Top 30 Job Interview Questions and Answers

Here are 30 common interview questions and how to answer them. You risk failing the interview if you don't go into it eyes wide open and knowing the different questions they can hurl at you from any direction. So this is the one video you need to ace your next job interview. I will go through 30 interview questions briefly explaining why each question is asked, give the answer framework and then an answer Example this channel has been named the top job interview channel due to the she number of success stories in the comments and I'll be waiting eagerly by the computer to read yours when it comes in. Oh, and if you're new here, hi, I'm Madeline. I am a human resources leader and job search strategist who turns job seekers into job shoppers. I'm the author of Reverse the Search, the host of the show Job Shopper, and a top job search instructor on both Spotify and LinkedIn learning you may have seen me in these places. Be sure to subscribe. Subscribe, because what's the best that could happen? You ace all of your interviews and land incredible job offers and stay to the end because the last few questions are the ones that interviewers ask all the time to see your personality and they are likely to catch you off guard because no one ever prepares for them. Let's dive into these 30 questions.

The first question is are you familiar with our company? This is usually asked in the first round recruiter call. This is not a test. They're really trying to figure out how long they should make their explanation of what the company does so that you truly understand. It is impressive to know some things about the company. Saying things like Yes, I downloaded the app. Yes, I was on your website last night. Yes, I saw the news article about the new product that launched that will instantly put you in an advanced bracket above other candidates and then say but I'd love to hear more about the company and role from your perspective.

When answering why do you want this job? Why do you want to work here? You should touch on three potential areas. The first is the role. This is the most important thing to talk about because they aren't looking for someone who simply loves the company, is trying to get their foot in the door. No, they want someone who is all in on this specific role. The duties, the projects, the goals. They want you to be a master of it and see yourself in this role for years to come. So say specifically why this role is the best next career move for you. Geek out about what you like about the duties, how you're eager to jump in on the projects that you'd work on and how you feel like you could make a great impact. Next, you can talk about the team. Talk about the people you've met in the interview process. If this question comes up a few interviews in and say their darn names, okay, it's going to sound like you're already a member of the team. Say specifics of what stood out to you in the conversations with them, how you could learn so much from them and vice versa, how you could see you all working well together, and how working with great people makes all the difference. You know, you're lobbing on that sweet praise of true things that you noticed about the team. Finally, you can talk about the company, Discuss what you like about the product, what you're looking forward to accomplishing, why you're excited about the future of this industry, and how you feel that the company is aligned with your values. Now. Warning I would say stay away from an answer that includes things like the location, commute, salary, benefits, because a lot of that is quite similar across roles and companies. Such as a huge mistake I see people making is they answer this question with one of the reasons being I'm really interested in this role because it is remote. Okay? Millions of jobs are remote. It's like asking someone why are they interested in dating you? And they say it's because you have brown hair. Not really a reason with any sort of depth that you would feel good about. Alrighty, let's walk through an example answer that is from my own life. Okay, so I decided to take the interview with this company and we were several interviews deep and an interviewer asked me why I wanted to work there and well, I was certainly interested to learn more about this position, but it didn't immediately jump out to me as perfect. But I always look for the best things about a company and I was able to craft an answer through that lens. This was a company that built software to manage shipping logistics. I know shipping logistics not so sexy. But what I recognized were some cool things about the business. And do note that this interview happened when Amazon prime was just starting to get hugely popular. I know it's a mainstay at this point, but this was a different time. I said the reason why I'm so excited to work for your company is I see entire industries going from brick and mortar to to fully online and shipping is the centerpiece as well as Amazon prime, revolutionizing what it means to have fast shipping and setting a standard for other companies and you all being at the forefront of this highly needed technology. So I'm excited to be at the bleeding edge of a facet of these industries that is only going to get larger. And so I talked about the company and then I moved to talking about the role which this role would have been the first, first human resources hire on their team and their lack of HR has been noticeable.

All the leaders were disgruntled. One even said straight up that the culture wasn't very good. Yeah. So I dug to find some positives there. I said I'm interested in this role because I see a lot of low hanging fruit here where I could come in and and make a big difference quickly. My specialty is building processes from the ground up. So I would be playing to my strengths and make all of the leadership team's jobs so much easier. Notice I was complimenting the company in a way in the first part and then focusing on the value I could add to the company in the second. So you don't have to be in love with a company to see the great things about an opportunity.

Are you interviewing with other companies? This one really trips job seekers up because I've heard them say that they feel awkward that they're considering other opportunities because it feels unloyal or distracted. I don't know. But it's actually the complete opposite of this. It is a very good sign to be wanted by other companies. It shows you have marketable skills. So. So there is one answer and only one answer to this question and that is yes, I'm currently in a few interview processes and if it makes sense, you can continue by saying and I'm especially interested in this opportunity because.

