21. I can also hire someone internally in the firm.

Why should I hire an external person

such as you?
The recruiter might not really be facing this dilemma, but wants to hear again from you why you
are fit for the job. You probably already listed your unique selling points (you can concisely
repeat these), but then you still need to beat the competition (the internal employee). Current
employees have the advantage that they know the company and the environment, but new
employees bring in fresh ideas and experience and greater variety. Focus on these value-adds
which you would bring.

22. What changes would you make in our company if I hired you?
Dangerous question! Always remember: you`re not hired yet, you don`t know the firm well
enough, nor the market it is in, so you don`t have a clear answer here either! Best is to reply that
you can`t give a clear answer for these reasons, and would need to be working in the firm for a
couple of weeks/months to make a good assessment of what can be done. Depending on what the
firm exactly is seeking, you can mention your prior experience in achieving similar goals.

23. You`re standing in an elevator with your potential future boss - how would you sell
yourself in 10 seconds?
Another sales pitch: see questions 20 and 21. Just now you have a time constraint! Practice this
beforehand - be concise and summarize your background and how this meets the company`s
demands.

24. You are allowed to ask someone in history a single question. Who would you choose and
what is your question?
This is a question in the category "unexpected questions". The recruiter would like to test how
you react to a question you didn`t expect. Don`t worry, you won`t lose the job if you don`t have
an answer, but answering something (no matter how dull it may be) is always better than having
no response whatsoever.

25. How many airplanes are there in the world?
Typical `case` question. The objective is to witness your analytical thinking: how do you
structure the case and solve the problem? The key is transparency: let the recruiter know exactly
how you intend to solve the problem, which assumptions you make, and take him through the
entire case. Remember: the recruiter is not looking at your final answer, it doesn`t matter if you
are miles away from the real answer! They look at your ability to structure problems! See the
brainteaser section for more of such questions.

26. How would you gain the confidence of a client who has over 30 years experience?
You`ll need a perfect balance between confidence and modesty here. You can`t make up for 30
years experience, so you`ll need to bring forward other traits to gain the client`s confidence.
These would include your knowledge of the sector (impress him/her with your insights which
you gained in a relatively short amount of time), your grasp of recent developments (younger
entrants tend to be more open to these), and by respecting his/her experience and trying to learn
more from it.

27. Do you prefer working alone or in a team?
Choosing either one of them is rarely the right answer, however this depends on the position you
are applying for! The ideal answer usually highlights a combination of the two, for example: "I
love the energy that comes with working with people, which is visible through both the synergy
of different perspectives and the fun that comes with it. I`m also perfectly capable of working
alone however, holding my own responsibilities. I however prefer a combination of both, and am
confident of my abilities in both as well."

28. What is the role you adopt whilst working in a team?
This is a question designed mostly to test your communication skills and personality. The
recruiter wants to hear that you highly value the efforts of every team member, and that open
communication and an equal say is the most essential in every team. You ensure this by trying to
coordinate that the entire team process is democratic, tasks are divided evenly, and that everyone
works towards the desired result. Whether you are a natural-born leader or not isn`t most relevant
here, though some recruiters would like to hear this. Important is efficient teamwork, and the
assurance that everyone is heard and contributes. You`ll need to explain that the role you adopt
assures this!

29. Tell me about a problem you faced whilst working in a team. How did you resolve the
problem?
The recruiter is keen on seeing your communication skills, as well as your ability as a mediator.
You can give an example of how a certain team member (during a university course for example)
failed to contribute. You resolved the conflict by having a personal talk with him first (not
involving the professor), and tried to see exactly what the problem was. Was the work too
difficult or were there other issues at stake? The recruiter wants to hear that you first analyzed
the problem, without jeopardizing the success of your co-student. Once you discovered the
problem, you proposed a solution to your co-student, in which you might even have offered your
assistance (i.e. if the coursework was too difficult). If the problem still wasn`t solved and your
co-student clearly had an attitude problem, you might have showed your hard side and kicked
him out of the team.

30. How good are you at solving conflicts?
Again, a test to see your ability as a mediator. You can mention examples from university, work,
family etc. The structure and output should however always be: there is a problem A which I
analyzed, the source of the problem turned out to be person B. I had a personal talk with B and
proposed several solutions. My communication with B was honest and open. In the end I steered
towards situation C which was beneficial to all of us, and most importantly solved problem A.