The Middle (part 1)

Once the interviewer feels that the interviewee has relaxed, they will ask questions that are focused on the position's requirements and the applicant's ability to meet them.

Some aspects that the interview will be trying to evaluate include:

  • How mentally alert and responsive is the applicant?
  • Is the applicant able to draw proper inferences and conclusions?
  • Does the applicant display an appropriate degree of intellectual depth in their thinking?
  • Has the applicant demonstrated good judgement and common sense up until this point?
  • What is the applicant's capacity for problem solving?
  • How well does the candidate respond to stress and pressure?

During the middle part of the interview, questions will probably fall into one of three categories: knowledge of self and career direction, academic achievement, and knowledge of the employer/organisation. Here are a few examples of questions from each category:

  • Knowledge of self and career direction
    • What motivates you?
    • What do you consider to be your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
    • What makes you think that you will be successful in this career?
  • Academic achievement
    • What led you to choose your course?
    • What subjects did you like best and least? Why?
    • How has your experiences at university prepared you for this career?
  • Knowledge of employer/organisation
    • What do you think it takes to be successful in an organisation like ours?
    • In what ways do you think that you can make a contribution to our organisation?
    • Why did you choose to seek a position with this organisation?

The interviewer wants a response to each question, but is also gauging your enthusiasm, preparation and willingness to communicate. Try to provide information that can be related to the company's needs. Answer each question completely, but be careful not to run on too long with extensive details or examples.

Activity Activity

Ask a friend or relative to pretend that they are interviewing you for a hypothetical position. Give them the list of sample questions shown below as a guide for their interview.

1. What motivates you?

2. What do you consider to be your greatest strengths and weaknesses

3. What makes you think that you will be successful in this career?

4. What led you to choose your course?

5. What subjects did you like best? Why?

6. What subjects did you like least? Why?

7. How have your experiences at university prepared you for this career?

8. What do you think it takes to be successful in an organisation?

9. In what ways do you think that you can make a contribution to our organisation?

10. Why did you choose to seek a position with this organisation?

Seek feedback from the interviewer on their reactions to your responses. What went well? What went badly? Were you able to answer each of the interviewer’s questions confidently and succinctly, but with sufficient detail? Might you have answered any questions differently? If so, how?