The importance of the job interview in the selection process cannot be overstressed. It is the best opportunity for both you and the employer to assess how well a person with your background, skills, experience, and even personality will fit into the culture and operations of an organization. Your résumé (or personal referral by someone whose opinion the hiring manager trusts) has likely already established that you meet the basic skills and background requirements. Your job now is twofold. First, you must discover for yourself if this is the right position for you. Second, you must impress your potential employer that you are the best candidate for the job. While most interview questions are generally straightforward, unambiguous inquiries, some interviewers will pose surprising questions specifically intended to explore your thinking and expectations at a deeper level. Unexpected questions may be meant to deliberately unbalance you to see how you react in high stress or confusing circumstances. There is also the possibility that these questions are not intended to be tricky at all. They may merely be invented by the interviewer, or borrowed from lists of questions available, for example, on the Internet. The interviewer may have no clear idea of their value or how to assess your response in relation to the requirements of the job.
How you answer tricky questions could determine whether you will receive an offer from the organization. It is also important to remember that what those questions are, and how your answers are received, can tell you volumes about whether this is a company you want to work for.
Here are some questions you might want to consider as you prepare yourself for a job interview:
- What aspects of your career are you most confident about, and how can you make sure those are discussed in the interview?
- What aspects of your career thus far are you particularly concerned about discussing?
- Can you formulate answers to questions about those aspects in advance?
- How can you use the interview to learn about the potential employer?
What You Need to Know
How do I answer a question that does not seem to relate to the job for which I am applying?
Some questions, for example, questions in which you are given a scenario and asked to think your way through to a solution, are designed to help the interviewer understand your ability to make tough decisions. Your interviewer may also want to assess your leadership abilities, especially in high pressure situations.
It is reasonable to assume that you will never find yourself stranded in a lifeboat, charged with deciding which fellow survivor to throw overboard to conserve rations. But the way you reason out your decision may tell the interviewer a great deal about you, for example, how you would choose which product to take out of inventory to conserve valuable warehouse space. The best way to address this type of question is to think of it in terms of business strategy.
How can I answer questions about my “greatest weakness” without disqualifying myself for the job?
When an interviewer asks you to identify your greatest weakness, he or she is attempting to discover the extent of your self-knowledge. We all have weaknesses, and it is not reasonable to expect you to be perfect in every way. Keep your answer short and dignified. Identify only one area of weakness, but also describe the actions you are taking to strengthen that area. Trying to turn a negative into a positive by saying things like, “My biggest weakness is that I’m a determined worker and won’t give up until the job is done well and completely,” fools no one.
How do I answer a question that the interviewer does not seem to understand?
It does occasionally happen that a company hires unqualified interviewers to select candidates. If you find yourself in this situation, you should consider whether this company is one you would like to work for. However, you should still strive to do your best in the interview. After all, you can always turn down an offer. To begin with, help the interviewer out by exploring the reasons behind the question. Consider what you would want to know about a prospective employee if you were in the employer’s position. Even though you may not answer the question itself, you will still benefit from the conversation. You will position yourself in the mind of the interviewer as someone who is not rattled by ambiguity, but instead works calmly and cooperatively with team members to arrive at the best possible outcome.
What to Do
Understand the Purpose of the Interview
As mentioned above, you have two tasks in the interview. You must assess whether you are right for the company, but you must also determine whether the company is right for you. The best job interviews are respectful encounters that allow mutual discovery. It may feel as if the employer has all the power—after all, it is the employer who will decide whether to offer you the position. Ultimately, however, it is you who holds the power, because it will be you who decides whether to accept the job. The reality is that interviews are just as important for you in the selection process as they are for the interviewer.
Keep that power balance in mind, and it will help you stay calm when tricky questions are asked.
Remember That the Interviewer May Be As Uncomfortable with the Process As You Are
Imagine yourself in the interviewer’s position. He or she likely meets with several candidates in a day, probing each with challenging questions. The interviewer is faced with the responsibility of narrowing the field of candidates to a lucky few, or, perhaps, a single prospective employee. This responsibility carries a fair amount of pressure. Interviewers may become tired of the same old questions and the same pat, rehearsed answers. Finally, remember that the interviewer was once in your position, applying for his or her job in the company and worrying about the same surprise questions that you are.
