You’ve managed to get a job interview, now you need to prepare for it! To do this, the editorial staff will review the most frequently asked questions for you during an interview. Obviously, the key to success is preparation. It is therefore essential to prepare properly in advance for potential questions that the recruiter could ask you. Of course, not all recruiters ask the same questions. However, in order to put all the chances on your side and enable you to land your future job, discover our advice for best answering the recruiter’s questions.
As you can imagine, in the professional context, certain phrases are key to landing a job or a contract, while others should be completely banned. It is important for the candidate going through an interview to take the time to answer correctly when a recruiter asks you a question. This allows you to leave a good impression at the end of the interview.
Interview: answer personal questions
Tell me about yourself
This question is often asked at the start of an interview. Its aim is to allow the recruiter to get to know you better. He seeks to understand your background, your motivations, your achievements and your skills. It is essential to be succinct and precise, emphasizing the points relevant to the position in question.
A good answer for this interview question may be: “ I graduated from Ecole Polytechnique and worked as a software development engineer at X for two years. I developed skills in programming, project management and teamwork. »
Why did you choose this company?
Here, the recruiter seeks to understand your motivations which led you to apply for this particular company. You must demonstrate that you have carried out research on the company in advance and that you share its values and vision.
Possible answer: “ I chose this company because I am passionate about technological innovation and your company is known for its leadership in this area. I was also impressed by your projects in the field of artificial intelligence and would like to contribute to them. »
What are your strengths?
The recruiter wants to know what your skills are and if they match the position. You must therefore highlight your most relevant skills for the position, by providing concrete examples.
Here is an answer you can give to this recruiter’s question: “ My strengths are the ability to work in a team, rigor and creativity. I led a team software development project at X that was delivered on time thanks to careful planning and effective communication between team members. »
What are your weak points?
This question is often used to assess your level of awareness of your own limitations and your ability to learn and improve. It is necessary to be honest and give a concrete example of what you are doing to fix it. “ My weak point is procrastination, but I’ve learned to manage my time more effectively by making to-do lists and using project management tools. »
How do you manage stress?
The latter is often asked to assess your ability to manage pressure and maintain performance under stress. You must explain how you manage stress and give concrete examples of stressful situations that you have had to manage, if possible, successfully. Certain functions require knowing how to absorb rush periods and it is important to demonstrate your ability to master this dimension.
“ I manage stress by staying organized and keeping control of my emotions. During a software development project, we had to work under significant pressure to meet deadlines. I implemented careful planning, communicated regularly with the team and remained calm and focused despite the pressure. »
How do you stay up to date with the latest trends and technologies?
Here you need to explain how you stay up to date with the latest trends and how this could benefit the company. Monitoring is a very important dimension of each profession and it is important to know how to stay up to date with current events in your sector.
You can answer your recruiter: “ I regularly take online courses to keep up to date with the latest trends and technologies in my field. I am also a member of online discussion groups and forums where I can share my knowledge with other professionals. This can be beneficial for the company because I can share my knowledge with my colleagues and contribute to the company’s innovation. »
How do you manage your time and priorities?
Through this question, the recruiter wants to understand how you manage your time in order to know if you are capable of effectively managing your priorities with the aim of meeting deadlines. In certain professions, strict compliance with deadlines is imperative!
Here is a possible answer: “ I am a careful planner and use project management tools to track my tasks and deadlines. I am also able to rearrange my priorities in the event of an emergency or change of plans. This can be beneficial to the business as I can manage my tasks efficiently and help meet delivery deadlines. »
How to answer professional questions from recruiters?
Why did you choose this company?
This may seem like a trivial question, but it is actually very important. Indeed, here the recruiter wants to understand what attracts you to the company and whether you have researched the company before your interview. You must explain why you are interested in the company and how your experience and skills can benefit the company and the position you are applying for.
Here is an example of an answer to this question asked in an interview: “ I chose this company because it is known for its excellence in technological innovation and customer service. As I studied the company, I was impressed by the projects it completed and the partnerships it developed with other companies. I believe that my skills in technological innovation and customer service can benefit the company and contribute to its success. »
How would you describe your work style?
Describe your work style and explain everything you can bring to the company. This question is decisive if you are applying for a job that will require you to manage teams. “ My working style is results-oriented, I like to set clear objectives and achieve them through rigorous organization and regular communication with the team. I think this can help maintain a high level of productivity and quality in the team. »
How do you work as a team?
Describe your experience working in a team and provide examples of successful collaboration. Here again, this question is decisive if you have to manage teams. For example : ” I am convinced that teamwork is essential to achieve the objectives set. I worked on several team projects, using collaboration tools like Kanban boards and regular meetings to maintain clear and effective communication. »
What is your greatest professional achievement?
The recruiter wants to understand your past achievements and how they might be transferable to the position in question. Describe a past accomplishment and explain how it contributed to your professional and/or personal development. This allows you to get an idea of what you can bring to the company.
Here is a possible answer: “ My greatest professional achievement is having developed a project management application for a corporate client, which helped optimize their workflow and reduce delivery times. This allowed me to develop my skills in software development and project management, as well as contribute to the success of the client company. »
How do you see your professional future?
This question aims to determine whether you have a clear vision of your professional future and how this corresponds to your development potential within the company. You must define your short and long term professional goals and how you can achieve them within your company. Example response: “ I see my professional future in the field of technological innovation, continuing to develop my skills in software development and project management. I believe this company can provide me with opportunities for development and professional growth in this field. »
How do you handle conflict at work?
At work you will inevitably be confronted with conflicts. So, the recruiter wants to know how you manage these and if you are able to maintain effective communication even in difficult situations. Describe your conflict resolution experience and explain how you can apply these skills in the business. This is still a very popular question among recruiters for candidates for managerial positions.
Here is what you can answer: “ I am convinced that communication is the key to resolving conflicts at work. I have worked on projects where there were disagreements between team members and I managed to resolve them by organizing meetings to discuss the problems and find solutions that work for everyone. »
What motivates you about work?
This is an opportunity to show what motivates you to work and how it could fit with the company’s goals. Explain your motivations and how they could contribute to your professional success in their company.
For example, you can say: “ I am motivated by the challenge of solving complex problems and creating innovative solutions to help clients achieve their goals. I believe this company is also driven by innovation and creating technology solutions, which aligns with my motivations and can provide me with professional development opportunities. »
Questions about your academic career
Why did you choose this sector/these studies?
Here, the objective of this question is to understand your motivations for having studied in this field and how this corresponds to your potential for the position in question. Explain how your studies prepared you for the position and how you can apply your skills to their company.
An example of a response to the recruiter: “ I chose this course of study because I was passionate about technology and mathematics, and I believed that this course of study would provide me with the skills and knowledge necessary to work in the field of technological innovation. My studies allowed me to develop skills in programming, applied mathematics and problem solving, which are relevant to the position. »
What are your language skills?
From now on, it has become almost essential to speak several languages. It is therefore necessary for the company to determine whether you are able to communicate effectively in the languages required for the position.
You can explain that: “IHe speaks English and French fluently, which allows me to communicate effectively with international clients and colleagues. I also learned German during my studies and am in the process of perfecting my Spanish skills. This can be beneficial for the business in case we need to work with clients or partners in these languages.“
