Do you have an interview for a future job coming up? Mister Bilingue explains how to best answer the 10 most frequently asked questions by corporate recruiters!
"What is your biggest weakness?" If you're thinking "I'm too much of a perfectionist", we're sorry to say that you may not have the best experience in front of an experienced recruiter…
This kind of question may seem innocent on first sight, but in reality, it requires careful thought and can quickly leave us lost for words in an interview situation. To avoid stumbling over your words or mistakenly answering "yes" when they ask, "how are you?", the Mister Bilingue team is here to explain how to turn the 10 most frequently asked questions to your advantage!
Ready to impress your future employer? Let's go!
Not too dissimilar from "tell me about yourself", this is THE classic interview question, and it's also the most basic. It's for this reason that we recommend avoiding waffle and cutting straight to the chase, using these tips to guide your interview in the right direction:
(Title H3-1) Don't recite your CV. The recruiter will already have it in front of him, so this is the moment to tell them a little more about you! Start with a brief summary of your career and then focus in on presenting your personality qualities and professional goals, drawing attention to a few of your most relevant experiences along the way.
(Title H3-2) Be concise and fluid. Recruiters will sometimes ask you to present yourself in one minute as a way of gauging your ability to summarize, so it could be a good idea to practice before the interview! If you're a little stressed before you begin, you can prepare with these four examples of ways to answer this dreaded question!
(Title H3-2) Don't lie. This may seem obvious, but some people can fall into the trap of embellishing their journey a little too much, or even just lying. Bad idea: a professional recruiter can quickly identify what's true and what's not, so be sure to stay honest and stick to the facts. After all, that way, you'll be in the best position to talk about yourself!
For this one, we suggest doing some research before the interview if you don't want it to come to a very abrupt end. You certainly don't want to leave a long, uncomfortable silence hanging in the air after this one if you intend to spend a small part of your life in this company.
Of course, you don't need to know the entire backstory of the company, but it's always good to be familiar with their objectives, their customer base and maybe even their main competitors. And there's no need to panic if you don't know everything about the company (the recruiter will clearly know more about it than you do), the important thing is to show that you've done your research and are interested in the business!
If you have a date set for an interview, it's probably because you're interested in the job on offer, so make sure to show that to the recruiter!
This question is about identifying your interest in the tasks associated with the job position. Start by highlighting the tasks and projects that motivate you or that you've enjoyed in the past, then make a link to what's on offer in the current position. Be concrete and demonstrate your motivation for the job with genuine enthusiasm to show that you want to be hired for the right reasons!
And if your only interest in this position is to earn money, we understand (and your bank balance does too), but at the same time, we don't recommend leading with this. Plus, if you can find a job that fulfills you both professionally and financially (we believe in you), all the better!
For this question, there are two main pitfalls to avoid:
Show the recruiter that you can bring real added value to their business. Hammer home your legitimacy for the position by talking about your specific skills (a rare language, specific technical training, a unique professional experience, or a solid network of contacts, for example).
If nothing specific comes to mind, revert to your soft skills, otherwise known as your interpersonal skills: you're sociable, rigorous, creative, daring, and probably much more! For a little more inspiration, take a look at Forbes' tips for highlighting soft skills when it comes to interviews.
As explained in the introduction, avoid answering this question by saying that you're a perfectionist or, worse, a workaholic. Recruiters are very familiar with these kinds of ready-made, disingenuous answers.
There are a whole host of weaknesses that can be played to your advantage in an interview situation. You can even refer to them as your "points in progress" if you would rather avoid casting a negative light with words like "flaw" and "weakness".
Above all, be honest and pick out weaknesses that can be considered as strengths in certain situations ("I have a strong character" or "I say what I think"), or those that encourage some empathy from your recruiter ("I'm shy" or " I'm emotional", for example).
Of course, it's important to counterbalance these "points in progress" with positive arguments to reassure your interviewer of your suitability for the role. Make sure to show them, for example, that your strong character can help you in a leadership situation, or that your emotions can help you to better understand the needs of your team. To sum up: be po-si-tive.
By being positive and sincere, you'll show that you are a confident and grounded person who knows how to assess their weaknesses in a positive and constructive way!
A safe question on first view! The objective of this question is for the recruiter to get to know you better and get an understanding of your wider personality. However, you should pay attention and think about the best way of answering it. After all, it might be frowned upon to explain that you spend all your free time eating and playing video games...
But even if that is the case, there's always a way of putting a positive spin on it in front of the recruiter, all while creating a link to the position in question.
If you play video games, for example, you can highlight the communication skills that you've developed through working as a team, or the strategic thinking that's often required in a complex game.
Every hobby is based around a certain interest, so it's up to you to think about the best way to present yours to the recruiter!
Yes, yes. A thousand times yes. In actual fact, it's difficult to respond "no" to this question if you don't want to come off badly with your future employer. Indeed, the majority of companies today rely on collaboration to strengthen the workforce and bring added value to their projects. To earn points on this one, make sure to showcase your team spirit and give concrete examples of situations where you've had to work with other people.
This is the moment to explain how teamwork has helped you better manage your tasks and achieve your goals. And if you particularly like finding yourself in positions of leadership, don't hesitate to let the recruiter know that, explaining how you conduct yourself as a leader and what it does for you both personally and professionally.
The words to remember for answering this question are: consistency; ambition; and humility.
Your answer should show the recruiter that you know how to analyze and think about the long term in a coherent and relevant way. Without boxing yourself into a mapped-out plan of the rest of your life, it may be a good idea to draw up a plan of your ambitions for the rest of your professional career before the interview. This is also a good technique for figuring out your motivations and eventually landing the job!
This is often the question that candidates dread most. Whether it's a fear of negotiation or a fear of misjudging their own value, many candidates prefer not to think about this question. However, this question cuts to the heart of an important factor in your personal and professional decisions, so it's essential to look into it.
We recommend negotiating based on your previous salary, in addition to the various benefits you may have on top of that (expenses, reimbursement of transportation costs, working from home). By taking into account your profile in relation to the targeted position, you'll put yourself in a good position to better negotiate your future salary.
There's a balance to be found, but be sure to avoid undervaluing yourself or, on the contrary, overvaluing your profile. Undervaluation on your part may lead the recruiter to believe that you don't have the skills required to do the job. Conversely, overvaluing yourself could get the recruiter's back up or push him to choose a candidate with the same qualifications, but lower salary expectations.
If you want to know more, you can check out our full article on this delicate issue!
You've almost reached the end of this interview, but the fateful question remains: "do you have any questions? " And you guessed it, the answer to this question is: YES.
Depending on the answers your interviewer may or may not have given during the interview, you'll have the opportunity to ask questions on subjects that haven't yet been covered. When that moment arrives, choose questions that show your interest in the job or the business as a whole.
Stuck for ideas? Here are some examples of interesting questions to ask if you want more information about the desired position:
Beyond showing the recruiter that you're a curious person, asking questions will indicate that you're focused on your future position and ready to start your next chapter!
We've arrived at the end! Any questions?
If you're still a little stressed about the prospect of an interview, we suggest reading some of our other articles about job interviews:
Not sure how to go about finding a job in France? Get started by writing the perfect CV, a stunning covering letter and then head to France's best job fairs
We hope you've found this advice useful and wish you all the best in your job search.
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