Job Interview Questions and Answers

Tag: best

  • What five adjectives describe you the best?

    This is probably one of the most common interview questions that may be posed to you. It is highly likely that you will encounter this interview question if you go on an interview so you should be fully prepared to handle it in an effective manner.

    When answering this question you should first keep in mind that your response should be based solely on your professionalism. The interviewer is not looking for information that relates to your personal life. Also, they are not looking for words that would describe your physical appearance. Instead they are looking for information that describes you in a professional sense so they can learn more about you.

    There are many different words that you can use to describe yourself, but keep in mind that the words you choose should be positive and should also be truly indicative of your professional persona. You should always make sure that you will be able to back up any words that you use when describing yourself. Never use words that that do not actually describe you. In other words, if you are not the most social person in the world then you should not use the word friendly to describe yourself. Some possible words that you might consider using include ethical, diligent, empathetic, self-motivated, flexible, reliable, ambitious, hardworking, optimistic, confident, honest, a team player, determined, organized, etc.

    It is extremely important that you do not just simply choose words that you think will sound good to the interviewer. If you do this it can easily become a problem for you if you are hired for the job. Do not make the mistake of simply trying to impress the interviewer.  Instead, make sure that your answer is honest. This will serve you far better.

    Also remember that your answer does not need to be lengthy. All the interviewer is looking for in your answer is five words that will actually describe you and give them a better picture of the type of employee you would be as well as how you see yourself. There is no need to go into a lengthy answer. Do take the time to give careful thought to this question so that you will be prepared for it, but beyond deciding on the words you will use if asked this question, that is all that you need to do.

  • Evaluate the best supervisor you’ve ever had?

    This is a question that you must be extremely careful with. The person who is interviewing you for the current job may very well be your future supervisor so they are looking for some critical information in your response to this question.

    Your answer needs to demonstrate that you have a solid understanding of what makes a good supervisor. By asking this question the interviewer is attempting to discover how you respond to supervision and what they can expect if they should hire you for the open position.

    Therefore, it is critical to carefully prepare an answer to this type of question. Remember that you never want to say anything negative about a former supervisor because the interviewer will naturally assume that if you are willing to discuss a former boss negatively that you might do the same to them if they should hire you for the job. Instead, you want to focus on discussing the good qualities of a former supervisor that you performed well under. For example, you might say that he or she was a good supervisor because they had an open door policy and supervised staff with a balanced and fair approach.

    It can be difficult to know what the supervisory policy is in the company where you are interviewing and exactly what they are looking for in your response, so to some degree your response to this question should be somewhat generic. You should not go into a lot of details when you are answering this question because becoming too detailed in your response can lead you into trouble.

    Instead, focus on describing a supervisor that you felt was fair and supportive. Keep in mind that you never want to leave the impression with your response that you carry a grudge or that you assess blame in any way. The key is to make sure that you indicate what you were able to learn from a supervisor. This reflects well on you and demonstrates to the employer that you are willing to listen and have a desire to learn in order to improve your abilities. Ultimately, the interviewer is not seeking information about your former bosses but more importantly information about you. Keep this in mind and you will be able to handle this question without any problems.