Interview Tips Archives - Building Careers

How to Answer “What Motivates You?” – With Examples

When a recruiter or hiring manager asks the common “What motivates you?” interview question, it may seem like one of those simple questions that should be easy to answer. However, if you’re not prepared or have never taken the time to consider your own motivations, you may find yourself struggling to come up with a compelling response. Unfortunately, your inability to quickly respond to this simple question could leave the interviewer with doubts about your candidacy.

In this article, we’ll explain why interviewers ask the “What motivates you?” interview question and provide some tips to help you prepare your response. We’ll also include some great example answers that you can customize to ensure that you’re always ready to respond to questions about your motivation.

Why do interviewers ask the “What motivates you?” interview question?

This question is similar to asking, “What makes you unique?” It’s meant to discover whether or not you’re the right fit for the job and, more importantly if you’ll fit within that company’s particular workplace culture and goals.

It’s a useful question that can provide insight into how and why you’re motivated to be a successful employee and what fulfills you in your job or career. Your answer can also provide the interviewer with additional insight into your personality and approach to work. All these things, along with your skills and experience, help the interviewer determine whether you’re the best person to hire.

It is important to remember that employers who ask about what motivates you are not asking you why you’ve decided to pursue your career path or apply for their open position. They are simply trying to figure out what drives you to do the best job possible, achieve your mission, and contribute to your employer’s success.

Continue Reading: https://topresume.com/career-advice/how-to-answer-what-motivates-you-with-examples

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30+ Behavioral Interview Questions to Prep For (With Sample Answers!)

Leave a Comment / Blog, Interview Tips

Behavioral interview questions can be tricky, but answering them might be easier than you’d expect. Here’s our guide with sample questions and answers.

Interviews can be high stakes. However, some interview questions can actually be fun. Not in the zany-but-realistically-kind-of-stressful “How many golf balls will fit in a bus?” kind of way, but in a sense that interviewers are really just asking for a good story starring you as the main character.

Behavioral interview questions are non-technical, focused on you, and 100% something you can prepare for in advance. You actually have the answers already. You just need to find the right stories and polish them up a bit.

Here’s your ultimate go-to guide for answering interview questions about behavior—including common behavioral questions you might hear and example answers.

What are behavioral interview questions?

Behavioral interview questions are questions or statements that ask candidates to share examples of specific situations they’ve been in. Usually interviewers want to know about an experience where you had to use certain skills—soft skills especially—or had to navigate certain types of scenarios. (Read: It’s the “Tell me about a time when…” genre of questions.)

Continue Reading: https://www.themuse.com/advice/behavioral-interview-questions-answers-examples

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30+ Behavioral Interview Questions to Prep For (With Sample Answers!)

Leave a Comment / Blog, Interview Tips

Here’s your ultimate go-to guide for answering interview questions about behavior—including common behavioral questions you might hear and example answers.

What are behavioral interview questions?

Continue Reading: https://www.themuse.com/advice/behavioral-interview-questions-answers-examples

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Key Interview Prep Insights to Nail Your CRE Interview

Leave a Comment / Blog, Interview Tips

Job interview prep can be thrilling—and yes, a bit nerve-wracking. It’s your shot at that ideal commercial real estate (CRE) job, so it’s essential to approach it with strategy. Don’t just think of it as a Q&A session. Nailing an interview is less about what you know and more about how well you prepare. Instead, think of it as a performance.

The right interview preparation will give you the confidence and clarity you need to make a lasting impression. If you’re serious about standing out and landing your dream CRE job, then follow these interview prep insights. These keys will unlock the door and help you nail your next interview.

Know the Role and the Company

Start by getting laser-focused on the job itself. Read the description not once, but until you can almost recite it. Dig into the responsibilities, key skills, and qualities they’re after, and think of specific examples from your past work that align with what they’re looking for.

Helpful hint:

It’s about more than just telling them you’re qualified; you’re showing them you’re perfect for this job.
Then, go deeper into the company itself. Understanding the organization’s values and culture can transform your responses from generic to genuinely connected.

