Interview Tips

These top interview tips will help you cover everything you need to know to successfully ace a
job interview. From checking out the company to sending an interview thank you note, these job
interview tips cover all the basics needed for interviewing success.
No two situations are ever exactly the same, but as a general guide, these are the types of
questions that could come up in a typical interview.
1. Why don’t you tell me about yourself?
This question, often the interview opener, has a crucial objective: to see how you
handle yourself in unstructured situations. The recruiter wants to see how articulate
you are, how confident you are, and generally what type of impression you would
make on the people with whom you come into contact on the job. The recruiter also
wants to learn about the trajectory of your career and to get a sense of what you
think is important and what has caused you to perform well.
Most candidate's find this question a difficult one to answer. However, the upside is
that this question offers an opportunity to describe yourself positively and focus the
interview on your strengths. Be prepared to deal with it.
There are many ways to respond to this question correctly and just one wrong way:
by asking, “What do you want to know?” You need to develop a good answer to this
question, practice it, and be able to deliver it with poise and confidence.
The right response is twofold: focus on what interests the interviewer, and highlight your most
important accomplishments.
Focus on what interests the interviewer
Do not dwell on your personal history--that is not why you are there. Start with your
most recent employment and explain why you are well qualified for the position. The
key to all successful interviewing is to match your qualifications to what the
interviewer is looking for. You want to be selling what the buyer is buying.
Highlight Important Accomplishments
Have a story ready that illustrates your best professional qualities. For example, if you tell an
interviewer that people describe you as creative, provide a brief story that shows how you have
been creative in achieving your goals.
Stories are powerful and are what people remember most.
A good interviewee will memorize a 60-second commercial that clearly demonstrates why he or
she is the best person for the job.
2. How long have you been with your current (or former) employer?
This is a hot-button question if your résumé reflects considerable job-hopping.
Excellent performers tend to stay in their jobs at least three to five years. They
implement course corrections, bring in new resources, and, in general, learn how to
survive--that’s why they are valued by prospective employers.
If your résumé reflects jobs with companies that were acquired, moved, closed, or
downsized, it is still viewed as a job-hopper’s history. Volunteer and go to events
where hiring authorities may

be found. Ratchet up your networking to include anything that exposes you to hiring authorities
who can get past your tenure issue because now they know you. Your networking efforts have
never been so important.
3. What is your greatest weakness?
An impressive and confident response shows that the candidate has prepared for the
question, has done serious self-reflection, and can admit responsibility and accept
constructive criticism. Sincerely give an honest answer (but not a long one), be
confident in the fact that this weakness does not make you any less of a great
candidate, and show that you are working on this weakness and tell the recruiter
how.
4. Tell me about a situation where you did not get along with a superior
The wrong answer to this hot-button question is, “I’ve been very fortunate and have never
worked for someone I didn’t get along with.”
Everyone has had situations where he or she disagreed with a boss, and saying that you haven’t
forces the recruiter to question your integrity. Also, it can send out a signal that the candidate is
not seasoned enough or hasn’t been in situations that require him or her to develop a tough skin
or deal with confrontation.
It’s natural for people to have differing opinions. When this has occurred in the past, you could
explain that you presented your reasons and openly listened to other opinions as well.
5. Describe a situation where you were part of a failed project
If you can’t discuss a failure or mistake, the recruiter might conclude that you don’t possess the
depth of experience necessary to do the job. The recruiter is not looking for perfection. He or
she is trying better to understand your level of responsibility, your decision-making process, and
your ability to recover from a mistake, as well as what you learned from the experience and if
you can take responsibility for your mistakes.
Respond that you’d like to think that you have learned something valuable from
every mistake you have made. Then have a brief story ready with a specific
illustration.
5. Describe a situation where you were part of a failed project
If you can’t discuss a failure or mistake, the recruiter might conclude that you don’t possess the
depth of experience necessary to do the job. The recruiter is not looking for perfection. He or
she is trying better to understand your level of responsibility, your decision-making process, and
your ability to recover from a mistake, as well as what you learned from the experience and if
you can take responsibility for your mistakes.
6. What are your strengths?
Describe two or three skills you have that are relevant to the job. Avoid clichés or
generalities; offer specific evidence. Describe new ways these skills could be put to
use in the position you are being considered for.
7. How do you explain your job success?
Be candid without sounding arrogant. Mention observations other people have made about
your work strengths or talents.

8. What do you do when you are not working?

The more senior the position, the more important it is to know about the candidate’s qualities
that will impact his or her leadership style: is the person well-adjusted and happy, or is he or she
a company zealot?
I Discuss hobbies or pursuits that interest you, such as sports, clubs, cultural activities, and
favorite things to read.
Avoid dwelling on any political or religious activities that may create conflict with
those of the interviewer.
9. Why did you leave your last position?
At high levels, issues that relate to personality and temperament become more
important than they might otherwise. The recruiter wants to know if you will fit in
with the client company. The recruiter may also be fishing for signs of conflict that
indicate a potential personality problem.
Be honest and straightforward, but do not dwell on any conflict that may have
occurred. Highlight positive developments that resulted from your departure,
whether it was that you accepted a more challenging position or learned an
important lesson that helped you to be happier in your next job.