Ten Tough Interview Questions And Ten Great Answers

Mental fear of the unknown is often what produces the physical symptoms of nervousness. In addition to preparing yourself physically, you also need to prepare yourself mentally. The best way to prepare mentally is to know what may be coming. ear of the unknown can only e!ist when there is an unknown. Take the time to understand some of the "standards" when it comes to interviewing #uestions. The following are some of the most difficult #uestions you will face in the course of your $ob interviews. %ome #uestions may seem rather simple on the surface&&such as "Tell me about yourself"&&but these #uestions can have a variety of answers. The more open&ended the #uestion, the wider the variation in the answers. 'nce you have become practiced in your interviewing skills, you will find that you can use almost any #uestion as a launching pad for a particular topic or compelling story. 'thers are "classic" interview #uestions, such as, "(hat is your greatest weakness)" Questions which most people answer inappropriately. In this case, the standard te!tbook answer for the "greatest weakness" #uestion is to give a veiled positive&&"I work too much. I $ust work and work and work"&&which ends up sending the wrong message. *ither you are lying or, worse yet, you are telling the truth, in which case you define working too much as a weakness and really don+t want to work much at all. Think about it. The following answers are provided to give you a new perspective on how to answer tough interview #uestions. They are not there for you to lift from the page and insert into your ne!t interview. They are there for you to use as the basic structure for formulating your own answers. (hile the specifics of each reply may not apply to you, try to follow the basic structure of the answer from the perspective of the interviewer. Answer the #uestions behaviorally, with specific e!amples that show clear evidence backs up what you are saying about yourself. Always provide information that shows you want to become the very best ,,,,, for the company and that you have specifically prepared yourself to become e!actly that. They want to be sold. They are waiting to be sold. -on+t disappoint them.

1. Tell me about yourself.

2.

3.

My background to date has been centered around preparing myself to become the very best ,,,,, I can become. /et me tell you specifically how I+ve prepared myself . . . Why should I hire you? 0ecause I sincerely believe that I+m the best person for the $ob. I reali1e that there are many other college students who have the ability to do this $ob. I also have that ability. 0ut I also bring an additional #uality that makes me the very best person for the $ob&&my attitude for e!cellence. 2ot $ust giving lip service to e!cellence, but putting every part of myself into achieving it. In ,,,,, and ,,,,, I have consistently reached for becoming the very best I can become by doing the following . . . What is your long-range objective? Where do you want to be 10 or 15 years from now? Although it+s certainly difficult to predict things far into the future, I know what direction I want to develop toward. (ithin five years, I would like to become the very best ,,,,, your company has. In fact, my personal career

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

mission statement is to become a world&class ,,,,, in the ,,,,, industry. I will work toward becoming the e!pert that others rely upon. And in doing so, I feel I will be fully prepared to take on any greater responsibilities that might be presented in the long term. ow has your education !re!ared you for your career? As you will note on my resume, I+ve taken not only the re#uired core classes in the ,,,,, field, I+ve also gone above and beyond. I+ve taken every class the college has to offer in the field and also completed an independent study pro$ect specifically in this area. 0ut it+s not $ust taking the classes to gain academic knowledge&&I+ve taken each class, both inside and outside of my ma$or, with this profession in mind. %o when we+re studying ,,,,, in ,,,,,, I+ve viewed it from the perspective of ,,,,,. In addition, I+ve always tried to keep a practical view of how the information would apply to my $ob. 2ot $ust theory, but how it would actually apply. My capstone course pro$ect in my final semester involved developing a real&world model of ,,,,,, which is very similar to what might be used within your company. /et me tell you more about it . . . "re you a team !layer? 3ery much so. In fact, I+ve had opportunities in both athletics and academics to develop my skills as a team player. I was involved in ,,,,, at the intramural level, including leading my team in assists during the past year&&I always try to help others achieve their best. In academics, I+ve worked on several team pro$ects, serving as both a member and team leader. I+ve seen the value of working together as a team to achieve a greater goal than any one of us could have achieved individually. As an e!ample . . . ave you ever had a conflict with a boss or !rofessor? ow was it resolved? 4es, I have had conflicts in the past. 2ever ma$or ones, but certainly there have been situations where there was a disagreement that needed to be resolved. I+ve found that when conflict occurs, it+s because of a failure to see both sides of the situation. Therefore, I ask the other person to give me their perspective and at the same time ask that they allow me to fully e!plain my perspective. At that point, I would work with the person to find out if a compromise could be reached. If not, I would submit to their decision because they are my superior. In the end, you have to be willing to submit yourself to the directives of your superior, whether you+re in full agreement or not. An e!ample of this was when . . . What is your greatest wea#ness? I would say my greatest weakness has been my lack of proper planning in the past. I would overcommit myself with too many variant tasks, then not be able to fully accomplish each as I would like. 5owever, since I+ve come to recogni1e that weakness, I+ve taken steps to correct it. or e!ample, I now carry a planning calendar in my pocket so that I can plan all of my appointments and "to do" items. 5ere, let me show you how I have this week planned out . . . If I were to as# your !rofessors to describe you$ what would they say? I believe they would say I+m a very energetic person, that I put my mind to the task at hand and see to it that it+s accomplished. They would say that if they ever had something that needed to be done, I was the person who they could always depend on to see that it was accomplished. They would say that I always took a keen interest in the sub$ects I was studying and always

9.

