, hiring systems, that is, the very first interview can be of several types:

• Individual . This is a method in which only the manager and the applicant participate in the meeting. -For the most part, you are asked to fill out a questionnaire and, based on the specified data, the conversation itself is built.
• Group. This is a form in which several applicants gather in a spacious room at once, and a specialist, called upon to purposefully engage in personnel selection, works with an entire audience. This method is most common when hiring specialists for the position of “sales manager” or “sales representative”.

According to the level of complexity and the stages of the procedure itself, 2 main types can be distinguished:

Type No. 1. Multi-stage

This system is used in large organizations where any of the vacancies is the main one and special requirements are imposed on the candidate applying for it. Moreover, you need to go through several stages to get a positive decision.

• Telephone conversation. To begin, you will be asked to answer a few basic questions over the phone. This allows you to identify your overall level of compliance and set a time and date for an appointment.
• Interview at the preliminary stage. When you arrive at the meeting, you will most likely be sent directly to the HR department, where you will be asked to fill out a form and submit it for review. In it you will need to indicate information regarding personal data, describe the educational institutions you graduated from and places of previous work. You may have to list a set of qualities that you possess and explain why you are applying for this particular position.
• Testing. At this stage, most likely, there will be a need to complete several tasks or answer specially designed questions for the HR manager. For example, they can give you a test text that will need to be translated if the vacancy requires the use of a foreign language, or demonstrate literacy in a computer program if such skills are core to the position.
• Main interview. It is carried out immediately and immediately. A specialist can find out from you why you were fired from your previous job, whether the schedule offered for this position is comfortable for you, and whether it is possible to go on business trips, especially if they are long. The HR manager may ask a number of questions directly related to the work technology itself and its specifications.
• Meeting with the immediate supervisor. It is assigned based on the results of the completed stages. At the same time, a line-level specialist evaluates the applicant using his own methods that are close directly to his department and makes the final decision.
• Conversation with senior management. This is the final stage, which is necessary mainly for getting acquainted and judgments about your candidacy will take place based on the data presented at the previous stage by the line-level manager.

Type No. 2. Monostage

This interview option is used in an organization that has a small staff and limited capacity. For example, an enterprise employing 20-30 people requires an accountant or secretary. The vacancy is open and you are given a time for a meeting, which, most likely, will take place in dialogue mode and based on its results a decision will already be formed.

Recently, these two types of interviews have also come to be called single-level and multi-level.

2. How to pass a job interview - 4 main steps

For example, on special sites on the Internet or when processing information in newspapers, we were able to find several advertisements containing information that suited your requirements.

1st stage. Talking on the phone

When dialing the specified number, you need to understand that such a conversation will be the very first idea about you and the further opportunity to successfully pass the interview depends on how it goes.

Even if, in a small organization, it is the secretary who will conduct such a conversation, then on your part, the conversation should be correct, friendly and positive. After all, in any case, when scheduling a meeting with you, he will definitely pass on information about what the first conversation was like to the manager.

In order for the telephone conversation to be effective, and first of all for you, you need to do the following:

• Firstly, it is very important to clarify which of the vacancies you are being invited to, discuss its parameters and general requirements. If during the conversation it has already become clear that for some reason you or this vacancy is not suitable for you, you should politely refuse the appointed time and try to correctly explain the reason for your refusal. By and large, wasted time will be a huge disadvantage for you and the entire search process.
• Secondly, in your own notebook you need to write down the contact details of the organization, the time and date of the proposed meeting, the name of the company, the vacancy you talked about and the name of the person with whom the conversation took place. Subsequently, this information will be very significant. For example, unforeseen circumstances may arise or it may be difficult to find the location of the enterprise.
• Third, if possible, you need to find out the name and patronymic of the person to whom you are being sent for an interview. This will have an effect when, at the moment of the first meeting, it becomes possible to address the person not just as “YOU”, but with respect, using the information received.

Correctly clarify the information about the organization’s address and when discussing the time, decide in advance whether there are any other circumstances that could interfere with this. Moreover, if it so happens that there are several more meetings planned for that day, the difference between them must be made in 2-3 hours. This will help you be punctual and solve a number of issues. You need to understand that interviews are different, and any of them can drag on significantly, which will disrupt your plans.

It is worth carefully studying the information in advance about how to behave correctly during an interview, what to talk about and how to make a good impression. We will consider these issues in more detail below.

