Interview Questions

  
If you have been selected for an interview for an interview then you need to make sure you do all the preparation you can to make you shine to your potential future employer.

Before going for an interview as a Social Media Specialist, analyse the job title and be very aware that the employer is seeking a specialist within social media meaning that you know and understand all things social media and digital inside out.

Related: Social Media Specialist Job Description

You must always prepare and research well prior to your interview. There will be no room for excuses of not knowing anything to do with social media and they will be looking for someone who can instil this passion throughout their company.

Ensure that you have read the job description and any information that you have been given to ensure that you know what parts of the job you can do. This gives you the opportunity to think of examples of work that you have done which is related and that you could use as examples during your interview.

Once you are confident you can do what they are looking for then you need to ensure that you have researched the company thoroughly. You need to know everything you possibly can do, look at their website, can you find any press releases, news feeds that they have done? Get a feel for what they have done in the past and how they are perceived in the market place.

You also need to think carefully about what kind of questions you may be asked and below is a list of questions that you can think about prior to your interview:
What is the most important aspect of the role of a Social Media Specialist?How do you keep on top of the latest trends?How long have you been involved in social media and what prompted this?You may not be asked any of the above questions but they are to get you thinking prior to your interview some of the things you could be asked. Employers are not only interested in your past experiences but what you can bring to the team and how you are as a person.

If you are prepared and remember that you are amongst many other people looking for a similar role so be sure to make your answers and interview stand out from the crowd.

Good Luck.

  
If you have been selected for an interview for an interview then you need to make sure you do all the preparation you can to make you shine to your future employer.
If you do your research well then you will feel confident during your interview that you know all you possibly can. We all dislike the questions that we can’t answer.  Your potential future employer will want to know that you live and breathe social media and that you can pass your passion and enthusiasm onto the team you are working with.

Related: Social Media Moderator Cover Letter

If you have been given anything like a job description or company information, make sure you have read this well and maybe even print it out and take it with you to the interview. Think of examples of work that you have done which is related and that you could use as examples during your interview and if you have anything that you could print out and take along even better.

Once you are confident you can do what they are looking for then you need to ensure that you have researched the company thoroughly. You need to know everything you possibly can do, look at their website, can you find any press releases, news feeds that they have done? Get a feel for what they have done in the past and how they are perceived in the market place.

You also need to think carefully about what kind of questions you may be asked and below is a list of questions that you can think about prior to your interview:
At what point would you think you needed to escalate a customer complaint?Tell me about a time with a difficult customer?How long have you been using Twitter, Facebook and what problems do you foresee?How do you keep on top of the digital world of social media?How does your marketing background help you within this role?Although you are not bound to be asked any of those questions, it gives you an idea on what types of questions you could be asked and this will obviously vary from the company and the person interviewing you.

Be prepared and remember that there is a lot of competition amongst Social Media, so you need to be able to shine above all others.

Good Luck.

  
If you have got an interview for a Social Media Community Manager and are wondering what you should do next, please continue reading for some helpful tips and advice that will see you through to your interview.

The first thing you need to do is to read everything properly that the company has sent you including job description, letter inviting you to the interview. Have you looked into where the interview is, how long it will take you to get there, how you will get there, can you park etc. All these factors are important before attending an interview and through research will take away the nerves beforehand.

Related: Social Media Community Manager CV Example

The world of social media is a fast paced every changing environment and you need to be fully aware of the latest trends, can you predict what will be the next big thing? Any employer will want to know that you live and breathe social media and have a great understanding of everything digital.

Think about the skills you have already gained and try and match these to the job description. By doing this you can come up with examples of what you have done in the past and this will hopefully help you to think of questions that you can ask during your interview.

Try and get a feel for what they have done in the past and how they are perceived in the market place. In your role as Social Media Community Manager will be expected to have a mixture of creative and analytical skills and be able to report back as required.
You also need to think carefully about what kind of questions you may be asked and below is a list of questions that you can think about prior to your interview:
What are the most important factors that you would look at when analysing results?What social media channel are you most efficient on?What made you choose a career in social media?Although you are not bound to be asked any of those questions, it gives you an idea on what types of questions you could be asked and this will obviously vary from the company and the person interviewing you.

Be prepared and remember that there is a lot of competition amongst Social Media, so you need to be able to shine above all others.

Good Luck.

