Interview Questions

Depending on your particular field, the job prospects can prove to be grim. Whereas an employer used to receive scores of applications for a particular vacancy, today an employer may receive hundreds of applications. The first step in vetting possible applicants is to look at their CVs. There are hundreds of books that provide tips on how to structure an engaging CV that communicates strengths and minimises some of the difficult-to-explain gaps in a job history. But a CV will only get your foot in the door. CVs are used by HR departments to thin the herd of applicants to a handful of promising candidates who then progress through to aptitude and personality tests, and the all-important interview. If you think of a CV as a handbill advertising what you can do, the interview is your opportunity to impress in person, to really sell yourself to a potential employer. But many people neglect to adequately prepare for job interviews. Recruiting these days is down to a veritable science. The interviewer uses particular interview questions to elicit particular responses. The content of your responses and the way you phrase your answers tells an interviewer a lot about your suitability for a management position or whether you are the right fit for a particular corporate culture. There are a variety of books on the market that deal exclusively with how to answer job interview questions. Not only do they list some of the most popular interview questions, along with suitable responses, but also the questions you should not be answering, such as potentially discriminatory questions. Many of these books also deal with the really difficult interview questions and how to put a positive spin on negative aspects of your job history.