Stage 2. Preparing for the meeting

At this stage, you need to correctly carry out a number of actions that will allow you to properly collect yourself and set yourself up for the upcoming interview.

1. "Documentation". First you need to take care of all the documents that may be useful. You can create a resume and print it in 2 copies, put your passport, diplomas of completed education, possible certificates confirming the levels and degrees of courses that you managed to complete at one time.
2. "Potential employer". For the purpose of your own self-development, you need to try to find information about the organization you are going to. This can be done on the Internet. By at least superficially studying the goals and directions of activity, the products to be sold, the years of foundation, development parameters, stages of its formation, you will be able to convincingly explain all your intentions and their seriousness in a conversation with your manager.
3. "Route". You need to think about your route, with possible stops, transfers and searching for the location of the building.
4. "Questions and answers". Try to think through possible questions that may be asked and approximate answers that will be convincing and as honest as possible. Prepare yourself for possible tests and special tasks. It would be a good idea to come up with a number of your own questions that may be relevant in the conversation and will later help you draw your own conclusions about the vacancy and the job in general.
5. "Dress code". When all the preliminary stages have been completed, all that remains is to decide what clothes to wear to the meeting and how to make the most favorable impression on the manager. Let it be a very strict business suit, well-groomed nails, hair, neat shoes, and this will give the effect of a good attitude towards your candidacy.

3rd stage. Interview

This is the very thing you tried for. You should try to arrive in minutes 10 ahead of schedule, calm down and catch your breath. First, you should inform the secretary that you have arrived, and then, upon invitation, enter the office.

When walking to the chair indicated to you, you need to say hello, smile a little, and, using your first name and patronymic, thank you for the invitation to an interview with this particular organization. The mobile phone must either be turned off or put on silent mode.

4th stage. Results

Based on the results of the conversation, you will either be asked to wait outside the door, or they will announce the time frame within which a decision will be made. But it may also happen that, already finishing the conversation, the manager will set a date for your internship.

3. How to behave during an interview - 6 practical tips

There are several main nuances and points that are worth paying attention to in order for the meeting to be successful and the impression of you to remain only positive. It's not difficult to follow them.

As mentioned earlier, you need to come to the meeting at least for 10 minutes earlier. Of course, the place is not familiar to you, but you definitely need to prepare yourself, and being even a minute and a half late can negatively affect the start of the interview.

Before entering the office, you must knock, quickly inspect your appearance again, remove chewing gum and all sorts of little things that could spoil it.

Introduce yourself, smile and try to attract the attention of the employee of the organization to you. Address him only by his first name and patronymic and only in rare cases, since he will allow himself to be called.

Try to find the right place and sit so that your face is facing your interlocutor. There is no need to lounge in a chair or squeeze tightly, cross your legs or move them from one to the other.

It has been proven that being clearly opposite your interviewer, a person perceives him as an opponent who has the right to decide your fate. Therefore, it will be more convenient if the chair is placed a little obliquely.

During the conversation, it is important to monitor the gestures of your hands. Do not swing them wildly or clench them into fists or fiddle with a pen or pencil. You need to try to move them calmly and smoothly. At the same time, your face should be open and sincere. Specialists They advise you to try to mentally draw a circle between you and visually look at its center.

Listen to all questions carefully and try to answer only when asked. Moreover, you need to answer essentially and within 2-3 minutes, without delaying or shortening the information. If suddenly the question remains unheard, ask to repeat it, but you should not do this very often. By the way, answers like "Yes" And "No", are considered monosyllabic and pronouncing them in a low voice creates confidence in your indecision and ignorance of the material you are talking about.

In the case when the manager asks you to tell a little about yourself, there is no need to start a story from the moment of your birth and go into great detail. Speak clearly and to the point. Tell us about what you graduated from, what positions you held, what your career growth was like, and a little about the reasons that prompted you to go for an interview with this particular company.

Don’t forget to smile, and in order to relax the situation a little, or make some of your mistakes insignificant, use an appropriate joke or a little unobtrusive humor. Even in a business conversation, a pleasant smile will not hurt, and perhaps will tell about your confidence.

When finishing the conversation, you should definitely thank the employee and the company in his person for the opportunity to try to find a job.

