Job interview FAQ

Surely you have wondered more than once what the recruiter checks when asking this question. It’s possible that sometimes when you heard them during an interview, you later analyzed what the recruiter meant.

In collaboration with HR professionals, we have prepared an interview FAQ, in which we explain the bottom of the most frequently asked interview questions. In the second part of the publication, recruiters advise on how to respond in order to turn out well. If you learn some of the secrets of a recruiter’s work, it will certainly be easier for you to prepare the best answers. Good luck!

Find out what the recruiter is checking by asking a specific question.

Please tell me something about yourself.

This is one of the most grateful questions we can get in a job interview. Contrary to appearances, the recruiter asks them not only to relax the atmosphere and get rid of the candidate’s first stress, but most of all to check the manner of his self-presentation and the level of interpersonal skills. When asking this type of question, the recruiter expects a rather general answer. The best people are honest, original, devoid of artificiality and arrogance, but at the same time specific and carefully selecting the information they want to convey.

Teresa Bęben, Recruiter, CRAFTS Employment Agency

What are you interested in?

When asking about your interests, we want to know what the candidate is really passionate about. The way in which the questions are answered shows the level of emotional involvement in what is important to the person. We can compare it with involvement in talking about professional duties. It is an important element for me to be able to check whether the candidate likes his job or whether it is also his passion. On the other hand, I like candidates who have strong non-professional passions, because I know that if they are interested in something, pull them in, they can devote themselves to it and spend time on it. This is a signal for me that if we properly select the scope of tasks in the company, it will involve a new employee. Talking about interests is also important for me with candidates without professional experience, because often passions are the only area on the basis of which we can draw conclusions about what a given person is, what he likes, what engages him and how he approaches the task.

Joanna Kamińska, author of the blog HR with passion

How do you develop your skills?

The willingness to develop is one of the most common reasons given by candidates to change jobs. For employers, this feature is very important and desirable, as long as it is really the main motive, and not just an attempt to impress the interlocutor. Managers want their employees to develop their skills – thanks to this, the quality of their tasks is constantly growing. During the interview, most recruiters ask a question about the candidate’s development plans, because based on the answers, it is possible to verify whether the given reason for changing jobs is true. In addition, it allows you to assess whether the candidate is self-educating in a topic or needs the employer’s help in the form of financing training, obtaining certificates or the possibility of participating in industry conferences.

Agnieszka Hajduk, Resource Project Manager, Connectis

How good are you at language X?

By asking this question, the recruiter expects to indicate practical knowledge of a foreign language, which is required for a specific position. The most important information is whether the candidate’s skills are sufficient to enable him to perform the assigned tasks without any problems. According to the European TELC system, there are 6 levels of advancement: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2. It often happens that declarations in a CV have nothing to do with reality. In the case of international companies, where a foreign language is used on a daily basis in communication with colleagues or clients, the most important thing is that the candidate does not have any problems with free formulation of statements. The easiest way to check this practical knowledge of the language is a shorter or longer interview during the recruitment process. The recruiter may also ask the candidate to prepare a text of a statement on a specific topic. This is an ideal method to test your spelling skills.

Ewa Żurowska, Project Coordinator, MJCC Employer Branding Consultants

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

It is quite obvious that an interview is a moment when people are trying to present their best side. So it is naive to expect the candidate to honestly and directly answer the question about his or her weaknesses. You can, of course, try to rationalize this topic, explaining that with this question we test the ability to construct diplomatic statements and so on … but for me this question is irresistible. During the interview, the candidate’s weaknesses are assessed not on the basis of descriptive declarations, but observations of their behavior. The situation is different when it comes to the question of strengths. If it’s raining at an interview, you have a chance to tell about everything that is playing in your soul. Therefore, do not be afraid to tell factually and substantively about your successes and advantages of all kinds (if they have some meaning in the context of the position you are applying for). A wise recruiter will try, with the help of such a question, to examine your level of commitment, energy and the potential that lies in you. However, remember that dry declarations are of absolutely secondary value when interviewing for a job. The ability to tell true stories, examples, facts is always on the pedestal.

Paulina Basta, HR Business Partner, author of the blog paulinabasta.com

What kind of people do you work best with?

