Your answer should reflect your aims for positive personal development. Here’s our definitive list of the most commonly asked interview questions and how to answer them. There are few jobs that are quite as varied as customer service staff – meaning that when it comes time to apply for a new job and attend an interview, it can be difficult to know what to expect. If you’ve not done one before or aren’t too confident when put on the spot, telephone interviews can be fairly nerve-wracking. However, although they’ve become a key part of the interview process for many companies, when approached with the right amount of confidence they needn’t be anything to worry about. Behavioural questions are bound to come up in any serious interview – they are there to gauge your personality and how it would work within the new workplace.

• These are often directly related to your chosen career path and usually require some kind of study.
• There will be a focus on your body language and tone of voice.
• The average graduate salary is around £24,000 a year, although many salaries can be much lower or higher than that.
• Make what you will out of this one, but I suggest peppering your answer with some features your interviewer is offering 😊.
• Thankfully, there are some steps you can take to make sure you’re prepared for a job interview.
• For a start, with no face-to-face interaction they can occasionally lack the conversational style of a regular one-on-one interview.

This doesn’t have to be a work-related example and can be a time when you have used your IT skills to explain a concept to someone at home who doesn’t have the same skills as you. The idea is for an interviewer to see that you really understand what the concept means on a deeper level. Employers will want to know what approach you are likely to take when it comes to helping customers or colleagues with their issues. They will want to know that you can prioritise customer satisfaction and ensure a high level of service. When I joined my first company as a junior IT technician, there was a situation where the computer system would keep shutting down unexpectedly.

Types of question

Competency-based questions are questions that ask you about your skills and require you to give evidence of what you can do. The interviewer is looking for examples of your past behaviour that will provide evidence that you have the necessary competencies to succeed in the job. Ensure you leave enough time to set up your video interview help desk engineer – it’s not difficult and it will ensure that your answers are the most important thing the interviewer is concentrating on. Re-read your application form, the job description, your interview notes and the company website. Identify how your skills and experience match the job requirements as listed on the job description.

• No company wants to leave itself open to legal action, so it’s highly unlikely you’ll be asked them.
• Explain what the break taught you and how it contributed to your personal growth.
• The employer is trying to find out whether you will take this job if offered and, if so, whether you would stay for any length of time.
• Have your application material in front of you, but do not shuffle papers or spend time reading during the interview.
• Employers asking these questions are interested in what you enjoy doing and the areas in which you excel.

This is usually the opening question for most interviews and can be one of the most important. Know what you want to say and how you are going to say it beforehand. Everybody loves to talk about themselves and this question enables you to build up a sense of camaraderie with your interviewer. This question requires a personal response, so you could learn a lot from their answer. Asking this question enables you to learn as much about the role as possible. The interviewer’s response will provide insight into what skills and experience are needed, and will also help you decide if the role is right for you.

What are your goals? Where do you see yourself in five years time?

You might look at topics like technological developments, economic challenges and changes in the market. Tailor your answer to the management style of the company to show that your style will complement it. A good maxim to remember is ‘task needs, group needs and individual needs’.

• More and more jobs in today’s world require a minimum level of IT knowledge.
• Be honest and brief but avoid answers suggesting personality conflicts or that you were dismissed.
• This is more of a competency-based question but is likely to crop up in some form or another.
• Questions that are open-ended will need more than ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers.
• Questions about your skills will relate to the specific job, so make sure you’re familiar with all the skills required for the job and have your examples ready as proof of your abilities.

Don’t include any personal or financial information, for example National Insurance, credit card numbers, or phone numbers. It is ok to ask what the salary is likely to be if this has not been dealt with already. If they can’t give you a range, be ambitious, but not unrealistic. Below are some suggestions for effective questions to ask at the end of your interview. The employer is trying to find out whether you will take this job if offered and, if so, whether you would stay for any length of time. If you appear uncertain, they will not be happy to employ you. You could choose something you are particularly proud of to show your expertise in the job you are being interviewed for.

Hard Skills

Here are some typical 2nd line support interview questions that you may be asked if you are getting interviewed for one of the support roles mentioned previously. We teamed up with The Daily Mirror’s Careers Editor, Tricia Phillips to offer a free webinar on how to answer tough interview questions. We sent a survey towards the end of last year and wanted to know what questions you got in an interview and needed advice for.

Research the company structure to pitch your aspirations more realistically than ‘I want to be on the board by then’. If there is a particular position you hope to move into, explain why and how you envision your career progressing long-term. Plan your answers around 2 or 3 examples that are relevant to the job.

Employers want to know that you are willing to do whatever is needed to stay up to date with the latest processes, trends and technologies. This could mean taking additional courses, reading books by IT experts or studying in your own time. Some companies choose to use just one system or language, others require their employees to have a broader range of knowledge. By asking this question, the interviewer is wanting to ensure that you can work with the systems they have in place. Books in this series are thoroughly researched, frequently updated and packed with relevant content.

Not in a deep, meaningful Eat Pray Love kind of way – just understand where your strengths lie and how to talk about them. Make it clear that you believe you meet all of the job requirements, support each of these skills by identifying one or more relevant examples of how you’ve demonstrated that skill. Do as much research as possible into technical interviews – job-advice websites often provide examples of questions you might be asked, as well as technical interview tips. The technical skills an employer is looking for will depend on the role in question. The job specification will give a good indication of the skill set they expect, so it’s a good place to start when thinking about what you might be asked at interview. Unlike comprehensive, textbook-sized reference guides, these books include only the required information for a job interview.