Delivery Agent

To answer this question correctly you must have a second read of the job description and list out the skills required to do the job!

Then reassure the hiring manager that you have those skills required for the position.

Below is a job description for a pizza delivery driver:

☛ Can communicate verbally with customers and co-workers to process orders both over the phone and in person. (skill required: communication)

☛ Can add, subtract, multiply, and divide accurately and quickly. (skill required: math skills)

☛ Can enter orders using a computer keyboard or touchscreen. (skill required: quick learner)

☛ Take inventory and complete associated paperwork. (skill required: looking for attention to detail)

Possible answers to this question are:

☛ I have great communication skills which will allow me to work well with customers and co-workers.

☛ I am good at math and will not have any issue making any change.

☛ I am a quick learner and will not have any issue learning the computer system to take orders.

☛ I pay great attention to detail and will always make sure the customer gets their order correctly the first time.

As this is known to be a predictable question, the interviewer will expect you to be well prepared. This means demonstrating knowledge of the company and the role you are applying for. Obviously, you also need to tie in your skills and interest in with this information.

To really impress the interviewer, mention some aspect of the organisation that it prides itself on; this could be its client base or training for example. Again, there is a fairly simple strategy you can use:

☛ Show Enthusiasm: It’s not enough to be excited; you have to show why you’re delighted at the prospect. In most cases, your research won’t need to extend beyond reading the company’s website.

☛ Align Experiences & Skills With The Job: Look to pinpoint the main duties within the role and show how you can use your skills and experience to do a great job. Focus on a couple of relevant abilities only as you will get plenty of chances to discuss your talents throughout the interview.

☛ Look to Connect the Role with Your Career Path: Here, you need to demonstrate that the role makes sense in terms of your career. For best results, give off the impression that you’re interested in staying for the long term rather than using the position as a stepping stone.

With this question, the interviewer is attempting to gauge your suitability for the role based on your past behaviour and attitude towards your previous role – what motivates you, what you may or may not enjoy in a future role, and where you might be challenged.

Candidates need to tread carefully here. While it is important to be as honest as possible, you don’t want to come across as negative or as someone who leaves when things get challenging. It is always better to cite positive reasons for leaving a job, such as seeking career progression or a desire to challenge yourself, than negative reasons such as disliking your work or colleagues. Never bad-mouth a previous employer as it will only reflect badly on you.

The skill in answering this question lies in how you frame it, so keep it positive. For example, if you left your previous role because you had a micro-managing boss, you could express it this way: “My previous manager was very detail-oriented and directive, and while this enabled me to learn a great deal, I felt I was ready to take on a role where I could expand and exercise more autonomy. I am at my best when I receive some guidance but am given the scope to manage my projects and really contribute.”

It is important to remember that hiring someone is an investment for an organisation and they only want candidates likely to stick around. The cost of training new staff is enormous so a high employee turnover is capable of financially crippling an organisation. When answering this question, you need to show that you’re ambitious and are prepared to seek out your career goals with this company.

Overall, you need to let the recruiter know that you’ve set realistic career goals, have motivation and the job opening aligns with your ambitions and growth. While you can admit to not knowing precisely what the future holds, be sure to state that working for the company will play a big role in helping you decide.

Here, the interviewer wants to know how you are uniquely placed to meet their needs – more than anyone else. It’s your job to convince them, and you need to provide a compelling case.

This is your opportunity to really sell yourself and leverage your personal brand. Emphasise your unique selling proposition and how your skills, experiences and motivations perfectly match the needs of the business. Every organisation wants people who can help them solve their problems and achieve their goals – so show that you really understand the role, the business and its challenges, and articulate how your experience and skills will help them solve their problems.

For instance, “As you are starting to embark on digital transformation within your business, you need someone who can effectively manage the process and its challenges. That is something I have particular strength and experience in, as I led a large and complex digital transformation project in my last role that encompassed technical integration, process digitisation and employee enablement, all while ensuring a seamless customer experience. If you need a strong project manager with the technical and stakeholder management skills to lead your digital transformation, I’m the person for the job.”

This question allows the interviewer to gain some insight into your motivations – an incredibly important consideration when hiring new employees. They will be looking for candidates with the right motivational fit for their organisation.

Candidates need to explain what excites them about the role and the company – it could be the opportunity for professional growth, or that the company culture aligns with your values and provides a chance to make a meaningful contribution. Highlight the fit between your needs and theirs, and remember that it’s not only about you and what you want, but about mutual benefit.

This question also provides an opportunity to show how much you know about the organisation and how it is positioned in the industry based on your previous research. Has the company been in the news lately, what new products and campaigns have they launched, what results have been published in their latest annual report and what are the larger industry trends? Refer to specific aspects and highlight the skills and expertise you can bring to this context, while impressing with your in-depth knowledge and preparation.

Interviewers are not naïve – they know that candidates are not going to reveal their worst traits in an interview. But with this question, they can see if the candidate possesses self-awareness, the ability to deal with adversity, and a desire to learn and improve. It’s just as important to be able to talk about your failures as your successes – and it can even work to your credit.

Again, the skill in answering this question lies in your ability to turn a negative into a positive. Try to be honest in naming a shortcoming you are genuinely working on – but not one that would impact excessively on your ability to perform in the role. For example, having a fear of public speaking would probably not be a deal-breaker for someone applying to be an actuary, but it might be for someone applying to be a company’s PR rep.

Providing that public speaking isn’t absolutely vital to the role, you could talk about the time you had to give a presentation at work but got excessively nervous, forgot what you intended to say and lost your audience halfway through. This experience highlighted that this was something you really wanted to improve on, so you enrolled in a Toastmasters course and have been trying to practise as much as possible, speaking up in meetings and putting your hand up to present whenever the opportunity arises. Because of your efforts, you are now far more comfortable and effective in your presentations, and have received feedback from your manager on how much you have improved.