Posted on

Final Interview Questions and Answers

High skilled positions often come with a long recruitment process, consisting of several interview stages:

  1. AVI – asynchronous video interview (a virtual job interview conducted by an AI bot) used to screen applicants
  2. Technical interview to check a candidates competencies – this may include practical tests
  3. Group interview and/or values interview to review suitability/company culture fit
  4. Final interview for shortlisted candidates

A large number of career professionals on platforms such as LinkedIn express their concern over the high number of interview rounds – or ‘hoops’ they are made to jump through to secure a job offer.

So, why do employers have multiple interview rounds?

From the employers perspective, when paying a high salary for a highly skilled role, the hiring manager needs to ensure they recruit the right person. Often a single interview gives an indication of a persons suitability but doesn’t always highlights the individuals temperament, skills, knowledge, work-ethic, and values.

For low to medium skilled roles, most employers will have one or two interview rounds. For leadership positions, high-skilled roles, technical jobs the recruiters must hire someone who can add value, this requires a more in-depth recruitment process.

What does a final job interview mean?

Research shows how the top three candidates in a job interview will only have one or two points between them – the structured job interview is a close run thing.

Having such a close match can result in the interview panel being influenced by an unconscious bias. Rather then being forced into a decision, the recruitment team, often led by a human resources hiring manager, will invite the top performing interviewees to a final interview.

The final interview means that all the candidates are employable, they all meet the essential criteria and can add value to the team.

Only three to five applicants are offered a final interview round. This shortlist of candidates will all hold relevant industry qualifications , many years of sector experience and the confidence to delivery high-scoring job interview answers during the recruitment process. In short, they have a strong interview identity.

Competition, therefore, is high in terms of quality but low in terms of quantity – as the weaker candidates have already been dismissed.

Border force job interview is competitive

Interview Specifics:

Structural job interview last 45 minutes with 8 interview questions being asked

Can you demonstrate the relevant knowledge and experience to pass a final job interview?

  • Do you give detailed examples?
  • Do you state measurable data during examples?
  • Do you reference industry models and theories?
  • Do your answers meet the job criteria?
  • Are you a self-promoter?
  • Are your answers delivered confidently?
  • Do you use an excessive number of filler words?
  • Does your unique selling point stand out during the interview?

Check the average pay for your job role.

How to prepare for a final interview?

The biggest mistake most career professionals make during a final interview is not repeating examples from previous job interview rounds.

For all rounds, the job interview panel must score applicants based on the answers given in that interview round. Remember that each interview round maybe conducted by a different interviewer.

Not that all previously used examples will be needed. Each employer has their own way of conducting a final interview.

Some employers, will ask similar questions throughout all the interview rounds (worded a little different) to check that the applicant does possess the required skills and knowledge for the job vacancy.

In this approach, the final interviewers – often trained HR and senior leaders will ask more specific interview questions looking for data and evidence that they can measure.

As an example:

  • Interview round 1 question: “Tell me about a time when you worked with stakeholders?”
  • Interview round 2 question: “Tell me about a time when you had to influence a stakeholder?”
  • Interview round 3 question: “Give me an example of when you have influenced a senior stakeholder to overcome an objective on a collaborative project?”
  • Interview round 4 question: “Explain the specific steps you took to get a stakeholder with an objective to a project to agree with a proposal you had created?”

In other organisations, the final interview round will be focused on added value. The interview questions maybe open, even informal, to understand how an applicants experience will make a difference in the current team, on a project, and/or to achieve the company vision.

The employer is looking for:

  • Unique selling points
  • How an (experience) can be used to improve production or output/increase profit
  • What industry related knowledge can help progress the company
  • Specific skills and how they can be used to influence the workforce/achieve an objective
  • How the (applicant) can raise the bar

Final job interview tips

By the final interview stage, the employer has a high opinion of the candidate. The opinion must be reinforced.

It is often the confident, the charismatic interview identity, who is finally offered the role.

This is because employers value confidence. A self-assured employee gets things done. Humans also associate other positive personality traits to confident people. We believe they are hard-working, skilled, knowledgeable, and that they possess good personal skills; communication, listening, teamwork.

To be viewed as confident:

  • Be assertive with your communication
  • Use the power of a pause – don’t rush your answers
  • Add characters and storylines to your examples – entertain as we as explain
  • State researched information about the company within the interview answer
  • Be a master of the basics; eye contact, positive posture, power voice

Be ready to answer scenario interview questions.

Employers recruit for a reason – there is a recruitment to gain a person with the knowledge and experience to achieve a key objective.

The final job interview often focuses on the candidates abilities to achieve these objectives. The questions asked can be both open or closed:

  • What do you know about X?
  • What would be your 5 step plan to achieve (objective)?
  • We are facing a (barrier) who would you turn this around?
  • Describe the operational plan, over a 5 year period, you would implement to achieve (objective)?
  • Tell me more about that?

The employer leaves it to you!

In the final interview, don’t wait to be asked follow up questions. If questions are ambiguous:

  • Tell me more about that (often used in informal job interviews)
  • Describe your leadership style
  • Give me an example of success

It is up to the interviewee to provide the detail. Research shows how the higher number of words per answer often results in a high number of job offers.

Give detailed and specific answers as this increase word count. This can be achieved by:

  • Talk about the pro’s and con’s of a situation, management style, product, machinery, process
  • Use multiple situations in answers. As an example, to answer a ‘leadership style question’ talk about using different leadership styles in different (sector related) environments
  • State a theory or model and give an example of the theory/model in use
  • Embed short metaphors and examples into a longer example, ensuring their is a golden thread

Create a conversation.

Dont wait until the end of a job interview to ask the employer questions about the company.

Ask questions throughout the recruitment process and use the answers to give your own suitable replies. As an example if, by asking the interview questions, it is clear that the company value innovation, ensure you reference times you have been creative and innovative.

Mirror the language an employer uses; build on their metaphors, copy jargon and acronyms. By using a similar level of language a stronger level of rapport will be built.

Final job interview questions and answers

Final job interview question: Tell me what would you do in the first 3 months of working for the organization?

The interviewer here, is checking that the applicant is a self-motivated individual who can get things done.

Explain:

  • Understanding the vison/project brief
  • Planning for risk
  • Reviewing budget spend
  • Team motivation
  • Taking action
  • Being results driven

Final job interview question: How will you motivate the team to achieve the objective?

A leader creates a vision that the team work to achieve. The two parts vision and action(s) come together by ‘motivation’.

Discuss:

  • Different leadership styles
  • Staff motivation models
  • Operational plans
  • Previous examples of motivating teams

Final Interview Questions: What problems do you foresee?

Nothing is streamless in the world of work.

All managers, senior leaders and project managers can predict and manager risk. To answer the ‘problem’ question:

  • State potential problems
  • Discuss risk management models
  • Give solutions to common industry problems
  • Explain reactive and proactive approaches
  • Talk about risk budgets

How competitive is a final job interview?

Final job interviews aren’t competitive in terms of numbers.

The average number of applicants per vacancy is around 250. The average number of interviewees for each role is 8-10. The average number of final interviewees is just 2.

The two final interviewees will be highly skilled, knowledgeable and experienced. In these terms competition is high, because both job candidates are equally matched.

Often, the job offer goes to the candidate who has best prepared, and therefore the most confident in delivering high-scoring interview answers.

For a final job interview, high scoring answers are the answers that give specific and measure data that highlights the candidates competencies relevant to the job criteria and beyond.

Evolve the mind book on Amazon
Posted on

Common Interview Questions for Entry Level Jobs

In years gone by having a degree open the doors to a new career.

In more recent times the number of people attending university has risen meaning having a degree alone isn’t enough to secure an entry level position.

One study precited that ‘the number of young people aged 24 to 34 completing a tertiary degree across OECD and G20 countries is expected to increase to 300 million by 2030, up from 137 million in 2013‘

This is because the data shows that having a degree will:

  • Increase your chances of employment
  • Help gain a high-skilled job role
  • Increase earnings compared to non-degree employees

An entry level job role is a the starting position on the career ladder. Employers, in the main, will create an entry level position with additional support, training and mentoring to introduce the new employee to the word of work even though they lack industry experience.

With an increase in degree level applicants an increase in competition has become common, with job offers going to the candidates who perform best in the job interview.

This article will explain what a graduate can do to pass an entry-level job interview.

How competitive is an Entry Level job interview?

Interview Specifics:

Informal job interview lasts around 30 minutes with 6 questions being asked

Can you demonstrate the relevant knowledge and experience to pass a Entry Level job interview?

  • Relevant qualifications
  • Any sector related experience including placements, internships, and work experience
  • Personal skills and work ethic, related to the job role
  • Knowledge of industry related model and theories
  • Being a life long leaner
  • Commitment to organization as they invest time and money into the graduate
  • Skills gained from being a graduate
  • Any unique selling points

Check the average pay for an entry level job role.

Job offers are given to the graduate who is viewed by the employer as being the best fit. This means the way a candidate is perceived by the interview panel, the applicants interview identity, which is based on their perceived level of knowledge/experience vs their level of confidence, is an important aspect of the hiring mangers decision making process.

In fact, the applicants interview identity for an entry level position is important for a second reason. On average, all the interviewees will have a similar level of qualification (the sector related degree) and therefore a similar level of knowledge.

Each candidate, in the main, wont have in-depth experience of recruitment processes, so will be nervous during a job interview. And most will have equal work experience and/or placements.

In short, an entry level job interview is a level playing field. That means the interview performance can be the difference between or job offer or job rejection.

Job Interview Questions and Answers for an Entry Level Job Role.

Most employers adopt an informal job interview process for an entry-level job role. This is because, in many cases, the candidates wont have enough experience to answer behavioral job interview questions.

An informal job interview is a 30-45 minute job interview where the employers ask several planned job interview question that create a conversation, before asking follow up question depending on where the conversation is leading.

Whereas, a structured job interview – the most common type of job interview will ask the same questions to all applicants, with no ad-hoc follow up questions.

Entry Level Job Interview Question 1 – why did you apply for this position?

Before planning the answers to interview questions, it is wise to first think about the interview environment.

Has the employer requested a virtual or a face to face interview? Tips for a virtual interview can be found here: Online Job Interview Advice

The most commonly asked entry-level job interview question is the ‘why this position?’ question, sometime framed as ‘Tell me about yourself and whey you applied for this role?’

Unstructured job interview questions are often ‘open’ allowing the interviewee to discuss anything they think may be relevant.

Two mistakes graduates make is either 1) not giving enough information and detail, or 2) discussing experiences and skills irrelevant for the advertised position.

To answer the initial opening question discuss three key elements:

  1. Your character
  2. Your journey
  3. Your reason for applying

“I have always had a passion for (industry) this is due to (give reason). What I particular interested in is (give a specific element of the job sector that you care about). My experience (in university studying an X degree/working in job sector) has given me an in-depth knowledge on (job sector criteria) as an example (state 1 or 2 job sector relevant data/knowledge)

I recently completed my (qualification) at (university name) where I (give selling point: achieved a 2:1 or had a work placement at (famous company). In addition to studying I also (describe relevant work experience gained)

People describe me as a (name three qualities). This is because (give reason for the character reference). The reason I applied for this position is because of the company reputation. I am looking to work for an organization that (add facts about the company) which is why I want to work here. I was also impressed with the company vision (state company vision) which is something I also deem important”

Entry Level Job Interview Question 2 – how do you develop yourself?

Employers understand that entry level employees lack sector knowledge and industry experience.

The reason for the lower waged than a more experience career professional is due to the fact that the employer will train, mentor and support the graduate in the position.

Hiring managers are looking to recruit staff members that are life long learners. Technology, politics, customer demand, globalization, among other things, are the drivers of change that evolve each industry.

In time gone by these same drivers of changed happened, but at a slower rate. The fast pace rapid sector changes require a flexible workforce who can absorb new knowledge, changes in industry policy and quick adopt to new ways of working.

