This week, I will try to answer the most common questions asked by candidates about the interview process.
1. How long is a typical interview?
A typical interview usually lasts about half an hour. You usually interview with one person for thirty minutes and then maybe interview with another person back-to-back for another thirty minutes. However, if you are scheduled to have back-to-back interviews with multiple people in the same organization, the sessions can last anywhere from half an hour to a few hours.
2. How do I become good at interviewing?
You can only become good at interviewing by practicing. You should practice, practice, and practice. You should practice with anyone you can find, such as family members, your previous coworkers, or friends. The more you interview the better you become. Take every single interview opportunity you are given even if it is just an informational interview and not a real job interview. Why? Because you only get better at interviewing if you practice!
3. What information do I need to know about the company before the interview?
You should go to the company’s website and grab as much information as you can from there. Most companies have a website nowadays so you can easily learn what their business is about, who their clients are, and what their departments are, such as IT, marketing, finance, etc. Learn as much as you can about that company before going to the interview.
4. How many interviews do I need to do before getting hired?
There is not one right answer for this question. It really depends on the company. Some companies conduct only two interviews: a phone interview and a behavioral interview. On the other hand, some companies can conduct as many as six or more interviews. It really depends on the company. If you ask companies about their hiring process, they will probably tell you how many interviews they conduct before giving out a job offer.
5. What are the most common interview questions and how do I answer them correctly?
The most common interview question that I got was, “Tell me about yourself.” Every interviewer asks this question, and it’s the first question that you generally get and the most important question in my opinion because if you cannot grab the interviewer’s attention with your response to this question, there is a high possibility that you will not get a job offer. If you want to learn more about how to answer this question, you can read my previous blog post here.