  
How to Answer "If You Were An Animal, What Animal Would You Be??" Interview Question

An interview technique was developed during the 80?s and 90?s which involved asking candidates very odd questions which they simply would not expect to hear. The intention was to put the prospective employee in a difficult or odd situation to test their ability to respond under pressure. The unexpected question would also give the interviewer better insight into the candidate’s real behaviour as their answer will be off-the-cuff rather than prepared. The animal question noted above does just this and became popular after chat show hosts used it when interviewing celebrities.

If you’re asked this question there are relatively obvious answers to steer clear of, for example snake which is likely to suggest you have a sneaky side, or fox which might indicate you are untrustworthy. There may of course be situations when these attributes, which are often considered negative, are positive for example if applying for a job as a private detective.

“I am camouflaged and unoticed until I have the information I require, and then I can slide away and report on what has been found!”

Fluffy or cuddly animals are unlikely to make a great impression as you’ll sound like a push-over, although again there may be roles such as nurturing jobs, where this is a benefit.

Preschool Teacher:

“A fluffy bunny, because I am approachable and able to calm a situation rapidly, but I am also consistent and reliable.”

If you have carry out some basic research into the role, you’ll be able to identify which attributes are likely to be required to be successful in the position, and be better placed to refer to an animal example. The most useful answers to the animal question intimate qualities such as strength, intelligence or leadership.

Strength:

“I would say lion – I develop a strong team and let each member get on with their job, but I am prepared to step in – to roar – when necessary to make sure we are all pulling together in the right direction.”

Intelligence:

“I am a dolphin – a smart animal that uses initiative to overcome problems and works well in a team.”

Leadership:

“I’m the queen bee. I have an important role to play putting the right people in the right place and oversee the consistent development of the hive.”

Perseverance:

“I would be a tortoise – I weigh up the options, chose the correct route and keep trudging along with the workload until I have completed the task.”

Jobs requiring repetitive work may use the following example.

“I’m the worker ant – give me a job to do and I will continue to do it again and again until the task is complete.”

Other examples of animals and their conotations are listed below;

• Tiger – Intelligent / street smart
• Monkey – Intelligent / nimble
• Fox – Clever, but with a hint of dishonesty
• Lion – Regal, commanding
• Elephant – Leader, unstoppable, great memory
• Ant – Hard worker
• Dolphin – Intelligent

Animals which you should probably avoid are:

– Snake – Sneaky and dishonest
– Whale – Bloated
– Sloth – Lazy

  
How to Answer "What are your hobbies?" Interview Question

If you’re preparing to answer this question in an interview then it can really help knowing some basics about the job role you’re applying for, the company, and if possible the interests of those in charge. The question is intended to better understand whether you have interests in other fields and therefore if you are a well-rounded person. Your interests don’t have to match the interviewer, but if you have already picked up on a shared interest in your pre-interview research or during the interview then it is worth mentioning it – it may be the reason you are remembered better than the other candidates.

Whatever you say, be honest. It’s not unreasonable to exaggerate how often you partake in the activity, but if you tell an outright lie just to impress someone it could look very negative if you are caught out during the interview or later.

Sports/Running:

“I try to run at the gym every day. It is usually about 10 miles,” is a good answer even if you only run 10 miles once every week. It’s a very bad answer if you spend less time at the gym than combing your hair in the morning, and you have not run since you were at school!

Golf:

“I enjoy a bit of golf which I try to fit in every week.” Golf is considered a preferred sport of high level professionals, so if you are a keen golfer then certainly bring it up, although don’t try to impress with your score. However if you don’t know your tee from your birdie then you shouldn’t mention it.

Reading:

“I like to read in my spare time, sometimes a book every week.” This is a brilliant example of something we can all do if we’re not sure that we have any hobbies and is an example of you doing something with your time which is not just watching television or ‘socialising’ a.k.a. drinking!

If you can be more dynamic with your answer than just a single hobby that you have, for example if you have a hobby which is physical such as a sport, then try to show how this or another hobby you have engages your brain. See the examples below:

Thinking and sports:

“I am a keen rugby player and enjoy writing short pieces about the games for our local newspaper.”

Do-it-yourself:

“I spend a lot of time improving our home, including tiling and basic carpentry. I really enjoy the planning, setting out and working through the project.”

