What is unacceptable in a job interview question. Which ones are most often asked and how to answer them correctly when applying for a position? Why do employers ask?

When you go to an interview, prepare for possible questions from the employer. Think about what the employer might ask and how to respond to it. As a rule, at a job interview, a standard set of basic questions is asked, as well as additional ones that depend on the specific position. Below is a list of frequently asked employer questions and answers. Use the answers provided as a template, edit them according to the specifics of the position you are applying for.

You were invited for an interview and you really want to get this position, but you are afraid of competitors, you are afraid to answer a tricky question incorrectly or just get confused? In this case, it is necessary to gather all your will into a fist and prepare for a responsible conversation with the employer. Be sure to think over the style of clothing, hairstyle, rehearse the speech, taking into account the possible options for the proposed answers.

We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the main questions that recruiters ask the applicant for the position at the interview. You will find all the correct answers in our article. How to respond to specific and non-standard tasks in order to stand out from the crowd of competitors?

Very popular at present in job interviews situational questions examples below (click to enlarge):

13 popular interview questions and answers

Question 1 Tell me a little about yourself
A very popular one that recruiters ask first. How best to answer the question - tell us about yourself?

Answer. It is necessary to keep calm when answering, speech should be clear and confident. Tell what the interviewer wants to hear: where did you study, specialty, previous jobs, interests, hobbies, hobbies. Tell us what you are interested in new position and be sure to focus on personal qualities. Among them, it is important to note stress resistance, quick learning, diligence and discipline, striving for the goal, constant work on oneself.

Answer examples:

The second most asked question in a job interview is why you left your previous job. How to respond to a recruiter?

Answer. In the answer, you should not talk about the conflict with the management, if it took place. Also, you can not speak negatively about the director and colleagues. The applicant may be suspected of being quarrelsome, inability to get along with people, work in a team. Responding to this question, talk about former job in positive colors, remember the fun and pleasant moments. The reason for leaving can be called the desire to reveal one's potential, unique abilities, the desire for professional growth and a higher salary.

More examples of responses:

What to answer the question at the interview - why do you want to work with us? The employer will definitely ask him - prepare for it.

Answer. It is worth mentioning the positive characteristics of the company, among them - stability, the possibility of professional growth, a well-coordinated team, interesting work, a decent salary. You can also add what attracts the work schedule, management policy aimed at subordinates and other important points.

In order to reasonably answer the reason for the desire to work in a particular company, read about it, look at the website, ask what the company does, what it produces, how many years it has been on the market.

What to answer to the employer if he asks a tricky question about why it is necessary to hire you for a vacancy.

Answer. The applicant must give a clear, intelligible and reasoned answer, namely, to say that he is an excellent specialist, has invaluable experience, and is constantly improving in a particular area. It is necessary to prepare in advance in order to tell in detail about the field of activity of the company, about the industry in which you are going to work. No need to be shy about praising yourself, talking about your successes and talents.

Question 5 What are your shortcomings?
Perhaps the most difficult thing to answer in an interview is what flaws you have.

Answer. It should be noted right away that this is a trick question. Spread as the spirit of their flaws is not worth it. Try to name your positive qualities, pretending that you consider them your shortcomings. For example, they are too demanding of themselves, they don’t know how to switch off from work, they are pedantic, strict, scrupulous. You can also answer a tricky question that everyone has flaws, but yours do not affect professional qualities in any way.

Examples of shortcomings answers:

How to answer the interview question about your merits?

Answer. We’ll tell you right away which parties should not be named, because almost every applicant for a position speaks about them:

Punctuality.

Easily connect with people.

performance.

These are standard qualities, they are already tired of recruiters, so you need to be more inventive. Tell at the interview that you can easily find an approach to people, know how to inspire confidence, use the working day rationally, have experience in negotiations, and conclude profitable contracts. Managers should pay attention to such answers.

How to answer the question about the desired salary level?

Answer. A good specialist should know his own worth. Try to name a salary higher than your previous one by 10-15%. A middle ground is needed here, because if the salary is underestimated, I will think that a person is a bad worker, and if the salary is too high, that is too ambitious.

Usually this question ends the study of the candidate. How do you respond about where you see yourself in 5-10 or more years?

