Interview qns/answrs - urgent help needed please!

[Mitzimaybe]

I have a job interview for the first time in over 10 years and am panicking that I don't know what to answer to common interview questions.

Can anyone suggest typical questions and good answers?

e.g. What are your strengths? I am, erm, I don't know.

What are your weaknesses? I am a perfectionist - this is true - I don't want to send out a report if I'm not sure that it's absolutely right, therefore sometimes I take a bit longer than necessary - but I am working on the concept of "good enough" and to send something out when it is good enough but perhaps not perfect.

What other common questions are asked these days? I know sometimes they like to throw in some curve balls to see how you cope with the unexpected but really it's the "expected" questions I need more help with!

Thanks in advance!

OK ignore this request - Google is my friend!

It doesn't look like the common questions have changed much in the last 10 years.

Both those questions are pretty rubbish tbh, and most competent interviewers wouldn't use them.

If you do get an incompetent interviewer and get asked about your weaknesses, pick a relatively unimportant skill/knowledge area, say that you felt that you needed a bit more experience/knowledge in that area, then highlight what proactive steps you took to address that and how marvellous you now are at it. That shows that you are self-aware, keen to develop yourself, proactive about improving your performance and take the initiative.

You can work out what questions will be asked by looking at the job description/person specification. On there will be a list of what skills/experience/knowledge/qualities they think this person needs, so the questions will be about establishing whether you have those or not.

They should ask you for examples of when you've demonstrated a particular skill/experienced a situation before, but even if they don't ask for examples, use them. Past behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour, so if you can demonstrate that you have already done everything they need, that's far better than a hypothetical "what if" answer.

Go through the list of skills/experience/qualities and prepare examples of when you have demonstrated each. Be prepared to talk about what the situation was, what your role was, what you did and what the outcome was, and possibly also what you learned from it. They may not specifically ask you those things, but give them anyway.

If you have examples in your head to demonstrate your credibility in all the areas they need, you should be well prepared to answer the questions they ask you.

Strengths- pick something that they would be looking for in the right person for this job- either a specific technical skill, eg analytical mindset especially using excel, or a quality, eg team player.

For weaknesses, a few years' ago we did a Belbin personality test in work - it is based on what sort of people any team needs, their strengths and 'allowable weaknesses'. (sorry on phone so don't have links but should be plenty on google). It talks about the strengths and weaknesses of each type within a team. Eg I am a 'plant' and most jobs I go for are looking for this type of person, so strength is being a creative problem solver, weakness is that my ideas are not always practical and I don't take criticism well (true)etc...
That sounds too negative, so I say that I get frustrated with people who aren't as focused on solving a problem and happen to continue firefighting (common in my line of work anyway) but that I use my ideas and sound them off the team to come to practical solutions and include everyone in the process. So negative to a positive and the negative is still needed anyway.
Hope that helps!

It's a public sector job and they aren't always the most advanced with the interview questions. I've done the interview now badly and most of the questions were role/organisation related, the only generic ones were about managing a team and about how you deal with conflicting priorities / too much work & too little time.

Posted too soon! Meant to say, thanks flowery and peppermint for your suggestions.