Find you get tongue-tied in an interview because you’re not quite sure what answer the interviewer is looking for? Here some of our top business minds reveal the best answers to some of the most difficult interview questions.

Remember how you used to feel before taking an exam at school? Well, for many of us, an interview brings up the same feelings of anxiety, fear and dread. In fact, the Concise Oxford Dictionary describes an interview as ‘an oral examination of an applicant for employment’, so it’s little wonder that even the most confident person can be reduced to a bundle of nerves when sat before an interview panel.

But, just like with written exams, these negative thoughts can be calmed with some sound preparation – call it revision if you like. There are many self-help books on how to handle interviews, and Jobsite’s interactive tool, www.bemyinterviewer.co.uk, is an invaluable resource for anyone who really wants to research those dreaded questions and get into the mind of an interviewer.

Here are a few of our favourite answers to some of the most dreaded interview questions:
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If you have managerial skills and can juggle several tasks at once, then a role in project management could be the job for you. The best news is that project managers are needed in all sorts of industries, says Thomas Peel, a Project Manager for a marketing agency in York.

What industry do you work in?

I’m a project manager for a company specialising in experiential marketing. This involves working with 3D design and build, shop fitting and dealing with lots of technical information.

What exactly does a project manager do?

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We’re getting recommendations left, right and centre this month.

On the back of topping the 10 best jobseeker websites in the Sunday Times we’ve now won PC Advisor’s Recommendation of the Month award.

Their regular feature ‘Readers’ Sites’ was looking at job boards this month and included the 10 sites with the most glowing comments from readers of PC Advisor magazine and visitors to pcadvisor.co.uk.

One of their readers recommended Jobsite for having lots of jobs, good search criteria and an easy to use interface. PC Advisor then awarded us ‘Recommendation of the Month’ overall.

We’re really pleased to see that people are having a good experience using Jobsite and are sharing it with others. We hope that you agree with these positive reviews, let us know your thoughts below.

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Trying to get to the bottom of why your application techniques aren’t working is the first step to finding a new job, says renowned career coach, Denise Taylor. But it requires facing some tough questions.

I’m a man aged 64, youthful in appearance and have applied for over 4,000 IT Senior Management or Consulting jobs in 18 months, both permanent and contract, in the UK and overseas. I have ‘covered the field’ and in my view, all have been jobs that I could do at least ‘well’ – mostly in the field of Project and Programme Management. I’ve gained 19 interviews for permanent jobs and none for contract. Some of these proceeded as far as final interview. I’ve not been offered any of the jobs I applied for whereas once, if I got to interview I was most likely to be offered the job. Should I give up looking because (a) I have been out of ‘career’ work for over a year and (b) my age, or (c) for any other reason?

Mick Georgeson

Answer: Denise Taylor replies:

Dear Mick,

When I reply to enquiries such as yours I choose to be quite blunt as I think people want practical suggestions and not sympathy.

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Want to make the move into the construction industry? Saul Townsend, Press and Communications Manager at the CIOB, explains how to get your foot in the door and the qualifications you can take to help you.

What is the name of your organization?

We’re called the Chartered Institute of Building – CIOB for short.

What’s the role of the CIOB within the construction industry?

The CIOB is a registered charity, which represents, supports and sets standards for a wide range of construction professionals. Lots of construction managers join the CIOB, but we also provide services and qualifications for other disciplines in the industry. We have over 40,000 members worldwide and a global network of offices to support our overseas members. I think it’s fair to say that we represent, for the public benefit, the most diverse set of professionals in the construction industry.

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