4. Job interview questions and answers

Of course, the scheduled interview may occur according to a scenario determined by the employee of the organization inviting you to it. But, in any case, what cannot be ruled out in any way are questions asked to determine the necessary information. American scientists conducted a number of their own studies, developed and confirmed theories, and came to the conclusion that in any interviews questions are asked 20 standard questions, 15 of which are basic, and 5 are additional.

Possible interview questions and answers - 5 questions with answers

Question 1. What can you tell us about yourself?

Answer: you need to try to compose the story briefly, but not dryly, and there is no need to shout, use obscene language, or use specific phrases related to slang. Try to keep it within a time period of 3 minutes.

Moreover, during the notification process, disclose information about your education, any successes not only in a professional direction, but also in a personal one.

Mention the success of your own career growth and merits. In the end, tell us why and what you want to change in your own life, and how you would succeed if you got a vacancy in this company. Just don't try to flatter. It's always noticeable.

Question 2. What attracted you to this particular company?

Answer: it can be formed when preparing the house. On Internet resources, having studied a little the history of the company, its line of business, you can most correctly construct phrases and the overall story. But don’t talk about things that will sound trite.

Eg, about the organization itself and how you like it, about the fact that you can change it for the better in the future. A more appropriate answer would be something like this.

Knowing that the company produces baby food, tell them that you have a special love for children and are concerned about the safety of products on the formula market. And by means of employment, you will be able to understand how well this process has been worked out in this company and what you could offer in this direction.

Question 3. How did you resolve conflicts within your team at your previous place of work?

Answer: Of course, you should try to give 2 or 3 effective solutions to such a tricky question. But, it’s not worth saying that previously, your team did nothing but conflict and, as a result, all the necessary functions had to be performed only alone, and because of this, the entire amount of work fell on your shoulders.

On the contrary, tell us how you managed to debug the work process, how clearly responsibilities were distributed, and how such situations themselves arose quite rarely. Convince your interlocutor of your business qualities.

Question 4. What salary would you like to receive?

Answer: in this situation, it’s a good idea to review information on similar vacancies in another organization in advance and decide for yourself the exact amount.

The manager, of course, wants to understand what kind of employee comes to work for him, how much he himself evaluates his work.

But there’s no point in bargaining here, and it’s not nice to have long discussions about this either. You need to understand that if this is a huge organization that has a large staff and is not only regionally but also world famous, then the level of remuneration for your labor can be raised by 30% from the statistical average.

Question 5. Why did you leave your previous job?

Answer: By asking such a question, the future employer really wants to find out the true reason for your departure and understand that something similar will not affect the process of today's work. In this case, of course, you can’t lie; you need to try to correctly formulate your thought and convey it correctly at the interview.

A situation may arise in which information about your previous place of work is already known, and the true reason is no longer a secret. And they asked you the question only to confirm your data.

Eg, if you were very busy with incomprehensible work, the deadlines for its completion were limited, and your behavior guiding staff is inadequate, you can say the following.

It was difficult for me to cope with the constant flow of work, the deadlines for which were negligible and unrealistic to fulfill. I’m not afraid of large volumes, I like being in the flow of things, but you need to approach the issue of temporary execution wisely.

To summarize this situation, we can say that in the modern world, very often the functions of recruiting personnel are transferred to special agencies with long experience and wide specialization.

But even the fact that at the first stage you will not be able to meet with the manager himself does not mean that you need to relax and not even think about the desire to make a good impression on your interlocutor.

On the contrary, it is worth understanding what you have to go through even 2 interviews. And you need to prepare for them with renewed vigor. All outsourcing agencies work exclusively under contracts with organizations and are guided mainly by the parameters set by the managers themselves, selecting employees who are best suited for a given position.

And, there may be many applicants, and your task is not just to charm your interlocutor by proving your business qualities, but also to surpass the rest of the applicants.

Maybe you should just think about starting your own business. It's not as difficult as it seems, just read the article - "".

Of course, it is understandable that going through such a hiring process is very exciting and the situation becomes stressful. But, there are a number of vacancies in which applicants must initially be resistant to the situation and be able to solve emerging issues.

In fact, by asking this question during an interview, the manager sets himself the goal of looking at actions in an unplanned situation and identifying the applicant’s possession of sales techniques. To do this, of course, you need to understand the motives of the interlocutor and clearly know that the final decision depends on what happens now, especially if the vacancy involves sales actions.

So, what is your behavior pattern when it comes to selling a pen or other product?