What are your salary expectations? Simply ask what is the salary range for this role? And you could tell them whether or not you're comfortable with it. If they don't have a range, you can say that you're flexible and looking for the best overall package. If they really want a specific number, you can say based on the other similar roles I'm seeing, companies are paying X to Y. Does that fit in your budget? Now a bonus question I'm going to throw in here, which is actually one of the most important interview questions you'll be asked is do you have any questions for and Well, I put together a free download of 15 excellent questions you can ask in the job interview. I will link that below.

Are you willing to relocate? Simply answer yes or no or ask further questions if you need more clarification. An example answer is yes, I'm open to relocating for the right opportunity.

When can you start? Now. They might be interested in knowing if you can start right away. And if you can, that's great, great. But you also may need to give your employer a bit of notice to make sure you preserve that relationship. An answer can sound like I can start in two weeks after my signed offer to give my employer appropriate notice.

Do you prefer working remotely or in office? Typically, when you're answering this question you should say that you're flexible unless you do have a firm preference. And that's a deal breaker because a company should know if there's only one way you want to work. So your answer could sound something like I've worked in person, remote and HYBR Hybrid. I like all three and it really depends on how the culture is set up to support that specific work environment.

Describe a situation where you had to deal with a difficult coworker, or another version is where you had to resolve an interpersonal conflict. Raise your hand if you've been personally victimized by this question. Oh, this is a very common question and one that I've had to help my clients with a lot because this answer could make you come off the wrong way, like you're talking smack on your co workers. Essentially, the interviewer is asking you this because we've all worked with difficult people in our day and they're trying to understand your ability to communicate and adapt. So pick a scenario where there was a bit of tension and where you were the bigger person. Don't share that you avoided them or you had any sort of attitude about it. A good answer would sound something like this. I once worked with a colleague who frequently missed deadlines causing delays in our project timeline and frustration within the team. I decided to have a conversation with him where I expressed the impact that his delays were having on the team and also showed empathy asking how he was doing and about his workload. He then revealed that he was juggling one more project than usual and he was hesitant to ask for help. We came up with a solution where we look at his deadlines and adjusted them to not land on the same days as other projects and then we identified several tasks that could be redistributed to other team members. As a result, his performance improved and our project timelines became more consistent. This proactive communication resolved the tension and strengthened our relationship.

Here is the two part formula for answering what is your strength? Part 1 Name a strength or two that matches a key competency of the role. So take a look at the job description and pay special attention to the prominent skills you see. Take for Instance, this job description for the VP of Business affairs and Legal. What are some of these skills that they emphasize? It says here skilled in complex negotiations and and handling conflict resolution. What you could emphasize is your strength being excellent at negotiation. Of course, if this isn't one of your strengths, don't say so. But I'm guessing if you're going for this role, I have a feeling you're likely pretty strong at it. Part 2 We've got to give an example. A major mistake I see people doing with this answer is they list descriptors and only descriptors. Naming cliche adjectives that you think your interviewer wants to hear is not going to set you apart. Here is an example of the most common type of answer and it's also not a highly effective answer. I would say my greatest strength is my reliability. Whenever something is needed, my co workers can always count on me to deliver. I take a lot of pride in integrity and I bring that into every role I have. An answer like that is like a kiddie pool at a water park. It lacks depth, but we will effectively convey your value and help them to picture you in the role by g giving them an example of a time you showed that strength. So think of an example of a time when you showed strong negotiation skills. Tell this story and this will dramatically increase the interviewer's ability to see you in this role and have great persuasive points to tell the rest of the hiring team why you are a prime choice. Now let's move into this second part of the question which is what are your weaknesses? If talking about your weaknesses intimidates you, that tracks because I warn you that you can say a weakness here that could be detrimental and they'll kick you to the curb. Don't necessarily view this question as them trying to bamboozle you. Every human has weaknesses and a good manager wants to understand what are your weaknesses so that they can best manage you and set you up for success and put you in a role that plays to your strengths and doesn't rely on your weaknesses. Here's the three part formula for answering what are your weaknesses? Part 1 Name something that you're legitimately not great at, but don't choose just any weakness. Choose one that you're already working on and improving and make sure it is not a core component of the job, such as a salesperson should never say a weakness that they're working on is cold calling or facing rejection. Those are too important to the role. Here are weaknesses you can say when you're asked the question in a job interview, what is your your greatest weakness? A lot of roles require some element of doing a presentation, but it's usually not a huge part of the role. So this is a really good one to say and it's super relatable. Public speaking is the top fear of humans besides death. Another weakness could be not taking enough risks. You can talk about how in the past you regretted not making bolder moves and decisions in your jobs. You can talk about how you might feel uncomfortable initiating conversations at networking events. This is again very relatable. A of lot A lot of people feel like they're not good at this. Part 2 Explain how you're working on it. Describe the steps that you are already taking to improve that weakness. Part 3 Articulate the results you've seen from improving. It's not about the weakness going away completely because then they may ask you for another weakness that currently exists, but this shows that you are working to better yourself. The best answers are ones that showcase your ability to take feedback well or demonstrate your self awareness and they prove that you take the initiative to level yourself up. Now let's walk through a sample answer to what are your strengths and weaknesses? One of my key strengths is negotiating and drafting complex agreements. In my previous role at a major entertainment law firm, I handled high stakes contracts involving multiple parties and and significant financial implications. For instance, I successfully negotiated a multimillion dollar media buy agreement for a global marketing campaign, ensuring compliance with both US and international regulations. This required not only legal acumen, but also the ability to work under tight deadlines and manage numerous stakeholders. In the end, the contract was complex but highly favorable for all stakeholders and the Chief Legal Officer couldn't believe that I had pulled off such a mutual agreement in a tight timeline. And then on the other hand, while I am comfortable with one on one negotiations and small group settings, I will say presenting complex legal issues to larger audiences has been initially challenging for me and public speaking is a weakness I've grappled with. To improve, I have taken steps such as enrolling in public speaking courses and seeking opportunities to present at industry conferences. Additionally, I have practiced by leading internal training sessions on legal updates for my colleagues. These efforts have significantly improved my confidence and ability to communicate effectively, though it always is still a work in progress.

