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How to answer 23 of the most common interview questions

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Lets face it; no one likes the interview process. Well, certainly not the people being
interviewed anyway. You have to be on your best behavior, you only get one
chance to get it right, and its like taking your driving test all over again. Over the
years Ive been to countless interviews. To get my first job out of college I attended
some 15-20 interviews a week. Whether it was in Britain or over here in the States,
the questions never really seemed to change from job to job. Not only that, but the
answers to them are usually the same, with your own personal interpretation of
course. Here I present 23 questions youre likely to be asked, and how I have
learned to answer them. Why 23? Because I had more than 20 and less than 25.
Remember, being interviewed is a skill, and if you do the preparation you should
ace it every time.
1. So, tell me a little about yourself.
Id be very surprised if you havent been asked this one at every interview. Its
probably the most asked question because it sets the stage for the interview and it
gets you talking. Be careful not to give the interviewer your life story here. You
dont need to explain everything from birth to present day. Relevant facts about
education, your career and your current life situation are fine.
2. Why are you looking (or why did you leave you last job)?
This should be a straightforward question to answer, but it can trip you up.
Presumably you are looking for a new job (or any job) because you want to advance
your career and get a position that allows you to grow as a person and an
employee. Its not a good idea to mention money here, it can make you sound
mercenary. And if you are in the unfortunate situation of having been downsized,
stay positive and be as brief as possible about it. If you were fired, youll need a
good explanation. But once again, stay positive.
3. Tell me what you know about this company.
Do your homework before you go to any interview. Whether its being the VP of
marketing or the mailroom clerk, you should know about the company or business
youre going to work for. Has this company been in the news lately? Who are the
people in the company you should know about? Do the background work, it will
make you stand out as someone who comes prepared, and is genuinely interested
in the company and the job.
4. Why do you want to work at X Company?
This should be directly related to the last question. Any research youve done on the
company should have led you to the conclusion that youd want to work there. After
all, youre at the interview, right? Put some thought into this answer before you

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have your interview, mention your career goals and highlight forward-thinking goals
and career plans.
5. What relevant experience do you have?
Hopefully if youre applying for this position you have bags of related experience,
and if thats the case you should mention it all. But if youre switching careers or
trying something a little different, your experience may initially not look like its
matching up. Thats when you need a little honest creativity to match the
experiences required with the ones you have. People skills are people skills after all,
you just need to show how customer service skills can apply to internal
management positions, and so on.
6. If your previous co-workers were here, what would they say about you?
Ok, this is not the time for full disclosure. If some people from your past are going
to say youre a boring A-hole, you dont need to bring that up. Stay positive,
always, and maybe have a few specific quotes in mind. Theyd say I was a hard
worker or even better John Doe has always said I was the most reliable, creative
problem-solver hed ever met.
7. Have you done anything to further your experience?
This could include anything from night classes to hobbies and sports. If its related,
its worth mentioning. Obviously anything to do with further education is great, but
maybe youre spending time on a home improvement project to work on skills such
as self-sufficiency, time management and motivation.
8. Where else have you applied?
This is a good way to hint that youre in demand, without sounding like youre
whoring yourself all over town. So, be honest and mention a few other companies
but dont go into detail. The fact that youre seriously looking and keeping your
options open is what the interviewer is driving at.
9. How are you when youre working under pressure?
Once again, there are a few ways to answer this but they should all be positive. You
may work well under pressure, you may thrive under pressure, and you may
actually PREFER working under pressure. If you say you crumble like aged blue
cheese, this is not going to help you get your foot in the door.

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10. What motivates you to do a good job?

The answer to this one is not money, even if it is. You should be motivated by lifes
noble pursuits. You want recognition for a job well done. You want to become better
at your job. You want to help others or be a leader in your field.
11. Whats your greatest strength?
This is your chance to shine. Youre being asked to explain why you are a great
employee, so dont hold back and stay do stay positive. You could be someone who
thrives under pressure, a great motivator, an amazing problem solver or someone
with extraordinary attention to detail. If your greatest strength, however, is to drink
anyone under the table or get a top score on Mario Kart, keep it to yourself. The
interviewer is looking for work-related strengths.
12. Whats your biggest weakness?
If youre completely honest, you may be kicking yourself in the butt. If you say you
dont have one, youre obviously lying. This is a horrible question and one that
politicians have become masters at answering. They say things like Im perhaps
too committed to my work and dont spend enough time with my family. Oh,
theres a fireable offense. Ive even heard I think Im too good at my job, it can
often make people jealous. Please, lets keep our feet on the ground. If youre
asked this question, give a small, work-related flaw that youre working hard to
improve. Example: Ive been told I occasionally focus on details and miss the
bigger picture, so Ive been spending time laying out the complete project every
day to see my overall progress.
13. Lets talk about salary. What are you looking for?
Run for cover! This is one tricky game to play in an interview. Even if you know the
salary range for the job, if you answer first youre already showing all your cards.
You want as much as possible, the employer wants you for as little as youre willing
to take. Before you apply, take a look at salary.com for a good idea of what
someone with your specific experience should be paid. You may want to say, well,
thats something Ive thought long and hard about and I think someone with my
experience should get between X & Y. Or, you could be sly and say, right now, Im
more interested in talking more about what the position can offer my career. That
could at least buy you a little time to scope out the situation. But if you do have a
specific figure in mind and you are confident that you can get it, Id say go for it. I
have on many occasions, and every time I got very close to that figure (both below
and sometimes above).

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14. Are you good at working in a team?

