The first category of questions is those trivial ones at the start of your meeting when the interviewer may be trying to be hospitable, trying to put you (and himself) at ease. Business meetings usually start in this manner, and the chit-chat goes on until the Chairman says, "Well, let's get down to the business at hand." When you walk into the interviewer's office you might expect to spend three, four or five minutes with questions such as:
1. "Have you ever seen it rain so hard in July?"
2. "Did you have any trouble finding our place?"
3. "Did you see the big story in the morning paper about the earthquake in Peru?"
Usually these questions are brief and soon the actual interview will start. Sometimes, the ineffectual interviewer doesn't know how to get the conversation going and will drag out these preliminary niceties. You can help the situation by throwing out your first question. If the interviewer seems disposed to stay on the subject of the awful weather conditions, you can get the interview going by saying, "This rain is really jamming up the freeways.
While driving here I was wondering how this weather might affect your manufacturing operation? (Or, your retail sales?)"
Another category of questions are those probing into your private life:
4. "Tell me about your family?*
5. "How do you spend your leisure time?"
6. "Tell me about your health?"
7. "Are you married?" *
8. What language do you speak at home?" *
9. "Are you affiliated with any religious group?" *
10. "How long have you lived at your present address?"
Some of the above questions (*) are illegal, but you may hear them anyway. The interviewer does not want to hear a long dissertation about your wonderful family, nor does he want a detailed explanation of your last visit to the doctor. He merely wants to get the conversation going. Think how you will reply to questions such as these to enable you to get to the purpose of your interview.
Some questions probe into your psychological makeup:
11. "Are your primary interests money, power, prestige, or what?"
12. "Why do you consider yourself successful?"
13. "How would other people describe you?"
14. "What has been your greatest disappointment?"
15. "What are your pet peeves?"
Smile, and brush off these questions lightly. "How do people describe me? I really can't say, but I guess the descriptions can't be too negative as I have many good and long time friends." That took only seven seconds. Now ask a question to change the subject.
"What are my primary interests?" Show by your facial expression you are seriously considering the question, then say. "I haven't thought too much about that. I try to be a good family man and also a good employee. I guess if I succeed at both I will enjoy many rewards." That took eleven seconds, after which you ask a question.
You will often be asked questions having to do with money:
16. "How much money are you looking for?"
17. "What is the minimum salary you'll accept?
18. "What is your salary history?"
19. "What is your present salary?"
20. "How much were you making on your last job?"
These are tough questions. The interviewer is trying to find out how cheaply he can buy you. Tough questions require tough fielding. Practice, practice, practice your responses to these questions. Stick to the position you have an open mind when it comes to salary.
Many questions appear not to be stressful, but may tempt you to talk too much.
21. "Why are you interested in this position?"
22. "What has been the greatest influence on your life?"
23. "Which of your Accomplishments have been the most significant?"
24. "If you could relive the past ten years, what changes would you make?"
25. "What is your management style?"
Keep your answers brief. The interviewer is just groping around, trying to get a conversation going. The last thing he wants is a five minute speech about how your high school track coach (or your Minister, or your Uncle Simon) was the greatest influence in your life.
"How would you relieve the past ten years?" Think a moment, smile in appreciation of such an excellent question, and offer, "I've never thought much about reliving the past, except to learn from mistakes and apply that knowledge to my future actions." That took eight seconds. Now, ask a question to get the conversation back to the problems you might be expected to solve.
Then there are "comparative" questions:
26. "Tell me about the best boss you ever had?"
27. "Which do you consider to be your greatest strengths?"
28. "What did you like the most about your last job?"
Every time you hear one of these questions, a little bell should go off in the back of your head. Why? Because these questions set you up for the next questions:
29. "Well, then, who was the worst boss you ever had?"
30. "That's interesting. Now, which are your greatest weaknesses?"
31. Tell me why you enjoyed your last job. Tell me about the things you liked the least about it?"
These questions are troublesome because they force you to talk about negatives. Question 29 would not have come up if you had answered number 26 something along the following line. "I've never been asked before to rank my bosses and, now that I think about it, it's hard to do. I've had the good fortune to have good bosses throughout my career and I can honestly say I learned from each and every one." That took twelve seconds. Now, you ask a question to change the subject. The interviewer will not come back to your "worst bosses."
Many other questions lead you into negative responses:
32. "Why do you want to leave your present job?"
33. "What kind of decisions gives you problems?"
34. "What have you learned from your mistakes?"
35. "What problems have you had in previous jobs?"