Dive into their website, scan their social media (update your LinkedIn to show compatibility), and if you can, find employee reviews to see how people feel about working there. Does their mission resonate with you? Could you see yourself fitting in with their team dynamics? These are the kinds of details that help you move beyond just a resume on a page.

Prepare to Show More Than Just Skills

Yes, you want to make sure you cover all of the skills you listed on your CRE resume. But beyond listing your qualifications, expect questions that reveal more about your thinking and personality—how you handle challenges, what motivates you, and how you work with others.

For example, “Tell me about yourself” isn’t an invitation for a life story; it’s a chance to spotlight the highlights of your career and how they directly connect to the role. Frame it around where you’ve been, what you’ve learned, and how all that brings you here, to this moment. Communicate your worth in clear terms framed around the needs of the hiring company.

And practice being concise. You’re aiming for memorable, not lengthy.

Look the Part, Feel the Part

Appearance matters. Showing up polished, organized, and self-assured sets the tone before you even say a word. Wear something that fits the company vibe but still makes you feel like yourself, and come prepared with whatever materials you need—extra resumes, a notebook, even breath mints.

It’s not about overdoing it; it’s about feeling ready.

And don’t overlook the power of a confident mindset. Get plenty of rest, stay calm, and go in with a relaxed, positive attitude. A great outfit and good organization make a powerful impression, but the best version of you—the well-rested, confident version—is what really lands jobs.

Stand Out with Smart Questions and Genuine Interest

An interview goes both ways, and the questions you ask can be as revealing as the answers you give. Show enthusiasm and curiosity about the role, team, or company direction. Skip questions that you could easily look up online, and instead ask about team dynamics, upcoming projects, or what a successful first few months look like in the role.

The right questions make you look strategic, invested, and ready to make an impact.

Your Path to Interview Success

The right preparation doesn’t just make you a better candidate—it makes you the candidate they’ll remember.

Prepping for an interview is an investment in your career. With these interview prep insights and strategies, you’ll be ready to walk into your interview (or log into it) with confidence, clarity, and control. Remember: preparation is your secret weapon. Use it well, and you’ll be that much closer to landing the CRE job you’ve been dreaming of.

Sources:

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15+ ChatGPT Prompts for Job Interview Prep

Blog, Interview Tips, Job Search

Wouldn’t it be great if we all had a personal job search assistant? Someone we could turn to, anytime, for assistance in our careers?

Well, we may not have that at our disposal, but we do have something almost as good: technology. And while it can’t solve all our problems, it can certainly make our lives—and job searches—easier.

ChatGPT is one of those handy tech tools in our metaphorical career tool belts. If you’re heard the buzz around ChatGPT, or tried it already, here’s how you can use ChatGPT prompts for job interview prep.

Best Practices for Using Chatgpt to Prep for a Job Interview

Before you get started with ChatGPT in your job search, keep these general rules in mind:

Avoid sharing confidential company information: If you signed an NDA during your interview process, it’s best to avoid pasting anything confidential or sensitive the company shares with you into ChatGPT, as OpenAI does sometimes collect and save data to improve its model.
Add context: This can be anything from your background or working style to background on the company or role—the more details you provide, the better it can work in your favor. And remember that you can continue the conversation to get a more specific answer, and ChatGPT will learn as you go and build its answers off of everything you’ve said previously.
Trust your gut: Like any tech tool, ChatGPT has its flaws and may not always produce the right answer. If something seems off or you’re uncomfortable following the chatbot’s advice, it’s best to lean on another source for a gut-check, be it a friend, family member, mentor, or career coach.

35 ChatGPT Prompts for Job Interview Prep

Ready to turn ChatGPT into your personal virtual career coach? Try out these prompts for job interview prep.

