For the most part, questions job candidates are asked on job interviews don’t tend to be age-specific, but rather can apply to any generation. For millennials, however, there are a few subjects that maybe brought up more frequently than others on job interviews. Due mostly to the fact that we are the most plugged-in and tech savvy generation in history, a lot of times job descriptions come with their own set of technology-based duties and responsibilities, as most of us are just expected to already have the fluency needed to incorporate such duties in the capacity of a traditional job. We’ve compiled five interview questions for millennials to give you some things to think about before walking into the next phase of your job search and while many of them will be specific to a particular industry, chances are you’ll come across one or more of these questions along the way.
- Are you active on social media? If the job you’re applying for uses the web at all, prospective employees may want to know how knowledgeable you are about how to incorporate social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter into the job. Certainly, if you’re looking to become a social media marketing professional or something similar, it goes without saying that employers will want to see how big and involved your network is, but this question could be asked of people in other industries, as well. For example, if you’re looking to get hired as a writer, having an active presence on social media could be beneficial to your employer, should you be choosing to share your articles with your friends and networks.
- Where do you see yourself in five years? This is a common question across all age demographics, but since millennials comprise the majority of the current and upcoming workforce, we’re most likely to be asked this question since we’re the ones just launching our professional lives and careers. Employers ask this question to get a sense of what you hope to achieve with the position in question, but also how far into the future you’ve set your goals. If you have a solid, ambitious (but not unrealistic) answer to this question, employers will visualize you as someone looking to progress, a quality many employers want in a new hiree.
- Are you comfortable working with older employees who may have more traditional opinions about how to run a company? As the Baby Boomer and Generation X employees begin to take on leadership roles and executive positions within companies, there will naturally come times when younger, millennial employees will be receiving directives from folks who did not enter the industry with the same technological tools and web-based capabilities that exist now. That doesn’t mean every older employee you encounter will be living in the Dark Ages, but instances will arise when you feel business practices are a bit outdated or ineffective. Be cognizant of that fact when answering a question like this, and try to think of an instance when you helped streamline or introduce a new program or initiative in the office that updated or changed the mind of an older supervisor for the better. And don’t be smug, either. After all, one day you’ll be the dinosaur in the office.
- Do you work better independently, or do you flourish with lots of oversight? Due to things like the sharing economy and an influx of freelance, non-traditional job roles in this generation, the micromanaging boss is a rarity in many industries. The heavy dependence on the internet has made the execution of job duties a pretty independent process, and oftentimes we are able to complete all of our work without ever having to engage with a boss or supervisor to know what to do. That being said, there’s nothing wrong with being someone who works better when you’re regularly being given clear instructions from a supervisor, so there’s no right or wrong answer here.
- Do you work better on a remote basis, in a traditional office space, or somewhere in between? Once again, the driving force behind this question involves the way technology has changed the way our work environments look. I’m writing this from the comfort of my own bedroom, and as a person with three different jobs all done remotely, I am very comfortable with the non-traditional way of “going to work.” However, having an identifiable office to go to can be really helpful to those who like more structured and disciplined environments, such as a traditional 9-5 office space. There are also those who fit somewhere in between, like people who enjoy working from coffee shops and libraries and those who frequent coworking spaces. This is another no-wrong-answer kind of response, but certainly tailor your words to the position you’re applying for.
What are the most common questions you’ve come across in job interviews, and how did you respond? Let us know on Twitter @PloymintHQ!