Interview questions for the prospective employee and the employer with answers

Author: Zuzana Kocáková

Career

15. 12. 2023 11 reading minutes

The interview questions you will receive from a potential employer are various. However, they are always combined so that the other party can see what experience you have, what your character is like and whether you are a suitable candidate. If you’re going to a job interview and want to know what questions you might encounter, we’ve put together the most common ones with answers.

Job interview definition

Job interview is a common part of the recruitment process. During the interview, the potential employer meets with the candidates for the job and finds out whether they are suitable candidates.

What many people forget is that a job interview is a dialogue. You should therefore actively talk to your future employer and ask questions yourself. Don’t be afraid to ask him things about the company, work processes or other areas that interest you.

Types of job interview questions for an employee

At the job interview, your future employer will ask you a few questions. Your answers should be prompt, clear and understandable. Ideally, they should be shorter but concise. When answering, try to avoid constantly jumping off topic or making irrelevant comments.

The questions included in the interviews are usually very similar. Employers will be interested in your experience, education and future plans. If you want to prepare for them in the best possible way, we’ve listed the most important questions for you below. Plus, we didn’t skip answering the interview questions.

The most common job interview questions with answers about you

The skills and abilities on your CV (Read also our article Resume skills tips) may reveal something about you, but HR professionals want to know more. That’s why the interview includes questions that relate directly to you, your achievements, education and work experience.

This category usually includes questions such as:

Job interview introduction – tell us about yourself

This question or challenge will not bypass you in a job interview. Therefore, briefly describe the key milestones in your life. Tell them where you studied and where you gained the necessary experience. Avoid overly personal topics and areas that are not relevant to the job interview.

Try to appear confident but not arrogant when answering. Back up everything you say with facts and arguments. Don’t make anything up unnecessarily, because HR staff will eventually uncover the bigger and also smaller lies.

For many employers, admitting a mistake, error or weakness is also sympathetic. So don’t be afraid to mention them in a monologue full of superlatives and achievements.

Why did you leave your previous job?

Tell your real reasons for leaving or having left your previous job. Rather than saying outright that you had a bad boss or a low salary, mention that you’ve been considering a change for a longer time because of a better future outlook or because of goals that have been unfulfilled for a longer period of time.

If you did not terminate your employment by your own choice, briefly describe what preceded it. But certainly don’t lie.

How would your supervisor or colleague describe you?

Feel free to use the feedback you received in your previous job to answer this question. But be careful not to highlight qualities such as friendliness, hard work or responsibility without any context. To an employer, it might seem like you’re making things up or don’t know how to answer the question correctly.

Therefore, always add to the characteristics the situation in which they were manifested. For example, when you say that colleagues rated you as reliable, detail how they were able to rely on you for a project.

More questions about you

You will also encounter the following questions in interviews:

• What are your strengths and weaknesses? When answering, focus on the things that are key to the position. But apart from the strong ones, don’t forget about the weaknesses so you don’t look arrogant. When you mention your cons, you show the employer that you know about them and can therefore work on them.
• What motivates you? Be honest, but avoid saying that the only motivation is money or employee benefits. Think about what your chosen job can give you and mention it in the interview. Suitable motivation is, for example, gaining more experiende, partial freedom thanks to home office work, working for a large and well-known company and so on.
• How do you cope with stress? Stress is a normal part of our lives today. Someone handles it better, someone worse. HR staff want to know which group you belong to and whether stressful situations are causing you problems. However, the answer “I handle stress well” will definitely not be enough for them. Instead, describe one of the stressful situations you’ve experienced and show them how you dealt with it.
• Why should we employ you? This question is one of the most difficult interview questions. In fact, it is quite complicated to answer it without appearing superior. But you can at least try. Tell the recruiters about your experience and how they can help the company. For example, if the position is a home office, say that you have worked this way before and don’t mind communicating remotely. Besides, you can also say something like: “During our conversation, you mentioned that you needed to fill this position as soon as possible because you need one more person to work on the project. I can come in immediately and help resolve your difficult situation.”

