This is probably the MOST common first question asked. It sets the stage for the whole interview. Be careful. Keep it short. The interviewer doesn't want to hear your whole life story. Mention education, personality traits and interests which are job-relevant.
2. Has anything or anyone irritated you at work?
Obviously things irritate you at work, but try to avoid saying it. Rather say you prefer to focus on the job.
3. How do you deal with pressure/stress?
Try to keep your answer positive. You may love the pressure and the pace of the job. Try to avoid saying you'll crumble. If the job demands stress and you cannot deal with stress, maybe the job is not for you.
4. Where else have you applied for a job as Horticulturist?
This is a good point to hint you're in demand. Try to avoid being too arrogant. Be honest and mention the companies, but try to avoid going into details.
5. What relevant experience do you have as Horticulturist?
If you have lots of relevant* experience mention all of it. If you are changing careers then you need to think creatively, but honestly, how your experience could benefit the company.
6. Why should I hire you as Horticulturist?
'Because I'm great!' or 'I really need a job' are not the answers the interviewer is looking for. This is a good time to give the interviewer a list of all your relevant, positive attributes: for example: your education, work experience, personality traits, etc that would make you the ideal candidate for the job. Try to avoid any negative feedback.
7. Why are you applying for this job?
Be careful, this question could trip you up. Try to avoid mentioning money at this point. Even if you have been retrenched or are struggling - try to remain positive at all times. Try to avoid sounding desperate. If you were fired, you need to think about your answer and have a good explanation. Give this some thought before the interview and really think about the reasons for wanting the job. A good reason could be that the position will allow you to grow and get experience.
8. What's your greatest strength as Horticulturist?
This is your time to shine! It's the one time you can let the interviewer know why you're perfect for the job. Remain positive at all times. For example: you're a good motivator or … a team player … or you're dedicated and reliable … or you thrive under pressure, etc.
9. Have you had any issues with your previous boss?
This is a test! Be careful. Avoid falling for this one. The interviewer is testing to see if you would speak badly about your previous boss or company.
10. What motivates you to do a good job as Horticulturist?
Money is NOT the answer! Try to avoid saying this even if it's true. You may want to consider that getting recognition for a job well done is what motivates you.
11. Are you prepared to put the company before your own interests?
Answering YES or NO could be dangerous. If you say YES, it means you don't respect yourself and your family and if you say NO, it might mean you're not dedicated to the company. Be careful how you answer this question. Finding a balance between the two is important.
12. Would you rather work for money or job satisfaction, be feared or liked?
It's fine to say money is important, but remember that NOTHING is more important to you than the job. It really is an unfair question but sometimes it's asked.
'Feared or Liked?' - Believe it or not, this question is often asked. The clever answer is: neither, I'd rather be respected. Fear does not motivate people - being liked, may not get the job done because others are taking advantage of you.
13. Has a suggestion of yours ever been implemented (used)? If so, describe it?
Understand the word 'implemented'. This means your idea was put into action. If you have many ideas and they only live in your head, they are no use to anyone. Try thinking of an idea of yours that has a positive ending. Keep your story short and sweet.
14. What's your biggest weakness as Horticulturist?
If you say you haven't got one - you're lying. We all have weaknesses. This is a horrible question but one that needs asking. If you get asked this question, think of a small work-related weakness … then say you're trying to work on improving it.
15. Why should the we hire you as Horticulturist?
This is the part where you link your skills, experience, education and your personality to the job itself. This is why you need to be utterly familiar with the job description as well as the company culture. Remember though, it's best to back them up with actual examples of say, how you are a good team player.
It is possible that you may not have as much skills, experience or qualifications as the other candidates. What then, will set you apart from the rest? Energy and passion might. People are attracted to someone who is charismatic, who show immense amount of energy when they talk, and who love what it is that they do. As you explain your compatibility with the job and company, be sure to portray yourself as that motivated, confident and energetic person, ever-ready to commit to the cause of the company.
16. Do you have any questions for me regarding our work or company?
This is probably the most common final question in an interview. While doing research on the company - some questions may come to mind. Write them down. Having questions prepared shows the interviewer that you're interested and motivated.
