Interview questions at Saint-Gobain
We analyzed 342 interview reviews for Saint-Gobain from various job sites, social network groups and forums.
Here are the most frequent job interview questions asked by HR managers during initial phone or onsite interviews. This list does not include technical or factual questions.
12 frequent non-technical questions at Saint-Gobain:
According to our research, hiring managers at Saint-Gobain ask soft skills interview questions 13% more than at other companies.
1. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? top question
How to answer
This question belongs to a family of behavioral, or even more precisely, reflective questions.
The interviewer wants to learn two things about you by asking this question.
- They want to know what you think about the job you are applying for. Remember, they are interviewing you for the job that's open right now. Are you a good fit and will you do a good job for them?
- Just as important, they want to get an idea of your ambitions and goals for yourself and if your goals align with their needs, especially going into the future.
In this way the employer should see how you see yourself today, and whether you are ambitious and strive to grow as a professional, and whether you like to learn and develop your skills.
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About Yourself
What challenges do you like overcoming? Where are you starting from and where might you be going?
For example, let's say the position you are applying for is junior accountant. It includes a wide range of tasks such as basic bookkeeping, financial analysis, and reporting. If accounting is your chosen field, then you would most likely want to move in the direction of obtaining your CPA so that you might step up to more responsibility as an accounting manager or senior auditor within the next 5 years. Your responses should make sense in how you see yourself growing in your professional career.
However, at this point, if you are happy just where you are and want to further your current skills, that is also fine as long as there is a growth path for you that can be imagined and described.
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About The Company
Research the company to learn what career opportunities may be available in the department you are applying to, and what the trends are in the company in general.
- Is the business expanding, are they opening new locations, or starting new projects?
- Or are they heavily automating and cutting staff?
Let’s say you are applying for a UX designer position for a brand-new product.
In the future, if the product becomes a success - which is what the company hopes for - the company will hire more designers and you may become a lead designer, or you may become a product manager.
On a side note: If you train your mind to be open to opportunities you will be amazed at how much this world has to offer to you!
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About The Fit
And, of course, try to see where the perfect fit lies between your own potential and aspirations, and the company’s trends and hopes.
However, beware of the risk of showing too much excitement for future opportunities compared to your attitude towards the current position.
As we said earlier, you must show interest and enthusiasm for the position you are applying for. If the interviewer senses that you are more enthusiastic about future growth than about the current position, they may conclude that you are not the right person for the job at hand.
Pro Tip
This question gives you a good opportunity to showcase your Key Selling Points (e.g. “As I am very good at delegating tasks, I can easily see myself leading a team of software testers in the future…”), and end your statement by asking about current initiatives and goals at the company.
In thinking about the possibilities that may lie ahead, you also might want to consider taking a personality test (I recommend 16Personalities which is based on the Myers-Briggs test), research the internet on what career paths are possible with your skills and current job.
It is generally NOT a good idea to say something like:
“Oh, I cannot imagine what happens to me tomorrow, let alone in 5 years”.
This will show you as a person who is unimaginative and not forward-thinking enough to grow with and be a good fit for the company.
Statistics
This question is asked 2.3x more frequently at Saint-Gobain than at other companies.
2. Tell me about yourself
How to answer
Most job candidates expect this to be one of the first interview questions and probably think of it as an “icebreaker” to get the interview started. It is much more than that! It is your opportunity to show the interviewer your relevance for the job. You want the employer to know that you are qualified to do the job, you are interested in doing the job and capable of getting it done.
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About Yourself
What is your current occupation? Define yourself professionally in one statement.
Pick 3 key skills that make you great at your work (your Key Selling Points). How have you applied these skills?
Try to give some numbers to support your statement.
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About The Company
Your first step is to Research the company to find out as much as you can about what they do and their approach to their business and their employees.
Based on what you know about the company and the job description, why are you interested in the position you are applying for?
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About The Fit
Now is the right time to show the fit between your skills and the company's requirements. Your answer works best if you emphasize your relevance. How do you do this? You will have already researched the company, studied the job description to identify their needs and possible pain points and prepared the relevant Star Stories that show how you addressed similar issues in the past. Your next step is to develop your Present-Past-Present approach.
