10 Tough Interview Questions
27 November 2014
Read by 4001 persons
In interviews, some questions can be difficult to answer. Here are some tips on how to best respond to some of them.
1. Tell me about yourself!
This disguised question is probably one of the most frequently asked to start an interview. It's an invitation to summarize your background as clearly as possible. Prepare by recalling the highlights of your resume. Highlight your strengths for the job you are applying for.
2. What prompted you to apply for this position?
This question implies: why do you want to work for us? Take the opportunity to talk about them first, rather than focusing on yourself. What's important is not what you want, but what you can bring to the company. Demonstrate that you understand their needs and that you have solutions to offer.
3. Where do you see yourself in five years?
Ideally, a future employer would like to hear here that you will still be working for them in five years. So you must convince them that you will feel perfectly in your place in this job. However, still leave the door open to indicate that you plan to learn and progress within this position and make advancements for the company.
4. What is your main flaw?
The best answer here is to mention a weakness that you have identified, but that you constantly seek to improve. Describe your approaches, your efforts to ensure that this flaw does not harm your work. Talk about the solutions you've found to mitigate the consequences of this weakness or to compensate.
5. You have changed jobs several times. Are you ready to make a longer-term commitment to our company?
The employer who invests in you wants to keep you as long as possible. You must therefore demonstrate a desire for commitment, but the diversity of jobs held is also an advantage and this is an opportunity to highlight it. You have been able to leverage several aspects of your talent and improve your expertise in several areas. This makes you versatile and more creative when it comes to finding solutions.
6. With your years of experience, are you really ready to start at the bottom of the ladder in our company?
This situation may arise during a career change. Argue that you indeed want to gain experience in this new field and that starting in a position with less responsibility and a lower salary does not scare you. This will be the best way to learn the ins and outs of the company.
7. If one of your colleagues tends to take credit for your best ideas, how will you react?
Several scenarios may arise during an interview. Try to answer as tactfully as possible. A question like this, for example, is an opportunity to demonstrate your interpersonal skills and abilities. Advocate a positive approach, such as first trying to congratulate your colleague on their achievements and then suggesting that everyone present their own ideas to the boss. Frank discussion without animosity is always preferable to conflict or frustration.
8. Why should we hire you?
At the end of the interview, this question is often asked. This is the time to highlight your strengths, to demonstrate once again that you have what it takes to meet the company's needs, that you are the solution to their problems.
9. Maybe you are too competent for the position offered?
This is the time to highlight the contribution of such experience to the company. Solid experience can never be a flaw. However, you must convince them of your strong interest in the position and your desire to work with them long-term.
10. Do you have any questions?
The employer will almost always choose to end the interview with this question. It may seem simple, but it is not. To answer it well, you must be very attentive to everything that has been said during the interview and, ideally, have learned about the company and the target position before presenting yourself at the appointment. You must demonstrate your interest and commitment. For example, ask what the first tasks to be performed will be or what the priority objective is.
Workopolis.com
Published November 4, 2014.
Posted online November 27, 2014.
1. Tell me about yourself!
This disguised question is probably one of the most frequently asked to start an interview. It's an invitation to summarize your background as clearly as possible. Prepare by recalling the highlights of your resume. Highlight your strengths for the job you are applying for.
2. What prompted you to apply for this position?
This question implies: why do you want to work for us? Take the opportunity to talk about them first, rather than focusing on yourself. What's important is not what you want, but what you can bring to the company. Demonstrate that you understand their needs and that you have solutions to offer.
3. Where do you see yourself in five years?
Ideally, a future employer would like to hear here that you will still be working for them in five years. So you must convince them that you will feel perfectly in your place in this job. However, still leave the door open to indicate that you plan to learn and progress within this position and make advancements for the company.
4. What is your main flaw?
The best answer here is to mention a weakness that you have identified, but that you constantly seek to improve. Describe your approaches, your efforts to ensure that this flaw does not harm your work. Talk about the solutions you've found to mitigate the consequences of this weakness or to compensate.
5. You have changed jobs several times. Are you ready to make a longer-term commitment to our company?
The employer who invests in you wants to keep you as long as possible. You must therefore demonstrate a desire for commitment, but the diversity of jobs held is also an advantage and this is an opportunity to highlight it. You have been able to leverage several aspects of your talent and improve your expertise in several areas. This makes you versatile and more creative when it comes to finding solutions.
6. With your years of experience, are you really ready to start at the bottom of the ladder in our company?
This situation may arise during a career change. Argue that you indeed want to gain experience in this new field and that starting in a position with less responsibility and a lower salary does not scare you. This will be the best way to learn the ins and outs of the company.
7. If one of your colleagues tends to take credit for your best ideas, how will you react?
Several scenarios may arise during an interview. Try to answer as tactfully as possible. A question like this, for example, is an opportunity to demonstrate your interpersonal skills and abilities. Advocate a positive approach, such as first trying to congratulate your colleague on their achievements and then suggesting that everyone present their own ideas to the boss. Frank discussion without animosity is always preferable to conflict or frustration.
8. Why should we hire you?
At the end of the interview, this question is often asked. This is the time to highlight your strengths, to demonstrate once again that you have what it takes to meet the company's needs, that you are the solution to their problems.
9. Maybe you are too competent for the position offered?
This is the time to highlight the contribution of such experience to the company. Solid experience can never be a flaw. However, you must convince them of your strong interest in the position and your desire to work with them long-term.
10. Do you have any questions?
The employer will almost always choose to end the interview with this question. It may seem simple, but it is not. To answer it well, you must be very attentive to everything that has been said during the interview and, ideally, have learned about the company and the target position before presenting yourself at the appointment. You must demonstrate your interest and commitment. For example, ask what the first tasks to be performed will be or what the priority objective is.
Workopolis.com
Published November 4, 2014.
Posted online November 27, 2014.
