The Dubai job market continues to grow healthily, which is good news for job seekers as there are plenty of opportunities. But, where there are opportunities there will of course be fierce competition and candidates will need to up their game in 2013 if they are to land their dream job.
One area that candidates should focus on is their interview preparation and their readiness to answer any questions that may be thrown at them. Of course, while it is not possible to know the exact questions that employers may ask, most employers will ask questions which come from 1 of the following 6 categories of question, which means you can and should prepare to answer these. Below, I have outlined the 6 main types of interview question you may face and suggested how you should answer them.
1.Verification of experience and credentials; these are questions which are simply designed to check the facts and these are a good way to trip candidates up and expose a lie. A typical verification question might be, “What were your responsibilities when you worked here?” or “How many people did you manage at company X?” or “What grades did you get in your degree?“. So, what’s the best way to answer these questions? Simple, make sure you read and re-read your CV, so you are clear on all the facts and make sure you always tell the truth.
2.”What if” questions. Typical questions in this category are, “What would you do if this happened…?” With this question the employer wants to assess your attitude and see how you might respond in a certain situation. My tip to answer this question well is to understand the prospective employer’s company culture, that is, the behaviour it wants to see and answer in line with this.
3. Strange questions. Companies like Google, Disney and Microsoft are famous for asking candidates unusual questions. At typical oddball question might be, “What country best reflects your personality?” or “If you could be a super hero, what powers would you want to have?” There is no correct answer here, they just want to see some original thought.
4.Maths Questions. These questions are also very popular in scientific and technical companies. A typical Maths question might be, “What is 3,000 divided by 16?” or “How many footballs could you fit in an Emirates A380?” They want to assess your maths skills and also see if you can justify how you arrived at your answer.
5.Case Study questions. These questions are designed to test your creative problem solving skills and reasoning skills, and a typical question might be, “How many petrol stations are their in Dubai?“, or “How big is the entire middle east CD market?“. Once again, make sure you explain how you arrived at your answer.
6.Behavioural Questions. This is the most common type of interview question and you will probably recognize the format when I explain it. A typical behavioural interview question might be, “Give me an example of a time when you did this? When was this? Describe the situation? Describe you role? What was the outcome?“. There is a straight forward answering method for behavioural questions and it is called, STAR and this is explained below.
Situation: Describe the situation that you were in
Task: Describe the task you were doing
Action: Describe the actions you took to complete the task
Result: Describe was the outcome of the situation
Good Luck in your next interview!
About the author
Kazim Ladimeji is the Director of thecareercafe.co.uk—a resource for start-ups, small business and job seekers. It includes a blog with career and small business advice articles. Kazim is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and has been a practising HR professional for 14 years.
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