Start with the Present. Focus on the skills and experience from your most recent positions. What has enabled you to get the job done successfully and how this relates to what the employer is looking to accomplish.
Next go back to the Past. Here is where your Star story comes in. Explain how you were able to use your skills and experience to accomplish a task that relates to an area of concern for the employer.
Finally come back to the Present – summarizing the lessons you learned and how they shaped your response and approach today.
Remember, the whole conversation is about the present, not the past. Just one sentence can summarize why your approach works, and its applicability and relevance to this position.
Pro Tip
You can also end with a question like:
“Do you know what the current needs in the company/department are, where my skills and experience can help?”
That can help you learn more about the company and the job, turn the “interrogation” into a conversation and will allow you to relax some tension.
Read our blog post to learn more about how to answer this question.
Statistics
This question is asked 39% more frequently at Saint-Gobain than at other companies.
3. What is your greatest weakness?
How to answer
This question ranks as the most challenging for many people. Fortunately, Mr. Simon is here to help!
Interviewers are not out to trick or trap you! They ask this question to gauge your level of self-awareness, your honesty and openness, and your capability for self-improvement.
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About Yourself
No one is perfect and your interviewer doesn't expect you to be perfect either.
While it is good to be honest and open, it will not help you to put yourself down.
What's important is to find a weakness that you have overcome. How you turned what might be considered a negative into a positive.
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About The Company
Research the company (website, social media, etc) to learn about the company culture.
What personal and professional qualities do they value?
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About The Fit
This is the time to clearly state a true weakness that you have overcome.
Be as specific as possible and stay away from vague cliches like “I work too hard.” It would be difficult for anyone to try and explain how they overcame a weakness like that
Mr. Simon emphasizes the Present-Past-Present method of responding to behavioral questions. When you are asked about your greatest weakness, you should be able to successfully use this approach as well. Here is an example of how someone might answer this question.
Present - "I have always had a fear of public speaking, and believe this may have held me back in my career, especially when having to make presentations to management."
Past - "Last year I learned about Toastmasters International and decided to join this group to help me gain confidence in myself and improve my ability to present to others in just about any situation."
Present - "By overcoming this weakness I believe that it has made me a much stronger candidate for this position, someone you can count on to make presentations to management, conduct training and communicate at a high level."
It's important to show how well you've overcome a weakness by motivating yourself and learning a new skill to grow professionally.
Pro Tip
Use this question to sell yourself!
Statistics
This question is asked 55% more frequently at Saint-Gobain than at other companies.
4. How would you handle a customer with difficult behavior?
How to answer
People skills are highly valued in every company, especially in a company that occasionally deals with difficult customers. It is important to show how you can manage difficult personalities.
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About Yourself
Look back on your experience. Have you dealt with a difficult or disruptive customer? Remember how you diffused the situation and how you turned things around.
- Do you have certain principles, or methodology, to deal with difficult people?
- Do you have strong people skills, are you good at conflict resolution?
- Are you high on emotional intelligence? Can you give an example?
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About The Company
- What have you found about the company and its culture?
- What have you learned about how the employees value each other?
- How do they treat their customers?
- Knowing their line of business or industry, what can be some examples of difficult customers?
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About The Fit
When a question like this asked in an interview, it is an indication that you will probably encounter difficult customers, or other difficult stakeholders while working for this company.
This would be an excellent opportunity to use the Present-Past-Present approach to respond to this question.
Start with the Present. Speak about your “conflict resolution” skills and how you apply these today.
Next go back to a Past situation - remember your Star Stories to relate a relevant situation that happened in a previous job where you resolved a problem for a difficult customer.
Finally, come back to the Present, summarizing what you learned from past experiences and how you will apply them to the job you are interviewing for today.
If you can give an example of how you handled a difficult person in the past in a situation similar to what this company may require from you, this will strongly increase your chances of showing yourself as a good fit.
