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Guessing what questions may or may not appear during your interview will only further fuel any anxiety you may already be feeling. The key to success is to avoid trying to predict the future and rather focus on ensuring you have a response to a variation of questions, that could be asked by your interviewer.
Do not entertain the idea of a perfect answer, there is no such thing. Instead focus on accuracy, clarity and examples. Interviewers appreciate refined responses that simply answer the question being asked. Below I have outline 10 types of questions most interviewers use to extract the relevant information out of candidates, to ascertain their suitability to the role being applied to.
Study the different types. This will help you rapidly identify the question being asked and its objective. Most experienced interviewees often prepare several examples for each type of question and utilise these, to answer questions during their interviews.
Recommendation:
Study and remember the different types of questions, so you can easily identify them when asked
Understand the objectives of each type of question being asked and focus on answering the question in accordance to those
Get comfortable with the different types of question by drafting several examples, for each, as you yourself were the interviewer
Identify two examples for each type of question, from the below
Use your examples to answer all of your drafted questions
Run through this process as many times as required, until you feel confident and comfortable that you can identify the type of question being asked, what information the interviewer is attempting to extract from you and how you will answer it.
Remember preparation will help calm your interview anxiety, practice will help level your performance anxiety. Avoid being harsh on yourself and trust the process. As your experience increases, so will your ability to manage your emotions. So, what are the 10 different types of questions, interviewees should prep for?
1. 'About You' Questions
An open-ended question allowing candidates to provide a brief overview of their professional background and key achievements. An example of this is:
“Could you please tell me about yourself?” or “Walk me through your resume”
The objective is to review your character and see if it will fit:
A. The role you are applying for
B. The company morals and values
C. The team dynamics
Note: If the person interviewing you is going to be your line manager, then it is highly likely your response is also being cross checked against the ideal candidate they have already manifested within their sub-conscious. So, it is fair to say, by the end of this question they already know, whether or not they will be considering you for this role.
2. Behavioural Questions
These questions assess how a candidate behaved in past situations. An example of this is:
“Can you share a specific example of a time when you had to handle a challenging situation in the workplace?”
The primary objectives it to review your emotional intelligence. Are you able to deal with situations in a calm, professional and methodical way. Secondary objectives are to review your problem-solving skills and self-awareness.
3. Situational Questions
These questions ask candidates how they would handle hypothetical scenarios related to the job role. An example of this is:
“How would you handle a situation where you have conflicting priorities and tight deadlines?”
The interviewer will primarily be assessing your decision-making skills and industry knowledge. As a secondary your time-management, prioritisation, problem solving and emotional intelligence will be reviewed.
4. Competency-Based Questions
These set of questions evaluate a candidate’s competencies and skills relevant to the job. An example of this question is:
“Describe a situation where you demonstrated strong leadership skills. What was the outcome?”
The objective is to ascertain if you understand the fundamentals of the industry you are applying to or the responsibilities and expectations of the role. So, your knowledge takes the primary spot in this review. Secondary would be any skillset tied to the competency being assessed. Examples of possibilities are as follows:
Management competency question can assess your problem-solving skills, time-management, prioritisation, organisation and emotional intelligence.
Industry specific competency question can assess your problem-solving, organisation, prioritisation, time-management and self-awareness.
Tip: Competency based question examples are a fantastic opportunity to display your capabilities and skills. But do not forget, it is also a perfect opportunity to showcase your ability to work as a team. Try to consider examples that also showcase elements of your team working skills.
5. Problem-Solving Questions
As the name states, a set of questions put forward to assess a candidate’s ability to solve problems. The complexity of these problems will definitely mirror the requirement of the role and the seniority of the position. An example of this question is:
“If you were given a project with tight deadlines and limited resources, how would you approach it?”
Helping Hand: This type of question is renowned for stopping interviewees dead in their tracks. Below I have provided a mini guide you can use to help you, if you ever get stuck answering this.
This is a live assessment, so the interviewer will utilise this opportunity to review how you react and run through the steps. The primary goal is to answer the basic question, can this individual actually solve problems? The secondary goal is to review how effective you are with resolving the raised problem. Was it resolved strategically and efficiently, or, did you partially miss the mark? At the same time your ability to deal with a stressful situation will be monitored, in conjunction with your emotional intelligence.
