How to Answer These 5 Common Interview Questions

 

Rachel Slifka

 

Interviews are stressful for most people. You’re asked what seems like never ending amounts of questions about yourself, your experience, and your skill set, and being closely evaluated in everything you do.

 

While the anxiety invoked by an interview is natural, one way you can lessen that stress is to better prepare. If you have been to a number of interviews during your career, you likely know some of the common questions the hiring manager will ask. But how you respond is everything.

 

Here what you need to know in order to answer these 6 common interview questions.

 

1. “Tell me about yourself?

 

This question seems natural, or casual even, and therefore it can easily throw people off.

 

The interviewer here is really looking for a short summary of your experience and your qualifications. Think of it as your elevator pitch. This is usually one of the first questions asked in an interview, so your response is everything since it is what leaves the first impression.

 

The trick here is to gloat a little about your experience, but also let your personality show through. Your impression is everything, so practice this question – it comes up in nearly every single interview, so it doesn’t hurt to have a response prepared. Be careful not to ramble on or to overshare details about your personal life.

 

Share a brief history of your experience. If you have confusing gaps or experiences on your resume, this is the time to quickly explain them without making them seem like something negative. Walk the interviewers through your resume and your career goals – it will help to better steer the rest of the interview.

 

2. “What interests you about this position?”

 

Think about this question from a hiring manager’s perspective. If you were hiring for a job, what would you want an interviewee to say?

 

Likely, you would want an interviewee to be enthusiastic about this position and talk about how it will further their career goals, and to share what those career goals are.

 

If you were the hiring manager, you probably wouldn’t want to hear a long saga about a failed past job, or a heavy personal situation that left you looking for a career change. So when you are interviewing, focus on the positive and what the job can offer you. Don’t just answer why you need this job.

 

3. “What are your biggest strengths? What about your biggest weaknesses?

 

People usually have no problem coming up with their strengths, but sharing weaknesses is challenging and even slightly uncomfortable.

 

Absolutely everyone has areas they can improve upon. The worst thing you can do is say you have no weaknesses – that makes it seem like you are difficult to work with.

 

Instead what you should do is start with your strengths. Share the areas where you truly excel, and don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Answers like “organization,” or “work ethic,” are common to share, and hiring managers have already heard it all. Think about what really sets you apart, such as being resourceful, empathetic, or client-focused.

 

Next, go on to share your negatives (or at least one negative). Be honest about them. When you’re honest, it becomes apparent that you’re at least aware of what you need to work on. The twist here is that after you share your negative about yourself, find a way to spin it into a positive.

 

For instance, one of my worst work characteristics is that I tend to hyper-focus on the details, even when the details don’t really matter or I am under a hefty time constraint. While that’s something I am aware of and working on, it means I have no problem being very thorough with a project or task when I need to be.

 

4. “Tell me about a time when…”

 

Ah, the STAR interview format. The STAR format has grown in popularity in recent years, because interviewers are more interested in knowing your reactions to common workplace situations instead of just your qualifications.

 

STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. Interviewers want you to talk about the situation, what you had to do, what you actually did, and what the outcome was in a particular situation.

 

With a STAR interview, you will commonly be asked to “tell me about a time when…” or “how would you handle it when…” The interviewer knows these questions are hard, but they are looking to see your reaction and how well you can think on your feet.

 

It’s key to understand that there is no perfect answer to these types of questions. But rather, what’s important is how you answer it. Be truthful, explain the situation, and how you reacted. If you didn’t react perfectly, tell the interviewer what you would have done differently. Most of all, be cool and calm.

 

If you’re really thrown by this type of question, buy yourself time during an interview. It never looks bad to say “Great question. Let me think about that for a minute,” and buy yourself a few seconds to compose a response.

 

5. “What do you like to do for fun?”

 

This question is usually a good sign – in many cases, it means the hiring manager is interested in you and wants to connect with you personally, not just professionally.

 

So, the good news is that this question doesn’t usually come with a whole lot of restrictions. You can feel free to be yourself! Keep in mind, however, it never hurts to highlight your best qualities and interests. Saying you enjoy productive and healthy activities leaves a better impression than talking about your obsession with reality television or video games.

 

Also do not feel compelled to share much in response to this question. Ultimately the hiring manager should be choosing the best candidate based on qualifications, not how much they have in common with the candidate.

 

Bonus: “What salary are you looking for?”

 

No one likes answering this question – talking money always feels somewhat awkward. Ideally, you researched your salary expectation before going into the interview. Even so, it’s vital to practice communicating your salary expectations, so you don’t accidentally sell yourself short.

 

Never start with your bottom line – it is always easier to negotiate a lesser salary than a higher one. Be fair, and back your request up with data when possible. Use tools like Glassdoor and Indeed to find salary data in your area.