What did you dislike about your last role? This question is quite common as popularized by the WHO interview. And I know I talk smack about a lot of interview questions, but I actually think this is a good question. A company is looking for a mutual fit and making sure that this job won't make you miserable because that's not good for anyone. So understanding what you didn't like in your previous job can help them see if you're a good match for this job that you're interviewing for. The key to this answer is to give a real answer. If you say something like I liked everything, they are going to walk away feeling like they didn't get to know you and will likely pass. Though if you say you don't like a core part of the job, then that could get you rejected too. So tread lightly. I recently helped one of my clients answer this question and we crafted her response to be something along the lines of I generally love working with external vendors and building deep relationships with them, but you get one now and then who are slow to respond and leave things to the last minute. So those rush situations where I have to keep following up with a vendor is probably my least favorite part of the job. What's great about this answer is it's totally understandable. Most people would find that frustrating. It's honest, but it also didn't paint her into a corner of where she won't do certain work or won't be successful at it.

Have you worked in a similar role before? This answer may be very simple for you, or if you haven't worked in this type of role, give an answer that connects your previous role to how it used transferable skills that are directly applicable to this role. Your answer can be as straightforward as yes, I've worked in a similar role for the past two years, focusing on specific task or responsibility that's in line with this role you're interviewing for.

Do you have experience with specific tool or software like Salesforce? This is a quick check of your skill set, so answer briefly and confidently and they will ask follow up questions if necessary. If you don't have that skill, share how you're working on it or share how you've built something similar skills. Your answer can sound like yes, I've used Salesforce for three years in my previous role, primarily for managing customer relationships and sales data.

Are you comfortable with public speaking? This one may come up and you can give a brief statement like yes, I've given presentations to large audiences in my past roles.

Tell me about a time you failed or Tell me about a time you made a mistake. When picking your answer, look for a story in your past where it truly was a mistake or a failure. We don't want to dodge this question, but the most important part is how did you react to that failure? How did you rectify it? A story with a strong lesson is the one you should choose. Here's an example Answer in my previous role as a product manager, I spearheaded a launch for a new software feature. I underestimated the time required for user training and documentation, which resulted in users struggling with the new feature and needing more support than anticipated. After realizing the issue, I gathered feedback from users and the support team to understand the main difficulties, and they pointed out that the training materials were too technical and lacked practical examples. I quickly organized additional training sessions and revamped the documentation to be more user friendly, incorporating clear instructions and practical scenarios. The additional support led to smoother adoption of the feature and a reduction in support requests by 40%. The feedback helped me learn the importance of thorough user preparation and accessible documentation, which I've applied to future projects to ensure for better user experiences from the start.