Answer. A stubborn person always sets high goals for himself, career advancement. At the interview, you need to emphasize that your dream is to work in this company and during this time to take a leadership position.

Do not say that you will live in a luxurious apartment surrounded by a crowd of children and a beautiful wife. The employer doesn't want to hear that.

Example of a good answer:

“In 5 years, I see myself as a mature specialist, perhaps a project manager (direction, division), who has significantly improved his level of professional training.”

Answer. Here it is hinted at overtime work. You need to ask how often processing happens, and understand for yourself whether you are really ready for them or this position is not suitable for you. If yes, then answer in the affirmative, say that you are ready to stay late at work and do everything for the good of the company.

Answer: Be sure to say that you crave new experiences and happily complete all the tasks, because you gain invaluable experience and skills.

Answer. This is also a tricky question, here the employer finds out whether the job is so important to the applicant. Therefore, ask in detail about the work schedule provided by the social. package, about the requirements for the employees of the company.

Any job interview is stressful. A person is nervous and even the simplest question can confuse him. Knowing what recruiters ask most often, it is possible to perfectly prepare and answer them correctly. You can answer any tricky question, the main thing is to be confident in your own abilities. Study our article, and boldly go to the interview, impressing employers with your erudition and excellent professional qualities.

Unfortunately, due to inability or misunderstanding of the importance of passing an interview, even good specialist may not get a job. It is a pity to see a candidate who does not know how to correctly present himself, talk about his skills, show his strengths. Quite often, the applicant is intimidated by the questions that the HR specialist asks, so it is better to prepare for the interview in advance.

Vera Starodubtseva, FCCA, Head of ACCA in Russia, talks about the most common interview questions and what answers an employer would like to hear.

1. Why did you decide to leave your previous company?

Quite often, the candidate says in general terms: “I was not able to realize my ambitions in the previous position.” Such an answer is usually followed by a request to specify your answer, which leads the applicant to a dead end, and he continues to "dodge".

The HR specialist wants to hear as much specifics from you as possible.

Be proactive: if you did not realize your potential in your previous position, then explain what it was, what it was connected with, and so on. If a person continues to answer specific questions with general memorized phrases, it becomes clear that he is either hiding something or does not know what he wants.

2. What has changed at your previous job since you came?

It is important to formulate your thoughts correctly here. For example, you have solved a problem. But it is much more important for a recruiter to understand that you not only eliminated some kind of mistake, but also did everything possible so that such problems would not arise again. Show that you can not only correct the consequences, but also anticipate possible difficulties.

3. What mistakes did you make and how did you deal with them?

50% of respondents answer that they did not make mistakes, but this is most likely not entirely true. This is usually the response of employees who blame everyone but themselves for their failures.

Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, so prepare for an unpleasant question in advance.

Of course, you should not talk about the fatal mistake that led to the loss of work. It is enough to talk about the situation from which you were able to find a way out and which taught you something. In this way, you will show that you can overcome difficulties, analyze the experience gained and learn, albeit from your mistakes.

4. Name your weaknesses.

This question is asked to determine how self-critical and ready for analysis the candidate is. If the applicant says that he has no flaws, this is an important reason to think - there are no people without flaws. Most likely, the person does not perceive criticism and will have a hard time relating to the manager's comments.

It should not be forgotten that any disadvantage is the reverse side of dignity.

Scrupulousness, for example, can be called a disadvantage, but this is not the worst quality, for example, for a financial specialist. IN this case it is worth wrapping any shortcomings into dignity, as well as commenting on how you are working on yourself.

5. What are you proud of?

Often, candidates answer about potential opportunities without confirming the case with some examples. The employer would like to hear about specific actions: what tools you have been successful with, what criteria you use to evaluate your work, why you are proud of this particular project, and so on.

6. Where do you see yourself in five years?

Here the employer would like to hear not only about professional achievements but also other successes. In this way, you will show that you are a versatile person who develops not only within the framework of work. If you know how to dream, you have a goal in life and you are going towards it - this is a huge plus for any applicant.

