2. How are you today?
• Enthusiasm
• Smile
• Always positive
• Ask them also
3. “I’m very well, thank you! I’ve been looking forward to
meeting you. How has your day been?”
“I’m great! – thank you. How about you?”
4. So, can you tell me about
yourself?
• Don’t detail entire employment history
• Start with 2-3 specific accomplishments or
experiences that you MOST want the
interviewer to know.
• wrap up by talking about how prior
experience makes you a great candidate fo
this job.
5. “ - Well, I graduated from ABC University in 2009.
- I’ve been working on the respiratory team for ABC
company for 3 years now, and have an in-depth
knowledge about respiratory treatment and drugs on
the market.
- Last year, I was awarded the Team Leadership award
from my company, and that’s something I worked
really hard to achieve.
- Now, I’m very interested in expanding my responsibilities in a
position that will allow me to represent a new product and
contribute my network and understanding of the industry to a
bigger team.
6. How did you hear about this
position?
• this is an opportunity to show how much
you know about this company.
• “Name drop”
7. “Well, I’ve been interested in your company for some
time. The products are high-quality and have a lot of
respect in the market. I’ve also heard great things abou
employee support and training opportunities.
My former colleague and friend, Anh, who manages
X product, informed me of the vacancy and said I
would be a great fit for the position.”
8. Why do you want this job?
(Why are you the best candidate?)
• Should sound ‘passionate’ about job/company
• First, identify some key factors that make you
a great fit for the job.
• Then, share what you love about the company.
• Show: 1) you can do the work 2) you can
produce great results 3) you would fit
in with the company culture.
9. “Well, I really enjoy customer interaction. It’s very challenging
at times, but I like to solve problems and find it very rewarding
to help customers become more knowledgeable about patient
treatment and our products.
For example: (give an example of solving a problem with a
customer and the wonderful results)
Additionally, I’ve always been passionate about education, and
I think your company has some excellent training and education
programs for customers.”
10. What are your greatest
Strengths?
• Be honest
• Choose a strength that is strongly related
to the position.
• Be specific (“good communication /
organized / social = too broad)
• Follow up with an example
11. “One of my greatest strengths is that I have excellent
interpersonal skills. I believe a lot of issues at work can be solved
with clear communication – and knowing what motivates that
particular person.
For example…..
Another strength is my technical knowledge. While it’s not
required to have excellent technical skills in our field, I have found
that it has helped in many situations such as…..”
12. What do you consider to be
one of your weaknesses?
• The interviewer wants to see how honest you are, and
also look for any “red flags”
• Balance your response with something you have
struggled with, but are now improving / working on
overcoming this weakness.
13. “Well, an issue that I still struggle with is public speaking. When
I was a student, I was very shy and very nervous when I had to
speak in front of the class.
Now, as I’ve had to do more presentations, I’m less nervous –
however, it’s still something I’d like to feel more comfortable with
I often volunteer to speak in meetings and make myself do jobs
that require public speaking so that I can gain confidence.”
14. Tell me about a challenge or
conflict you’ve faced at work and
how you dealt with it
• Interviewer wants to know how you respond to
conflict.
• Focus on how you handled the situation professionally
and productively
• The situation should have a “happy ending” or a
compromise.
*Use ST-A-R method (Situation/Task – Approach –
Resolution)
15. Where do you see yourself in
5 years?
• Interviewer wants to know 1) if you have realistic
expectations 2) if you are ambitious 3) if the position
aligns with your goal
16. “This is something I think about often. My ultimate goal is to
become an expert in my field – I’d not only like to continue
my experience in sales, but I’d also like to explore Marketing.
In five years, I’d like to be working on the marketing side of the
pharmaceutical industry, either as a marketing manager or
assistant marketing manager.
This position is a great way to transition my sales knowledge
into marketing because it requires a lot of collaboration and
project with the marketing department.”
