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Reading Time: 8 minutes
The anticipation of the interview process is potentially one of the most nerve wracking processes when looking for your ideal job.
The reality is that preparation is key, and knowing what to expect could help alleviate some of the pressure.
Here are the top 60 interview questions to help you get a job in Canada to prepare you for your job interview.
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Top 60 Interview Questions
We’ve highlighted some of the most common interview questions from the top 50 list created by Glassdoor, based on interview reviews. And of course, we’ve added an extra 10 questions to help give you that added edge.
- Tell me about yourself
- What are your strengths?
- What are your weaknesses?
- Why are you interested in working for [insert company name here]?
- Why are you interested in this job/position?
- Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?
- Why do you want to leave your current company?
- Why was there a gap in your employment between [insert date] and [insert date]?
- What can you offer us that someone else can not?
- What are three things your former manager would like you to improve on?
- Are you willing to relocate?
- Are you willing to travel?
- Tell me about an accomplishment you are most proud of.
- Tell me about a time you made a mistake.
- Tell me about a conflict you faced at work and how you dealt with it.
- How would you handle criticism from a superior?
- What is your dream job?
- How did you hear about this position?
- What would you look to accomplish in the first 30 days/60 days/90 days on the job?
- Discuss your resume.
- Discuss your educational background.
- Describe yourself.
- Do you prefer to work alone or with others?
- Tell me how you handled a difficult situation.
- Why should we hire you?
- Why are you looking for a new job?
- Would you work holidays/weekends?
- How would you deal with an angry or irate customer?
- How do you deal with stress?
- What are your salary requirements?
- Give a time when you went above and beyond the requirements for a project.
- Who are our competitors?
- What was your biggest failure?
- What motivates you?
- What’s your availability?
- Who’s your mentor?
- Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your boss.
- How do you handle pressure?
- What is the name of our CEO?
- What are your career goals?
- What gets you up in the morning?
- What would the first 30 days in this position look like for you?
- What do you expect out of your team/co-workers?
- What do you expect from your manager?
- What would your direct reports say about you?
- What were your bosses’ strengths/weaknesses?
- If I called your boss right now and asked him what is an area that you could improve on, what would he say?
- Are you a leader or a follower?
- What was the last book you’ve read for fun?
- What are your co-worker pet peeves?
- If a coworker had an annoying habit, and it hindered your quality of work, how would you resolve it?
- What are your hobbies?
- What is your favourite website?
- What makes you uncomfortable?
- What are some of your leadership experiences?
- How would you fire someone?
- What do you like the most and least about working in this industry?
- Would you work 40+ hours a week?
- What questions haven’t I asked you?
- What questions do you have for me?
Now that you’ve had a sneak peek at the most common interview questions, it’s time to prepare for your interview.
How to Prepare For Your Job Interview
1. Do research on the company you’re applying to
The best thing that you can do is to step into the interview with sufficient knowledge of the company you’re applying to.
Take a look at their website, find out what their company mission is and where they’re located, read Google reviews to see what current and past employers have to say about their experience working there. These are just a few things to look at when looking for a new career opportunity.
It will not only make a good impression in your interview, but it will also help you determine if the company will be a good fit for you.
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2. Prepare a list of possible questions and answers
Preparation is key for any job interview. It’s not only important to find out what types of questions you may be asked, but to prepare some possible answers to help boost your confidence before the interview process begins.
Take a look at an example of how to answer the most popular interview question of all time.
Question: Tell me about yourself?
Answer: This is where it’s time to capture your interviewer’s attention and show confidence. Be original and skip your personal history and prepare two to three sentences about your professional journey, your current role and what made you decide to apply for the job.
Example of an possible answer:
“Hi, my name is Sarah. I started my career in interior design fairly recently, and was drawn to this job opportunity because I’m passionate about sustainable design. My role at my current company focuses on the preservation of historical buildings, and I am looking for an opportunity to combine my passion with my skills, which I acquired at Alberta University of the Arts (AUArts).”
To help you prepare, take a look at our top 10 common interview questions and answers.
