General Interview Question Part 1

Q1. ‘What hobbies or interests do you have?’

Why should employers be interested in the answer to this question? Is it pure nosiness? Everything you say about yourself contributes to the general impression gained about you. If I tell you that my hobbies are knitting, cookery, needlework, decorating cakes and bird-watching, you have an idea of the sort of person I am. If, however, I tell you that my hobbies include karate, African music, organising a community group, gardening and swimming, the picture is quite different.

You need to think hard about which hobbies and interests to mention. They can illustrate that you have a well-rounded personality and lead a full and satisfying life. Examples of times when you were in a leading or organising role will create a good impression.

There are some interests that we all have in common and these are not worth listing. We all read, watch television and socialise with other people, and these activities should not be part of your answer unless you have something specific to say about them. Be warned that if you mention them, you are likely to be asked either ‘What was the last book you read?’ or ‘Can you tell me about a television programme that interested
you lately?’ Details of the latest episode of your favourite soap opera will not suffice!

Do not be too specific about any political or religious interests unless they are of direct relevance to the job in
question. It is better just to say, as in the example above, that you are actively involved in the local community. The interviewer may hold different views from your own and what may be a passion to you may be seen as a prejudice to him or her.

You do not have to spend time on all the hobbies that you mention, but be sure that you know enough to talk about the subject in some depth. Employers often pick on hobbies as an easy area of questioning and will be interested in discussing more unusual choices.

You should have some knowledge of every hobby that you mention, even if you need to say: ‘Well, I am very interested in windsurfing. At the moment I am finding out about it, but I intend to spend some time next summer having a go,’ or ‘I used to play a lot of basketball at school. I’m a bit rusty now, but I watch it when I can and am joining an evening class shortly to brush up my skills.’The three points to be aware of when answering this question are:

• Include a variety of interests – some using your mind and some sporting or physical activities to show that you are a lively, healthy and active person. Try to have at least one practical interest and one which uses your mental aptitudes. Include some group activities and some you do on your own.
• Ensure that you have at least one pastime which is different from other people’s and is unusual or will provoke discussion. This makes it easier for employers to ask you follow-up questions and to remember you subsequently.
• Be prepared to discuss any of the topics you mention in some detail.

Q2. ‘Tell me about your favourite activity outside work.’

For your answer to this question, which is a more specific version of question 21, you can just concentrate on what you like doing best. What really fires up your enthusiasm? How do you like to spend your time after work? The activity you pick has to be something other than watching TV unless you watch a specific type of programme on TV such as history programmes or wildlife documentaries that you can talk about in some detail. Seeing friends is something that we all do, unless you go hill walking with yours or plan regular holidays together, in which case it will do fine. The stress should be on the activity, ie something in which you are actively involved.

Please don’t be tempted to make up an exotic hobby for this question or you may find that the interviewer, to whom you have just bluffed about being a karate expert, has a black  belt in that sport herself. You would find it impossible to continue making things up if you were sitting across from an expert in that subject and it could lose you your chance of the job. It is better to talk about something real that you enjoy a lot, even if it is not very exciting. Let your enthusiasm for the activity do the talking.

Q3. ‘What are your strengths?’

This is one of my favourite questions. If you were ever given a chance to shine – this is it. Although at first sight this seems daunting, it is easy to prepare an impressive answer if you consider it before the interview.

In the space below make a list of 10 of your good qualities. Each point should comprise one word or short phrase and should relate to your behaviour at work.

Examples could be: ‘Flexible; good at keeping to deadlines; calm; can work under pressure …’ Everybody’s list will be different. If you find this exercise difficult, try to imagine what your mother, your best friend, your dog – or whoever loves you most in the world – would say about you if they were describing your best characteristics to a stranger and write 10 point in a list.

Once written down, this list is very useful as the basis for answering any question about your strengths. By selecting five or six points from your list, you can put together a clear and powerful answer. Because you have prepared in advance, you will sound confident about your own abilities and proud of your character.

The items on your list do not have to be in any order; just write them down as they occur to you. Do not qualify them by saying ‘fairly good at …’ or ‘some people think I am …’, just list them as you have been asked to. You do not have to prove any of them – simply outline your most impressive characteristics.

Most people find it hard to compile the list of their 10 strengths, and even harder to talk about them in an interview. Do not worry about sounding boastful. It is much more common for candidates to be too modest than to blow their own trumpets. I recommend that you don’t hold back from explaining just how good you are in this answer.

