When going into anything unprepared you will fell unsure and your confidence will go down the drain, it’s best to be prepared and ready for anything thrown your way – Allow us to help with that.

The following are a few questions for you to take down and prepare answers for before your interview:

Tell me about yourself

This question may seem like an easy one to answer but it’s not always that simple under pressure. Prepare a short response, leave out your full background off where you grew up and what your first dogs name was – keep it focused on work-related information.

What are your strengths?

Come up with about three or four skills or attributes that you are good at. Attach a little scenario or example to each skill. Examples could be people skills, organisational skills, etc.

What are your weaknesses?

They want to know it all, including both the good and the bad. Be honest about your weaknesses, we all have them. Things to include here could be: Self-confidence struggles, being authoritative, etc.

Where do you see yourself in five or ten years time?

The answer to this question shows them how ambitious and driven you are. Be honest here but avoid answers like “I want to be the CEO” or “I want to be making lots of money”. Speak about the skills you want to acquire or what type of employee you want to be.

Are you applying for other jobs?

BE HONEST. A good response would be “yes, I have applied for several jobs in the field as a back-up”. There’s nothing wrong with having your options open.

Why did you leave your last job?

If you lie here, the interviewer will be able to find out with one simple phone call to your references.

Don’t badmouth your previous company or employer – this just shows bad character.

Why do you want to work for us? Or Why should we hire you?

Talk about the things you like about the company and why you think you would fit into the position. Mention what the company could teach you and then discuss what benefit you could bring to the company as an employee.

What are your salary expectations?

Although this is a bit of a tricky one, be honest about your previous salary if asked and then give an amount. If you are unsure of what a fair rate is, give them a rough amount (for example, between R8 000 and R10 000).