Pro Tip
One methodology for diffusing a difficult situation is called “the triple A” approach:
- Acknowledge - what the other person is feeling,
- Apologize - for the way the other person is feeling,
- Admit - that there was an issue that you are working on to get it resolved.
If the difficult situation involves a customer, it would add that extra touch if you added another "A" to your approach by Asking for the customer's contact information so you can update them of any progress on their issue.
Statistics
This question is asked 18% more frequently at Saint-Gobain than at other companies.
5. What will make you leave a company?
How to answer
Companies always want assurance that their employees will stay with them.
They ask this question to understand what matters to you, if it aligns with their company’s goals and if they should invest in you as a new hire.
This can be a tricky question that will require the most diplomatic and tactful answer.
Most interviewers expect an answer that's favorable to them yet logical. They want to understand not only what your long-term career goals are, but also know that THEIR environment and culture will fit you.
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About Yourself
Think of your goals for your career. Think of what you need right now. Are you and the company on the same path?
Remember why you left your last job.
- Was it relocation of the company?
- Changes in working conditions: changing of schedule, increasing of duties without a corresponding increase in salary, sharp reduction or delay of salary?
- Change in leadership?
- Downsizing?
- Bullying by colleagues?
- Non-recognition of achievements?
If any of these conditions repeat themselves in the new company, would you be prepared to leave?
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About The Company
Research the company and the role.
- Can they offer you the kind of duties that would make you want to stay?
- Do you see people with longevity in the company?
- Is this the role and the company you see for yourself?
- Do you feel it’s a strong match with your strengths, goals and experience?
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About The Fit
Let the interviewer know how ambitious and eager to get to work you are, particularly in this company.
Showcase how your skills and experience match the role and let them know how you see yourself growing with the company.
Here is a smart example of answering this question:
“I truly value growth and I see the opportunity to improve my skills and progress in this company. As long as I can accomplish this with this team, there would be no need to consider leaving.”
Pro Tip
Explain to the interviewer that your goal is to build a career and not just get a job. This means that you let them know you see the opportunities to grow within the company.
Statistics
This question is asked 23.9x more frequently at Saint-Gobain than at other companies.
6. What are your long-term goals?
How to answer
Even in this age of the so-called Gig Economy, employers are always looking for people who can become their strong and loyal “soldiers,” a part of their “army” to help them conquer their market share against their competitors.
So, even if at this moment this job may be a temporary contract, you never know what opportunities may present themselves to you in this company.
Trust me, your hiring manager doesn’t know either!
So, be open to opportunities and use this question to emphasize how your personal goals correspond with those of the company.
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About Yourself
Start with honestly assessing yourself. (At this moment, you are not sharing these thoughts with anyone, so be as open as you can).
Imagine that you have all the resources in the world and that all roads are open for you.
- How would you use them?
- Which road(s) would you choose?
- What do you see on the horizon in that direction?
Be audacious and don’t limit yourself. There is no longer a perspective than “long-term,” so be as futuristic as you possibly can.
List a few “road” options that you would be enthusiastic about going down.
For example, this list may be as broad as the following:
• writer
• choir director
• software engineer and architect
• CEO of a unicorn startup company,
• entrepreneur.As William Shakespeare once said, “We know what we are, but we know not what we may be.”
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About The Company
Now, look at the company.
- What is the industry they operate in?
- What is the position you are applying for, and what are potential career growth possibilities within the department, company, and industry?
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About The Fit
Which of your “road” options correspond best with the opportunities presented by this company?
Highlight this option and focus on it. Imagine, in as much detail as you can, going down this road.
What would be the major milestones for you, in order to move towards your goal?
Describe the chosen option by focusing on the first 1-2 milestones, and by presenting it in light of company goals and current initiatives.
For example, if you are applying for a project manager position in a corporation engaged in the education industry, and your “road” option is “CEO,” your next career step may be a program manager, or an innovations and research manager.
Explain why you are enthusiastic about reaching these goals, and what makes you think you have the necessary traits and skills to reach them.
How can the company benefit from these traits and skills of yours already today, in the current role you are applying for?
Pro Tip
Framing your answer in the same terms used by the company will help ensure the interviewer can easily understand your language and help both of you to be “on the same page.”
