AIBU To ask what they will ask?

[SqueakyDogToy]

Hi all,

I have been shortlisted for a 2nd interview next week,

Its been years since I've had an interview, and then it was more a chat.

What's the most difficult, common, things you've been asked in an interview?

I really want to be prepared to answer any and every question they may ask me.

Help please...

Also, We went through the kind of business in the first interview and asked me for my background, and about me, weaknesses, strengths, etc. so I don't think they will ask me if I know what the business is about as thats already been discussed.

(I didn't mean to enable voting...Please ignore )

Quite often there will be competency questions such as 'can you talk about a time you did x'. My advice would be to always structure your answers using STAR (situation task action result) to make sure you give a comprehensive answer.

What would your role be?

What's it for?

Its for an Administration role.

I hate those kinds of questions, My mind always goes blank. What answers have you all given in the past?

Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

Question asked to me recently.

Dh interviews and always asks candidates where they see themselves in 5 years, so be prepared for a question like that.

I hate the where do you see yourself in 5 years as I’m always stumped as I just want a job.

I had the "5 Year" question in my last interview. I always expect that one.

Cross post potter5

Conflict resolution might be another one. How would you help deal with conflict between colleagues or clients.

Maybe things like “give an example of a time when” - dealt with a challenging situation, showed good teamwork, overcame a problem, implemented a new procedure. Maybe think of things you did well in your previous jobs/personal life and mention them

Admin role they will probably cover things like:

• prioritisation - maybe an inbox exercise, so you've been given 3 tasks, this ones important but not urgent, this ones urgent and important, this ones not important or urgent, they all have tomorrow as the deadline, what do you do first and can you do them all by deadline, if not what do you do.

• MS office or specific tech (eg school/ doctor software) what's your experience in these, you have to create to send a template letter to 3000 people how would you approach this.

• teamworking - tell us about a time you have worked as part of a larger team and how you shared tasks

• training, if your role will include bringing on new staff, give an example of a time you've delivered feedback, or mentored another team member

I also had the "why do you want to work for our company" question.

Its a car parts company, I don't have a passion for car's or their parts, and I won't be selling so don't need to know any in-depth knowledge. I didn't think the answer of "Well, I need the money" was the right answer so I went with job security.

It's good to give specific examples, as evidence of your ability. So, don't just tell them that you're good at X, tell them about a time you did X

Second interviews in my experience tend to be more around “fit” than capability - they’ve already assessed that you’re capable in the first interview. Have a think about how you see yourself in the role, are you on board with what the organisation does, what makes you worth having around - what are your strengths - and have a think about a couple of projects or tricky situations you’ve dealt with and what it was about your skills and experience that brought about a good result. The STAR techniques referred to above is a useful way of thinking things through.

Tell me about a time you've...

..made a mistake.
..challenged inappropriate behaviour/decision.
..supported a colleague who was struggling.
..shared your knowledge/expertise, worked with others to meet joint/differing objectives.

Admin role in a car parts company - could you talk about team work, being efficient, working with the public?

@PeachesTheFlamingo I imagine those are exactly the questions they will ask, and although I am certain I have experience with every situation, I can never think of anything to say. I think with me, its always been part of my daily role, working in a team, dealing with grumpy, unhappy customers, etc, so nothing really stands out.

Give me an example of a time when you have handled several tasks at once with conflicting deadlines. (worked out the priorities of each, kept the requester up to date, delegated work to another colleague to free you up to do these tasks etc)
Give me an example of a time when you improved an existing procedure/method. (what research did you do, how did you implement changes, how did you measure the improvement)
...a time when you learnt something new - how did you go about it
(again what research you did, reading round the subject, consultation with colleagues, exams, how did you apply the knowledge in work)
...overcame a challenge
Have more than one example for each - it means if you get asked a question and then a similar question later on, you can answer the second question with a new example, which shows you are experienced in that particular area.

Go through the role profile and look for likely competency based questions and write out answers.

So for example role profile says people skills, likely question is “tell me a time you had to deal with an angry customer”

If you have your written answers you are less likely to forget.

Also feel free to take a breath and think. Interviewes don’t mind considered answers.

What three things would you take to a desert island?

This always catches me out, and has been asked at more than one interview in the past. They want to see how quick you can respond to something unexpected.

Thank you everyone, Think I may have some homework to do before next week.

Oh God, it's all such a monumental amount of BS isn't it. How, as a society, did it come to this?!

🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️

Good Luck with your interview & getting the job!