Advanced
Interviewing Questions
The
following questions hold potential hazards—especially for those unemployed and/or unprepared. Skilled interviewers
will casually ask these types of questions with a beguiling smile. Clever interviewers
may even appear lighthearted and cordial rather than tenaciously inquisitive.
These tricks and trap interviewing questions are designed to catch you off
guard.
Questions
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Rationale
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Why have you been out of work so long?
Or
How long have you been looking for employment?
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However
you elect to address this question, you best give it forethought. Whatever
your response, it better not sound like you are just another excuse maker looking for a place and a
paycheck.
Do
not think your interviewer is so gullible that he/she will buy into any
malarkey you plan to offer. Won’t happen. Just because you may have been laid
off rarely placates interviewers.
If
you allow yourself to be blindsided by this type of question, you’ve been
exposed. The question is designed to trick you into coughing up a plausible excuse. There are no acceptable
excuses.
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How did you prepare for this
interview?
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If
you are employed, they need to know if you scheduled time off. If you so much
as hint you are stealing time-off from your employer, you are dead. Best suggestion
is to ask for appointment interviews outside normal working hours.
If
you are unemployed, avoid leaving the impression you have plenty of time on
your hands. Best suggestion is to demonstrate
how much time you invested in researching
the company.
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What types of publications do you
read?
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This
simple question threw job candidate Sarah Palin into a tailspin. The
candidate was unable to respond adequately—thus leaving the electorate with
the impression she reads little to nothing.
What
you read—or fail to read—shouts volumes about what and who you are. Whatever
your trade or profession, you should appear up-to-date, with it and
knowledgeable, especially in your field.
When
you speak intelligently about trends, concepts and current events, you leave
a positive impression. The opposite is equally true.
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Do you know anyone who works here?
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Normally,
having an “in” is considered a good thing, but it can come back to bite you.
You will be judged on the basis of whomever you name.
If
the individual is not well regarded, you get painted with the same brush.
Hence, whatever reputation, drawbacks or shortcoming that person holds within
the company is attached to you.
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What is it you really like to do?
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Are
you into true confessions? If so, this
is a trap question. You should be interested in the type of work you are
applying for. Anything short of that response will be held against you.
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In the workplace, what annoys you
most?
Or
What bothers you most about your boss?
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This
is another true confessions type of question designed to trip you up. What
will annoy most people are things that are beyond their control. If it were
otherwise, it should not annoy you.
The
crux of these types of questions is to determine to what extent you have
difficulty dealing with others. Best advice is to pre-think the question
before offering a mindless response.
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Describe how you solve work-related
problems?
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How
you confront, address and solve (or resolve) problems is a basic workplace
issue. A question of this nature is not supposed to catch you off guard.
Many
unprepared job seekers respond with, “Could you be more specific?” in an
effort to buy thinking time.
Prepared
interviewers focus on identifying the correct problem, and then develop
possible solutions. You never want to take problems to a superior without also
suggesting possible solutions.
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What was your worst mistake?
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This
is another true confessions question. What the interviewer is looking for is what
you learned from your mistake.
But
they rarely ask this type of question straightforwardly. They intentionally
keep it open-ended. All open-ended questions allow you to hoist yourself on
your own petard.
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What would you do if you suddenly came
into a lot of money, or won the lottery?
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This
is one of those pie-in-the-sky questions designed to reveal your work ethics
and values. It can also indicate if
you are a pipe dreamer who is prone to flights of fantasy.
The
chances of winning any sizeable jackpot without effort are tantamount to
silliness. Buy into this silliness and you risk throwing job offers away.
Give some thought into making investments or setting up an annuity, endowment
or trust fund.
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Tell me (us) how you manage your time?
Or
What do you do in your spare time?
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Time
is everyone’s bane! For some, there are not enough hours, while for others,
time weighs heavy.
For
those unable to manage their time effectively, time will manage them.
How
you elect to address this question depends on your drive, ambition and
priorities. To respond to this question, have your priorities well
established before the interview.
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If you could start your life over,
what would you do differently?
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This
is a fishing question designed to target your regrets, values and lost
opportunities. The safe answer is to focus on additional education, making
wiser investments, learning foreign languages or perhaps learning to play a
musical instrument.
This
question deals more with your foresight, rather than wishful thinking answer.
If you allow yourself to fall into the latter category, blame yourself.
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The reason for not supplying
you with cookie-cutter responses to these questions is to motivate your
thinking process and develop your interviewing acumen. You need to be
proactive rather than a passive-aggressive candidate.[1] Moreover,
a response appropriate for one might not be applicable to another. Best advice
is to know as much about the company as your interviewer. Then, tailor your
answers accordingly to address the company’s needs. That’s the secret
job-interviewing formula.
[1] A
passive-aggressive job candidate is defined as someone who outwardly appears to
hunt for employment, while never intending to follow through. The individual
may scour the want ads daily, but occupy his/her time with “other matters” or
busy work to avoid having the time to schedule or go on interviews. In short,
the individual will appear busy, but not perform.
In the off-chance they actually schedule an interview; they will come up with a
totally plausible excuse for being unavailable. Some passive-aggressive job
candidates carry this to extremes by going on interviews, and then undermine
the situation by delivering a lukewarm interviewing performance.