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Standard Job Interview Questions

Effective responses answer these questions honestly, positively, and briefly while highlighting important qualities and accomplishments that are relevant to the position at hand.

Give examples to illustrate and corroborate your statements when possible. Your responses should work together, making connections between what you have previously done, the available position, and your goals.

Below are listed seven standard questions to consider before your job interview. Click each one to see effective and ineffective answers and think about how you would craft your personal response to each of them. The answers provided as our example are for an applicant that is a recent graduate from law school who wants to become a financail planner at a mid-sized firm.

1. Tell me about yourself.


2. What did you most enjoy about your last job?


3. How would your colleagues or supervisor describe you?


4. What can you offer us that other people cannot?


5. What about this job attracts you? What is unattractive?


6. How long do you see yourself with us?


7. How would you describe an ideal working environment?

Tell me about yourself.

Ineffective: I am a hard-worker who is good with numbers. After I worked as a financial analyst for a few years, I decided to go to law school. I just finished and now I'm looking for a new challenge.

Effective: I began developing skills relevant to financial planning when I worked as a financial analyst for three years. In that role, I succeeded in multiplying the wealth of my clients by carefully analyzing the market for trends. The return on the portfolios I managed was generally 2% more than most of the portfolios managed by my company.

My initiative, planning, and analytic skills were rewarded by two promotions. As the manager of a team, I successfully led them to develop a more efficient and profitable strategy for dealing with new accounts.

My subsequent training in the law, including tax law and estate law, gives me an informed view of what types of investments and charitable gifts would be most advantageous for your clients.

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What did you most enjoy about your last job?

Ineffective: I liked lots of things-the people, the challenge, the rewards. Sometimes we had to work long hours, but it always seemed worth it.

Effective: Of the many things that I enjoyed, I would say that the strategic aspects of my job most energized me. I liked setting concrete performance goals for myself and finding ways to meet them. I similarly enjoyed analyzing markets for trends and identifying when would be the most beneficial time to enter or withdraw from certain funds.

When I was a manager, my team and I developed a new approach to accounts that became a standard for the company. Strategizing gave my work a sense of tangible direction and accomplishment.

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How would your colleagues or supervisor describe you?

Ineffective: I guess they would say that I am a hard worker who is successful.

Effective: My supervisor and colleagues have described me as a dependable worker. My supervisor has appreciated that I prioritize tasks and manage my responsibilities so that she can rely on me. My bosses tell me I have a sixth sense for markets and I learn new information and procedures quickly. These skills account for my two promotions in three years. My boss was also impressed by how I was able to lead my team.

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What can you offer us that other people cannot?

Ineffective: I have a unique combination of skills. I also really want the job.

Effective: I have a track-record of multiplying wealth through investments and developing strategies with teams. Since I have a JD, I also know what legal parameters and loopholes affect families and individuals planning their finances. My CFA training not only shows that I will succeed in the CFP courses, but also gives me a broader view of why financial plans work as they do. Since I am organized and self-motivated, I will add value to the company without requiring much tending and supervision.

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What about this job attracts you? What is unattractive?

Ineffective: I like that it is in the field I am targeting. I don't like the commute that it will require.

Effective: As I evaluate my skills and goals, this job maximizes on both. I will be able to merge my knowledge of law and markets while strategizing for the sound financial future of clients. Since this is a small company, I imagine that there will be opportunity for increased responsibilities and challenges. I share the values of the company. I am not eager to do much data processing, but the position is very attractive.

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How long do you see yourself with us?

Ineffective: I don't want to make any hasty commitments, and I like to keep my options open. Maybe I will be here for one year, maybe for five. It depends.

Effective: I see myself here as long as we both think that I am contributing to the vitality of the company while still being grown through challenges.

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How would you describe an ideal working environment?

Ineffective: A laptop and cell phone on a beach sound ideal to me. Short of that, I would like an environment in which I am able to work as I please, without much supervision.

Effective: It is important to me that my company has clear objectives and strives for success. Similarly, I like having colleagues whom I admire for their skills and perspectives. When communication is clear between colleagues, our energy becomes synergy. In addition, I find that I flourish when given discretion after having gained the trust of my supervisor.

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