Notesale: Turn your study into money

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© Copyright Peggy McKee, 2014
All rights reserved
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About the Author
Peggy McKee is an expert resource and dedicated advocate for job seekers
...

Peggy has been named #1 on the list of the Top 25 Most Influential Online Recruiters by HR
Examiner, and has been quoted in articles from CNN, CAP TODAY , and more
...
com Guide to Interviewing Skills
...
She earned a B
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in Chemistry and an M
...
A
...
She lives in Texas with her husband and two children and loves ranch
work, trail riding, and her favorite horse, Lucky
...
When she consistently found
herself advising jobseekers who weren’t her candidates, she developed a new business model to
offer personalized career coaching as well as tools to help you thrive and succeed in the job search…
and Career Confidential was born
...
Peggy
receives positive feedback every day from candidates who have used her tools to land the job of their
dreams, and loves that she has contributed to their success
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CareerConfidential
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blogspot
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One year from now you go home at the end of the
week and think that this is the best job you've ever had
...
How
did you handle it?

Job Interview Question 6
Describe a time when your team did not agree
...
Did you pursue a full-time job with them? What happened?

Job Interview Question 38
If I were to ask your current boss to tell me one thing you do that drives them crazy,
what would they say?

Job Interview Question 39
If I were to ask your current boss what your greatest strength is, what would they say?

Job Interview Question 40
If you are employed, how are you managing time to interview?

Job Interview Question 41
If you could choose any company to work for, which one would it be?

Job Interview Question 42
If you get the job, how could you lose or make money for me?

Job Interview Question 43
If you knew things at your company were rocky, why didn't you get out sooner?

Job Interview Question 44
If you were at a business lunch and you ordered a rare steak and they brought it to you
well-done, what would you do?

Job Interview Question 45
If you were running a company that produces X and the market was tanking for that
product, what would you do?

Job Interview Question 46
If you were the CEO of this company, what are the top 2 things you would do?

Job Interview Question 47
If you won the lottery, would you still work?

Job Interview Question 48
Is it more important to be lucky or skillful?

Job Interview Question 49
Is there any question I haven't asked you that I should?

Job Interview Question 50

It's your dime
...
What happened?

Job Interview Question 59
Tell me about the toughest negotiation you've ever been in

Job Interview Question 60
Tell me about the worst boss you've ever had

Job Interview Question 61
Tell me about your current (most recent) employer (i
...
what do they do, how long
they’ve been in business, etc
...


Job Interview Question 64
What are some of your leadership experiences?

Job Interview Question 65
What are the most important qualities of successful people? How do you rate yourself
in those areas?

Job Interview Question 66
What are your long-term career goals?

Job Interview Question 67
What changes have you made in working with others to be more effective at work?

Job Interview Question 68
What circumstances bring you here today?

Job Interview Question 69
What do you do to grow your skills and knowledge of the job/industry?

Job Interview Question 70
What do you expect from this job?

Job Interview Question 71
What gets you up in the morning?

Job Interview Question 72
What have you learned from all the different roles you've had?

Job Interview Question 73
What historical figure do you admire and why?

Job Interview Question 74
What if you worked for someone who managed to take credit for all your great ideas?
How would you handle it?

Job Interview Question 75
What is one thing you'd like to do better? What is your plan for accomplishing that?

Job Interview Question 76
What is the last book you read for fun? (Or, what is your favorite book?)

Job Interview Question 77
What is the most courageous action or unpopular stand that you have ever taken?

Job Interview Question 78
What is the most important thing you’re looking for in a company/job besides salary?

Job Interview Question 79
What is your biggest weakness that's really a weakness and not a secret strength?

Job Interview Question 80
What is your favorite website?

Job Interview Question 81
What qualities in your co-workers bother you most? What do you appreciate most?

Job Interview Question 82
What tools or techniques do you use to stay organized and increase your productivity?

Job Interview Question 83
What will your job references say about you?

Job Interview Question 84

What would the person who likes you least in the world say about you?

Job Interview Question 85
What would you do if management made a decision you didn't agree with?

Job Interview Question 86
What would you do if you found out the company you worked for was doing something
illegal?

Job Interview Question 87
What would you do if you got behind schedule with your part of a project?

Job Interview Question 88
What would you do if you made an important business decision and a co-worker
challenged it?

Job Interview Question 89
What would you look to accomplish in the first 30 days/60 days/90 days on the job?

Job Interview Question 90
What would your direct reports say about you?

Job Interview Question 91
What, as an organization, can we offer that is better than your current employer?