These questions are tough, but they will come up, so you must be prepared. The question, "What are your pet gripes?" already mentioned as No. 15, also falls in this category. Spend time on these and have brief and sensible answers ready. "Problems in previous jobs?" You smile. You adopt a pensive look. You smile some more. "Well, being a manager means facing problems and finding solutions. I am pleased to say my record is excellent in that respect." Seven seconds. And now, of course, ask a question.
Interviewers come in all shapes and sizes. Some are kind and gentle. Some are unfriendly. Some are polite and reserved. Some are cruel and sadistic who enjoy their power position. These types often take pleasure in throwing questions at you designed to put you under pressure and make you squirm.
36. "Why should I hire you?"
37. "How long have you been out of work?"
38. "Why have you had so many jobs in the last ten years?"
39. "Why did you leave your last job?"
These questions will not bother you if you have prepared brief replies to each of them ahead of time. It is hard to suggest specific answers as each situation is different. If you have been out of work a long time, you must come up with a rational explanation. If it has been three years since your last job, perhaps you can say you were doing some kind of consulting work. Perhaps you were working part-time while you pursued your education. Because these questions are so difficult and put you on the defensive, it is imperative you prepare answers to the best of your ability, to be followed by a good question to deflect the interviewer's attention back to the needs of the position.
You will also hear questions that may be downright silly. Keep your cool. Remember, the poor interviewer doesn't know what to ask you and is floundering around trying to give the conversation direction:
40. "Why do you want to work here?"
("Because I have bills to pay and a family to feed!")
41. "How long do you foresee working for us?" ("Until senility sets in!")
42. "What have you done to improve yourself lately?" ("I've dropped cigarettes, whiskey and wild women!")
43. "Did you ever make suggestions to management?" ("Who me? Never. I avoid sticking out my neck!")
Wouldn't it be fun to indulge some of these sarcastic answers? Resist the temptation. You cannot afford to put down the inquisitor. No matter how ridiculous the question, you smile, smile some more, then give your brief reply followed by a question. Here are some better ways to respond to questions 40 through 43.
40. "Your company is a leader in its field and it would be a privilege to be part of it." Four seconds.
41. "Fm looking for a permanent relationship that would last until the day I retire." Four seconds.
42. "It has long been my habit to look back on my actions critically and to improve my behavior." Six seconds.
43. "My regular practice is to look for better ways to do things and to advise management accordingly." Six seconds.
Each of the above replies would be followed by one of your prepared erudite questions.
Some questions are encouraging because they demonstrate interest on the interviewer's part, and suggest you are being seriously measured for the job:
44. "How do you feel about occasionally having to take work home?"
45. "How do you feel about working for a woman (or, for someone younger than you)?"
46. "Some of the people you would supervise wanted this job. How would you handle them?"
47. "Are you able to work overtime? Evenings? Saturdays?"
48. "Would you consider relocation?"
49. "Would you be interested in entry level positions?"
50. "Are you applying for other jobs now?"
51. "Are you considering other positions at this time? How does this one compare?"
52. "If we hire you, what do you see as your future?
These are all easy to answer. Don't forget to keep your answers brief. And don't forget to help the interviewer, by asking YOUR questions.
Sometimes, to get you talking, the interviewer will resort to philosophical questions:
53. "What do you really want to do in life?"
54. "What does success mean to you?"
55. "If you had a choice of jobs, what would you do?"
56. "What are you seeking in a job?"
These questions would be more appropriate over drinks in a bar. If the interviewer is philosophically inclined, you might find yourself spending a lot of time exploring these issues. Be firm. Be strong. Prepare brief answers and ask questions to bring the conversation to the needs of the job and how you can meet those needs.
Sometimes the interview is going well and you sense the interviewer likes you. He asks questions suggesting he would like to work you into his organization:
57. "I have some reservations about your lack of experience, (or, your lack of training)."
58. "You seem over qualified for this position."
These are really statements, not questions, but they still require a response from you. You must convince the interviewer his concerns are unfounded. You have always been a quick learner. What you lack in experience you make up in intelligence and desire to succeed. If you are seen as over qualified, explain you will bring strength to the job and will be able to assume more responsibilities in a short time. And don't forget, the way to get off these areas is to ask a question to get the interviewer talking on a more favorable subject.
The list of questions continues. Here are a few more which fall into one or more of the preceding categories. Study each of these and work on good, brief, polite replies:
59. What experience do you have in this line of work?"
60. "What do you know about our company?"
61. "What have you been doing since your last job?"
62. "What can you do for this company?"
63. "What do you think management could do to help you function better as an employee?"
64. "How do you perform under pressure?"
65. "Why do you think you'd be successful at this job?"
66. "How do your abilities relate to this job?"
67. "Would you put the company's interest before yours?"
68. "What motivates you to put forth great effort?"
69. "Are you a good leader?"
