During interviews, you may sometimes be asked what you would have done differently at work, often with "what do you think we could do better?"
What do you think we could do better?
This question requires some self-reflection and can be difficult to answer. After all, you don't want to highlight something you handled poorly during a job interview.
If you think about this question beforehand, you won't find yourself gulping so hard and struggling to answer during your interview.
Some other formulas
There are many variants of the "what do you think we could do better?" Related to this article, including:
- What can we do better in your desired field?
- What do you think this company could do better?
- How can you improve the company?
- What could you do differently if you were starting your own company?
- What do you think we can do better or differently?
- What do you think this company could do better?
Why does the interviewer ask you this question?
Hiring managers want to know what you think of the company. If you have a position much higher or much lower than the position, you may not be suitable for the company.
At the same time, there are potential ways the company could improve so the interviewer might look for some answers from you and other candidates. It is not easy to answer this question right away but you do not want to simply say that the company is perfect as it is.
You need to do some simple preparation before the actual interview to make sure that you are ready to give a solid answer to this annoying question.
How to prepare for the answer
To prepare to answer the Question "What do You Think we Could do Better?" you have to know some points:
1. Look at the advantages and disadvantages: the truth is part of your preparation will or at least should include research on the company. While you're doing this research you don't want to be one-sided.
You should look at both the positive and negative aspects of the company that you may end up working for after several interviews.
Try to get information about the company's products - revenue - image - goals - market - employees - competition and reputation. These areas will give you an idea of some of the shortcomings.
2- Focus on you: You are the main focus of the interview. Most interview questions look at your skills, qualifications, experience, and accomplishments.
Instead of just focusing on how to improve your potential future company, let the hiring manager know that you're willing to step in and help the company achieve its goals.
3- Keep your answer parallel to company values: What one company perceives as a deficit another company might view as positive. You need to recognize the company's values. This will help you talk about improvements that the business might actually be interested in.
Examples of answering the question
Sample responses can help you carefully understand how to answer. Consider these sample answers to help inspire you to prepare your own answer:
I've been through a lot of your hiring process, and I have to say your company has the fastest call back time, and the most responsive overall. The only point I can mention is that the jobs portal was a bit tricky to navigate on my mobile phone. Regardless of this, I am happy with the candidate experience your company has created.
I've noticed that your company's social media profiles can be stronger. Company profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, and even Instagram can be useful resources for candidates. I have set up these social profiles for my previous employer and would be happy to do the same for you, if you are a successful candidate.
It is clear that this company has a good reputation as an innovator and pioneer in the industry. A lot of things are going well and that's part of the reason why I'm so interested in this position. This is a great company but like anything else great there is always room for improvement. As far as I can tell - lead generation in the business is not as proactive as it could be. At the moment there is a lot of reliance on word of mouth and other negative lead generation. There is nothing wrong with these methods but the company may be better served with more initiative in generating lists of potential clients. I have experience designing and implementing these precise policies.
I find your agency to be very creative but perhaps not underestimated compared to other local agencies. I want to shout from the rooftops how wonderful the work of your agency is! I believe your value proposition can be pushed even further by utilizing social media channels more strategically. This approach is something I can definitely help offer.
I really appreciate the effort you put into the qualification process, and how quickly you have progressed in my candidacy so far. I'm happy with almost everything I've seen. One suggestion I would make is to make sure the storefront is always clean. Today I noticed that the storefront looked a touch unkempt. If hired, I can help with that! I am a very organized and tidy retail partner.