What were your expectations for the job and to what extent were they met? This question should be pretty simple to answer. Think about what you thought of the job when you first went to start it, and how your idea of that changed over time, if it did. Try and keep this positive. Here are some examples of how you can do this.
Example Answers
#1
“When I first went to take the job at McFarlane’s I thought that I would be rushed off my feet every single day, and serving rubbish food to teenagers. I was so wrong about that. Yes, the food might not be considered healthy, but that does not make it poor quality. I realised that the food is actually ethically sourced and very good quality. I was actually quite surprised at the range of people that used the restaurant . I wasn’t wrong about being rushed off my feet though, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!”
#2
“When I first took on my role as sales canvasser I thought that it would be very hard having to call people all day and try and persuade them to buy something they couldn’t even see. I was willing to have a go as I was desperate for a job to be honest. I was surprised at how supportive my team and my manager were, and how much time and training they put into making sure that I did well.”
#3
“I expected that working in a vets would be really fun and I would get to play with lots of animals. When I got into the job I actually realised that it’s a lot more hard work than I had originally thought. Don’t get me wrong, I do get a lot of time with the animals, but it is very hard work. It can be a lot more emotionally demanding than I expected as I didn’t really consider things such as animals being abused, or having to be put to sleep before I applied. I did learn to cope with this in time and I think looking back if I had thought about those kinds of things, I probably wouldn’t have applied.”
#4
“I had an expectation when I originally started my job as postman that I would have to be up very early, do a lot of walking, perhaps avoid a few dogs, and put peoples mail through their doors. It is actually that simple, although I have realised that there is a lot more to it than that. I get to chat to some of my round, and to some of them I may be the only person they speak to each day, so it’s a lot more social than I thought it was going to be. I really enjoy it, and have a much better understanding of geography now too!”
Good luck.
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