Prepare for the classics: 8 questions recruiters always ask

This blog post is about the boring but safe route: you will be asked at least one of these questions in one way or another. Hopefully, our list can help you prepare in advance and get these questions out of the way, so you can focus on the other things on your preparation-list.

Can you tell us about yourself?

This question is often misunderstood as most will either start talking about their professional careers or their personal life. You can do both. The question is basically an easy way of starting the interview. Prepare a general presentation about yourself that you can perform in approx 1 minute and the interview will be off to a good start. Make sure to include both personal and professional information.

What do you know about our company?

Don’t fret, because you know almost everything about the company if you have read our pre-guide for job interviews! If not, check it out. If you’re in a hurry, here’s a short summary:

• Read about the company’s products and services as well as the “About us” section on their website.
• Check their social media pages to get a sense of their social media presence. Maybe you’ll learn more about their day-to-day life.
• Google the company to learn more about their finances and any relevant news in the press.
• Find reviews of the company from current and previous employees. Find them on sites like Glassdoor or Jobindex for Danish companies. You can also find reviews from consumers on Trustpilot if it’s a B2C-company.
• Also research the person you will be meeting. You gain trust and respect if you know something about them.

Do as much research as possible beforehand. It’ll be much easier for you to engage in discussions about the company and you’ll be much better equipped to ask questions about and regarding the company.

Why do you want to work for us?

This question works to your advantage since you have already covered your knowledge of the company - use that knowledge to stress your motivation for applying and working for the company. You can combine your knowledge of the company with both your personal and professional motivation to strengthen your answers. It can be as simple as “Your company’s working on a new product that I believe will change the industry for the better and I want to be part of that journey.”. With this simple sentence, you’re stressing your motivation with the company’s business as basis.

Why do you want to leave your current position?

This one can be a tricky question to answer. Here’s our first pro-tip: you don’t want to trash talk your current employer. No matter how much you hate your current employer this is a no-go. If you do it, you probably won’t be considered for the position when you leave the room. Why you ask. It’s simple, really. If you trash talk your current employer, what are the chances that you’ll do the same to your next employer? Pretty slim, the interviewer will think. And lastly, it’s just disrespectful.

Instead, you should be diplomatic and focus on the positive aspects of the prospective job. You should focus on professional development and why this company and job attracts you. Look forward instead of backwards. By doing that you’re both respectful of your current employer and showing professional and personal interest in the job you’re interviewing for.

What do you consider to be your weaknesses and strengths?

The self-evaluation process question is probably the most cliché part of the questionnaire round you will encounter during the interview - and the toughest. Telling a random person about your professional weaknesses might cross your personal boundaries, but you can choose to focus on the solutions instead of the problem. Explain how you’ve worked on your weaknesses and give examples of your development. This way you’re turning the problem, your weakness, to a solution that you’re working on.

When it comes to strengths, you need to be specific. Review your skills, job tasks and results to give yourself a general overview and break them down in keywords. If you’re great at delivering projects on time you’re probably a great planner and a disciplined and dedicated employee. Always make sure to give specific explains of both strengths and weaknesses so the interviewer can relate them to the job.

Why are you the right person for the job?

The question begs for you to give them your elevator pitch. The 30 seconds to 1 minute about your professional profile boiled down to a couple of accomplishments and what you will bring to the role. It’s your chance to start-off strongly by telling them why you’re the right person for the job.

Write a pitch beforehand where you focus on who you are and what your skills will bring to the role. If you suffer from writer’s block you can draw inspiration from the professional summary on your CV. The preparation for the pitch might be straightforward but the execution isn’t always easy. Spend some time performing the pitch so you minimize the risk of stumbling or mumbling.

What do you do after work?

This question covers interests, hobbies and family-related info. When they ask you personal questions it’s because they want to know as much as possible about you, without getting in your face about it, so they can access whether you’re a good fit for the team and the company.

You’re going to spend at least 37 hours a week with your colleagues and bosses and since they aren’t going to hide you in the broom closet, personality and chemistry must be a good fit. Everyone wants to talk about the hottest TV-shows with their colleagues, so believe us, they’re measuring you from top to toe!

Anything you want to ask us about?

Now is your chance to gauge whether the company or position is the right fit for you and not the other way around. You’ll cover a lot of ground about the company and position during the interview so you will most probably have covered the basic questions about the company, team and position.

You can focus on questions regarding social events, company growth, company strategy or you can be personal: ask the interviewer about his/ her daily work life and why he/ she thinks it’s a great company to work at.

Don’t worry!

Our best advice to you is to “take it easy”. If you stress about the interview before you’ve even introduced yourself, you’re more likely to make mistakes and forget important info. Don’t stress, recruiters and hiring managers are not there to make it the worst day of your life. Be calm and collected. You want to be at your best, so allow yourself to be on that level!