Part I: Strategies for Answering Difficult Questions

Why Did You Leave Your Last Position?

Whatever the circumstances that caused you to leave, a resignation, a termination for cause or a lay off, be honest and be brief. Give the pertinent facts. Most importantly, don’t badmouth your previous employer or show bitterness or negativity. Keep the emotional baggage in check. Stay positive. If you were fired, explain what you learned and how you’re a better employee today. Show that you’re ready to move on and are
anxious to take on responsibility and grow your career.

“XYZ Company has been going through lay offs all year. Everyone on my team, except me, had been laid off. Finally, it was my turn. I’m ready to move on to a new challenge and continue my history of making valuable contributions to an organization.” “My boss and I mutually agreed that my skills were not a good match for the position. Frankly, I accepted the position without asking enough questions to understand fully the responsibilities and expectations. I won’t make that mistake again.”

Why Do You Want to Leave Your Current Position?

Be careful with this. Again, you don’t want to badmouth your present employer. Avoid making statements about wanting to make more money. “New management has come in. My responsibilities are changing as a result, and the career path that I was on has been eliminated. I’m making a move to get my career back on track. The goals of the position you have open align very well with my own.”

What are Your Strengths?

Pick two or three that best indicate your ability to bring positive results and solutions to the position for which you are interviewing. Use PAR stories that illustrate achievements that the company is seeking. Show the value you bring. Employers tend to value skills like self-motivation, initiative, ability to work on a team and willingness to put in the hours to “get the job done.” They also admire strong communication skills, reliability, integrity and self-confidence. Be specific to be memorable!

What are Your Weaknesses?

Review the content in the “Prepare for the Interview” to this question. Divulge only minor work related weaknesses or ones that could also be viewed as assets. Never say you don’t have any. It will be viewed as naïve and/or arrogant.

Why Should I Hire You?

You gotta love this question! This is your Personal Value Proposition. Use it! This is where you can distinguish yourself from the rest of the competition. It’s all about what you can do for the company and not vice versa. Show your readiness to take on the job by describing how your experience, achievements, career progression and unique qualities make you an asset. Don’t come across as boastful, but don’t be humble either. Be assertive and confident!

Why Do You Want this Job? (Or Why Do You Feel Qualified for this Job?)

In preparation for the interview, you completed the “Position Matching and Marketing Analysis”, so you know the job requirements. Tell the interviewer why you are such a good match for the job, citing your competencies, achievements and past assignments and how they map to those requirements. Tell the interviewer of your interest – that this is exactly the kind of work you like to do and that you do it well.

Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?

Given recent tumultuous economic times that have been plagued with downsizing and plant closures, this question is no longer a given in the interview. Prepare for it, though, just in case. Talk about your desire to do this job well first before setting your sights on the next job. While it’s okay to speak in generalities about your career goals (“I want to continue to have challenging work, like this job that we’re discussing, where I’ll be able to grow both in skills and responsibilities.”), you really should have a realistic goal in mind. Then, you need to emphasize why you’re confident you’ll achieve the goal. Since speed is of the essence in today’s workplace, emphasize how good you are at solving complex problems and how quickly you learn. Talk about your values, priorities and what will motivate you on this job to be successful. Talk about what’s important to you professionally and how you plan to achieve your goals. Discuss what type of skills you’d like to be using in five years. Show optimism, energy and enthusiasm in your answer. And, don’t say you want to be President of the company or that you want the interviewer’s job!

Tell Me About Yourself.

Often an icebreaker, the interviewer wants to observe you in action. What do you emphasize? How do you organize your answer? Deliver the prepared Personal Introduction that you’ve practiced, and do so under two minutes! Know that the interviewer is asking the question not only to get information from you but to assess your poise, delivery style and communication skills. Don’t waste time talking about your childhood, schooling, hobbies, etc. Everything you say should convey the following message in a compelling way: “I have strengths and unique qualities that make me the right person for this job!” So focus on strengths and achievements that are relevant to the job for which you’re interviewing. This question provides a great opportunity to sell yourself. But keep it lowkey. This is only the first question!

What Salary Do You Have in Mind?

Defer this question until later, if at all possible, when you know better if you’re a serious contender for the job. When it comes to talking money, whoever mentions specific dollars first usually loses. If you answer the question, you’ll either be too high or too low. Instead say, “Salary is important to me. Even more important to me, though, is understanding the scope and responsibilities of the job to ensure that I’m a good match.” Or, “I’m not too concerned about salary at this point. I’m confident that in a company with the stature of [company name], the pay and benefits are competitive and fair.” If the interviewer is insistent, throw the question back to him/her. “I’ve been wondering about that question myself. What is the range that you’re offering?” You should have a range in mind prior to the interview that is acceptable to you. You’ve already done your homework on what the market will bear. If the interviewer doesn’t let you off the hook, say “Having researched the salary in [city name or part of the country] for someone with my skills and level of experience, I would expect something in the range of $xx to $xx.” Err on the high side. Indicate you’re negotiable.

What is Your Most Significant Achievement?

You know the answer to this one! Choose the PAR story that best relates to the job for which you are interviewing. Remember to describe the problem adequately. Don’t get bogged down in too many details at the expense of articulating the results. Your results equate to your value to the company and the talents and solutions you bring. Remind the interviewer of the skills you utilized to do the job and how they will be needed for this job as well.

Are You Applying for Other Jobs?

“Yes. I’m exploring several openings that might be a fit for my talents and potential.” Let the interviewer know there is competition. If you’ve already received an offer(s), don’t tell the interviewer at this point. They might think you’re not interested in this position. The important point to make is that you’re enthusiastic about the possibilities of this job.

