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Are you preparing for an interview?

If your answer is yes, are you prepared for some common questions, like, ‘Tell me about yourself?’ Answer this question by highlighting your background and what makes you competent for the job. This is the best way to present your personal elevator pitch.

Other common interview questions include:

• Why do you want to work for our company?
• What are your greatest strengths?
• What are your greatest weaknesses?
• How would your last supervisor describe you?
• Why should we hire you?
• Why did you leave your last job?
• Explain a challenge and how you overcame it.

Here are a few things to do before you step into the interview venue:

Read the job description more than twice

Highlight specific sections and skills that seem to be the most important. Recall examples from your current and past work that match the requirements. This helps you show how you would be a good fit for the job, which is what interviewers expect.

Answer questions using the STAR method

Expect the employer to ask you about how you applied a specific skill in your previous job. Tell stories using the STAR method:

• Situation: Describe a specific challenge you faced.
• Task: Explain your role in the situation.
• Action: Detail the steps you took to overcome the challenge.
• Result: Explain the results you achieved, including anything you learned.

Ask for help to practice your answers

An effective way to work on your answers is by speaking them out loud. Ask a trusted friend or family member to help you in going over the questions and answers, or repeat them to yourself. Friends or family members should be able to give you constructive feedback about your answers and how you deliver them.