Let's face it; no one likes the interview process.

Well, certainly not the people being interviewed anyway.

You have to be on your best behavior, you only get one chance to get it right, and it's like taking your
driving test all over again. Over the years I've been to countless interviews. o get !y first "ob out of
college I attended so!e #$%&' interviews a week. Whether it was in (ritain or over here in the )tates, the
*uestions never really see!ed to change fro! "ob to "ob. +ot only are that, but the answers to the!
usually the sa!e, with your own personal interpretation of course. ,ere I present &- *uestions you're
likely to be asked, and how I have learned to answer the!. Why &-. (ecause I had !ore than &' and less
than &$. /e!e!ber, being interviewed is a skill, and if you do the preparation you should ace it every
ti!e. 0)ee also1 $ ips to 2cing an Interview3
1. So, tell me a little about yourself.
I'd be very surprised if you haven't been asked this one at every interview. It's probably the !ost asked
*uestion because it sets the stage for the interview and it gets you talking. (e careful not to give the
interviewer your life story here. You don't need to e4plain everything fro! birth to present day. /elevant
facts about education, your career and your current life situation are fine.
2. Why are you looking (or why did you leave you last job)?
his should be a straightforward *uestion to answer, but it can trip you up. 5resu!ably you are looking
for a new "ob 0or any "ob3 because you want to advance your career and get a position that allows you to
grow as a person and an e!ployee. It's not a good idea to !ention !oney here; it can !ake you sound
!ercenary. 2nd if you are in the unfortunate situation of having been downsi6ed, stay positive and be as
brief as possible about it. If you were fired, you'll need a good e4planation. (ut once again, stay positive.
. !ell me what you know about this "om#any.
7o your ho!ework before you go to any interview. Whether it's being the 85 of !arketing or the
!ailroo! clerk, you should know about the co!pany or business you're going to work for. ,as this
co!pany been in the news lately. Who are the people in the co!pany you should know about. 7oes the
background work, it will !ake you stand out as so!eone who co!es prepared, and is genuinely interested
in the co!pany and the "ob.
$. Why do you want to work at % &om#any?
his should be directly related to the last *uestion. 2ny research you've done on the co!pany should have
led you to the conclusion that you'd want to work there. 2fter all, you're at the interview, right. 5ut so!e
thought into this answer before you have your interview, !ention your career goals and highlight forward%
thinking goals and career plans.
'. What relevant e(#erien"e do you have?
,opefully if you're applying for this position you have bags of related e4perience, and if that's the case
you should !ention it all. (ut if you're switching careers or trying so!ething a little different, your
e4perience !ay initially not look like it's !atching up. hat's when you need a little honest creativity to
!atch the e4periences re*uired with the ones you have. 5eople skills are people skills after all, you "ust
need to show how custo!er service skills can apply to internal !anage!ent positions, and so on.
). *f your #revious "o+workers were here, what would they say about you?
Ok, this is not the ti!e for full disclosure. If so!e people fro! your past are going to say you're a boring
2%hole, you don't need to bring that up. )tay positive, always, and !aybe have a few specific *uotes in
!ind. 9hey'd say I was a hard worker9 or even better 9:ohn 7oe has always said I was the !ost reliable,
creative proble!%solver he'd ever !et.9
,. -ave you done anything to further your e(#erien"e?
his could include anything fro! night classes to hobbies and sports. If it's related, it's worth !entioning.
Obviously anything to do with further education is great, but !aybe you're spending ti!e on a ho!e
i!prove!ent pro"ect to work on skills such as self%sufficiency, ti!e !anage!ent and !otivation.
.. Where else have you a##lied?
his is a good way to hint that you're in de!and, without sounding like you're whoring yourself all over
town. )o, be honest and !ention a few other co!panies but don't go into detail. he fact that you're
seriously looking and keeping your options open is what the interviewer is driving at.
/. -ow are you when you0re working under #ressure?
Once again, there are a few ways to answer this but they should all be positive. You !ay work well under
pressure, you !ay thrive under pressure, and you !ay actually 5/;<;/ working under pressure. If you
say you cru!ble like aged blue cheese, this is not going to help you get your foot in the door.
11. What motivates you to do a good job?
he answer to this one is not !oney, even if it is. You should be !otivated by life's noble pursuits. You
want recognition for a "ob well done. You want to beco!e better at your "ob. You want to help others or
be a leader in your field.
11. What0s your greatest strength?
his is your chance to shine. You're being asked to e4plain why you are a great e!ployee, so don't hold
back and stay do stay positive. You could be so!eone who thrives under pressure, a great !otivator, an
a!a6ing proble! solver or so!eone with e4traordinary attention to detail. If your greatest strength,
however, is to drink anyone under the table or get a top score on =ario >art, keep it to yourself. he
interviewer is looking for work%related strengths.
12. What0s your biggest weakness?
If you're co!pletely honest, you !ay be kicking yourself in the butt. If you say you don't have one, you're
obviously lying. his is a horrible *uestion and one that politicians have beco!e !asters at answering.
hey say things like 9I'! perhaps too co!!itted to !y work and don't spend enough ti!e with !y
fa!ily.9 Oh, there's a fireable offense. I've even heard 9I think I'! too good at !y "ob, it can often !ake
people "ealous.9 5lease, let's keep our feet on the ground. If you're asked this *uestion, give a s!all, work%
related flaw that you're working hard to i!prove. ;4a!ple1 9I've been told I occasionally focus on details
and !iss the bigger picture, so I've been spending ti!e laying out the co!plete pro"ect every day to see
!y overall progress.9
1. 2et0s talk about salary. What are you looking for?
