3 simple but still challenging interview questions

Career Tips For IT Professionals - Interview Prep

How to answer 3 simple but still challenging interview questions.

No matter what IT role you are interviewing for, most likely these questions will be asked, and a good interviewer will follow up with more specific “why” type questions, to make sure your answer is sincere. Continue reading to learn about useful interview preparation tips and how to answer 3 simple but still challenging interview questions. ​

Tell me about yourself?
This is an open question, the interviewer is not really looking to hear your life story, rather he is interested to see how you communicate and learn more about you from a career perspective. 
Start with an overall statement about who you are professionally.
“I’m a technology program manager with a strong background in enterprise software development and process improvement”.
“I’m an IT professional with over 15 years of global support management. I built global support organizations that operate in very dynamic and high performing environments, supporting global customers with very strict service level agreements.”
Then continue to describe your professional experience in the last 3-4 years that is relevant to the role you are interviewing for.     
 
If you are currently employed, expect the interviewer to ask – why do you want to leave?
If you want to leave because you are looking for a higher compensation, that is fine, but probably not something the interviewer will appreciate much.
You don’t want to be negative or complain about your current employer.
You can start by saying something along the lines of: I have been with company A for 3 years, I gained good experience working with great people on a few challenging projects, but I’m now at a point to look for other opportunities where I can continue my professional growth. 
I’m looking to join a company that is dynamic, growing, invests in their employees and supports opportunities for change and growth.

This is when you want to switch to talk about the organization you are interviewing for and describe the reason that you are interested in this opportunity. It can be a professional area that you are passionate about, industry you want to specialize in, or the organization has values that you appreciate and that align with yours. You can also mention that you have been following this organization for quite some time, and are excited to hear about all the new initiatives, products and services that the company is developing.

Following the introduction questions, the interviewer will have a set of professional questions to evaluate your knowledge and specific experience for the role you are interviewing for.
 
Most likely, at the end of the interview, the last question will be - do you have any questions for me?
Asking questions at the end of the interview is highly important and can demonstrate your understanding of the role, your interest in  learning more, and moving forward in the recruiting process. If you are truly interested in this role you should have at least one question, but try to keep it under three, being respectful to interviewer’s time. 

Example of questions to consider:
What are the key challenges and opportunities the business is facing this year? 
How would you measure success for the team and for this role?
How quickly are you looking to fill this position?
I hope to be considered to move forward, if so, what is the next step?
 
There are different ways to answer these questions, most importantly, stay positive, energetic, and genuinely provide answers that reflect your values and goals. 

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