Each different type of job will have their own questions that are exclusive to that specific position and Aged Care and Disability Support is no different, but we’ve already covered that in a lot of our previous blogs. There are some questions however, that are commonly asked across the board, no matter what job you’re going for. So for this blog entry, and our next one, we will tell you the 15 most commonly asked questions in a job interview, and how you can answer them.
Tell me about yourself.
This is a general overview of the person you are and how it relates to the position that you’re being interviewed for, so make sure your answer is relevant to the specific job. It’s also important to keep your answer as brief as possible – don’t spend too much time on it and go off topic.
Think about your passions and life goals when giving your answer.
What do you know about our organisation?
Being able to answer this question comes down to how well you’ve prepared for this interview. Make sure that you’ve researched the organisation that’s offering you the job (we talked about this at length in one of our previous blog entries). Speak briefly about their history, services that they offer and company values.
Why should we hire you?
This is your opportunity to sell yourself a little bit. Try and relate some of your relevant past experiences to the position that you’re interviewing for – whether they be from life experience or on the job. Make it clear that you’ve had success in solving problems that are similar to those that you’ll face whilst working.
Also, don’t be afraid to also speak about your strengths and personal attributes that can set you apart from others. Showing confidence in your ability is attractive to an employer, so long as you don’t come across as boasting.
Why are you leaving your present job?
Sometimes you’ll go into an interview with the intention of leaving another job if you’re successful with your application. That’s totally fine – employers are used to it. Just make sure you stick to just one reason for the interview and that your reason doesn’t single you out as someone who could be potentially troublesome. Answers such as: “I had an argument with my boss” or “They wouldn’t let me work the way I wanted to” should be avoided.
In addition, never say anything bad about a previous employer, boss or colleague.
Describe what you feel to be an ideal work environment.
This is where you can bring up some of the things that you like in a workplace. Things like: commitment from staff, passion for caring, cooperation and having room to grow are good answers. Be careful not to say anything too specific, you need to keep your answers realistic. Otherwise you could make the employer think that you aren’t ready for the realities of the job.
In your current or last position what features did you like the most? Least?
Be careful on this one. Try to emphasise the things that you liked the most and spend more time talking about those. Don’t totally ignore the things you liked least, though – you’ll need to speak about these too, but just keep it very brief. A good answer might be that you didn’t like the distance you had to travel, and that is why you are looking for something closer to home.
Why haven’t you found a new position before now?
This is another one of those questions that depends on your situation. If you’ve been job hunting for a while, then this question will come up. Emphasise the importance of finding the right job, and how that is what’s important to you. Finding any old job isn’t difficult, but finding the right one takes care and time! Maybe even talk about the values of the organisation you are interviewing for and that is why you want to work for a values based organisation.
So there we go – 7 of the 15 most commonly asked questions in job interviews, and how to answer them. Stay tuned, because next week we’ll be covering the last 7, and they’re just as likely to be asked as these ones!