Tough Interview Questions and How to Answer Them

Finding your dream job can be long, difficult and at times even frustrating. After spending hours perfecting your resume, researching relevant positions and filling out numerous job applications it is time to prepare for the final step, your interview.

Like other steps in the job search process preparing for an interview requires thorough research of the position offered, the organization and the skills desired in a successful candidate. Initiating an effective and specific research prior to attending the interview is a key factor to landing the job. During the interview it is expected of a good candidate to show dedication to work ethics and strong will to learn.  

The general guidelines of providing an effective answer for a job interview questions are the same for both difficult and simple ones. An answer should be:

·   Direct – Answer all aspects of the question discussed while providing a significant amount of detail.

·   Concise – The answer should be clearly stated, brief and comprehensive at the same time.

·   Goal Oriented – Every detail provided is meant to present a skill that is relevant to the job description

·   Examples – Including examples in the majority of answers is crucial to making an interesting interview. It also provides the potential employer with a better image of your work experience and skill set.

Top 5 Common Tough Interview Questions:

1.      Tell me about yourself?
It is perhaps the most commonly used opening question during interviews. When answering this question it is important to understand the purpose of this question from the employer’s perspective. The interviewer is not looking to hear a detailed life story but rather a brief summary of education and professional job experience. The length of such answer should not exceed a minute or two. Thus, every piece of information mentioned must be relevant as a qualification for the position offered.

2.      Why Should I Hire You?
To answer this question you should sell yourself in the most positive way while remaining honest and modest. The first part of the answer will discuss the professional and educational qualifications you have and reasonably tying them to the job description. As mentioned earlier most jobs are looking for hard working and quick learner employees. When answering this question it is a good idea to provide plenty of examples from past experience demonstrating your skills and how you dealt with work related projects. Answering this question successfully is likely to convince the interviewer how well you will deal with future challenges. Another way is to learn about a new challenge the organization is facing and provide an example showcasing how you successfully tackled a similar situation in the past.  

3.      Tell me about a time you failed?

The interviewer is looking to learn more about your personality and how it will affect future job related projects. The purpose of this question is to evaluate your attitude towards challenges, failures and criticism. A good answer will involve three steps:

·   discussing an honest example of a time when you experienced difficulty completing your job in a professional setting.

·   Show that you took responsibility, accepted the criticism, drew conclusions and learned from the experience.

·   Explain how you prevented similar mistakes from reoccurring.

4.      Why is There a Gap in Your Work History?
Employers ask this question to try and understand if you made sure to remain productive throughout your professional career. Answer this question simply by explaining why this gap is there in a positive light. An example would be taking the time to focus your time and effort in college to develop your education to enjoy better career related growth opportunities in the future.

5.      Are You a Leader or a Follower?

The interviewer is interested to know if you can take on projects and lead groups of people to achieve a common goal. However, at the same time they are looking for a candidate that will be receptive to orders and be willing to function as part of a larger group. Once again you are expected to answer this question by providing an examples performing under both circumstances.

Finally, in many aspects the most effective method to ace your interview is by practice. For more information and an individual feedback, you may pass by C-102 (The Career Development and Experiential Learning Office) and schedule an interview.

                                                                                                                               ~Yosef Bagdadi