17. What are you expecting to earn?
This is a difficult question to answer. Try to avoid saying a number right away. In the work place - you want as much as possible and the company wants to pay as little as possible. So you need to be careful how you approach this question.
You may want to research the market place to find out what the average pay is for this kind of job.
You may say that, with your background and experience you are worth between R? and R? per month. Or, you could just say that you're more interested in what this position could do for your career.
18. What do you know about this company and why do you want to work here?
Do some homework and research the company. Find out all kinds of facts. For example: Has the company been in the news lately? If yes, make sure it's a positive news story or don't bring it up.
Once you have researched the company you can then work out how your own goals and career plans would benefit from this position. Think before answering.
19. What experience do you have in this agricultural field?
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.
► Try to include improvement activities that relate to the job. A wide variety of activities can be mentioned as positive self-improvement. Have some good ones handy to mention.
► Employers look for applicants who are goal-oriented. Show a desire for continuous learning by listing hobbies non-work related. Regardless of what hobbies you choose to showcase, remember that the goal is to prove self-sufficiency, time management, and motivation.
► Everyone should learn from his mistake. I always try to consult my mistakes with my kith and kin especially with elderly and experienced person.
► I enrolled myself into a course useful for the next version of our current project. I attended seminars on personal development and managerial skills improvement.
21. Have you done anything to further your experience as Horticulturist?
If it's relevant - it's worth mentioning. This could include night classes, hobbies or volunteering positions, etc. If you have gained any experience through these fields - it's experience!
22. Have you ever had a conflict with boss or professor? How was it resolved?
Note that if you say no, most interviewers will keep drilling deeper to find a conflict. The key is how you behaviourally reacted to conflict and what you did to resolve it.
For example: "Yes, I have had conflicts in the past. Never major ones, but there have been disagreements that needed to be resolved. I've found that when conflict occurs, it helps to fully understand the other person's perspective, so I take time to listen to their point of view, and then I seek to work out a collaborative solution. For example . . ."
Focus your answer on the behavioural process for resolving the conflict and working collaboratively.
23. Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
This is a common and tricky question to answer. No-one can really predict the future. Think carefully before answering - it could either show you're focused, ambitious and a hard worker or it could imply that you're directionless or unmotivated if you answer: I don't know.
Most companies are looking for employees who will stay and grow with the company. An answer that reflects this is advantageous.
Think about the job and how the experience and/or training will help your career. Will it help you move forward and upward? Do you have goals you're working towards? Are you willing to learn?
24. Are you a team player and what would co-workers say about you?
If you're a team player and you're applying for a job in a large company/organisation - then the answer will always be YES! You cannot survive otherwise. You may also let the interviewer know what kind of role you'd like to play in a team, for example: team leader, organiser, or follower. However, if you're not a team player, maybe the job is not suited to you.
If you've had negative personal relationships with fellow co-workers try avoid mentioning them. Try thinking of positives comments some of your co-workers would say.
25. General Horticulturist interview questions:
► Describe a difficult problem you have had to deal with.
► What do you feel were the most significant things you got out of going there?
► Why did you choose your major?
► What civic organizations do you belong to?
► Give me an example of a decision you made that benefited your company.
► What do you really want to do in life?
► What other positions have you had that qualify you for this position?
26. Behavioral based Horticulturist Interview Questions:
1. Let's say you put a plant in the wrong place and the symmetry of your design will be slightly off. Your supervisor urgently needs you to move on to the next job, what would you do?
2. What was the toughest situation you have had designing a project?
3. Describe a time when you had a design that did not turn out to your original plan and what steps you took to resolve the situation.
4. What was your most successful design project and describe why you believe it was successful?
5. How do you decide what should be priority work when you look at your daily schedule?
6. Describe a situation you faced in your last position which illustrates your problem solving skills. What steps did you take to solve the problem?
7. What is the most creative work project you took on and where did your satisfaction come from when you completed it?
8. Describe a situation when others you worked with on a job disagreed with your ideas on how to handle the problem. What did you do?