Job Interview Question 92
What's your favorite dish, and how would you convince someone who hated an
ingredient in it to try it?

Job Interview Question 93
When would you be available to start?

Job Interview Question 94
Who are our competitors?

Job Interview Question 95
Who are the influencers in your life?

Job Interview Question 96
Who do you follow on Twitter and why?

Job Interview Question 97
Why did you get into this line of work? (choose this as a career)

Job Interview Question 98
Why don't you want to give me your salary requirements?

Job Interview Question 99
Will you be out to take my job?

Job Interview Question 100
Would you rather be liked or feared?

Job Interview Question 101
You are changing careers
...
blogspot
...

To answer this question well, it’s important to think about what role you are interviewing for
...
If you are interviewing for a role where you would be part of a team (not the leader)
and you say that you are always the leader, you won’t be a good fit for the team because you can’t
work collaboratively
...
However, the truth is that most jobs require you to
be a little of both
...
You might easily at various times be part of a team, reporting to a
higher-up, leading a team, or heading a project
...
”Think about THIS particular job and what it requires to function and be successful
...


STAR Format
The STAR format is a great way to help you structure your answers to interview questions when
you need to give an example
...
What were you faced with? What was going on? Set the
scene
...

This is the most important part!
If you are a leader, tell them about a time when you exercised leadership, including the actions
you took and what the results were
...
We decided to (X, Y, and Z) and as a result, cut an
average of 2 weeks out of each process and saved each of the 6 departments an average of $100,000
a year
...
Employers need followers in many roles, but they like to see followers who can take initiative
...
If you can quantify that impact, that’s even better:
“My action resulted in a time savings for us, so we got it done 8 days faster
...


Job Interview Question 2

Are you better at "managing up" or "managing down"?

Are you better at managing up or managing down? Your answer always needs to be, "I'm good at
both
...

Here’s how this works:
If I manage up well, then:
I spend time with and talk with my manager
I understand what their goals and objectives are and make those mine, as well
I keep my manager informed of my progress on any given project so that they have confidence
that things are moving forward toward success
I know what their expectations are and make it my job to exceed them
I am proactive and try to come up with ideas and solutions to help the organization succeed
...

If I manage down well, then:
I am a good team leader and a fantastic communicator
I understand what our goals are and how the team works within the framework to achieve those
goals
I choose great people
I clarify our team goals for them and give them room to achieve
I ask for input and I listen

I keep the team moving toward the goal
Everyone in an organization needs to be good at both—you report to your manager, who reports
to the Vice-President, who reports to the President, who reports to the CEO, who reports to the Board
of Directors, who report to investors
...

So, say that you are good at both managing up and managing down, and give examples of times
when you have done both of those things
...


Use the STAR format:
Situation or Task (Set up the story—what happened? What was your goal?)
Action (What did you choose to do and why?)
Result (What happened as a result of your actions? Quantify this wherever possible
...

For managing up:
“My manager’s goal for the year was X, and my job was Y
...
At the end of the year, we had achieved our goal, plus 20%, and our
department received recognition from the company
...
I chose 5 people from a cross-department
pool, set X goals, and met with them daily for a 15-minute meeting to touch base and answer
questions
...
”

Job Interview Question 3

Are you willing to travel?
(How much are you willing to travel?)
If your answer is an unqualified “yes,” because you’re willing to go wherever, whenever, for
however long it takes, then say so
...
I’ve had
great candidates say, “I’m not willing to travel,” and then they find out how great the job is, or that the
travel is to someplace they’re really interested in, or that the salary would be very generous to
compensate for all of the travelling, and then, all of a sudden they are willing to travel
...

As a recruiter, I can tell you one of the things I found interesting about this question is that people
define “travel” very differently
...
Ask how
many nights away per week they’re talking about, so you are absolutely clear on what they are asking
for
...
It’s in their best interests to
make sure exactly whether or not you are OK with travel
...

It may be that once you find out what they mean by “travel” that you really are not interested in the
job—but you’ll never know until you ask, so don’t rule yourself out until you do
...
One year from now you go home at
the end of the week and think that this is the best job you've ever
had
...
(If they do,
it’s in relation to “I made great money while I was having fun!”)
The hiring manager wants to know that you’re excited about THIS job, working for THIS company
...

Does your vision for the perfect job match with what their job will actually be like? Will you
enjoy this job (and stick around in it, creating success) or will you get frustrated and leave?Do you
expect to be successful, and why?
You have two options here:
1
...
Focus on what THIS company can do for you or be for you that others
can’t
...
”
2
...

