Entry-level

How to ace entry-level interviews

Junior candidates and recent graduates aren’t going to have much experience. Fact. 

But with the right entry-level interview questions you can read between the lines to spot potential.

Look for great communication skills, time-management skills and problem-solving skills.

Entry-level interview questions

• Why did you choose to study this field?
• Do you plan to continue your studies one day? What would you focus on?
• How have your studies prepared you for on-the-job challenges?
• Why did you apply for this role? 
• How would you answer a difficult client question?
• Describe a time when you worked with a team to ace a goal. 
• How do you complete projects with tight deadlines?
• What would you hope to learn during your first year at work?
• Tell us about your fave projects during your internship. What was your role/challenges/learnings?
• What would you do if your manager asked you to do a task you’d never done before?
• Sell me [this product]. How would you learn about my needs and convince me to buy the product?
• How do you react to negative feedback? Give an example.

How to ace entry-level interviews

• Start with an icebreaker: Help relax your candidate by telling them about yourself and your role. 
• Use hypothetical situations: Your candidate doesn’t have much experience so ask them what they would do, rather than what they have done.
• Don’t knock unpaid experience: Ask them about volunteer work, extracurricular activities and internships to figure out how they interact with teammates and achieve results.
• Know they might be experienced: Entry-level candidates could be pros looking to make a career change. Use questions to figure out why they’re making the change.
• Include an assignment: Creative or technical roles benefit from assignments, especially when candidates don’t have their own portfolio.  

Candidates to avoid

• There’s a goal mismatch: If their career goals don’t match your company’s, they might jump ship sooner rather than later.
• Arrogant candidates: Arrogant candidates are a big no-no. If they think they “know it all” they could struggle to develop professionally.
• Unprofessional candidates: Don’t judge junior candidates if they aren’t prepared, but look out for signs of unprofessionalism like tardiness. 
• They lack motivation: Candidates who don’t ask follow-up questions and seem bored probably just don’t care enough.