by Nic Edwards

Created on: February 26, 2009

Any personal job interview I've done, from my first job as a call centre worker to my current job as an economist, has been the same. Hard to believe, but its true. The interview on job-specific technical know-how may differ (and I cant help you with that unfortunately), but the interview about you and how you work is always the same. The key to coming across well is to think about what you would say to these common asked questions below, prepare examples before the interview, and answer in a way that reflects well on you. Remember: you need to think about what they're getting at with the question.

Tell me about a time where you worked as part of a team.

One of the more clear-cut ones. You need to think of an example where you and a group had a piece of work to do, you planned it out, looked at everyone's strengths and weaknesses and assigned tasks accordingly. If you can think of an example where you took a leading role, so much the better. Obviously an example where you completed the task successfully is essential.

Have you ever worked to a deadline/target?

Again, fairly straightforward. You think of a time where you had a set goal to be accomplished in a set time, you thought through what you needed to do and you got on with it. The tougher the task/tighter the deadline the better.

Have you ever missed a deadline?

The gut reaction is "Nope. Never." The reality is everyone has had to push back a deadline at least once in their lives. What the interviewer is trying to find out is how you coped with it as it will inevitably happen at one point in the job. Your example should follow these lines. You are working on a task. You looked ahead and saw that (through no fault of your own) there wasn't enough time to complete it. You immediately informed all stakeholders (your boss, the customer etc) and set a more realistic deadline. You then met the new deadline.

Have you ever had to deal with high pressure?

Everyone's been under pressure at some point in their lives, and the interviewer wants to know what you do to deal with it. Needless to say, your example should not be along the lines "I had a mental breakdown and drank martinis for three months." You were in a high pressure situation, you talked through the difficulties you were having with someone, you saw if there was any additional help you could get with your task to ensure it was completed, you worked hard and got it done. You need to demonstrate that you can deal with being under pressure - hinting that you actually

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