You are in an interview, and your confidence is through the roof since, by the looks of things, you are doing well! You have nailed every bit of the interview with the precision of a laser. Then comes the wrap-up segment. Yes, that part where the questions are less structured, a bit casual, but esoteric!
“What is your greatest weakness?”
Somehow, the question seems easy to answer, but it can get the better of you. Welcome to fit interview 101!
Such a question notoriously appears virtually in every interview! Nevertheless, most candidates underestimate them. Often, the feeling is that the answers don’t matter. So many people don’t give them much thought to provide a genuinely decent response.
Some poor answers include, “I have no weaknesses!” and “I am bad at this and that!” respectively. But no one is perfect, so fail the honesty test! And for the weaknesses, you might list one that’s an absolute must-have for the open position.
So, how do you go about fit interview questions? Well, you are already learning! This article gives you the hacks to wow the interviewer! We help you sell yourself by painting a complete picture of you that the interviewer is interested in by concentrating on these five key pillars:
- Research
- Network
- Role-matching
- Interview Answers
- Practice
First things first, though, why do interviewers ask these kinds of questions? If you know the “why,” then everything else will fall into place!
Table of Contents
Qualitative Assessment
These unstructured questions are seemingly unrelated to the position in question, but believe it or not, it serves a critical role. They are not nicety or ritual questions but a screening test. They assess your ability to fit in and are just as important as the case interviews.
Why Fit Interview Questions Are Important
● Staff retention – They help the hiring firm hire employees who are determined to stay with them in the long term, but not just using them as a stepping stone.
● Soft/Interpersonal skills – The interviewer uses these questions to unearth your social skills. You might be the right candidate but lack this set of skills, which are equally important in getting along with clients and co-workers.
● Culture fit – The interviewer wants to ensure that your values and aspirations are not in any way in conflict with the company’s values.
1. Research
Also, go through your recent successful projects and relate it with the specific office you are seeing. Pre-empt how the day-to-day work in your target role would be, and learn how that position would make you interact with other staff.
Of course, you also want to look at the grueling side of this job you are applying for and noting everything you might not like about it.Websites like Glassdoor are an excellent resource for you to know the ins and outs target position.
2. Network
Networking is vital in landing interviews, but it doesn’t end there. For example, if a friend informs you of an open position in their company, they are in the best position to help you learn more about them.
Current and former employees of a company can help you paint a realistic picture of how your life would be like, and prepare you for what the interviewer would be seeking. They are or have been there, so they know better.
3. Role-Matching
While role matching starts earlier, just before you submit your job request letter, once you land the interview, you need to match your skills with the position to see how well you score. Doing so ensures you can blend in well in the company. But how do you do it?
First, learn more about your target position. With the information in your hand, identify your strengths, i.e., personality, skills, and capabilities that you bring to the fold, and compare them against those that are needed for the open position.
You need to have evidence of how you’ve utilized your skills in the past. So, have a matching achievement in your professional or personal life.
4. Interview Your Answers
Right from step zero, you have been creating content for your interview questions. Now, all you need to do now is to prepare the interview answers.
There is more to fit interview questions than just the answers. Like onions, they have multiple layers. And well, you know what happens when you tackle onions unprepared. They make you cry!
Keep in mind that the interviewer has only one role – find the perfect candidate for the job among all the applicants. To do that, they use these self-critical inducing questions to throw candidates off balance.
But since you already have the content of your answers, now learn how to say it. For you to be perfect for the job, you must be able to convey your message clearly and effectively. Remember, your communication skills, too, are on trial. So, how adept are you at selling yourself?
How to Tell Stories in Fit Interviews
These “casual” questions will need your story. However, the delivery style of these stories is different, as you would tell them at the dinner table or bar.
Ensure you get the gist of the question because the interviewing panel won’t be writing down your answer, but note how well you respond to the question.
For example, “Tell us about a time you demonstrated personal impact!”
Though this question calls for a story, the panel isn’t interested in the extraneous detail. The intention is to crop out your ability to connect the question to the interview. So, your story should be clear and concise.
We often use the STAR framework
S – Situation – Brief explanation of the context
T – Task – The assignment involved
A – Actions – What you did
R – Result – Did you succeed or fail
Also, remember to highlight quickly the following:
● The challenges you faced;
● Lessons you learnt from the experience; and
● How that has helped you improve as a person concerning the job position you seek.
5. Practice Makes Perfect
You need to sit down and figure out your weakness, strengths, and achievements. Figure out how you can turn them into your strong points. That’s not what you want to mull over during an interview!
The hack to passing fit interview questions is to start by answering them BEFORE the interview. They say practice makes perfect! If you really want that job, and you have already put all the work we’ve illustrated here, then get the questions and practice to answer them.
For the best result, simulate the real interview by getting a few friends to play panelists and as you the questions.
Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst
It is okay to prepare for generic fit interview questions, but don’t expect them in the interview! So, when practicing, let your panel make up some questions, and drill down to exhaust the answers.
Also, don’t expect your panel to ask the questions and just listen to you. Expect to follow up questions. But stay calm, be confident, and serve them what they want.
After all, it is your true story, and nobody can tell your story better than you can. To avoid running into trouble, stick to true stories because you can comfortably expound on without a glitch.
You are ready!
With these five hacks, you are more than ready to face your panel! Hiring managers are not looking for perfect candidates with no known weaknesses. The best candidate is one who is conscious of their shortcomings but is actively initiating the needed effort to improve themselves. Not those who think they are perfect!
So, the next time you face a fit interview, you won’t cry, as you are already prepared for onion questions.
Good luck!
