Job Interview Questions and Answers

Tag: positions

  • In your past positions, have you had to deal with any kind of cultural diversity?

    Your answer to this question should be extremely well thought out. This is an area where you need to be very careful. In today’s global workplace it is becoming increasingly likely that you may encounter cultural diversity, if not on a daily basis, then at least on occasion from time to time. Smart employers know that they must hire staff that is able to handle cultural diversity with respect. Not only might employees face cultural diversity among coworkers but you could also encounter it among clients, vendors and customers as well. If a business is to be successful, everyone employed there must have a good grasp of how to handle cultural diversity so that everyone is respected.

    If you have worked in an environment in the past where you encountered cultural diversity then you may be able to use that experience to form your answer to this question. If not then you will need to relate another situation where you had to handle cultural diversity, if possible. Perhaps while you were in college you roomed with someone who was of a different culture than you or you had a close friend who had a different cultural background.

    With this type of question you must keep in mind what it is that the interviewer is looking for. In asking this question, it is important for you to remember that the employer or interviewer wants to make sure that you are able to approach cultural diversity with respect and ensure that everyone is provided with dignity. There are many different ways that you can demonstrate your understanding of this to the interviewer. You might relate a prior experience in which you faced this type of situation and the specific steps that you took to ensure that others in your work environment were respected even if their own culture was different from your own. If you have truly never encountered this type of situation in the past, either in the workplace or in school or some other situation then you will need to make sure you demonstrate your awareness of the need for sensitivity and respect regarding cultural diversity. The key to succeeding with this question is to keep your response focused on your ability to effectively handle cultural diversity so that everyone feels respected.

  • What other kind of positions have you been applying for?

    This is a very straightforward question that deserves a straightforward answer. When forming a response to this type of question, you should always make sure that you answer in complete honesty. You should never attempt to provide an answer that is deceptive. At the same time, this is not a question where you need to go into a lot of detail. In fact, the fewer details you give with this type of question, the better.

    The interviewer could be seeking to find out a variety of information by posing this type of question. It could be that they are really interested in hiring you and want to find out whether you have applied for a lot of other jobs and whether they might lose out on the opportunity to hire you. Also, they could be asking because they want to find out whether you would be a good fit for the position they are offering. If you are applying for a position as a waitress but you respond to this question by answering that you have applied for six other jobs as a receptionist, it will become very clear quite rapidly that your real interest lies in working in an office environment and not in a restaurant. As a result, the interviewer would typically assume that you are not really interested in working as a waitress and would be off to the first receptionist job you could find.

    The key to handling this question well is to make sure that you keep your response focused on the job for which you are applying and what you can do to benefit that company or organization. In other information that you provide can simply be distracting and that is something that should be avoided. If you feel that you must provide additional details you might simply state that you are applying for positions within the same industry or field and leave it at that. Another way to handle the question is to say that you are applying for jobs where you will be able to utilize your skills to benefit the employer. Since most people have a range of different skills this will easily cover you in the event that you are applying for jobs that are in different fields or that are vastly different from the one for which you are interviewing.