The Importance of Mastering the Art of Interviews: “Learn to Impress” (Part 2)

 

Hey there, if you've already read Part 1 of our " The importance of mastering the art of interviews: “Learn to Impress” series, where we laid the foundation for your interview success, then you’re here definitely here for Part 2.

Well, lucky for you, the second part of this series will continue to provide you with the tips and tricks you need to impress interviewers and help you take the next step in your professional career.

Before that, lets quickly go through what we went through in Part 1 of this series
In Part 1, we discussed some tips and tricks you can use in answering two key questions that are commonly asked by interviewers. So, if you don’t want to miss any those tips and tricks, be sure to read Part 1 of this series.

Now today in Part 2, we're going to dive even deeper into the world of interviews and provide you guys with even more tips and tricks you can use for another two key questions that interviewers love to ask.

So, without wasting any time, let’s get straight into it.


1. Why are you a good fit for this role?
There are numerous variations to this question such as “Why should we hire you?” and “What makes you the most suited for this role?”
Although providing your value proposition is recommended, we can add a element of selfishness to our answer to make us more memorable

When answering this question, we want to address three key points

What can you bring to the role?
In this section, you’ll need to relate a strength you have to the position you are applying for and provide an example to illustrate.

What do you expect to gain from the role?
This section is where include an element of selfishness to our answer, as this helps us sound more realistic and authentic. Highlighting any benefits, you aim to gain from this position also shows interviewers that you have researched the position.

What makes you unique?
There are two ways we can answer this part: 
First, we tell the interviewer something unique about us, e.g., a unique strength, characteristic, background, etc, as long as it’s relevant to the position. 

Second, we tell the interviewer about a strength we have, and provide a unique example. 

Now, what we want from this is to give a strong impression that helps us stand out

Check out this video for information:

2. What is your Biggest Weakness?

“A straightforward question with a straightforward answer, simply tell the interviewer what your weaknesses are. After all, there are no wrong answers.”
Sadly, there are some dealbreakers here when answering this question that may result in you leaving without that job offer.

E.g., “I not good at managing multiple projects/tasks.”, “I am not detail-oriented.”, and “I am not really a peoples’ person, I rather work alone.”
These answers are immediate dealbreakers for some interviewers as it shows that you don’t have a basic level of competency.

So, to answer this question, we should give the interviewer an acceptable weakness.
An acceptable weakness is any strength or attribute that is not immediately expected from a student or graduate student.
E.g., strategic planning, resource management, etc.

Now, to answer this question, we can follow the CARL framework:

Context: Give an example that illustrates your weakness and provide context to the example.
Action: Tell the interviewer what actions you took or are taking to address this weakness
Result: Tell the interviewer the results of your actions, whether past or present.
Learning: Explain what you learnt from the experience, and your future expectations or actions

Check out this video for more information on this:

Now we’ve reached the end of this series and I hope you've gained some valuable insights that will help you confidently face your future interviews.

But stay tuned for more invaluable tips and resources on career success, as we discuss on how AI tools can help you on your career journey. Until then, I wish you guys the best of luck in your interviews.