6. Technical Questions
These questions assess a candidate’s knowledge and expertise in specific subject matters and role related technical areas. An example of this question is:
“Can you explain the process you follow when trouble shooting an access control system?”
The primary objective is to assess the level of technical knowledge you have specifically pertaining to the role you are applying to. Secondary objective is to review your problem-solving skills.
Note: Even if you do not have an answer you can give to this question, ensure you answer it with what you would consider doing. Which should almost always involve seeking guidance from the relevant subject matter expert.
7. Self-Awareness Questions
This includes a wide-array of questions specifically evaluating how you manage yourself. Examples of these kind of questions are:
“How do you handle stress and pressure in the workplace?” or “What motivates you to excel in your work, and how do you stay inspired?” or “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”
The main objective is to assess your self-awareness. Secondary would be your emotional intelligence, prioritisation and organisation. I know prioritisation and organisation does not make sense, but it really does. Only a candidate who is organised and knows how to prioritise, would consider the importance of self-reflection and be organised enough to actually complete this action.
Tip: Always ensure you objectively review yourself when answering this question and always provide an example.
8. Teamwork & Collaboration Questions
Almost every interviewer will always consider asking a question around team work. This helps assess a candidate’s ability to work effectively in a company. An example of this type of question is:
“Can you share an example of a time you successfully collaborated with others in a work environment? What was the task and outcome?”
The interviewer is assessing your team-working skills, your ability to give and take instructions, organisation, prioritisation, time-management and emotional intelligence. This will help the interviewer answer the following questions:
Can you work as part of a team?
Are you a good fit for the company and the team you will be placed in?
Do you fit the companies culture and values?
Are you able to prioritise the companies objectives over your emotions?
The list can go on. So remember, when answering interview questions, it’s not as simple as saying yes or no.
9. Cultural Fit Questions
This type of questions will help evaluate, whether or not, a candidate’s values align with the company. An examples of this type of question is:
“Which of our company values resonate with you the most and why?” Or “How would you contribute to our team culture?”
Your knowledge and preparation are being assessed here, so I truly hope you spent a portion of your time researching the company. This question also reviews your self-awareness skills and ability to be objective.
Tip: If you are ever stuck because you forgot to research the companies values, consider the following response:
“The values I always aspire to focus only integrity, diligence and teamwork. These are the same values I intend to bring with me to (Company’s Name)”
10. Out of the Box Questions
Unconventional questions designed to catch candidates off guard and evaluate their creativity, personality and problem-solving skills. An example of this type of question is:
“If you were a superhero, what power would you have and how would you use it to benefit our team?”
The objective of the interviewer is to assess your ability to think fast on your feet, as well as cross comparing your answer to previous ones. This cross comparison helps identify any anomalies they can question further. Alternative objectives would be to ascertain your level of creativity, problem-solving and gauge your personality.
Tip: When answering these questions, focus more on the decision making than perfection, as I have seen many candidates trip and fall over this, taking longer than necessary to answer it.
Problem Solving Questions Guide:
As promised, if you ever find yourself stuck then follow this simple guide, to which I will provide responses based on the example question:
Identify the problems: Tight deadlines and limited resources
Identify solution: Construct plan to re-prioritise tasks, redistribute resources to tackle tasks based on new prioritisation and identify repercussion on all deadlines
Seek authorisation: Arrange meeting with line manager and discuss plan and seek authorisation to proceed
Amendments: Make amendments to plan, in line with line manager’s notes
Implementation: implement said plan
Review and prevent: After the problem has been resolved, review the situation and identify lessons learned and install preventative measures, where possible.
Conclusion
Remember, focus less on singular questions, as part of your preparation, and more on understanding the different types of questions. Once you feel confident in identifying the types of question then proceed with highlighting the objectives. Finally ensure you have set aside, at minimum, two examples for each type of question. Then practice answering a range of questions for each type. You will soon find yourself, not only confidently answering the questions with ease, but it will become effortless. Once you reach this point, rest assured it is only a matter of time until you secure your desired role. Good luck and remember, Rome was not built in a day, so remain resilient and keep moving forward.
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