When the Lunar New Year is over, people who are unemployed or ready to start something new will start to find new jobs and many companies will also start interviewing new recruits. An interview has a lot of questions so it is necessary to prepare well in advance.

Why do you want to work for this company?
To be able to answer this question well, you must first read the company’s information and find out about their core values ​​and culture. You also need to think about how your skills, expertise and personality will meet the company’s requirements.

About yourself
Many interviewers will ask the interviewer to introduce themselves. This is a very open ended questions. When answering, it is best to mention the events and traits related to your profession, such as group spirit, willingness to help others, honesty, etc. It is a response to add points to yourself and your work background. In Taiwan it is very common for employees to answer first with information about their family background. If you are interviewing with a foreign manager, you might want to angle more for the work background.

In the past year, what was the biggest challenge you encountered at work?
This is a great opportunity to state your company’s achievements, to inform the interviewer about your work achievements, and how you evaluate your own work achievements.

Why do you want to do this job?
Most people think of salary, which is a valid thought , but a bad answer. There are many opportunities to earn money, why would you want to pick this one? Think about how this job will help you in your long term career development, how it is such a great fit with all the experience and skills you have and what you are hoping to learn from doing it and helping the company develop.

How would your previous boss or colleague describe you?
This is to examine other people’s views on you and is a difficult question to answer. The interviewer is likely to follow up. For example, if an  interviewee replied: “I think my colleagues will say that I am very good.” The interviewer might ask, why do you think they will say this, or say that you are getting along well, is it because you have no opinion, you should be extra careful when answering. Plus keep in mind it is very possible the interviewer will call your previous company to ask them directly.

Why did you leave your last job?
Don’t lie but be diplomatic.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?
This is a basic questions, so prepare to answer it well. The advantages are often not difficult while the disadvantages is more complicated. You can’t say you have none, but you do not want to talk yourself out of a job. Be honest about the things you are not good at but if any of them are important for the job, show how you plan to overcome them.