A recruitment process – for some a pleasant escape from everyday life, for others an absolute nightmare and extreme stress. We have already covered the topic of how to prepare for the meeting, and today we’re going to reveal some of the secrets from HR and point out a few questions which are bound to come up during the job interview. As a bonus, we will also explain what the recruiter’s point is when they ask you certain questions that you may sometimes find a bit odd. Needless to say, what we ask will vary depending on the level of experience of a particular candidate, but below you will find those that are so versatile that literally any applicant is asked.
The most common answer is, of course, earnings – according to a Pracuj.pl survey, 73% of job seekers change their jobs due to financial reasons. If that is also the case for you, say it straight out. We often encounter candidates who are unable to speak about their needs and expectations. And as prospective employers, we find this aspect of the interview to be key. Sometimes the answers may be very personal – not to worry, the interview is confidential. What you say during the meeting stays with the participants. If the reason for leaving your current job is sensitive or delicate, or you simply don’t want to bring it up, just make it clear and the recruitment team will respect your decision.
Ask yourself this question way in advance. Expectations could very well be individual hence it is worth looking for a place where these can be met. If you expect variety across projects and technologies, then a company with a single flagship product that has been in development for years may not be your dream come true. Another point to consider is what you, as a candidate and perhaps a future employee, expect from the organization in terms of values and culture – what is really important to you. Transparency, development in a specific direction, flexible working hours, remote or hybrid work, or perhaps at the office? You have to know what you want, and what you find crucial for the stage of life you are currently in.
That is perhaps the favourite question of recruiters at Solwit, and as it happens quite often that candidates don’t know what to respond to it. The point of this question is to find out whether the responsibilities of the position would be a good fit for you. For instance: we were interviewing a programmer with 6 years of experience in Python, primarily developing web applications. The candidate applied to Solwit for the position of Python programmer, but they did not read in the ad that the project we were recruiting for would require knowledge of the C language and close liaison with hardware. Only during a conversation about the project, did it turn out that our candidate was not interested in these tasks at all. So it is worth clearly stating at the very beginning what you want and don’t want to do.
It may sound like a rather simple and obvious question that comes up during meetings, but believe me, in many cases, the candidates do not prepare their answers to it beforehand – and the truth of the matter is that they should. Although applicants frequently fill in a form beforehand and tick a range of amounts that would be suitable for them, during an interview we need to get this figure more exact. To be more precise: what salary is sufficient for the candidate to accept our offer. After all, we understand well that we all have commitments, pay loans, bills, and have our own habits and needs.
