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With the graduate recruitment season in full swing, it’s time to go over the basics and nail one of the most crucial parts of the job-seeking process, the Interview! After doing a little research across a range of platforms, blogs, and job-seeking websites, these five interview questions have been considered the most challenging during graduate interviews. 1. What are your weaknesses? Recruiters and Interviewers often ask this question to get a sense of your self-awareness and learn more about how you are actively seeking to improve yourself. While interviews are a chance for you to show off all your skills and talents, it is also a time to showcase vulnerability, so recruiters can see that you have the ability to self-reflect. There are four key components you’ll want to answer to ace this question! - What is a weakness of yours that you have identified? - How has it impacted your work/life to date? - How are you addressing this and working on it? - Have you noticed changes since working on this weakness? Example: “One weakness I’ve been working on is that I often over-think things. I understand how this only increases my stress and decreases my overall performance and productivity. To improve this, I have been using a planner to break down my work tasks to ensure I stay on track and not become overwhelmed. I also like to go to the gym and exercise daily to clear my head and de-stress after a long day. In doing this, it has helped decrease my anxiety levels, and I have found that it has improved my self-confidence in my work and abilities.” 2. Why do you want to work here? When applying for graduate and internship roles, you’ll often see this question come up during the application process and in the interview. Recruiters ask this question to make sure that you’ve put some thought into your application and have done your research on their company. If you are applying for a graduate role in a field outside of your majors and studies, this question will be particularly important to recruiters.  To ace this question, think about the following: What are your values, and what are you looking for in a company? How does their company align with the traits you’ve listed? How can you make an impact on the company? Example: “I’ve always wanted to work with a company that is committed to integrity, technology advancement, and innovation.  I  know that I can contribute to this industry, by using my skills in business management to advance the growth of the company and drive targeted sales.” 3. Tell me about a time you failed? Recruiters often ask these questions to determine whether you can take responsibility for your shortcomings and that you can learn from your mistakes. It shows recruiters that you can be mature by not making excuses for yourself or blaming others for your mistakes. To ace this question, use the STAR format and answer the following: Situation: Give some background. Task: What was your role, and what was supposed to happen? Action: What did you do? And how did it go wrong? Result: What was the result? Looking back, what could you have done differently? Example: “During my second year of studies, I took on an additional job on top of my current part-time work, studies, and extra-curricular activities. During test week in the semester, I found it difficult to manage two jobs and my classwork and neglected to study for one of my tests. I went into the test feeling unprepared and was not able to give it my best shot. Looking back, I realised that I should have managed my time better and not taken on a new project with all my other commitments. I’ve started using a daily planner and yearly calendar to plan out when I will be the busiest so I will not be overwhelmed with my commitments.” 4. What is your greatest achievement? When recruiters ask this question, there are several things they are interested in learning about you. This question helps them to understand what your values are, how you view success, and whether you have  a drive for success. This question can even give recruiters an insight into your soft skills such as communication and teamwork. Ready to ace this question? Use the STAR method to describe your achievement: Situation: In what context did your achievement occur? Task: What was the challenge or goal that you had to complete Action: what role did you actively play? And what skills did you use? Result: What was the result? What did you learn? And why is this your greatest achievement? Example: “My greatest achievement is when I got full marks on a peer presentation and essay assignment in a university paper. I was partnered up with another girl in my class and had to create an interactive and engaging 20-minute presentation based on the course content. There was a lot of material to cover, so my partner and I split up all the readings and lectures work up evenly and came up with ideas on how this would be best presented. We spent a couple of weeks working through the material and developing an engaging presentation together. The lecturer was very pleased with our work, and we received full marks. We were also offered the opportunity to showcase our work to the rest of the class.”   5. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Graduate recruiters ask this question as they don’t want to invest in hiring and training a graduate that will not be committed to their company. Recruiters want to know about your career goals, motivations, and how well they align with the company. This question gives recruiters an insight into whether you have realistic expectations for your career path, if you are ambitious and if the role aligns with your growth and goals overall. Ace it in 4 steps! Showcase your passion for the job position available. Be honest and think about your long-term career goals. Be well informed about the company Express how you would like to grow within the field and the company. Example: “After reading the job description for this position, I was excited about the company’s role in helping the community and, for this reason, I am so thrilled at the possibility of working with your company long term. In five years, I can see myself developing my passion and experience in youth work. I am looking forward to the opportunity to be fully involved in this area. I’d love to grow more within this position and take on more exciting community outreach projects in the future if the opportunity arises.” Summed up, these are the five most difficult questions graduate students face during the interview process and the best ways to answer them. With confidence and these tips in your back pocket, we’re sure you’ll nail that grad interview!  - Eleanor Almeida, Nxtstep Content Writer