Top 8 Video Interview Questions and Answers to Practice - Career Sidekick

Top 8 Video Interview Questions and Answers to Practice - Career Sidekick Top 8 Video Interview Questions and Answers to Practice Interview Questions and Answers / https://www.edenscott.com/blog There are a few video interview questions that hiring managers LOVE to ask.And you need to be ready for them, because they usually come at the start of the interview and set the tone for the entire conversation.So were going to cover 8 common video interview questions and how to answer them.For each question below, weve put simple instructions on what the hiring manager wants to hear, a video tutorial, and a link to a full article if you want more info on any these interview questions and answers.8 Must-Know Video Interview Questions and How to Answer Them:1. Why should we hire you?Step 1.Figure out what the company wants/needs most. If you want to get hired for a good job,you need to make your interview answers about THEM, not you.The fastest and easiest way to know what they need is to look at the job description.What do they mention most often? What is emphasized near the top or mentioned first?Step 2.Now that you know what they want for thisjob ope ning, you need to give it to them.You should tell them that you did some research, mention what you noticed about the jobs requirements, and then highlight your skills and experience that fit best with what they need! Give specific examples if you can.Let’s say you’re going to talk about leadership.Don’t just say, “yes, I led some people in my last job, leadership won’t be a problem for me.”Tell them how many people you led, what topics you guided them on, what you learned as a leader. Andthen remember to show that you’re interested in leading, or that you enjoy it as well!Its important to show that youWANT to be doing the type of work they need. Being able to do something doesnt mean youll necessarily be interested, motivated and happy in the job. To put their mind at ease you need to show excitement and a genuine interest in working with the areas youre talking about!2. Why did you leave your last job?How to answer ifyou willingly left your last job:Neverbad-mouth yo ur former company. It’ll immediately make the interviewer wonder if you were the reason the problem occurred.So I like to usea strategy I call More Of… Its a trick I use to turnnegativesinto positives. You do this bysaying you changed jobs or left your past jobto get more of something. Instead of saying my last job didnt give me enough chance to lead (which sounds negative), youd say, I wanted more of a chance to lead.Another phrase you can use that I like“I felt ready for ____”Just fill in the blank with what you want more of in your next position. Leadership. Technical challenges. Teamwork and cooperation. Opportunity to learn a new area. Project management. More interaction with clients. Etc.And this is crucial: make sure whatever you say you want more ofis something this company offers! Dont say you want more project management if you wont be managing any projects in this new job. Why would they hire you? Theyll think you wont enjoy it and wont stay for long enough to be worth hiring!How to answer ifyou were fired or laid off:If you were laid off, just be straight forwardand explain why. My department had a 50% reduction and I was a part of the layoff.If you were fired, follow these steps:1. Be up-front and takeresponsibility2. Showthat you’ve learned/changed so it won’t happen again3. Practice your answer so you do not hesitate. Delivery is key!Taking responsibility doesnt mean you have to say everything was your fault. I get it- sometimes you join a bad company. I was fired in the past and the company was AWFUL. But companies want to hear you take accountability.So look for one or two things you could have done differently, and take responsibility for that piece.Why dont I recommend just lying? Hiring managers are great at telling when youre lying. And they might even ask for references before hiring you. So lying and saying you left your last job on your own, when you were actually fired, is probably going to end badly!And if they find out A FTER youre hired that you lied, it can be grounds for termination. Thatll be two firings in a row and VERY hard to recover from, so use the method above. Youll be fine. Everyone makes mistakes (or joins bad companies), and a reasonable hiring manager will see that youre taking responsibility, being honest and upfront, and will want you on their team!3. What is your greatest weakness?Forget the cliche answers like Im such a hard worker that sometimes I just have trouble turning it off. Hiring managers have heard them all a TON and will not be impressed.You need to give a real weakness if you want to be impressive on this interview question. With a few guidelines:1. Always choose something skill-based, not personality-based.2. Talk about what youre doing to overcome this weakness.Example: I havent always been very skilled in Microsoft Excel, but as my work has required it more Ive made it a point to organize some tutorialsthat I can refer back to, and this has improved the quality and speed of my work significantly.This is going to impress them because youre showing your approach to solving problems or overcoming challenges. That tells them youll do a great job if new challenges come up in this next job, or if they ask you to learn new things.4. What can you tell me about yourself?This is one of the most common typical interview questions. Its very open-ended but that doesnt mean there arent bad answers.In general you want to walk them through your career and bring them up to speed on your current situation (what you did in your last job, why youre job searching now, and what youre looking for).If youre a recent grad, start your story at the beginning of your college/university education and why you chose your field of study.If you have a few years of experience, you can start with the moment you graduated.Whereas if you have 10+ years of experience, start with something later, like the first time you managed a team, or something else related to your current car eer path (its okay if youre not managing anyone, just pick something else!)From the starting point, walk them through