The easier you make it for the interviewer, the better are your chances they will “vote” for you over other candidates.
Statistics
This question is asked 2.2x more frequently at Saint-Gobain than at other companies.
7. Tell me about your work experience. What was the most interesting?
How to answer
This question lets an interviewer gauge what makes you tick and whether the job you are applying for corresponds with your areas of excitement and enthusiasm. Such a fit will earn you important points for being a viable candidate.
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About Yourself
Review the details that you shared in your resume. Select the three to five best points to highlight and relate to the position to which you're applying.
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About The Company
Carefully research the company and the job description.
Find out what duties you'll be taking on to determine which of your top skills to emphasize. Try to find out what current challenges they are trying to solve by opening this vacancy.
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About The Fit
Knowing the duties for which you will be responsible will help you identify which prior experiences to highlight.
How well you connect your previous experiences with the job requirements can tell the interviewer how prepared you are for this role and how enthusiastic you will be about your job.
Pro Tip
Do not start your answer with "as you can see from my resume," even if you have listed those skills and qualities.
Instead, tell a story showing that you can solve problems similar to their current challenges and that you are enthusiastic about this.
You can best do this through constant practice of your STARs.
Statistics
This question is asked 2.7x more frequently at Saint-Gobain than at other companies.
8. Tell me about a successful project you were involved in. What was your role? What was the result?
How to answer
At first glance you might think that this question is only asked of project managers. That is clearly not the case. In the modern business environment, work is often organized in the form of projects across multiple disciplines involving many people at many different levels.
Projects allow companies to plan objectives and milestones in order to reach their goals, to monitor progress and performance, to clearly define deliverables and success.
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About Yourself
Think about a few projects you have been involved in, regardless of your level of participation. These might range from small projects like organizing a party to large-scale multinational projects with participants and teams across the globe, million-dollar budgets and high risk and reward stakes.
Develop one or two project-based STAR stories.
Remember, all project-based STAR stories should start with the following descriptive elements:
- Project name
- Its purpose and goal
- Your role in it
- The duration of the project or its phases (in case only some phases were successful)
- The approximate number of people or stakeholders involved in it.
Once you have establish the base facts, its time to describe the challenges and results:
- What were the top 3 challenges?
- What was the end result?
- How did the company (or other stakeholders) benefit from the results?
- How can you define your contribution in 3-5 key phrases?
If you received any praise for your efforts from your boss, peers or clients, what did they say exactly?
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About The Company
Based on the research you did on the company, what kinds of projects can you expect here?
- What do you know about the goals they are trying to achieve?
- What do you know about their current challenges?
- Can you imagine what success will look like for the projects in this company?
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About The Fit
Once you decide which project best fits this question, use the Present-Past-Present approach to answer it.
Start with the Present by explaining your thinking on what you believe makes a project successful. You might say that your approach to all new projects is to set up the right project framework and tools before you begin, to help ensure that you get off to a good start.
Next go back to a Past situation in which you and your team took on a project and used your method of clarification to ensure that everyone knew their assignment and through hard work and focus, brought it to a successful conclusion.
Finally, come back to the Present to show how you will use your approach to help the employer tackle projects going forward.
Practice telling your story, using the STAR method.
Pro Tip
End your answer by asking the interviewer how they define success for the role you are applying for.
This will provide you with an insight into the company's environment and expectations for this role, as well as helping to transform the “interrogation” into a conversation as the interview continues.
Statistics
This question is asked 4.2x more frequently at Saint-Gobain than at other companies.
9. Working in a team, or by yourself - what is your preference?
How to answer
When the interviewers ask this question, they want an insight into your personality, how well you work independently and how well you work with others.
Generally, there's no right or wrong answer to this question, unless the company specifically prefers that you work only in a team or only by yourself.
Luckily, Mr. Simon is here to provide you guidance.
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About Yourself
To prepare for this question, try to think of your previous experiences. Which type of work suited you best and why?
For instance, someone who prefers working by themselves may be able to focus better on the problem, and a person who prefers a team approach may like having others to help figure out problems.