3. Determine the wants and needs of the company
It’s crucial to make sure that your skills and abilities match the needs or ‘pain points’ of the company you apply to. Most job advertisements will list requirements regarding:
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- Your qualifications;
- Years of experience;
- Skills required for the role
- Responsibilities; and
- Tech requirements.
To make a good impression from the start, highlight these skills as strengths in your introduction at the beginning of the interview.
4. Reflect on past interviews
Another great way to prepare for your job interview is to look back at past interviews and see where you could improve.
Start by making a list of the types of questions you were asked as well as your answers. Then it’s time to look at areas where you could have improved, and it may even be a good idea to research interview skills that could help you get a job in Canada.
5. Figure out how to communicate your goals
One of the most popular questions asked by hiring managers are about personal and professional goals.
Questions like, “Where do you see yourself in five years”, are often asked and having a clear direction of where you’re headed in your career shows confidence, motivation and drive, which are attractive and sought after qualities in job applicants.
How to Get a Job in Canada
1. Make sure that your resume is up-to-date
Make sure your resume is up to date and well written as these are two of the main reasons that your job application could get rejected. Be sure to include the following factors in your resume:
- Contact information
- Professional career summary
- Relevant work experience – including duties
- Education and qualifications
- hard and soft skills
- Contactable references
Top Tip
As most hiring managers do their recruiting via platforms like LinkedIn it is a great idea to either upload accreditations or assessments to your profile.
LinkedIn has endorsement options where clients you have worked with or past employers can give you a review.
It also has the option for you to get an endorsement badge, which will help to show your prospective employers that you do in fact have the skills listed on your resume.
When it comes to applying for your work permit or visa , however, you may need to check whether or not your job requires a Labour Market Impact assessment (LMIA). This may be required to show the Government that your employer has checked to see if there are any suitable applicants in Canada before looking to hire international applicants.
You will also need an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA). This is a document that shows that your qualifications and training are up to Canadian standards, if acquired outside of Canada.
2. Be selective when applying for jobs
Although there may be thousands of job opportunities that interest you when applying for jobs in Canada, resist the urge to apply for all of them. Take the time to carefully consider your options and only apply to companies as well as for roles that you think would best suit you.
Here are 12 things to look for in a job when making your selection:
- Company history
- Company values
- Job location
- Working hours
- Salary
- Benefits
- Technological tools
- Recognition and appraisal
- Work-Life balance
- Work environment
Top Tip
It’s always a good idea to send a follow up email after your interview. It’s not only good etiquette, but it also shows that you are interested in the job.
3. Use different platforms to network and apply for jobs
As mentioned, LinkedIn is one of the most popular places to look for and find jobs in Canada, not to mention globally, but there are various other ways to find work in Canada.
The following job sites are very popular in Canada, and are worth taking a look at when looking for a job.
- Canada Job Bank
- Eluta.ca
- Randstad
- Canada Jobs
- GoOverseas.com
- Workopolis
- Indeed Canada
- Glassdoor
Top Tip
Create a profile on the government job site, JobBank, to find out which provinces needs your skills the most and keep up to date on the latest job listings.
Applying for a Work Visa for Canada
Once you’ve landed your dream job, the next step you’ll need to take is to check if you need a work visa and which type of visa you’ll need.
Canada has two kinds of visas.
- Open work permits are generally for work programs like the ever popular Working Holiday Visa and the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program, as they gives applicants the freedom to work for any employer anywhere in Canada.
- Employer-specific work permits are required for programs like the Temporary Foreign Work Program and various programs under Provincial Nominee Program. Theses permits allow applicants to work for specific Canadian employers for a specific period of time only.
If you are applying to immigrate to Canada through an immigration program that gives you Permanent Residency (PR) you won’t need to apply for a work permit as you will automatically be allowed to work in Canada.
You will only need one if you need to start working in Canada before your PR status has been approved. In this case you’ll be able to apply for a Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP).
Now that we’ve highlighted 60 of the most common interview questions asked by hiring managers, how to prepare for your job interview, how to get a job in Canada and how to apply for a Canadian work permit, it is time to kick start your plan of action to make your move to Canada!
Need help with the process and aren’t sure where to start?
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