7. When are you going on maternity leave?

This is one of the most uncomfortable questions that an HR specialist asks. In this case, it is important for the employer not just to close the vacancy, but to find a person who will grow himself and develop the company, this can be both long-term and short term. It all depends on how you plan your future. So here you have to be proactive and anticipate this awkward question. If you are thinking about starting a family, but at the same time you are going to develop professionally, the recruiter will not have an “uncomfortable” question, but if a career is not included in your plans, it is unlikely that an HR specialist will be interested in your candidacy. And if a girl says that she is not going on maternity leave in the next 10 years, then this will alert much more than an honest answer that after some time she is going to start a family.

8. Tell us about your first steps in your new job?

With the help of this question, the recruiter wants to understand your idea of the company's activities and its functionality, as well as evaluate your ability to structure activities, your search proactivity.

It is important for the employer to determine the set of your professional qualities.

The final stage of the interview can be a presentation that, better than any questionnaire, will demonstrate your level of professionalism, understanding of what the company does, and your approach to solving everyday issues. Quite often, a candidate claims with 80% confidence that he is ready to start a new position, however, according to the results of the presentation, it turns out that the applicant matches the position by only 2%.

9. Will you get tired of this profession?

It is important for the employer to understand that you are really in the right place and are ready to develop in this area. It's better to be honest here. If this question makes you think, then it really is worth deciding whether you plan to devote yourself to this particular profession.

reference Information

ACCA (The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) is a global professional association that brings together professionals in the field of finance and accounting. .

If, after a question about professional achievements, life flashes before your eyes faster than the heroes of action films, you definitely need to prepare for the interview in advance. We chose 3 questions that an employer will definitely ask, and figured out how to answer them without panic and irritation.

"Tell me a little about yourself"

Such a seemingly simple request can make many applicants pretty nervous. What exactly to tell? How much time to talk? What can and what cannot be said? What should be focused on? How not to seem too modest or immodest?

Telling about yourself is very important point self-presentation at the interview. It doesn't have to be a long story about your life or listing the highlights of your resume. Telling a story about yourself is the first and probably the best chance to let the recruiter know that you are the right person to hire for the position.

If you don't know where to start, use the simple and popular "present-past-future" formula. First, talk about who you are this moment what you do, what you know. Then - talk about what brought you to your current position: a combination of skills and experience. At the end, talk about your plans and prospects, paying special attention to the opportunities that open up for you along with this work. Also tell us about what you will do to develop the company in this position.

Remember that in the story you need to pay a lot of attention to the professional skills required for this position. You can say a few words about your hobbies and hobbies, but a few words are 1-2 minutes of your interview time, no more. As for the duration of the whole story about yourself, everything is very individual here, but try to keep within 7-8 minutes, after which invite the recruiter to ask their questions.

"What are your strengths and weaknesses?"

When talking about your strengths, do not get carried away with general phrases like “I easily integrate into any team” or “I do not conflict.” List the specific character traits and skills that are needed specifically for this position: “I know how to manage people”, “I have experience in successfully organizing the work of ten people”, “I won first place in the regional marketing competition”, and so on.

When talking about your achievements, focus on how they affected the success of your organization. If you can brag about non-work related accomplishments—for example, community initiatives—try to link them to yours. labor activity. When listing your strengths, do not be too modest: if you do not tell the interviewer about your advantages, no one will do it for you at the interview. However, do not go to extremes: you should not arrange a half-hour presentation on the topic of your conceivable and unthinkable virtues. Instead, talk briefly about the main strengths and be ready to describe each in detail if asked.

With disadvantages, too, everything is not so difficult. Don't try to be perfect. Recruiters value sincerity and the ability to adequately assess themselves and their shortcomings in applicants. Do not try to embellish or hide your weaknesses: if you get this job, sooner or later everything secret will become clear.

However, there is a little trick. Speaking of any shortcoming, you can talk about how you successfully deal with it. For example, at school you had a fear of public speaking. Then it was a huge problem. You couldn't even calmly go out to answer the board. However, at the university, at seminars, you made presentations as often as possible, participated in amateur performances. The fear of speaking began to recede. Today, although you are experiencing great excitement, you are quite capable of speaking in front of an audience of one hundred people. In addition, you continue to work on yourself - attend trainings, read special literature. The main thing is for the employer to see: you not only recognize your own shortcoming, but also actively fight against it.