On a smaller level, a graduate new to the world of work needs to have the ability to pick business-as-usual tasks and job duties quickly. Over a 3 year period, an entry level employee will learn the same level of knowledge as they did during their degree course.

In short, employers need applicants to demonstrate they are keen on professional development and learning.

“I’m a life long learner who values personal and professional development. Over the past three years I studied for my degree where I gained a (qualification level). As well as attending the lectures, I also decided to improve my sector knowledge by (add any additional studying; attending online courses, watching additional lectures on YouTube or attending study groups). Because I have a clear career direction, I also applied for and gain a (part-time sector job, placement, internship, etc) where I learned about (describe a sector related knowledge).

Because I value development, I often reflect on my strengths and weaknesses and attend short training courses to improve skills and knowledge. Recently I felt I could do with improving a (soft skill) as I knew this skill would be important when (completing a job duty) so I attending a (course) which helped me to (course objective).”

Entry Level Job Interview Question 3 – what can you bring to the team?

The informal job interview is designed to get to know the applicant.

The goal of the informal interview is to find out what the candidate can bring to the team and if they would work well within the company culture, which is why many employers directly ask ‘what can you bring to the team?’

To answer the interview question well, a candidate must remember the tree rules for a successful job interview outcome:

  1. Identify the job criteria – the skills, qualities and experiences an employers deems relevant for the job role
  2. Be a self-promoter – detailing experiences, explaining knowledge and using self-promoting language
  3. Communicate with confidence – delivering interview answers in a clear, concise and confident way

One barrier to gaining a job offer is the relevance of a job interview answer. Some applicants will give detailed and self-promoting answers but still struggle to gain a successful job interview outcome.

The reason is the content of the interview answer. By identifying the job criteria (knowing what the employer is looking for in a new team member) helps to craft an answer that references the job criteria.

“The three key elements that I can bring to the team are X, Y and Z. I’m am highly skilled at X, which means I can (describe how being skilled in X will be a benefit to the organisation). My key strength is Y. As a team member I can use this strength (to gain a positive outcome). And finally, being highly knowledgeable about Y can help in (describe a future scenario where the knowledge would be of high importance).”

Entry Level Job Interview Question 4 – tell me about your course/degree?

The trap, most entry level applicants, fall into when asked a question about their time at university is that the interviewee will simply describe the duration of the course, the course content and their opinion of the degree.

What an employer is really asking is: ‘what skills and knowledge did you gain from studying a degree and how will those skills and knowledge help you in this job role?’

Again, as with all job interview questions it is important to first identify the skills, qualities, and experiences and employer deems to be important and then to reference these throughout the interview answer.

“What I really enjoyed about the course was how it improved my knowledge in (a specific area). As an example, I know have a level of understanding about (technical element of the job role) that would be of great use when (describe relevant work-based scenario). I also have a great knowledge based of (describe three additional knowledges).

Throughout the course, I also able to recognize and build upon some of my skills and qualities. In particular, one of my key strengths is (add strength). On the course I (describe a situation/problem). To overcome this barrier I (state three actions took, describing in detail how yo use your strengths, skills and qualities). This resulted in (state a positive outcome).”

Entry Level Job Interview Question 5 – what were your favorite classes and why?

The ‘favorite classes’ job interview question is asked as an alternative to the ‘tell me about your degree’ question. It is mainly asked in apprenticeship job interviews.

The format of the interview answer is the same for both questions – a focus on how a particular class or classes gave the interviewee the skills, knowledge and experience relevant to the job role.

The above interview answer template can be tailored for both questions.

Entry Level Job Interview Question 6 – what do you like to do outside of university/work?

Businesses complete risk assessments on all aspects of the business, including recruitments.

Hiring a highly experienced and qualified employee is deemed as low risk, as the cost of recruitment vs the experienced gained is viewed as beneficial.

The risk of recruiting a graduate with no industry experience and therefore no way of knowing how the react the pressure of a job role, how they work within a team and their work ethic is viewed as high risk.

In addition, employers spend time and money to support and develop entry level employees. The pay off, for the employer, is that they get to train the new employee to work in a way that suits the culture of the organization.

But culture fit also depends on an applicants personality. By asking ‘what do you do outside of work?’ is an indicate to that persons temperament.

Stay ways from answering the question with anything to do with:

  • Drinking
  • Staying in bed
  • Parties

“I like to make the most of my time. I spend a lot of my evenings exercising, going for short runs, walks and doing yoga. Exercise is one of the best ways to stay fit and healthy but also helps to build a positive mindset.

I mentioned previously that I enjoy professional development. I am currently applying to attend (short course) that will teach me (state course objective).

I also enjoy (describe hobby). What is interesting, even though the hobby doesn’t directly related to the job role, is that this hobby helps me build up (a skill) that can be used when (job duty).”

Evolve the mind book on Amazon

Entry Level Job Interview Question 7 – Do you have any questions for me?

Each hiring manager during all job interviews will ask each interviewee if they have any questions for the employer.

Knowing that the final ‘ask me’ question will be asked, a set of questions needs to be prepared.

  • What will the first few weeks as an entry level employee look like?
  • How would you describe the team?
  • What have previous graduates gone on to do in your company?
  • Why do you proactive employee graduates?
  • Do you offer training for new employees?

This site uses the ‘LMI for All’ online data portal to access official government ‘big data’ sources. This powers the labour market data provided on this site.

Posted on

Questions for the Interviewer

One of the most common questions an interview coach is asked, is ‘What questions should I ask the interviewer?’

In fact, more people search on Google for the term ‘interview questions to ask an employer?’ around 100,000 a month, than they do ‘tell me about yourself?’ – the most commonly asked job interview question, which generates around 1000 search queries a month.

To help solve this query, this article will:

  • Explain if asking an employer a question(s) is important
  • Discuss when in the interview it is best to ask an employer a question
  • List questions to ask an employer

Should I ask the interviewer a question?

The all-important question is, do I need to ask a hiring manager a question?

Technically the answer is no.

Don’t get me wrong. Asking the employer questions at the end of an interview is a key part of the recruitment process. The asking of unique questions can help a candidate be remembered by the hiring manager.

More importantly, for the career professional, questioning an employer can help the candidate decide if the organisation and job role are the right fit for them.

First choice job applicants – a candidate who consistently receives job offers following a recruitment process, ask numerous questions about the job duties, company culture, potential advancement, and the realistic future achievements of the business plan.

A first-choice candidates’ level of industry experience and knowledge along with their job interview confidence creates a strong interview identity. Their focus within a job interview, therefore, isn’t one of ‘will I get hired ?’ (desperation) instead, it is ‘will this employer meet my standards?’ (a high-status position).

The first-choice interviewee asks questions to check the employer’s suitability, not because the asking of questions to the employer is expected.

Many employers adopt the structured job interview process, as research shows that a structured job interview, compared to an unstructured job interview, is more likely to accurately predict the job performance of each candidate.

In a structured job interview, the employer will ask a set number of job interview questions, in the same order to each applicant. The interviewee’s job interview answers are scored against a set of essential criteria. Each interview answer is given point(s), on average on a scale of 1-4, and the highest-scoring interviewee is offered the advertised position.

The reason that asking the employer questions at the end of the interview doesn’t affect the job interview outcome is that the ‘do you have any questions for us?’ part of the interview doesn’t receive any points on the interview scorecard.

That means, if two people are equally scored at the end of an interview, and one asks 4-5 questions to the employer, and the other doesn’t ask a single one, the scoring allocated to be candidates will not change.

But….

The logical process of a structured job interview has a significant flaw. The human hiring manager is an emotional being. Emotions change how we perceive others.

The asking of questions shows an employer that the candidate is interested, passionate about the role. It helps build rapport, trust, and likeability. It’s the last chance to make a first impression, and it’s the first impression that creates an emotional reaction – I like or dislike this applicant.

Imagine the two equally scored interviewees. The one who asks the 4-5 questions has a chance to highlight more of their experience. As an example, the candidate may ask ‘can you tell me more about the day-to-day duties?’ After the employer responds, the candidate excitedly explains how they are highly skilled in (add duty).

This additional ‘sell’ isn’t added to the interview scorecard. But common practice is for the interview panel to make notes during the job interview itself and to allocate scores after the interviewee leaves.

If the asking of questions helps to build a positive emotional association with the candidate it is likely that the employer will score the interviewee higher than the applicant who didn’t bother to ask any questions. This is called the halo effect.

When to ask the interviewer a questions?

A higher number of interviewees when asked ‘do you have any questions for me?’ will say ‘no!’

As explained above, the asking of interview questions to an employer can create a significant advantage for the savvy interviewee.

But why wait until the interview end?

As we have already stated, first-choice applicants (which is what all career professionals should be aiming for) in fact ask questions to check the suitability of the employer.

Instead of saving a number of questions to the interview end, questions should be asked throughout the recruitment process as this allows the candidate to check:

  • Does the leadership and management style suit the way they work best?
  • Does the culture of company fit thier temperament?
  • Does the business vision match their career objective?
  • Is the company likely to stay ahead of the game and therefore reduce the likelyhood of having to make redundancies?
  • Will this company help me to grow and develop?
  • Is this the right fit for me?

To ask questions throughout the job interview, follow this process:

  1. Wait to be asked an job interview question
  2. Give an interview answer that communciates competencies confidently
  3. Ask the employer a follow up questio

As an example, if the job interview question is ‘what have you done to update your skills over the past 12 months?’ the applicant will give an answer highlighting the required criteria. In this example, the list is long impressing the employer.

At the end of the interview answer, the panel will spend 30 or so more seconds making notes. In that short time, one of the interview panel will break the silence, in this case by saying ‘that a long list, it sounds like you really care about your professional development?’

It’s at this stage where there is a natural opening for a follow-up question: ‘Yes it’s really important to keep developing your skill set, does the company have any training opportunities for new staff members?’ which creates a natural conversation while building authority.

Another technique is to ask a follow-up question before answering the interview question. In this scenario, the interview question is: ‘give me an example of managing your time?’ Instead of diving straight into the interview answer, the candidate can ask a specific follow-up question: ‘One of my key strengths is time-management. I often use technology to help with time management. Do you use Microsoft teams by any chance?’

The specific question is a hack to ensure that the detailed interview answer isn’t irrelevant. If the employer answers that they do use Microsoft teams, the candidate, in this example, will explain their knowledge of teams and how they use it to create Gannt charts, manage projects, diary management etc – as the employer, because they use the same technology, will see this as highly relevant.

If the employer states they don’t use the referenced technology/system/model the applicant can flip over this and answer the interview question without delving into detail about something the employer doesn’t need to know: ‘No, ok, I mentioned it because there are many tools that can assist with managing time, but the key to managing time is….an example of this is…’

Creating an interview conversation, rather the just answering the interview questions builds rapport. But even with a number of questions being asked throughout the job interview to check the suitability of the employer, you will be asked ‘do you have anything you would like to ask anyone of the interview panel?’ which means you must prepare a list fo questions to ask at the end of the job interview.

Questions for interviewers

Rob Jenkins in an article on what to ask and not ask in an interview (specifically talking about college interviews) said: “Do ask questions that demonstrate not only a knowledge of the college where you’re applying but also an enthusiasm for its mission and an earnest desire to be there”

It is the same in a job interview, each question should be planned to demonstrate a high level of knowledge and experience while expressing enthusiasm for wanting to work within that organization.

The top 3 questions to ask an interviewer

Questions that are unique, intriguing, or a little challenging will be memorable.

The top three questions to ask are designed to make the employer reflect, think, and feel good about themselves.

When a person feels good, the emotional feeling is associated with others in the room. And we are more likely to say ‘yes’ to someone we like.

  • What makes you want to stay working for this organisation?

This question will highlight the culture of the company and the values of the employer. For many employers, who aren’t expecting a self-reflecting question, they have to think about their answer.

