#jobseekers: Interview Questions

By Musole Maleka, Resume CV Designer

1.      Tell Me About a Time You Failed

This is a common interview question that employers ask to see if you’re able to learn from mistakes and bounce back when things don’t go your way.

They always want to see if you can own-up to it and be accountable and actually admit to your failures.

So when you answer, “tell me a time when you failed”… here are the most important do’s and don’ts to follow:

Do:

   Admit to a real failure

   Describe the situation and what went wrong

   Show that you take responsibility (rather than blaming others), and show you learned from it

   Ideally, talk about how you used that lesson to get a different outcome next time you were presented with a similar challenge (e.g. how you turned a past failure into a future success)

Don’t:

   Say you never fail

   Talk about a failure but then blame others and talk about how it wasn’t really your fault

   Give a long-winded answer that goes off-track. You really need to be concise and show you can tell a clear story. That’s one more thing employers look for when they ask this interview question.

2.      Describe a difficult work situation or project and how you overcame it.

What They Want to Know: The interviewer wants to know how you respond when faced with a difficult decision. As with the question about stress, be prepared to share an example of what you did in a tough situation. It’s important to share details to make the story believable and engaging.

3.      What does customer service mean to you?

Tip: If you’re applying for a public-facing role, an employer may ask this question to see how you think customers should be treated. A good answer will align with the company’s values, which you can glean through researching their customer service policy, understanding their products and clientele, and reflecting on your own experiences as a customer. Your answer can either come from the perspective of a customer or a customer service provider.

Example: “In my experience, good customer service involves taking responsibility when something goes wrong and doing what you can to make it right.

For more #tips and #advice email to [email protected] or WhatsApp +20964452044 and follow the #makeadifference, and #onenation hashtag and also register with #freejobsupport.