While job interviews can be stressful, it is essential to remember that the interviewer is also nervous. Do not be intimidated — be prepared with the appropriate responses to difficult interview questions. Here are some of the most common interview questions and their answers:
What is your greatest weakness?
Most interviewees answer this question in a very honest and serious manner. It is crucial to identify and understand your weaknesses before any future interview, even if the interviewer does not ask this specific question. The interviewer might ask you about the most challenging problem that you have solved or some other defining moment in your life for which gaining experience, knowledge, or skills was crucial to the success that followed after that problem was solved.
What you say may not reflect the actual truth, but it should be something that encompasses all the difficulties that you have encountered in your life. If such a problematic problem appears in an interview, remember to say that it is something that you are working on improving.
What are your hobbies?
This question has two purposes in an interview. First, it is used to figure out what you do outside of work, and second, you might be asked if you have enough time for the job. The interviewer might want to know if your hobbies can interfere with your work and if you have adequate time to dedicate yourself to both. What is interesting about the second purpose is that the interviewer asks this question about your hobbies and the relationships you have (if any).
What are your salary expectations?
This is one of Singapore’s most common interview questions asked to both candidates who are already employed and those looking for a job. It is understandable why companies ask this question because they want to avoid wasting time on interviews with candidates whose salaries exceed the budget set for each position.
Still, there is a way to overcome this. If you are already employed and are asked about your salary expectations, then it is the right time to ask the employer what would be a fair salary for the position you are applying for.
You can do this subtly and diplomatically by saying that you are intrigued you received an offer to work in the company but would like to know if your expectations align with theirs.
How do you plan to contribute to the company?
It is the question that most people get confused about. The interviewer wants to know how your experience (and possibly your knowledge) will be able to help the company grow and increase its profit margins.
The good thing about this question is that it is also a great opportunity. The answer can be related to any aspect of the business from IT, accounting, HR, even marketing or sales. Also, remember that if you have worked in different industries, it might be necessary for the interviewer to know if particular features in those industries will help them in their work.
What has been your most outstanding achievement, and why?
People often prepare for this question by telling about the job they are most proud of. Maybe it was their first business, their first promotion, or something else. Try to avoid focusing on your achievements in the work because then you might be asked if you ever had a job you did not like and why you didn’t like it.
Instead, focus on something interesting that has happened in your life that stands out or is different from other stories and achievements. A good example could be an experience when you helped someone at some point or when you had to do something unexpected for some other reason. When answering this question, take the interviewer into account and try to respond in a way they want to hear.
Interviewing is fun, but it can also be daunting. Interviewers prefer to ask their interviewees about their strengths, weaknesses, and salary expectations. Interviewers like to ask these questions during job interviews to assess how you will perform on the job and whether or not you will be a good fit for their company.
