For Educators: Military Resources
You may hear some of these interview questions verbatim — or none at all. While every interview is different, it always helps to have a sense of the fundamentals in advance.
What’s your professional and/or educational background? How about achievements and recognitions? This is the place to tell your interviewer what you’ve been up to before applying to this position — and maybe even brag a little about yourself. Try to keep your answer between 90 seconds and three minutes and try to avoid unnecessary details and irrelevant personal information.
Did you see this job online? Or was it good old-fashioned word of mouth? This is a great place to showcase your enthusiasm for the position — not just how you found out about it, but what encouraged you to apply.
Unfortunately, “deep breaths and lots of water” won’t cut it here. Rather than explaining how you deal with stress in abstract terms, bring up a relevant, stressful situation from your professional or general life experience and talk about how you handled it.
Try not to badmouth your current or most recent employer. Instead, focus on the positives of seeking new opportunities that align with your goals and explain how this job can better help you achieve them.
If you can, be specific! Whether you’ve been freelancing, volunteering or studying, highlighting recent accomplishments is an important part of any interview. It’s also a great way to explain gaps in your resume, if applicable.
Hint: Start with some version of “still with this organization.” The critical part of this question is to keep your answer grounded. Once you’ve shared your aspirations and why you want to pursue them, explain the benchmarks and milestones you’ve given yourself to help do that.
When interviewers ask this, they aren’t generally looking for a hard answer in one direction or another. Mostly, they want to hear that you’re adaptable — which you totally are!
This question is all about knowing your worth. If you’re coming from one salaried job to another, it’s acceptable to quote a salary slightly higher than what you’re currently making. If you aren’t, try for adaptability. Show you are open to negotiation and provide a range if insisted — ideally, based on research into the average salary for roles like the one you’re interviewing for and in the geographic area you’re in.
Admitting your weaknesses can feel awkward, but it's key to presenting yourself as an honest and accountable candidate. Identify your hard and soft skills as strengths and frame your weaknesses in terms of how you’re working to improve them. For example, if you struggle with delegating, mention your pride in your work and explain how you're focused on improving delegation skills in a team setting. Avoid clichés like “I'm a perfectionist” or “I'm a workaholic.”
Outline the experiences and quantifiable results that you bring to the table that could benefit the company. In addition to your skills, connect your abilities to the company’s mission and vision. Show how your goals align with theirs and explain how you can support and contribute to the long-term growth and success of the organization.
We hope you’ve found these tips both useful and inspiring. There’s more to explore, so why stop now?