1. Tell me about yourself




Address the skills relevant to the position you are interviewing for, your education, work experience, and interest in the position. Keep your complete answer to about 2 minutes; don’t ramble or elaborate. This is your 2-minute self-introduction.



2. What can you offer us that other candidates can’t?




If this question is asked early in the interview, you might respond by discussing generally how your skills and experience would benefit the company. To get more specific, you will need to know something about the job situation they have in mind. Resist the temptation to frame an answer based on your assumptions about the position. If the question is asked after the interviewer has described the position, then you can relate your accomplishments to the problems of your prospective employer. This is an opportune time to discuss your problem-solving abilities.



3. What are your strengths?




You should be able to list 3 or 4 of your key strengths that are relevant to their needs, based on the research and other data you have gathered about their company.




4. How successful have you been so far?




Be prepared to define success for yourself and then respond. Try to choose accomplishments that relate to the company’s needs and values.




5. What are your limitations?




Respond with a strength which, if overdone, can be a detriment and become a weakness. For example, you might say, “My desire to get the job done sometimes causes me to be overzealous with high expectations. I am aware of this problem and am able to keep it in check.” Or, discuss your need for further training in some aspect of your profession that is not tied directly to performing the responsibilities in this position and, therefore, being successful in it. For example: “One area that I am strengthening is my knowledge of X computer application. To that end, I’ve enrolled in a seminar on the subject.” Do not claim to be faultless, but limit your answer to one specific issue.




6. How much are you worth?




Try to delay answering this until you have learned more about the job and can estimate, based on previous research, the salary range this company endorses for similar positions. If you feel obliged to answer, you might reply in this way: “You are aware of what I have been earning at Employer X, and I would hope that coming to your company would be a progressive step. Perhaps, we can go into this question in more depth after we discuss the job responsibilities and scope further.”




7. What are your ambitions for the future?




Indicate your desire to concentrate on doing the immediate job well – and your confidence that the future will then be promising. You do not want to convey that you have no desire to progress, but you need to avoid statements that are unrealistic, or that might threaten present incumbents.




8. What do you know about our company?




You’ve done your homework, and have studied all that is publicly available about the employer and are therefore aware of many published facts. However, you might state that you would like to know more; then be prepared to ask intelligent questions. Avoid a recitation of the facts, incorporate personal remarks and specific questions to facilitate a lively exchange of information.




9. Why are you seeking a position with our company?




Indicate that from your study of the company, many of the activities and problems are the sort that would give you a chance to contribute to the company through your experience and skills. If you honestly can, express your admiration for the company and what it is that appeals to you.




10. What qualifications do you have that you feel would make you successful here?

If this question is asked after you have sufficient information about the position, talk about two or three of your major skills (supported by accomplishments) which you believe will be useful in the position. If the question is asked earlier, talk about two or three of your major skills and relate them to the extent that you can to the company. Gauge the amount of detail for this and other answers by the time frame set by the interviewer for your meeting and by his or her signals as to how much information is enough.