There are also weaknesses that will play into the hands. For example, at your last job, you were considered a meticulous bore with a lack of creative thinking, and this one will be valued for attentiveness and responsibility, especially if the creative is generated by other employees.

Remember that the worst response to a question about weaknesses is a joking "I'm too perfect" or "I struggle unsuccessfully with my perfectionism." This will leave the recruiter with a rather negative impression of your self-esteem and sense of humor.

"Your biggest professional achievement"

The best argument in your favor in an interview is a list of impressive ones. The recruiter's logic is simple: if a candidate has achieved a lot in previous place work, then you can expect accomplishments from him in the future. Therefore, before the interview, take a piece of paper and a pen and make a list of your brightest and most impressive victories on the work front. These can be examples of successfully implemented projects, increasing profits and reducing costs, or increasing sales. Try to rank the achievements according to their importance to the enterprise. The more important the victory was, the higher its rating. When you can isolate the most significant achievement, dwell on it in more detail. First, tell us why you chose it. Secondly, explain how your success has turned out for the enterprise and what it has given you personally. Thirdly, share how you managed to achieve success, what technologies and methods you used in your work.

Don't forget your colleagues. Tell us about who helped you achieve results, who was a partner, who inspired you to win. Tell us about the difficulties you encountered and how you overcame them.

Finally, be sure to link your past job to your desired future position. Share how the techniques you have used can help you achieve results in the present. The recruiter must understand that you are not going to stop there and intend to move on, bringing benefits to the enterprise where you will work.

In this article, we will look at what non-standard employers ask. What answers to tricky questions can you prepare? Below we have compiled a list of unusual interview questions that various people in domestic and foreign companies have been lucky enough to answer.

Difficult interview questions usually do not have a right or wrong answer. Their essence is that they are unexpected. They are designed for the manifestation of ingenuity, the ability to analyze, the ability to find a way out of difficult situations.

If you had enough money to never work again, what would you do?

This is a question of value. The answer should include some truth, what is really important to you (traveling, would give birth to five children, would fight for animal rights, would open a shelter for the homeless and work there), the answer should characterize you as not a materialistic and selfish person, but as to highlight human values. Be sure to include some of your current responsibilities in the second part of your answer. For example, one HR manager at an interview for the same position in another company answered this question like this: “I would advise people on building and developing careers inSkype, it would give me the opportunity not to be in the office all day, but I could do what I love. ” This is the perfect answer, it shows that you love your job, and do not work for money.

If you could go back in time and change just one thing, what would it be?

This is a question for introspection and your perception of yourself. The change you would like to make does not have to be fatal, it does not have to change your life radically. Otherwise, everything will look as if you are unhappy in your current life. Of course, you should not go to extremes and talk about a serious mistake that led to someone's illness or death. Firstly, it can stir up your emotions and make you vulnerable, which is not necessary in an interview, and secondly, you do not know anything about the values of the person sitting in front of you.

Unusual interview questions are often about improvisation and resourcefulness.

If you were a color, what would it be? If you were an animal/bird/flower, what would you be?

A question about your perception of yourself. Many advise to answer "I would be a rainbow." Recruiters also read articles on the Internet, candidates are now smart and are preparing for such questions, so your interlocutor has already heard the answer about the rainbow 3 times today. This is clearly a memorized, and therefore a false answer. Choose a specific color, don't be smart. There is no right or wrong here. Just not a rainbow! Well, not everyone can want to be rainbows))) The same goes for animals, birds, objects, flowers, etc. Define a few associations for yourself and stick to them, be prepared to explain why you associate yourself with monitor lizard or purple.

Sometimes recruiters ask weird, sly, or outright provocative questions. It is impossible to know the answers to everything, especially since there are no right and wrong answers. Here are just a few tricky interview questions.

What prevents you from being a happy person?

The trick is in the wording itself. Nothing is stopping you. You are a happy person.

Why is a tennis ball fluffy?

Tennis ball covered with pile for air resistance. If it were smooth, then the flight speed would be higher and it would be difficult to control it.

Why is the hatch round?

A round cover will not fall into the well, and a square one can fail, go at an angle.

Some questions may seem tricky to you, as they contain what is called a moral dilemma.

What crime are you willing to commit to save a loved one?
How much can you kill?
What would you choose 10 years 100% happy life or 30 years of a normal life?