What Do You Like Most and Least about Your Current Job?

The interviewer is trying to gather clues about your preference for corporate culture. Concentrate your answer on areas that are relevant to the position: “I enjoy the camaraderie of being on a team.” When discussing least liked, mention a responsibility that is not a requirement of the job for which you are interviewing. Emphasize that you performed the responsibility well, you just didn’t enjoy doing it.

Why Haven’t You Found a Position By Now?

“Finding the right position takes time, especially in a competitive market such as this. I want to be certain that I’m making a good decision about my next career move.” Tell the interviewer how you’ve been spending your time (conducting the job search, doing volunteer work, going to school, etc.) and that you’ll be an even more valuable and productive employee as a result.

You Seem to Have a Number of Gaps in Your Employment History. Why is that?

Gaps are red flags to interviewers. Rather than allowing them to conjecture as to why there’s a gap (maybe they were in prison, on disability or in a psychiatric ward), tell them. “I took some time off to care for my elderly parents and relocated them here to a nursing facility.” Emphasize that this is behind you now and you are eager to begin working again.

Why Do You Want to Work for this Company? (Or What Do You Know about this Company?)

This is a great opportunity for you to share your learnings from networking with people within the company and doing your research on the company.

Describe a Time When Your Work was Criticized.

Be careful. Cite a minor incident that did not jeopardize the quality or timeliness of a project. Interject humor, if possible. State how you are always open to constructive criticism and learning better ways of doing things.

How Long would You Stay with Us?

Answer positively, “For as long as we both feel that a mutually beneficial relationship exists.” Stress your loyalty and longevity with past employers, if appropriate. Emphasize that you look for long-term challenges and the opportunity to contribute.

How would Your Last/Current Boss Describe Your Performance?

Your boss may be one of your references. If you have a letter of recommendation, now would be the time to present it. If you’ve managed your references well, what you say and what your boss says should be in sync. Don’t paint an overly glowing picture that may lack credibility. Be honest and positive. For example, “My former boss would say that I have many excellent skills, including…” He would further say that I was very results-oriented, often accomplishing the workload of two people.” If you didn’t always see eye to eye with your boss, briefly describe your differing work styles and move on.

Part II: Additional Behavioral-based Questions

• Describe a time you had to convince a team to work on a project they weren’t thrilled about? How did you handle that?
• How do you determine if a plan is worth the risk of rocking the boat?
• Describe a time when you had to manage a difficult relationship with a coworker. How did you do it?
• Tell me your decision-making process.
• If I asked someone about your leadership style, what would they say?
• How important is it for you to be liked? Why?
• What is the process you use to identify skill deficiencies in people who report to you?
• Describe the best presentation you gave and why it went so well.
• How do you stay current with new and emerging technologies in your field?
• Give me examples of how you developed your staff to assume positions of greater responsibility.
• Tell me how you implemented a significant change in your business.
• How do you respond to the statement, “Plan your work and work your plan?”
• Describe a situation where you had to go the extra mile to support a customer.
• How do you know when to coach and when to discipline an employee?
• Describe a situation where you had to deal with a complex set of issues and how you resolved them.
• If you observed someone displaying inappropriate work behavior, how would you handle it?
• Give me examples of business process improvements you’ve implemented that have increased productivity.
• What mistakes have you learned from?
• Describe a project you managed and how you kept everyone on task to a successful completion.
• Give me an example of a goal you did not achieve and why.

Part III: Recommended Questions to Ask Recruiter

• How would you describe the company culture?
• What type of employee tends to excel here?
• Tell me more about the interview process.
• Who will be making the hiring decision?
• How do my qualifications look to you?
• What skills do you think are most critical to be successful in this job?
• Why is the position open?
• What’s your timeline on filling the position?
• How many candidates are you wanting to interview?

Ask Hiring Manager

• Describe your ideal employee.
• How do you measure success on the job?
• What are the most important responsibilities of this job?
• Can you tell me about the people I’d be working with? How long have they been here?
• What challenges at work keep you awake at night? How do you see this job helping you solve those problems?
• What are the three most important things you would like to see this person accomplish in the next six months?
• What’s a common career path for someone in this role?
• Describe the role I’d play.
• Why did you join this organization?
• What are your biggest concerns about this job and the person you hire?
• Describe your management style.

Ask Potential Co-worker

• What do you like best about working here? How would you describe the environment?
• Describe the manager’s work style and expectations.
• How has your career progressed here?
• What’s a typical day like in this department?
• What do you enjoy most about your job? Least?

Ask Executive
About Job and Company

• How do you see the industry changing in the next year?
• What gives this company an edge over its competitors?
• What’s the company’s biggest challenge? How is it planning to meet the challenge?
• What qualifications are most important for this position?
• What will it take in this position to be successful?
• What are the future growth plans for the company, and what role will this job have in those plans?
• What are the immediate job priorities?

About Boss, Peers, and Subordinates

• Are there regular weekly, monthly or quarterly management meetings?
• Who will be my peers? Can you tell me about them? May I meet them at some point in our discussions?
• How will my performance be evaluated? Are there qualitative factors?
• What is the management style of the company? Of my boss?

• About the Impending Job Offer
• What is the career path for this position?
• Would I be faced with a relocation decision at some point in order to advance my career?
• How are conflicts resolved?
• Have new hires from outside the company for similar positions been successful in the past?
• What can I do to further convince you that I am the ideal candidate for this job?