If you think you don’t have any hobbies then perhaps you just haven’t recognised what you do with your spare time can be considered a hobby, and maybe these examples have helped you to define them. If you really don’t have hobbies then don’t lie in the interview, but perhaps it wouldn’t do you any harm to start a hobby as they are very rewarding.

One further note, don’t say, “work is my hobby” as that is not likely to impress anyone and if the interviewer has asked this question they expect you to have something outside of work.

You can also use the examples on your CV.

Good luck.

  
How to Answer "What Are Your Goals?" Interview Question

If you’ve been presented with this question during an interview, you should make sure that your answer relates well to the positions for which you have applied. If the company makes and sells biscuits, and the role you are applying for is within the production line then you probably should avoid mentioning an unrelated goal of making your own clothing line. A goal relating to acheiving targets set, or being a great team-player might be appropriate.

Example Answers

Perhaps even striving for something else within the industry such as becoming a successful salesperson, “I would like to learn the business from the bottom-up, then perhaps in a few years move into sales to assist the company from that end. Learning the manufacturing process first will be really useful.”

You could mention goals which refer to non-career related tasks such as family or voluntary work, but only if you are confident you can relate this back to the position. For example if you mention that you want to start a family this might suggest that you will be taking time off from work to look after any children. “I want to be indispensible with a successful career so that I can raise a family.”

So it’s not just about what you say, it also how you say it. For example if you step in with, “I want to be doing your job in a couple of years” you could be either undermining the interviewer’s position by making out that it’s easy to step into their shoes, or making them feel uneasy by suggesting you’ll steal their job. A more positive way of stating this is, “I plan to work hard to become a productive and successful employee, then once you get a promotion I can be on that side of the table asking the questions to prospective candidates.”

The only way to truely be successful in an interview is to really understand what the role will entail, and what your own goals and expectations of yourself in that career would be. For this question it would be wise to prepare by making a list of your possible goals, then reviewing these against the job description to see how they can fit together. If you can include your intention of how the goal will be achieved that would be an even stronger answer.

Some examples of answers are listed below for you:

Competitive:

“I see myself as being the best salesperson in the company. I’ll get there by listening intently to the advice of experienced and successful employees and constantly striving to improve myself.”

Learn and grow within the company:

“This job seems to be so varied it would be an excellent opportunity to try my hand at a number of different aspects and then maybe focus on one element to become specialist in that area.”

To be a manager:

“Once I have had a few years of experience behind me I’d like to work towards supervisory or management roles.”

  
Tell me about yourself

You walk into the interview room, shake hands with your interviewer and sit down with your best interviewing smile on. Guess what their first question is? "Tell me about yourself."

Do you "wing it" and actually tell all manner of things about yourself? Will you spend the next 5 minutes rambling on about what an easy-going, loyal, dedicated, hard working employee you’ve been? If this is the case, you stand a good chance of having bored your interviewer to death thus creating a negative first impression.

Because it’s such a common interview question, it’s strange that more candidates don’t spend the time to prepare for exactly how to answer it. Perhaps because the question seems so disarming and informal, we drop our guard and shift into ramble mode. Resist all temptation to do so.

Your interviewer is not looking for a 10-minute dissertation here. Instead, offer a razor sharp sentence or two that sets the stage for further discussion and sets you apart from your competitors.

Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

Give them "your synopsis about you" answer, specifically your Unique Selling Proposition. Known as a personal branding or a value-added statement, the USP is a succinct, one-sentence description of who you are, your biggest strength and the major benefit that a company will derive from this strength. Here is an example of a Unique Selling Proposition: "I’m a seasoned Retail Manager strong in developing training programs and loss prevention techniques that have resulted in revenue savings of over £2.3Million for (employer’s name) during the past 11 years."

What a difference you’ve made with this statement. Your interviewer is now sitting forward in her chair giving you her full attention. At this point, you might add the following sentence: "I’d like to discuss how I might be able to do something like that for you." The ball is now back in her court and you have the beginnings of a real discussion and not an interrogation process.

Be Specific

The key is that you must lead with your strongest benefit to the employer. Be specific and don’t wander about with some laundry list of skills or talents. Be sure to put a monetary value on your work if at all possible and be ready with details when you’re called upon. Give an estimated value to the ££ you’ve either helped to make or save for your employer.