All right, let's get into the three step formula to answer why should I hire you? And an example answer of this all in action. Step 1 Review the role when asked this question, rather than dive into who you are, take a moment and reiterate what you know about the role and and what challenges you see that you'll be facing if hired. This tells them that you're business minded, that you're focused, and that you did your homework. For example, you might say something like from what I understand, this role is meant to streamline the process for X and help clients with Y, and the biggest challenge is likely going to be Z. This brings us to Step two Tell them about your relevant experience, Experience and skills don't be a generic Eric here. Tell them about specific skills you have that address those challenges and things that need to be done that you just made. This should sound something like Based on those business goals, I can bring my experience doing X in Y industry to achieve goal Z. This is so powerful because at this point you're essentially matching the top priorities to your skill set. It is the best way to clearly show your value and then to drive it home and move your answer from Mild to Fire to Diablo. Give a few examples of experiences from your past that are relevant to the challenges this company is facing now. Ease up their sport. And remember, you don't have to list every seemingly relevant accomplishment. Clear and concise answers Be long and rambling ones. Step 3 Ask your interviewer now is the grand finale where you turn your answer to why should I hire you? Into a conversation and make absolutely sure that you ace this question after answering it with the first two steps. I want you to flip the question and ask the interviewer, is this how you see me in this role? Seriously? This approach is so powerful. It keeps the interview flowing naturally like a conversation, and it gives your interviewer the opportunity to either either agree that you are the perfect fit and they'll hear themselves say it out loud of how you're great fit, music to my ears, or address where maybe you're misaligned so that you can answer any of those concerns right on the spot immediately. You know, if you flubbed this answer or if you did a really great job and you have the chance to expand further in the moment, can't you see why you are going to want them to ask this question? It is an absolute ace in the hole. Now here's a sample answer for how to respond to why should we hire you in the job interview? So with this formula in mind, your answer should one clearly review the role to share relevant experience and then three Flip the question on the interviewer. Here's the example. As I understand, this data analyst role will involve analyzing complex data sets, generating insightful reports, and providing actionable recommendations to support business decisions. One of the biggest focuses is ensuring data accuracy and timely delivery, especially during quarterly reviews when quick and precise insights are crucial. I can see that strong analytical skills and attention to detail are going to be key for a position like this, which is something I honed during my time at Company X where I developed a new data validation process that improved our report accuracy by 15% and saved the team over 10 hours per week. As a data analyst at Company Y, I also gained extensive experience in using advanced analytics tools and working with cross functional teams to drive data driven strategies. I believe my experience with complex data analysis and delivering precise insights sets me up perfectly for this role and I would be really excited to apply my skills and help this company make informed decisions and achieve its goals. Is that how you see me in this role? Did I miss any key challenges that you'll think I'll be facing? And just like that, your new nickname is Beaver Because Damn.

Tell me something not on your resume. We always need to ask ourselves why would someone ask this question and what I uncovered because I personally would never ask this question is the interviewer wants to see you as a whole complete person and see if you're a culture fit and what truly drives you. Okay, sure, we can play that game. So knowing this, I would say something that connects to your values and shows something about your character. So it could be volunteering for a cause that you believe in. It could be a a side project that you've been building that shows you're a self starter. It could be that you're upskilling in something to show that you have a growth mindset such as if I was asked this question today, I might say something like My whole life I've labeled myself as being bad at learning new languages. It just has never come naturally to me. And so finally this year I am determined to overcome that shortcoming and I have three hours of Spanish tutoring every week. I'm frequently studying on my own, and I am committed to learning the language. It's never too late to learn a new skill and it has been very challenging, but also rewarding.

Can you work weekends? Can you work overtime? Any of these questions about irregular hours? I mean, it's good that they are being upfront about irregular hours. So ask for clarification if you need it. Like how often do you estimate this role will be needed on weekends? And otherwise respond with whatever is true, such as I can be flexible on evenings and I'll usually need a bit of notice if I'll be working on weekends.

Are you legally authorized to work in this country? Your answer can be as simple as yes, I'm authorized to work here. If it's not that simple, explain your situation in the most straightforward way possible, such as I'm currently on an F1 student visa, so I'm good to work in this country for the next year and I'll just need to transfer over to an H1B visa eventually.

Can you travel for work? Say whatever is true and no pressure to over explain the situation, such as yes, I'm generally flexible to travel as needed for the job. How long are these work trips usually?

Do you speak any other languages? This is one of those questions where it's important to not overstate your answer. People will list languages on their resumes all the time that they aren't actually proficient in, so just say what is accurate, such as yes, I know basic conversational Spanish.

Describe a situation where you went above and beyond, or I've asked it as Tell me about a time you did something outside of the job description. The purpose of this question is to see if you are someone who waits like a sitting duck or work to be assigned to you, or if you actively find ways to add value and propose new projects and initiatives. So think of those moments where you noticed something could be improved and simply did it, or when you helped team members when it wasn't directly related to your goals. Come up with an example and then explain it using the CAR formula. That's challenge action result. Here's an example. In my role as a marketing specialist, I noticed that our product launch strategy lacked a targeted approach for international audiences, which could impact success. I took the initiative to develop a tailored social media strategy for key international markets, collaborating with our localization team to ensure cultural relevance. I then implemented this strategy alongside the main campaign. This led to a 30% increase in international engagement and a 15% boost in sales from those regions during the launch.