1. There is no need to rush and immediately make spontaneous decisions. And, even if you are very worried, ask 1 minute to think.
2. Next, pick up that very product (pen) and try to study it carefully. Consider everything pros And minuses, focus on uniqueness for yourself.
3. Try to stick to the main stages of sales, and if they are not familiar to you and you have no experience in this matter, try to study them, at least superficially. There is a huge amount of suitable literature and articles on the Internet for this. Even if this option looks clumsy from the outside, the manager will still appreciate it and notice your perseverance.
4. Try to understand who you are selling to and assess that person's needs, and use active listening techniques when asking follow-up questions. Analyze the answers. Eg, ask: how often do you write? Do you have a spare pen? Or why do you like it, or maybe you should change something about it?
5. When trying to make a sale, there is no need to lie or actively invent things. Don't overprice.
6. Try to maintain verbal contact throughout. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to give this pen into the hands of a potential buyer so that he can actually evaluate all the properties himself.
7. After you manage to get consent for the purchase, it would be advisable to also offer a notepad or spare paste, and maybe even other related products.

When you start selling, you gradually gain confidence, but at the same time, naturally, your interlocutor will make his own objections. And there is nothing strange in this, the main thing is to react to them correctly and not get stunned.

Eg, to the question: “ Why do I need it?? you can easily and simply answer: “I understand that you already have a pen, which means you know what a business approach is, and it would be very disappointing if its ink runs out at the most inopportune moment. Take it in reserve and you will be sure that in any situation, difficulties will not arise.”

In fact, to be frank, the situation in personnel policy is very difficult. Managers want to find a truly worthwhile specialist and get him into their organization. But there are only a few of them. Therefore, a smart salesperson who knows how to work and knows how to sell himself in an interview, as well as sales methods and techniques, applied regularly in practice, will be very necessary. And the interview process helps you understand this.

6. 13 common mistakes applicants make during interviews

Of course, we try very hard and think through every moment and step, but if we suddenly receive a refusal, for a long time we cannot understand what contributed to this.

In fact, there are several common mistakes that lead to this result.

1. Late. The first and most terrible mistake. In this matter, your punctuality should simply be off the charts.
2. Untidy appearance. This is worth paying special attention to, especially since you can prepare in advance and thoroughly.
3. Escort. Such issues can only be resolved independently and there is no need to invite any wives, husbands, relatives, or girlfriends to the offices. A negative opinion is immediately formed.
4. Uncertain behavior. Set yourself up to the fact that everything has its meaning, and even if the meeting is unsuccessful, this will give you a chance to work in another organization, because there are always alternative options. Calm down and go to the meeting.
5. Talking on a mobile phone. Turn off this connection for a while; it will not be very convenient during the interview process to distract your attention and waste other people’s time on your personal conversations.
6. Questions about money. If throughout the meeting the topic of discussing finances and the amount of payments constantly comes up, this will lead to a clear refusal.
7. Arrogance and self-confidence. This behavior is also unacceptable. It is clear, of course, that you come to offer your knowledge and skills, but this must be done correctly and in accordance with the situation.
8. Lie. There is no need to try to lie, because, as you know, the truth will be revealed sooner or later and this will create a negative image of you.
9. Unnecessary frankness. Often, candidates, when answering questions, try to gain confidence in themselves by voicing excessive unnecessary information. And this can do a lot of harm. There is no need to discuss your personal life, any hostility towards people, or the sins of the past.
10. Reaction of irritation to questions asked. Many managers may ask the same question several times for testing purposes. It is worth monitoring your emotions, although experts allow you to show a little irritability when asked a question three times. In their understanding, such a reaction will tell the interlocutor that you are attentive and following the progress of the conversation. But, you shouldn’t raise your voice and try to swear.
11. Criticism of employees or bosses, with whom you have worked previously. Under no circumstances should we even discuss this topic. Often the answers are simply projected onto the existing situation and this is not correct.
12. Verbosity. This is also one of the main mistakes. This behavior is tiresome. The leader wants to hear a clear and meaningful answer to his question. Sometimes there are candidates who start talking about one topic, and in the process manage to discuss several more.
13. Lack of feedback. After the interview has taken place, especially if a promise was made to call you, you should not make hasty decisions and independently assume whether your candidacy is suitable or not. Dial the phone number yourself at the specified time and find out how your conversation ended for the receiving party.