Prompts for Any Job Seeker

I’m interviewing for [job title] with [company/type of company]. What skills, attributes, or previous experiences are useful to talk about in my interview?
Here’s my resume: [resume text]. What should I bring up in a job interview for a position as [job title] at [company/type of company]?
Here’s my cover letter: [cover letter text]. What should I bring up in a job interview for a position as [job title] at [company/type of company]?
You’re the interviewer for this role: [job description]. Can you come up with 3-5 interview questions based on this job description?
You’re the interviewer for this role: [job description]. What are you looking for in a hire when interviewing them?
You’re the interviewer for this role: [job description]. Conduct a mock job interview for me.
I’m interviewing for [job title] at [company/type of company], and this is part of the job description: [section of the job description in question]. What does this responsibility entail?/How do I showcase this skill in an interview?
Ask me [interview question you want to prep for], and I’m going to provide an answer. Give me feedback on my answer as if you’re the hiring manager: What elements of my story stood out? What pieces were missing? Given interview best practices, what did I do well, and what could I do differently?
I’m interviewing for [job title] and expect to be asked [question you think the hiring manager will ask you]. What’s the best way to answer this question?
How do I best answer [common interview question] if I’m interviewing for a role as [job title] at [company/type of company]?

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Crafting the Perfect Post-Interview Thank You Email Subject Line

Blog, Interview Tips, Job Search, Set Yourself Up For Success

You just wrapped an interview, it couldn’t have gone better, and now you really feel like you’re one step closer to this job. Next, you know you need to sit down and write a thank you email for your interview to show just how excited you are about this opportunity. The words basically pour out of you—but then you get stuck. What should you put for the subject line?

The Importance of Thank You Email Subject Lines

The subject line is the only part of your message that your interviewer will see in their inbox. A strong thank you email subject line can mean the difference between this person reading your thank you note or skipping over it—so it needs to be clear and informative, but also brief so it doesn’t get cut off (especially if they’re reading from their phone).

Three Tips for Subject Lines

Keep these in mind as you craft your subject line:

Be obvious: There’s no need to clickbait your interviewer. They should know what’s in your email before they open it.
Be clear: Interviewers may be talking with a lot of candidates in a short period or hiring for multiple positions. So include enough information that between your name and the subject line, your interviewer will remember who you are and why they interviewed you.
Be concise: Since there are a number of different email platforms and ways of viewing inboxes (between devices, personal settings, and applications), there’s no hard and fast rule on how long your subject line should be. However, on an iPhone 13 Pro with text size at Apple’s middle setting, the Mail app starts cutting subject lines off after about 40 characters. So, try to keep your subject line as short as you can while still being informative and professional.

What to Include

To get your interviewer to read your thank you email, you can include one or more of the following in your subject line:

“Thank you” or “Thanks”
A brief mention of your meeting. For example, “Thank you for meeting with me” or “Thanks for our call” makes for an easy post-interview subject line.
The title of the open position. “Thank You – Sales Associate Interview” makes for a clear, concise email subject line.
The day or time of your interview. When possible, you should send your thank you note within the same day as your interview. If you’re able to be so timely, you can say something like “Thanks for chatting this morning” or “this afternoon” in the subject line.

Note that there’s no reason to include your first and last name in the subject line, as this info will appear in the sender field of your interviewer’s inbox.

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Prepping for the “Why Do You Want to Work Here?” Question

Blog, Interview Tips, Job Search, Set Yourself Up For Success

All right, you’re well underway in your search for a new job, and you even have an interview (or a few) on your calendar. As you’re preparing for your interview, you think of one question you just know will come up: “Why do you want to work here?” Hopefully you’re interviewing with a company that has a mission you believe in, but if not, it’s wise to have a good answer for this question before you sit down with a hiring manager. So, what’s the best way to answer “Why do you want to work here?” Keep reading! I’ll share a few tips and scripts to set you up for success when it’s time for you to answer this common interview question.

The Reason Behind “Why Do You Want to Work Here?”

When you’re preparing for a job interview, no matter what the company does, you can expect a few of the same questions. Aside from the classic “Tell me about yourself?” question, another predictable question you’ll hear during an interview is, “Why are you interested in this position?” Employers ask this to find out how much you really know about the company and position and to see if you’d be a good, long-term fit—for the culture and for the position. They’re looking for the right fit just as much as you are, and they want to offer a job and invest in hiring someone who’s prepared and ready to take the reins. They’re also curious about how well you explain yourself and the connections you see between your top skills and passions and what the company needs from its team.

