Job Interview Questions and Answers

Welcome to the BlueSky Interviews site giving you lots of sample interview questions for a whole range of jobs along with expert interview answers. You will learn about the different types of questions you may be asked and you will find articles and advice helping you to excel in any job interview. The site is brought to you by Anson Reed the interview coaching and training specialists and is packed with lots of free information and some great interview skills training products all designed to help you make a powerful impression at any job interview and get the job you want.

A job interview can be daunting even for the most experienced candidates and our extensive selection of articles and advice will help make interviews easy. Not only will you find information about the types of interview questions and how to answer them you will also discover some top Interview Tips along with powerful Interview Techniques from top recruiters.

We also provide interview coaching and online interview training, great services which can really help you get hired faster.

We hope you enjoy using the site and we are sure it will help boost your confidence and ensure you arrive at your interview fully prepared, confident you can win the job offer.

Questions at interview can take one of several forms. There may be open questions that really just invite you to talk so that the interviewer can gain an insight into your attitudes, thought processes, and communication skills. Competency and behavioural questions are now becoming the norm however many interviewers still favour the standard and traditional job interview questions such as "Tell me about yourself" and "Why should we hire you?" etc.

Here are six different types of Interview Questions commonly asked:

1. Competency Based Questions / Behavioural Interview Questions

Very commonly used by interviewers these questions are very specifically targeted at discovering if you have the the skills (competencies) required to undertake the role. They are phrased in such a way so that you have to give and example of a situation where you used that particular skill successfully. These can be phrased as 'Tell me about a time...' or 'Describe a situation where you...'

2. Traditional Interview Questions

These questions are the question you have probably come across most often such as 'What are your strengths?", "What are your weaknesses?" "What will you bring to the role?". They are still very commonly used and you are well advised to spend time creating answers in advance.

3. Technical Interview Questions

This type of question will be very direct in its phrasing. It's aim will be to discover just how proficient you are and can be related to a system, software or knowledge. While these skills are often tested outside of the interview room, many managers may ask one or two of these questions to see how fresh your knowledge is, for example:

• What is your understanding of GAAP Reporting?
• Can you give me a summary of the main points of the Equalities Act?
• What are the advantages of using SQL over MS Access in database development?

4. Open Questions

Open questioning is the most effective format as it encourages the candidate to talk openly. Of course a downside is that you may give away too much information or let slip some mistake or weakness you would prefer to keep to yourself. Questions such as "Tell me about yourself", "Talk me through your career to date." "How would you describe yourself?" are all open questions and while they seem straightforward can be difficult to answer,

5. Hypothetical Questions

These questions test your ability to think on the spot and to formulate an answer under pressure and with speed. For example a question might be, "Imagine you were managing an employee who continuously arrived late to work. How would you deal with the situation?" You would be required to give a correct answer both technically and in a clear format.

6. CV and Resume Interview Questions

Of course you should expect question exploring previous jobs, your experience and your training. In fact any item on your CV or Resume is open for questioning. To prepare we suggest you review your experience in advance, perhaps making bullets points regarding each of your jobs, projects and achievements outlining what you delivered and what you learned.

Preparing for an interview will undoubtedly help your performance on the day by giving you more confidence, and enabling you to be better able to answer questions competently and accurately, and also to present your capabilities to maximum effect. You will not know of course, the precise questions that will be asked, but you can cover the various areas and topics likely to come up.

As a test, here are some very common interview questions; have a look and see how you would answer them.

Questions relating to your new job:

• Why do you want this job?
• Why do you want to work for this company?
• What interests you most about our product or service?
• What qualities do you think are required for the job?
• Since you have not done this type of work before, how can you be sure to cope?
• What do you know about our company/
• Are you ambitious?
• Are you willing to travel?
  Are you prepared to relocate if necessary?
• What level of salary are you looking for?
• Do you have computer skills, and what software are you familiar with?