1) How to behave during a job interview - tips and tricks

2) An example of selling a service at an interview

7. How to get a job without an interview

Oddly enough, interviews as a type of testing a future employee’s professional suitability are gradually becoming a thing of the past - more and more people these days are finding work on the Internet and performing duties from home, working in comfort. Typically, vacancies on the Internet do not necessarily require passing a strict interview; the main thing for the customer is the quality of the work performed.

To get a job online, most often you just need to complete a test task that allows you to demonstrate your skills to the customer. In general, working on the Internet has many other advantages, including a flexible work schedule and high, stable income. We advise you to download our free course on making money online from scratch - it will help you determine the ideal type of work on the Internet for you and start making money online.

Watch a video about making money on the Internet without investments from specialist Andrey Merkulov:

8. Conclusion

Now, having read the information, a certain scenario of actions and answers to the questions are emerging: “How to behave at a job interview?”, “How to sell a product?” etc., becomes clear. You should not be afraid and show excessive nervousness, this will not only harm you, but can also subsequently affect your health.

Gain confidence that you have experience, knowledge of all basic processes, a long period of practice and a huge number of resolved issues. Gather your strength and be positive. But, the night before the interview, be sure to get enough sleep, allowing your body to get a little stronger.

To paraphrase a well-known aphorism, we can say: whoever controls 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 non-verbal 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 that are not related 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.

Looking critically at the firm and future colleagues can increase your sense of 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 a pressing 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.

An HR employee must know exactly what questions he should ask each specific candidate and what to ask the applicant during an interview.

For example, if you are hiring a call center operator, you need to find out whether he is able to easily cope with stressful situations.

And also, is he able to successfully establish contact with conflict-ridden people? This may be necessary in his professional activities.

Pay attention to his social qualities, and the qualification component may fade into the background.

If you are interviewing teachers, of course, social skills may be very important, but the most important thing is that the candidate has professional education and specialized knowledge.

Types and purposes of questions

The main goal of the interview is to understand what a possible employee of the company is like. There are many types of questions that can be used to structure a conversation during an interview.

It is not surprising that many are interested in: what is asked most often during an interview? Job interview questions can be divided into several categories.

Open. Questions that involve extensive reasoning. By asking open-ended questions, you give the candidate the initiative and allow him to talk about himself as a person.

Are common. Questions that can be answered with a short “yes” or “no.” Designed to get a simple answer to the question posed.

Projective. By answering these questions, the candidate compares his experience with the actions of other people. Through the prism of the opinions of fictional characters, it allows you to find out the candidate’s personal attitude towards the person under consideration.

Reflexive. They help you take the initiative. For example, if the applicant gets carried away with the answer, you can politely interrupt him with a question: “Okay, now we can move on to the next question, right?” A similar technique can also liberate a nervous applicant and encourage him to trust the recruiter.

Behavioral. Aimed at identifying the characteristics of the candidate’s character and the nuances of his behavior.

Suggestive. When the main part of the information is clarified, you can clarify some details with the help of leading questions. For example, you can tell that the company actively cooperates with branches in other cities, and at the same time ask how the applicant feels about long business trips.

Psychological. Strange questions that cause confusion among candidates. They allow you to analyze a person’s ability to switch from one to another and react quickly. This section also includes questions on intelligence.

It is necessary to win over the interlocutor for the conversation, to do everything possible so that he has a good impression of the conversation, because not only the candidate, but also the company that invited him receives an assessment during the conversation.

And now, more about what is asked during a job interview or 10 questions that you may be asked.

Standard questions

1. Please tell us about yourself.
2. Why did you leave your last job?
3. What does motivation mean to you?
4. When does work give you the most pleasure?
5. Where do you see yourself in a few years?
6. What are your strengths?
7. What are your weaknesses?
8. What didn't suit you at your last job?
9. What are your advantages over other candidates?
10. Do you know anything about our company?
11. Maybe you have questions for the company?

The following question often arises during an interview: where do you see yourself in 5 years or why do you want to work with us? It is better to think through the answers to them in advance.

Behavioral issues

1. Tell me about a time when you weren't able to achieve the results you wanted. How did you cope with the task?
2. Tell us about a successful project you led.
3. If you do something wrong, how do you explain it to your boss?
4. Tell us about the most difficult decision you have had to make in your career.

Projective

1. What usually attracts people to work?
2. Good worker. Describe it.
3. What makes people work more efficiently?
4. Why can you fire an employee?
5. What guides people when they choose a specialty?
6. Why do people want to have a successful career?
7. To communicate effectively with people, what character qualities does a person need?