  • Where in the team do you see my experience best fitting in – is there any particular project that you think I would be able to add value to?

An interviewee would only ask the employer this question if they know the interview has gone well. From a psychological point of view, the candidate is forcing the employer to view them as being successful in the team/on a project.

It’s the same psychology as if I said ‘don’t think of a pink elephant balancing on a blue ball’ to not think of the suggestion, you first have to imagine it!

  • How will you measure how successful I am?

Asking about a measurement will highlight what the employer values. They might answer with customer satisfaction, targets, data, income, quality, quantity. This is a chance to break through any generic statements relating to values and vision and get a specific on what the employer deems is important.

Questions that impress the employer

The goal of the job interview is to create a strong impression that leads to a job offer.

Even though the asking of questions from a candidate can improve the impression created throughout the recruitment process by highlighting inside knowledge that shows how the candidate is interested in the role.

This is achieved by sharing researched guised as a question. Researched-based questions take more preparation but increase the value an employer associates with the candidates.

The idea is to state the research and ask a question based on the stated research. The research can include:

  • Contracts/tenders the employer is bidding on
  • Sector-related technology
  • Changes to production/vision/values the employer is making
  • New markets the business is moving into
  • Risk from competitors, globalization, politics, etc

Below are three different ways to phrase the question to an employer:

  • While researching the company, I saw that you are looking to (add research), how will this effect the day-to-day activities?
  • I know that the sector/company is facing big changes because of (add research), how do you plan to approach this challenge?
  • I was interested to hear about the new direction the company is heading in, what do you think will be the biggest challenges and biggest rewards?

The best questions to ask in an interview

Each job applicant needs to be armed with at least 10 questions to ask an employer.

A high number of questions is required because some of the answers may be discussed during the job interview. Not all ten need to be asked, often three to five questions are enough.

  1. Can you tell me more about the day-to-day duties and my responsibilities?
  2. What are the main challenges that the team/company face?
  3. Do you collaborate with other organisations?
  4. Is this an office job or do you offer hybrid working?
  5. Who is the company’s biggest competitor?
  6. What changes is the sector facing due to globalisation/technology/demand/politics?
  7. Are there plans to expand the business?
  8. What development and training do you offer new employees?
  9. What is the average duration of an employee working for the company?
  10. How would you describe the culture of the company?

10 Killer Questions to ask an Employer

Killer questions are the question that makes a candidate memorable. They can be a little risky, as some questions are framed to state the candidate’s skill set and can sometimes be seen as self-serving. But when delivered right, with confidence, employers will view the candidate as a high-status individual.

  1. What is the one thing that you know I will be able to bring to the team?

To lessen the self-serving aspect of the question you can replace ‘I’ with ‘the successful candidate

2. What was it in my application that made you want to interview me?

This can be awkward if the employer doesn’t remember the reason for inviting the applicant to interview – this is more common than you might expect.

3. How can I advance myself in this role?

Many employers like to see that a potential employee has a focus on progression. But some may worry that the candidate may jump ship for an early promotion.

4. Why did the last employee leave?

This in fact is a great question, as the question can help the interviewee decide if they should take a role if offered to them. Some employers may feel awkward answering this question.

5. What are the expectations of me in my first 6 months?

A candidate can get a real insight into the role/expectations by asking this question.

6. What have previous staff advanced into after holding this job role?

Asking about future progression shows eagerness and that the career path is important to the employee, but some employers worry that the candidate is wanting to run before they can walk.

7. Is there anything about my interview answers that worry you?

A dangerous question. Here the candidate is directing the employer to think about any negatives they have shown during the job interview. On the other hand, if an employer states a concern the job applicant can address the concern during the interview and create a re-frame to help ensure they are viewed as hirable.

8. What challenges might I expect to face?

The challenge’s question is often asked for managerial positions, project lead roles, and for job roles when collaboration is a key feature. But it can also be asked in most job interviews.

Some employers dislike this question as they have to be honest about any ‘problems’ the business has.

9. Why do you think other people have failed in this position?

This question should only be asked if the employer has referenced that others have previously failed. By asking the question, the candidate can follow up with actions they would take to ensure success.

10. Do team members meet outside of work?

A team that meets outside of work is one that is normally happy – a good indication of a positive workplace. It is good to frame this question by adding ‘for exercise, or food’ so the employer doesn’t believe you are asking about social drinking.

Evolve the mind book on Amazon
Posted on

Interview Questions for Retail

Retail is one of the largest job sectors with over 2.9 million employees in the UK alone.

This article will focus on the job interview questions for a retail worker which incldues:

  • Shelf-stacker
  • Till operator
  • Customer service

Retail supervisors and managers attend a more structured job interview where they are asked leadership questions.

A third of retail staff are under the age of 25 and over half are part-time employees. This role attracts both students, looking for a part-time income and full-time retail staff looking for a career in retail.

In the main, the larger retail organizations have an ongoing recruitment campaign and like to hire a diverse workforce.

Due to the time spend on recruitment, many employers deliver short informal interviews that are designed to check a applicants work-ethic, attitude and personal skills.

This article will list the commonly asked interview questions for a retail position, and explain the best way to answer each question.

How competitive is a Retail job interview?

Interview Specifics:

Informal job interview lasts around 30 minutes with 6 questions being asked

Can you demonstrate the relevant knowledge and experience to pass a Retail job interview?

  • Customer service skills
  • Communication skills
  • Numeracy and literacy
  • Reliability
  • Flexibility
  • Teamwork
  • Till/handling cash experience
  • Stock rotation knowledge
  • Sales techniques (for some roles)

Check the average pay for a Retail job role.

Retail job interview questions will vary from one retailer to the next. As an example a food retailer will ask about stock rotation and food hygiene awareness, whereas a clothing company will focus their interview questions on personal skills – being helpful, smart in appearance and communication skills.

All retailers will ask a variation of the common retail questions listed below, but it is important to follow the three rules of a successful job interview:

One – identify the skills and experiences each retailer requires you to possess

Two – be a self-promoter by highlighting customer service skills, reliability and your work ethic

Three – communicate confidently. In retail communication and customer service is a key skill. The whole of the job interview is an assessment of how you come across to a potential customer.

Job Interview Questions and Answers for a Retail Position.

To pass a job interview for a retail position is relatively easy.

Employers don’t ask tricky interview questions, they are rarely ‘scary’ and in the main try to create a relaxed environment to help the interviewee to open up.

At the bottom line, the interviewers want to get to know the potential employee.

The barrier here then is the number of applications each employer receives, which is much higher then the number of job vacancies.

To pass a retail job interview, it is important to predict the interview questions and practice the delivery of the interview answers.

  • Mock interviews help to practice an interview in full
  • Re-writing interview answers helps with memory
  • Talking in slower pace (as interviewees then to speed up due to nervousness) helps the employer to record your experiences and skills

Below is a list of retail questions and an explanation of how to answer each question.

Retail Interview Question 1. Tell me a little bit about yourself?

In all retail job interviews, the hiring manager will ask a generic opening question:

  • “Tell me about yourself?”
  • “Do you have any retail experience?”
  • “Give me an overview of your relative experience?”

The idea with asking a generic interview question is for the interview panel to get to know the job applicant, while at the same time getting them to open up.

By talking about oneself often gives confidence to the candidate, which helps later in the recruitment process when the hiring manager will ask more specific questions.

Employers will make a hiring decision based on the interview answers each candidates give. For a retail job role, the employer using a applicants retail/customer service experience as well as their personality/confidence to create an opinion.

We call the the interviewees Interview Identity.

Interview Answer Template.

“I have worked in (retail/customer service) roles for ‘X’ number of years. I really enjoy the (state a positive challenge) aspect of the role.

One of my key skills is (add retail related skilled IE customer service, sales, problem-solving) an example of this is when I was working as a (job role) at (company). A customer (describe action) to help get a positive result I (describe actions). The outcome was (positive outcome)

People describe as (list qualities). In my last role I was known as the employee who would (add quality; arrive on time, help customers, go above and beyond).

I am currently (studying full-time/looking for a career in retail) and I applied for this position because of (reference a positive aspect about the company)”

Retail Interview Question 2. Why did you apply for a job with our company?

Retail managers know that there is a vast amount of retail job roles, all with varying pay and conditions, available for people to apply for.

With this in mind, a high number of hiring managers will ask the reason why a candidate is applying for their vacancy rather then another.

The reason for this interview question is due to staff retention. The longer a staff member/retail team work for one company the more skilled that team will become (as well as saving on recruitment cost).

Don’t answer the ‘why us’ question with any of the following reasons:

  • Financial
  • Near to my home
  • I just need a job
  • Don’t know

Instead create an interview answer that highlights how the company values, vision and culture appeal to you.

Interview Answer Template.

“When I started job searching I saw a high number of retail vacancies, but when I saw that your company was advertising I knew I had to apply.

What I like about your company is the fact that you (add a company value/vision). This is something I can relate to. I also am passionate about (add a passion that relates to the company value/vision).

I also like where the company is heading. When I was researching the organization I read how you are (add a recent quote from a media source) I think this is a great idea as more people are (give a future action related to the quote IE shopping online).

One of the main reasons I applied for the role, is because I shop at your company and I love (the products/the way customer are treated/the environment)”

Retail Interview Question 3. What does customer service mean to you?

Customer service is a fundamental part of any retail job role.

Retail employers always ask a customer service related interview question:

  • “Tell me about your customer service experience?”
  • “What would you do if a customer did X?”
  • “Give me an example of going above and beyond for a customer?”

An article on Salesforce talked about the 8 principles of customer service:

  1. Teamwork
  2. Listen and share
  3. Friendly
  4. Honest
  5. Improved empathy
  6. Deep product knowledge
  7. Timeliness
  8. Improving processes

One way to answer the customer service interview question is by stating what makes good customer service and then giving an example of delivering excellent customer.

Interview Answer Template.

“For me, customer service is the key part of my job role. Good customer service includes being a great listener and communicator, while being able to build rapport. It is also about being a time-sensitive problem solver and looking at a customer problem from their viewpoint, and most importantly its about helping to create loyal customers.

I have always had a natural ability to give great customer service, as I am a natural peoples person. An example of this was when I was (describe a situation), to help the customer I (add 3 steps: Listened to the issue, discussed options and used my personal skills to get a positive outcome)”

Retail Interview Questions 4. How would you handle a rude customer?

Helping a pleasant customer is easy, they ask for help, help is given and everyone is happy.

On the other hand, having to deal with an angry, rude or disruptive customer is much more difficult.

In fact, the whole reason that customer service is the hot topic in retail job interviews is because of the fact the employers need to hire retail staff that can respond professionally to any customer service situation.

An article on MindTools explains 5 steps to dealing with a rude customer:

  1. Stay calm and don’t react
  2. Don’t take it personally
  3. Listen and apologise if needed
  4. Stand firm
  5. Solve the problem

Interview Answer Template.

“I have helped many rude customer in the past. I don’t get affected by a rude customer as I don’t take the rudeness personally. I know that many customer s act rude because they are frustrated and once they see that I am willing to help them resolve their issue, they will calm down, often applogise and become helpful.

An example of helping a rude customer is when I worked at (company name) and a customer was angry because of (state issue). First I stayed calm and listened to their complaint without interrupting. I then summarised their problem and asked what outcome they wanted. I then though about two options (describe options) and asked the customer a few questions to help them decide which option was best. By being calm, patient and by wanting to solve their problem I was able to get a customer, who initially was rude, to leave a positive comment on a store feedback card.”

Evolve the mind book on Amazon

Retail Interview Question 5. Do you work well within a team?

A retail store is a well oiled machine.

All the various cogs; shelf-stackers, cahiers, cleaners, security guards, customer service desk, buyers, warehouse staff, etc, etc work together to display products that customers want to buy.

The team collectively works well when all team members embrace being team.