The recruiter finds out from the answer to this question what competencies, behaviors and values ​​you value at work, how do you like to work. It is also an indirect question about motivation: what environment is conducive to your efficiency and well-being. It is essential to justify the selection of the set of characteristics of ideal associates. Then you give additional knowledge of what kind of person you are or what you would like to be, what you aspire to and what you avoid.

Iwona Kaszuba, Office Coordinator, Grupa Progres

What would your colleagues say about your colleagues?

The recruitment interview is aimed at verifying whether a given person is suitable for the position they are applying for. Most often, the recruiter asks questions about the course of the professional career, experience and the so-called hard competencies. However, we should remember that the way of communicating and the ability to work in a team are also very important criteria that often determine the achievement of success in a given organization. Question: “What would your colleagues say about you?” helps the recruiter to obtain information on the so-called soft skills. It shows what the candidate values ​​in interpersonal relations and what they pay attention to.

Katarzyna Aftewicz, Business Development Executive, HRK S.A.

How do you deal with conflict situations?

This question during a job interview provides the recruiter with information about the candidate’s interpersonal skills, conflict management skills. The recruiter also checks how other people will cooperate with us. This question allows the candidate to tell about their approach to work, to colleagues, and to difficult and troublesome matters. To be successful in this day and age it is desirable to be able to communicate with all types of people with different personalities. The skills required to find oneself in situations full of tension and misunderstandings are required, the employee desired by the employer is able to keep his nerves in check enough to survive the conflict situation in peace, and the conflict itself to be resolved and annihilated as soon as possible.

Łukasz Zuber, Project Manager, Grupa Progres

How do you plan your career path?

The question about the career path is one of the basic questions that should arise during any recruitment process. This question is asked by the Recruiter, who cares not only about the end of the process but also about the satisfaction of the candidate who starts working in a given company with the step he or she decided. When a company decides to conduct the recruitment process on an external market, it usually wants to find a candidate who will want to stay with the company for longer. A situation in which the candidate’s expectations for their own development are different, lower than those that the company can propose, may make both parties dissatisfied with the cooperation after some time. These are the situations we want to avoid in Unilever. We care about the satisfaction of the employee and the employer. The candidate’s satisfaction and motivation to work are half the battle for us as an employer. Additionally, when a candidate has a plan for his career path, it is easier for him to pursue the chosen goal and set goals that motivate him to take specific actions.

Anna Koźniewska, CEE Recruitment Manager, Unilever

Do you have any questions?

When preparing for an interview, most people practice answering the questions that a recruiter is most likely to ask during the interview. However, preparing the questions that you ask is equally important. Thanks to this, you will present yourself as a truly committed and interested candidate for a specific company and for a specific position, and not just a candidate for any company and for any position.

Hanna Piotrowska, Manager, Adzuna Polska

Please describe your earnings history.

Candidates don’t like questions about earnings. I will tell you a secret and say that recruiters do not like them either. The latter most often meet the requests of employers who want to know the financial expectations of potentially employed persons. The exception to this rule is the question of earnings history. The second bottom of the question about earnings history. Earnings history always appears to check the candidate’s motivation to work. What prompts him to work? What are or have been the previous reasons for changing jobs? Let me tell you that if a candidate frequently changes jobs (more than twice a year) and there are financial motivations behind it, their chances of being employed will drop sharply. As a rule, employers look for employees for whom finances are a kind of reward, and for whom work is motivated by the need to develop or be in a group. Thus, the question of earnings history should be particularly carefully answered by candidates with frequent job changes in their CVs and people who have been unemployed for more than a year.

Violetta Rymszewicz, owner of rymszewicz

Please tell me about your greatest failure / success.

The recruiter checks how you perceive success and failure. What kind of situation is your achievement, motivation for further action and where do you see sources of success or failure in order to best assess your suitability for the position you apply for. It can be something different for everyone, for some, it is a successful promotion of a new internet portal, for others, it is to organize all activities in the project on time, without delays. It is similar to the category of failure.

Anna Krawczyk, Recruitment Specialist, Agora S.A.

What were your goals in your last job and how did you achieve them?

