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Interview preparation is important to your job search prospects, and this means you need to be ready to handle some of the most common questions you will be asked when you meet with potential employers.
Since you may not specifically have a rich civilian work background, recruiters will ask you hypothetical questions to assess how your military career can benefit them. You should be ready for these types of questions by preparing your responses about how your military experience can be adapted to a civilian job.
Here are examples of the types of questions you may be presented with during an interview. Start practicing now!Open-Ended Questions
- Tell me about yourself.
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- Where do you see your career goals?
- What is your ideal job?
- What is the last book you read and what did you like most about it?
- Who are your heroes and why?
Questions Specific to Your Military Career
- Why did you join the military?
- What aspect of your military career has prepared you for this position?
- What challenges did you face in the military that will be an asset to our work environment?
- What opportunities are you looking for now that you have ended your military career?
- Do you think that the adjustment to a civilian job will be difficult?
- What is one of the most important skills you feel the military taught you?
Behavioral Questions
- Describe how you would handle a situation if you were told you had to change your objective mid-way through a project’s completion?
- Give an example of how you have handled a difficult situation or colleague?
- Have you had a difficult situation with a supervisor, and if so, how did you resolve it?
Outline these questions and have your responses ready well in advance. Remember, a job interview is a conversation. During the interview you will be assessed not only on your experience, but on how you respond. Interviewers will look at your general mannerisms, style and level of confidence.
The best approach is the prepared approach. Ask a friend or family members to conduct a mock interview session with you. Practice being natural, make eye-contact and remember to smile. Interviewers know that you might be nervous so they will cut you some slack. Good luck!