70. "What's your hiring and firing experience?"
71. "What books have you read lately?"
72. "How do you react to criticism?"
73. "Why do you want to get into this field?"
To this list you should add any additional questions you feel may give you trouble because of some specific weakness in your background. For example, if you have been married and divorced four times, you should prepare responses to questions probing your marital status. If you are a recovering alcoholic, you want to be prepared should the subject come up. If you belong to a minority group, think of any questions you could be asked and have brief answers prepared.
To sum up, think of any questions you don't want to hear. Write out these questions and prepare good responses. If you have worked hard on your Sensitive Questions, you will go into any interview with confidence, knowing you won't be caught by surprise.
Women are often asked questions requiring delicate handling. Sometimes such questions spring from male chauvinism, and sometimes from the genuine concern of a non-biased interviewer. Don't let any of these questions destroy your poise. If it is a good job for which you are in contention, don't let a sexist question throw you off balance. Smile, take a deep breath and fire back one of your well-prepared replies. A few examples follow:
74. "How does your husband feel about your working?"
75. "How do you feel about attending conferences with men?"
76. "What kind of position does your husband have? Might he be transferred?"
77. "Are you planning to have children?"
78. "Do you think you can supervise men?"
79. "This job has always been handled by a man. Do you think you can handle it?"
These questions only create a problem when sprung on you unexpectedly. They are not hard to handle if you have prepared your answers ahead of time.
One question often asked is one you should never hear:
80. "Do you have any questions?"
Why you should never hear this question? Because you are the PREPARED candidate. You haven't been passive. You have asked questions throughout the interview, so it would be unthinkable for the interviewer to ask if you have any questions! The interviewer might open the interview by asking for your questions. But, later on, he shouldn't ask such a question.
Now we come to the question you will hear often. This is one for which you should be well prepared and one usually asked near the beginning of the interview. This question will give you the early opportunity to take control of the interview, and help direct the conversation toward your strengths:
81. "Tell me about yourself?*
The Key Talents are the selling points you emphasize in your resume, your correspondence and your interviews.
Your objective is to get the interviewer to perceive how you will contribute toward the solution of problems. One of the most effective ways to get started on the right foot is to develop a Thirty Second Speech in answer to the question, "Tell me about yourself."
Without advance preparation, your response might be:
"My name is Bill Anderson. I was born in Indiana and came to California at the age of 14 when my father's company transferred him here. After graduating from Carter High School, I received my engineering degree from Cal State Burbank and for the past ten years I've worked in the field of plasma disposal. My wife and I have been happily married for twelve years and we have three children, two girls, nine and seven, and a little boy four years old. I'm looking for a new job because my present company is transferring its operations to Dallas."
Ouch! This is a typical job hunter's reply to the question, and it may go on for several minutes. Sadly, it is all wrong. The interviewer doesn't want to hear about where you were born, about your family life, about where you went to school. The interviewer is merely trying to get a conversation started and has given you a great opportunity. Pounce on it!
Your Thirty Second Speech must throw a spotlight on your Key Talents, the assets that make you valuable and unique. These are the qualities that will make you look better than all other candidates for the job. And don't forget to end your Thirty Second Speech with a good, strategic, open-ended question.
YOU USE THIS SPEECH IN EVERY INTERVIEW.
Why is this Thirty Second Speech so important? Because it comes early in the meeting, establishing the subject and focus of the conversation on you. Right at the outset of the interview you are talking about your strengths. You end your Speech by asking your first question, which will put you in control of the dialogue early.
What will your Thirty Second Speech sound like? You want to make sure your brief talk doesn't come out sounding memorized. Prepare it carefully. It must sound relaxed and conversational in tone. Rehearse it over and over and deliver it to friends and loved ones, anyone who will listen and give you suggestions, until your audience says, "That sounds great!"
Assume, for example, analysis of your accomplishments resulted in identifying your Key Talents as:
- Problem solver
- Good motivator
- Good organizer
- Good communicator
- Analytical
- Creative
"As a good organizer and planner and with ability to motivate high level personnel from all disciplines, I was able to turn around the Acme Company from loss to profitability within eighteen months. These same attributes also enabled me to triple their volume within the next four years.
I am analytical and have been very successful in finding creative solutions to problems. In my opinion, an effective leader needs not only to find solutions, but also to be able to communicate goals, strategy and tactics to all levels of his organization."
That should take about thirty seconds. Now you ask your first question:
"Tell me, Mr. Roberts, how have you managed to maintain your market share in light of the increasing competition from Asia?"
This is how you score points. You are in control with your first question. Answering your question should keep Mr. Roberts talking for a few minutes... and you are on your way to a successful interview.