In my opinion, it is impossible to imagine an interview without this question. However, it often causes many difficulties for candidates. By asking this question, I would like to know which goals were short-term and which were long-term. Which were strategic and which were operational? I would like to receive information on how the candidate approached their implementation, how he organized his time and set priorities. The way in which he achieved them and, of course, the effect of his work is also important to me. It happens, however, that the candidate failed to achieve one or even several goals set for him by his superior. Is such a candidate rejected by me? Of course not, but only on the condition that he presents arguments that the goal was impossible to achieve. Thanks to the answers to this question, I also gather indirect knowledge about the candidate’s other competencies, i.e. his communication skills, planning, the structure of expression, result orientation, or, in the case of a team manager, e.g. the ability to delegate tasks.

Michał Piątkowski, Recruitment and training project manager, Big Fish Polska Sp. 

Please tell me about the achievement you are most proud of.

Due to the circulating stereotypes related to the interview, candidates usually have a prepared answer to the question about their weaknesses. On the other hand, recruiters are more likely to ask about the greatest success or achievement that the candidate is most proud of. Invariably, it can surprise our interlocutors, so it is worth preparing this answer with particular precision. By asking this question, the recruiter wants to delve into the details of what are the main motivations of the candidate and what he sees as success. He will surely ask a few more precise questions, e.g. how big is the scale of the achievement, what competencies were used to achieve success and how time-consuming it was. The example of the chosen achievement should be well thought out and consistent. You should also take care of the balance between the description of the end result and the description of the process itself. It is worth preparing the answer well, so as not to lead to a situation where the achievement of a very large contract is presented, and after clarifying questions asked by the recruiter, it will turn out that the client called the company himself, already determined to sign the contract. Such an example depreciates sales competence and commitment to luck.

Klaudia Godlewska, Consultant, HRK S.A.

Why did you end your cooperation with your previous employer?

The recruiter diagnoses your expectations towards the employer and the source of your motivation to work. It is an attempt to find information about what is important to you in the professional sphere, which will make the company able to keep you for longer, and which may frustrate you and make you run away quickly.

Marta Barszczewska, the author of happyhr

What kind of employer was the previous company?

While preparing for the interview at InterviewMe.pl, the candidates ask me where this question comes from. Thanks to it, we can learn much more than simply asking: “Why are you changing jobs?” Free assessment of previous superiors allows you to see what relationships you have built with them.

Piotr Sosnowski, Co-founder of InterviewMe

What responsibilities do you dislike in your current job?

The purpose of this question is to find out if your responsibilities in your new job will suit you. You can of course say that you liked everything and many candidates do. But if you really want to get a dream job and avoid certain types of tasks, tell the truth. Then, of course, you have to reckon with the fact that the price for honesty may be not receiving a given position, but since it would not meet your expectations, you have nothing to regret. If you choose to point out something, avoid complaining. Especially when your resume is turbulent and you change jobs frequently. It is then more likely that you will be seen as a person who changes jobs because there is always something wrong with them. If you decide to say something, indicate non-essential tasks. Then the fact that you don’t like making them won’t matter much when deciding whether to hire you.

Angelika Śniegocka, HR Director, career coach, author of the book “An interview. What job candidates do not know, i.e. the secrets of recruiters. “, Owner of OdZeraDoManager.

Questions about goals and bonuses achieved in existing workplaces.

I am very keen on interviews, especially for positions related to sales and customer service, with a series of questions devoted to achieving goals. Questions are asked in the following order:

• What was the frequency of the goals you set in your workplace (week, month, quarter, half-year, year, other?)
• It allows me to define the time horizon of my goals. The longer the time horizon, the longer the employee can influence the result.
• What goals did you receive? (Quantitative – for example, profit margins, qualitative – what?)
  It allows me to define the content of the goals and the values ​​of the measures. In well-designed bonus systems, the content of the goals will be the most important or additional tasks, going beyond the basic scope of duties.
  Please provide the percentage levels of individual goals achieved in the last 12 months/4 quarters/year (depending on the time horizon of the goals)? This question allows me to determine what results the employee achieved in the last year of employment. This question can often provide additional knowledge of why the employee left the company.
• How were your results compared to other employees holding similar positions? (e.g. positions in rankings, won sales contests) Thanks to this, I learn about the candidate’s results compared to other people employed in similar positions. The answer to the question complements the knowledge obtained as a result of the answer to question 3.
• What was the percentage share of the bonus for the achievement of 100% of the goals in your total remuneration?
  In sales positions, we follow the following principle: the higher the share of the bonus in the candidate’s total remuneration, the greater the likelihood of transactional sales aimed at acquiring new customers; the lower the premium share, the greater the likelihood of consulting sales aimed at customer loyalty.

