How do you answer the typical Q's?

[Sanhedralite]

Ok,

1. Your biggest challenge and how you faced it?
2. Your worst quality? ( I hate this. Everyone knows the protocol on how to answer...Boring...)
3. Your goals?
4. Your best traits?

etc...Add your own if you like.

[bmwmini]

Ok,

1. Your biggest challenge and how you faced it?
2. Your worst quality? ( I hate this. Everyone knows the protocol on how to answer...Boring...)
3. Your goals?
4. Your best traits?

etc...Add your own if you like.

A:

1. Tell them your biggest challenge and how you faced it.
2. Tell them a quality that's both bad for one reason but good for another.
3. Tell them your goals in specifics with the company; where you plan on going with this job
4. Tell them your best traits.

In other words: tell the truth.

[ptxpress]

I don't know if it's just me, but I haven't faced these questions in quite some time. Yeah, the goals one still gets thrown in, but I find interviews to be more behavioural nowadays as opposed to the "tell me your weakness" type questions.

[Bazooka Joe]

Ok,

1. Your biggest challenge and how you faced it?


Tell them about a personallity conflict (real or imagined) with either a co-worker or customer, and how you talked things out to eventually be able to work amicably together.


2. Your worst quality? ( I hate this. Everyone knows the protocol on how to answer...Boring...)

You said it. Workaholic and perfectionist. Standard question, standard answer. Find a way to word it uniquely.



3. Your goals?


Positions above the one you're applying for within the company, but not the position of the person interviewing you. If it's a friendly interview, you can say you'd eventually like the person who is interviewing you's job (tread lightly on this one).



4. Your best traits?

etc...Add your own if you like.

This is very dependant on the position. Try to use the words on your resume.

[xwar]

A:

1. Tell them your biggest challenge and how you faced it.
2. Tell them a quality that's both bad for one reason but good for another.
3. Tell them your goals in specifics with the company; where you plan on going with this job
4. Tell them your best traits.

In other words: tell the truth.

I say ******** as much as you can :|

[Audiogenic]

The "Tell me a little bit about yourself" question separate the contenders from the pretenders. Spend some time getting this question down cold.

[Sanhedralite]

That's the interesting one, isn't it? What would you say?

[Mulder and Scully]

1.) My wife she is dead...she die in the field...she die from work, an accident, but is not important, I have a new wife.
2.) You have big bollocks? Can I touch them?
3.) I want to do a romance inside of you.
4.) I am big like a can of Pepsi.




1. Your biggest challenge and how you faced it?
2. Your worst quality? ( I hate this. Everyone knows the protocol on how to answer...Boring...)
3. Your goals?
4. Your best traits?

[goob3r]

You said it. Workaholic and perfectionist. Standard question, standard answer. Find a way to word it uniquely.

This is the most cliche answer there is. If the interviewer doesn't laugh at you aloud, then they are laughing in their head.

[geebops]

What about "What kind of salary are you looking for?"

[dawtcalm]

Biggest weakness: Tell them kryptonite and try to keep a straight face...

[hyoo82]

when I know im bombing an interview.. I just LOVE to see the looks on the interviewers faces when they hear my answers.

What's ur best quality? My anger, it has managed to give me that "boost" when i need it. There's only so much a person can yell @ you for after you flip over a table in the heat of anger. (then i look @ them with stone cold eyes, the look they have is pricelss)

your worst quality? - I'm a brown noser, i like to suck up to anyone whose in a higher position than myself, hoping one day to be in their "circle of trust", followed up by "your shirt is really nice today, or that colour looks amazing on you"


Your greatest challenge? - "trying to convince my parents that im bisexual."

Why should we hire you? - cause there isn't enough minorities working here, "what do you mean minorities?" "i mean the ones working in the sweat shops don't count, also when I look @ the staff and all i see is caucasian faces, it is depressing.



Where do you see yourself in 10 years - i usually like answering this one with the Kool aid man's "Oh yea!!" and just sit in silence, and wait for their reply.

[Sanhedralite]

"What is your greatest weakness?"

"Poor self-analysis skills." (he got hired)

-"Crack." (he did not get hired)

-"Saved By The Bell." (hired)

-"Chocolate." (hired)

-"Coming up with clever answers to stupid questions." (not hired)

-"I can't control my temper" (this guy wasn't being funny...that was his honest answer!)

-"I get all the way to the last level of Mario Brothers, but then I always die." (hired)

[hyoo82]

lol.. i was just trying to add a little humor to the post.. but i see that he wanted really valid answers..

The only thing you can do is answer the behavioural questions as honest as possible ( a little white lie can help) " (I.E Do you work well with people, or independantly? " does my family count? <--actually worked in an interview, got the job, still working there now :)) if they like your answers+you, then they like them, you can't make anyone like you. I am ALWAYS honest with my behaviour questions. even if it hurts the job, most places will respect an honest answer. the ones that don't or are looking for a subordinate, you don't want to work there anyway.

