Read our top tips for responding to questions on job application forms and interviews, and check out typical questions with answer guidelines.
The questions will be geared to finding out your reasons for wanting to join a company, your specific competencies and aspects of your personality.
Don’t just take questions on face value – think about what they are really asking and craft a response to impress the employer.
Remember to tailor your answers to each organisation.
Draw on relevant evidence from your whole life to illustrate your attributes, motivations and achievements etc.
Structure your responses using PAR (Problem Action Result) when explaining your achievements or answering competency questions.
Problem: Set the context – outline the challenge you faced.
Action: Explain how you solved it.
Result: Summarise and analyse your achievement, giving measurable evidence where possible e.g. % increase in sales. Include what you learnt from the situation, and if there was anything you would do differently next time.
Be specific – communicate how you played an active role and made a positive contribution to resolving the ‘problem’.
Note: This is also referred to as the STAR technique SITUATION TASK ACTION RESULT
For written applications, take note of any word limits (often 250)
Example questions with answer guidelines
Questions will vary for every company, but here are some actual examples from application forms and interviews, with guidelines on how to respond…
Questions about why you want THIS job
Questions about your experience and knowledge
Find Out More:
Top Ten Questions On Application Forms – Inside Careers
How To Answer Competency-Based Questions On Job Application Forms – The Guardian