You may be asked at length about previous employment, especially in relation to your most recent, or present job. You could be asked:

• How well you think you did your job.
• How well you got on with your manager and co-workers.
• What kind of problems did you have to deal with?
• What you most disliked about the job.
• What palpable contribution you made in terms of sales, profits, or reduced costs.
• How similar do you think your last job was to the one you’re applying for now?
• What do you think of the previous company you worked for?
• What were your reasons for leaving?
• Did you progress satisfactorily in your last job?

Competency Based / Behavioural Questions can include:

• Tell me about a time when you used your initiative.
• Describe a time when you communicated with a customer successfully.
• Give me an example of your ability to solve problems.
• Describe a difficult decision you made recently.

General career questions:
You might be invited to give an opinion on general career topics or questions, like:

• Why did you choose a career in …?
• What are your career goals, both short, and long term?
• Do you prefer working in a team or by yourself?
• How long have you been looking for a new job?
• Are you considering any other positions at the moment?
• How often have you been off sick in the last year?
• What do you think your referees would say about you?

In the site we also include interview questions specific to a whole range of different jobs and sectors. From Accounting to Medicine and Nursing right through to Sales we have got content which will help you anticipate what they will ask and we provide help with being able to give strong and successful answers. For example:

Job Interview: Customer Service and Call Centre Job Interview Questions 

Going to an interview for a job in Customer Services or in a Call Centre? Then read this article which tells you what to expect and provides some typical interview questions for you to prepare for.

Sample Job Interview Questions for Administration, Secretarial, Receptionist

A really useful article with great advice for any candidate looking for a job in the Administration and Clerical sector

Sample Job Interview Questions for Project Management Job Interviews 

Going for an interview in Project Management? Then check out this article with some sample interview questions and tips on how to answer them.

Here are some more sample job interview questions for specific jobs:

Interview Questions For Accounting and Finance
Interview Questions For Banking and Investment Banking 
Interview Questions For Engineering and Manufacturing Job
Interview Questions For Human Resources
Interview Questions For Information Technology (IT) and Systems Jobs
Interview Questions For Legal Assistant, Paralegal, Solicitor and Lawyer Jobs
Interview Questions For Sales, Marketing and PR Jobs
Interview Questions For Medical, ST and GP Interviews
Interview Questions For Nursing and Healthcare
Interview Questions For Teaching and Head Teacher Jobs

In the site you will find a whole range of articles for you to enjoy for free. These have been specially created by our team of interview experts and deal with subjects such as how to cope with difficult interview questions, the different types of interview questions you may be asked and how to answer like an expert. Below you will find a small selection or click on an image to view content relating to interviews for specialist jobs.

   

A job interview is all about the questions and answers. It is a communication exercise with a very definite purpose whereby the interviewer is trying to gather the information he needs in order to make an accurate decision. You are playing your part too by providing that information in a concise and clear manner while also selling yourself. It is a fine balance and requires very specific skills. In the site we include a series of articles to help you answer questions easily. Whether you are looking for Competency Answers or help with traditional interview questions then you have come to the right place.

Competency Interview Questions Made Easy
 

A Competency Interview is a technique used by recruiters and employers to determine how well matched a job applicant is to a particular position. The core concept involves each applicant being asked the same questions in order to determine how skilled they are.

Behavioural Interview Questions Explained
 

Have you ever been asked a Behavioural interview question? Perhaps you have but didn't realise. These can be called situational interview questions and can be difficult for many people to answer correctly. The key is to give a strong example using the right structure.

How to Answer Job Interview Questions
 

So why is it so difficult to give a good answer in an interview? For some it is a breeze and yet for others it is a challenge. You know that answering job interview questions is a skill that can be learned by anyone. It really is a matter of anticipating the questions you will be asked and preparing and practicing effective and relevant answers.

Competency Answers - How to Structure
 

Want to be able to create a winning Competency Answer? Read this article which outline two great techniques you can use when bringing structure to your interview answers.

How Good Interview Skills Will Land The Job
 

Nothing lasts forever and especially in the current job market nothing is permanent. If you perhaps have been made redundant you will know how important up to date interview skills are. This article will tell you more about that and how you can develop winning interview skills.

About the Author

Annette Lewis is an accredited interviewer and has recruited for many organisations within Healthcare, Education, Customer Services and Banking. Google+