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The Best Approach To Answering Interview Questions

08-07-2021
Job seeker advice

Regardless of the type of engineering position you are applying for, interviewers are likely to ask you similar questions over and over. Some questions can seem irrelevant to your current situation and don’t necessarily impact whether you get the job or not. However, these questions can determine your character and personality; respond respectfully and positively.

What the two most likely question to be asked at an interview are and how you should interact with these queries.

What made you want to leave your current employment?

There are many things you will want to leave out of this discussion. Now is NOT the time to start pointing the blame finger at your manager, colleagues, or just the company in general. This opens up unpleasant avenues, do you want your potentially new employer to start contemplating how you will be able to process changes or how you will adapt to new responsibilities in a negative light? The simple answer is no. You never know who knows who with the engineering community, your current manager could know your new manager.

Look into why you applied for the job you are currently interviewing for, maybe there is a better chance of progression through a larger business? Or a higher production rate? Here are some example situations with solutions:

What you want to say: My current role has become tedious.
How you could say it: I’m looking for new challenges which will broaden my experiences, I feel your company will help my progression within the engineering sector.

What you want to say: Internal changes has caused unnecessary competition and a negative hostile work environment.
How you could say it: From researching you company, I can see that you are driven to offer new and upcoming opportunities to a variety of employees. I am a determined to succeed as a team and individually, and I feel you can offer me the facilities to achieve this.

By reinterpreting the situation to seem positive rather than negative, you are avoiding letting your past affect your future.

How would you describe yourself?

Now is the time to really sell yourself! Think back to the job advertisement and the reasons you applied for this role, what criteria matches with you and how can you incorporate that into your answer? Here, you are going to be answering why they should employ you. Keep your answer simple and affective – reduce the chance for babble and get to the point.

If you are applying for a Quality Surveyor role, you may like to include your organisational skills through explaining how you previous took responsibility of prioritising certain objectives and assistance in delegating roles to meet standards of your previous employer. Demonstrate your skills in communication by explaining that communicating with clients and suppliers is kept professional and articulate to build a professional relationship with various stakeholders. Keep all examples positive and professional, to paint yourself in an optimistic light.

There are plenty of interview preparations you can take by looking for additional information we can provide through our Careers Toolbox, as well as speaking with your local engineering recruitment consultant.