Many retail company’s will create a team culture through teambuilding activities, team meetings and highlighting team achievements.

In a retail recruitment process, the hiring manager isn’t just looking for a skilled worker they are searching for a team player.

The best answer to give is to share an example of teamwork in action. When sharing a teamwork example it is important to explain the problem the team were facing before the candidates shares what actions they took to help the team achieves its goal.

Interview Answer Template.

“I really enjoy working within a team. I like that everyone helps and supports each other to achieve a common goal.

An example of me working within a team is when I worked at (organisation). The team had to (achieve an objective) but the problem was (describe a barrier the team faced).

The team didn’t know what we should do, so I suggested that everyone should share an idea. We all did, and that led to a natural discussion. I took the lead and asked my team mates for their opinions on the ideas and before long it was clear that we all wanted to try a particular suggestion. We the divided up the jobs, I was responsible for (task) and went to work. By the end of the (day/project/task) we had (positive outcome).”

Retail Interview Question 6. Do you have any questions for me?

Each hiring manager during all job interviews will ask each interviewee if they have any questions for the employer.

Knowing that the final ‘ask me’ question will be asked, a set of questions needs to be prepared.

  • Can you talk me through the training that you offer new staff members?
  • What are the busiest times of the year?
  • How would you describe an average day?
  • How would you describe the culture of the company?
  • How many staff work full time and part time?

This site uses the ‘LMI for All’ online data portal to access official government ‘big data’ sources. This powers the labour market data provided on this site.

Posted on

Job Interview Questions for a Learning Mentor

There has been an increase in learning mentoring roles as education providers employ supportive roles to help struggling students.

In the main, learning mentors work with children, but some positions include mentoring adults. Other vacancies are for specific areas IE young offenders, SEND pupils, etc.

Employers are looking for ‘skills’ as well as experience. When giving examples, applicants need to check if the new job role is mentoring groups and/or 1-2-1s.

This article will help mentors prepare and pass a learning mentor job interview.

How competitive is a Mentor job interview?

Medium in competitiveness

Interview Specifics:

Behavioural job interview, last 45 minutes with 8 questions being asked

Can you demonstrate the relevant knowledge and experience to pass a Mentor job interview?

  • Discussing pupils learning needs to create a plan of action
  • Creating strategies and supportive actions to help increase a pupils confidence level
  • Working in groups or 1-2-1 to help an underperforming pupil achieve realistic educational outcomes
  • Understanding safe-guarding practices
  • Have an awareness of learning styles and techniques
  • Monitor and report on a pupils progression
  • Great questioning and listening skills
  • Support with transition, including report writing

Check the average pay for a Mentor job role.

Job Interview Questions and Answers for a Mentor.

In addition to a structured job interview, many high-school mentoring recruitment process also include the delivery of a presentation. To prepare for your interview presentation click here: How to deliver a job interview presentation.

This article, though, will focus on the answers to behavioral job interview questions.

Behavioral job interview questions ask for examples of passed experience. This means that giving examples is the best way to answer the job interview question.

Mentoring Job Interview Question: Tell me about your experience as a mentor?

Not all employers require the successful job applicant to have direct mentoring experience.

Instead, most employers are looking for certain skills – the ability to mentor a (specific group).

It is important to create a job interview answer that highlights to relevance of the example by following the three rules for a successful job interview:

  1. Identify the job criteria – the skills and experiences required for the mentoring job position
  2. Be a self-promoter – giving detailed descriptions of relevant skills
  3. Communicate with confidence – engage the interview panel with tonality, expressions and gestures, while having clear diction and a nice pace

Example interview answer:

“I have worked as a (job role) for the past (number of years) where I was responsible for (list duties).

I have undertook (list relevant qualifications) which taught me the importance of (a particular knowledge base).

The reason I am so passionate about mentoring is because (reason IE supporting/helping) An example of this is when I was working at (company) where I was mentoring (cohort). to support the client (describe mentoring technique in detail) which resulted in (positive outcome).

To summaries, I have X number of years experience and I am highly passionate and skilled at mentoring others.”

Mentoring Job Interview Question: Give me an example of mentoring a student who was underperforming?

When answering specific ‘example’ questions it is important to give context by describing the situation.

Context allows a hiring manager to understand the difficulties and actions taken.

It is also key to explain any ‘basic’ everyday tasks. A large number of interviewees don’t state ‘obvious’ duties because it is a task they complete everyday.

But, because interviewers follow use a structured job interview process, candidates must state all essential job criteria to receive full marks.

Example interview answer:

“I was working with one mentee recently who was undeforming in (subject) due to (reason). Because of this (reason) the mentee was (describe state – quite, angry, demotivated).

Because I was aware of the situation I, prior, to the mentoring session (actions took to help make the mentee more relaxed, open and feeling safe. This could also include any research undertaken)

When I met the mentee I split the session into three stages: contracting, open questions and goals. It was important to contract because of (reason).

In the mentoring section, I asked, initially very open questions, including (add questions) to help the client open up. The conversation become more specific as we built trust and talked more in-depth about underperformance. We focused mainly on (add detail).

By the end of the mentoring session I signposted to (source) and encouraged goals, including (state goals)

The result of the planning and my communication style was (describe a positive outcome for the client)”

Mentoring Job Interview Question: Tell me about a safe-guarding issue you have had to deal with?

When applying for a mentoring role that works with children’s or vulnerable people, you will be asked a safe-guarding job interview question.

Employers need to check that a mentor knows the correct procedure when a young person discloses that they are in harm.

There are six guiding principles of safeguarding:

  1. Empowerment
  2. Prevention
  3. Proportionality
  4. Protection
  5. Partnership
  6. Accountability

It is important in the safeguarding interview answer to highlight a level of knowledge of safeguarding.

Employers ask for a safeguarding example, to check how the principles have been used in a real situation.

Example interview answer:

“I was mentoring one mentee who disclosed a safeguarding issue. At first the disclosure was made in passing and the mentee, aware of what they have said, tried to deflect the statement by talking about other things.

This where my excellent listening skills come into their own. I also make lots of notes when I am mentoring someone to ensure that the information I have is accurate.

I was aware that the mentee was (embarrassed/upset/angry) and initially I used (open body language/soft tonality/additional questions) to (desired outcome).

I then asked a direct question about the disclosure, this resulted in the mentee (outcome). To gain more information I then asked specific follow up questions. At this stage it was clear that their was a risk of harm to the young person. I asked the mentee to remember at the beginning of the session where I had ‘contracted’ explaining what I have to do if there is a safeguarding concern.

In that company we had to follow a strict procedure when a concern was disclosed, which included 1) informing a line manager, 2) making a social service referral and 3) completing the paperwork.

The mentee was in fact happy to be getting support, but was scared about the process and what would happen long term. To support the mentee I (action – confirmed that I would be able to be in the interview with the social worker/talk to professionals on their behalf/gave an explanation of what would happen in the way of a case study.

The long-term outcome was (state details).”

Mentoring Job Interview Question: Give me an example of successfully mentoring a group?

In the main, mentoring is delivered on a 1-2-1 basis.

Often, though, mentors will deliver group mentoring workshops.

Delivering workshops takes an additional skill. Many employers, to test the delivery styles of applicants, will request for the interviewee to deliver a short interview presentation.

In addition to the presentation, there is often an interview question about group delivery.

The focus of the interview answer should be aimed at the session impact:

  • Was the trainer able to engage all pupils?
  • Did the session fulfil the training objectives?
  • Did the trainer think about individual learning styles?

Example interview answer:

“As well as having (X) number of years experience mentoring in 1-2-1 situations, I am also highly experience in the delivery of groupwork.

The barrier with group engagement is the number of participants. In a 1-2-1 mentoring session, it is easy to adapt the delivery style to encourage and support the mentee.

Whereas in a group setting, it is the planning of the activity which is key. When I plan an activity I first ask about the group – do any have support needs? What are their learning styles? have they volunteered to attend the session?

To plan the session in full, i think about the desired outcome and how I can embed visual, audio and kinesthetic learning styles. I also think about any objections or challenges the participants may have and think of ways to overcome this.

An example of this is working with introverted pupils. As I am experienced with this, I know to ask the group a question IE anyone can answer, and then to follow by asking individuals questions to help engage the whole class.

Last week I was working with one group to help them think about (career goals, improving exam results, motivation, etc). The group was made up of (age/gender/generic barriers). To engage the group I (told stories/created a game/presented facts/played a video).

I also set individual and team tasks, and walked around the room looking for anyone who would need support.

Because I knew that (group/person) had (describe barrier) I (state actions took) which resulted in (positive outcome).”

Evolve the mind book on Amazon

Mentoring Job Interview Question: Tell me about a time when you have successfully mentored someone to achieve their goals?

In short a mentor will help an mentee achieve their goals.

There are a number of mentoring models that can be used, with the most famous model being GROW – Goal, Reality, Options and Will.

When giving an interview answer to a 1-2-1 mentoring experience question, it is important to state the required skills used while following a mentoring model such as GROW. These include:

  • Listening
  • Communication
  • Empathy
  • Creating accountability
  • Encouragement
  • Note taking
  • Safe guarding awareness

Example interview answer:

“I have many examples I could use. My favorite is when I was working at (company) and I was mentoring a client who wanted to achieve (goal).

The mentee, when I first met them, was (add barriers; quite, reserved, extravert, demotivated, scared) This was because of their (describe situation).

My first task was to establish rapport, I did this by (sharing stories, listening, finding commonality, not interrupting).

Once the mentee trusted me, which was reinforced by my ability to listen without interrupting, being patient and communicating of their level, I helped them establish their goals.

Initially their goal was ambiguous, which was one reason why they struggled to take action. By asking questions to gain a specific and measurable goal, the client was able to see the realism of achieving their objective.

We discussed option and I would often challenge their goal, thought process or suggestion to help them reflect on what they would need to do and achieve to feel successfully. This reflection technique was something the client hadn’t done before and the outcome was that they felt excited about their potential future.

The reason this was a real success, was due to my emotional intelligence. Because I was working with the client over a number of weeks, there were time when the client was feeling good and other times when they felt down. Having an agile approach allowed me to communicate in a way that suited the situation, increasing trust between myself and the mentee.

There were also times when we went off-topic and talked about hobbies and interest instead of the (goal), which was suitable at that time. And sometimes, when needed i would sign post to suitable agencies where the mentee could gain expert advice and support.

The outcome was that the mentee achieved (long term outcome) and short term felt (motivated/inspired/excited) helping them to take more action.“

Mentoring Job Interview Question: Do you have anything you would like to ask us?

  • Can you describe the duties in an average day?
  • What development opportunities can employees access?
  • Do you specialize in any particular mentoring areas?
  • Are you looking to expand the business?
  • How would you describe the culture of the company?
  • What, would you say, is the management style of the company?
  • How is the mentoring project funded? Do you see nay future risk to funding?
  • What is the customer feedback like?
Posted on

Tips for Group Interviews

Group job interviews are a common recruitment stage for customer-facing job roles, and for leadership and management positions.

In addition, group interviews are used as a screening interview for organizations that receive high number of job applications.

A high number of job candidates struggle to pass a group interview due to a lack of understanding of the group interview format.

In this article, you will learn the structure of a group interview, how interviewees are scored, and what a job candidate can do to stand out in the group interview to ensure an offer of a second interview round.

Group Interview Format

Unlike a structured job interview, where each applicant is asked the same number of interview questions that are then graded with the help of a scoring system, the group interview is an observation interview round.

Group interviews are often part of a full-day recruitment process, which includes:

  • A tour of the company
  • Technical test
  • Role plays
  • Structured panel job interview
  • Group exercise interview

The group interview takes around 45 minutes to complete.

The employer will first put the interviewees into groups, before stating the task each group has to complete.

Often the task is a problem-solving task, in the form of physical exercise IE ‘make a bridge over a river using the objects’.