Prepare yourself in advance by identifying the topics that might be the most difficult for you. Spend some time thinking carefully about how you might answer them, writing out possible answers until you settle on your best strategy. Here are eight areas of questioning that could pose a challenge for you:
- your experience and management skills
- your opinion about industry or professional trends
- the reasons why you are leaving your current job
- financial or intangible value of your past achievements
- your work habits
- your salary expectations
- your expectations for the future
- your personality and relationship skills or problems.
Imagine which of these areas might be discussed and formulate in advance your general thoughts and the responses you want to express. Do not rehearse or memorize answers to anticipated questions word for word, as this may make your responses sound artificial.
Never Lie
Many interviewers do this work for a living, and they are more experienced at hearing the answers that candidates think they want to hear than you are at delivering them. Be candid and clear, and use lengthy answers only when you see that demonstrating your strategic thought process in detail will add valuable information. It should go without saying that outright lying will not serve you well.
When in Doubt, Try to Understand the Business Reason Behind the Question. Ask Questions of Your Own
“What do you mean?” or “Could you rephrase that question?” are perfectly acceptable queries in any civilized conversation. Job interviews are no different.
Be Prepared to Answer Questions about Salary
During the interview process you want to keep the focus on your worth, not your cost. If the subject comes up early in the process, politely decline to go into details about past salary and future expectations. Many companies have a policy of offering salaries only at a certain percentage above a candidate’s previous salary. If your previous salary, for whatever reason, was below market average or below your worth, you should not have to accept a lower salary in the future.
Before the interview, be sure to do your homework regarding the salary for this position so that when the time comes to discuss compensation you are prepared. You should decide ahead of time on a salary range that is acceptable to you. Make sure the top of the range is well above the figure you would accept, and the bottom of the range slightly above your predetermined “walkaway” figure.
Study Question Lists
Many lists of questions are available online. Interviewers use them, and you should as well. Although you may not be asked those specific questions during the interview, you will do well to prepare yourself by thinking about a wide range of topics relating to the position you are seeking.
What to Avoid
You act unprofessionally
One of the worst things you can do for your chances in an interview is to act in an unprofessional manner. Remember the old adage about first impressions: this is your only chance to make a stellar first impression. Professional behavior includes, firstly, arriving on time or even a few minutes early. Dress in a manner appropriate to the position you are seeking. Maintain a respectful, positive mien. Interviews are without doubt stressful experiences, but keep your emotions in check. An interview is no place for anger, defensiveness, or excessive enthusiasm.
You speak about your former employer or coworkers in unflattering terms
If you are asked why you are seeking new employment, do not concentrate on any gripes you may have about your existing or former employer, but instead talk about your positive ambitions. Focus on what has gone well in your career, not on what has failed. Do not get drawn into a discussion of whatever faults you may feel your former employer or coworkers possessed. If there were disagreements that led to your leaving your previous position, avoid discussing them if possible. If the topic is unavoidable, be as impartial in your discussion as possible. Harsh criticisms will only make you look petty.
You give away your power
Your purpose at the interview is to assess the desirability of the job, as well as to impress upon your prospective employer your own fitness for the job. Remember that you have power in this situation as much as the employer does: the power to say no to a job offer. Do not give away your power by coming to the interview unprepared or acting in an unprofessional manner.
You “hide behind” scripted answers
The interviewer will have heard these hundreds of times. Original responses, even if they are slightly clumsy, will be more valuable to both you and the interviewer. They are more indicative of whether there is indeed a match between you and your potential new employer.
Where to Learn More
Books:
Fry, Ronald W.
Yate, Martin John.
Web Site:
Monster Career Center: www.content.monster.com
http://www.bnet.com/2410-13056_23-55129.html?promo=713&tag=nl.e713
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