They want you to tell them (in your own words) a bit more about your background, work experience, attitude and ambitions. Make your answer brief and to the point. Do not talk about your hobbies, personal likes or dislikes. Finish the answer by focusing on your Unique Selling Proposition, do this by mentioning what you are good at etc.
★ I have been told that I am honest, reliable and ethical.
★ Your sense of urgency, if you know that a task is important, then you will work hard to get it done on time.
★ You are a fast learner.
★ Ability to communicate with people.
★ Flexible enough to handle changing environments.
★ Able to cope with setback and learn from my mistakes.
★ Occasionally I have been told that I take longer than other colleagues to complete complicated projects or tasks. But this is only because I want to make sure the work I do is to the highest standards.
★ My MS PowerPoint skills are weak, so I have enrolled on a evening course to improve them.
★ I am sometimes accused of being over friendly.
4. Tell me why you leave your last job?
★ There was no real room for growing my career.
★ The position you are advertising seems like a excellent match for my knowledge, abilities and qualifications.
★ I am keen to use my skill sets and abilities in a different capacity than I have in the past.
★ I am looking for a job that has more responsibility.
★ The reason for leaving my last job was that I wanted to spend more time with my family. I am now ready to go back into full time employment.
5. Why do you want to work for this company?
★ There are only a limited number of opportunities for advancement with my current employer. Which is why I'm keen on working for a larger corporation like yours where I believe there are more possibilities to show what I'm capable of.
★ I'd like to work for a company where I feel I can make a real difference.
★ A common way to reply to this is to research the company before hand, find something unique about them and then give that as your answer. For instance they may have opened up a new store or launched a new product.
★ Give examples of positive things you have heard about them and say you want to be associated with a reputable brand.
★ You believe their work environment is more fun, energetic and rewarding.
6. Tell me what do your work colleagues think of you?
Be positive but do not go over the top. For instance comment on how associates have in the past remarked on your friendly attitude, thoroughness and ability to get things done on time.
7. Tell me what have your achievements been to date?
Give a solution that is related to work and if possible the job you are applying for. Demonstrate something that shows how you saved a previous employer money, made them more efficient or increased revenue.
8. What problem that you have solved?
This can be a tricky question to answer, especially if you have never held a supervisory/managerial position or had any form of responsibility. In your replies you need to display resourcefulness, an ability to solve problems, your decision making skills and be able to clearly explain the approach you used. No matter how little work experience you have you should always be able to lead and come up with creative solutions. Describe situations where you came up with an idea that increased efficiency in your office or cut costs after you discovered a cheaper supplier etc.
9. Tell me where do you see yourself in say five year's time?
That really depends on how well I perform in my job and also what career opportunities come my way. However the bottom line is that I want to have improved my skill sets and be making a ongoing contribution to any organization that i happen to be working for.
10. Tell me what is the biggest mistake that you have ever made?
There is no danger in admitting to making a mistake. However to correctly answer this type of query there are certain guidelines that you should follow. Firstly always mention that you identified where you went wrong and have learnt from the experience. Secondly try to give a example of something that happened as far back in your past as possible. This way you can shrug it off as a youthful error and something you would not fall for now that you are more mature and experienced.
11. How to cope with a difficult colleague?
This really depends on what my co-worker is doing, the severity of their actions and the specific problems or disruption that they may be causing. Having said that no matter what the situation is, I would always remain in control of any situation and concentrate on my work. I would not take any arguments or heated discussions personally or hold grudges against work colleagues.
12. Tell me what do you like about your present job?
★ It provides me with constant new challenges to test my abilities.
★ Communicating and meeting with new people.
★ Able to use your initiative.
★ Working as part of a team.
13. Tell me what you dislike about your present job?
★ Sometimes it is difficult for me to get a sense of my own achievement in a big company like my present employer.
★ There are very few opportunities for advancement with my present employer who are a small company.
14. Tell me what you do outside of work?
★ Travelling.
★ Foreign languages.
★ Football.
★ Winning any competitions i.e. chess, karate.
★ Running marathons.
★ A member of any societies or charities.
15. Tell me about your current salary?
★ My present employer pays me well outside of the norm, however I would not like to limit my job prospects by using that salary as a comparison.
★ As a highly valued member of the company, I am paid on the very high end of current market rates.
16. Tell me what do you enjoy about the industry you are in?
★ I can't really give you a accurate answer because at this time I don't know the scope of the job, it's responsibilities, hours, etc.
★ The job I perform, the salary I receive and the circumstances at my current company are not really comparable to the opportunity we are discussing today. However when I consider my skill sets, academic qualifications and work experience, I am confident that a salary between 25,000 - 33,000 would be appropriate.
17. Tell me what candidate not to do in a interview?
★ Tell jokes or try to be funny.
★ Become flustered and nervous.
★ Do not become shy, highlight relevant skills and abilities.
★ Chew gum.
18. Tell me what motivates you to do a good job?
The answer to this one is not money, even if it is. You should be motivated by life's noble pursuits. You want recognition for a job well done. You want to become better at your job. You want to help others or be a leader in your field.
19. How you worked under pressure?
Once again, there are a few ways to answer this but they should all be positive. You may work well under pressure, you may thrive under pressure, and you may actually PREFER working under pressure. If you say you crumble like aged blue cheese, this is not going to help you get your foot in the door.
20. Have you also applied somewhere else?
This is a good way to hint that you're in demand, without sounding like you're whoring yourself all over town. So, be honest and mention a few other companies but don't go into detail. The fact that you're seriously looking and keeping your options open is what the interviewer is driving at.
21. Tell me have you done anything further for your experience?
This could include anything from night classes to hobbies and sports. If it's related, it's worth mentioning. Obviously anything to do with further education is great, but maybe you're spending time on a home improvement project to work on skills such as self-sufficiency, time management and motivation.
22. Suppose if your previous co-workers were also here, what would they say about you?
Ok, this is not the time for full disclosure. If some people from your past are going to say you're a boring A-hole, you don't need to bring that up. Stay positive, always, and maybe have a few specific quotes in mind. "They'd say I was a hard worker" or even better "John Doe has always said I was the most reliable, creative problem-solver he'd ever met.
23. Tell me what other post related experience you have?
Hopefully if you're applying for this position you have bags of related experience, and if that's the case you should mention it all. But if you're switching careers or trying something a little different, your experience may initially not look like it's matching up. That's when you need a little honest creativity to match the experiences required with the ones you have. People skills are people skills after all, you just need to show how customer service skills can apply to internal management positions, and so on.
24. Do you have any experience hiring or firing personnel?
Don't hesitate to give examples of firing people, If you do, as long as you explain your decision clearly and confidently. Further, explain you decision process on hiring new employees. Be specific and confident about your past decisions on employee hiring, professional development, and retention.
25. Tell me are you aware of the mental requirements of the post of assistant manager?
Mental requirements might be intensive work load, working under pressure, stress, long hours, long periods of standing up and walking, and performing administrative tasks.
