Interview Questions-Answers:
Your Best Preparation!
Job interview questions-answers often make you think in extremes. What did you do best? What did you like best?
Who did you most admire -- and the dreaded "least" or "worst" questions. You never want to go negative in an
interview situation, but often times, the interviewer will make you compare and contrast your best and worst experiences.
As you study our job interview questions-answers, think about how you can put a positive spin on your
worst experiences -- worst boss, worst company, worst job. How will you talk about them without getting yourself in trouble?
In this next section, you'll find a few things to watch out for. Don't get caught like a deer in the headlights...
OF THE POSITIONS YOU'VE HELD, WHICH POSITION DID YOU LIKE BEST AND WHY?
Similar to the ideal boss and ideal job question, this
question is designed to find out what you like to do best.
If your favorite position was an individual contributor role,
and you're applying for a management position, you'll
need to connect the dots for the interviewer to convince
him/her that this opportunity has many of the same
characteristics, at least on a conceptual level.
Think in broad terms as you respond to these types of job interview questions-answers.
You need to pick something that has strong parallels to
the current opportunity you're considering. If your favorite
position is totally different from this one, you might need
to question why you're pursuing this job!
HOW DO YOU STAY CURRENT WITH WHAT'S HAPPENING IN YOUR FIELD?
Don't be caught like a deer in the headlights on this one.
It's important to be on top of what's happening in your
industry and in your functional specialty. If you don't
subscribe to industry journals or belong to an industry or
professional association, think about doing so now. This is
not a question you can fudge an answer to. If you represent
that you are an avid reader of industry periodicals, you
need to be able to back this up with examples. And, don't
be surprised if the interviewer probes.
For example, what are the top three issues in your industry
today? Or, which industry expert seems to be in vogue today?
Did you see the article on...I'm sure that you get the
picture. It's great to represent that you're connected to
your industry. If you're bluffing, you run the risk of
getting caught!
WHY SHOULD WE HIRE YOU FOR THIS POSITION?
This is a classic job interview question-answer that gives
you an opportunity for you to state your case. You want
to take what you know about the parallels between your
background and the position, industry, key challenges, etc.
inherent in this new opportunity and connect the dots for
the interviewer. To the extent you can link previous success
in a similar role, you'll build a strong argument for why you
should be hired. Resist the temptation to be flip here...a
contrite "because I'm the best man/woman for the job" is
not what the interviewer is looking for.
It's fine to state that you believe your background is a great
match for what the company needs -- but you'll need to
back it up with some quick examples that illustrate how
your skills fit.
