Knock Em’ Dead: Ace The Interview and Land the Job

Now that you have mastered pre-interview etiquette and understand the importance of your punctuality, greeting, and attire, lets get you prepared to ace the interview! Here are some common interview questions and answers that will land you the job!

Can you tell us about yourself? By asking this, your interviewer will want to determine how friendly and personable you are. Talk about things they would not be able to Google about you — throw in any sports or extracurricular activities you participate in, especially those that are relative to the job. For instance, saying you take cooking classes because you aspire to become a chef one day is a great thing to include when applying to a restaurant.

What excites you about the job? Research and understand the job description under the company’s Hiring Portal on ZippyApp prior to your interview so you know the duties and requirements of the position. Getting an interview means you likely have the necessary experience and requirements needed to get the job — the interview is a better way for you to showcase your skills, rather than just having them on a piece of paper. Explain your experience with each of the duties the job requires. For instance, if you are applying to a Host position, explaining you have experience working in a fast-paced environment (like a mall) is a great way of showing you have the ability to take care of multiple customers at one time. See any skills you don’t have? Think about experiences you have had that are non-work related – like group projects or team sports.

Why do you think you are a good fit? Hiring managers usually are interested in seeing if would be a good fit for the team or not. Picture yourself in the company environment and ambiance, and explain how you are a good fit with that. Mentioning you play sports and enjoy a team environment is a great way to demonstrate you are a team player.

Why our company? Understanding what makes the company unique from others will score you points in the interview. Research their menu and/ or merchandise; then tell them you embrace their concept and explain how you would bring value to that. Demonstrating your knowledge about their products and offerings will convey your desire to work for them.

Come prepared with questions to ask of your own. Remember, you are interviewing the hiring manager just as much as they are interviewing you. Going in to an interview prepared with questions of your own will show the hiring manager you are serious about the position. Some good questions to come prepared with are:

• What will a typical workday look like?
• What are some of the challenges someone in this position would face?
• What are the opportunities for growth for someone in this position?

Have any interview questions to share? We would love to hear from you! Post your comments here.