AgCareers Career Guide - September 2016 - CDN

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WWHAT KIND OF RESPONSES are
employers REALLY looking for when
they ask interview questions?! Some
questions may stump you, or leave you
scratching your head, wondering, “What
does this have to do with the job?”
We hope to provide some
translations and suggestions so you can
eloquently answer these common and
tricky questions.
TELL ME A LITTLE ABOUT
YOURSELF.
Many employers start with this question
and your answer can dictate how the
rest of the interview will go. Debbie
Tabor, Manager of Recruitment &
Retention, MacDon Industries,
encourages interviewees to “Focus on
your skills, experience and training and
how they relate to the job you are
interviewing for.” Be wary of turning this
into a 20-minute speech on your full
history; keep it to a quick two-
minute overview as it relates to the job.
“Take anything too personal out of the
answer – it can make everyone at the
interview very uncomfortable,” shared
Laurie Lemanski, Human Resources
Generalist, Univar. “I don’t need to know
that you have a sick dog, or you love dirt
biking; win this job because of the skills
and abilities you bring to the table, not
your circumstances or hobbies,” added
Lemanski.
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST
WEAKNESS?
Interviews are a time to shine and
highlight your strengths, so should you
really admit your weaknesses? Yes, as
it is important to be honest and show a
little humility. Of course you don’t want
to bring up weaknesses on your own,
led up to the mistake, how you
discovered it, who was involved, how
you fixed it and what the result was,”
shared Lemanski. Use a specific example
that demonstrates to the interviewer
that you can apply what you’ve learned
from past mistakes to be a better
employee. “Answers to this question can
tell me about your character and what
you’ve learned,” added Tabor. Admitting
your mistakes in an interview also
illustrates that you’ll be willing to admit
your mistakes on the job.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF
IN FIVE YEARS?
This can be a loaded question. Are you
aiming for the interviewer’s job? It is
probably not a good time to say, “I
want your job!” Likewise a standard bad
example is “in management” – can you
follow that up with the reasons why?
“I ask this question to see if you’ve
spent time preparing an answer and if
there is ambition to move forward,” said
Lemanski. Be honest with your
ambitions, even if you don’t want to
become a VP or manager, as “stable,
reliable employees are the bases that
weather the storms,” added Lemanski.
You will be tempted to say what you
think the employer wants to hear, but all
types of employees are needed to make
by Bonnie Johnson, Marketing Associate
Interview Question
TRANSLATIONS
but if you are asked, be ready with an
example. “Your answers can show that
you are self-aware; you know what you
are good at and what you need to work
on,” added Tabor.
TELL ME ABOUT A TIME WHEN
YOU MADE A MISTAKE.
Let’s face it, we’ve all made mistakes.
“Prepare an answer with details on what
“Your answers can show
that you are self-aware;
you know what you are
good at and what you
need to work on.”
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