If you're a fresh graduate or someone that does not have much work experience, you can think of schoolwork or the times that you worked with others in an organization.
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About The Company
What has your research found out about the company and its culture?
What have you learned about how the employees work?Review the job description as it may give you clues to whether the job focuses on teams, independence or both.
Try to expand your search into social media posts at Glassdoor or others where employees/former employees may have posted about working conditions you would be working under.
Remember: knowledge is the key! The more you know about the company, the better prepared you will be to answer questions like this.
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About The Fit
Based on your research, what did you find is the company's preference?
- What type of workplace does the company appear to have?
- What kind of challenges could you help the company/department resolve by working as a part of a team?
- What about the challenges that can be resolved by working independently?
Emphasize both independent successes as well as group successes (be sure to mention actions you took to help the team).
Pro Tip
Talk about the benefits of each working style and add to your story by telling them in terms of your STARs.
- What was the Situation/Task you needed to address?
- What Actions/Approach did you take?
- What were the Results? What did you do differently that made you successful?
Statistics
This question is asked 6.8x more frequently at Saint-Gobain than at other companies.
10. Why did you leave your last job?
How to answer
This question may be a little touchy for some people, but it's a question asked by interviewers, to find out why you left, in order to better understand how you may or may not make a good fit with their company.
Remember, never speak ill of your old company (this will not go over well).
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About Yourself
There are a number of reasons why people leave or plan to leave their jobs. One very important recent factor has been the impact on jobs and job security due to Covid-19 and all of the issues raised by remote vs. on-site work.
Regardless of the causes, there are three possible reasons that you left your last job or are planning to leave your current job:
- You are looking for a career change
- You are unhappy with your current employment
- You were let go.
Whatever the reason, it's best to always speak in a positive light.
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About The Company
Based on your research about the company and the position you are interviewing for, what do you like most about the company? What excites you about the work as it is outlined in the job description?
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About The Fit
Let's take a closer look at how you might respond to each of the three reasons for leaving your last job.
1. You were let go
You should simply state the facts (e.g. the company was downsizing, your position was eliminated, your department was offshored, etc.). Focus on the positive. You might want to share your accomplishments at your previous employment by relating a pertinent STAR story if you feel that would be relevant.
2. You are looking for career advancement or a career change
In your response you should be upfront, honest and as enthusiastic as you can be about the position. Consider using the Present-Past-Present method when giving this answer. Start with the Present by describing a career goal that is important to you. For instance you are a data analyst applying for a data management position and you are ready for this move. Then go back to the Past to indicate that at your previous job, there were little or no promotional opportunities in your field. Then come back to the Present and say that you are ready to take on the manager role and know that you will do an outstanding job for the company.
3. You are unhappy with your current employment
Sometimes a job just isn't going to take you to the next step in your career.
Keep two things in mind when answering this question, 1) never "bad mouth" your current employer and 2) focus on the postive when speaking about the job and your reason for wanting to leave.
The following is an example of how this question might be answered. This individual was looking to move up to a project manager position and did not feel that her current employer was the right place to achieve her goal. You might find her answer helpful in crafting your own response.
"I really like my job as assistant project manager and love working with all of my coworkers on the team. However, the way the department is set up there is no real path to promotion. There are currently 3 project managers and they are all relatively new in their jobs. As far as I can see, they are all doing a good job and opportunties for promotion may not be opening up in the foreseeable future."
Her comments were positive and her reasoning was clear and consise. Always try to keep your reasons positive and try not to create an impression that you were unhappy with the way you were treated.
Pro Tip
Whatever the reason you are looking for a new opportunity, make sure you are able to show how you are the perfect fit for the job for which you are interviewing!
Statistics
This question is asked 34% less frequently at Saint-Gobain than at other companies.
11. Why did you choose your major?
How to answer
Everyone has his/her reasons to pick a major.
There are hundreds and hundreds of careers to choose from and most people pick a major that will give them a background in the career they want to pursue.
When you come to a job interview you will be definitely asked this question.
The interviewers are seeking to understand your underlying motivations for selecting this career.
