How to Give Your Best First Impression During a Job Interview

Interviews can always be an interesting and unpredictable meeting for both parties, the applicant and the employer. We can never know exactly what will happen – which questions and answers await us, that we learn about each other, which employees will be able to get acquainted with the next steps and timing for decision.

However, there are similar moments – the issues of the employer are an integral part of each interview. If you have attended 10 interviews, you know very well that there are a number of questions that sound almost on everyone!

Below there is a list of frequently asked questions. Did you answer them on an interview?

Where do you see yourself in 3-5 years?
What is your vacancy / company interested in?
What is important for you when choosing a job?
Why do you think that you will be successful in this position?
Do you already have interviews at the final stages in other companies?
Why do you leave your current job?
What are your salary expectations?
What are you most proud of / what are your successes and achievements?
What questions do you want to ask us as an employer?

When asking questions, the employer receives much more than just an answer. It does not always matter what you answer. It may also be important how you answer. For example, the HR-manager can analyze what you say – confidently, uncertainly, think over the answer, give a quick answer, answer briefly or thoroughly approach the answer, while telling a part of your experience. And all this is very subjective. All this affects what will happen next.

Let’s talk about the intentions of employer by answering one of the most popular questions: Who do you see yourself in 5 years? The employer really wants to know the following details:
Do you set goals in life?
How long have you been planning to work in this area / company?
Are you seriously confident and worth investing in your training?
What are your ambitions (whether you want to become a leader / build a career)?
What matters to you in other life spheres?

How not to answer such questions:

I do not care where and by whom I will work.
I want to open a company like yours.
I never set the goal – who knows how my life will turn.
I still do not know what I want.
I try myself in different spheres and cannot answer this question.

Instead, imagine that you are forming a team for yourself and looking for people in your company. What answers would you like to hear about your question? Surely, you would like to have a person choose a field of activity according to some of his criteria, so that the vacancy and the company would be interesting for him, so that he would feel his development, etc. We would all like to have our employee join the team for some time, to bring the result and to be happy with his work. On this basis, give the answer (first of all!) – What do you want in the future? Understanding yourself and your goals, you will answer this question easily and intuitively


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