The task isn’t always relevant to the job sector because the task itself isn’t important.

What is important are the qualities of each applicant.

This is because the employer uses a group exercise to better understand how each job candidate acts when working collaboratively in a stressful situation.

Some employers increase the stress by giving a short time frame to complete a difficult task or will ask the groups to attempt a very difficult brain-teaser task.

After the group exercise time-frame has come to an end, the group may be asked to feedback.

The three stages of a group exercise are:

  1. Introduction to the group activity
  2. Group completing the set task
  3. Feedback from the group

What is being assessed during a group interview exercise

Technical interviews are designed to test competencies and knowledge, whereas a group interview exercise is looking at a candidate’s personals qualities:

  • Communication
  • Leadership
  • Teamwork
  • Supportiveness
  • Listening
  • Temperament
  • Following processes (set out in the rules of exercise)
  • Creative thinking
  • People skills

In one group exercise for a large airline company, looking to recruit a number of customer service employees, the hiring managers ask that each candidate stands on a stage and deliver a short 60-second introduction speech.

The recruitment team stated that the rest of the applicants, the audience, to listen to the speaker and give a round of applause at the speech end.

Around 6 hiring managers stood around the room observing and taking notes. The hiring manager, though, wasn’t watching the speaker, instead, they observed the audience, making notes of who, instead of listening, was checking updates on their phone and which applicants had their full attention on the stage.

Anyone who was seen not to be fully listening to the speakers didn’t make it to the second job interview stage.

A second employer asked groups of applicants applying for a managerial position were asked to complete a physical brain teaser – dropping an egg from a height without the egg breaking, by using a range of potential random objects to reduce the like hood of the egg breaking once it hits the floor.

Three hiring managers observed the groups. With the position being a leadership role, many of the applicants wanted to stand out by taking the lead. One potential manager grabbed the instructions and started to assemble the equipment. Another directed the group participants to delegate roles. A third candidate, in their team, asked questions and encouraged people to become involved in the task.

Three candidates acted in three separate ways, all examples of various managerial styles, but which approach was best?

The three rules for a successful job interview are:

  1. Identity the job criteria
  2. Be a self-promoter
  3. Communicate with confidence

Rule number one is key here. What is the culture of the organisation? What is the employer’s preferred management style? Which leadership style best fits the job sector?

How to pass a group interview

In the main, the group interview exercise looks at personal skills and qualities.

The aim is to complete a task, even though a group task is the required action, instead the objective is to observe how each applicant acts and interacts when given a potentially stressful task.

Employers observing group exercises like to see:

  • Leadership
  • Encouragement
  • Teamwork

To be seen as a highly valuable potential employee follow these three steps:

  1. Take charge
  2. Encourage involvement
  3. Create a team approach

Take Charge of the Group Exercise

In the main, most people in a group interview won’t take the initiative.

Taking the initiative creates the ‘leadership’ position. being seen as the natural leader creates a subconscious high-status persona that results in other candidates referring to the ‘group leader’.

In all group exercises, the employer will state the exercise details and give a duration.

The specific details for the task will be written down and one of the group members will have to collect the instructions from one of the hiring managers. This is the first opportunity to take a leadership position, by being the person who stands up and collects the written instructions.

Once, with the instructions in hand, others will naturally look towards you.

Remembering that the whole group exercise process is being observed, read out the instructions to the group.

After reading out the instructions, summarize these and then ask an ‘encouragement’ question to encourage involvement from the rest of the group: “Has anyone had to complete the (task) before?” while looking at each member of the group in turn.

Next, suggest and guide the group by asking for suggestions on how they should approach the task. If the group has introverted members, specifically ask for their opinion.

If there are several good suggestions, recommend the group take a vote as the task needs to be completed within a short duration.

If there is only one idea (you should also have suggested an idea or approach) or once the vote has been completed, explain that everyone should have a role and ask: “Who would like to do X?” or “Who has the skills to do X?”

End, the planning phase of the group task by giving encouragement: “I think it was really good that we were able to share some ideas and pick roles. We have X time left so let’s go for it. I know we can be successful with this task.”

Encourage Involvement

Many of the group tasks during a recruitment event are difficult.

Purposefully difficult, because the employer is observing how candidates act during a stressful situation.

The difficulty of the tasks results in several of the group, getting ‘stuck’ or feeling ‘lost’. Be aware that the ‘lost’ feeling will happen, and look out for when this happens.

When a team member becomes lost, give encouragement. Ask: “(name) is everything ok, need a hand?”

You can also assist: “have you tried doing X?”

Also, offer praise to others: “great job (name), that’s really going to help.”

It is the leadership and teamwork skills that employers are looking for, not the completion of tasks.

By communicating, listening, encouraging, in short – leading the group, the hiring managers will be impressed with the skillset on show.

Evolve the mind book on Amazon

Create a Team Approach

There is a balance between being the leader and creating a team environment.

Being to directive could be seen as a negative (depending on the job role) by the hiring managers and some candidates sensing that the contrast between the candidate taking the initiative and themselves could make them look bad might start to challenge you.

The goal then is to create a sense of collaboration, teamwork.

If a candidate challenges the leadership role, encourage their ideas. Ask: “great, what’s your plan/idea?” or if they have relevant experience ask: “That really useful, what do you recommend?”

The goal here isn’t to stand out as the leader. By being the person who collects the instructions, reads them out, and ask the group for ideas and suggestion, the recruitment team will already have noticed you. Encouragement to others, throughout the task, only helps to reinforce the positive first impression.

The real goal, therefore, is to create a productive team, which is why it is suggested to ask for other peoples ideas, and thoughts.

Posted on

Customer Service Manager Interview Questions

Customer service manager job roles vary across a wide range of industries. Depending on the company the job title may differ:

  • Customer service manager
  • Customer care manager
  • Customer relationship manager

In all customer service managerial role the main duties are similar; providing a customer focused service to exceed standards that results in an increase in customer loyalty.

In recent years, the role has evolved into customer service in the virtual world as well as physical customers.

A large part of the job role is to:

  • Develop and implement customer service policies and procedures
  • Use data to measure customer satisfaction, needs and sales
  • Improve the overall customer journey
  • Increase online positive reviews
  • Manage a customer service team and/or collaborate with senior stakeholders

The job interview has a large focus on understanding the applicants approach and previous experience in excelling in improving customer service,

How competitive is a Customer Service Manager job interview?

Medium in competitiveness

Interview Specifics:

Structural job interview last 45 minutes with 8 interview questions being asked

Can you demonstrate the relevant knowledge and experience to pass a Customer Service Manager job interview?

  • Create a customer service process and procedure for business as usual tasks
  • Lead on new customer service initiatives and project lead on customer service strategies
  • Investigate and solve customers’ problems, which can include online negative reviews
  • Authorise refunds or compensation to customers as required
  • Analyse customer data and statistics to be used in project planning
  • Develop customer relationship building activities
  • Write detailed reports
  • develop feedback or complaints procedures for customers to use
  • Staff recruitment and management

Check the average pay for a Customer Service Manager job role.

Job Interview Questions and Answers for a Customer Service Manager.

Generally speaking, customer service managers for medium sized organizations will be invited to one structured job interview.

Senior managers overseeing customer service at a strategic level are likely to attend an average of three job interviews including a structured job interview, a strength-based interview and an assessment.

This article will cover the commonly asked interview questions for a customer service manager in a structured job interview.

Tell me about your experience in customer service management?

The initial job interview question is designed to check suitability – does the applicant meet the job criteria?

Opening questions are also generic, to help the interviewee to speak with a view that they will be more relaxed when asked specific job criteria questions later in the interview process.

A savvy candidate can use the opening question to help create intrigue by stating their unique selling points.

Interview Answer Template

“I am highly skilled in customer service management for roles. For the past (number of years) I have been responsible for (add job-related duty). This included (A, B, and C – give detail).

I possess a qualification in (add sector-related qualification) which taught me the importance of (sector-related model or theory), an example of using this in day-to-day tasks is when (add example).

My main strengths include (add unique selling point). To conclude, I am a skilled customer service manager with over X number of years experience, qualified to X level.”

Give me an example of how you would implement a customer service policy?

As one of the main job duties of a customer service manager, explaining the process what implementing a customer service policy is one of the key job interview questions.

The ‘policy’ question must be answered by using the interview answer model – ME (Model and Example).

The model and example interview formula is highly powerful when it comes to technical job interview questions.

By stating the model, in a step-by-step process, all elements of setting up a customer service policy will be discussed analytically, ensuring that all the job criteria on the interview scorecard is referenced.

Much research shows how storytelling increases the likelihood of passing a job interview. This is because stories create an emotional reaction in the hiring manager, and emotions are the doorkeepers to decision-making.

The power of emotions is the reason why a logical answer alone isn’t enough. Once a step-by-step process has been explained, a real-life example must follow.

Interview Answer Template

“Policy creation and implementation is one of my key strengths. The five steps for creating a policy are, 1. identify the need for the policy, 2. gather data to support the creation of the policy, 3. involve stakeholders and draft policy, 4. gain approval for senior managers, 5. implement policy.

An example of creating and implementing a policy is when I worked at X company. At the time (explain barrier/problem). To help define the policy I (searched for data) which helped to create a policy that embedded (a particular requirement). Also, I worked with (stakeholder) as they had a vested interest in the policy outcome. After the policy was approved by (manager/board) I created an implementation plan which included (actions with reasons).”

Describe your managerial style?

There are various management and leadership styles. In the main, most managers have a natural preference for one or two management styles.

Often employers are looking to hire managers who possess the management style that fits within the culture of their organisation.

Interviewees, if required, can review the employer’s culture to help prepare a high-scoring interview answer.

A safe way to answer the management style question is by explaining how you choose your management style based on the situation.

Interview Answer Template

“Situational leadership theory explains there are four key leadership styles; directing, coaching, supporting, and delegating. All managers have a natural tendency to prefer one style due to their temperament.

What an experienced customer service manager, such as I am, must do is choose the most suitable leadership style for each individual situation.

As an example, my natural preference is (name a leadership style). This is ideal when (state situation) but isn’t as useful in (second situation). In this situation, I would use (second leadership style).

I think one of the reasons for my successful career as a customer service manager, is my ability to manage tasks by reflecting on the situation, the project timeframe, and the skills of my team.”

How do you review customer standards within an organisation?

New customer service policies, processes, and strategic plans must be based on data.

Employers will check that a customer service manager makes logical decisions to create change through the analysis of data.

Customer service data can be gained from very sources:

  • Surveys
  • The number of customer complaints
  • Monitoring social media
  • Online reviews
  • Increase or redcutaion in footfall/sales

The customer service answer is best answered using the STAR method.

The STAR method uses an example to show the candidate’s level of competencies.

STAR stands for Situation, Task, Actions, and Results.

Interview Answer Template

Situation – start the interview answer (the example) by describing in a few lines the situation that the company was facing.

“While working as a customer service manager at (company name) we analysed data that compared (a good vs bad customer service outcome)

Task – The task part of the STAR method should state the specific required task. The task is different from the situation (many interviewees miss the task section of the STAR method). The situation is the big picture, whereas the task is the specific plan the team/employee was required to complete

The data showed how we needed to (improve customer service outcomes). To achieve this, I was responsible for (describe task)

Action – Each stage of the STAR job interview method is more specific then the previous one. In the action section, the interviewee needs to explain what is was the did to help bring around a positive outcome.

The action segment is the crux of the job interview answer. The employer isn’t interested in what the team did or a generic cover-all description. Instead, the hiring manager wants data that they can cross-reference against the job criteria.

Specific information can be measured.

To ensure that the best action was achieved I first spent some time planning. There were two possible actions I could take, the first was X and the second Y. The advantage of doing X was (add detail) but the dis-advantage was (add detail). Whereas the disadvantage for Y was (give detail), put the pro’s included (give detail)

I choose (X or Y) because (reason). To start, I first (describe initial actions) as this (add outcome from initial actions). Next, I (describe actions) which helped achieve (outcome). Throughout the task I reviewed my actions to ensure that the task would be completed to the highest quality. Finally, I (add action).