/un for cover? his is one tricky ga!e to play in an interview. ;ven if you know the salary range for the
"ob, if you answer first you're already showing all your cards. You want as !uch as possible, the e!ployer
wants you for as little as you're willing to take. (efore you apply, take a look at salary.co! for a good idea
of what so!eone with your specific e4perience should be paid. You !ay want to say, 9well, that's
so!ething I've thought long and hard about and I think so!eone with !y e4perience should get between
@ A Y.9 Or, you could be sly and say, 9right now, I'! !ore interested in talking !ore about what the
position can offer !y career.9 hat could at least buy you a little ti!e to scope out the situation. (ut if you
do have a specific figure in !ind and you are confident that you can get it, I'd say go for it. I have on
!any occasions, and every ti!e I got very close to that figure 0both below and so!eti!es above3.
1$. 3re you good at working in a team?
Bnless you have the I.C. of a houseplant, you'll always answer Y;) to this one. It's the only answer. ,ow
can anyone function inside an organi6ation if they are a loner. You !ay want to !ention what part you
like to play in a tea! though; it's a great chance to e4plain that you're a natural leader.
1'. !ell me a suggestion you have made that was im#lemented.
It's i!portant here to focus on the word 9i!ple!ented.9 here's nothing wrong with having a thousand
great ideas, but if the only place they live is on your notepad what's the point. (etter still, you need a good
ending. If your previous co!pany took your advice and ended up going bankrupt, that's not such a great
e4a!ple either. (e prepared with a story about an idea of yours that was taken fro! idea to
i!ple!entation, and considered successful.
1). -as anything ever irritated you about #eo#le you0ve worked with?
Of course, you have a list as long as your ar!. (ut you can't say that, it shows you as being negative and
difficult to work with. he best way to answer this one is to think for a while and then say so!ething like
9I've always got on "ust fine with !y co%workers actually.9
1,. *s there anyone you just "ould not work with?
+o. Well, unless you're talking about !urderers, racists, rapists, thieves or other dastardly characters, you
can work with anyone. Otherwise you could be flagged as so!eone who's picky and difficult if you say, 9I
can't work with anyone who's a (ronco's fan. )orry.9
1.. !ell me about any issues you0ve had with a #revious boss.
2rrgh? If you fall for this one you shouldn't be hired anyway. he interviewer is testing you to see if you'll
speak badly about your previous supervisor. )i!ply answer this *uestion with e4tre!e tact, diplo!acy
and if necessary, a big fat loss of !e!ory. In short, you've never had any issues.
1/. Would you rather work for money or job satisfa"tion?
It's not a very fair *uestion is it. We'd all love to get paid a ru!p%like salary doing a "ob we love but
that's rare indeed. It's fine to say !oney is i!portant, but re!e!ber that +O,I+D is !ore i!portant to
you than the "ob. Otherwise, you're "ust so!eone looking for a bigger paycheck.
21. Would you rather be liked or feared?
I have been asked this a lot, in various incarnations. he first ti!e I "ust drew a blank and said, 9I don't
know.9 hat went over badly, but it was right at the start of !y career when I had little to no e4perience.
)ince then I've reali6ed that !y genuine answer is 9+either, I'd rather be respected.9 You don't want to be
feared because fear is no way to !otivate a tea!. You !ay got the "ob done but at what cost. )i!ilarly, if
you're everyone's best friend you'll find it difficult to !ake tough decisions or hit deadlines. (ut when
you're respected, you don't have to be a co!plete bastard or a la!e duck to get the "ob done.
21. 3re you willing to #ut the interests of % &om#any ahead of your own?
2gain, another nasty *uestion. If you say yes, you're a corporate whore who doesn't care about fa!ily. If
you say no you're disloyal to the co!pany. I'! afraid that you'll probably have to say yes to this one
though, because you're trying to be the perfect e!ployee at this point, and perfect e!ployees don't cut out
early for :i!!y's baseball ga!e.
22. So, e(#lain why * should hire you.
2s I'! sure you know, 9because I'! great9 or 9I really need a "ob9 are not good answers here. his is a
ti!e to give the e!ployer a laundry list of your greatest talents that "ust so happen to !atch the "ob
description. It's also good to avoid taking potshots at other potential candidates here. <ocus on yourself
and your talents, not other people's flaws.
2. 4inally, do you have any 5uestions to ask me?
I'll finish the way I started, with one of the !ost co!!on *uestions asked in interviews. his directly
relates to the research you've done on the co!pany and also gives you a chance to show how eager and
prepared you are. You'll probably want to ask about benefits if they haven't been covered already. 2 good
generic one is 9how soon could I start, if I were offered the "ob of course.9 You !ay also ask what you'd
be working on. )pecifically, in the role you're applying for and how that affects the rest of the co!pany.
2lways have *uestions ready, greeting this one with a blank stare is a rotten way to finish your interview.
Dood luck and happy "ob hunting.