Unless you have the I.Q. of a houseplant, youll always answer YES to this one. Its
the only answer. How can anyone function inside an organization if they are a loner?
You may want to mention what part you like to play in a team though; its a great
chance to explain that youre a natural leader.
15. Tell me a suggestion you have made that was implemented.
Its important here to focus on the word implemented. Theres nothing wrong with
having a thousand great ideas, but if the only place they live is on your notepad
whats the point? Better still, you need a good ending. If your previous company
took your advice and ended up going bankrupt, thats not such a great example
either. Be prepared with a story about an idea of yours that was taken from idea to
implementation, and considered successful.
16. Has anything ever irritated you about people youve worked with?
Of course, you have a list as long as your arm. But you cant say that, it shows you
as being negative and difficult to work with. The best way to answer this one is to
think for a while and then say something like Ive always got on just fine with my
co-workers actually.
17. Is there anyone you just could not work with?
No. Well, unless youre talking about murderers, racists, rapists, thieves or other
dastardly characters, you can work with anyone. Otherwise you could be flagged as
someone whos picky and difficult if you say, I cant work with anyone whos a
Broncos fan. Sorry.
18. Tell me about any issues youve had with a previous boss.
Arrgh! If you fall for this one you shouldnt be hired anyway. The interviewer is
testing you to see if youll speak badly about your previous supervisor. Simply
answer this question with exteme tact, diplomacy and if necessary, a big fat loss of
memory. In short, youve never had any issues.
19. Would you rather work for money or job satisfaction?
Its not a very fair question is it? Wed all love to get paid a Trump-like salary doing
a job we love but thats rare indeed. Its fine to say money is important, but
remember that NOTHING is more important to you than the job. Otherwise, youre
just someone looking for a bigger paycheck.
20. Would you rather be liked or feared?
I have been asked this a lot, in various incarnations. The first time I just drew a
blank and said, I dont know. That went over badly, but it was right at the start of
my career when I had little to no experience. Since then Ive realized that my
genuine answer is Neither, Id rather be respected. You dont want to be feared
because fear is no way to motivate a team. You may got the job done but at what
cost? Similarly, if youre everyones best friend youll find it difficult to make tough
decisions or hit deadlines. But when youre respected, you dont have to be a
complete bastard or a lame duck to get the job done.
21. Are you willing to put the interests of X Company ahead of your own?
Again, another nasty question. If you say yes, youre a corporate whore who
doesnt care about family. If you say no, youre disloyal to the company. Im afraid
that youll probably have to say yes to this one though, because youre trying to be
the perfect employee at this point, and perfect employees dont cut out early for
Jimmys baseball game.
22. So, explain why I should hire you.
As Im sure you know, because Im great or I really need a job are not good
answers here. This is a time to give the employer a laundry list of your greatest
talents that just so happen to match the job description. Its also good to avoid
taking potshots at other potential candidates here. Focus on yourself and your
talents, not other peoples flaws.
23. Finally, do you have any questions to ask me?
Ill finish the way I started, with one of the most common questions asked in
interviews. This directly relates to the research youve done on the company and
also gives you a chance to show how eager and prepared you are. Youll probably
want to ask about benefits if they havent been covered already. A good generic one
is how soon could I start, if I were offered the job of course. You may also ask
what youd be working on. Specifically, in the role youre applying for and how that
affects the rest of the company. Always have questions ready, greeting this one with
a blank stare is a rotten way to finish your interview. Good luck and happy job
hunting.
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21 Responses

David Fisher
October 7th, 2007 at 8:49 am

cool post, hopefully will help me finally get a job :P , Ive messed up my share of
interviews. Ive done everything from making jokes, blaming my last boss for giving me
a bad review and talking about star trek (although to be fair, I got that job :D)

It tastes like burning : Blog Archive : links for 2007-10-07

October 7th, 2007 at 3:17 pm

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pligg.com
May 20th, 2008 at 7:46 am

How to answer 23 of the most common interview questions

Lets face it; no one likes the interview process. Well, certainly not the people being
interviewed anyway. You have to be on your best behavior, you only get one chance to
get it right, and its like taking your driving test all over again. Over t

alex
May 20th, 2008 at 8:13 am

Not sure I agree with your response to #18.

I think that if handled correctly, discussing issues with a previous boss along with how
you handled the issues, can really highlight your ability to communicate honestly as
well as deal with conflict.
I had a terrible boss (who had since been fired, and wasnt the reason that I left the
company), and I brought up the situation in each of 7 interviews where conflict was a
topic. I received offers for 6 of them.

of course!
May 20th, 2008 at 12:24 pm

The answer is 42.

Tom
May 20th, 2008 at 3:23 pm

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A better answer for question 23 which has always landed me a job:

Youve worked here for some time, honestly is this company a good company to work
for?
This puts the interviewer in the position to sell you on his company. He now
subconsciously wants you to commit to him and reinforces all the positive
characteristics youve presented. He also digs on the honestly part because it makes
him think you are so valuable you are so valuable and your trying to protect your
commitment. You become the best pick in the draft.

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Ibod Catooga
June 17th, 2008 at 2:46 pm

I always give the interviewer lots of anal sex to make sure I get hired!

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June 17th, 2008 at 4:19 pm

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Silverhalide
June 17th, 2008 at 4:52 pm

For #21, Id got with something like I find things work best when my interests mesh
with the companys. Obviously, seeing the company succeed is important to me
succeeding in this position. I dont feel that the two interests are exclusive.

15

James Dean
June 17th, 2008 at 5:03 pm

LOL, I just plain dont get it. It jsut doesnt make any sense at all to me.
JT
http://www.FireMe.to/udi

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make bank
June 17th, 2008 at 6:17 pm

Careers are for suckers.

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June 20th, 2008 at 6:52 am

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