Result – To end the STAR interview formula, the interviewee must state the result or outcome from the action described.

The result should be a positive outcome that helped achieved a particular goal.

My planning, reviewing and my ability to (describe a positive trait) ensured that we were able to (positive outcome) which had a massive effect on (part of the business)

Give an example of helping an underperforming employee to be more successful?

A large part of a customer service manager job role is the managing of staff.

Most questions, relating to performance, are framed as a ‘support’ question.

It is important to talk about a process for managing underperforming staff and to give an example. Again, this question is best answered using the ME – model and example formula.

Interview Answer Template

Not all underperforming staff members underperform for the same reason. As an example if a staff member was previously one of the best performing employees and only recently started to underperform, this maybe an indication that something may have effected that persons motivation or stress.

Compare that employee to a staff member who has underperformed no matter part of the business they are working with.

Generally speaking, if an employee has started to underperform whereas the rest of team is performing well, indicating that the underperforming employee needs support tor motivating I following the three stages that most HR teams embed in their policies: review, training, disciplinary,

The initial stage is bringing the underperformance to the team members awareness, asking, in a 1-2-1 what support they need from myself? This is an informal discussion, that can lead to some actions being agreed.

If performance doesn’t improve, the next meeting is formal with an action plan being created. The action plan can include training, mentoring, work shadowing and a list of priorities action for the employ. The idea is that following the plan will naturally improve performance. The main discussion should challenge the employee to help understand the reason behind the underperformance.

Finally, if performance still hasn’t improved over the duration set out in the action plan, then a more formal meeting will be had that involves the HR team. In short, as a manager i would try to do what I can to support an employee until it is required for HR to get involved.

Evolve the mind book on Amazon

Do You Have Any Questions for the Interview Panel?

  • What areas is the business looking to expand into?
  • What development opportunities are available to new staff members?
  • What is the company’s biggest barrier to achieving its KPIs?
  • Who would you say is the company’s biggest competitor?
  • How would you describe the culture of the company?
Posted on

Quality Save Supervisor Interview Questions

Quality Save was founded in 1974 by Bob Rudkin while working on a market stall in Walkden. Since then it has grown into a recognized brand across the Northwest, UK.

Quality Save support employees by offering a range of training and professional development opportunities, valuing loyalty as the company like to recruit from within.

For some of their supervisory roles the applicant don’t need experience as Quality Save will train up the successful applicant, indicating that the majority of interview questions while be situational interview questions.

How competitive is a Quality Save Supervisor job interview?

Interview Specifics:

Situational job interview, lasts around 45 minutes with 8 interview questions being asked

Can you demonstrate the relevant knowledge and experience to pass a Quality Save Supervisor job interview?

  • Supervising cashiers, shelf stockers, and other employees.
  • Assisting the store manager with weekly finance returns.
  • Keeping records of employee performance.
  • Reporting on stock.
  • Implementing Quality Save processes and procedures to avoid stock damages, theft, and wastage.
  • Creating a welcoming environment for customers.
  • Supporting staff with training and development.
  • Managing the staff rota.

Check the average pay for a supervisor job role.

Below is a list of commonly asked job interview questions for a Quality Save supervisor role.

Each summary comes with an explanation of the interview question and an example interview answer.

It is important to tweak each interview answer template, making it relevant to the interviewee’s own skills, qualities, experience, and knowledge.

An interviewer’s perception of a job applicant, their interview identity, is made up of the interviewee’s perceived level of knowledge/experience vs their level of confidence during the recruitment process.

The first stage, when preparing for a job interview, is to recognize your own ‘interview identity’.

Job Interview Questions and Answers for a Quality Save supervisor.

Prior to the official job interview, the panel of interviewers (often 3 staff members, including a direct line manager) will make small talk to help relax the interviewee.

The hiring manager will start the interview by explaining the process of the structured job interview.

Including, the number of questions that will be asked, who on the interview panel will ask which questions, and how the applicant can ask for a question to be repeated.

They will go to explain the post-interview details; when each candidate will be told if they have been successful or not.

The job applicant, who prior to the recruitment day has made ample preparation, is expected to answer the questions by showcasing how they meet the job criteria.

Quality Save try to create a relaxed atmosphere and never ask any curveball job interview questions. Overall the interview is informal, within a structured job interview process.

Explain why do you want to be a Quality Save supervisor?

The difference between a situation job interview, and a behavioral job interview, is the framing of the job interview questions.

In a behavioral job interview, the question asked for evidence of past behaviors. Employers using behavioral job interview questions are, in the main, looking to recruit someone with past experience.

As Quality Save recruit and train a suitable candidate, the hiring manager is likely to frame the majority of their interview questions as ‘situational’ – this means question will be framed on ‘what you might do in X situation’.

A situational interview allows an applicant take experience from one job role/sector and make it relevant to another. Also, answers can reference models and theories highlighting a level of sector knowledge.

Answers for both situational and behavioral job interviews must reference the job criteria and be self-promoting.

It is important, therefore, to be aware of the three rules for a successful job interview.

When asked, the why do you want to be a Quality Save supervisor?, answer by stating skills, experiences and and personal qualities that would make you a good supervisor.

It also good to reference any relevant customer service, retail or supervisory qualifications.

This question gives the job applicant a chance to showcase their awareness and knowledge of both the job role and the company – Quality Save.

“I applied for the role of a supervisor at Quality Save, as I have a (background/experience) in (retail, customer service, or supervisory roles). For the past (number of years) I have been working as a (job role) at (company) where I was responsible for (state relevant duties). My direct supervisory experience includes (A, B and C). I am passionate about retail and love (job duty). In addition, I have a (qualification) which taught me the theory for (job duty). I applied for the role at Quality Save as I was impress with (company fact/history/mission).”

What is your understanding of the supervisor job role?

As an organisation that is willing take train up suitable applicants (which is a great way to great start to a managerial career) the hiring manager does need to first check suitability.

One way to check if a job applicant would work be a potential Quality Save supervisor is by checking their knowledge of the supervisor job role.

Many people fail to answer the ‘understanding’ correctly.

A common way to incorrectly answer this interview question, is by just listing a few job duties.

Listing duties does show an awareness of the job role but not a full understanding of importance of certain task, or how supervisory responsibilities have an impact on the business.

To create a high-scoring answer, frame the interview answer by stating first, an overview of what a supervisor does.

Second, state a number of duties, then explain the importance of the stated duty and/or how the applicants possess the skills required to complete the supervisory task.

To better understand the job duties of a supervisor, read the job advert on Monster.

“A supervisor works closely with the store manager to communicate the mission and vision of the company. More specifically, a supervisor will communicate tasks, duties and performance targets to team members while supporting staff, through training and mentoring, to upskill to complete their duties effectively. To be efficient at communication, my experience in (job role) has taught me the importance of (communication criteria/soft skill). Supervisors must be able to motivate team members, an example of me being able to motivative others is when I was working at (company) and (explain situation) happened. To motivate (others) I (actions taken).”

How would you support a new employee?

Supervisors will often mentor and support new staff members.

In retail, its is common to see a large staff turnover as the sector recruits some staff members who are students working their way through university.

Staff support often improves staff retention, and the interview answer should always reference this key point.

If the supervisor role at Quality Save is your first supervisory position, think about what support you prefer when starting a new job. Experienced supervisors are likely to have experience of supporting new employees, that can be used within their interview answer.

Break the answer down into three key areas:

  1. processes and procedures
  2. supporting the new employee
  3. identifying areas of development

“As a supervisor I would always support new employees as this increase staff retention. With any new employee I would first get them up to speed with the company policy and procedures – this might include online training, reading the policies and procedures and through work shadowing and experienced staff member. To check a new staff members progress I would ask them questions on some of the key processes.

It is also important to ensure new staff members are happy with the day-to-day tasks. i would set duties, leave the staff member for a short period of time and then return to ask them ‘how they are getting on?’

Through observing the new employee, having regular catch ups and through asking I would check what areas of development each individual staff member has and help to create a training plan to support them to become a skilled worker.”

How would you react if an employee disagreed with you?

Supervisors need to be confident in themselves and assistive when delegating tasks.

When working as a supervisor, it is likely that from time to time a staff member may disagree with, or even be disrespectful, to the supervisor.

This could take the shape of an employee suggesting a ‘better’ approach for completing a task or passive aggressively refusing to complete a duty.

Employers need to ensure that a new supervisor has the knowhow to handle this situation without it escalating.

“Misunderstandings often result from a lack of clarification. When delegating tasks I would explain my reasons for doing this, to reduce any misunderstandings. If a staff member disagreed with me, I would first ask for and listen to their point of view, encase they have a valid point. If I believed that the employee was trying to be disrespectful, rather then helpful, I would remain calm, and assertively explain that are several ways of completing the task, but we will be going with option that I choose.”

Give me an example of dealing with a customer complaint?

It often comes down to the supervisor to deal with any customer complaints.

Dealing with customer complaints requires a variety of skills:

  • Communication
  • Listening
  • Assertiveness
  • Confirming
  • Professionalism

The three steps for dealing with a customer complaint are:

  1. Listening
  2. Confirming
  3. Resolving

Start the interview answer, by explaining the reasons a customer would make a compliant and detail the above three steps. Ideally, give an example of completing the customer complaint task.

An example of helping an awkward customer is when I was working at X company as a (job role). A customer was (complaining/being angry/being awkward) because (reason).

“Retail customers may complain about employees, cost increases on stock, or being overcharged. As someone with (number of years) experience in (customer facing role) I have successfully resolved customer complaints.

First, I listened to the complaint without interrupting, as it’s important to let me let the customer share their concerns. I then asked specific questions to understand the situation better without making assumptions and to confirm what the customer had stated.

Finally I ask, what was the best way to resolve their issue and share the options I am able to offer there and then. This helped the customer to relax as they felt they were being listened to and supported, resulting in (positive outcome).

An example of this was when (customer complaint), I then clarified what the customer had said and offered (options), which resulted in (happy customer).”

How would you manage your time working in a busy store?

Quality Save is a fast paced retail environment, where now two days are the same.

A supervisor, therefore, must be able to manage their workload, prioritising tasks depending on individual circumstances.

The time management question is really asking – how do you prioritise your workload?

Each week, in the supermarket, there will be regular daily tasks; planning staff cover, stock taking, stock rotation, staff meetings. Plus additional ad-hoc duties that randomly pop up depending on workload and the time of year, with Christmas, as an example, being one of the busiest periods.

When answering the interview question: how do you manage your time (or workload). Split the interview answers into two sections – regular tasks and ad-hoc duties.

“As a supervisor, I know that each day will be different. But embedded into each day will be business-as-usual tasks; staff management, stock inventory, assisting the store manager with stock projections.

For these duties, I prioritise each task depending on the level of urgency and importance. As all these tasks happen weekly, I can easily split each task over a period of a week.

In addition, throughout my working week, new urgent tasks can appear such as several staff being of work at the same time, or an increase in customers during the Christmas period. When new ad-hoc tasks present themselves, which are urgent, I will delegate some of the regular duties to other staff while I prioritise the new job which often has a short deadline.”

Evolve the mind book on Amazon

Do you have any questions for me?

Each hiring manager during all job interviews will ask each interviewee if they have any questions for the employer.

Knowing that the final ‘ask me’ question will be asked, a set of questions needs to be prepared.

  • Can you talk me through the training that you offer at Quality Save?
  • What are the busiest times of the year?
  • How do you compete with other supermarkets?
  • Why do you like working for Quality Save?
  • What is the average duration of staff member working for Quality Save?

This site uses the ‘LMI for All’ online data portal to access official government ‘big data’ sources. This powers the labour market data provided on this site.

