Ten Tough Interview Questions and Ten Great Answers

The following are some of the most difficult questions you will face in the course of your job interviews. Some questions may seem rather simple on the surface--such as "Tell me about yourself"--but these questions can have a variety of answers. The more open-ended the question, the wider the variation in the answers. Once you have become practiced in your interviewing s ills, you will find that you can use almost any question as a launching pad for a particular topic or compelling story. 1. Tell me about yourself. !y bac ground to date has been centered around preparing myself to become the very best """"" # can become. $et me tell you specifically how #%ve prepared myself . . . 2. Why should I hire you? &ecause # sincerely believe that #%m the best person for the job. # reali'e that there are many other college students who have the ability to do this job. # also have that ability. &ut # also bring an additional quality that ma es me the very best person for the job--my attitude for e(cellence. )ot just giving lip service to e(cellence, but putting every part of myself into achieving it. #n """"" and """"" # have consistently reached for becoming the very best # can become by doing the following ... 3. What is your long range ob!e"tive? Where do you want to be 1# or 1$ years from now? *lthough it%s certainly difficult to predict things far into the future, # now what direction # want to develop toward. +ithin five years, # would li e to become the very best """"" your company has. #n fact, my personal career mission statement is to become a world-class """"" in the """"" industry. # will wor toward becoming the e(pert that others rely upon. *nd in doing so, # feel # will be fully prepared to ta e on any greater responsibilities that might be presented in the long term. %. &ow has your edu"ation 're'ared you for your "areer? *s you will note on my r,sum,, #%ve ta en not only the required core classes in the """"" field, #%ve also gone above and beyond. #%ve ta en every class the college has to offer in the field and also completed an independent study project specifically in this area. &ut it%s not just ta ing the classes to gain academic nowledge--#%ve ta en each class, both inside and outside of my major, with this profession in mind. So when we%re studying """"" in """"", #%ve viewed it from the perspective of """"". #n addition, #%ve always tried to eep a practical view of how the information would apply to my job. )ot just theory, but how it would actually apply. !y capstone course project in my final semester involved developing a real-world model of """"", which is very similar to what might be used within your company. $et me tell you more about it . . . $. Are you a team 'layer? -ery much so. #n fact, #%ve had opportunities in both athletics and academics to develop my s ills as a team player. # was involved in """"" at the intramural level, including leading my team in assists during the past year--# always try to help others achieve their best. #n academics, #%ve wor ed on several team projects, serving as both a member and team leader. #%ve seen the value of wor ing together as a team

to achieve a greater goal than any one of us could have achieved individually. *s an e(ample . . . (. &ave you ever had a "onfli"t with a boss or 'rofessor? &ow was it resolved? .es, # have had conflicts in the past. )ever major ones, but certainly there have been situations where there was a disagreement that needed to be resolved. #%ve found that when conflict occurs, it%s because of a failure to see both sides of the situation. Therefore, # as the other person to give me their perspective and at the same time as that they allow me to fully e(plain my perspective. *t that point, # would wor with the person to find out if a compromise could be reached. #f not, # would submit to their decision because they are my superior. #n the end, you have to be willing to submit yourself to the directives of your superior, whether you%re in full agreement or not. *n e(ample of this was when . . . ). What is your greatest wea*ness? # would say my greatest wea ness has been my lac of proper planning in the past. # would overcommit myself with too many variant tas s, then not be able to fully accomplish each as # would li e. /owever, since #%ve come to recogni'e that wea ness, #%ve ta en steps to correct it. 0or e(ample, # now carry a planning calendar in my poc et so that # can plan all of my appointments and "to do" items. /ere, let me show you how # have this wee planned out . . . +. If I were to as* your 'rofessors to des"ribe you, what would they say? # believe they would say #%m a very energetic person, that # put my mind to the tas at hand and see to it that it%s accomplished. They would say that if they ever had something that needed to be done, # was the person who they could always depend on to see that it was accomplished. They would say that # always too a een interest in the subjects # was studying and always sought ways to apply the nowledge in real world settings. *m # just guessing that they would say these things1 )o, in fact, #%m quite certain they would say those things because # have with me several letters of recommendation from my professors and those are their very words. $et me show you . . . -. What .ualities do you feel a su""essful manager should have? The ey quality should be leadership--the ability to be the visionary for the people who are wor ing under them. The person who can set the course and direction for subordinates. * manager should also be a positive role model for others to follow. The highest calling of a true leader is inspiring others to reach the highest of their abilities. #%d li e to tell you about a person who # consider to be a true leader . . . 1#. If you had to live your life over again, what would you "hange? That%s a good question. # reali'e that it can be very easy to continually loo bac and wish that things had been different in the past. &ut # also reali'e that things in the past cannot be changed, that only things in the future can be changed. That%s why # continually strive to improve myself each and every day and that%s why #%m wor ing hard to continually increase my nowledge in the """"" field. That%s also the reason why # want to become the very best """"" your company has ever had. To ma e positive change. *nd all of that is still in the future. So in answer to your question, there isn%t anything in my past that # would change. # loo only to the future to ma e changes in my life. Im'ortant/

2o not reproduce the answers verbatim. 2o not repeat the same answer in each and every company, as this might put you in a tight situation. 3esearch the company well before attending the interview. #f possible, try to now the area in which you are e(pected to wor and model your answers accordingly. 4ive a small pause before you start answering a question and also in between your answers. This conveys a fact to the interviewers that you are thin ing before answering, and not just blurting out the mugged up answers.

#f this wor of mine has really helped you in any way or if you thin this is a very useful reference tool, please send me an e-mail. # will be loo ing forward for all those gratitude mails. &.5. 6/553S77777777