significant pieces of your career, like big projects, companies you worked with, challenges and learning opportunities, and the reasons you changed from one company to the next.Keep everything under three minutes! They want you to be concise and stay on track. Do not get sidetracked no matter what. This is one of those interview answers you NEED to practice at home. I suggest you write down some bullet points and make sure youre hitting the key topics as you tell your story. And time yourself to see if you finish in under three minutes.5. Why do you want this job?First, you need to be able to explain YOURpriorities and goals. You need to know one or two things that are important to you in your job search. Other than I want to get hired or Im unemployed so I need a job.Then show them that youve researched the job and know what it involves.Finally, talk about how the t hings this job offers fit nicely with what you prioritized in your job hunt!Sample answer: Something thats important for me to find in my next job is a chance to mentor and train other team members. I was reading the job description and noticed that one of the first things you mentioned was your mentoring program, so I was excited to learn more about the opportunity.And for an added bonus, talk about how youd be effective in this area. Have you done anything in the past thatll help you succeed? What skills and experience will allow you to come in and have an immediate impact. Thats what they want. Get specific, give examples.In my last job I mentored four new hires as a part of ourtraining program, and helped each of them meet orexceed their goals within three months of joining us6. Where do you see yourself in five years?This is one of the tougher typical interview questions youll face, but answering doesnt have to be difficult. First thing to realize- you dont have to really know where youll be in five years. Who does, really?You just have to show that youve thought about it. You need to seem goal-oriented, and like you care about your career.And then you need to make sure that what you say fits with the job youre interviewing for. Its going to kill your chances of getting hired if you say your five year goal is something unrelated to the job youre interviewing for.Why would they hire you if this job is taking you AWAY from your goals? Theyll be worried youll hate it and leave within the first year.Finally, make sure you pick a goal thats slightly ambitious! Dont say you hope to doing the same thing in five years. If you want to get hired youre going to have to convince them youre motivated to learn and advance. Whether or not its true, you need to talk the talk.7. What is your dream job?This question trips a lot of people up because usually your dream job isnt exactly the job youre interviewing for (for a lucky few, maybe it is).So are you supposed to say t hat this job is your dream job? No! you dont have to lie.Heres what to do: Instead of saying a job title in your answer, just DESCRIBE what your dream job looks like.Talk about what qualities would make a job exciting to you. And make sure youre tailoring your answer to what this company offers! Again, you dont have to lie just think about making sure your answer isnt opposite to what this job involves.So heres the process in bullet points:Never use a specific job title. Use words that describe what your dreamjob would look like.Choose at least two phrases or words, and pick things relatedto the job you’re interviewing for.Finishby showing the interviewer that you did some research about them, and explainwhy you’re interested in theirjob.Example: “My dream job would be a combination of creating products thatare making a difference in the world and getting a chance to share them with as many people as possible. I was excited about this position because I read that millions of p eople use your company’s products each day and it seems like the work you’re doing is having a big impact worldwide.”8. What are your greatest strengths?This is your chance to brag about yourself, but you need to do it the right way if you want your answer to impress the hiring manager. And dont worry if you HATE bragging about yourself, Ill walk you through itHeres what to do:First, know what youre going to say ahead of time.Do NOT just go in and “wing it.” Even preparing a half-decentanswer will be better than making it up on the spot.This is one of those typical interview questions that you needto prepare for ahead of time.And keep your answerto one or two strengths. It’ll make the next steps easierand reduce the chance of you making a mistake.Always tailor your answer for thejob.Make sure you choose strengths that fit with what youll be doing in this job.If the job involves working with customers and cooperating with a large team, why are they going to hire you if yo u say your greatest strength isworking alone?So look at the job description and take five minutes to figure out what the company needs before deciding which strengths youll share.Then give PROOF:Most job seekers dont know this: giving a detailed example with stats and facts is 10-20 times more powerful than just saying you have experience with something.So for your strengths, be sure to mention some facts and examples to back up your claim. Include specific numbers if you can.One of my greatest strengths is cold calling and new customer acquisition. When I stepped into my lastsales jobour department hadnt finished above our goal in nine months. I beat my individual sales quotaby 80% and the department achieved 110% of our monthly goal. We havent been below our monthly goal since then.Practice These 8 Video Interview Questions and Get Hired FasterIf you get confident with the 8 video interview questions and answers above, youll give yourself a great shot at acing your interview.A vid eo interview really isnt that different from any interview, but you need to be comfortable explaining to an employer why youre job hunting, what youre looking for, and why you want their specific job.Also be ready to share past accomplishments, with real examples of what youve done for other employers.Finally, make sure youre comfortable with the video format and your technology at home in general. For further help with this, we recommend our list of video interview tips.