Kicking it right off with Part one of the Tell Me About Yourself formula It's who you are Too many of us have autobiography syndrome where when we're asked this question, we feel obliged to tell our entire life story so they fully understand how we got to where we are, or at least our entire professional story. The thing that you have to realize is a company doesn't actually care that much about your work history. Really what they care about is are you going to blow this role out of the water? Shamu, can you solve our problem? Is pretty pleased. Let me put you in there. And what that means is you can say a lot less in your answer, but you just want to say exactly what they want to hear to be confident in you. So for this first part of your answer where you say who you are, you want to be very concise about a sentence or two about the type of professional you are. And the key here is to not talk about careers and jobs you've had in the past that aren't directly in line with this one you're interviewing for. It's really about stating the exact profession they are hiring for and being specific about the type of work you do. I realize that this explanation may be as clear as scrambled eggs, but trust me, at the end of this video I'm going to give you three examples so you will have no choice but to understand exactly how to do this. If your current role is not directly related with the role you're interviewing for, you should prepare a through line that connects your past experience to the role that you're going for. For example, if you are a graphic designer interviewing for a digital marketing role, you might say something like I'm a digital marketing professional who specializes in branding, contributing to marketing campaigns and visual storytelling. These things are all true. In your graphic design role, you did team up with marketing teams from time to time and you have put together personal projects and taking classes that have given you the skills to be a well rounded digital marketing professional. So claim it you humble goose. You already Got the interview. You already know that you're qualified. Don't go trailing off about your graphic design role and and unconvince them. Let's move on to part two, your highlights. Here, I want you to highlight some of your past accomplishments that again, are directly in line with the qualifications of this role. I don't want you spouting off your biggest accomplishment, such as I closed a $10 million business development deal. Okay, but you're going for a project manager role and closing big deal skills isn't a part of that. Even though that was super fancy fancy, Leave it out so you'll want to share what you've been up to in your past few jobs, highlighting several things that you've accomplished that reflect what are the main requirements on the job description. If you're a recent graduate or a career changer without as much professional experience, you can draw on academic, volunteer, or project based activities to demonstrate your potential. For example, if you're applying to a recruiter role but you don't have any direct experience recruiting, you could touch on your volunteer opportunity where you were helping to bring in new members to that nonprofit organization. Okay, this is the portion of the answer where it can get really long, so make sure to watch out for this, especially if you have lots of great work experience. You're likely going to think that you need to talk a lot, but I would say air on the side of a shorter answer rather than long. I call this answer the theme song because it should be short 2 minutes or less and just simply get them interested in watching the whole show and if they want more details, they can just ask. And I mean, I already said it, but I'll say it again. They already have your stinking resume. Okay, it's there the hellscape that is the job interview process. I'm so sorry. This brings us to part three. Why this role? You'll want to end your answer by explaining why are you interested in in this particular company and role? This is truly the key to not rambling too much in the interview and answering your answers with so yeah, I used to do that all the time. So by adding this part three, you're also answering the question why do you want to work here? Which is actually one of the most important questions that they need to ask you. And so the fact that you're making sure they ask you it is really important. From hiring thousands of people and hearing the feedback from so many hiring managers time and time again, when all things are equal, a hiring manager will often extend an offer to the person who wants the job more. They want people who are intrinsically excited about the work and are more likely to stay in the job long term because heads up, these people who are doing all the hiring, they don't want to replace your role every six to 12 months. Months. Okay. It takes away from their core work. Hiring takes so much energy and they want to choose someone who's really excited about the work and it fits their career aspirations perfectly. So you're going to show your interest in this answer. I want you to come up with specifics of how the tasks you're going to be doing in this role fit your career trajectory and then anything about the company that stands out to you. Now, let's walk through three examples for you to effectively answer this question. The first one is if you are early career, the second is if you are a career changer and the third is if you've gotten years of experience in your profession under your belt. I do recommend watching all three so you can pick and choose some elements of each. Let's kick off with the early career example where the person doesn't have much experience. I recently graduated with a degree in psychology and I'm thrilled at the opportunity to interview for this human Resources assistant position at your company. During my final year of studies, I collaborated on a project that examined team dynamics and their impact on workplace productivity. Through surveys and data analysis, we explored how different personalities influence team performance. Additionally, I gained practical experience by volunteering at a local community center where I facilitated discussions on stress management and provided individual counseling. The reason I am so interested in this role is I'm looking to contribute to training programs, performance evaluations, and employee support initiatives. And based on your company blog, I can see how focused this company is on employee engagement. What went right? Even this person who has zero paid experience was able to share small, specific examples of how they have been building the right skills and the right interest for the role that they're going for. Excellent. Our second example is a career changer who is transitioning from being a teacher to working in sales. I am pursuing a role in sales, leveraging my background in communication and relationship building to excel in a great sales team. I took an in depth course on prospecting, cold calling, and objection handling to hone my abilities in these areas. In addition to formal training, I have applied these skills in real life situations. For example, I volunteered to lead a membership drive for a local organization where I utilize cold calling techniques to reach out to potential members and effectively communicate the value of joining. I also participated in fundraising initiatives where I succeeded successfully close deals with donors by addressing objections and emphasizing the impact of their contributions. And as my next crew move, I'm excited about the opportunity to sell solar panels at Green Eco Solutions. Solar panels potential to address the growing need for renewable energy resonates with me so deeply. And I personally have solar panels. So I know I could close many people on how great Green Eco Solutions is because I truly believe in the mission and I live it. What I love about this answer is that this powerhouse isn't dwelling on the past. They did not give any distracting details about their teaching work. No, they jumped right in on what they are actually doing now and focused on taking any experiences they have from their past, paid or not, and translating it to be appealing for this sales job. Oh yeah. Now let's dive into an answer from an experienced professional. I'm the Director of Product Management specializing in software solutions for the healthcare industry. I've successfully led the development of cutting edge software products and have transformed patient care and operational efficiency. In my current role, I led the launch of a ground groundbreaking electronic health record system which streamlined medical record management and significantly improved patient outcomes. Prior to that, I managed the development of a telemedicine platform that facilitated remote patient consultations, addressing the growing need for virtual health care solutions. What particularly drew me to the Director of Product Management position at ABC Healthcare Solutions is the company's commitment to revolutionizing healthcare through innovative technology. The opportunity to lead the development of next generation healthcare software aligns perfectly with my passion for leveraging technology to improve patient care and drive positive outcomes. Okay, this one dropped a lot of great specifics that are relevant to the role and are oh so enticing to the interviewer. There's no way that the interviewer is second guessing whether or not this person should have gotten this interview. This was a really great, well rounded answer. A good job.

