How To Answer Difficult Interview Question

There are some ways to approach the interviewer while still being aware of their intent which will guide you through the process and help you come up with responses.

Have you ever had an interview where you feel unprepared for or uncomfortable answering questions? Well, this is one of those situations when it can be hard to know how to respond. You may try and force your thoughts into a thought that makes you sound smart, but in truth you can’t answer any of these ‘difficult’ questions as well as they are meant to be answered. There are some ways to approach the interviewer while still being aware of their intent which will guide you through the process and help you come up with responses.

Here are Six difficult interview questions and answers to each. This will hopefully help you prepare for them effectively when the time comes.

1. What is your greatest weakness as a student? Why do you think you have it? (10 minutes)

This question can be used to show your self-awareness of what they want to talk about and helps the interviewer get an idea of what you believe you have to say. It shows them that you understand how they are looking at the role and what they are trying to discuss, so if you answer like most other recent graduates their first job interview then you should be able to keep the focus on what they are asking about and avoid jumping into too much detail. If you are asked to provide examples you might be thinking about a particular type of work or experience or something you have completed over the past few years but even then don’t go to far by providing too many details or telling the interviewer what you did but rather emphasize your strengths by focusing more heavily on what you got out of it. Even if someone doesn’t ask you directly what you did it can be useful to point out how a specific situation was approached, why you chose to take certain actions and what was achieved after those specific actions had been taken. Remember to add the fact that there are no right answers here, just a way for you to show how serious they are about talking about you. Another great trick to help you answer this question is to paraphrase the question back to the interviewer and include relevant examples that support their interpretation or ideas.

2. Which company would you be interested in working for? Why? (5 minutes)

This is another chance to make sure that you are fully prepared for whatever conversation the interviewer has thrown at you as it’s never going to be easy. The trick here is to make sure you know what you would like the company to be and why you would be a good fit. For example think about what values you’d have and what skills you would bring to the team. Are you focused on helping people and working in teams or do you prefer to have a quieter personality? Think about what roles the organization usually does best – sales, marketing etc. What skills do you have that others will benefit from? Now look for opportunities to put those qualities into practice. Does it relate to their culture or goals – such as creativity for an advertising agency? Do you want to grow your career? Maybe you are interested in starting your own business. Or any role where you need teamwork or communications? All of those things will allow you to demonstrate areas of expertise relevant to that position you are applying for. Also remember to mention any special skills or experiences you have including volunteering or other types of projects and experiences outside of work. Not only will it give them a more clear picture of who you are as an individual, it also gives them a better indication of how much of a person you are likely to be.

3. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your career path? (5 minutes)

Another opportunity to highlight any unique skills that they may not already know about you or have not mentioned elsewhere. Often times we don’t want to come off as desperate or lack confidence in our abilities because we want to be honest about ourselves and our careers. But sometimes it can be nice to see what they are seeing about you and see some common ground between what they are asking and what you intend to share with the employer. By saying that you came from a troubled home, that you attended college for creative writing, and that you are currently unemployed is an open invitation to explain your story. Of course, it doesn’t mean that everything needs to be perfect or the work experience needs to be flawless – in fact it won’t happen at the same pace as you are hoping, but just making sure that your experience aligns with theirs and making sure that they can see something positive from it helps to build rapport and trust. Be sure that you aren’t coming across as rushed or overly critical – just a reflection of how passionate you are for this type of work and what you hope for as your future step into new territory. One last thing before you start answering is to think about the reasons for the interview. If you are really passionate about their industry or have some interesting insights into their organization then perhaps showing interest in interviewing there is a way in demonstrating that you think their vision is important or a strong area to bring forward.

4. Do you like to work behind the scenes or have a background in customer service? (5 minutes)

Again another opportunity to create a persona for yourself by bringing a personal experience to showcase how successful they are in building relationships with customers. Some companies value employees who can build strong relationships with clients and this is likely how you came to be employed by them. They could have hired you based on how you interacted with existing staff, worked closely with them and understood their expectations. Perhaps you were involved in developing their product or even assisted them with developing it from scratch. Take some time to reflect on why you liked working in positions that required this level of engagement but didn’t pursue a career where you were expected to sell products and services. Whether it’s a customer service position or some aspect related to the finance department, try and recall exactly what it was that made you want the responsibility and what drove you to choose that particular role as opposed to the other option. Once again pay attention to your interviewer’s tone and body language since they are watching/listening not only for the content of your resume but also how you react in general. Sometimes even words said in casual settings may convey different messages than the ones spoken to a senior executive. A great technique to use is to watch as many interviews online as possible and listen carefully to what someone else says. Then note down the key phrases from their mouth and think about how you could apply those traits or messages yourself. This takes a lot more preparation than simply sitting in front of a screen listening to what is being told, however it is worth doing for an extra layer of control.

5. Tell me about yourself and describe 3 main things that you love / hate at least once. (10 minutes)

It becomes easier to identify what other parts of your life are more important

This is a great opportunity to paint a vivid picture of yourself. Start by thinking about what aspects of yourself you enjoy doing and what parts of your life you would change. When you consider how important your interests are to you and what it brings you satisfaction, it becomes easier to identify what other parts of your life are more important. Imagine that if you lost all of your hobbies, what would you do? Probably not very much! Try your hand at making lists of all the activities that you enjoy doing. You can also decide to write a short letter to your hobbies and then compose a list of activities within those categories. Your goal is to make it seem realistic to the reader. Make sure that you are careful not to ramble on and instead focus on how much time you spend on each activity and then explain why it brings them pleasure or happiness. Here it is going to be helpful to compare this part of a long essay to what jobs usually require and to find some similarities so that you are aware that you’re probably talking the same material. You can also find books written specifically to teach or inform about your passions and hobbies. I also often recommend reading autobiographies written specifically to promote particular interests so you can see what motivates them and what gives them purpose. It’s always exciting to read personal stories of success or failure. Again it isn’t necessary to have every single thing you loved to do completely redone in order to illustrate this point, but it can help to make certain that you don’t get bogged down in how great of a teacher they are, how entertaining their humor is, or their ability to write an engaging blog post. Instead let’s concentrate on what you enjoy the most about the subject matter while keeping it real for potential employers: something more tangible than you would have described at face value.

6. If you have any feedback on anything you read for this section, please let me know (15 minutes)

An ideal candidate will have received some criticism or advice from a friend/family member or professional on your project from someone in another line of work. Many of us are familiar with these kinds of frustrations. In general, don’t worry. Just be honest about why you feel dissatisfied and offer advice as to how you would overcome that problem. It’s hard not to be sympathetic to someone who is looking a little frustrated from having to complete a task that they feel should take longer to complete because they have to deal with a co-worker who is unhappy in another location. Keep in mind that some aspects of a project will inevitably take longer than expected and it is unlikely that anyone is going to magically start feeling inspired immediately if this happens. Don’t make assumptions about how everyone is reacting to this topic or what they are likely going to say. Focus on what you know of the situation and the issues that need solving, regardless of how you feel about the person who has tried to solve the issue by giving you their two cents on it.