Job Interview Questions

Typically, the purpose of job interview questions is twofold:  (1) to establish your skill level and depth of professional experience, and (2) to predict your "fit" or personal suitability to an organization.

In terms of skills and professional experience (1), there are many tried and tested ways to determine skill levels,  from formal testing (typing tests; aptitude tests; language tests etc), to asking direct questions relating to a particular skill (e.g. can you explain what methodology you use to ....; what hardware platforms do you have experience with..... etc).  Job interview questions which seek information on "hard" skills can usually be recognized as they are industry or job related and usually require specific responses.

It is the job interview questions related to "soft" skills (2 above) which can be more difficult to recognize and answer appropriately. "Soft" skills are those which relate to one's behavior and personality, those which are more difficult to measure or label.  Job interview questions which are seeking behavioral information can be much less specific and the desired response is not always easy to predict.

Instead of trying to anticipate these kinds of job interview questions, and hoping to be able to provide a favorable response, it should be more important to aim to find a job for which you would be best suited, one where you know that your descriptions and examples of past behavior WILL be appropriate for the position you are applying for.  There is no point in getting through the interview with all the right answers, only to find later on that actually the organization or role is not a good fit for your temperament.

So, in preparation for your interview, brush up on your technical or industry specific skills, and ensure that you are aware of any current developments.  Think through the details of your skills, and have the correct terminology at hand.  Take along any records of qualifications, tests or professional achievements.

Then assess your behavioral preferences so that you are aware of what your personal behavioral tendencies are and how those will match with the expectations of the organization or requirements of the role.

Management by Color is a simple online tool you can use to assess and "color" your own (and others') predominant behaviors, and obtain simple visual results with practical advice about what impact this may have in a team or workplace.  You can also use it to assess the job requirements, and to establish what your suitability would be - by asking the same questions you ask yourself in the assessment about the role, you can predict your organizational fit. It's as simple as asking three questions (or as many as you like), about yourself, and the same questions about the role during your interview.