You’ve just received confirmation that your application has been shortlisted for an interview! Now it’s preparation time. One of our tips for preparing for an interview is to anticipate the recruiter’s questions.

While it’s impossible to predict exactly what questions you’ll be asked at interview, some of them are obvious!
We’ve selected the five most frequently asked questions for you:

• “Can you tell me about yourself?”

This seemingly simple question requires a great deal of attention on your part because it can destabilise you if you’re not comfortable with your career plans. But it’s not a trick question – it’s the time to make your pitch!

In no more than two minutes, you will need to present who you are, your career path and the skills you have acquired.

Beware of the pitfalls: you are not asked to give a chronological account of your career.
We advise you to mention your personal and professional experience that relates to the job you’re applying for.
By preparing this question you will be able to steer the discussion with the recruiter, which will make it easier for you to control the interview.

• “Why are you applying to our company?”

While the previous question is not at all a trick question, this one is perhaps a bit more so! It enables the recruiter to find out whether the potential future employee is really motivated to join the company, and consequently to eliminate candidates who have applied randomly.

Your reply should be personalised according to your wishes. This is also the time to demonstrate your knowledge of the company. If you have a particular attachment to the company, make the most of it.

In addition, before the job interview, make sure you know a few things about the company, such as its CEO, its values, its news, etc.
A little help: most of the answers can be found on the company’s career site!

• “What is your proudest professional achievement?”

If you haven’t thought of an answer beforehand, you run the risk of not finding an example or, worse still, of feeling taken by surprise and giving any pride you can think of that wasn’t actually pride. As a result, you will be disappointed with your choice and feel unsettled for the rest of the interview.

What you should do is prepare a report on the situation that caused you the most problems, explaining how you managed to overcome it. Show that you were able to overcome a real challenge, despite the difficulties, and give the lessons you learned from it!

• “Where do you see yourself in the next five years?”

With this question, the recruiter is looking to see if you can imagine your future. If you don’t know what to answer, you run the risk of suggesting that you don’t have a career plan.
The job you are applying for today must be a relevant foundation for the career you are aiming for tomorrow. Explain how you are going to achieve your long-term objective by performing well in the job you are applying for.

The recruiter is also looking for your commitment. Recruitment is an investment in terms of time and money for a company. A candidate who demonstrates a desire to learn and grow alongside the company will reassure the recruiter.

• “Do you have any questions?”

The end of the job interview is a key stage. This is the time to leave the recruiter with one last good impression.
Ending with a “no, I don’t have any questions” could send out the wrong impression of you: lack of commitment, not proactive, not interested in the job, etc.

Good preparation will give you enough information and a fair share of questions to ask during a job interview, but if you’re afraid of jeopardizing the interview, don’t hesitate to jot down a few questions in your notebook to show your curiosity.

If the recruiter has lots of questions for you, your turn will also come to ask yours. Don’t forget that a recruitment interview is first and foremost a meeting and that it’s a two-way process.