How to Answer “Why Do You Want to Work Here?”

This is one of the most popular interview questions, which is good news because you know it’s coming. You can research and prepare a great answer ahead of time—one that will set you apart from other job seekers and position you as an excellent candidate for the role.

So, when you’re planning how to answer “Why do you want to work here?” keep these points in mind:

1. Talk About the Company’s Mission

It’s easy enough to explain why you’re looking for a new job, but if you can explain why you’re excited about the company’s mission, you have a better chance of standing out in the interview process. Research the company’s mission and vision statements on their website for more information.

2. Be Honest About What You’re Looking For

But not too honest. You don’t want to bash your old company and use this new opportunity as an escape hatch. Instead, explain how this new role could be a great fit for your long-term career goals. Keep it positive. Review the job description and see how your skills and goals match up with what they’re looking for.

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How To Hire the Right Candidate

Ask An Expert, Blog, Employers, Interview Tips

Is the candidate sitting in front of you right for this job? How do you know if you are going to hire the right candidate? How do you know when market conditions are so volatile, it’s hard to predict all the qualifications and attributes you’re going to need six months or one year down the road?

As the world of work is changing — constantly reorganizing, fragmenting, and requiring market reconceptualization – you’ve got to ask the right interview questions as well as internal questions to see if the candidate has the attributes you need to grow your business and adapt to constant change.

Tips To Hire The Right Candidate

Old command and control work environments didn’t demand the kind of flexibility, adaptability, and broad business knowledge that new dynamic work environments do. Desirable candidates, even ones who have the right qualifications, must be flexible, rapid, and eager learners. Here are some questions you need to ask.

Are They Highly Adaptive?

You want someone who is fleet on their feet in adapting to changes in the work environment, since right now change is the only constant in most organizational systems. Can the candidate offer you examples of how they were able to grow, shift, and evolve to workplace change in their last position? Adaptability, the capacity to take on new roles and embrace new ways of thinking, are critical when the winds of the economy swirl.

Do They Ask Worthy Questions?

Everyone knows you need to come to a job interview having researched the position. But once they’re in the interview, what do they “hear” about the business or your work? Are they able to listen, synthesize and ask thoughtful questions about the heart of your business? Great interview questions from the candidate can tell you a lot about how a candidate thinks and whether they will be able to diagnose a market problem as it is occurring, and respond to it.

Are They Curious?

What else do they want to know? Are they lit up with questions? In a new book about curiosity, Todd Kashdan notes that curiosity is about “appreciating and seeking out the new. Instead of desperately seeking certainty, it is about embracing uncertainty.” Because a great employee now needs to be a great learner, being voraciously curious is key to high productivity and breakthrough thinking.

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How To Explain Your Career Change in an Interview

Ask An Expert, Blog, Interview Tips, Set Yourself Up For Success

There’s a pervasive and convincing lie circulating through colleges and workplaces everywhere: You get an education in a certain field (formal or otherwise) and then work in that field until you retire or collapse on your desk one day. A career change is not an option.

Unfortunately, this belief causes a lot of distress for people who desire a career change. They believe they’ve invested their resources in a certain area, and shifting to a new field means starting from scratch. Yes, this process often does mean backtracking at least a bit. But it’s not like you revert to being a newborn. Making a change simply means applying your knowledge and experience to a new area and filling in the gaps as needed.

How to Positively Explain Your Career Change

Thankfully, landing an interview means you succeeded in selling your experience on paper, so you’re well on your way in the career-changing transition process. Now, your job is to help an employer see the value that your experience will bring to the team. Read on to see how you can do exactly that.

1. Know Your Worth

If you’re going to convince a new employer you’re the best candidate for a job, you have to believe it yourself first. When you value yourself, you start to describe your work history and experience in another language. Start by writing out everything you do, in detail. Include all of your tasks and your accomplishments. This will help you to see your experience in a fluid way that can apply to many settings. You weren’t a “customer service representative for Caris’ Cupcake Emporium;” you were someone who “assisted customers with orders, promoted new products and services, and addressed customer complaints professionally.” Learn to spin your past positions in this way, and you’ll find it much easier to explain how your work history lends itself to the transition you’re seeking.

