Answering the Interview Question

Answering the Interview Question: Why Do You Want to Work at Our Company?

By Job Journey on Tuesday, July 16, 2019

Prepare your reasons.

When companies are hiring, they aren’t just looking for the most skilled applicants. While skill is important, interviewers are also looking for culture fit. Folks that mesh with the rest of the employees and stay with the company long-term.

That’s the main reason interviewers ask applicants why they want to work at the company. Your answer should combine a discussion of your skills with your personality and how you fit in with the company in general.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind.

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Answering the Interview Question: How Would Your Co-Workers Describe You in Three Words?

By Job Journey on Tuesday, June 18, 2019

The interview is flowing nicely, you’ve aced your answers, and the future looks bright. Until this question pops up: “What three words would your co-workers use to describe you?”

You haven’t thought about it before, so you stumble. You’ve been thinking from your own perspective this whole time, so switching gears to someone else’s point of view is tough.

Avoiding this awkward interview situation is simple: just prepare beforehand. Not sure how? We’ve got you covered.

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Answering the Interview Question: Describe Your Perfect Work Environment/Company Culture

By Job Journey on Tuesday, May 21, 2019

What do you want?

Answering this question requires a bit of preparation. Companies ask this question for two reasons: they want to know what type of work environment you thrive under (so they can see if it matches their own environment), but they also want to make sure you know what you want. That you’re a focused job applicant. (more…)

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Answering the Interview Question: What’s Your Most Impressive Accomplishment?

By Job Journey on Tuesday, April 16, 2019

How Do You Choose?

This question differs from “tell me about yourself” in that the interviewer expects a specific, targeted response related to one specific project.

Interviewers ask this question for two reasons: they want a better picture of your abilities, and they want to learn about you personally by seeing what you think is your biggest accomplishment.

But it can be difficult to choose just one accomplishment, especially if you haven’t prepared a response ahead of time. Here’s how to make sure you’re ready for this question.

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Answering the Interview Question: Tell Me About Yourself

By Job Journey on Tuesday, March 12, 2019

How Much Do They Want to Know?

Some interviewers prefer to kick things off with a general question instead of something specific. Asking you to talk about yourself tells them two things: 1. How you handle being put on the spot and 2. Information about your experience they can use as a baseline for the rest of your interview.

Since the question is so general, it can be hard to figure out where to start. But the open nature of the question also allows you to create a unique answer that shows off your personality and experience. Here are a few things to keep in mind.

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Answering the Interview Question: Why Should I Hire You?

By Job Journey on Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Do you have an answer ready?

This question is like the shark in Jaws. You never know when it’s going to attack. It could be at the beginning of the interview, or maybe in the middle. It’s even possible it catches you off guard at the end when you think you’re safe.

What’s so scary? It’s only five words. “Why should I hire you?” You might also get “Why do you want to work at this company,” or something else along similar lines.

The scary thing is that answering these questions requires plenty of preparation beforehand. This is probably not an answer you can come up with right away (especially if you first consider saying “because I need money, duh.”)

Here are a few essential things to include in your answer.

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Answering the Interview Question: Why Are You Leaving Your Current Job/Company?

By Job Journey on Tuesday, January 22, 2019

How honest is too honest?

This interview is going quite well. You’re pretty sure you’ve aced every question, and you can really see yourself working at this company. But then your interviewer turns to you, smiles, and asks the dreaded question: “One last question before you go: Why are you leaving your position at XYZ company?”

Your heart starts beating a mile a minute. Why are they asking this? Should you tell them your manager is terrible? Should you mention the toxic work culture? Maybe that’s not even the problem, and all you want is a change of pace—is that answer too boring?

If this situation sounds familiar, you’re not alone. In a recent Job Journey survey, 13% of respondents wanted help with this question. And it’s easy to see why—there are too many ways to answer it.

That makes it all the more important to come prepared with your answer well before you arrive for your interview. There is no one-answer-fits-all solution, but we’ve provided a few of our favorites below. Feel free to mix and match to find something that works for you.

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