Techniques for Answering Job Interview Questions
One of the most common complaints about interviews is that people can never think of good answers until it's too late. There's a simple solution to this - preparation and practice.
Answering a Question with a Statement
This is a useful technique for questions that don't have a 'right' answer.
Q 'Do you often find yourself working late?'
Normal behaviour in one company might be poor time management in another. Respond with another question:
A 'What's typical in your department? I like to be efficient but I'm willing to be flexible.'
Don't answer questions that show you in a bad light.
When politicians are asked difficult questions they give statements instead of answers. You don't want to admit how many times you had flu last winter or that you are waiting to hear from five other interviews.
Q 'How is your health? Do you often take sick days?'
Q 'Are you being interviewed for any other jobs?'
Confident remarks about the importance of a healthy lifestyle or the fact that your job search is in the early stages are a diplomatic option here.
If you respond promptly and confidently to a question, what you say will usually be accepted as an answer - even if it isn't.
Asking for the Answer
Q 'Do you think you have the right experience for this post?'
It's easy to get this wrong - either too much or too little experience could rule you out of the job. Find out more about what they want before committing yourself - if you have too little experience, think of some areas in which you have done similar work.
A 'Perhaps you can tell me a bit more about exactly what you're looking for. Do you need someone who has specialised in telesales?'
Changing the Question
Q 'What kind of things do you worry about?'
In questions like this, you can defuse the question by taking out the loaded word when you answer.
A 'I think worrying is pretty pointless - I prefer to take action and make changes. However, the areas that do concern me are meeting deadlines, reducing staff turnover, reaching sales targets and getting the best out of my team.'
Avoiding Traps for the Unwary
Beware of 'either/or' questions. They are usually traps for the unwary.
Q 'What is most important in the workplace, total honesty, or supportiveness towards colleagues?'
This appears to be straightforward on the face of it. After all, both honesty and supportiveness to colleagues are important. On closer examination however, the interviewer is asking you to choose between loyalty to the company and loyalty to your workmates.
A 'I think that honesty and supportiveness are both important. But obviously I couldn't support a colleague who was behaving dishonestly either toward the company or with a client.'
That would depend on is one of the most useful phrases in interview and can be used as a last resort.
Q 'What would you do if you felt your line manager was dishonest/incompetent/had a personal problem?'
A 'That would depend on the seriousness of the problem and whether or not it was affecting his ability to do his job. Obviously in the case of dishonesty or incompetence, action would be required. A personal problem might or might not affect others in the workplace and I would need to make a judgement on that.'
Observing the Golden Rule
The Golden Rule of answering interview questions is always to give a positive answer. It doesn't matter if your last employer was an alcoholic pervert who was fiddling the books and blaming you for it - your reasons for moving on are always forward-looking and pro-active.
Q 'What did you likeldislike about your last job?'
Treat this question as an opportunity to make it clear that you are a positive, forward-looking person. In interview, you should say that you liked everything about your last job, but pick out something with the new job that is different and challenging. Don't fall into the trap of saying what you want the new job to give you - emphasise what you have to offer and use the word contribution.
A 'I enjoyed my last job and gained some useful sales experience, but I am looking for an opportunity to contribute that to building a new team with a higher conversion rate.'
People are tainted by their misfortunes. You will attract not sympathy but distrust if you appear to have walked out of a hotbed of dissent and corruption and a prospective employer will suspect that you have brought with you some traces of the problems you are claiming to have left behind.
Typical questions that might tempt you to be negative include:
Q 'What did you think of your last boss?'
Q 'What is the most difficult situation you have faced at work?'
Never say anything detrimental about your colleagues, managers or the system.