Biographical

1. Tell us about your dreams.
2. What grades did you get at school and university?
3. Tell us about those professional victories that make you proud.
4. In what cities did you live and conduct your professional activities?
5. What is the most important thing you learned at university?

Tricky and insidious

1. Why shouldn't we hire you to work with us?
2. What did you have for dinner yesterday?
3. How would you explain the color yellow to a blind person?
4. How do you feel about social networks, how much time do you spend on them?
5. If you were a superhero, what power would you have?
6. What would you do if you were the only survivor of a plane crash?

Strange

These questions can be categorized as: awkward questions.

These include such things as why we need an employee of this company, why we should hire you and others.

On logic, associations

1. Why is the manhole cover round? Answer: so that it cannot fail during installation, the rectangular one will easily fit into the hatch body diagonally.
2. How should you throw a tennis ball so that it comes back? Answer: up.
3. How many times a day do the clock hands coincide? Answer: 22 times.
4. If it's raining at 12, can you expect that the sun will come out exactly 72 hours later? Answer: No, it will be midnight again at this time.

About career and work in the company

1. How would you like to develop your career?
2. When would you be able to take on your new responsibilities?
3. If you get the position, what goal will you set for yourself?
4. Have you communicated with employers in other organizations?
5. If we asked your last boss what you need to learn, what would he say?
6. What is your typical work day like?

About money

1. What salary do you expect?
2. What was your salary before?
3. How much money do you expect to earn by the end of your first year with our firm?
4. And in the third year of work?

Now you know what questions are asked during a job interview. And the recruiter should make a list of questions for a job interview. It may contain both standard questions and specialized ones.

What questions are required?

In this part, we’ll talk about what questions to ask a candidate during an interview in any case. Let's consider those questions during a job interview that will be asked without fail.

Be sure to ask about the applicant’s education and work experience. Find out why he is interested in your company.

Ask about the candidate's hobbies, ask a few tricky questions to test his reaction.

Pay more attention to the applicant's future, don't focus on his past work. What does he expect, what plans is he making?

It is better to resort to strange questions to defuse the situation, and tricky ones to test the candidate’s reaction in stressful situations.

Be sure to ask the candidate if they have any questions. It is necessary not only to listen to his answers, but also to tell him what interests him.

What should you not ask a candidate?

Refrain from asking too uncomfortable questions.

Do not ask about personal life, religion, nationality - such topics can scare off the candidate or turn him against you.

Don't ask questions directly. For example, the phrase: “Are you worried?” will make the applicant nervous, uncomfortable, and his anxiety will only increase.

Your goal is to create a friendly environment for a confidential conversation.

You need to communicate correctly and politely. Only in such an atmosphere will you be able to objectively assess the candidate’s capabilities.

Read about what unexpected and even tricky questions an employer can ask during an interview.

How to evaluate answers?

Each recruiter has its own system for evaluating applicant responses. For any question, there is already a standard answer that the HR employee is used to hearing.

It is best to give preference not to the applicant who gives the correct answers, but to the one who shows confidence, thinks outside the box and is not afraid of his future employer, and the conversation with him is pleasant and unobtrusive.

The key to a successful interview is a competent assessment of the candidate’s answers to the vacancy.

Pay attention to his behavior: how does he reason, gesture, does he react to provocation, does he get confused in his words and does he make decisions quickly?

The answer to the question itself is not as important as the process of thinking and reasoning about it. Questions asked during a job interview are very often aimed at finding out what the applicant is like as a person. Therefore, while it is important what to ask an employee during an interview, what may be more important is how he behaves.

The tips described in the article, as well as sample job interview questions, will help you properly develop an interview plan with the applicant. Use them and you will quickly find your ideal employee. Well, potential candidates now have sample job interview questions.

Let us remind you that the main goal of our resource is to teach you how to quickly and effortlessly find an interesting and well-paid job.

In the previous article “” we examined in detail all the features and rules for drawing up this document.

How to pass an interview successfully

When applying for a job, every person experiences a certain amount of stress, regardless of how many interviews they have already had in their life, one or dozens.

The potential assessment of one's own skills, abilities, what can I say, and appearance by other people turns out to be an extremely stressful situation.

Nevertheless, there are quite simple rules that will help you cope with the interview and get the desired position.