Posted on

Teacher Job Interview Questions

The number of applications for teacher positions is on the increase with the rate of applications up by 91% compared with 2019.

There are a range of teaching roles, including:

  • Primary school teacher
  • High school teacher
  • Teaching in further education
  • Teaching in higher education
  • Special schools for children with disabilities and special needs
  • Pupil referral units for pupils who have been excluded from mainstream school
  • Education in prison’s
  • Supply teacher
  • Teaching assistant

In the main, most schools recruit applicant with a QTS – qualified teacher status

Source: train to be a teacher

How competitive is a teacher job interview?

medium level job interview

The medium rating of competitiveness was given due to the scope of schools recruiting teachers, as we as the long interview process.

As an example, applying for a teaching job in a rural area compared to a large city center increases or decreases the number of applications.

Also, the teaching subject makes a big difference to the number of applicants, with schools often struggling to recruit STEM teachers.

And location, applying in the North or South of England drastically changes the number of advertised teaching positions.

Source: reddit

The type of school; primary, high-school, college or higher education also effects the number of applications with primary schools having a high number of applications.

In a recent Guardian post, they said: “Figures released by Ucas, the university admissions network, showed more than 21,000 graduates had applied to teacher training programmes since the start of the coronavirus lockdown, a rise of 65% on the last five years.”

Interview Specifics:

interview duration 45 minutes. Average number of questions 8. Type of job interview: structured.

A teacher interview, as discussed above, is part of a larger recruitment process which can consist of:

  • An interview with school pupils to see how well an applicant can communicate and build rapport with the pupils
  • Assessment centre for psychometric test and/or literacy and numeracy assessment
  • Group exercise with other job applicants
  • The marking of pupils work
  • Delivery of an assembly, presentation and/or class

The teaching job interview is often a whole day recruitment event ending, with a structured job interview where candidates are asked job interview questions relating to the day-to-day tasks of a teacher.

Can you demonstrate the relevant knowledge and experience to pass a teacher job interview?

  • Prepare, plan and deliver engaging lessons to pupils of different ages and abilities
  • Mark pupil work and maintain records of pupils’ progress
  • Embed a range of learning resources into lessons to increase pupil engagement
  • Prepare pupils for examinations
  • Manage pupil classroom behaviour
  • Meet with parents and carers to discuss pupils’ progress
  • Collaborate with learning mentors, careers advisers and educational psychologists and social workers

Check the average pay for a teacher job role.

Below is a list of commonly asked job interview questions for a teacher role.

Each summary comes with an explanation of the interview question and an example interview answer.

It is important to tweak each interview answer template, making it relevant to the interviewee’s own skills, qualities, experience, and knowledge.

An interviewer’s perception of a job applicant, their interview identity, is made up of the interviewee’s perceived level of knowledge/experience vs their level of confidence during the recruitment process.

The first stage, when preparing for a job interview, is to recognize your own ‘interview identity’.

Job Interview Questions and Answers for a Teacher

Prior to the job interview, the panel of interviewers (often 3 staff members, including a direct line manager) will make small talk to help relax the interviewee.

The hiring manager will start the interview by explaining the process of the structured job interview.

Including, the number of questions that will be asked, who on the interview panel will ask which questions, and how the applicant can ask for a question to be repeated.

They will go to explain the post-interview details; when each candidate will be told if they have been successful or not.

The job applicant, who prior to the recruitment day has made ample preparation, is expected to answer the questions by showcasing how they meet the job criteria.

There are a number of job interview questions for teachers. In this article, you will be given an explanation of how to answer the most commonly asked teacher questions.

Tell me about your teaching experience?

The ‘experience’ interview question is asked at 9 out of every 10 teacher job interviews.

For trainee teacher roles the question may be phrased as: “why do you want to be a teacher?” and some schools ask: “why did you apply for a teaching role at this school?”

To start the job interview on the right footing, the answer to the opening question must create a strong job interview identity.

A positive interview identity comes from highlighting a high level of teaching skills and experience through confidently delivered interview answers.

Here the employer is interested to hear:

  • Number of years in the teaching sector
  • Any specific roles/leads IE led on GATSBY benchmarks, head of yr10, career advisor
  • All teaching qualifications and relevant CPD
  • Pupil groups worked with (SEND, primary/high, yr 7,8,9 etc, young carers, FE/HE)
  • Teaching skills and qualities
  • Any standout achievements

In short, the openness of the first job interview question gives the applicant to state any selling points they deem as important.

The three rules of a successful job interview explain the importance of:

  1. Understanding the job criteria – the teaching duties and culture of the school
  2. Self-promoting any key achievements, teaching style and personal skills
  3. Confidently communicating competencies

“I am a passionate teacher with over X number of years teaching (add various age ranges/pupil cohorts)…

…In my last role I was (add selling point IE head of year 11, SEND coordinator, etc where I was responsible for (list 3-5 duties)…

…my X number of years experience as a teacher I have consistently been able to (add unique selling point) which was achieved by my ability to (add actions), an example of this was (give short example)…”

…My qualifications include (list qualifications)”

What is your knowledge of school data systems?

The following ITC skills are commonly required by teachers:

  • SIMs or other school databases
  • Whiteboard technology and teaching apps
  • Microsoft Office
  • Spreadsheets
  • Email communication
  • Data visualization

The ITC question is asked for two reasons, to confirm the interviewee has a basic understanding of ITC systems, including emails, excel, word documents. And, more importantly, any teacher-related ITC systems.

Schools are becoming more reliant on teaching technology, requiring teachers to be skilled in a variety of ITC.

To answer the technology question, start generic and become more specific, highlighting awareness of the applicant’s level of industry ITC systems and products.

“I am very skilled in a range of ITC skills, including the basics, excel, word, publisher. In fact, my level of (IT system) is above average – I am able to (explain school-related technology such as a teaching app)…

…Because I have worked in the sector for X number of years, I am fully conversed with (school database system) where I (add actions…

….I have experience of (add ITC system) that I use for (relate this to the classroom)”

Give an example of dealing with a disruptive pupil?

Having a range of techniques for dealing with a variety of difficult situations is a must for a teacher – as every day is different.

The ‘disruptive’ pupil question is commonly asked in teaching job interviews. The hiring manager is looking for the applicant to highlight their classroom management techniques.

In an article on handling brazen behavior, Michael Linsin, talks about the need to:

  • Be calm
  • Be Patient
  • Be stealthy
  • Be thorough

When answering the interview question, it is important to set the context allowing the employer to understand and visualise the past situation.

The key to receiving a high-scoring interview answer is to state the steps taken and the outcome from the stated actions.

Start the answer by listing the types of disruptions you have handled throughout your career:

“As an experienced teacher I have dealt with various descriptions from pupils shouting out in class to other pupils refusing to complete a task. From (add disruption to add second disruption)…

Explain why context is important:

“…It is important not to just jump in and discipline a pupil as this could easily escalate the situation. For example, a pupil may be angry because of a recent home incident which requires a different approach from when a pupil is disruptive on a regular basis..”

Next, give a real-life example:

“One example that comes to mind is when I was working as a teacher at (school name). I was teaching (subject) and set (task) when a pupil (disruptive behavior) which resulted in (escalation). Initially I (first action to control disruption), but this didn’t have enough effect. Instead, I (second action) which resulted in (positive outcome)…”

End, with a summary:

“…To summarise, I have much experience supporting disruptive pupils and with classroom management. When there is a disruption I will first think about the pupil and the potential reason for the negative behavior. I then use various techniques such as (A, B, and C) which has a (positive effect)”

Tell me about a time when a child or young person behaved in a way that caused you concern. How did you deal with that?

In an article on Headteachers-update they explain the principles of the NICE approach:

  • Take a child-centred approach to all work with children and involve them in decision-making to the fullest extent possible according to age.
  • Use a range of methods for communicating with children, e.g. drawing, books, activities where appropriate.
  • Explain confidentiality and when you might need to share specific information and with whom.
  • Always do what you say you are going to do and if circumstances change and this is no longer possible, explain why as soon as you can.

Safeguarding questions come in all teacher job interviews, often frame as above: “Tell me about a time when a child or young person behaved in a way that caused you concern.?”

The answer to the question can be split into two sections. The first is a general overview of your knowledge of safeguarding and second, an example of reacting to a pupil’s behavior.

“As a teacher safeguarding is paramount. A common sign of concern is a change in a pupil’s behavior. A pupil who in the main is calm and then randomly turns angry requires investigation. If for example, I discipline the pupil I might miss the reason for the change of behavior…

…I always keep an eye for indicators of abuse, which include:

  • Indiscriminate contact or affection-seeking.
  • Being over-friendly to strangers.
  • Excessive clinginess and persistently seeking attention.
  • Habitual body rocking.
  • Being withdrawn and reluctant to communicate.

…An example of this is when I was teaching at (institute) One pupil that I knew well came to school (with a sign of abuse or neglect). Instead of (potentially escalating action) I decide to (action). I also (positive action taken which could include referrals, parent meetings, additional support). This resulted in (short term outcome and long term outcome).”

Give an example of getting all pupils involved in a lesson?

Pupil participation, not only creates a more enjoyable lesson for the pupils and teacher but also helps individuals pupils understand the lesson.

There are numerous ways to engage pupils from the ‘jigsaw’ technique – allow a student to learn a specific topic before teaching other students, to allowing the pupils themselves to choose a learning style, as discussed on a recent article on Kaplanco.

When answering the ‘involvement’ interview question, is is important, before giving an example, to highlight a working knowledge of engagement techniques.

“Research shows the importance of getting pupils engaged in lessons, from pupils measuring their own distance travelled in the classroom to putting students in charge of the lesson….

…An example of this was when I was working at (school) I was teaching (lesson) to a group of (pupils) and the lesson wasn’t going well (give brief description). To improve the session I wanted to increase pupil engagement. To get the pupils involved I (add steps)…

…This first helped (add positive engagement outcome) but more importantly this achieved (positive outcome)…..

…When planning lessons I always look at different ways to get the pupils engaged in the classroom, as this increases (benefit).”

What are your core strengths in terms of teaching?

Each teacher can bring a new strength to the classroom.

Brightnetwork list the 10 teaching skills as:

  1. Communication
  2. Patience
  3. Creativity
  4. Enthusiasm
  5. Confidence
  6. Dedication
  7. Conflict Resolution
  8. Organisation
  9. Leadership
  10. Adaptability

Interview questions that ask about strengths skills or teaching styles give the job applicant a chance to create a powerful self-promoting answer.

Start the interview answer with ‘confident statement’: “I am a highly skilled teacher who always (unique selling point)…

…the reason I have X number of years of successfully (unique selling point) is my ability to do (action)…

…My core strengths include (A, B and C) which I use when (school related problem)…

Make the answer more specific: “…An example of this was when (faced a problem) I (took action) which resulted in (positive outcome).”

Give an example of being GDPR compliant?

GDPR is a fairly new regulation that has a large impact how schools hold and share pupil data.

If GDPR is unknow to a job applicant, the teacher must familiarize themselves with the GDPR regulations in preparation for the job interview.

Many schools will list their GDPR and data protection policy on the school website.

In the job interview, the interviewee can cover 3 points to help create a high-scoring answer:

  1. GDPR Training
  2. Daily actions taken not to breach GDPR
  3. Any additional knowledge

“In all my previous teaching roles I have had handle sensitive pupil data…

…I have undertaken a range of GDPR and data protection training, which include (name training courses)

As a teacher I follow GDPR regulations by ensuring that all personal data is kept in lockable cabinets including pupil data, medical forms and sensitive information. When using IT systems I always create unique passwords, and lock my computer when I’m away from my desk.

Because we work in education, we deal with (sector-related sensitive data) I am also aware of the need to (add actions relating to the sectors sensitive data)”

Evolve the mind book on Amazon

How would you prepare for an OFSTED inspection?