Mariusz Bzdęga, Manifest HR

What do you know about our company?

The question about the company to which the candidate is applying is one of the basic questions to check the knowledge about the company and the sector in which the organization operates. The candidate should demonstrate knowledge about the company and brands, as well as provide clear arguments and reasons why a given industry interests him. Employers want candidates to be aware of the industry they will work in and the challenges of working in a given position. It happens that an incorrect answer to a question, e.g. about knowledge of the company’s brands, reveals the candidate’s ignorance and is a signal to the recruiter that the candidate does not fully know what recruitment process he is taking part in. The answer to this question also allows you to check whether the candidate’s business awareness is at the appropriate and required level for a given position.

Anna Koźniewska, CEE Recruitment Manager, Unilever

What do you expect from your new job?

This question is one of the most important because it allows to assess the convergence of the company’s needs and values ​​with what is important for the candidate. Getting to know professional preferences and the type of motivation makes it easier for the recruiter to assess the degree of matching the candidate to the requirements of the position. If the expectations of the candidate and the company’s offer correspond to each other, a high level of motivation will be reflected, which results in effective work and employee and employer satisfaction, which is the recruiter’s goal.

Magdalena Baster, Branch Manager, Grupa Progres

What are your financial expectations?

First of all, the recruiter wants to know if your financial expectations are in line with what the potential employer can offer. It may happen that the employer does not have a specific amount that he wants to pay the person in a given position, so he will compare your expectations and what you offer in return to what he heard from other candidates. Whether and how you present your financial expectations will also allow the recruiter to determine your confidence, assertiveness and motivation to work.

Natalia Bogdan, the president of JobHouse

Why would you like to work for our company?

More and more employers are looking for people who will work hand in hand with building a positive image and brand credibility. He wants to feel that he is working with someone who wants to act in the structure of his organization. That is why it checks whether the candidate knows anything about the company or identifies with products or services. The employer does not want to have any “coincidence”, as he avoids “wholesalers” who send their CV to every possible advertisement. This is why the employer asks this magic question.

Kamila Czarnomska, author of Trening Kariery

What do you expect in terms of working conditions, organizational culture of the company?

Successful recruitment depends not only on the candidate’s experience and competencies but also on their suitability to the organizational culture. A mismatch can be catastrophic for both sides. Stress, dissatisfaction with the job, decreased commitment and self-esteem, low efficiency, the need to look for a new job – these are some of the unfortunate consequences of a bad fit for a candidate. Be honest and use the option of verification at the recruitment stage by asking yourself: “Can the organization provide me with what I need?” A mistake that candidates can make is trying to please the recruiter.

Monika Monkiewicz, Recruitment Consultant, ATERIMA

What do you expect from your supervisor?

A question asked by a direct supervisor or a recruiter helps to check what management style or even organizational culture you will feel comfortable in. The answers also help to conclude what type of tasks will be appropriate for the new employee, tell recruiters how to plan cooperation and communication in order to operate efficiently and comfortably.

Justyna Fiuk, Consultant, Grupa Progres

What added value could you bring to this position?

By asking this question, I check whether the candidate has the competencies that are expected for this position. When I receive a reply, I know whether the candidate has analyzed the job description at all. If this was the case and the answer is consistent, then we can assume that the candidate is motivated to take up the proposed position. Most job descriptions make it quite clear which competencies are sought by the employer. It is enough to analyze the job description in detail to find out which skills and experiences are crucial. It is enough to compare this information with your own professional experience – consider which of the specific achievements the employer will benefit from in the light of the proposed position. Often you will hear similar questions in this series (competence + motivation) that sound different, but nevertheless, their purpose is still the same. The recruitment interview is also a test of communication skills. Remember, always mention any experience/skills that could be used in a specific position.

Agnieszka Piątkowska, Partner, Big Fish Polska Sp. 

What are your goals for this position?

Thanks to this question, we check how the candidate perceives a given position, whether he has an idea for it, or has he considered what he would like to do with it. In addition, we want to find out whether the candidate can view his work through the prism of goals and whether he can define them himself, or whether he needs goals imposed from above.

Joanna Kamińska, author of the blog HR with passion

What do you want to do in 5 years?

