Tough job interview questions

Job interviews are always a nerve-wracking experience, especially when we’re asked tricky questions that may make it hard to find the ‘correct’ answer. Here are a few of those tricky questions and some suggestions on how to answer them:

·         Where do you see yourself in ten years? - This is a great opportunity to showcase your goals and dreams. You can be honest about the things you want to accomplish and where you want to be in your career. Don’t be afraid to shoot for the stars!

·         What is your greatest strength? - Of course, we know you have many strengths, but it is important to choose the strength that is important for the job. Think about what skills the interviewer is looking for and choose your strength that fits most with the job.

·         What is your greatest weakness? - We all have weaknesses, and that’s okay! If you are asked this question on an interview, you can talk about an area where you need improvement, but make sure to talk about the steps you are taking to make improvements.

·         Why do you want to work here? - Make sure to have a great answer to this question by studying the company’s Mission, Vision, and Values.

·       Tell me about a time you made a mistake. - Mistakes are not our best moment, but don’t worry! If you are asked this question, be honest and tell your interviewer about a time you’ve made a mistake, but make sure to mention what you learned from that experience, and how you will avoid it happening again.

Best of luck on your interviews, you got this!

Alix Ruggiero

Read More

Job interview prep: Can you tell us about yourself?

Job interviews can be a nerve-wracking experience for everyone, that’s why it’s important to prepare, prepare, prepare! This month, we prepared answers for a very common question that is simple, yet surprisingly complex. “Can you tell us about yourself?” is a question that is almost always asked in an interview, yet often is answered with too much, or too little information.

A “hack” to this question is a simple formula. Think of “Present + Past + Future”.

●     [Present] Introduce yourself by stating your full name and any current job, education, activity.

●     [Past] Talk about anything you have done in the past! It can be your past schooling, classes, activities.

●     [Future] Talk about your goals and dreams for the future. They can be short or long-term goals.

The answer to this question is commonly referred to as an “elevator pitch”. Imagine you are stepping into an elevator and someone asks you to tell them about yourself. You only have from floor 0 to floor 20 to answer this question. That’s only about 30 seconds, so you have to make it count!

Here is an example of my “elevator pitch” about myself:

Preparing your answer to this question will help you nail it when you are asked in an interview. It can also help you think about how you will apply your skills and experience to your new position in the future!

Here you can watch some of the student's videos from the International Trade 1 class. The first one is by Kelly Araújo:

   

This second video is by Pablo Serrano:

Read More