The goal of this assignment is to get you thinking about how to answer common interview questions. (Strong preparation is the key to a successful interview!)

Build Workplace Skills

When you go on a job interview, it is usually a somewhat stressful situation.  But, if you are prepared with the proper skills, professional appearance and answers to the most commonly asked questions, you will have a much better chance of landing the job.

Always think strategically when answering interview questions: What are they really asking? How can I make myself look like the most attractive candidate?

For example, when asked about your greatest weakness (which is a popular question), you don’t want to talk about something really serious, like “Well, I’m a lousy speller and I tend to always say the first thing that pops into my head.” Those things may be true but they’d be red flags in an interview situation. Some people recommend using a “fake” weakness like, “Oh, I care too much about others so I’m always going above and beyond my own job to help out.” That also may be true but the interviewer will recognize it for what it is: a self-serving response. Instead, talk about an area of improvement that will make you better at the job but which isn’t absolutely crucial. If I were interviewing for an admin assistant position, I might say something like, “While I’m proficient in the Microsoft Suite of tools, I’d really like to improve my ability to create fully accessible documents.”

Here’s what I’d like you to do. Below are five of the most-asked job interview questions.

First, decide on a specific job you’d like to apply for. It can be made up but your answers will be guided by the type of job you’re going for. (Let me know what the job is, please.)

Open a Word document and write each question. Please bold it so I can distinguish the question from your answer.

Provide your best answer to the questions as if you were actually at the job interview.  An adequate answer to each question will probably require at least 75-100 words.

1. Tell us about yourself.
2. Why are you interested in the job?
3. What are your greatest strengths?

What are your greatest weaknesses?

Where do you see yourself in five years?

• Tips

Do a little web research to see what recommendations experts might offer about how to answer these questions. Here are a couple of resources to get you started:

• Your Ultimate Guide to Answering the Most Common Interview Questions (Links to an external site.)

27 Most Common Job Interview Questions and Answers (Links to an external site.)