Examples paint a picture of your experience and abilities for an employer, versus answering questions with a hypothetical, “Well in that situation, I think I would…” With a career change in particular, examples help an employer understand how your experience fits into a new role.

So when asked about working with customers, for example, incorporate an anecdote about your interactions with people from your current or previous jobs, even if those people weren’t customers, per se. Then, explain how you would put that experience to work in your new role. The skills you used to manage conflict with a co-worker or to explain a difficult concept to management are the same ones you would use with customers, after all. If asked about problem-solving, talk about a time you actually worked through a conundrum or came up with an innovative solution. Even if the industry was entirely different, the ability to think critically and problem-solve speaks volumes of your competence level. When you provide examples, an employer knows you’ve actually done the things you’re claiming, and that ought to give you a leg up in the interview process.

2. Provide Evidence of Experience

Go out of your way to show an employer—literally—that you’re capable of taking on this new role by bringing evidence with you. This might include sample work, training certificates, or a mock grant proposal, marketing plan, or something else that makes your abilities concrete. Are you shifting into a writing-heavy field like communications or journalism? Bring writing samples. It’s OK if you haven’t written a news story; a well-written annual report still demonstrates your mastery of language and ability to weave complex details into a coherent whole.

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Explaining the Employment Gap On Your Resume

Blog, Interview Tips, Resume Ideas

You took some time away from your career, and that’s OK. Maybe you tended to a sick family member, catered to your kids, pursued another degree, or traveled the world. Whatever it might have been, you’re now ready to jump back into the workforce.

Not so fast.

If your resume reveals an employment gap, expect hiring managers to inquire.

Of course, what seems like a simple question will be paired with a simple answer … right? You know why you took that time away from your career. But can you clearly explain your decision and how it worked to your advantage? After all, you’re vying for a job against candidates who might boast more recent experience.

Instead of getting caught in a bind of stress and fumbling your words (we’ve all been there), enter your interview prepared to master your employment gap explanation.

Here are six tips to help you overcome the inevitable “What have you been up to?” interview question.

1. Exercise Discretion

If not properly prepared, a moment of panic could lead to you to divulging way too much information.

Does someone who’s been sitting behind a desk for 10 years straight, want to hear every detail of your six-month adventure through Asia? Does he or she need to know how you afforded it? Or that a brutal breakup sparked it? Probably not.

Nor does the hiring manager want to know the nitty-gritty details of the diapers you’ve changed or how awful little Tim is before bedtime.

If you’ve faced challenges and were forced to take a gap in employment due to tragedy or hardship, be careful here too. Sometimes people — especially mere strangers — don’t know how to respond when it comes to grief, so spare them. And you certainly don’t want to break down in tears during your interview. Try to keep those details to yourself.

2. Provide Clarification

You definitely don’t want to overshare, but don’t cloak yourself in mystery, either.

Instead, find the right balance. Explain you took time off to spend with your kids, needed to decompress after several high-pressure years in your field, or that you faced little choice and owed it to your mom to help her out. There’s no shame in that.

By explaining why you elected to call it quits for a while (without oversharing), a hiring manager will likely feel more comfortable knowing what happened — and that you didn’t just run away.

Important note: Remember there’s a difference between explaining and justifying. Don’t get stuck feeling like you have to justify why you stepped away from your career. You’re not out to prove anything.

3. Tell Them About Your New Skills

Unfortunately, changing a diaper in under a minute doesn’t count as a new skill set (though that is a commendable feat).

Be sure to mention any volunteer work, classes, certifications, or even conferences you attended during your employment gap. If none of those options are relevant, know you probably picked up a new soft skill.

General soft skills to discuss during an interview include communication, adaptability, problem-solving, and critical observation. Remember to show, not tell. Offer concrete examples and situations that show how you learned to better communicate or how you became more comfortable adapting to unexpected situations.

Being able to show you’ve grown during your employment gap is respectable, so don’t forget to highlight it.

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