Key Questions Employers Ask During Job Interviews
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Key Questions Employers Ask During Job Interviews
At job interviews, employers want to find out about your work style, ability to contribute to a team and whether your goals align with the firm's strategies. -
Top Topics
39% of the senior managers surveyed said they most like to ask job candidates questions that relate to the open position or to their company. -
Getting to Know You
22% said they most like to ask about a candidate's previous or current experience, while 18% said they want to find out about a candidate's personal attributes and characteristics. -
Why Interviewers Ask: "What Do You Know About This Company?"
Employers ask this question because they want to know how much homework you've done. -
Why Interviewers Ask: "What Did You Like or Dislike About Your Last Job?"
They want to learn more about your work patterns and preferences to determine whether you're a good fit for the available position. -
Why Interviewers Ask: "What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses?"
This question helps managers assess whether you have the right mix of tech and soft skills to make a valuable contribution—and to get a sense of your work style. -
Why Interviewers Ask: "Why Did You Choose This Career?"
Employers want to know whether your career goals are aligned to the open position. -
Curveball Questions: Office Zoo
"What kind of animal would you be?" -
Curveball Questions: Tasty Treat
"If you could have all the ice cream in the world, how many different flavors would you take to make a sundae, and how many toppings would you pick?" -
Curveball Questions: Self-Promotion
"What ad slogan would you use to describe yourself?"
If you've taken part in enough job interviews, you've undoubtedly realized that certain questions keep coming up. But did you ever wonder why they're so popular with employers? If so, then consider the following research from Accountemps, which links common interview questions to the motivations behind them. Ultimately, employers want to find out more about your work style, your ability to contribute to a team and whether your career goals align with the company's strategies. "While you can't predict every question you may hear during an interview, candidates should practice responding to commonly asked questions to impress hiring managers," said Bill Driscoll, district president for Accountemps. "Knowing your audience is crucial. Learn as much as you can about the company and position by conducting research, reading relevant news and reaching out to your network for insights." As part of the research, Accountemps included survey findings from employers that indicate what interviewers most like to discuss during these exchanges, as well as some interesting curveball questions that managers use to keep candidates on their toes. We've included some of those here. More than 300 U.S. senior managers took part in the research.