3 interview q's to practice to get the job

Plus: This $500K job isn't in tech or finance...

June 04, 2024

Happy June! ☀️ This time last year marked the beginning of Hot Labor Summer—the summer when hospitality, entertainment, and transportation workers went on strike to protest for better wages and working conditions. 

While union membership rates have declined since then, we’re all about bringing those vibes back. So this is your reminder: Unions change lives. They promote economic equality, safer workplaces, and more.  

Here’s to making unions hot again. 🔥

3 Interview Questions to Practice to Get the Job

So, you landed the interview (*high five* ✋). It’s time to brush up on which questions you can expect so you can leave a stellar impression—and get the job. But what even are the most common interview questions? 

You’ve come to the right place. 

We created this guide for the most common job interview questions. Here are the top three—and my best tips for answering them—to help you land the job: 👇

  1. “Tell me about yourself.”

Repeat after us: The hiring manager is not asking for your entire life story. They want to know your career story: AKA, how your professional path led you to being interested in the position.

✖️Wrong: “I was born in 1995 in Austin, Texas. I grew up with my parents and dog before going to college at the University of Alabama where I majored in Computer Science. Now I’m looking for jobs in software engineering.” 

✔️ Right: “I graduated with a degree in computer science and started my career as a web engineer intern at a small web development startup. I then became a programmer and systems analyst for the government sector. I have 11 years of experience but I’m always looking to master new technology to stay ahead of the curve.”  

  1. “Why are you looking for a new position?

This question tells hiring managers a lot about you. It shows them how committed you are to your career growth or if you have any red flags (ex. You answer with a sarcastic “I need the money!” [don’t do that]). The key here is to keep your answer light. 

✖️Wrong: “I’m not a fan of my current job. The work isn’t stimulating and my co-workers aren’t great. I need a change of scenery.” 

✔️ Right: “I’m not being challenged enough in my current role. I’m grateful for the opportunity, but feel like I’m getting stagnant in my career—which is why I’m excited to be pursuing new opportunities and expanding my expertise.” 

  1. “What are your salary expectations?”

It’s best if the interviewer provides their budget first before you answer this–but in case they don’t, that’s when our Market Research Guide and Salary Database come in handy. 

✖️Wrong: “I’m not sure. How high is your budget?” 

✔️ Right: “I have an expected range in mind based on my market rate, but it’s too early in the interview process for me to gauge the full scope of this position. Could you share the budget for this role?”*

* This is what I said to secure a $25,000 raise as a Senior Data Analyst! I include more salary negotiation scripts in our (free!) guide right here.  

There you have it! But…there’s a 99.9% chance your interview will ask you more than three questions  (and if they don’t, that’s a red flag on their part 🤨). Here’s the full list of the 10 most common job interview questions so you can be best prepared. 

And one last thing: You. Got. This. 🫡

Sponsored By RenderATL 2024

We’re Bringing The Heat to RenderATL 2024!

RenderATL has become a cornerstone event in the tech community, attracting thousands of attendees from around the globe. This year, they're expecting over 5,000 passionate individuals to gather at AmericasMart from June 12th to June 14th, during Atlanta Tech Week, for an immersive experience.

We'll be there doing our thing, and guess what? We're giving away tickets for a few lucky peeps to join the party.

Want in? Sign up here to be eligible. Don't miss out on this chance to level up your skills and network with awesome people. See you there!

The STS team hit the streets of Greenville, North Carolina…and met tons of people from all walks of life: 

  • 📦 UPS workers earning $135,000 a year 

  • 🍝 Part-time college students making $10 an hour as restaurant servers 

  • 🫀 An organ donor coordinator with a $120,000 salary 

To hear more about how these people started their careers (and meet the dozens of other people we interviewed!) check out our video below.

  • Last year, Massachusetts rolled out the “millionaires tax.” 💰 Now, it has an extra $1.8 billion to spend on free public school, community college, public transportation, and more. Turns out that the “taxing the rich does nothing” narrative doesn’t hold up (but we could’ve told you that). 

  • This $500,000 salaried job isn’t in tech or finance. It’s the store manager role at Walmart. That’s right: To combat high turnover, Walmart is paying managers who run stores that gross over $100 million in annual sales half a million dollars a year. Cheers to that! 🥂

  • Find out what jobs really pay with Real Salary! This cool tool collects salary ranges directly from job postings to help you know your worth! Sit down, you might be shocked by the results. Also shocking? Right now each listing is just fifty cents per result–that's 50% off what it will be once this female-founded startup officially launches. Explore Real Salary here!

  • The Pro Act is now law in Vermont…and it’s a big deal. Why? It 1) makes it easier for workers in public sectors to form unions, 2) bans anti-union captive audience meetings, and 3) expands collective bargaining rights to agricultural and domestic workers.

  • ”Reality TV is dead.” — Patrick Caligiuri, Producer. 📺 The reality TV industry isn’t doing so hot as shoot days in LA declined 18.6% from 2023, per Hollywood Reporter. That’s bad news for seasoned story producers, who used to earn ~$2,800/week…and now earn just ~$1,750/week for the same gig. 

Thanks for being here! Before we part ways, a reminder that only 11 US states have some form of pay transparency laws. Is yours one of them? 🧐 

Find out in 30 seconds (because no one has time for a confusing Google search).

See you next week!

Reply

or to participate.