If you were an animal, which animal would you be? Or really any offshoot of these wacky questions that have nothing to do with the role or your competency? Not that you asked, but boy do I hate these questions. Let the heat flow through you. Yes, they're asking you this to see what your personality is like and they likely have some convoluted pseudo psychology rationalization of what different answers mean. But really, this question is a bit of a power trip where they are watching you squirm.

For any of these types of questions. A special trick to think of a really good answer is to think of the trait you want to exhibit for this role and then build your answer back from that. So I worked in human resources and a major trait is being a great communicator. Now I'm asking myself, what is an animal that is good at communicating? I have to think on the spot and I go, parrot. I'm like a parrot because they focus on listening and repeating things back and others feel heard. And this works for other questions as well. Like if you were a superhero, what would your superpower be? So again, okay, communication. That's the trait I'm trying to display. I would read minds because my empathetic question asking helps me to understand someone's perspective and get to the root of issues and solve them. So that's the trick to these questions. It's exhausting. But here we are.

Can you provide references? Say yes, I can provide references upon request and then unless they give you specific parameters around who they want as the references, such as you must give us your former manager or something like that, then provide them with whomever you would prefer.

Have you ever worked remotely? Your answer can be as simple as yes, I've worked remotely for the past last two years. Or if you haven't officially worked remotely for any long stretch of time, you can reference any times you've had to work independently or remotely. Briefly.

Do you have any upcoming commitments that might impact your availability? Now is the time to share that you are a best man in that destination wedding next month. And I wouldn't bring this up until the offer stage or in this case where they specifically asked you do want to be honest about any near term travel?

Are you familiar with specific industry regulation or standard like gdpr? You for sure want to be confident in your answer here. Even if you haven't implemented it yourself, you can still talk about how your is answer knowledgeable of it. Because I'm assuming if you're going for a role and a core competency is that you know certain industry standards, you have at least taken steps to educate yourself on them. So you can say something like yes, I'm well versed in GDPR compliance.

Give us an example of a time you had to meet a tight deadline. Or another version of this is how do you handle competing deadlines? This is asked Ask for those companies that are dynamic and fast paced where everyone sits at a computer and responds to emails all day. I poke fun, but I do understand why a company would ask you this question. They're trying to see if you're someone who doesn't drop the ball. They want to know that when you've got a lot to your plate. You figure it out. You make it happen. You get her done. Here is an example Answer When I was leading the customer support team, we had to handle an unexpectedly high volume of support tickets during a system outage that affected many clients. The influx of requests meant I needed to find a way for the team to address urgent issues while maintaining quality responses, all within a short time frame. I quickly addressed the most critical issues and notified the team of which to prioritize based on urgency. I then worked with a team member to develop template answers for the most common outage questions so that the team was able to address inquiries more quickly. I then segmented the team for some to be exclusively focused on the outage, while others focused on more routine questions so that both could stay focused on their tasks. By efficiently managing the team's workload and prioritizing effectively, I resolved all high priority issues within the deadline and ensured all clients received timely support. This coordinated effort resulted in minimal disruption to our clients and the feedback we got was highly positive that we had really great responsiveness during the outage.