10.

sought ways to apply the knowledge in real world settings. Am I $ust guessing that they would say these things) 2o, in fact, I+m #uite certain they would say those things because I have with me several letters of recommendation from my professors, and those are their very words. /et me show you . . . What %ualities do you feel a successful manager should have? The key #uality should be leadership&&the ability to be the visionary for the people who are working under them. The person who can set the course and direction for subordinates. A manager should also be a positive role model for others to follow. The highest calling of a true leader is inspiring others to reach the highest of their abilities. I+d like to tell you about a person who I consider to be a true leader . . . If you had to live your life over again$ what would you change? That+s a good #uestion. I reali1e that it can be very easy to continually look back and wish that things had been different in the past. 0ut I also reali1e that things in the past cannot be changed, that only things in the future can be changed. That+s why I continually strive to improve myself each and every day and that+s why I+m working hard to continually increase my knowledge in the ,,,,, field. That+s also the reason why I want to become the very best ,,,,, your company has ever had. To make positive change. And all of that is still in the future. %o in answer to your #uestion, there isn+t anything in my past that I would change. I look only to the future to make changes in my life.

Tell me about yourself. ". This is the dreaded, classic, open&ended interview #uestion and likely to be among the first. It+s your chance to introduce your #ualifications, good work habits, etc. 6eep it mostly work and career related. &. (hy do you want to leave your current $ob) 7(hy did you leave your last $ob)8 ". 0e careful with this. Avoid trashing other employers and making statements like, "I need more money." Instead, make generic statements such as, "It+s a career move." &. (hat are your strengths) ". 9oint out your positive attributes related to the $ob. &. (hat are your weaknesses) ". *verybody has weaknesses, but don+t spend too much time on this one and keep it work related. Along with a minor weakness or two, try to point out a couple of weaknesses that the interviewer might see as strengths, such as sometimes being a little too meticulous about the #uality of your work. 7Avoid saying "I work too hard." It+s a predictable, common answer.8 or every weakness, offer a strength that compensates for it. &. (hich ad$ectives would you use to describe yourself) ". Answer with positive, work&oriented ad$ectives, such as conscientious, hard-working, honest and courteous, plus a brief description or e!ample of why each fits you well. &. (hat do you know about our company) ". To answer this one, research the company before you interview. &. (hy do you want to work for us) ". %ame as above. :esearch the company before you interview. Avoid the predictable, such as, "0ecause it+s a great company." %ay why you think it+s a great company. &. (hy should I hire you) ". 9oint out your positive attributes related to the $ob, and the good $ob you+ve done in the past. Include any compliments you+ve received from management. &. (hat past accomplishments gave you satisfaction) ". 0riefly describe one to three work pro$ects that made you proud or earned you pats on the back, promotions, raises, etc. ocus more on achievement than reward. &. (hat makes you want to work hard) ". 2aturally, material rewards such as perks, salary and benefits come into play. 0ut again, focus more on achievement and the satisfaction you derive from it. &. (hat type of work environment do you like best) ". Tailor your answer to the $ob. or e!ample, if in doing your $ob you+re re#uired to lock the lab doors and work alone, then indicate that you en$oy being a team player

when needed, but also en$oy working independently. If you+re re#uired to attend regular pro$ect planning and status meetings, then indicate that you+re a strong team player and like being part of a team. &. (hy do you want this $ob) ". To help you answer this and related #uestions, study the $ob ad in advance. 0ut a $ob ad alone may not be enough, so it+s okay to ask #uestions about the $ob while you+re answering. %ay what attracts you to the $ob. Avoid the obvious and meaningless, such as, "I need a $ob." &. 5ow do you handle pressure and stress) ". This is sort of a double whammy, because you+re likely already stressed from the interview and the interviewer can see if you+re handling it well or not. *verybody feels stress, but the degree varies. %aying that you whine to your shrink, kick your dog or slam down a fifth of ;ack -aniels are not good answers. *!ercising, rela!ing with a good book, sociali1ing with friends or turning stress into productive energy are more along the lines of the "correct" answers. &. *!plain how you overcame a ma$or obstacle. ". The interviewer is likely looking for a particular e!ample of your problem&solving skills and the pride you show for solving it. &. (here do you see yourself five 7ten or fifteen8 years from now) ". *!plain your career&advancement goals that are in line with the $ob for which you are interviewing. 4our interviewer is likely more interested in how he, she or the company will benefit from you achieving your goals than what you+ll get from it, but it goes hand in hand to a large degree. It+s not a good idea to tell your potential new boss that you+ll be going after his or her $ob, but it+s okay to mention that you+d like to earn a senior or management position. &. (hat #ualifies you for this $ob) ". Tout your skills, e!perience, education and other #ualifications, especially those that match the $ob description well. Avoid $ust regurgitating your resume. *!plain why. &. (hy did you choose your college ma$or) ". The interviewer is likely fishing to see if you are interested in your field of work or $ust doing a $ob to get paid. *!plain why you like it. 0esides your personal interests, include some rock&solid business reasons that show you have vision and business sense.