5 Key Common Based Questions to prepare in your next job interview as an Emerging Professional.

So you are an emerging professional?? with an upcoming interview- you need to prep your common based questions.

Let us first define what a common based question is??

"These are interview questions that have proved time and time again to be quite popular so it is essential that one needs to familiarize themselves with."

??KEY 1 ???: Common question surrounding being a TEAM PLAYER????????

?Question: "Can you tell me about a time you collaborated in a team to successfully achieve a goal.

This is a very common behavioural competency question used for emerging professionals who will be developed in graduate development scheme.

?Using the START answering technique this is how you will answer this question:

??S (Situation):

"Last month had a Strategic HR management group project where we needed to reach out to a company and do research on the organization's performance management policy."

"There were 4 of us in a group and each person had a role to play in making the project a success."

??T (Task):

"My task in the group was to reach out to a representative of the company- set up the session, draft the questions for the meeting and help prepare the slide deck for the class presentation feedback."

"Initially I have felt overwhelmed with the task ahead as I did not have a network of professionals to reach out to for assistance, this would initially prove as a challenge for me."

??A: (Action):

"I was determined and went on LinkedIn to find HR professionals within the banking space, and I cold messaged them asking the for the opportunity to conduct an informational interview with them."

"I received 2 leads out of the 20 HR professionals I had initially reached out to."

??R (Results):

"I was able to collate all the information that I needed for the assignment from the HR professional, I then collated all the different sections of research conducted by each team member and edited it in such a way to ensure that the document flowed nicely from 1 key topic to the next."

"Our group received 80% for the project and our lecturer complimented me on my presentation style and the level of detail I was able to collate from the company."

"I also received 100% score when we had to rate each other for team contribution as I was a team player who not only ensured that I executed my tasks with excellence but also assisted in the overall coordination of bringing the work together and creating it into one final product."

??T: (Tie):

"My strong communication skills and ability to be the integrator and coordinator in any group projects is my natural strength that I believe will allow me to collaborate effectively and successfully in any team setting I find myself in any organization I am a part of."

??KEY 2 ???: Common question surrounding a SUMMARY OF YOUR PROFESSIONAL PROFILE??

?Question: "Tell me about yourself?'

?Make sure to review your CV ??because that is how you will create your career story.

??Remember this is an opportunity for the recruiter to get to know you and what are your careers aspirations? - this question is usually utilized as an icebreaker ????question.

?What a lot of people mistaken this question as an opportunity to tell the recruiter your life story.

This is completely off rather ease into the question by giving your brief background I usually use my CV as guide to tell CAREER story??

1?? I start off with my personal details this is where I depict a brief introduction of who I am and where I come?? from using my personal statement to tell the recruiter how my personal experiences have shaped my career aspirations.

2?? Secondly, I mention my educational background?? once again; I use my personal statement to elaborate further on my career decisions.

3?? Thirdly, I mention my work experiences????♀? and always making sure to highlight relevant information that makes me the most qualified for the position.

4?? I finish off with my reference list where I mention these important people?? and how they have been key in my career and in shaping my very own personal statement.

??KEY 3 ???: Common question based on displaying a GROWTH MINDSET??

?Question: What is your biggest weakness?

A lot of people when they hear this question during an interview, they tend to see it in a negative light or perhaps some kind of trap that the hiring manager has set up for them.

This reasoning is completely flawed- “What is your biggest weakness?

?The recruiter is measuring 3 things:

1?? Firstly INTEGRITY and HONESTY

2??? Secondly SELF- AWARENESS

3?? Thirdly PRO-ACTIVITY

What do I mean by that???

This is an actual opportunity for you to share an actual weakness, by responding that you are a perfectionist as your greatest weakness does not reflect positively on your character it rather tells me that you lack self- awareness, which raises a red flag??

?No one wants to work with someone who is not able to identify their mistakes or opportunities to work on themselves.

So how do I answer this question???

?Firstly, choose an actual weakness that you are working to improve and tell the recruiter what you are doing to overcome that weakness.

?Show your willingness to improve and reflects positively on your attitude and character.

?Use the START method to answer the question:

??S- Situation:

"Doing presentations and talking in front of people had always been my biggest fear, so I decided to put speaking in public speaking as part of my personal development plan for 2023"

??T- Task:

"So, I looked for any opportunities I could find to speak I was going to get out of my comfort zone intentionally as I knew that was the only way to grow and build my confidence."

??A- Action:

"Therefore, I applied for the opportunity to be a student coordinator where I would be forced to do facilitation sessions with a group of mentors."

"Secondly, I always volunteered in my group presentations whenever they needed a speaker to present the group projects."

"Thirdly, I entered an entrepreneurship competition on campus where I would have to do a business pitch in front of a panel of judges."

??R- Result:?

"The result was that I became a confident speaker so much so that I ended up coming second runner up for the entrepreneurship competition winning a whooping R20000!"

???T- Tie:

"Overcoming this weakness has improved my overall communication skills immensely making me a suitable candidate to the caliber of graduate you are looking for one who is a confident and effective communicator."

??KEY 4???: Common question based on demonstrating the ability to PROBLEM SOLVE

?Question: Can you tell me about a time you had to solve a problem- what was the problem, actions you took to solve it, and the results?

So what is this interview question actually measuring???

1?? Your Adaptability:

To see if you are an out-of-the-box thinker who’s open to new ideas and who can handle uncharted waters easily.

2?? Efficiency and productivity:

To observe how your problem-solving skills contributed positively to your team’s performance, removing bottlenecks and keeping projects on track.

3?? Collaboration and communication:

Your ability to collaborate with others to find solutions and ensuring that you are handling people-related problems effectively.

4?? Decision-making:

Can you efficiently evaluate different options and reach a decision independently.

5?? Leadership potential:

Are your problem-solving skills so good that they open up new opportunities for you to move in the leadership direction.

??KEY 5 ???: Common question based determining whether you are SUCCESS-ORIENTATED??

?Question: What is your greatest achievement?

What is the recruiter trying to measure by asking this question???

?Whether you’re down to earth. Your achievements might be modest or super impressive, but what the interviewer is more interested in is how you present them.

?Your concept of success. The way you think about success and how you associate it with your job and career are important.

?Whether you’re success-oriented. The interviewer wants to know if you’ve ever gone above and beyond in your work.

?Some no-go ????♀?topics include:

??Bragging about how you have too many accomplishments to choose from.

??Embellishing what you did to make yourself look cooler.

??Talking about how your biggest accomplishment is related to a salary or a bonus.

??There you have it 5 KEY???common based questions to prepare in your next job interview as an Emerging Professional has been unlocked??!

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Olwethu M- "I am in the business of transforming ambitious graduates into high performing professionals"