Congratulations! Looks like you’ve got yourself an interview and now need to prepare for it. The good part about landing an interview is that your resume was interesting and apt enough for an interview call, so you know you’ve got what they want. Now comes the tricky part, actually getting through the process without losing that advantage your CV gave you.
At HiCounselor, we like to make sure people have that edge that makes them rise above the competition. That’s why we’ve created this article on how to deal with tough interview questions. If you’d like more help in preparing for interviews or looking for a job, contact us to find out how we can help boost your career!
Now, only a complete novice is actually going to lay bare their deepest psychological wound and its effect on their life. Most interviewers ask this question to get a sense of how the candidate views themselves. The best way to answer this question is to mention something that can be seen as both a weakness and a strength. For example, “I’m a workaholic” is a bad brag during a date but a great answer for this tough interview question.
If an interviewer asks this tricky question, they really want to know what drawbacks they can expect from you. In this situation it’s best to mention something that’s a real weakness but something that can and is being worked upon. For example, you can say you used to have trouble asking for help when needed but you’ve been working on it. Try to mention a few incidents where you worked in a group setting and asked for help.
This is one of those vague questions that can throw us for a loop. All of a sudden, your brain starts recalling everything from frightening childhood incidents to school fights to bad dates. However, the best part about this tough interview question is that it’s completely open-ended. You can mention various traits that best suit the job, or mention skills and goals that are compatible with the position for which you’re interviewing.
If you’re new to the job market, the interviewer doesn’t have much to go on apart from your academic qualifications. They might try to read closer into your project work and internships to see how you’d fit in a workplace. You can answer this tough interview question in a few ways. However, try not to stray too far from the truth when you answer.
You can explain that the company was fully staffed, and you knew there wasn’t a full-time position on the table but you wanted the hands-on experience. If the company recently downsized, you can mention that as a reason. You can also mention that you were given the opportunity to work full-time but wanted to work in a more dynamic culture where you could learn/grow more.
This interview question isn’t as tricky as it may seem at first. Of course, it’ll be much easier to answer if you’ve done some research about the company and the position for which you’re interviewing. Just mentally scan through all the skills and qualifications that make you a suitable candidate and list those out. If you can, give a short example of how you’ve utilized that skill or knowledge set in the past in a way that’s relevant to the current situation.
When an interviewer asks you this tough interview question, they’re trying to find out if you can handle a sticky situation appropriately. They’re less interested in the details of the situation so there’s no need to give a long list of what ticked you off. Instead, focus on how you resolved the conflict. You can tell them about talking it out with the other person, trying to find a win-win solution, learning to work with differences, etc.
Any time an interviewer asks you to give an example, it’s good to narrate a scenario where you actually acted and got positive results. This is only a tough interview question if you’re unprepared. You should have some incidents in mind for just such questions before the interview even begins. Sometimes we can feel put on the spot when asked to give an example even when we’ve got plenty of accomplishments so it’s wise to prep for these tricky questions.
This is where you can mention your career plan and both you and the interviewer can see whether this job is the right fit. If you’re unsure about your career plans, you can mention goals that are in keeping with the role and the growth you can expect at the company. If you’d like to create a career development plan, you can check out our article on that here. Avoid mentioning goals that clash with the company or job role because that can make you look like a short-term employee.
We hope this list has given you a clearer idea of how to handle tricky interview questions! Of course, there are many other questions that can be hard to answer, not all of which can be listed here. If you’d like more personalized help in tackling interviews, contact HiCounselor and let one of our experts guide you.
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