Traditional Interview Questions

Courtesy of Felix Global

Traditional Interview Questions

• KNOW YOURSELF
• KNOW THE COMPANY
• KNOW THE JOB
Traditional Interview Questions

• The following are obligatory questions

you will be asked at the beginning of
your interview.
Traditional Interview Questions

1.What position are you applying for?

2. What diploma did you obtain at CEGEP and, if

applicable, what degrees did you obtain at university.

See the following website to obtain the English translation of Cegep

programs:
http://fieldrelated.com/cegep_program_name_translator.php

Please give the complete name of each university degree (go on the
website of an English university).
Traditional Interview Questions

3. What do you find most attractive about this

position? (see your Research Project: Duties,
Requirements and Skills)

4. Why would you like to work for us? (see your

Research Project: The Employer)
Traditional Interview Questions

• The following are elective questions

you can choose from.
Traditional Interview Questions

5. Tell me about yourself.

That’s a loaded question.
Traditional Interview Questions

• Interviewer: Tell me about yourself.

• You: Would you like me to tell you
about my personal life or my
professional life?
• Interviewer: As you wish.
• You: Very well then; I’ll tell you a little
bit about both, but before I start, I’d like
to know how much time I have to
answer the question.
• Interviewer: Three minutes.
Traditional Interview Questions

• Before you start:

• Tell interviewer that if he/she has any
questions afterwards, he/she should feel free
to ask them.
• By saying that, you give your interviewer
permission to ask you personal questions,
which he/she would not otherwise be allowed
to do. Since you have nothing to hide, be as
transparent as possible.
Traditional Interview Questions

• Telling your story:

• Start your story (it should have a beginning, a
middle, and an end). It should also be told in
chronological order to make it easier for your
interviewer to follow and for you to be
perceived as logical and methodical.
• Try to include skills you possess that are
relevant to the position you’re applying for.
Traditional Interview Questions

• Examples of what you can mention:

• Your early childhood (where you were born, your
family, the neghbourhood/town/village you grew up
in, primary and high school you attended (programs,
awards, scholarships, extra-curricular activities
received). Hobbies; sports; musical instruments;
volunteer work, etc., skills you’ve developed along
the way (the more they are relevant to the position,
the better); college/university you attended +
programs; summer and part-time jobs; internships.
• End your story with why you’re here today: You’re
very interested in the position you’re applying for.
Traditional Interview Questions

6. What are your strengths? In other words,

why should we hire you (you have a lot more
to offer than your winning smile)? You must
mention 3 details related to your knowledge,
3 hard skills and 3 soft skills (see your
research project: Duties, Requirements and
Skills.)

Best place to start: go on

Explore an occupation - Job Bank. Enter
the title of your future job, then click on each
of the following tabs: Description (for the
duties), Requirements; Skills.
Traditional Interview Questions
The Pyramid of Skills

Soft
skills

Hard
skills

Knowledge
Traditional Interview Questions

Examples of knowledge:
1. Studies (DCS + name of program; bachelor’s degree,
master’s degree, PhD + name of program)
2. License to practise your profession
3. Member of an order or an association
4. Languages spoken and written
5. Work-related experience in your field acquired through
internships and/or summer or part-time jobs.
6. Computer literate: Microsoft Office Suite
Traditional Interview Questions

• Hard skills are usually defined as skills that are

learned and can be defined, evaluated and measured.
• You should also mention all the hard skills you have
developed over the course of your studies which are
specific to your field, such as web design, typing,
accounting, finance, writing, mathematics, and other
quantifiable skills that are included in the requirements
for your future job.
• Suggestion: Mention the skills that are in the job ad
and that you already possess or will possess once
your studies are over.
Traditional Interview Questions

Examples of soft skills (personality traits). Usually considered innate

or more difficult to teach.
• Creative
• Interactive skills
• Dynamic
• Empathetic
• Adapt easily to change (highly valued by employers)
• Initiative
• Autonomous
• Competitive
• Quick learner
• Persevering
• Suggestion: Read the description of your MBTI type to discover
more skills that you probably possess.
Traditional Interview Questions

• The following skills are more

difficult to categorize. They could
be considered soft skills by some
and hard skills by others.
communication, leadership,
management, attention to detail,
problem-solving, decision-making,
etc.
Traditional Interview Questions

7. Tell me about one of your weaknesses (or

what would you like to improve)?

– And please don’t say that you’re a

perfectionist …unless you can really support
what you say and that it truly comes across
as a weakness that you have learned to
manage over time.
Traditional Interview Questions

• This question can be a test of self-knowledge and

honesty.
• Do not say you have none. Whilst you do not
want to admit to a serious incompetence in the
key skills required for the job, you do want to
show that you are aware of your weaknesses and
can own up to them.
• A neat trick is to follow up the admission of a
weakness with a description of how you are now
able to manage it.
• You can even start by saying something that
you’re good at (see example in next slide).
• Remember: Nobody expects you to be perfect.
Traditional Interview Questions

• Example:
• Although I’ve always been effective at…, I’ve
had some difficulty with…, which is why I…
(tell him/her what you did: read a
management book; took a seminar;
shadowed someone at work who is a master
of…, spoke to your mentor, etc. ).
Traditional Interview Questions

8. Tell me about some of the duties you had and the skills
you’ve developed.
• Even if you don’t have real work experience in your
field because you’ve recently graduated, you can
mention duties you had in previous jobs and the
TRANSFERABLE skills you’ve developed through
your studies, extra-curricular activities, part-time or
summer jobs, hobbies, sports, volunteer work, etc.
• If you’ve served an internship in your field, mention the
duties you had and the skills you developed during
your internship.
Traditional Interview Questions

9. Tell me about your greatest accomplishment.

• Mention something you’re proud of. It doesn’t

have to be a professional accomplishment; it
can be a personal one. Give specific details.
Traditional Interview Questions

10. Where do you see yourself in 5 years from

now (i.e. 5 years after you’ve started your
career job)?
• Be as candid as possible. If you see yourself
doing the same job because you love it so
much, say so.
• If you would like to obtain a managerial
position, say so; however, you should also be
able to explain what you plan on doing to be
considered for a managerial position (read
management books, take management
courses, seminars, etc.)
Traditional Interview Questions

• Be logical. In other words, if you’re applying for a sales

position, it would make sense that you might want to
obtain a position as a sales manager or a product
manager in the marketing department. It wouldn’t,
however, make sense that you see yourself in a
human resources position.
• Companies invest a lot in recently graduate students,
so they expect a return on their investment. Therefore,
it’s never a good idea to say that you see yourself
working somewhere else in 5 years.
Traditional Interview Questions

• The following is an obligatory question

you will be asked at the end of the
interview.
Obligatory Question
At the End of the Interview
Do you have any questions for me? You should always
be prepared to ask one or two questions.

Questions:
• Tell me about your career
• What is your management style?
• What are some of the challenges awaiting the new
incumbent?
• Can you describe the team I’ll be working with
• Come up with your own questions. However, don’t ask
questions you could easily get the answers to by going
on the employer’s website.
Traditional Interview Questions

THE END