How to Handle the Tough Interview Questions
Q. How do you handle stress?
Notice how this question is subtly different to “can you handle stress?” Reply with: “I break my work down into smaller steps and work through those steps rather than get worked up over the bigger picture.”
Or: “I tend to see problems arising before they become too large to handle and I make contingencies to cover them.”
Q. How long have you been looking for work/another position?
If you’ve been unemployed for a while obviously the employer is going to think… “Why didn’t anyone want them in all that time. If they were any good they’d already have found a job by now.”
An important point: businesses are fuelled by innovation and solving customer’s needs and problems. They’re not fuelled by the amount of hours their employees work.
You’re not there to work 40 hours a week. You are there to reach and attain certain goals. So, your best answer to the question is along the lines of… “I don’t want just any old job. I’ve been using my days researching companies I’d most like to work for and where I feel I could grow and develop my skills and be a key member in the company’s success. I’ve also been studying and reading to give myself more skills to add more value to my chosen career.”
You could go on to explain that you knew this would go against you because of the length of time you were out of work, but you realized that your whole future relied on what you did now and you were willing to take that risk.
Q. Have you ever been fired?
Try to answer “NO.”
If you have been and are asked about it, explain why, and what you learned from the experience. If other people were fired with you or resigned because of a change in management, then explain that as well.
Q. In your last position what duties did you perform?
This question is to see whether you are goal or task oriented.
Tell them what you did and what it meant to the company: “Part of my job involved typing letters to customers to nurture them. This involved establishing an intimate knowledge of our customers needs. It also took up a lot of time but I got around this by establishing a clever database for merging that sped up the process significantly.”
This shows you are goal oriented… that you believe in getting the job done and not just in being busy. Task oriented people believe in simply being busy. Employers want goal-oriented people.
Q. Can we check your references?
This question is often asked to put you off guard. This is especially true if you come across as being too perfect, or too smooth.
If you already have a job and are considering changing tell the interviewer they can check your references if you receive a firm job offer as you want to keep matters confidential at the moment.
If they want to check your present employer for a reference, make sure they give you a written job offer first. The last thing you want is to miss out on this job and arrive back at work and have your present employer find ways to dismiss you for lack of loyalty.
Q. Tell me about yourself?
Make sure you answer this question in a way that benefits the employer. They are looking for honesty, integrity, being a team player, punctuality and goal orientated people. If you are going to talk about anything don’t ramble on and on - talk about one of the subjects I’ve just shown you.
You can always ask: “What area of my background are you most interested in?” Their response allows you to tell them what they want to hear.
Q. Why do you feel you are a better ……………… than the other applicants?
This is not the time to put down other people nor is it the time to brag about how great you are.
You have a few options. The first is to say something along the lines like “to many people, being a ………………… is just a job. To me it’s something I’ve always wanted to be. Being a ……………. is more than a job to me - it’s a passion and that passion comes through in my work.”
The other option is to say you never worried about being better than the rest. You’ve only considered being the best you can be. Go on to tell them you think these skills are the most valuable for the position and then show them how you use these skills to be incredibly productive and a great team member.
by Acland Brierty
SHAMELESS PLUG: Job Secrets Revealed comes with a special ‘interview secrets’ report that will give you - more secrets of the experts including sections on “behavioral interviewing”, an expanded section on understanding the mind of the employer and the Top 10 list of the “Things Interviewers Fear,” as well as the complete list of the toughest interview questions you’ll ever get, including advice on how to side-step the ones you won’t want to answer. Plus, we give you powerful techniques to let you take control of the interview.
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