The question is nothing more than an attempt to see the future. During the job interview, questions from the category: “What is your idea for yourself?” are inevitable, especially when we care about a long-term cooperation with a potential employee. We put a “glass ball” on the table and start to wonder what is behind the fog. The candidate talks about his vision of himself in the future, and the recruiter adjusts the elements to get the full picture of the interviewee. Checks if the “candidate’s plans/ideas” puzzle matches the “career path in the company” puzzle. The words that will be uttered will allow you to initially verify whether it is possible to implement this vision within the organization. Interestingly, the answer to this question reveals some of the candidate’s attributes. If I hear from a Python programmer that he wants to become a Team Leader in five years, I think about those features that are not highly exposed at the moment, but quite likely: “he probably has an organizational sense, he can be responsible for himself and others, he is consistent” etc. These assumptions, resulting from his aspirations/plans, may help me make my employment decision.

Olga Sikorska, HR Specialist, CodiLime

You already know why specific questions are asked in a job interview. As part of the preparations for the interview that awaits you, it’s worth getting to know the advice of the recruiters themselves. You will find them below.

RECRUITER’S ADVICE – HOW TO ANSWER PROPERLY

Please tell me something about yourself.

When answering this question, it is not worth wasting time on obvious things or information irrelevant to the recruitment process. The recruiter will be happy to hear a short summary of the candidate’s professional achievements and information about his advantages and passions. However, you should avoid repeating the information contained in your CV, describing in detail your previous jobs, allowing yourself to draw and present conclusions from your experience. This short, verbal presentation should talk about who you are, what character traits you have appropriate for the position you are applying for, what your career goals are and when you would like to achieve them. To see if you are doing well by answering this question, ask someone to listen to you before going to the interviewer. Remember that practice makes perfect.

Teresa Bęben, Recruiter, CRAFTS Employment Agency

What are you interested in?

The first thing to be honest when answering this question is nothing else. Show that you have something you love, that you can get involved and that it is important to you. Do not include random interests in your CV, if books are your passion, be ready to tell about them in a way that will delight the recruiter.

Joanna Kamińska, author of the blog HR with passion

How do you develop your skills?

In order to leave only a good memory, the candidate should first of all answer the question regarding development factually and truthfully. If, when asked “How do you develop your skills?”, The recruiter only receives the answer “Through training”, he may start to seriously consider the truthfulness of the answer. After all, there are many ways to develop skills, so the candidate should provide as much detailed information as possible. It is good to share the knowledge of industry portals, names of certificates and events dedicated to a given industry, or even contacts with experienced specialists who are experts in their field. It is also important that the candidate, when answering this question, boasts of even the smallest steps he has taken to expand his knowledge in a given area. The statement should also be consistent. Thanks to this, the candidate will give the impression that development is the most important for him and is the real reason why he wants to change the place of employment.

Agnieszka Hajduk, Resource Project Manager, Connectis

How good are you at language X?

Depending on the job requirements, the recruiter may ask various questions to check the knowledge of a foreign language. Often the interview concerns at least the interests of the candidate. Use less common phrases, idioms, phrases, and a great accent. Certainly, you will gain a few additional points. However, do not forget about a very important factor, which is the knowledge of the industry language. If this is a necessary element of work in a given position, do not count on any luck. If you have trouble answering a question, and cannot recall a specific phrase, start with “let me think about it”. This will give you a few moments to find the right words and avoid embarrassing silence. Tell me about the way you learned a specific language, eg “I was on a foreign course, I studied intensively in a language school, thanks to my stay abroad, I use the x language more freely”. The answer “I know language x well” is definitely not enough for the tester of your skills.

Ewa Żurowska, Project Coordinator, MJCC Employer Branding Consultants

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

If someone asks you about your weaknesses, choose questions diplomatically and with a smile … something like “I don’t like cooking” or “I snore at night”. However, know that you are talking to a person who still has a lot to learn in their profession. So, squint your eyes and move on to the more important questions. When asked about strengths, answer … true. Contrary to appearances, this is a very difficult question for people. Therefore, it is good to prepare for them, realizing the competencies that make you feel a good candidate for the position.

Paulina Basta, HR Business Partner, author of the blog paulinabasta

What kind of people do you work best with?

