How to Answer Difficult Interview Questions

Difficult interview questions are difficult not necessarily because you might give unfavorable answers, but because it’s sometimes hard to figure out exactly what an employer wants to hear. There are two keys to answering interview questions successfully—preparation and positivity.

Preparation

The first step is assembling a list of common interview questions that are likely to come up during interviews. There’s an extensive list of common questions, including the following:

• Tell me about yourself
• What do you know about our company?
• Why do you want to work for us?
• Why should we hire you?
• Why did you leave your last job?
• Where do you see yourself in ten years?
• What’s your biggest professional weakness?
• How do you handle conflict with managers or employees?
• Describe a professional problem you have had, and how you solved it
• Why have you changed jobs so frequently?
• It’s been a long time since you were last employed—why is that?
• You seem to be overqualified—why do you want this job?

With a list of questions in hand, you can then start to prepare and rehearse your answers. During an interview, you’re not being tested only on what you say—how you say it is also important. Rehearsing your answers with a friend or in front of the mirror are both effective, and will help you answer these questions confidently during a real interview.

Positivity

Answering questions positively often requires some creative thinking. It’s hard to answer “Why did you leave your last job?” in a positive fashion if you were fired for misconduct, for example.

In most situations, however, you can reframe a seemingly negative answer in a way that will shine a more favorable light on you. You might, for example, answer the previous question by saying “In my last position, I was fired because I had not followed company policy in some matters. I did not knowingly make this mistake—in this situation the problem was caused by my inexperience. I am much wiser now, and I understand that one of my duties in performing any job is to do so according to company policy”.

Another aspect of being positive is answering questions in a way that demonstrates how you can benefit your employer. For example, when faced with the question “Why do you want this job?”, it’s best to answer in terms of the skills you can bring to the company rather than how the job will benefit you personally.

Still Stuck?  Try using the "The Job Interview Secret". 

Also, please review our Free Interview Tips section.  If you need more help, please consider using a Career Counselor.