The first thing you need to do after receiving an invitation is to carefully study the information about the company as a whole and about the department in which the vacancy is open.

It is necessary to study all possible sources - the official website, reviews of the company’s work, probably articles that mention the name of the company (you will find a lot of information on the Internet about large organizations like Sberbank, Leroy Merlin or MTS, but with regards to small companies, you will have to work a little)

This is how a picture is formed, in which there should be a clear vision of what the company does and what reputation it has.

And, most importantly, you need to answer the question, do you see yourself taking this position, what will you do, what knowledge and skills will help you perform your duties, what unique skills are you endowed with to do it better than others.

During first-level interviews (with the HR department), they are very fond of asking “Why did you choose our company?”

The answer should be prepared in advance; if you include a couple of bright, but not hackneyed facts about the company, you can definitely get a good plus.

With a 99.9% probability, the first question that will be asked is tell us about yourself. And this is your finest hour.

Inexorable statistics say that the impression of the applicant is formed in the first 3 minutes.

If you managed to use them, maximizing the interest of the interviewer, then we can say that your fate is sealed, then he will unconsciously either help with his statements, or, conversely, drown you.

Therefore, before the interview, you need to take your own resume and carefully study it.

Next, you need to draw up a plan in which you enter data about the place of work and the functionality performed, placing special emphasis on successes and achievements. Ideally, for each place of work, write down the following points: completed, organized, designed. It is better to avoid the banal: worked, participated.

Naturally, the employer is interested in your professional experience; any interesting life facts not related to work should not be included in the story about yourself.

Based on the plan, tell about yourself in front of the mirror or practice in front of your family. The story should be clear, concise, informative, but not drawn out.

Ideally, 2-3 minutes of structured monologue. A story about yourself should be “tasty”; the goal of the story is to interest the interlocutor and present yourself favorably.

You should finish the story about yourself with information about the reasons for looking for a new job.

Interview questions and answers

It is also worth preparing in advance typical answers that you will probably have to use during a dialogue with the employer:

1. Reasons for leaving your last job?

No matter how the situation develops in last place, in no case should you voice the negative (bad relationships with colleagues, low wages, boss is a tyrant). Such reasons provoke people to think of you as a narrow-minded person.

A more acceptable answer would be information about the thirst for development, the search for new horizons, the desire to try oneself in a new role.

2. Strengths and weaknesses

Oddly enough, you can often hear unintelligible muttering in response to this.

You should be careful with your strong qualities; not all of them can be useful in a potential position; choose 2-3 that can uniquely set you apart from other applicants.

Denying the presence of weaknesses is also a wrong move. You should think in advance about how you can advantageously present your shortcomings; to do this, it is recommended to turn them into advantages. For example, unsociability is not a disadvantage for an accountant or analyst, just as for a manager the willingness to take on several tasks at a time.

In addition, the employer is not looking for specific shortcomings; by doing this, he is trying to determine your self-esteem and readiness for self-criticism.

3. Why should we hire you?

When answering such questions, it is important to focus the answer on skills and abilities that other applicants do not have, as well as on the willingness to develop, introduce innovations into work, and interact with colleagues.

4. Where will you be in 3/5/10 years?

Again, the employer is not waiting for the exact title of the position (although it can be named if you know what you are talking about), but wants to see the direction of development and the person’s ability to plan and set long-term goals.

You should also be prepared for uncomfortable, or as they are called, stressful questions. Their goal is to see a person’s live reaction. Pain points can be used as a “push”, for example, flaws in appearance (“If you know that you look fuller in trousers, why did you wear them to the interview?”). You should react to such attacks calmly and preferably with humor.

Also, if you apply for a “selling” position, you may be asked to “sell a pen” - this is a typical test used by HR personnel to assess the selling ability of a future employee.

Think in advance about what you want to know from a potential employer. Do not hesitate to ask about salaries, fines, bonuses, benefits and relationships in the team. Be sure to ask your manager what skills and personal qualities are important to fill the position.

Remember that you also evaluate the conditions offered to you and have the right to fully satisfy your curiosity.

Applicants who do not ask anything at all are considered lacking initiative.

How to dress

Before the interview, it is advisable to think about your appearance - wardrobe, makeup, hairstyle.

All of these elements are directly related to the position you are applying for. If the vacancy involves working with clients, then we definitely choose a classic style, a minimal set of accessories, pleasant and neat makeup, and low heels.