What you answer should correspond to the type of work you are applying for. Remember to think about the responsibilities and requirements of the employer before the interview. If the position is task-based, punctuality may not be a significant factor in the recruitment process, even though this is generally considered a positive trait. On the other hand, if you have to work with a team on a task, you can safely say that you like working with creative people who can develop interesting solutions and agreements. This question also allows you to skillfully identify weaker areas: if you convey that you like to work in a team with people who complement your competencies – you show that you have a lot of self-awareness, you notice the features that you will start working on now or in the future. As a team or project manager, you have a point here for reflecting on the competencies that are needed to complete the task.

Iwona Kaszuba, Office Coordinator, Grupa Progres

What would your colleagues say about you?

There is no perfect answer to this question, but remember that it tests our teamwork skills. It is important that the information provided shows the candidate, and above all his teamwork, in the best possible light. Be based on real and concrete situations, it is worth quoting the words of colleagues heard after completing a given task. When answering such a question, it is necessary to highlight those features that are worth showing in the context of the position for which the candidate is applying. Let your colleagues’ opinions concern the important aspects of the work. You can show what we are good and helpful at. Let us avoid talking about conflict situations, let us not express ourselves negatively about our colleagues. For example, you might say, “My colleagues think I’m a good organizer. I can easily set schedules and divide tasks, I always pay attention to whether someone needs support. This way, tasks were always finished on time. ”

Katarzyna Aftewicz, Business Development Executive, HRK S.A.

How do you deal with conflict situations?

Before the interview, we should recall a few conflict situations.

• We start with a brief description of the context of the situation. For example: in the previous company, I received important documents for legal analysis, I had two days to do so, but the documents were delivered to me late. I went with it to my boss who didn’t hide his anger and took it out on me. It was a very important contract for him.
• Next, we present our reaction, our approach so as to focus not on the conflict itself, but on its productive resolution. Example: I accepted with calm what my boss had to say, explained the reason for the delay and proposed a solution – including another person to work on the analysis of documents, which significantly accelerated the implementation time and, as a consequence, allowed to complete the order on time.
• Finally, we describe the ending of the story focusing on positive outcomes and conclusions. Example: Thanks to this situation, the boss understood how important it is to standardize the circulation of documents in the company so that such situations do not occur. I was the person responsible for creating the implementation of appropriate procedures, which was a great honor for me. The final effect of the work was appreciated by the superior and colleagues.

Of course, each situation and problem requires a different approach. The candidate should tell about their conflict resolution methods, such as an interview, brainstorming or a bank of ideas. Listening to your interlocutor, getting to know his views and ideas can become crucial in problem-solving. It allows for “cooling” the atmosphere of conflict, understanding, elimination of differences of opinion and the final compromise. We show that we are looking for solutions that will satisfy all parties. To sum up: how do you answer the question “How do you cope in a conflict situation?” Most of all, you stay calm, you listen, look for solutions together, and eventually, you can compromise.

Łukasz Zuber, Project Manager, Grupa Progres

How do you plan your career path?

Contrary to appearances, this question is an important element of the recruitment process, and the answer allows the Recruiter to assess whether the candidate will be able to develop in the company on the given positions, which will translate into further motivation to work and taking up new challenges. Therefore, there is no better answer to this question than to be honest about your expectations for your own development. An experienced Recruiter’s success does not count in the number of closed recruitment projects, but rather in the successive professional successes of the candidates he recruited to the company’s internal structures.

Anna Koźniewska, CEE Recruitment Manager, Unilever

Do you have any questions?

When a question is asked during the meeting: “Do you have any questions?” they should be seen as an incentive for interaction, not a sign that we should politely deny and say goodbye. It is worth preparing questions and asking about such issues as the typical course of the day in a given position, team, company culture or its main goals in the coming years. However, it is better to refrain from asking questions like: “What exactly will I do in this position?” or “Does the company monitor internet use?” – they probably won’t make a good impression on the recruiter.

Hanna Piotrowska, Manager, Adzuna Polska

Please describe your earnings history.

There are several scenarios for answering the earnings history question:

• Escape from the answers. The omission strategy in this case is to change the topic to… describe financial expectations. For example: “In my last job, I was earning between X and Z and I would like to keep my income level.”
• Refusal: “I believe earnings information must be confidential and, if possible, I would like to keep this information private.”
• Honest answer: “My first earnings were X. In my last job, I was earning from Y to Z. This means that over 15 years of my professional career I have managed to increase my income more than sixfold. I’m proud of it. I consider it a kind of reward for the effort I put into my availability, dedication to work, loyalty and education. “

Regardless of which scenario we choose, we must remember one rule: it is not profitable (literally and figuratively) to colorize your professional life.