9. Give an example of a time you had to do something beyond the call of duty to get the job done?
10. Describe how you would handle a situation where you were required to finish multiple tasks by the end of the day and there was no conceivable way that you could finish them.
27. Strengths and Weaknesses based Horticulture interview questions:
► Your greatest weakness in school or at work?
► Tell me about your strengths.
► Tell us about the last time you had to negotiate with someone.
► Would you rather write a report or give it verbally?
► What would be your ideal working environment?
28. Phone Based Horticulturist interview questions:
► Describe a few emergencies that caused you to miss or reschedule work?
► What is the most creative work-related project you've been involved in?
► What are the major influences that encourage you to take a job?
► What are your outstanding qualities?
► Which is more important to you, the money or the type of job?
► Are you proactive?
► What was your biggest failure?
29. Situational Horticulture interview questions:
► What do you think, would you be willing to travel for work?
► What attracted you to this company?
► What have you been doing since your last job?
► What parts of your education do you see as relevant to this position?
► What is the difference between a good position and an excellent one?
30. WHAT EXPERIENCE DO YOU HAVE IN THIS FIELD OR FOR HORTICULTURE TECHNICIAN POSITION?
► Speak about specifics that relate to the position you are applying for. If you do not have specific experience, get as close as you can.
► If you are being asked this question from your employer then you can explain your experience. Tell the employer what responsibilities you were performing during your job. You can tell what programs you developed and what modules you worked on. What were your achievements regarding different programs.
► I have been working with computers since 2001. I also have a degree in network support/computer repair. I have built my last 3 computers, have work with Dell as an employee. So I have around 15 years experience working with computers.
31. Situational Horticulturist Interview Questions:
1. You are working with a crew and productivity for your group is assessed on how the whole crew performs. One of your crew members is not doing his job. What would you do?
2. You are working on three job sites at a time rotating your time on each of the sites. You haven't been at one of the sites for a week and when you checked you had not heard any issues from the team working on that site. You make a routine visit on that site and the customer tells you she does not want you to continue the work and for your team to leave. What steps would you take to deal with this situation?
3. You disagree with your supervisor on how to handle a worksite situation and you are concerned that the way he wants to handle it could cause a safety issue. The supervisor is not willing to listen to you. What would your next steps be?
4. You have just been asked to give some advice on lawn issues to a very important customer. It's an issue that you have never dealt with before. Your manager is not around to help. There is no established precedent or process for dealing with this issue. What do you do?
5. Your team has been working 12 hour days 6 days a week for the past several weeks. You can tell their morale is quickly going downhill. As a team member you feel exhausted as well but the job still needs to be finished to the customer's satisfaction. What would you do to try and build up the morale with your team members?
32. Difficult Horticulturist interview questions:
► What concerns do you have about this job?
► Which one is better: mentoring or coaching?
► What position do you expect to have in five years?
► What did your subordinates think of you?
► What do you do to deal with stress?
► What would your ideal career position be?
► Where else have you applied for work?
33. Behavioral Horticulturist interview questions:
► Have you had any specific offers?
► What are your plans for self-improvement and personal development?
► Have you ever worked with anyone with developmental disabilities?
► Are you willing to go where the company sends you?
► What was your overall average for class standings?
► Rate yourself on a scale of one to ten.
► Would you choose the same curriculum again?
34. Behavioral Horticulture interview questions:
► Describe a situation where you had to plan or organise something.
► How do you keep track of things you need to do?
► What steps do you follow to study a problem before making a decision?
► What kind of events cause you stress on the job?- What do you like and dislike about the job we are discussing?
Do not forget to ask for the names of interviewers. And then, remember to give them a polite thank you. Your answer should be focused on what you can bring to the role that will be of benefit to the company.
Be sure that you refer to something that was beyond your control.
35. Communication skills based Horticulture interview questions:
► What three character traits would your friends use to describe you?
► What support training would you require to be able to do this job?
► What major challenges and problems did you face?
► What is a typical career path in this job function?
► Who has impacted you most in your career and how?
