Tricky questions from the interviewer for you
Congratulations for having an interview invitation. But wait! An interview is just a ticket for you entering a door, it isn’t enough to guarantee a job. This is the real testing begins. During the interviews, there are ton of tricky questions awaiting you to test your quick thinking and on the spot personal analysis. The below are the common tricky questions to give you a pre-interview head start.
Tell me about yourself
The reason for asking this question. The interviewer wants to know how the candidates see themselves as it pertains to the positions and how confidently they can communicate their skills. They want to hear that is the candidate did their homework.
The tricky part of this question is it can tempt you to talk about your personal life, which you shouldn’t!
The best answer for this question shall be conveying your value to the organization and department. You should talk about your exposure, your achievements.
Can you name me three of your strengths and weaknesses?
Each job has its unique requirements, the interviewer wanted to hear your strengths should be skills that can be supported through experience. For example, if you list communication as a strength, you may want to recall a situation in which you used communication to reach a goal or resolve a problem.
Your weaknesses can include a hard skill set out in the job description, provided that you emphasize your desire to acquire this skill through a course or program. Similarly, listing a soft skill you lack should be supported with a plan to learn or improve this skill.
Why do you want to leave your current job?
Interviewer will want to know your reasons for leaving your current job – especially if you’ve been at the company for less than a year. They’ll want to make sure that you left for good reasons, and that you aren’t a ‘job hopper’ who’s likely to leave their company in a matter of months. They try to determine whether you have had issues working with others leading to termination, if you bored quickly in a job, or other red flags.
When discussing the reasons why you left a job or want to leave a current job, the most important thing to remember is to be positive about the role. No employer wants to hear you badmouthing another employer (it’s quite telling of your personality!) so try to be as tactful in your response as possible. Try to avoid particularly personal reasons for leaving a job and keep your answer professional.
What kind of boss and coworkers have you had the most and least success with, and why?
Interviewer is trying to ascertain if you generally have conflicts with people and / or personality types. This question may lead you inadvertently describe some of the attributes of your prospective employer. Thus, it is always best to start out with the positive and downplay the negatives. This is an opportunity to speak generally about traits that you admire in others yet appear flexible enough to work with a variety of personality types.
Why were you laid off?
Anyone who’s been laid off can tell you that it’s difficult enough to tell friends and family without having to recount the story over and over again in interviews. Unfortunately, potential employers are going to want to know why you find yourself unemployed. Instead of putting your personal emotion about layoff, there are ways to answer these particular questions in ways that highlight your strengths and make the most of a typically unfavorable situation. You provide a level headed answer that is focused on a business decision by the company to conduct the layoff. Be sure to not cast blame or any discontent. Stay on track with the facts as you know them.
Tell me a time you disagreed with a company policy
The reason of the interviewer asks this question is to determine your decision -making ability, ease of working with others, and most importantly, whether the candidate will speak up after identifying an area in need of improvement. It is tough if you say you never disagreed with company policy, the answer sends a message that you may just accept anything that you are told to do without think thru all possible outcomes. Company want leader and employees to follow the rules, but they also want people who are going to review potential outdated policies and have the courage to push back and propose changes to maintain competitive edge and productive workplace. In this situation, you may talk about a time when you opposed a policy for a logical and business reason. Focus on how you rework the policy was beneficial to the company as a whole. Elaborate on research that you conducted, the facts you presented, and the outcome after the policy rewritten.
Tell me how you turned around a difficult situation
From this question, the interviewer not only would like to know how you handle stressful situations, but also how you think through problems, how you define “difficult”, and what courses of action take when faced with any form of adversity. Be sure you are prepared with few examples you have successfully resolve significant professional challenges that show you are a good problem solver where you can think clearly, remain professional when under the pressure.
While some interview questions are common and expected, others may surprise you. It is important to prepare as much as possible for unexpected scenarios. Do a little research on common job interview questions and have these answers ready in your mind. If you do get a surprise question, just remember to keep the focus on the positive. Good luck to you!