Be Prepared

When you walk into an interview, remember to always expect the "tell me about yourself" question. Prepare ahead of time by developing your own personal branding statement that clearly tells who you are, your major strength and the clear benefit that your employer received. The advantages of this approach are that you’ll quickly gain their attention and interest them in knowing more. You’ll separate yourself from your competitors. You’ll also have a higher chance of being positively remembered and hired.

  
If you are going for an interview as a Bar Manager then you will have had some previous Bar and Management experience or a least as an Assistant manager or Supervisor role looking for the next step up.

You will need to be a confident person to be a Bar Manager and be organised, prepared to work long unsociable hours and deal with some difficult situations and people at times.

Related: Bar Manager Cover Letter

If you have got your interview date through then you must prepare well. Have you been to the Bar in the past, what do you know about it? Do a visit before your interview and assess who works there now, who you could be working with, who is currently running the bar, what do the serve, drinks or food as well, what is the service like. Whilst you are doing your visit analyse how you would change things if that was the bar you were managing, what ideas do you have for that bar and how could you implement them?

Once you are fully prepared on where the interview is and what they are all about you then need to prepare yourself in terms of questions and how your previous experiences match up to the role they have advertised.

Some questions during your interview could be along the lines of:
When have you been in a situation of management or supervisory?Why do you enjoy working in a Bar?How would you deal with staff that do not turn up for a shift on a Saturday night?How would your previous Manager describe you?Have you had any experience of dealing with food being served in bar?There are numerous questions that you could be asked but above all an interviewer will be looking to see what type of personality you have and your confidence levels as you will need to be confident and outgoing to be a successful Bar Manager.

Best Wishes.

  
If you are preparing for an interview as a Compliance Officer then you will already know what job requirements that particular company are looking for. You will normally be degree educated with some previous business experience.

In the role of Compliance Officer you will be expected to advise companies on how to follow set procedures and industry standards. You will need to be an excellent communicator in order to go to different companies and discuss what standards and processes a company should be following and give them advice on how to go about this.

Related: Interview Questions

Before attending your interview ensure that you have done your research, not just on the company itself and the role but also found out basic details as to where the interview is being held, you do not want to be caught out on the day, do a dummy run.

When preparing for the interview, go through the job description or advert with your CV and mark out your experiences versus what the company are specifically looking for so that any questions that you are asked you will have thought about job specific.
For a Compliance Officer role, the interviewer(s) will be looking for someone who can communicate well in writing and orally as you will need to write up reports and meet clients and provide advice and guidance for them in sometimes not very understood circumstances.

You could be asked questions such as:
Talk me through a time that you have visited a client, how did you make the appointment and what was the visit about and how did it go?How do you monitor progress and set actions plans in place?How do you keep up to date with company standards and processes?What do you do before visiting any new client?An interviewer will be looking to assess how well you will behave in front of clients and how authoritive you will come across as well as being able to build relationships and work together.

If you do your research thoroughly into the company and the job role then the rest comes down to you and your personality for this role. 

Good Luck.

  
As a Sales Ledger you may have had some previous accounting experience but you will normally also have a strong administration background. In the role of Sales Ledger for a company you will deal with all the invoices coming into and out of the business and ensuring that these invoices are paid on time.  You will need to be very organised and an excellent communicator, you will be required to liaise with clients on a regular basis and build a relationship with these clients.

Related: Purchase Ledger Job Description

If you have got an interview for a Sales Ledger role then first and foremost you need to be certain you know where the interview is going to be held, can you park if you are driving etc, all the simple questions that you do not want to be dealing with on the day of the interview allowing you to get stressed and flustered.

Once you are confident about the location etc then you need to research the company as much as you can, find out as much company history as you possibly can, do you know anyone who works there  or anyone who has had any dealings with them?

Your interviewer will pay attention to your previous work history and how this can transfer into the role that they are looking for so you need to be sure that you have gone through your CV and their job description and outline any areas of weakness before it is highlighted in the interview. Think how you can address these issues before hand in case a question comes up that you would struggle with.

Some questions that you may be asked could be as follows:
How often do you chase outstanding invoices? How long do you leave it before calling a client?How do you keep an accurate log of invoices?What accounting packages have you experience in? Have you any other experience of an Accounts department and if so what?What made you go into Accounts?There are various other questions you could be asked but if you go through the  advert and job description thoroughly with your CV then you should be able to answer the questions well.

Good Luck.