How to Answer: What are some trends you see happening in our industry?
9. What are some trends you see happening in our industry?
How to Answer
The interviewer wants to see that you have researched their company and their industry. By understanding the industry trends, you will better understand the immediate needs of the organization. Perform some online research and look for industry related news articles. On the company website they may mention up and coming products and services, or perhaps they will mention upcoming trends in the company blog. Utilize those pieces of information and refer to them when answering this question.
Written by Rachelle Enns
Answer Example
"One of the major trends I have seen happening in the manufacturing industry this year is still manufacturing power by advancements in robotics and artificial intelligence. This entire Industry 4.0 concept that everyone is talking about, meaning we are in our 4th industrial revolution, is fascinating. Would you agree?"
Written by Rachelle Enns
Admin
"One specific trend that I have seen within the business administration sector is an increased interest in the cloud, and cloud computing. Many businesses are adopting cloud computing because it can streamline business operations, project management. Not to mention the information backup options as well. Do you rely on any cloud services here?"
Written by Rachelle Enns
Manager
"As a manager, I see many trends come and go; however, one that seems to be sticking around for good is remote working. More employers are accommodating a work-from-home workforce or even hiring employees in different countries who can work remote, and in a different time zone, to increase efficiency. I suppose it's much easier to do now that we all have cloud capabilities, mobile devices, and other ways to easily collaborate."
Written by Rachelle Enns
Marketing
"I see that you wrote a blog post about this not too long ago, and I wanted to discuss this with you as well since it's so fascinating. You discussed activity-based working and the benefits it has on the creativity of your employees. I have worked in open-office environments before but nothing as immersive as this. I understand that it's all the rage to no longer have assigned workspaces; rather task-focused workspaces where employees can bounce around. I believe in this trend and would love to hear more about it and how it's working for you."
Written by Rachelle Enns
Retail
"I follow the Shopify blog which often has great articles on retail selling and industry trends. Just the other day I was reading up on some retail predictions for 2018. One point the article made was that 'retail apocalypse' is a term that is certainly over. The article states that over 40% of brands are still opening new stores and retail sales have been on the rise every month this year. Do you agree there is an increased interest in brick-and-mortar retail?"
Written by Rachelle Enns
Sales
"One major trend that I have seen in the sales industry is the rise of social selling. I recently read that over 70% of sales professionals who use social selling outperform their peers. This method is here to sell as well. I have used Instagram and Facebook ads which are geotargeted to draw in more leads and gain a stronger pipeline. How do you feel about social selling?"
Written by Rachelle Enns
Teacher
"Education often sees trends turn, some great and others not so wonderful. One trend that I have my eye on this year is STEM. This acronym is referring the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. The idea of STEM is to build interest in these areas beginning in elementary school and implementing strategies that promote these subjects. How do you feel about this?"
Written by Rachelle Enns
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