Communications skills interview questions and answers
Without outstanding communication skills, trouble will brew in the workplace. Therefore, employers expect all candidates to display their teamworking and interpersonal skills on CVs and during the interview.
Irrespective of the role, employers want staff that interacts well with others, thus facilitating a smooth workflow. Therefore, when you sit down for your interview, you can expect to receive several questions designed to test your communication skills. This article focuses on five of the most regularly asked questions on this topic. First, however, let’s delve into the specific communication skills a company wants.
Apply for Jobs in Ireland
What Common Communications Skills Do Interviewers Look for?
The hiring manager will focus on the following communication skills:
- Empathy
- Listening
- Respect
- Confidence
- Clarity and conciseness
- Approachability
- Non-verbal communication
Apart from your responses, the interviewer will investigate your non-verbal communication skills. For instance, do you explain your answers well? Are you articulate? Do you look them in the eye while talking and listening? Therefore, you have to pay attention to how you behave as much as the words coming out of your mouth.
Why Communication Skills Are Considered So Important by Hiring Teams
There is plenty of research that proves the importance of effective communication in the workplace. According to research by Expert Market, an American-based company:
- 97% of employees believe that communication impacts their daily tasks.
- 28% of staff claim that poor communication is the #1 reason for missing deadlines.
- 64% of companies say that communicating their values, strategy, and purpose to their team is a priority.
The list of stats goes on! Suffice to say; companies know that clear communication plays a major role in their success or failure. Therefore, interviewees must show they can:
- Work well within a team.
- Clearly communicate their decisions to colleagues.
- Properly represent the company brand.
- Display excellent customer service ability.
Job Positions Where Communication Skills Are Vital
One could easily argue that strong communication skills are required in every role. However, companies advertising the following positions emphasise it:
- Receptionist
- Social Worker
- Medical Secretary
- Dispatcher
- Customer Service Agent
- Legal Secretary
- Administrative Assistant
- HR Managers
- Technical Writers
- Telemarketers
In these roles, outstanding communication is among the #1 key skills. Outline it in your CV, and display it in the interview.
5 Interview Questions on Communication Skills & Sample Answers
Below, we have included five interview questions relating to communication skills that companies often ask. In addition, we have included sample answers to help you understand what the interviewer is seeking.
1 – Outline Your Greatest Accomplishment
Sample Answer:
“I work in a homeless shelter where we help 4,000 clients to find a home each year. We have a phenomenal success rate, with 85% of people finding accommodation within three months. I am proud of this role, which I continue today because I get to help others. Last August, I came up with an idea for new funding, which involved talking to government agencies. This process ultimately boosted our budget by €400,000, thus helping 1,000 families to find a place to live.
Here, you demonstrate how your communication skills enabled you to help people in a meaningful way. In addition, it shows that you’re determined to get the job done and have the negotiation and interpersonal skills to make things happen.
2 – Discuss an Occasion Where You Faced Conflict – How Did You Handle It?
Sample Answer:
“Successfully solving conflicts involves empathy and listening skills. I look to understand the situation from each person’s perspective and actively work to find solutions. For example, on one occasion, a colleague was angry with a co-worker for missing deadlines repeatedly. I agreed to broker a meeting between them where I acted as a mediator. Together, we worked to find a mutually agreeable solution, and our co-worker began to improve their performance, which helped our team significantly.”
In this instance, you show that your peace-making skills can help heal conflicts between colleagues. This is a valuable skill to have as it can prove the difference between a project being a success and a failure. It can also prevent divisions from appearing within the team.
3 – Do You Work Well Within a Team?
Sample Answer:
“Yes, and I continue to work hard on my interpersonal skills. I understand that people have different viewpoints and try to respect them. This skill helped me rise to the rank of assistant manager less than a year into my last role. I worked with the other team members, listened to their concerns, and helped motivate them. The result was a 44% increase in productivity during my first six months as assistant manager.”
In this case, you show leadership ability. Having the capacity to motivate others is hugely important and can help you quickly climb the career ladder.
4 – How Would You Describe Yourself?
Sample Answer:
“I would say that I enjoy taking on challenges and leading a team. This is because I relish the opportunity to test my communication skills with different individuals and find new ways to motivate them. I am dedicated to helping employees and colleagues meet their goals. Most importantly, I like helping others to enjoy their time at work because happier team members mean smooth communication and greater productivity.”
Once again, you are displaying leadership ability. You can do this even if you haven’t even reached the role of a supervisor yet. What you’re doing is showing ambition; that you’re someone who is in it for the long haul. You take your role seriously and know the importance of great communication.
5 – Why Are You the Best Person for the Job?
Sample Answer:
“I’ve no idea who else you are interviewing, so I can’t say whether I am the ‘best’ applicant. However, I can tell you that I will quickly integrate into the team and provide immediate results as I did with my previous company. For example, during my first quarter with ACME Electrics, I was the top-ranked salesperson, where I used my knowledge of the industry to increase the brand’s client base by 25%.”
With this answer, you begin with modesty before showcasing an acceptable level of confidence. You then briefly outline an excellent sales record while also showing that the company won’t suffer due to a bedding-in period.
Hopefully, the above has provided a reasonable insight into the importance of communication in the workplace and how you can demonstrate your understanding of this fact during an interview.
Laura McGrath is the Managing Director of McGrathSaunders Ltd since December 2003 and has over 20 years recruitment experience both in Ireland and the UK. She has written articles on recruitment and interview skills for numerous publications including the Sunday Business Post. Laura is a Business and Economics graduate from Trinity College Dublin.