How did you find out about this job?

This question is one which is commonly used to break the ice, so to speak, when the interview first begins so you should expect to answer this question when interviewing and be prepared to answer it. There can be many reasons why this question would be posed by the interviewer. One reason the interviewer may ask this question could very well be to simply get the interview started, but more likely it is that the interviewer genuinely wants to find out more information regarding how you learned about the position. This can be important for many different reasons. The interviewer may want to find out whether certain recruiting tactics are working. For example, if the HR department has been running ads in certain areas in order to bring in fresh recruits to the company, they may ask you this question to find out whether those tactics are working.

Also, the interviewer may also want to find out whether you have been recommended to the position by someone they may know. For example, if you were advised to apply for the position by someone who works for the company then this is something that the interviewer would be interested in knowing so you should not hesitate in providing that information when asked.

When you answer this question, you should make sure that you answer completely honestly. If you were not recommended by someone you should certainly not say that you were because this is something that could be found out too easily. If you found out about the job by reading the job positing in the classifieds section of the newspaper or you found it on the Internet then you should simply state that.

It is always a good idea to conclude your answer to this question by focusing on why you were attracted to the job opening, which would hopefully be because you recognized a match between the skills and experience that are required for the job and your own qualifications. Whenever possible you should always make a strong attempt to bring the topic back to how your qualifications relate to those skills that are required for the open position. This will help to ensure that your qualifications are kept at the forefront of the interviewer’s mind and may also give you an advantage over other applicants who may also be interviewing for the position.