Unit 4-3
Answering Interview Questions
Answering Interview Questions
1.
Good interview preparation includes
trying to guess the questions you may be
asked in an interview and give some
thought to how you will answer them.
Answering Interview Questions
2.
Most interview questions fall into 3
categories:
◦ Why you are applying
◦ What kind of person you are
◦ What you can do
Answering Interview Questions
Below are some typical questions.
3.
General:
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Why do you want to work for us?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
What would you like to be doing in five
years from now?
Answering Interview Questions
Educational:
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What is your grade point average?
What have been your favorite and least
favorite courses?
Were your extracurricular activities worth
the time you put into them?
Answering Interview Questions
Job Related:
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Why should I hire you?
How long a commitment do you plan to give
this company?
Answering Interview Questions
Personal:
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Tell me something about yourself.
What accomplishment in your life has made
you the proudest?
What is the last book you read?
Answering Interview Questions
4.
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A good interviewee will take advantage
of questions, to tell the interviewer
certain positive things about themselves.
Prepare a short list of positive points
you wish to make about yourself.
Be alert for situations where you can
bring the points into the conversation
naturally, such as:
Puff balls, Pauses, and Bridges
Answering Interview Questions
Puff balls – easy questions, such as “Tell me
about yourself,” that allow you to easily
tell the interviewer anything you want
them to know about you.
Answering Interview Questions
Pauses – give you a chance to use some
initiative. You don’t have to wait to be
questioned.
Answering Interview Questions
Bridges – are transitions from one subject
to another. You take the opportunity to
answer the interviewer’s questions and
then immediately show how it relate to
something else you want them to know.
Answering Interview Questions
5.
Elaborate on all your answers, which
means to give more detail than just a
simple one word or short phrase
answers. Give examples that act as
evidence that your answers are true.
Instead of just saying you are an
organized person, back up your answer
by telling how you organized a complex
school project from beginning to end.
Answering Interview Questions
6.
Although you want to elaborate on your
answers, you want to keep your answers
relatively brief. You don’t want to
monopolize the conversation. Plan to
answer each question in about 30
seconds.
Answering Interview Questions
7.
Consider the purpose of typical
questions. Prepare answers that will tell
the interviewer what they want to know,
while taking the opportunity to sell
yourself. Here are some common
questions with their purpose:
Answering Interview Questions
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“Where do you see yourself in five
years?”
The interviewer probably wants to know if
you are ambitious.
Answering Interview Questions
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“Why should I hire you?”
Here’s where the firm finds out how well
you understand its needs.
Answering Interview Questions
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“Why do you want to work here?”
This is where the employer finds out how
much you know about its organization.
Answering Interview Questions
8.
A common questions is “What is your
greatest weakness?”
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Be careful with this one. You may be
tempted to answer it with a positive
trait, disguised as a weakness. For
example: “I tend to be a perfectionist.”
Answers like this sound “canned” and
may work against you.
Answering Interview Questions
Be more original and state a true
weakness of yours and show how you
are overcoming it.
For example: “I’ve had trouble delegating
duties to others because I felt I could do
things better myself. This has sometimes
backfired because I’d end up with more
than I could handle. However, I am
studying time management and am
learning effective delegation techniques.
I feel I am overcoming this weakness.
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Answering Interview Questions
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Be sure the weakness you talk about is
NOT a key element or requirement of
the position!
Answering Interview Questions
9. If the interviewer asks why you are
lacking in a particular area, such as grades,
extracurricular activities, or work
experience; you need to stay positive.
Answering Interview Questions
In response to a question about a low
grade average, you might way something
like,
“I had not yet learned how to say no. I was
on the soccer team, the speech team, and
Student Council. There just weren’t
enough hours in the day and my grades
began to slip. But I learned my lesson and
now know how to prioritize.
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Answering Interview Questions
10.
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Take your time. If you are asked an
extra-tough question that take you by
surprise, don’t let it make you nervous.
Take a moment or two to gather your
thoughts.
When you pause before answering, you
show your poise (a dignified, selfconfident manner.)
Answering Interview Questions
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You may want to ask the interviewer to
give you a moment to think. You would
not want to do this more than once or
twice.
Pausing shows the interviewer that you
are able to think before speaking, a
positive trait that is becoming less
common.
Answering Interview Questions
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Once in a while, the best answer to a
tough question is simply, “I don’t know.”
If appropriate, most interviewers will
appreciate your honesty.
The worst mistake you can make is to
try to bluff your way through when you
really don’t know what you’re talking
about.
Answering Interview Questions
11.
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Some interview questions are
inappropriate and possibly illegal.
Interviewers should only ask questions
that show your ability to do the job.
They should not ask questions that
might give employers a reason to unfairly
discriminate against some applicants.
Answering Interview Questions
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Just asking the wrong question is not
illegal in itself. But it may open an
employer up to a lawsuit if an ohterwisequalified applicant is passed over for ajob
based on her or his answer.
Sometimes interviewers don’t realize
that they are asking improper questions.
Answering Interview Questions
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Some interviewers know and ask anyway
to see how you handle uncomfortable
situations. (This should not happen in
our class interviews.)
Some questions may seem inappropriate;
however, if they have to do with your
ability to perform the job, they are fine.
Answering Interview Questions
Acceptable examples:
◦ “Are you in good health? What do you do to
stay in shape?
◦ “Do you have any physical problems that may
limit your ability to perform this job?”
Answering Interview Questions
Some illegal questions:
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What political party are you affiliated with?
Do you go to church regularly?
Are you currently married?
What is your sexual orientation?
Do you drink?
Do you have a girlfriend/boyfriend?
Do you have a physical disability?
What is your IQ?
How much do you weigh?
Answering Interview Questions
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How to handle an inappropriate question:
◦ Pause and consider the overall situation and
try to consider the employer’s real concern.
◦ Try to answer the question in a manner that
would show your ability to meet the
requirements of the position.
◦ It is best not to make a big deal about the
question being inappropriate.
◦ The interviewer may even recognize his or
her mistake and appreciate your willingness to
put in aside and go on.
Answering Interview Questions
12.
Rehearse your answers. Practice saying
your answers out loud. It will force you
to consider your answers in advance.
However, do NOT memorize your
answers; it will be obvious and make it
sound like a canned speech.
Answering Interview Questions
13.
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Questions to ask the interviewer:
Near the end of the interview, you
should be given a chance to ask
questions.
This is NOT optional. Don’t
underestimate the importance of asking
questions.
If you don’t, the interviewer might
assume you are uninterested.
Answering Interview Questions
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Expect to be judged on the quality of
questions you ask.
Have several good questions prepared.
The answers to your prepared questions
may naturally get answered before you
have a chance to ask them.
Answering Interview Questions
On a first interview, do NOT ask
“What’s in it for me?” questions, such as:
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Questions about the pay
Questions about the days off or flexibility of
hours
Questions about the benefits
Answering Interview Questions
14.
No matter what method you use to tell
the interviewer about yourself, be sure
to make it a natural conversation, not an
interrogation, (an intimidating question
and answer session.)
Answering Interview Questions
15.
Your goal is to be well prepared so you
can:
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Relax and make your answers sound
spontaneous and natural
Sell yourself
Convince the interviewer you are the best
person for the job.
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