Interview Questions: Work History: Job Interviews
Interview Questions: Work History: Job Interviews
Interview Questions: Work History: Job Interviews
The best way to reduce the stress is to be prepared. Take the time to review the "standard" interview
questions you will most likely be asked. Also review sample answers to these typical interview
questions.
Then take the time to research the company. That way you'll be ready with knowledgeable answers for
the job interview questions that specifically relate to the company you are interviewing with.
Interview Questions: Work History
Name of company, position title and description, dates of employment. - Best Answers
What were your expectations for the job and to what extent were they met? - Best Answers
What were your starting and final levels of compensation? - Best Answers
What major challenges and problems did you face? How did you handle them? - Best Answers
What did you like or dislike about your previous job? - Best Answers
What was the biggest accomplishment / failure in this position? - Best Answers
Have you ever had difficulty working with a manager? - Best Answers
Who was your best boss and who was the worst? - Best Answers
What have you been doing since your last job? - Best Answers
How will your greatest strength help you perform? - Best Answers
How would you describe the pace at which you work? - Best Answers
What do you find are the most difficult decisions to make? - Best Answers
What has been the greatest disappointment in your life? - Best Answers
When was the last time you were angry? What happened? - Best Answers
If you could relive the last 10 years of your life, what would you do differently? - Best Answers
If the people who know you were asked why you should be hired, what would they say? Best
Answers
If you know your boss is 100% wrong about something how would you handle it? - Best
Answers
Describe a difficult work situation / project and how you overcame it. - Best Answers
Describe a time when your workload was heavy and how you handled it. - Best Answers
Job Interview Questions About the New Job and the Company
Why are you the best person for the job? - Best Answers
How long do you expect to remain employed with this company? - Best Answers
Is there anything I haven't told you about the job or company that you would like to know? Best Answers
What are you looking for in your next job? What is important to you? - Best Answers
What are your goals for the next five years / ten years? - Best Answers
What are your salary requirements - both short-term and long-term? - Best Answers
What will you do if you don't get this position? - Best Answers
future (hopefully) boss. Now, you need to make sure that you also have the right type of English for
that job interview.
The job interview in English contains specific questions and appropriate answers. It also requires a
certain flexibility in your usage of tenses. This feature provides tips on job interview questions and
answers in English.
When you walk in the room the very first impression you make on the interviewer can have a great
influence on the rest of the interview. It is important that you introduce yourself, shake hands, and are
friendly. The first question is often a "breaking the ice" (establish a rapport) type of question. Don't be
surprised if the interviewer asks you something like:
Don't be surprised by the friendly tone. The interviewer wants to put you at ease (help you relax).
Answer the question without going into too much detail. The language you use should be simple but
polite, for example;
How are you today?
GOOD
I'm fine thank you, and you?
I'm well thank you.
BAD
So, so
OK
Not so well
What is most important?
Talking about your experience and credentials (qualifications) is the most important part of any job
interview. Your qualifications include your education from High School on and any special training you
may have done in the past. Your experience is any work that you have done that is directly or
indirectly related to the job you are applying for.
Education
Remember that your education took place in the past. Therefore you need to use the past tenses, for
example:
I attended the University of Helsinki from 1987 to 1993.
I graduated with a degree in agricultural planning.
Etc.
If you are currently a student you should use the following present tenses:
I am currently studying at the University of New York and will graduate with a degree in Economics in
the spring.
I am studying English at the Borough Community College.
Etc.
Remember to include any training you may have had when talking about your education. This includes
any computer training, correspondence courses, etc. Make sure to mention your English studies. This
is very important as English is not your first language and the employer may be concerned about this
fact. Assure the employer that you are continuing to improve your English skills by any courses you
may be taking, or by saying that you study a certain number of hours a week to improve your skills.
Experience and Qualifications
Work experience is by far the most important topic of any job interview (at least in the United States
and Britain). Therefore, it is important to explain what experience you have in detail. Generally,
employers want to know exactly what you did and how well you accomplished your tasks. This is not
the time to be modest. Be confident, and talk freely about your accomplishments in past employment.
The tenses you should use are the following:
When talking about current employment be careful to use the present perfect or present perfect
continuous. This signals that you are still performing these tasks at your current job, for example:
Smith and Co. have employed me for the last 3 years as a salesperson.
I have been creating customer contacts for 6months.
Etc.
When talking about past employers use the past tenses to signal that you are no longer working for
that company, for example:
I was employed by Jackson's from 1989 to 1992 as a clerk.
I worked as a receptionist at the Ritz while I was living in New York.
Etc.
Talking about Responsibilities
Most importantly, you will need to demonstrate your qualifications and skills, which are required for
the job you are applying for. The job skills that you have acquired in the past may not have been for
the same exact job. Therefore, it is important to show how the capabilities you do have relate to the
job you are applying for.
I remember a wonderful example of adapting skills to fit the job desired. I had a student from Moscow
who had worked as the manager of an important theater in Moscow. Unfortunately, he had to start
from the beginning in New York and therefore wanted to get a job as a rodent exterminator (someone
who kills rats!). When asked what kind of experience he had, he replied that, as the manager of the
theater, he had had to make sure that the theater was always rodent free and was therefore capable
of doing the job well! This is a fantastic example of the type of adaptability most employers in the
United States are looking for.