[Mulder and Scully]

Or stand up and yell, "STEVE HOLT!" with your fists in the air.

Seriously, if your honest answers don't work then you likely wouldn't have fit in with the company. If you have to lie to get in then you'll be spending your entire time there lying, which some people can certainly do without problem, but it's more about the fact that you won't be happy there.



Where do you see yourself in 10 years - i usually like answering this one with the Kool aid man's "Oh yea!!" and just sit in silence, and wait for their reply.

[sonick]

2. Your worst quality?
Not being able to answer stupid rhetorical questions like this one. ;)

[fly]

The "Tell me a little bit about yourself" question separate the contenders from the pretenders. Spend some time getting this question down cold.

We're told this is the dumbest question to ask any candidate because it doesn't show sincerity. Where does one even begin? It shows the manager didn't bother reading the resume to come up with anything intelligent to ask and reflects poorly on him/her. If you get this question, simply ask the manager to specify what he/she means.. Is there something on the resume he/she wants more information or does she want to know about your hobbies?

[volan]

We're told this is the dumbest question to ask any candidate because it doesn't show sincerity. Where does one even begin? It shows the manager didn't bother reading the resume to come up with anything intelligent to ask and reflects poorly on him/her. If you get this question, simply ask the manager to specify what he/she means.. Is there something on the resume he/she wants more information or does she want to know about your hobbies?
I recently got the "tell me about yourself" question. It was very obvious that the person hadn't even read my resume, it was given to her by someone else. I briefly listed my professional accomplishments and asked if there was anything in particular that she wanted to know about. She said no and moved on.

[angela44]

What I find works best is to just relax and be yourself. Don't let the thought of an "interview" intimidate you. Just think of it as though you're talking to somebody that you just met for the first time and that they're in the same position as you. Don't let their superior positions intimidate you. Treat the interview as a casual conversation, and not just stern Q&As. Your employer would probably be just as comfortable if you did it this way. Less of an ice-breaker that they will need. Just be yourself and show your confidence, and if that doesn't work for you, you probably won't be happy working there anyway.

And remember, the person who's interviewing you may be just as nervous as you are.

[poedua]

Ok,

etc...Add your own if you like.

Here are some others types of questions to keep in mind that may trip you up .................

What Motivates You?

You need to give an answer, as always, that benefits your potential employer and links into the key responsibilities of the job. So don’t say “$ 100,000 per year and a Porche Turbo!” Give an answer along the lines of “I’m happiest when I can see a project through from start to finish”, or “I get a real kick out of managing a team that is happy and knows it is successful”.

How Well Do You Take Direction?

Keep in mind the fact that your interviewer may become you’re boss should you get this job, so remember it’s their direction you will be taking. The answer here has to be that you take direction well. You can add credibility to your answer by expanding it and adding something like “I don’t see how a team can function effectively unless it’s members are happy to take directly from their leader”.

How Do You Handle Criticism?

Remember you’re interviewer may be anticipating becoming your boss and will inevitably have to criticise you from time to time. They want to know whether this task would be easy for them of whether you will make it difficult for them.

So perhaps you could answer this question along the lines of “I’m always happy to be given constructive criticism and welcome this. It helps me learn from my mistakes and improve my performance”.

How Do You Get The Best From People?

If you are applying for a management role it is highly likely you’ll be asked this question. The kind of skills that interviewers like to hear about are:

Good communication
Teamwork skills
Recognizing each person as an individual
Setting a sound and good example
Praising good performances.
How Do You Resolve Conflict In Your Team?

This question really does need to be answered honestly. Find an example of conflict that you have had in your own team and use this to demonstrate your abilities at resolving it. The kind of skills you need to demonstrate are as follows:

Fairness
Addressing problems with individuals privately
Making sure you get to the root of the problem
Finding a solution that the persons concerned are willing to adhere to.
Assuming that its true, you would also do well to point out that “I find if a team is run fairly and the team members are well motivated, conflict rarely arises and the team functions as a well oiled engine”.


What Do You Dislike Most At Work?

“Nothing!” The interviewer can hire you safely knowing that you will be well motivated every minute of the working day and every moment of your working time with your employer. So if you get asked this question your answer will be “you can’t think of anything you dislike about work”. The only possible exception is if this job is very different from your last, in which case you might say something like “I really enjoy my work. But occasionally I get a little frustrated in a small company that I don’t get to meet the customers I deal with as often as I’d like. That’s one of the reasons why this job appeals to me so much”.



How Does This Job Fit Into Your Career Plan?

It’s fairly unwise to commit yourself too precisely to a career plan. So you might say something like “Business changes so rapidly nowadays it’s hard to plan precisely. But I know what I want to get ahead in this industry and I think the opportunities to do that in this company are excellent”.

