"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail". Interview Questions "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail".

Be prepared! Interviews can be tricky and nerve –wracking. How well you do in an interview will be greatly enhanced by the level preparation you do prior to meeting a potential employer. Take time well before your interview to practice answering interview questions.

The top questions 1. Tell me about yourself? Keep this brief and effective. This should be the place where you begin to highlight your key strengths and skills! Practice your answer on a friend or in the mirror. Watch your body language! Be honest and take a deep breath before you begin.

2. What have your achievements been to date? - Select an achievement that is work-related and fairly recent. Identify the skills you used in the achievement and quantify the benefit it had. - If you haven’t ever had a job before, talk about your achievements in school or sports.

3. What is the most difficult situation you have had to face and how did you tackle it? - Here the interviewer wants to see how you define difficult and how well you approached the problem. Be ready with an example.

4. What do you like or dislike about your present job? If you do not have a job, this likely won’t be asked of you, although they may ask about school as your job. What do you enjoy about school that could apply to the workplace? What do you not enjoy? Be careful with defining what you don’t enjoy as you don’t want to complain – use it as a positive.

5. What are your strengths? This is one question that you know you are going to get so there is no excuse for being unprepared. Concentrate on discussing your main strengths. List three or four proficiencies e.g. your ability to learn quickly, determination to succeed, positive attitude, your ability to relate to people and achieve a common goal. You may be asked to give examples of the above so be prepared.

6. What is your greatest weakness? - Do not say you have none. -You have two options - use a professed weakness such as a lack of experience (not ability) -The second option is to describe a personal or professional weakness that could also be considered to be a strength, and the steps you have taken to combat it. Eg. I set too high an expectation for myself and at times don’t know when to stop working and relax.

7. Why have you applied for this particular job? - The employer wants to know if you are the right fit for this job and so wants to hear what you think is going to interest you abut the job/company.

8. Give me an example of when you haven't got along with others. - This is a behavioral Interview question. - Use a real situation but change names! - Finish the example on a positive note highlighting how using your sills/personality made a change for the better from this experience.

9. What kinds of people do you like working with? Be honest. If you get the job based on what the interviewer thinks is a good fit and you haven’t told the truth, you will regret it. And so may the employer. But also be open minded! Include not only the co-workers but the customers too!

10. What can you bring to this organization? Why should I hire you? - This is where you highlight your skill set. Be your own resume! If you truly want the job, show the employer that you have a good understanding of what her needs are and that you will fit perfectly and why. Use examples to showcase your skills.

Questions for you to ask! Asking questions indicates to the employer that your job search has been well thought out. The following are samples of questions prepared to start you thinking about questions you can ask in an interview.

What do you think are the three key skills/strengths vital to this position? Is there a lot of team project work? How is an employee evaluated and promoted? Tell me about your training programs.

What are the challenging facets of this job? Describe the work environment. What are the company’s strengths and weaknesses? What are your expectations for new hires?

What is the next step in the hiring process for this position? Will I work independently or with others? Who directly supervises this position? If I want to further my education, does the organization offer tuition benefits?

Can I provide you with any other information to help you in the decision making process? Does your company require that I sign a non-compete agreement? How many other candidates are you considering for this position? What can you tell me about them? How soon can I expect to hear from you?