How to Answer the Most Terrifying Job Interview Questions - CareerAlley

How to Answer the Most Terrifying Job Interview Questions - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. When youre going to a job interview there are a number of interview questions you can naturally expect. What are your strengths? is simply a chance to recite the best parts of your resume. Why do you want this job? is just a way of checking youve actually read the job description. With these questions you just need to project a confident, relaxed exterior, maintain eye contact and remember to keep your answers specific. Of course, in amongst those questions, there is the occasional blindside or questions that, even if youre expecting them, youre also secretly dreading. These questions arent included just to terrify you, however, and there are ways to answer them without being reduced to a gibbering wreck. Here are a few of the more intimidating interview questions and answers that will help you through them. Suggested Reading: Job Interview Questions What are your salary requirements? This seems like a pretty innocuous question, but it does put you in an awkward position. You dont want to price yourself out of the market, but you dont want to sell yourself too cheap either. Here, ideally, you want to let your interview show their hand. The best way forward is to simply tell the interviewer what you are earning right now, or in your last job, while explaining that youre less focused on salary than finding a job where you can directly impact your employers bottom line. Ideally, you dont want to discuss salary any more than that until you get to the offer stage, when youll be in a better position to negotiate. 6 Job Search Resources to Focus Your Job Hunt Salaries I notice theres quite a gap in your CV. Could you tell me about what you were doing during that period? The job market has been tough for a while now, and plenty of us have had to spend at least a couple of months between jobs at some point. Having this come up at interview can really knock you for six. Its tempting to become defensive at a time like, but resist that urge. Its fine to acknowledge that its been tough finding a job- anybody whos seen the news in the last three years will know that is true. The trick is to be able to say what youve been doing while looking for a job. If youve done any voluntary work while unemployed, now is a great time to bring it up. Likewise, if youve been learned or improving any skills, whether theyre related to the job youre applying for or not. So long as you can demonstrate that you have been using your time, rather than spending it on the sofa watching daytime TV in your pyjamas, you can turn this question into a plus for you. Significance of honesty and originality in the globe of resumes Why did you leave your last employer? The golden rule here is never slag off your previous employer. It can be tempting- Lord knows it can be tempting, but the interviewer is going to hear every bad word about your last boss as future-you talking about them. If youre unemployed, it should be enough to say that your employer was making cuts to the workforce due the economic situation. If youre in a job that youre looking to leave, its enough to say that youre looking for new challenges. 30 Common Interview Questions You Need to Ace Arent you overqualified for this position? This can be a particularly tricky question at a time when graduate jobs are thin on the ground and many applicants are just looking to get whatever form of income they can. An interviewer looking at your CV may be concerned that youre only taking this job until a better opportunity comes along (possibly because its true). What you need to do here is come up with specific, convincing sounding reasons why you want to work for this company, and give the impression that you will be there for the long haul and open to promotions. What would you say is your biggest weakness? This question always feels just a little bit like cheating, doesnt it? Surely they cant just up and ask why they shouldnt give you the job? Unfortunately, yeah they are. When it comes to the your biggest weakness question, there are two popular schools of thought. The first is the false-weakness, or bragplaining. This would be, for instance: Im just too much of a perfectionist or Often people say I work far too hard. Be warned, your interviewer will see right through this with no trouble whatsoever. The other school of thought is to pick a genuine, carefully judged weakness somewhere in the middle ground between My professionalism is just too exemplary and I often forget to come to work on account of how much I drink. A good one might be I have trouble being assertive in group situations (assuming of course, that being assertive in group situations isnt at the top of your job description). However, at the same time you tell the interviewer this weakness, also tell them what you are doing to overcome that weakness- for instance, taking part in more group activities to overcome your shyness. This approach will have you come across as honest, while at the same time showing that youre dedicated to self improvement. Even for the very hardest interview questions, its not too hard to figure out which ones are going to come up in interview ahead of time. So long as you practice your answers with a friend, and research the employer thoroughly in advance, you should be confident enough to take n the interview with ease. Book Corner [easyazon_link asin=159863853X locale=US new_window=default nofollow=default tag=caree07-20 add_to_cart=default cloaking=default localization=default popups=default]101 Great Answers to the Toughest Interview Questions[/easyazon_link] Career Tip of the Day:9 Reasons Why I Wont Hire You We are always eager to hear from our readers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions regarding CareerAlley content. Good luck in your search,Joey Google+ what where job title, keywords or company city, state or zip jobs by What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Find out how to nail the interview and get hired. Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy + Disclosure home popular resources subscribe search