Employers want to gauge if you are keen, interested and the right person for the job.

As there are different types of jobs there are different types of job interviews; some may be formal with more than one person interviewing you and others might be carried out over the phone, while other employers might put you through a trial shift, all to see if you are the right person for the job.

Interviewers can be different people

• Direct employer
• A company’s Human resource department
• Recruitment agency consultants

They all carry out the same task of finding the right people for the right jobs. As they will be paying you money they will ask you questions about your experience, skills and general interest in working with them.

What Questions are asked in interviews?

Many different kinds of questions dependent on the job. The best bet strategy to successfully answering interview questions is to focus on what you are being asked rather than preparing responses to questions that you may or may not be asked.

However, saying that, there are some general questions that crop up time after time.

Tell me about yourself? What do you do in your spare time?

This question, normally at the start of an interview, is used to get a quick run down of your experience and qualifications. The spare time question is a question to see what interests you have outside work, and sometimes these interests can be transportable into a job. However try to avoid telling your life story so far.

Why are you interested in this role? / Why would you like to work for us?

This is an opportunity to show that you have knowledge of the company, the position, what you bring to the job, and want to achieve from working.

What is the most difficult situation/pressured you have faced at work?

This can sometime be "How do you work under pressure?" This is a question about problem solving and dealing with pressure. Employers will be looking for a response that shows that you have the initiative to notice situations and take steps to counteract a problem.

How do you think a friend or someone who knows you well would describe you?

This is an opportunity to let an interviewer know your best attributes – i.e. trustworthy, loyal etc

Do you work well with others?

Are you a team player or comfortable working by yourself? You need to hedge your bets if you get asked this question. Remember versatility is gold.

Tell me about your experiences at school/work/university?

An interviewer is trying to identify if you have any extra skills that can be applied to the position – activities like being part of a sporting team etc which illustrates that you work as part of a team.

What are your strengths/weaknesses?

When an employer asks this question, they are trying to get an idea of your level of maturity and sense of who you are. Your strengths should match up nicely with what an employer is looking for in the role, outweighing the focus on your weaknesses.

Difficult Interview Questions

There are some curly questions out there that can hard to answer i.e.:

• What motivates you?
• Give me an example of how you are a risk taker?
• Where do you see yourself in 5 years? How long to do you expect to stay with us?

The key to these questions is to take your time and present a well-rounded response.

There are also some questions that you don't have to answer

Certain questions are inappropriate as set out in Equal Opportunity (EO) legislation. Hippo recommends checking out the EO guidelines on the net so you are aware of what's above board and what's definitely not on.

If you're still having problems, give our customer service team a call on 1300 788 874 or email into support@hippo.com.au and we can help you out!