All schools are asking the ‘OFSTED’ question.

Understanding this allows the job applicant to research and prepare their job interview answer.

The interview answer can start by highlight prior research: “I saw that in your last OFSTED inspection you received a (grading)…”

Before, moving to explaining previous OFSTED inspection experience: “…I myself have had to prepare for X number of OFSTED inspections. while at X school I was reasonable for (OFSTED role/reasonability)…

End the interview answer by giving specifics: “..When preparing for an OFSTED inspection I (actions – these can include proactive actions before the OFTED visit notification and re-active actions once an inspection has been announced). These actions has previously resulted in (positive outcome)”

Do you have any questions for the interview panel?

Each hiring manager during all job interviews will ask each interviewee if they have any questions for the employer.

Knowing that the final ‘ask me’ question will be asked, a set of questions needs to be prepared.

  • How does the school support vulnerable pupils?
  • What is the schools strategy for maintaining a good OFSTED outcome?
  • What have been the progression and NEET rates for the past 3 years
  • What makes you want to work at this school?
  • How would you describe the schools culture?
  • What CPD is on offer for new teachers?

This site uses the ‘LMI for All’ online data portal to access official government ‘big data’ sources. This powers the labour market data provided on this site.

Posted on

Receptionist Job Interview Questions

50% of all advertised receptionist job positions are part time roles?

This is due to the large scale of reception jobs. With positions being able in a number of job sectors, from education to construction, from finance to the health sector.

Receptionist jobs are advertised throughout the world, with various salaries and responsibilities, depending on the job sector the receptionist role is being advertised in.

How competitive is a receptionist job interview?

Interview Specifics:

Can you demonstrate the relevant knowledge and experience to pass a receptionist job interview?

  • How to greet visits in a professional manner
  • Data inputting, using a variety of IT skills
  • The process for allocating security passes
  • Answer enquiries in person, by phone and email
  • Experience of booking systems
  • Administrational skills and experience
  • Knowledge of GDPR

Check the average pay for a receptionist job role.

Below is a list of commonly asked job interview questions for a receptionist role.

Each summary comes with an explanation of the interview question and an example interview answer.

It is important to tweak each interview answer template, making it relevant to the interviewee’s own skills, qualities, experience, and knowledge.

An interviewer’s perception of a job applicant, their interview identity, is made up of the interviewee’s perceived level of knowledge/experience vs their level of confidence during the recruitment process.

The first stage, when preparing for a job interview, is to recognize your own ‘interview identity’.

Job Interview Questions and Answers for a Receptionist

Prior to the official job interview, the panel of interviewers (often 3 staff members, including a direct line manager) will make small talk to help relax the interviewee.

The hiring manager will start the interview by explaining the process of the structured job interview.

Including, the number of questions that will be asked, who on the interview panel will ask which questions, and how the applicant can ask for a question to be repeated.

They will go to explain the post-interview details; when each candidate will be told if they have been successful or not.

The job applicant, who prior to the recruitment day has made ample preparation, is expected to answer the questions by showcasing how they meet the job criteria.

Tell me about your experience working as a receptionist, and what you can bring to the team?

The opening question for a receptionist interview is always an open-style interview question.

The question may be framed slightly differently:

  • “What is your understanding of a receptionist duties?”
  • “Why did you apply for a receptionist job role within our company?”
  • “How does your work experience apply to this position?”

All opening questions, compared to the forthcoming more specific interview questions, allow an applicant to choose how the answer the question.

This ‘choice’ can result in a clever interviewee focusing their answer on their own unique selling point, what they can bring to the team and how they fulfill the job criteria.

It is important, therefore, to be aware of the three rules for a successful job interview.

In short, the initial question is designed for the employer to gain a general overview of the applicants suitable for the receptionist job role.

Start the interview answer with a standout point that will create interest:

  • A long duration in the industry, as time served is associated with talent: “I have worked as a receptionist for over 12 years…”
  • A required but rare skill to create interest: “One of my key skills is my ability to (add rare skill)….”
  • A reference to the industry the receptionist job role is in, which highlights sector knowledge and understanding: “Throughout my career I have always worked in (sector), throughput this time I gained the knowledge to (industry related receptionist task)…”

Next, be more generic list other receptionist duties, being detailed on any duties that the applicant is highly skilled in:

“I have a wide range of experience working as a receptionist and in administrational roles which include: diary management, making appointments over the phone, data inputting, customer service, and in my last role I led on (highly skilled task) where I (add detail)…”

End the interview answer, with a short summary:

“To summarize, I have X number of years and experience and my skill includes A, B, and C.”

What is your knowledge of ITC systems?

In an article on Indeed, they state the following ITC skills are commonly required:

  • Analytics
  • Social media
  • Graphic design
  • Microsoft Office
  • Spreadsheets
  • Email communication
  • Marketing automation
  • Data visualization

For certain sectors a particular database may be commonly used, requiring the job applicant to not only be aware of the database but to reference the specific database tasks during the interview answer.

An example is the use of ‘Sims’ in schools or ‘autocad’ in civil engineering.

The ITC question is asked for two reasons, to confirm the interviewee has a basic understanding of ITC systems, including emails, excel, word documents. And, more importantly, any specific sector-related ITC systems.

To answer the technology question, start generic and become more specific, highlighting awareness of the applicant’s level of industry ITC systems and products.

“I am very skilled in a range of ITC skills, including the basics, excel, word, publisher. In fact, my level of (IT system) is above average – I am able to (add specifics details). Because I have worked in the sector for X number of years, I am fully conversed with (sector-related ITC system). I have experience of (add ITC system duties).

An example of this, was when I worked at X organization. We were tasked to X. Because of my knowledge of (ITC system) I personally (action taken) which resulted in (outcome).”

What would you do if the computer system failed?

Most offices are becoming paperless, with digital documents replacing paper, and storage cupboards becoming obsolete as businesses move to storing information in the cloud.

The risk, therefore, is system failure.

Employers need receptionist staff to be able to pro-actively respond to difficult ITC situations.

ITC system failure questions may be more specific depending on the sector the advertised receptionist job role is in:

  • “How would you gain customer information if the database crashes?”
  • “How do you recover lost documents in Word?”
  • “How do you backup databases to prevent loss of information encase of a hack?”

The best way to answer the specific ITC question is via a real-life example. Stating a past experience highlights the skills the applicant possesses to deal with the stated problem.

“This has actually happened to me. While working at X organization, I arrived early one day in the office to find that (ITC failure). The timing was terrible, as the company had (a deadline, audit, inspection, customer/client meeting, etc).

My manager was stressed and nobody had any idea what to do.

Because of MY excellent ITC skills, I was able to (add actions taken).”

Give me an example of dealing with an awkward customer?

A key task for a receptionist is taking a customer or client’s phone calls, responding to emails, signing for office deliveries, making/confirming appointments, communicating face to face, and screening external stakeholders who are requesting meetings with senior staff members.

This task requires various skills:

  • Communication
  • Listening
  • Assertiveness
  • Confirming
  • Professionalism

Customers become ‘awkward’ or frustrated due to many reasons:

  • Feeling unwell – this especially important to understand in NHS receptionist roles
  • Having previously trained to get through to a certain person time and time again
  • Time constrictions – commonly happens with delivery drivers
  • A customer with a complaint/unhappy customer
  • Stressed/anxious/annoyed

Start the interview answer, by explaining the reasons a customer or client would be awkward or annoyed (relating to common industry problems).

Follow the opening statement by giving an example of what you would do if a future customer was being awkward.

“In our industry customers can become awkward when X, Y, and Z happen.

In this situation, the best course of action is to remain professional, polite, and to listen to any complaint. It is also important to understand the customer’s point of view and to find common ground. This is because an annoyed customer may leave bad reviews online which could affect the image of the company.

An example of helping an awkward customer is when I was working at X company as a (job role). A customer was (complaining/being angry/being awkward) because (reason).

First, I listened to the complaint without interrupting, as it’s important to let me let the anger out. I then asked specific questions to understand the situation without making assumptions.

I then asked what was the best way to resolve this and shared the options I was able to do there and then. This helped the customer to relax as they felt they were being listened to and supported, resulting in (positive outcome).”

What information would you take from a client who is looking to book an appointment?

Accuracy is key for a receptionist job role.

The specific interview question around what information to take from a client appointment booking could easily be asked for a number of receptionist job duties:

  • “How would you confirm a meeting request?”
  • “In what way would you ensure the accuracy of a data inputting task?”
  • “When speaking to a customer on the telephone what information do you need to take?”

A receptionist is often the first point of call, an information receiver, and giver, and often for many businesses the gatekeeper – deciding which persons get put through to senior staff members, and which don’t.

It is the information gained that allows the receptionist to the decision of who speaks to who. The wrong decision can result in either, an annoyed senior staff member due to having their time wasted or an outraged stakeholder for not being let through the ‘gate’.

To answer the ‘information’ interview question, state the required steps, specifying what information is needed:

“I am highly experienced in booking client appointments. When a client telephones for an appointment I first check who the client is; their name, DOB, and address. Requesting the DOB and address is a check to ensure that the person calling is the client and not a fraud caller.

Next, I check the reasons for the appointment. And the availability of the department. Once a date and time have been agreed, I would send a reminder to each of the appointment attendees via email.

This strategy ensures the accuracy of the appointment and reduces any errors.”

How would you arrange your working day?

Receptionists either work within a small team of receptionists (commonly seen in the healthcare service) or on their own initiative (receptionist in a small office).

Either way, the receptionist has to manage their own workload.

The time management question is really asking – how do you prioritise your workload?

For each receptionist, there will be a list of regular daily and/or weekly tasks, plus additional ad-hoc duties that randomly pop up depending on workload.

When answering the interview question: how do you arrange your day (or workload). Split the interview answers into two sections – regular tasks and ad-hoc duties.

“Each day is different. Generally speaking, I will have a set of regular tasks; checking emails, confirming appointments, updating finance information, taking phone call,s and completing a range of administrational tasks.

For these duties, I prioritise each task depending on the level of urgency and importance. As all these tasks happen weekly, I can easily split each task over a period of a week.

In addition, throughout my working week, new urgent tasks will land on my desk. This could include the month-end finance report that needs double-checking, or an influence of customers due to a new promotion.

When new ad-hoc tasks present themselves, which are urgent, I will delegate some of the regular duties to other staff while I prioritise the new job which often has a short deadline.”

Give an example of being GDPR compliant?

GDPR is a fairly new regulation that has a large impact on the responabilities of receptionists.

Therefore, it is important for receptionists to familiarize themselves with the GDPR regulations in preparation for a job interview.

Most employers will deliver GDPR and data protection training for all new recruits. For the job interview, hiring managers want to ensure that the successful interviewee has enough awareness to not breach the GDPR regulations.

In the interview answer cover the following 3 points:

  1. GDPR Training
  2. Daily actions taken not to breach GDPR
  3. Any additional knowledge

“Due to my previous roles requiring me to handle sensitive personal data I have undertaken a range of GDPR and data protection training.

I am fully versed in (add GDPR regulation related to the sector you are in)

On a daily basis, I follow GDPR by ensuring that all personal data is kept in lockable cabinets, using unique passwords on the various IT systems, and locking my computer when I’m away from my desk.

Because in our (sector) we deal with (sector-related sensitive data) I am also aware of the need to (add actions relating to the sectors sensitive data)”

Evolve the mind book on Amazon

Do you have any questions for me?

Each hiring manager during all job interviews will ask each interviewee if they have any questions for the employer.

Knowing that the final ‘ask me’ question will be asked, a set of questions needs to be prepared.

  • How many staff members work in the reception area?
  • What percentage of the job is customer facing?
  • What does an average do look like?
  • Why do you like working for X company?
  • What CPD is on offer for new staff members?

This site uses the ‘LMI for All’ online data portal to access official government ‘big data’ sources. This powers the labour market data provided on this site.