Interview Questions (1)

👩🏻‍🏫 Overall Feedback

Great job today! In terms of your English language, I think it is clear that you are very strong in English, so for interviews, I don't think that your fluency is something to urgently worry about. My main recommendations for you for interview preparation are: (1) making sure that you provide a specific example for every answer so that you're backing up your answers with evidence and (2) to provide answers that are unique and will set you apart from other candidates. Good luck on your interviews!

 

 

✍🏻 In-depth Feedback

1. What were your major responsibilities in your last position?

My major responsibility in my previous job was to be a bridge between customers and developers. Our company developed a B2B SaaS product to help manage customer relationships, so as a CX (Customer Experience) manager, I had to educate and oversee our business customers. For instance, when our products encountered issues or received updates, we used to create manuals for our customers. The most crucial responsibility was providing solutions when they needed assistance through online chat or phone calls.

→ My major responsibility in my previous job was to be a bridge between my company's customers and developers. For example, when our product had issues or received an update that was confusing for customers, I would be the main point of contact for them. I would often speak with them through online chat or phone call, where they would give their feedback or ask questions on our product. Once, our product had a big update that used a lot of developer language that customers found very difficult to understand. So, I wrote a manual that used much more understandable language for the customers, which was very useful for them and resulted in higher customer satisfaction.

 

👉 For this type of question, the main takeaway is to always remember to provide a specific example to back up your answer––essentially to "show, not tell." In this case, using a specific example of a time when your product had a big update that customers struggled to use and mentioning how you were able to solve the issue through your manual which increased customer satisfaction, can be impressive to employers and show that you're not "lying" about your skills but that your experiences are real. If you can think of an even more specific example, feel free to use that as well!

 

2. What is your greatest strength and weakness?

My greatest strength is immersing myself in what I'm interested in or what I have to do. I believe that immersion provides a surge of dopamine and the ability to concentrate. After immersing myself, I feel proud that I have accomplished something amazing. However, on the flip side of immersion, I sometimes struggle to find a balance between work, health, and relationships. To this day, I continue to strive for balance by setting specific work hours, and I make it a rule to take a break on Saturdays without thinking about work.

→ My greatest strength is being detail-oriented. For example, when I'm preparing to present for my team, I thoroughly check through my presentation materials and practice so that there are no loose ends. However, because I tend to focus a lot of my energy on working, there are times when I can struggle to find a work-life balance for myself, which I would say is my weakness. To improve this, I've been setting up specific boundaries for work hours and choosing a rest day, like Saturday, as a day where I'm taking a break from working.

 

👉 "Immersion" is a bit of a vague word, especially when talking about working traits, so I think phrases like "hard worker" or "diligent worker" are much more straight-forward instead. However, these traits are also very general and can apply to many people. So instead, I would recommend for you to find a strength that is unique and sets you apart from other applications.
An example of this is saying that you are "detail-oriented," which is a great strength to use, especially if your job requires detail-oriented people. A tip is to look at the job description and choose a strength of yours that relates to the specific position. Then, once you state your strength, make sure you are giving a specific example that backs up your strength. The one about presentations is good, but you can even find more specific examples. For instance, you can say, "My strength is that I'm detail-oriented. For example, in this one project, I worked in this role, and I did these things, which led my team to success."
Also, for your weaknesses, try to choose a weakness that is a little more specific. When it comes to interview weaknesses, there's a bit of a taboo of using weaknesses like "perfectionist" and "works too hard," because they don't really show too much about a person and can seem potentially rehearsed. So, I would recommend choosing a more solid weakness that doesn't have any relation to your position. For example, if you are applying for a role that has no need for leadership at all, you can say your weakness is delegating, which is a solid weakness but would not impact this position.