The interview event is a two-way street of mutual interaction between client and candidate. Candidates often fail miserably during the interview process because of two main reasons:
- Number 1: talking too much and asking the wrong questions or interrogating the interviewer with volumes of questions.
- Number 2: minimal engagement with the interviewer whereby yes or no answers are given without substance or limited questions are being asked by the candidate during the interview.
Examples of (A)CE style questions
When preparing for an interview, you should preferably devise a standard set of well- structured questions to ask during the interview, which display intellectual curiosity about the role and shows your interest in the company you are applying to.
- What would you highlight as the most challenging areas of this role?
- Which milestones would you expect the successful candidate to achieve during the first three months, six months and twelve months?
- Please tell me more about the structure and dynamics of the team?
- Why did you decide to join this company?
- Does your organization encourage employees to continue with further education?
- What is the next step in this interview process?
Examples of (F)LAKE style questions
Be very cautious when deriving your interview questions as not to sound entitled, demanding or superficial with no intention of investigating the essence of the role at hand.
- What can you tell me about the company? A sure FLAKE! You should have researched the company yourself, before attending the interview.
- What is the salary on offer? A kamikaze topic to crash and burn your chances immediately. If you are working via a recruitment agent, the salary details should be discussed upfront, before you even sent in your application for the position. If you applied directly to the company, salary discussions are to be done during the second interview.
- Do you offer any benefits? Right question at the wrong time. Benefits like medical aid, pension, and provident funds are important factors when deciding to accept an offer; these should also be clarified during the second interview or with your recruitment agent beforehand.
- Tell me about the growth opportunities in your company? Circumstances leading to career advancement and promotion are mostly dependent on candidate performance, thus enquiring about growth prospects without explicitly referring to WHAT your career aspirations are will be deemed as shallow and artificial.
- How many leave days will I get? A big no-no. Are you applying for the role or for the time off? Discuss this question with your recruitment agent or with HR during the application process.
- Do you have flexible hours? An epic fail straight away. Does your interest in the position depend on traffic or career progression? Should flexi hours be a deal-breaker, rather discuss with your recruitment agent before applying for the role or enquire from HR
Finding a balance
Interview questions and subsequent answers should originate from both parties involved.The aim is to strike the right balance between question overflow and question anaemia. If you generally come across as a runaway train, pipe it down a bit. Are you like a deer caught in headlights during an interview, get more comfortable by practicing the interview questions in front of a mirror.
Turning from “interview zero” to “interview hero” takes continuous effort on your part. Gary Player once said: “The more I practice, the luckier I get”!
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