Interview Q&A: How To Handle Interview Questions About Communication

How strong are your communication skills?

Excellent communication skills are essential for workplace success. If you’ve landed an interview, expect to be asked interview questions about how you communicate, and to have your ability to communicate in the workplace tested and evaluated.

Here are some interview questions that employers will often ask to gauge you;

Tell Me About Yourself.

This is a classic interview opening question that can frustrate a lot of applicants. It’s such an open-ended question that it can seem impossible to narrow down your answer.

Interviewers will open with this question to assess how concise you can be and what value you bring to the table. It’s a good transition to learning more about you and negating the awkward interview tension.

How to Answer: My name is Tim. I’m originally from Kitengela, Kajiado County.  I’m a recent college graduate from Nairobi University. I received a Bachelor’s in Public Relations with a minor in Communications. I currently intern at a start-up media company called Excel Management. I’m hoping to attain a position where I can utilize my current skills in a marketing team, and gain more professional experience.”

Do You Work Well With Other People?

This is a direct question involving an applicant’s interpersonal skills. While an interviewer will be paying attention to the details of what you say, they’ll also be taking note of how you answer the question.

How to Answer: Your answer to this question should be elaborate and accurate to your work style. The interviewer isn’t looking for a simple yes or no. They want examples and reasoning for your response.

“Yes, I work very effectively on a team. I’ve been working as a secretary for a dental office with a team of 8 other administrative staff for the past 3 years. I enjoy working with other people, as well as learning more from them.”

Tell Me About A Conflict You Had At Work And How You Handled It

Being asked to recall a time you had a conflict with a previous co-worker or employer can surprise many interviewees. Employers propose this question to assess your interpersonal skills, as well as how professionally you can communicate in a situation of disagreement.

How to Answer: It’s best to handle this question with a positive outlook. While conflict might inherently sound negative, it can lead to innovation and coordination. You should tell the interviewer about a time that this was the outcome, rather than something more negative.

Example Answer: “When I was working on my first professional photography team, I had a co-worker who was continually acting unprofessional on shoots. I thought that it was impacting the customer’s experience. In this situation, I decided to talk to my co-worker directly. We were both associates with the same level of seniority, so, I thought it best to be respectfully straightforward. Luckily, my co-worker was very understanding and grateful for my constructive input and their performance improved dramatically.”

What Motivates You?

This is another test of your skills in answering an expansive question that can be easy to get off track with. Like any other question in an interview, you should answer this one honestly, but without being overly forthcoming. This means that you should provide an answer for your professional and general motivations, but steer clear of answers that can hurt your chances of landing the job.

Example Answer: “I was first motivated to pursue veterinary sciences when my childhood dog needed surgery. The dedication and care of the veterinary staff amazed me. It is this initial love of animals that continues to motivate me towards providing exceptional veterinary care today.”

Why Are You A Good Fit For This Position?

This question is a great way to gauge a candidate’s ability to convey their work-related skills as well as their own opinion of what they feel is important for the job they are applying for. It also allows interviewers to get an idea of a person’s confidence level and whether their confidence is more boastful or helpful.

Example: “I feel that I am a good fit for this position because I am confident that I will hit the ground running and provide immediate results for your company. In my previous job, I was able to increase the sales in my department by 40% within the first two months of my employment, and I believe that I can provide similar results for this organization. My commitment to regular and effective communication with both clients and staff as well as my dedication to accomplishing goals makes me a great candidate for this job.”

Ultimately;

Communication is important to the success of an individual or team. These tips can help you answer the most common interview questions about communication.

If you want to dive deeper and get one-on-one help with interviewing then, sign up for an interactive Interview Coaching session here