“Why should I hire you?” A hiring manager may not ask you this question directly but every question you answer in the interview should contribute to helping them understand why you’re the best person for the job. “Stay focused on why your background makes you an ideal candidate and tell them how you are going to contribute to that department and that company,” Teach says. “Let the interviewer know that one of your goals is to make their job easier by taking on as much responsibility as possible and that you will be excited about this job starting on day one.”
Reflect on previous interviews. Keep a computer or paper record of your interviews, Teach says. “Keep a record of the time of your interviews, how long they are, your impressions of the hiring manager, and perhaps most importantly, what questions were asked of you, what answers you gave, and record any questions they asked you that you felt could have been answered differently. “ Study these elements and your interview skills will improve, he says.
Figure out how to articulate your goals. Most of the commonly asked questions during an interview either dig into your previous experience or want to explore your future goals, Khare says. “Prepare and articulate your goals, and remain honest here. Inconsistent answers won’t get you the respect and credibility that is a must to impress an interviewer.”
Be positive. When preparing for an interview and anticipating likely questions, plan to answer all questions positively. “Even if you were in a bad situation, think about how you can talk about the situation positively,” Attridge says. You always have a choice. It is much better to talk about a glass being half full then to talk about it being half empty. It’s all about your perspective, and in an interview being positive counts.
Never say anything negative about your prior employers or bosses, either–no matter how bad the situation may have been. “A negative answer actually is a reflection about your judgment and business acumen, and not about the employer or manager.”
Get comfortable. “Preparation and practice aside, the most important tip I would like to suggest to job seekers is to feel comfortable with the interview process,” Khare says. “You can read all the advice in the world about acing the interview, but none of the tactics will work out of you are not yourself during the process.”
Feeling comfortable and relaxed positively influences your confidence. “And interviewers always appreciate a relaxed and confident candidate, as opposed to a heavy promoter and edgy one,” she adds. Practice calming your nerves, and focus on how you can prove you’d be a valuable asset to the company.
1. “Why are you leaving your current job?”
This question trips a lot of people up because it can get you into a negative mindset or a rant against your present (or previous) job. The interviewer only wants to know that you aren’t leaving purely for money and that you don’t have trouble getting along with people.
Even if you were fired, the key to answering this question is to maintain undying positivity. Put a positive twist on the negatives to show your interviewer that you’ve learned significant and valuable lessons.
If at all possible, show the interviewer that your moving jobs is all about passion and career growth.
2. “Tell me about yourself”
The idea here is to give the most important points of your resume and how these experiences make you a great fit for the job. All you need to do is show the interviewer why you’re the best fit for the position and leave all the other extraneous details out.
When interviewers ask this, they don’t want to hear about everything that has happened in your life; the interviewer’s objective is to see how you respond to this vague, yet personal, question.
Most people are quick to gush about their life story or their passions outside work. In the process, people have the tendency to slip up and to reveal things that cast them in a negative light. You don’t want to be too loose with your personal life with someone you just met.
3. “What are your weaknesses?”
It’s difficult to find a genuine weakness that makes you appear competent.
For instance, telling your interviewer that your weakness is working so hard that you have trouble prioritizing your family life is a little too cliché and comes across as disingenuous. But telling your interviewer that you lose interest in mundane tasks (though this may be genuine) makes you an unappealing candidate as well.
To answer this question perfectly, pick weaknesses that are minor and can be developed.
A great tactic is to choose a past weakness that you have an awesome story about fixing. For example, if your weakness is that you have difficulty confronting people with bad news, tell your interviewer that you’ve learned to begin with something positive before moving into the negative. This is a perfect example because the issue is minor (interviewers won’t consider it a deal-breaker), and you’ve shown that you’re someone who can learn and seeks improvement.
“What is your desired salary?”
The unwritten rule when it comes to salary is this: whoever proposes a number first, loses.
When you interview, you should never feel pressured to answer this question. Simply let your interviewer know that the most important thing to you is how well you fit the position.
Say something simple like, “Though I know salary is relevant, I don’t make decisions based solely on it, and I would prefer to discuss it later once you know more about me and I know more about the role.”
This shows the interviewer that you have put thought into the question and that you would prefer to focus on fit before pay. You’ll have far more leverage in a salary negotiation if you wait until they want to hire you before discussing it.
5. “Tell me about a time when you _______”
This question sounds simple, but it’s difficult to clearly and concisely share a meaningful story.
Laszlo Bock, the head of HR at Google, says you should approach this question like this: “Here’s the attribute I’m going to demonstrate; here’s the story demonstrating it; here’s how that story demonstrated that attribute.”
Bock also says, “Most people in an interview don’t make explicit their thought process behind how or why they did something and, even if they are able to come up with a compelling story, they are unable to explain their thought processes.”
A perfect answer to this question shows what you did and why you did it (i.e., how you think).
Have stories prepared that demonstrate different desirable attributes of yourself. Just don’t forget to explain the thinking that went into your actions as you tell them.
- Does this person set high standards? “It’s really about whether or not someone holds others accountable to his or her own high standards,” said Frappolli. “Because a lot of people who get into leadership roles have Type-A personalities, are driven to succeed and tend to focus on their own standards—but they don’t necessarily hold others to those same standards.”
- Does he or she treat others with respect? Consider this: Would you want one of your children to work for this person? If you have to pause in answering, think twice before promoting him or her.
- Does this employee manage performance? Does he or she provide honest and direct feedback on a consistent basis? Can he or she judge performance in an objective way and make decisions based on meritocracy?
- Does he or she execute discipline? “Also ask: Is this person thorough in his or her business reviews?” said Frappolli. “Does he or she have good governance and controls?”
- Does this person exhibit fortitude? “When I look at people who are successful, fortitude comes right to the top,” Frappolli told attendees. “Because if you can’t take feedback—if you can’t fail and pick yourself back up without losing confidence—you will struggle in a leadership role.”
- Does this person face facts? Does he or she let the numbers tell the story, instead of trying to spin them to make situations look better?
- Does he or she foster open partnerships? Does this person really encourage people to say what’s on their minds?
- Does he or she have humanity? Consider whether or not this person shows compassion. Can he or she drive for high performance, hold people accountable, and yet, when others are struggling, try to understand why they’re struggling? “Does he or she then have the guts to make a tough call, like letting people go?” asked Frappolli. “It’s tough—I’ve found that some people are pretty binary in that way. They’re either too nice to make a tough call, wait way too long to do it or they’re just cold and disrespectful.”
- Does this person set clients up for success? At the end of the day, does he or she ask the question, “Is this the right option for our client?”
- Does he or she believe in innovation? “Innovation happens in many phases,” said Frappolli, “but often, it’s in small steps. What does this person do to help his or her team and clients constantly improve?”
- Does this person think strategically? Is he or she intellectually curious? Does he or she ask the question, “why?” Does he or she know what’s going on in the industry? Is he or she aware of what your competitors are doing and whether or not they’re doing something better than you are?
