Job Interview Questions and Answers

Tag: last

  • What were your three most important responsibilities in your last job?

    Once again the employer is going to be interested in finding out more about your last position because that can help them to understand how you may function and operate in the new job if they should offer it to you. As a result, it should not surprise you if you are presented with a question about your prior responsibilities. With this question, the interviewer is also likely seeking out information that will help them to understand what you deem to be important in terms of your responsibilities on the job.

    In answering any questions that relate to your prior position you should make sure that you are specific as well as positive. Do not take advantage of the opportunity to speak negatively about your former job as it will not serve you well in an interview for a new job. The best way to handle this question is to make a strong effort to describe the responsibilities which you held in your past job, going briefly into detail about those responsibilities, and then show how those responsibilities are linked to the requirements of the job you are interviewing for. Through this method you will be able to demonstrate to the employer that you definitely have the qualifications and skills that are necessary to perform the job for which you are applying.

    Of course, you should also always be honest in answering any question that relates to your prior responsibilities at your previous job. You should not embellish upon your responsibilities in order to make yourself sound more qualified. Such tactics can easily cause you problems if the employer checks references and has a talk with a former supervisor and discovers that you have been less than honest regarding your responsibilities at your last job.

    This question is one that is asked fairly frequently so it is a good idea to spend some time thinking about how you will respond and then practicing that response so that you will be prepared when you are called in for an interview. It does not matter what type of position that you are applying for or even whether you are applying for a management position or not, this is a question that is routinely asked so you should take advantage of the opportunity to prepare to answer it in an effective manner.

  • In your last job, how many times were you promoted and why?

    This is a very straightforward question. While there is no way to provide a generic answer to this question and you will need to provide an answer that is honest, it does give you the opportunity to really play up your skills and experience and what you can do for the company if they should decide to hire you.

    The biggest problem with this question occurs when you were never promoted in your prior position and you feel the need to explain that. If that is the case you must be extremely careful in how you respond to this question. Under no circumstances should you talk in a negative fashion about your prior supervisors or lay the blame for a lack of promotion at your old job. This will provide the prospective employer with a bad impression and make it seem as though you have a habit of bad mouthing your supervisors.

    Instead, if you were not promoted during your prior position you can simply state that there was not an opportunity for advancement, which is something that you look forward to if you should be hired for the position that you are interviewing for. At that point you should then go on to correlate how your skills and experience relate to the required qualifications for that job.

    Of course, if you were promoted in your last job, this is a golden opportunity because it allows you to discuss your skills and experience as well as achievements that you may not have been able to fit on your resume. This is an opportunity that you should never pass up but should instead make the best use of in order to make the best impression possible during the interview.

    Remember that when you respond to this type of question you should never give any information that is not absolutely true. With this form of question it is too easy for the employer to check up on your answer when checking references and find out if you were indeed telling the truth. The best policy is to always tell the truth and try to put it in the best light possible in order to highlight your skills and experience and how they relate to the requirements of the job that you are interviewing for.