There are three key rules of thumb that you need to keep in mind when you're answering the question why are you leaving your job? Why did you leave your last job? The first one is make sure sure your answer is short. I'm talking one to three sentences. A grave mistake people do is they give too much description and detail. This question is a quick check the box question. They're just trying to understand did something go wrong in your past role? Is there something about your past role that you didn't like that's actually the same here? So you're just going to come here and then leave us? They're trying to check for a few skeletons of closet. Quick peek. Then they're closing the door. Number two, keep your answer positive. And I see a lot of job seekers find this very challenging, especially if your last role was oh so toxic. But what's going to be going through interviewer's head is if you say anything bad about your previous boss or company, they're going to think this person's going to speak this way about us. And we also don't want this employer to dwell on your past drama and instead we want them to focus more on your future. Number three, you have to be confident. Confident. We often forget that we write our own narratives. You get to tell this story however you want to and the employer will only see it as a sob story or a difficult situation if that's how you make it out to be. So answer Quickly, confidently, and make like a cow and move on. Now let's walk through a bunch of different scenarios and have example answers for each that follow these criteria that I just set. So let's say you were laid off. Say something very brief. I mean, this wasn't your fault. So bonus points if you reference how big the layoff was, if it was sizable. So you could say something like, the company went through some tough financial times and laid off 40% of the workforce. Unfortunately, I would have loved to stay there. It was a great place to work. Okay, now let's walk through some responses. If your reason for leaving your last job wasn't really related to that job or possibly even even your career at large. So let's say you left for family reasons, you could say something like, I took some time off to take care of a family member. Now I'm eager to get back to work. If you had to relocate, you could say something like, I recently moved to this area because my spouse is getting their master's degree at the University of Alabama and I'm looking for a new job in the city. Or if you were pursuing education, you could say, I took time to get my mba and now I'm excited to apply what I've learned to my next role. I've actually had quite a few clients who are entrepreneurs who I help then transition back into the workforce, which is very challenging, but absolutely doable with job shopping strategies. So here's what you want to do if you're in that situation to make it a hundred percent clear that you are moving on from your entrepreneurial endeavors, such as I took time to do my own freelance consulting, which was a great learning experience. But I greatly miss being on a team and I'm eager to get back into a company. Company. Next, let's talk about how you're going to explain if you were fired. You should avoid saying that you were fired by any means necessary. A good way to frame it is to agree with determination, such as the company hired me for one role, but then it changed to be outside of my skill set and that led to an amicable split, which is why I'm so excited about this role at your company, because it focuses on my strength areas of X, Y and Z. Now, let's say you're still at your job or you left your job voluntarily. I want you to keep in mind the rules we set at the top of this video, okay? So you may not want to give your real reason. Instead give a more secondary reason or a bit of a watered down story. We'll call it the Disney version instead of the gritty documentary version. So if the real reason you're leaving your job is because the workplace is toxic or your boss is a loon, you, your coworkers are mean, leadership is completely out of touch with reality. We are going to leave that fodder for your memoir and instead focus on a bit more of a secondary reason. What could that be? Well, first, you could blame it on the company's financial situation. My current company is going through some tough financial times, so I'm looking for something more stable and secure in a company that has a really strong future. It's also really easy to blame it on the commute. I enjoy the work, but the commute is long and it's taking a toll on me and my family. I'm looking for a position closer to home to reduce my commuting time. You could blame it on a recent merger. The company underwent significant changes due to a merger that changed my team and role significantly and shifted away from my career goals. Or talk about how you want to change industries to something more exciting, such as, I have a deep passion for artificial intelligence and it's my dream to work in that industry. Or the actual absolute banger of an answer that so many people have said works really well for them. I hit the ceiling of growth in my role, and when I explored new opportunities within the company, I found that they were limited. That's why I'm excited about this role. I want to learn new skills and gain unique experiences such as X. Now, I want to be clear when I say give a secondary reason or don't talk smack about the company. Still, whatever you say should be true. It shouldn't be completely made up. I'm more saying that let's take the negative reasons out. We don't want to say bad things about the employer and focus on things that are a bit more neutral.

Do you have experience working with specific market or industry here? Don't undercut yourself and say, well, it's been a decade, but back in the day I worked in healthcare. No. Okay, if you have the experience, claim it. Such as, yes, I have several years of experience in the healthcare industry.

Do you have any certifications when they're asking this, they don't actually want to know everything you're certified in, such as if you're interviewing for an accountant role. They don't care if you're CPR certified and have a degree in biology. They only want to know certifications that are relevant to the role. So you can name both certifications and classes you've taken, such as, yes, I'm certified in Six Sigma.

Do you have experience managing a team? Now, if you do have this experience and it's required for the role, then say something like, yes, I've managed teams of up to 10 people in my previous roles. If you don't have official managerial experience, what other experience do you have? Did you manage a team of four contractors? Did you manage a group of 30 volunteers? Were you a team lead that managed a lot of the team while your boss was out on maternity leave? Think about it.

Do you have experience with skill such as B2B customer service? Make sure you've studied the job description so you can predict what skills they will ask about. And you don't have to have 100% of the skills, but you should have response about each skill as to whether or not you have transferable skills there. If you're in the process of developing that skill, or if you have an idea of how you would build that skill. This could sound something like building my B2B customer service skills is one of the reasons I was so attracted to this role. In my previous role as project coordinator, I was responsible for managing communications between our team and external vendors. This involved understanding their needs, coordinating project timelines, and ensuring that their requirements were met. While it wasn't specifically a customer service role, I developed strong skills in relationship management, problem solving, and maintaining professional communication, which made me realize how much I'd enjoy and be successful at B2B customer service.