For places that are closed from client eyes, there is often no dress code, but it is advisable to clarify this information in advance. The lack of formal style does not imply wrinkled clothes or unwashed hair.

Bright jewelry, rings, and piercings will be unnecessary.

You will never have the opportunity to make a first impression again.

How to behave

On the day of the interview, you need to arrive at the place of your future work in advance. Remember that a late applicant receives a fat minus even before the meeting.

1. Take a printed resume with you to make it easier for you to talk about yourself, and a pen to take notes.
2. Try to relax. Remember that not only you are being evaluated, but also you and the company. No one obliges you to work under unacceptable conditions, be confident in your words.
3. Smile. Let the conversation take the form of a friendly conversation, the topic of which is you and your professional activities.
4. Avoid closed poses and do not cross your arms or legs. It’s good when the body is slightly tilted towards the interlocutor, the palms are open, looking up. Look into the person's eyes; if there are two interviewers, then move your gaze from one to the other, but not too often; you should not wander your eyes over the ceiling or table.
5. Answer to the point, without fluff or beating around the bush. If you can’t find the answer right away, take a couple of seconds to formulate a competent and structured answer.

And most importantly, be in a good mood and your dream job will be yours! If you are invited to a meeting, it means the company is interested in your abilities.

Your main task is to impress and convince the employer that you are the most suitable candidate for the vacant position.

If you are applying for a leadership position?

In principle, all requirements remain the same. But if you are applying for a leadership position, then you should show a harmonious combination of politeness and tact, as well as show the firmness and determination of a leader - after all, these are the qualities that are primarily important for a future boss.

A typical interview consists of several steps. First, the potential employer studies, most likely will contact you by phone, ask general questions in areas of interest.

If after the first meeting your candidacy made a positive impression, then you will be invited to an in-person interview with a specialist who conducts professional testing.

Be sure to watch Maria Kravchuk’s video, in which she talks in simple and accessible language about going through a job interview

Its task is to determine the level of your qualifications and assess your compliance with the requirements.

After this, you will have a conversation with the head of the company or HR department. If everything goes well, then discussions will follow regarding the availability and conditions, form and level of payment, social package, etc.

It is worth remembering that during the interview you also have the right to clarify points of interest, because this is, in fact, a dialogue between the employer and the future employee.

This is the best time to find out in detail the points that interest you: career prospects, workplace arrangement, etc.

Also, showing interest will have a positive impact on the employer's assessment of you.

Interviews are usually conducted by experienced HR professionals, so your best advice is to be authentic and be yourself.

By Skype

If you have a conversation via Skype, there are some things to consider:

• ensure silence: remove pets and children in advance, turn off the sound on the phone and the intercom - nothing should distract you
• choose a suitable background: plain light wallpaper is better. It is unlikely that you will make an impression when applying for a job at a serious bank if you conduct a conversation against the backdrop of a Marilyn Manson poster.
• Dress appropriately
• Adjust the camera position

With security service

One of the stages of employment may be an interview with a security specialist or even a polygraph test (for example, if you are joining the internal affairs bodies). Here it is important to cope with stress - be calm, consistent and honest - after all, basically all SB officers are former employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs who have retired, and they understand very well when they are trying to deceive them.

What to do if you have to take an interview in English?

Actually, this is a separate topic! If you know the language perfectly, then there should be no problems with this, but if you are not confident in yourself, then we offer several recommendations for passing an interview in English (for example, when applying for a job in the USA):

1. Take the list of questions from this article in Russian and translate them
2. Analyze different options for their wording and write them down in order
3. Enter them into Google Translate and click on the microphone icon, so you can listen to them with good pronunciation and get used to these phrases
4. It is also worth pre-composing example answers and memorizing them.
5. When speaking, pronounce everything naturally so that it does not sound like you are reciting a poem.

Main reasons for refusal

The main reasons for refusal include:

1. Inappropriate (vulgar, sloppy) appearance.
2. Trying to demonstrate your superiority in everything
3. Poor diction
4. Lack of plans, goals, uncertainty.
5. A large number of requirements and conditions
6. Failure to comply with business etiquette
7. Showing apathy, disinterest, lack of enthusiasm
8. Stealth, aggressiveness.

I hope we were able to clearly talk about how to successfully pass a job interview and what you should never do. In the next article we will talk about the next steps - writing and passing in a new place.