ALL that effort honing your application has paid off, now all you need is a snazzy suit, a big smile and some answers. Here we ask recruiters for the answers to their favourite interview questions so that you don’t disappoint.

1. Tell me about yourself. This is your big chance to sell yourself, so go for it. “Outline the skills and personal qualities that are relevant to the job. The interviewer wants to know how you are going to behave in the role, so draw on real-life ancedotes to illustrate the points you make,” says Lynn Williams, author of The Ultimate Interview Book (Kogan Page, £9.99).

2. What do your work colleagues think of you? “I like to ask people to consider the third person perspective; they have to think on their feet, and it allows me to assess their self-awareness. I’d also ask what their work colleagues would consider were their strengths and areas for development,” says Geoff Hall, the head of human resources for World Duty Free.

3. Why do you want the job? “This is a basic but important question,” says Richard Alberg, a senior vice president at Kenexa, a recruitment and retention company. “We are looking for evidence that the candidate has thought about the job, the company, the brand.”

4. What drives you to achieve your objectives? An interviewer is looking to fulfil certain competencies, in this case motivation and commitment. “You might say ‘I like doing a job well and perform best when stretched’,” says Tim Forster, the head of UK experienced recruitment at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

5. Tell me about a problem you have solved. Janet Gray, the HR and IT director at Jarvis Hotels, says: “I want to know about the processes and skills used and that they came to a reasonable solution. I want to know how quickly they react, whether they take risks and whether they are able to think off the wall.”

6. What are your weaknesses? “I don’t take kindly to foolish questions” is the obvious response. A more grown-up answer is to point out a couple of areas where you may need training or development should you get the job.

7. Why have you taken the career path that you have? “I look for goals and conscious decisions. It is best if people have fallen into roles to explain it in terms of seizing opportunities, that’s much more positive than the idea that they have been forced into decisions,” says Sally Temple, the succession and recruitment manager for the UK electricals division of DSGI.

8. Where do you see yourself in five years’ time? “We are looking for an ambition that hangs together, is realistic and coherent,” Alberg says. So, it is OK to say you want to have the interviewer’s job if that is a realistic aim.

9. What challenges do you believe this organisation faces? “We are looking to see that they have done their research and have the commercial sophistication to understand the implications of that research,” Alberg says.

10. Is a Jaffa Cake a biscuit or a cake? When an interviewer asks an oddball question they want to see how you react under stress. Williams says: “Don’t panic, take your time, talk through your thinking and although there is no right answer, commit yourself to one.”

THE QUESTIONS THEY WANT YOU TO ASK THEM...
What is the next stage in the process and will I receive feedback on this interview?
What are my promotion prospects?
Will I be given a mentor to oversee my development?
How is my career path determined?
Why should I join your organisation over another?
How do you measure success?
What have previous people who have held this role gone on to do?
What will be the main challenges I will face in the first six months?

... AND THE ONE THEY DON'T
Is that all you’re prepared to pay?

Bad, sad or funny, we would like to hear about your interview experiences

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