Describe yourself in three words. I was actually asked this when I was applying to colleges way back in the day. It was asked to me on an application. My response was make it count. Is this the way you should respond to the question in a job interview? Maybe not. Being unusual and creative isn't as important as getting a clear message across to the interviewer so that they are confident that you are the correct person for this job. So if you're going for a more creative role, like marketing or you have to truly stand out in a crowd, like in a group interview, then you could try my college approach. But here is an alternate strategy you can try on for size that I personally think is better. Going into the job interview, you have deeply studied the job description and reviewed your notes from your previous interviews where they gave you additional information about the role, right? Right. So when you answer these questions, use three words from the job description. Let's take this job description for example. Some of the words that we see here are energetic, meh, Skip, we have references of being innovative and that comes up multiple parts in the job description. Then there is strategic, entrepreneurial and empathetic. And hint, you can also use these for your answer for what is your greatest strength? Be sure to watch my video on how to answer that question. Because identifying these traits is not just because we're doing this for this one niche question that could potentially come up in the job interview. No, there are countless other applications for you doing this pre work. This pre work will influence the most impactful parts of your job interview, especially the way you start the interview and conclude it. Yet so many people don't know what to say to start and end their interviews to leave the best possible impression because you need to make a powerful introduction, describe yourself and then at the end, imagine wrapping up an interview by getting the interviewer to completely be sold on you. So those scripts are already written for you. Go ahead and grab them below for free. Okay, so if I was going for this role at ebay, the first adjective I choose is innovative since that was clearly the most popular word they used in the job description. There are two massively important things that many job seekers mess up as a part of their answer. First, instead of focusing on what they the job description emphasized, they describe themselves as the three words that are most relevant to their job experience and the way they see themselves so vividly. I know you are a unique starfish who is multifaceted, but this is not how you win the game. Oh, there are so many tips out there for this question and they will actually give you a word bank and phrases to say which is so aggravating because what you will say should not come off of some generic list that comes from a video or article. It comes from the specific opportunity. You win the game by being hyper specific about exactly what the company wants to hear. So don't get distracted. The second mistake I see job seekers make when answering this question is they will simply make their answer full of self describing such as the wrong way to answer this question sounds a little something like I describe myself as innovative, I have a fresh perspective on things and I'm always staying up to date on what's happening in the market. That's okay. It's not very convincing though. Say something that is objectively true that could be proven in a court of law. Instead, here's what you're going to do. You're going to name one trade trait and then give a quick example from your experience for each trait. So your answer would sound something like the first word I'd use to describe myself is innovative because as a product leader in my most recent role, I use market research to launch two new product lines that opened up completely new markets to us. Okay, and then do that for the following two words. So let's review Describe yourself using three traits that are emphasized in the job description or come up with a three word phrase like make it count or let's get weird to set yourself apart. I hope you know I'm joking about that second phrase because sometimes if I don't laugh, people think I'm serious. For the three traits, include examples of how you have shown those traits in the work in your career.

Give an example of a goal you set and how you achieved it, or another version is what is your greatest accomplishment? Depending on your profession, you can usually predict a more specific version of this question, such as if you're an event planner, they might ask what is the greatest event you've planned? Or if you're a salesperson, what is the best deal you landed? Basically, they are opening up the floor to you and saying I'm giving you a moment to shine. Show us what you got kid. For this answer, you need to pick an answer that has has two components. The first is relevancy. Too many job seekers pick their favorite accomplishment of theirs, such as I've heard job seekers pick that they are proud to be the first person in their family to get an mba. But that doesn't set you apart, nor does it share the value you're actually going to deliver in the role. And then the second thing is to focus on it being impressive. Choose an accomplishment where you did something really well and the result results were great. Here's an example. In my role as Regional Sales Manager, I was tasked with turning around the performance of a struggling sales region that had been underperforming for several quarters. To achieve this, I first conducted a thorough analysis of the region's performance, identifying key issues such as low customer engagement and inefficient sales processes. I implemented a comprehensive strategy that included retraining the sales team, introducing a new CRM system to streamline processes, and launching targeted marketing campaigns to re engage existing clients. I also set clear, measurable goals for each team member and provided ongoing coaching to ensure that they were on track. Within six months, the region not only met but exceeded target, achieving a 35% increase in revenue. The turnaround was recognized company wide, and the strategies I implemented were adopted in other regions as well. I cannot wait to hear how you do in your interviews. Be sure to hit a like on this video. That is a huge help to this channel. And make sure you're subscribed so that you don't forget to get help in your career. You've got this WI fi high five.