Remember, no matter what question you are asked, the main thing is not the answer itself, but your approach. Good luck!

The task of the employer at the interview is to find out about the candidate as much as possible possible information to understand how the applicant can fit for a particular position. A very large number of applicants are now faced with tricky interview questions.
There are a lot of such questions.

Many employers, along with tricky questions, formulate various case situations to check how the candidate will react to such a provocation.

Sometimes these kinds of questions are aimed at identifying the candidate's stress resistance and his emotional stability. Many job seekers even call these questions tactless. Let’s take a look at some of the tricky interview questions.

1.Personal interview questions

In most cases, behind personal questions is not the employer's curiosity, but a specific task - to draw up a psychological portrait of the candidate. Recruiters are well aware that information about the applicant's personal life will tell a lot more about him than he will tell about himself and his job. professional experience on one's own.

On behalf of recruiters, we note that we also have to ask similar questions, since many personal moments from the life of a candidate will help to finally dot the "I" and make a decision on hiring an employee.

Try to answer such questions calmly and confidently, but if they seem very personal to you, politely turn the conversation in a different direction or refuse to answer this question. Don't be rude and don't lose your dignity.

About kids

Many women had to answer such tricky questions in an interview of this kind: "When are you planning children?". Almost all applicants are lost and do not know what to answer this question. How you will answer this question is up to you. You can answer with a very standard wording: "I'm not planning children anytime soon." Do not go into details and do not explain anything, this will be enough.

"Your child is often sick, do you take sick leave to care for him?" - Another very personal and popular question that is asked to women at the interview. It's best to answer honestly to avoid getting into trouble with your employer if they hire you. If the job is important to you, answer that you have someone who is ready to look after him. For example: “My child is ill just like other children, but his grandmother (nanny, etc.) will be with him” - such an answer can completely reassure the employer.

About marriage

"Are you married?" "Are you dating anyone?" "Are you planning to start a family?"... This is a very popular interview question lately.
Some employers prefer to hire people who are legally married because they find them more reliable.
It is better to answer this question honestly and openly. "Why are you not married?" or "What is the reason for your divorce?", "Why don't you still have children?" - such questions, despite their obvious faux pas, are still asked in interviews by recruiters.
Whether or not to answer these questions is up to you. The main thing - do not react to such questions too quick-tempered. You can always refuse to answer such questions.

2. Questions about hobbies and hobbies

These are very common interview questions. Their goal is to determine the temperament of the candidate and reveal him as a person, as well as to determine whether he will be able to approach this or that position.

"What are you interested in/doing? free time?”, “Do you have a hobby?” Now many candidates talk about active sports, travel, theater performances.
If you have already started talking about this, then be prepared for the fact that you may be asked which country you visited last, what you remember, which theater play you went to and how long ago it was.

What book are you currently reading or have you recently read? This is a general development question. Perhaps you read only professional literature in your field or newspapers/magazines, or you may not read at all. Point to two books that you read - one professional and the other fiction. You will be able to show yourself not only as a professional, but also as a developing person.

Tricky interview questions are not uncommon these days. And the decision of the employer on your candidacy depends on how you answer them. Be polite and tactful.

3. Questions about professional activities

Some of the toughest questions...

What do you think a good leader should be like?

A very appropriate answer would be: good leader is a competent, competent specialist with leadership qualities and charisma, from whom you can learn a lot, who will be a mentor for the wards, helping with advice at a difficult working moment."

Why have you been criticized lately?
Tricky question, but here you need to build the question so that the answer speaks in your favor. For example: "My work fascinates me so much that I hear reproaches from my family members that I think only about work, I am completely absorbed only in it."

Why did you choose this particular profession?

Of course, you should not say that your parents chose your specialty for you. Say that you wanted to become an accountant/economist/manager. always dreamed about it, as it is an interesting and promising work. If you have a specialized education, then when answering this question, you need to emphasize your ability to plan professional path and make informed, independent, informed decisions.

Describe one conflict situation at work, tell us how you solved it.
This question usually leads to a dead end for all applicants. Think ahead about the answer to this question. You must demonstrate how easily and diplomatically you can resolve conflict situations.

Prepare for each interview, study information about the company.
We wish you good luck for the interview!