QUESTIONS TO YOUWe know all interview questions are tough but these are the real hard ones! Generally thesequestions aren’t asked to make your life difficult or to make you squirm they are simply asked sothat the interviewer can find out what he wants to know in the best possible way. As far as theinterviewer is concerned this isn’t a competition, you are both on the same side so there is no pointin trying to get the better of you or knock you down a peg or two. Tough questions are only toughbecause you aren’t sure how to answer them – if you were then they wouldn’t be tough would they?Whether or not the interviewers questions are intended to be tough you should always follow theserules:
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Stay calm.
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Don’t get defensive.
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Pause for a short moment before you answer if you feel better doing this.So here we go! These questions cover questions about yourself, your career, the job you’re applyingfor, your salary and a few unexpected ones thrown it for good measure!
What Motivates You?
You need to give an answer, as always, that benefits your potential employer and links into the keyresponsibilities of the job. So don’t say “£ 100,000 per year and a Bentley Turbo!” Give an answeralong the lines of “I’m happiest when I can see a project through from start to finish”, or “I get areal kick out of managing a team that is happy and knows it is successful”.
How Well Do You Take Direction?
Keep in mind the fact that your interviewer may become you’re boss should you get this job, soremember it’s their direction you will be taking. The answer here has to be that you take directionwell. You can add credibility to your answer by expanding it and adding something like “I don’t seehow a team can function effectively unless it’s members are happy to take directly from theirleader”.
How Do You Handle Criticism?
Remember you’re interviewer may be anticipating becoming your boss and will inevitably have tocriticise you from time to time. They want to know whether this task would be easy for them of whether you will make it difficult for them.So perhaps you could answer this question along the lines of “I’m always happy to be givenconstructive criticism and welcome this. It helps me learn from my mistakes and improve myperformance”.
Do You Enjoy Doing Routine Tasks?
It’s unlikely that you will be asked this question unless the job entails carrying out routine tasks,however bearing in mind that most jobs have an element of “tedious” work then this may come up.Your answer could be “Yes, I get satisfaction from all aspects of my job and enjoy carrying out all of my duties successfully”.
What Is Your Management Style?
Make sure your answer to this is relevant and don’t try and give a text book answer. You can makeyour point in a couple of sentences such as “I prefer a carrot rather than a stick approach and Ihave an open door policy. I believe you have to be firm with your team but you also have to treatthem with a fair approach”.
Are You A Good Manager?
What a silly question – of course you are, your you! Seriously the answer to this has to be “Yes”.This question follows on from the above question and if you haven’t already been asked about yourmanagement style you can add this to you’re answer. So you’re answer could be “Yes I am. I prefera carrot rather than a stick approach and I am a great believer in being firm with my team but atthe same time being fair”.
Are You A Natural Leader?
You are only likely to be asked this if the job you are applying for involves some for of managementor leadership. The answer to this must be positive and it doesn’t have to relate purely to work. Youmight be the leader of a scout group or chairman of a golf club – make sure you give an example of your leadership qualities. If you were a leader at school (such as a Prefect) and continued to leadgroups since leaving this suggests that you have truly natural leadership abilities and that peoplefollow you through choice.
How Do You Work In A Team?
This is another question you need to answer honestly, but pick a relevant way to express yourteamwork style. Give a fairly brief answer, such as “I enjoy being part of a team, and I like theflexibility that it demands. I get a real kick out of collective success”. Follow your remarks up withan example of what you mean. If teamwork is going to be an important part of the job you areapplying for you should certainly expect this question to come up so make sure you have youranswer ready.
How Do You Approach A Typical Project?
If you are applying for a project based job, such as a project manager, you will definitely be askedthis question. You don’t need to give a long winded answer but what you should do is demonstratethat you would take into account the main components of effective project planning such as:
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Plan the schedule backwards from completion/delivery date.
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Work out what you need to get the job done effectively and on time
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Budget cost, time and resources.
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Allow a contingency.
How Do You Operate Under Stress?
Again, this is a question you will only be asked if it is relevant to the job. A good full answer willserve you better on this one rather than a brief one. So tell your interviewer that you work wellunder pressure and if you really do enjoy it tell them. It’s always good to give an example of asituation that you have handled where there has been a large amount of pressure. It might beprudent to add that you operate good time management and organisational skills which help youdeal with pressurised situations and minimize stress levels.
How Creative Are You?
If you are applying for a job which has a creative role you are likely to be asked this question. Beready with your answers. Give examples of how you use any creative techniques you may havewhich will show that you take your creativity seriously.
How Do You Get The Best From People?
If you are applying for a management role it is highly likely you’ll be asked this question. The kindof skills that interviewers like to hear about are:
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Good communication
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Teamwork skills
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Recognizing each person as an individual
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Setting a sound and good example
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Praising good performances.
How Do You Resolve Conflict In Your Team?
This question really does need to be answered honestly. Find an example of conflict that you havehad in your own team and use this to demonstrate your abilities at resolving it. The kind of skillsyou need to demonstrate are as follows:
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Fairness
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Addressing problems with individuals privately
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Making sure you get to the root of the problem
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Finding a solution that the persons concerned are willing to adhere to.Assuming that its true, you would also do well to point out that “I find if a team is run fairly and theteam members are well motivated, conflict rarely arises and the team functions as a well oiledengine”.
What Would You’re Boss Say About You?
Your interviewer may well be your future boss so you need to answer this question with diplomacy.They want to know that you’re an effective worker, but they don’t want you to step on their toes. Sodescribe yourself as any boss would want to see you. For example “My boss would describe me as ahard working, conscientious, loyal and easy to motivate employee. He’d say that I workexceptionally well on my own initiative and I’m a supportive member of the team”. Don’t use theterm “I think my boss would say..” as it gives an element of doubt, be positive and certain with theanswer that you give.If you’re interviewer is likely to approach your present boss at some stage for a reference makesure that you’re answer tallies with what you’re boss is likely to say about you when yourinterviewer puts this particular answer to the test.
What Do You Dislike Most At Work?
“Nothing!” The interviewer can hire you safely knowing that you will be well motivated every minuteof the working day and every moment of your working time with your employer. So if you get askedthis question your answer will be “you can’t think of anything you dislike about work”. The onlypossible exception is if this job is very different from your last, in which case you might saysomething like “I really enjoy my work. But occasionally I get a little frustrated in a small companythat I don’t get to meet the customers I deal with as often as I’d like. That’s one of the reasons whythis job appeals to me so much”.
Why Have You Been With Your Present Employer So Long?
The answer here is to avoid the implication that you were getting stale and should have movedearlier. Any answer which contradicts this unspoken worry on the interviewer’s part is fine. Forexample, “I’ve been there for several years, but in a variety of different roles”, or “The job was
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Questions to You
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