6.29.2003
"Winning Responses to 10 Tough Interview Questions
Here are some commonly asked, somewhat sticky questions, and
suggestions for how to handle them gracefully. The more you practice and
prepare yourself to answer the tough questions, the more successful you
will be at answering them, so spend some time answering these for
yourself.
What is your greatest weakness?
None of us likes to admit weakness, but answering this question by
stating that you don't have weaknesses will put you on a fast track to
interview's end. Spouting off a laundry list of professional
shortcomings is hardly the answer either. The key to answering this
question successfully is that you choose a weakness that is not job
related, and more importantly, is not a trait that is central to the
job. Your best bet is to talk about a weakness that is really a strength
in disguise: "I love what I do, and I work hard to ensure that each of
my projects is completed to the very best of my ability. I find it
discouraging when people on my team don't make an effort to contribute
to their full potential." What employer doesn't want to hear that?
Tell me about the worst boss you ever had.
What is the interviewer trying to accomplish with this line of
questioning? Questions of a negative nature, phrased with words such as
worst and dislike, are measuring your tolerance level, and testing your
ability to be diplomatic and tactful. They are measuring the degree to
which you make an effort to turn a negative into a positive, and how
effectively you do so. In answering this question, it is important that
you stay away from negativity; if you have a history of nothing but
glorious relationships with your bosses, praise them for all they have
taught you. If you can't do that then you should concentrate on the ways
in which your boss' shortcomings taught you lessons or enriched your
experience at the job. Maybe your boss' lack of involvement in your
project work resulted in you receiving a great deal of experience and
independence. Consider your audience very carefully when answering a
question like this-you could be describing the management style of the
person across the desk. Better to stay positive, isn't it?
What is your dream job?
That doesn't sound like such a hard question-and it's not, really-but it
is one of those that could be mistaken for an innocent question, asked
out of genuine interest in your hopes and dreams. Before you confess
your desire to become a shepherd, remember that there is no such thing
as an innocent question in an interview; every question is asked in an
effort to learn a little bit more about you, how interested you are in
the position, and how well-suited you are for the job. Best answer to
this question? Describe the job you are interviewing for!
Rate yourself on a scale of one to ten.
Yikes, who wants to answer this one? If you rate yourself a 6, why do
they want to hire you? On the other hand, if you think you're a 10, you
have marked yourself as unmanageable and miserably egotistical. Your
safest middle ground lies between 8 and 9. This says-and you should
explain- that you are confident, capable, and hard-working, but you know
there is always room for improvement.
Tell me about yourself.
This is a big question, and it is not one that you should attempt to
answer off the top of your head. This could go in a number of
directions, but the interviewer at a software company wasn't looking to
hear about your starring role in your high school's production of
"Oliver". You should compose a brief biography-2 minutes in length is
reasonable-consisting of a short personal background, and highlighting
your most important accomplishments, strongest skills and personal
traits, and your professional goals. The bio, of course, should be
appropriate to the company and industry to which you are applying.
Describe your best friend.
In what ways are you different from one another? The assumption here is
that you and your best friend probably have a great deal in common, and
in describing your friend, you are describing yourself, and possibly
uncovering flaws in your own personality. For the purpose of this
interview, your best friend is the embodiment of the ideal employee,
whose strengths are the traits that you have been highlighting
throughout the interview. If you are describing your friend's flaw, you
should be doing so only to talk about the ways in which you two are
different.
Where do you see yourself five years from now?
Are your goals for progression consistent with what the position, or
even the company can offer? Are your desires realistic and compatible
with the company's objectives? You want to paint the picture of someone
who always strives for excellence and progress, but whose current focus
is learning and excelling at this job. It is good to let the interviewer
know that you have aspirations of taking on more responsibility, but you
don't want to give the impression that you are expecting to go straight
to the top.
Tell me about your greatest error in judgment.
You can use this opportunity to show how your experiences have made you
a model employee, or to raise questions in the interviewer's mind about
your ability to do the job. The story you choose to tell in response to
this question should be one that is unrelated to work. It should also be
something that happened in the distant past, so you can talk about the
ways in which you have grown and learned from this mistake. If you
choose something recent and/or work related, you are highlighting a
weakness that could very well mark an incompetence that they will have
to worry about.
How did you get the day off of work today?
If you are still employed and you are interviewing during work hours,
this question could very well arise. It may seem like details, really
just an icebreaker question, but you are establishing your integrity.
You will be declaring yourself a liar and dashing your chances of
getting the job by answering that you called in sick or told your boss
that you had a doctor's appointment. The only answer to this question is
that you are interviewing on your own time, either utilizing a vacation
day or your lunch hour." - from monster.com; attributed to Peter
Newfield
Copyright 2004 - Monster Worldwide, Inc. All Rights Reserved. You may
not copy, reproduce or distribute this article without the prior written
permission of Monster Worldwide. This article first appeared on Monster,
the leading online global network for careers. To see other
career-related articles visit <http://content.monster.com>.
<Note from JobFairy.com: Your greatest weakness is that you're a
perfectionist or someone who works too hard. You have never had a worst
boss - you simply describe someone whose management style was different
than what you were used to and how YOU adapted to suit their needs. Your
dream job is this one. Don't laugh; they buy it. Your rating is 8 1/2 -
tell them there will always be someone more technically skilled than
you, so no 10. Tell me about yourself means rattle off a rehash of your
objective statement on your resume, because I (the interviewer) didn't
really bother to read it. This is your chance to rephrase it all in
light of this particular position only and how it's a perfect fit with
your career goals. I have never been asked to describe my best friend.
Maybe because management people are scared us geeks will start to list
the attributes of our home computer network and cause their ears to
bleed from boredom. Be vague when they ask you where you'll be five
years from now. They don't want to hear that you're ambitious. Tell them
you expect to have taken more technical training, you'll be completely
familiar with your job and that you may be in a position to mentor new
hires to your group - things like that. Say that you want to learn and
grow with the position. Management types have no conception of how short
the IT cycle is. In five years, you'll be two - three companies away
from where you currently sit! Your greatest error in judgment should be
that you didn't take enough math or science in college, or that
conversely, you didn't take enough art or literature courses. And that
you've taken ongoing education classes or you're involved in the museums
in order to make up for the whims of your distant youth. Nothing from
work and it has to be benign. About getting time off from work - make
sure you schedule your interview very early in the morning, or very late
in the day. Claim you have scads of work to do at your old job and you
can't "drop the ball". If you have to interview during the lunch hour,
make sure it's a phone screen. You always want to try to be the last one
interviewed for a job, if possible.>
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