The list of 10 points can be kept and added to throughout your life. Whenever a colleague or friend compliments you on some aspect of your character, add it to your list. More words of praise may come from appraisals with employers, development reviews at work or as references when you leave a job. Keep your list growing as you collect these compliments. It will prove useful when you need to write about your personality for a CV, describe your strengths for an application form or prepare for future interviews. It also
provides a welcome confidence boost when needed, instantly recalling your talents when you are at your brilliant best.

Q4. ‘What are your weaknesses?’

Whatever does the employer mean by asking this question?Nobody will want to employ someone who can reel off a long list of serious faults. The best way to answer is not to admit to any weaknesses at all. An example could be: ‘At my age I know myself pretty well and don’t think I have any major weaknesses.’ If you do mention weaknesses, make sure that they are those which sound more like strengths. For instance: ‘I sometimes take my work too seriously and will stay late at the office to get something finished,’ or ‘I tend to
be very flexible as a work colleague, and I will do the jobs that no one else wants to do.’ No employer will mind you having weaknesses like these.

Q5. ‘What are you most proud of?’

This should normally relate to some experience at work, and it is helpful if it can demonstrate the necessary qualities for the job on offer. Any project or team work where you played a significant role could be mentioned. Any instance where your contribution made a real difference, where you tried an
innovative approach or learned something new would be well worth mentioning. The interviewer does not want to hear about examples where you gained personally but rather when you made a positive impact on a previous employer.
Here are some examples:

• overcoming a persistent problem;
• a time when you did really well;
• when you added value for the employer, customers or clients;
• when you worked with a team to reach or beat targets;
• when you helped the organisation to develop or grow.

Q6.‘Which current affairs problem have you been awareof lately?’

This is a favourite question for public service jobs and is designed to check two things. The first is that your understanding of the world is wide and up to date, and the second is to see what sort of political attitudes you have. It therefore makes sense to read a quality daily newspaper thoroughly for at least a week before any interview. This is particularly relevant when you have applied for a job where you would be representing the views of the employing organisation to other agencies or clients.

Employers rarely want candidates to express strong political views in interviews. This is certainly true of the Civil Service, not-for-profit sector and local authorities. Ideally, you should illustrate that you know about a current issue in some depth, you are aware of the two sides to the argument, you can understand the feelings on both sides, and you realise what a difficult political problem it is.

Politics should be left to politicians, or to any of us in our private lives, not brought into the workplace. If you are asked for your opinion on a political issue, refrain from coming down heavily on either side. Government or local authority employers want to be sure that you are aware of the need to put into practice the wishes of the political leaders of the day – and they can be right or left wing.

Q7. ‘What do you see yourself doing in five years’ time?’

This is a similar question to one about your career ambitions. Think – why is the employer asking this? Does he or she want to know that you plan to train as an accountant or an actor in your spare time, and leave this job as soon as possible? No. He or she wants a member of staff who is serious about this particular vacancy and interested in staying put for a considerable time. Your answer could indicate that you hope to be in the company, but perhaps with greater responsibilities. Not everyone is seeking promotion. You could say that you would be interested in gaining a more specialist role.

Q8. ‘Why should we employ you rather than another candidate?’

This is another good question as it enables you to use your list of 10 strengths again. (See question 23 above.) Employers are interested in hearing about your skills, experience and personality.

In your answer you could mention any of your particular skills which relate to the job, your relevant experience, and add those aspects of your personality which best suit you for the position. A question like this is a gift to an interviewee. Do not be worried about boasting. This is the time to ‘sell yourself’ strongly to the interviewer. You are being asked to summaries your application – and the answer to this question is the crux of the whole interview. Getting the job may depend on your answer so it has to be impressive.

You can bring in your ideas here – explain the thoughts you have had about the organisation and your vision for the future of the job. The more senior the position that you are applying for, the more likely it is that no one on the panel knows exactly what they are looking for when recruiting. By definition, the more rare or specialised the role, the fewer people there will be who fully understand how the job could or should be done. In addition, the more significant the position for the organisation, the more important it will be to
have it filled by someone with ideas and initiative. You can show that you will bring added value to the job in comparison with the other candidates by sharing your view of the way the job should be carried out. This requires you to have spent some serious thinking time considering the job, the situation of the organisation and the possibilities of the role.