5 Job Interview Answers You Must Prepare For

Job interview question and answers are the backbone to every job interview, and provide a way for your potential employer to assess whether you're right for the position they have advertised for.

But one of the biggest job interview mistakes is not preparing or indeed coping with the job interview questions adequately, because you simply don't know what to expect and how to answer these questions.

In this article, you'll discover the key job interview questions that you're likely to be asked so that you can prepare for equally effective job interview answers as a result.

This will leave you feeling more confident proir to, and during the interview itself, which will also help to show the potential employer that you're confident and able to fill the job position over your competition.

So let's take a look at some of these questions, and how to provide the best possible answers during the interview process...

1. "Tell us more about yourself".

The employer is not asking this to get a detailed insight into your private life or what you like to eat for dinner. They only truly care about what sort of personality you have and how you would fit in with their exisiting staff. So be honest, and put a positive spin on your personality. For example, tell them that you're ambitious and like to meet new people. Tell them that you are open minded and consider yourself to be intelligent.

2. "How well do you work in teams?"

To answer simply "very well" is not enough to cut the mustard here. The interviewer need to hear examples of your ability to work well with others, and often the interviewer will actually ask, "...and could you give me an example of when you worked well within a team?".

Even an example from your previous jobs which seems trivial to you, is worth using as an example to the interviewer. Even if it's something like "I helped new staff find their way around the building", you can simply say why this was an important part of teamwork and this will show that you have a clear understanding of the value of team work.

If you've never worked in a team, you might want to use examples of situations outside of work, such as sports teams. These are just as effective, as what is important is your ability to produce a certain result within a team.

And if you really can't think of anything to give as an example, then you should simply be honest and say "Although I've never worked in a team before, I would truly appreciate the opportunity...because I understand that teamwork is the key to increased productivity within the work environment"

3. "What would you say are your strengths and weaknesses".

This is a real chance to shine in your interview. This is where the selling of yourself really comes into play. The strengths you demonstrate should be your best, both strengths in your personality and strenghts in your skills at work.

Where possible, you must make sure your strengths that you show off actually match the particular job position in question. So for a sales job, if you've never done a sales job before, but your strengths lie in verbal communication and positive attitude, then this would equally impress the potential employer.

The weaknesses are to see if you are able to be rational as a person, and admit your flaws. Don't go overboard here, and simply state a weakness that is not necessarily going to hinder you in this particular job. Then, turn it around and say what you plan to do in the future to improve on this weakness.

"How do you handle deadlines and the stress associated with them?"

Again, have an example prepared before you enter the interview room. Usually, the employer wants to see that you are organized and level headed in busy times. You should also mention that you lead a healthy, stress free lifestyle which allows you to arrive at work the next day fully recharged.

"Why do you consider yourself the best person for the job?"

This is another chance to really push yourself for the job. Here, you must match your skills with the skills the job requires, and match your best personaility traits with the attitude and culture of the company. This is where it is so important to do your homework on the type of work environment and culture of the company.

For example, a relaxed, creative office would suit a calm mannered, mature personality. Also, a job that requires serious overtime in busy periods would be suited to someone who has less personal commitments and is able to demonstrate that they can handle the stress accordingly.