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