Have a job interview tomorrow... what might I be asked?

Dave!

Hey folks,

I'm going to an open day tomorrow for a pharmaceutical company called Uniphar, and I'll be interviewed there as far as I know. It's just a part-time job that I'm going for, but I've never been to a job interview before (first real job, hopefully), so I was just wondering, what kind of things would they be asking me? And any tips you have that'll calm me down or help me get the job, that'd be cool too.

Bear in mind that it's just a part-time job, and I'm 17, so things like researching the history of the company might be kinda unnecessary.

Thanks

whiskeyman

lots of info on the work forum for this (see the stickys) http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=10

And just because its part-time, dont rule out researching.
You're online now, so go look it up... you'll impress them more.
Good luck.

Supercell

Question that usually throws newbie interviewees..

"whats your worst/weakest point?"

Think about positively spinning this in advance and yer set..

Some answers might be..

I like to always give it my best, with time constaints for some projects i've found it hard to meet my ideal standards.

I set very high goals for myself, sometimes time contraints mean i've got to prioritise on what needs to be done compaired what i'd like to be done.

Think of the role you are applying for..whats the worst thing that can happen..and how you can turn this into a positive.

Most ppl are terrible at self critisism..thus intertviewers love these questions..make it good

Miguel_Sanchez

Remember to picture them in their underwear (or yours if you'd prefer).

OMcGovern

If they ask if you're good with animals... say, no... that you have a history of cruelty to animals. They may want someone to help with the animal research...
seeing how many hours a mouse can use a mobile phone for before getting a headache etc....

biko

A common question is: Why should we hire YOU for this position (and not the others)?
Don't fall into a trap of putting the others down, "I think I'm better than them because..."
Go with something like "Well, this position requires these qualifications and I feel I meet everyone (or most) of them. That's why you should hire me!"

Eyespy

biko wrote:

A common question is: Why should we hire YOU for this position (and not the others)?
Don't fall into a trap of putting the others down, "I think I'm better than them because..."
Go with something like "Well, this position requires these qualifications and I feel I meet everyone (or most) of them. That's why you should hire me!"

How would you describe yourself?
What are your long range and short range goals?
What do you consider to be your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
What motivates you to go the extra mile on a project or job?
What makes you qualified for this position?
How do you work under pressure?

Don't worry though, they won't fire them at you like bullets. They mightn't ask a whole lot at all, these are just some I've gotten in various jobs. Generally employers like to get a picture of you that they really can't get from a cv. If you go in, shake their hand firmly, sit down, keeping hands apart (trust me, this is a major pain in the ar$e, it's so hard not to fidget when you're nervous) and speak slowly and evenly, you've won half the battle. Oh and smiling is a big thing.

Hope this helps.

Why do you want the job?

Why do deserve the job?

Any examples of that?

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Why are you lying to us?

squibs

Targetted selection techniques are big these days - "Can you tell me about a time when <you had to do something tough>? How did you handle it?". The idea being that asking questions about examples of performing a task will give the interviewer an insight into that person's competencies in various areas. Much harder to bluff.

Dave

You may be asked alot about teamwork, I know I was in all my interviews.

When have you ever been part of a team?

How did you work within that team?

Give an example of when you solved a problem as part of a team?

etc. etc.

*Lees*

The one that really throws me off every time is "What do you think you will bring to this company??" .... what the hell r u meant to say to that like!?

xzanti

Give us some examples of when you had to use your initiative under pressure etc...
What can you bring to this company??
Describe yourself in three words??
What would you say is your greatest achievement to date??
And loads more horrible questions like the above... Your best to just make a list of possible questions like whats been posted on here and just memorise your answers to the best of your ability because theres nothing worse in an interview than a long silence... Trust me
And try not to go in with the attitude that you really really want/need this job, remember there are plenty more jobs out there... that way you'll feel more relaxed then and that will come across to the interviewer... They can smell your fear

WhiteWashMan

moved to work forum.

check out some of the stickies.
there is a long list that is worth going through to give you an idea of what can be asked.
have some answers prepared for the most common questions.
you should be able to answer most questions easily enough, just remember that if you dont know something, then say it.

Siogfinsceal

Where do you see yourself in Five years time? (this is to see if you are long term or planning to bugger off in 2 month stime. dont tell them if you are planning to go to oz/back to colege etc!.

Why should we hire you? i agree with the others dont put any other canditates down as this looks bad instead focus on describing yourself in positive way - focused, self-motivated, team-player, hard-working, determined lol these are all words I use in job interviews it always works. also, jazz up your CV the company want to see you making an effort to impress. Dress well ie make an effort to look professional, be on time.

However the most important thing MAD as it sounds is to greet the interviewer with a firm handshake and a smile. I swear im not joking, first impressions count, most employers decide within the first 2 minutes if they wat to hire you - and clean fingernails!!!!!

let us know how it gets on!!

WizZard

Siogfinsceal wrote:

focused, self-motivated, team-player, hard-working, determined lol these are all words I use in job interviews

You use LOL in interviews?? :rolleyes: :eek:

Siogfinsceal

no! I put LOl in there cos I was laughing at the list of words. I mean i dont think im that much of a team player but its what the interviewers want to hear so thats what Im gonna tell em!

Kernel32

Siogfinsceal wrote:

no! I put LOl in there cos I was laughing at the list of words. I mean i dont think im that much of a team player but its what the interviewers want to hear so thats what Im gonna tell em!

I do a lot of interviews as I hire all the technical talent for my employer and I've learned to sniff out the bull pretty easy now. I love to toss in a simple technical question because it throws the interviewee off because they think its a trick question. It's not to be cruel, even though it can be fun, its simply to judge reaction and actually find out if they can answer a simple fundemental question.

Someone else mentioned first impressions. This is very very important, good handshake, carry yourself professionally, don't even attempt a joke or something that could fall flat. I have seen candidates who blew it before their a$$ hit the interview seat. These interviews just go through the motions and then out the door.

Dave!

Thanks guys,

just so you know, I got the job Tis just (permanent) part-time warehouse work with a pharmaceutical company called Uniphar... should be ok

Thanks again

dingding

Well done on the job.