Job interview common questions about the company

Recruiters also like to ask questions about the company you’re applying for. Through them, they find out what you know about it and whether it was just one of the many companies you sent your CV to.

This category includes questions such as:

What do you know about our company?

No one expects you to know the entire history of the company and its every milestone. On the other hand, you should definitely know what kind of business they are in and what services or products they provide. You can also mention its greatest achievements or the clients its works with.

What can you bring to the company?

If you’re looking for tricky interview questions, this is one of them. The recruiter uses it to check that you understand what is expected of you in the job and that you are ready to start work immediately.

So start with the qualities that are key to the position. For example, if you’re a Java developer, tell them you know several programming languages that the company uses most often. This can help you in many areas without additional training.

Then add a few more specific points you would address in the first weeks after starting your job. This will show the recruiter that you really know what the position requires and that you are ready for it.

Other questions about the company

The following questions also come up in interviews:

• What do you think this position entails? Base your answer on the information given in the advertisement and on the employer’s website.
• Do you know what kind of person we are looking for? This information should also be included in the advert to which you have responded.
• Why us? Talk about what attracted you most about this job offer and how it is different from the other job offers and also mention the company as a whole. It is ideal to mention, for example, the possibility of working from home fully or partially, flexible working hours, interesting company benefits and so on.

Interview questions for interviewer

When you know what questions employers ask in an interview, it’s time to move on to the next area. We’ll talk about what you should be asking employers.

As we have already mentioned, the job interview = dialogue. So your job is not only to answer, but also to ask questions. Don’t rely on the fact that you will come up with your questions during the interview. You may not know what to say when it’s your turn. And you definitely don’t want that.

Go through both the employer’s website and the job offer you responded to before the interview. Write down everything you can think of accordingly. In addition, you can also be inspired by our questions:

• What will my working day look like?
• Is it possible to do this work partly from home?
• What team will I work in?
• What are the working hours? Flexible or fixed?
• Is it a permanent job or a freelance job?
• In what direction will the company develop in the incoming years?

Sensitive interview questions

How to answer interview questions that are sensitive? It is best not to answer, because the recruiter should not ask such questions. As a rule, this includes questions and topics related to privacy, sexual orientation, religion or marital status, such as:

• Do you have children?
• Are you pregnant?
• Are you married?
• Are you planning to have a baby anytime soon?
• What is your state of health?
• Who did you vote for?
• Do you drink? Do you smoke?
• What is your religion?
• What is your sexual orientation?

If you encounter similar questions, answer as follows:

• If it is possible, I would prefer not to answer this question.
• I would like to focus on the prerequisites and skills related to the position.
• I don’t think this question has anything to do with the job.

What else to think about before the interview?

The question of how to prepare for a job interview troubles almost all candidates for a new job. If you have a meeting with a prospective employer or recruiters, follow this advice:

• Find out ahead of time where the meeting point is – if you’re driving, check parking options. Leave the house with enough time to avoid traffic jams or other unexpected situations.
• Dress properly – the right outfit leaves the right first impression. Outfit choice should be adapted to the position and the company culture. You can choose more comfortable clothing, but avoid tracksuits or other sports and home clothes.
• Bring all the necessary documents – make sure you have your ID and a printed CV. Next, take a notepad with a pen to take notes and other documents, such as a cover letter, if the recruiters have asked you to do so.
• There are some things to avoid completely – chewing gum during an interview or smoking before a meeting. It’s also ideal to turn off the sound on your mobile phone so it doesn’t disturb you during the interview.

Make a good impression at the interview

The interview is your chance to impress a potential employer and show that you have what it takes to land your dream job. To really succeed, you need to prepare for the job interview properly. Find out what questions recruiters ask most often and how you should answer them. Then, don’t forget the right clothes to make an impression, punctuality and all the necessary documents.

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Interview questions for the prospective employee and the employer with answers

Zuzana Kocáková

At msg life Slovakia I take care of the company culture, events and I am part of the marketing team. I like a job where I can be creative and contribute to making my colleagues at msg feel good. I regularly prepare for you not only news and interesting things from the world of information technology and insurance, but also from behind the scenes events at msg life Slovakia.