question handling

Practice

Try to anticipate which questions will be asked and practice answering them. You can ask friends and colleagues in similar roles for likely questions and ask them to interview you. You can also record yourself on camera to scrutinize your confidence, posture and eye contact.

Common Questions

Simple questions often require calculated answers, so when asked ‘why do you want this role?’ don’t focus of things like better salary or location, but put an emphasis on things like career progression, training opportunities, and added responsibilities. Always try to include something that shows how you will add value to the company too and by using your employer research you could add a few pointers specific to the company that resonates with you.

STAR Questioning

Competency based questions are often asked using the STAR system, which is:

S – Situation

T – Task

A – Action

R – Result

You will first be asked to describe a situation you we’re in. You will then explain what you’re your plan was, followed by what action was taken and finally, the result.

This may seem daunting but with a bit of practice it’s a great way to show just how much of an asset you can be. Again, you will want to anticipate likely scenarios and practice answering them using the same sources mentioned earlier, such as employer research, asking friends and colleagues in similar roles, and scrutinizing the information found on the job description.