Violetta Rymszewicz, owner of rymszewicz.eu

Please tell us about your greatest failure / greatest success.

Be specific, tell about a specific situation in which you were involved. It is about your personal experiences. Remember what you were most proud of, what you did. What gave you the greatest satisfaction? What specific task that you were proud to perform motivated you to continue? On the other hand, remember a situation where you made a mistake but learned from it for the future. Tell me about an event that was a good experience for you, that taught you something. Tell me what you’ve learned.

Anna Krawczyk, Recruitment Specialist, Agora S.A.

Please tell us about the achievement you are most proud of.

Consider such achievements in your professional career that required special use of your skills and competencies, as well as determination or a special art of negotiation. Showing that you do not give up despite many adversities and that you can transform even the most difficult situations into success will allow you to properly emphasize your natural features and focus on your goal.

Klaudia Godlewska, Consultant, HRK S.A.

Why did you end your cooperation with your previous employer?

• Present the reasons for ending the cooperation by speaking about facts, not emotions.
• Do not complain about your previous employer, avoid information about conflicts or about the fact that you resigned in order to beat your boss’s nose. Don’t offer emotional outbursts and personal grievances.
• If the reasons for terminating the cooperation resulted from factors on the part of the employer, talk directly about the difficult economic situation of the company that resulted in the liquidation of the department or about the change of the company’s seat, which would entail the necessity to move to another city.
• Do not mention too low earnings as the main and only motivator to change jobs. If you are talking about finances, rather than saying, “They paid too little,” better say, “My salary has not changed for 3 years, and during that time my independence and responsibility have increased significantly. While collecting information from the market, I also realized that my salary was significantly different from the average earnings in the industry. I spoke to my boss about the possibility of a raise, but there was no chance for that. ”
• Avoid vague answers: “burned out”, “I’m looking for new challenges” – these are generalities that do not convince the recruiter. Specifically, say: “I am looking for a place where I will be able to fully use my competencies in IT project management – I really care about it, and the structure of the previous organization did not allow me to do so.”

Marta Barszczewska, author of happyhr

What kind of employer is the previous company?

1. Don’t focus on the negative side of your previous job. Even if your job or supervisors have left a lot to be desired, avoid speaking negatively about them. It’s a bad omen for recruiters. You may be perceived as a person who cannot fit in and can achieve the company’s goals together.
2. Find items you liked about your previous business. Let’s make an appointment. Each job can bring specific benefits for you. As a person who has gone through various types of work, I am of the opinion that each of them has left a positive mark on me. Find one at your place.
3. Study the advertisement and consider whether you want to perform the duties specified in it. You will avoid talking about false motivations.

Piotr Sosnowski, Co-founder of InterviewMe

What responsibilities do you dislike in your current job?

An example of such a response: “As an auditor, I have frequent contact with clients. I like my job very much, but I don’t like the organizational matters that I have to deal with. Making appointments with clients, postponing appointments, calling someone several times because he is not answering the phone. Fortunately, recently I was promoted in the structure of the company and a colleague was assigned to me who willingly took over these tasks from me. ”

Angelika Śniegocka, HR Director, career coach, author of the book “An interview. What job candidates do not know, i.e. the secrets of recruiters. “, Owner of OdZeraDoManager.

Questions about goals and bonuses achieved in existing workplaces.

These questions must be answered truthfully. It is very easy to confirm the accuracy of the answers with the actual state during the reference interview.

Mariusz Bzdęga, Manifest HR

What do you expect from your new position?

How to answer such a question? First of all, let’s avoid clichéd, general responses such as: “I expect stabilization”, “development opportunities”, “friendly working atmosphere”. The key to success is honesty and precision in making sure you are understood correctly. Underline what is important to you and justify, do not limit yourself to negotiations, eg: “I would like to be able to develop through participation in training and industry meetings. I am aware that the training policy differs in organizations, so I will certainly also train myself. However, I would like to be able to participate in cyclical industry meetings during my work

Magdalena Baster, Branch Manager, Grupa Progres

What are your financial expectations?