What Appeals To You Least About This Job?

You need to be careful with this one. Naming almost anything will give the interviewer the impression that you are less than 100% enthusiastic about this job. So either tell them that it appeals to you, or if you don’t feel happy with this kind of answer come up with a part of the job which is;

A small part of it
Of no major importance
Universally unpopular.
One of the better examples of this is filing or paperwork in a job where the paperwork isn’t a significant part of the job. But you should still express it in positive terms such as “I can’t say I find paperwork terribly inspiring. But it’s important to make sure it gets done. And actually, it can be quite therapeutic.”

Are You Talking To Other Organisations As Well As Us?

This is a great one. You want to show your prospective employer that you are in demand as it makes you a more attractive prospect. In turn if you are offered the job it can help you drive up the salary you manage to negotiate. At the same time, if you tell them that you’ve had three other offers already, they may be put off you if they still have a long way to go – more interviews for example. So indicate that you are talking to others without suggesting you’re on the verge of taking another job. It’s not a total lie but let them know you’re doing well. A good example would be “I’ve reached the final round of interviews with three other companies.”

What Other Types Of Job Or Organisation Are You Applying To?

You don’t need to divulge exactly how you’ve applied to here. Occasionally you may be asked directly where else you’ve applied to but you can avoid answering by saying that the companies concerned haven’t advertised the positions so you don’t feel it’s right to divulge this information. That lets you off the hook and shows your ability to keep confidence. But the interviewer can get around it with this question – asking not for names of companies but merely types of job and company. The important thing here is to show that you want this job. If it becomes apparent that you’re applying for all sorts of different jobs in different industries, it rather casts doubt on your commitment to this post. So indicate that you’re applying for similar jobs within the same field.

How Long Would It Take You To Make A Useful Contribution To This Company?

You might be thinking that you cant answer this question without more information and you’d be right. So ask for the information you need;

What would my key objectives be for the first six months?
Are there any specific projects you would need me to start working on straight away?
You can use the answers to these enquiries to help you with your answer. But broadly speaking you should indicate that (unless there is an urgent project) you would expect to spend the first week or two settling in and finding your way around. After that you’d expect to be making a useful contribution within the first few weeks and to show significant successes within four to six months.


Describe A Situation Which, In Hindsight, You Could Have Handled Better

The trick here is to be ready with something from a long time ago. Try to prepare an example where it really wasn’t your fault you handled it as you did. For example “With hindsight, I can see that it would have been quicker to evacuate everyone straight down the main staircase rather than use the fire escape, but because the phones were down I had no way of knowing that the main structure was safe”.

What Sort Of Decisions Do You Find Difficult?

“Whether to have prawn or beef sandwiches for lunch!” You’ve never found a decision difficult in your life of course. But the danger with some of these questions is that if you come across as being too implausibly perfect you risk sounding like your arrogant. So you have to admit to some minor failings but make sure they have been overcome or are irrelevant to the job you are applying for – otherwise make them sound human – no ones perfect. So you could say something like “The kind of decisions I dislike most are the ones which others wont like. They aren’t actually difficult but for example I don’t like having to make the decision to sack someone”.

Describe A Situation In Which Your Work Was Criticised

If you pick an instance where the criticism was clearly unfair and you were in the right you risk looking as if you are simply taking the opportunity of airing an old grievance – it will make you look like your someone who bears grudges. So you need to go for the “distant past” option.

Interviewers may well ask you this question – or variation on it – if they want to see how you cope with tough questioning. So make sure you have an answer ready in case you need it. You should answer in a couple of stages;

Briefly describe the task and the criticism you received for it.
Explain how you learnt from it and you haven’t repeated such mistakes since.
Not only does this make you sound human (which we all are including interviewers) and as though you haven’t been criticised for a long time, but it also shows that you can take constructive criticism on board and learn from it.


What Sort Of People Do You Find It Difficult To Work With?

You don’t want to be seen criticising others. Don’t be drawn into telling them about John in personnel who is absolutely useless at getting your expenses cheque back on time – it doesn’t carry any weight. Start by saying that you are an easy going person who finds getting on with people an easy job because of your nature but if you had to pick a type of person that niggles you it’s the one that doesn’t pull his weight or isn’t bothered about the standard of their work because it reflects badly on the rest of the team.

What Salary Are You Expecting?

Try something like “What salary would you be expecting to pay for this position?” or ask what salary range has been given for this position. If the interviewer doesn’t want to divulge this then its not unreasonable for you to decline to answer too.

Should the interviewer quote a salary and ask for your response let them know you were thinking of something a little higher – but remember don’t make it out of their reach. If they suggest a salary range quote them back a salary range which is slightly higher but overlaps.

[Kirilenko47]

^ Amazing post, poedua. Thanks man.
I'm gonna bookmark this thread just so I can refer to your post for some pointers and tips to prepare for interviews.