It is also a good question for them to learn how much planning and thought actually went into your career selection. It is a window into your personality and interests.
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About Yourself
This is your chance to highlight your strengths and how your major prepared you for your future plans.
Your answer to this question should reflect your passion and interest in the field you chose. Be genuine.
There’s every reason to display your passions and interest in your major. They will give interviewers a sense of who you really are.
Think about who or what influenced your career choice and include the positive influences, not the negative ones.
- How does this tie into your major?
- How will you bring your passion and unique knowledge to the new company?
Emphasize your strong people skills and excellent communication skills, allowing you to connect with others.
Think of the skills and experiences you gained through your major, think back to assignments and projects from your studies, internships and previous jobs. Consider the skills you developed working on those projects.
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About The Company
Write down a list of skills and experiences you gained through your major studies.
Then, look at the job listing itself.
Match up any of your skills and experiences that relate to the requirements of the job. How can you apply them to your new position, as well as the future?
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About The Fit
Use this question as an opportunity to mention a few skills related to your chosen major that would also be relevant in the workplace.
Point to a good culture fit.
Be positive, showing your enthusiasm. Let them know you're excited to be where you are.
Discuss what you enjoy about the industry you’re considering and why you could see yourself working in it. Even if your major is not directly related to the job, you can likely find connections between the two.
This is also a chance to explain other ways you have developed skills that will fulfill the role you're applying for.
For example, perhaps you were a biology major who is applying for a job in computer programming. You might explain that you took a number of online and extracurricular classes on programming to develop the skills needed for the job.
Pro Tip
Let your past decisions and accomplishments shine through. Once you nail your interview, you'll be on your way to a successful career path.
Statistics
This question is asked 2.8x more frequently at Saint-Gobain than at other companies.
12. What skills are you looking to develop on your next job? Why?
How to answer
When employers ask you about skills you would like to develop, they are looking for honesty in the way you answer.
A common target of the question is to discover how motivated you are to extend yourself. If you are willing to learn, then you are probably more motivated to do the job well.
They might also be trying to determine whether you’ll be a good long-term fit for the company. Are you looking for an opportunity to grow with an organization – or will your plans take you to another employer before long?
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About Yourself
Answering the question, reflect on yourself. Show that you are concerned and active about your own evolution.
You can indicate how development has worked for you in the past, give examples.
- What qualities do you wish to develop in yourself both professionally and personally?
- What kind of culture do you want to work in?
- What motivates you?
- What qualities do you feel make strong, healthy relationships?
- What skills do you admire most in your role models?
And probably the most important is: What will help you to achieve your future goals?
Choose something you’re already pretty good at, but still trying to improve even more. Maybe it is something that you learned a long time ago but haven’t used in recent jobs very often?
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About The Company
Do your research and learn as much as possible about the organization and the career path you might forge there. Read the company’s story on their website, review their LinkedIn page, explore their blog.
What personal and professional qualities do they value and what can you learn if they hire you?
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About The Fit
No matter what skills you say you want to improve, however, make sure that you follow it up with what you’re doing about it.
Focus on a work skill that may not be critical to your industry or job level and demonstrate how you would like to develop this skill further, implying you already have a level of competency. This way you won't be sounding negative about yourself.
You could say something like “Coworkers often come to me for advice on how to write or format a document they are working on. I know that I am good at this (that’s why they come to me in the first place), but I have no formal training on mentoring others. I would like to take a course or two on mentoring others that would help them while also improving my own skills in this area.”
Say you are willing to learn new things and take on new challenges. Show employers that you’re self-motivated and actively looking for ways to improve your skills and value in your career.
Pro Tip
If you choose one of the more common working skills such as networking, presentation, mediation, technical, coaching or mentoring, make sure that they are not anything that’s vital or crucial to the job you’re interviewing for.
For example, if you are applying for a manager position, you don’t want to say that you need to work on developing your supervisory skills.
Statistics
This question is asked 2.8x more frequently at Saint-Gobain than at other companies.
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Group membership is free of charge, courtesy of Mr. Simon.
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This page has been updated on February 23, 2024.