“I will have accomplished X, Y, and Z, that you said were our primary goals, and …
...


Remember that if you are receiving a paycheck, you are achieving a quantifiable goal
...
So tie your goals and objectives to quantifiable goals the
company needs to accomplish
...


Relate your answer to what they need, but be sincere about what would make THIS company a fun
place for you to work
...


Job Interview Question 5

Describe a time when you were asked to do something you weren't
trained to do
...
How do you think about them—are you afraid or excited? Do you have the
initiative to tackle something new? How do you approach the task? Can you think critically and
make good, logical decisions? How do you function without structure?
In your answer, talk about:
resources you used
mentors you called
books you read
counterparts you spoke with
audio you listened to
YouTube videos you watched
coaches you contacted

How did you train yourself
to successfully accomplish the task?

Use the STAR format:
Situation or Task (Set up the story—what happened? What was your goal?)
Action (What did you choose to do and why?)

Result (What happened as a result of your actions? Quantify this wherever possible
...
”
********
“I was faced with X, and at first, I didn’t know what to do
...
So I thought about what course of action would keep us moving toward those
goals? After that, it was easy to narrow down the options, and this is what I did
...
”
********
“In my last job, X happened
...
I read those, had a couple of discussions with my mentor, to
kick around ideas, and presented my ideas to my team
...
We had such success with it that the company implemented our
new procedure throughout all the divisions
...
I didn’t know the first thing about how to handle it, so I did some
research and asked for input from people in a similar position with more experience than I had at that
time
...
As a result, we saw X% increase in sales
...


Job Interview Question 6

Describe a time when your team did not agree
...
Yet, no team always gets
along perfectly
...
How you deal with any conflict says a lot about you, your
personality, and your professionalism
...


Always, when asked to describe any situation in an interview question, use the STAR
format:
Situation or Task (Set up the story—what happened? What was your goal?)
Action (What did you choose to do and why?)
Result (What happened as a result of your actions? Quantify this wherever possible
...
The outcome, or result, of
your actions, is what the employer cares about most
...
)
If your example is a team that you led:
Situation or Task– Briefly set up the situation that led to the conflict
...
(Don’t
talk about about trivial things, like how the team couldn’t agree on where to go to
lunch
...
The employer doesn’t need to know that much about the details
...

Result –This is your real focus here—the outcome
...

If your example is a team that you were on (but not necessarily leading), you want to:
Talk about how you mediated the conflict, again by listening and taking the emotion out of the
equation
...

Talk about how you rooted out the miscommunication or found common ground
...

So you might say,
“I was part of a handpicked cross-department Kaizen team tasked to find ways to become more
lean and efficient as a company
...
I took them out for coffee to take
some of the group pressure off and we talked
...
As a group, we came up with a new solution that
made this person feel much more positive about it and still achieved our goal
...
”

Job Interview Question 7

Describe a time you reduced costs or improved efficiency

Every single one of our jobs is tied to money
...
If you don't make more money
than you cost, you won't hold your job very long
...
(Quantifying it means to identify the numbers that
describe the savings—you saved 3 hours, you saved $300, you improved it by 30%, etc
...
In his process, excess gold was actually falling on
the floor—very tiny pieces, as scrap
...
We should be figuring out a way to get that gold out of those shavings
and recycle it for our sales or for something else
...
The company rewarded him with a sizable bonus
...
How would he do that?
He would know how much those gold reels cost: $200, $1000, $100,000, $200,000, or whatever it

is
...

Whatever the numbers are, you should know so you can describe the money you saved or the
efficiency you improved
...

Whatever your job is, think about what you have done that saved time, saved money, improved
efficiency, and reduced costs
...
When you talk about it in your interview, they will be
thinking that if you did that for another company, you can do that for their company, too
...

Your Brag Book (aka professional portfolio) is evidence that you can do what you say you can do
...
Either way, it sets you apart as someone who pays attention to details,
who is achievement-oriented, and who cares about giving your best
...

To the hiring manager, offering you a job often feels like a risk
...

If you haven't already, start putting your brag book together today
...

If you would like help putting yours together, check out

Career Confidential's
Brag Book eReport on Amazon

Job Interview Question 8

Describe a work or school instance where you messed up

Everybody makes mistakes
...
Why?
1
...
Are you someone who admits making a mistake or who
blames it on others?Are you too perfect to even think of a mistake you made? Or maybe you have
such low self-esteem that you can think of hundreds of things that were all your fault
...
They want to know if you learn from your mistakes and come out of them better than you were
before
...

What are the ‘rules’ of a good mistake story?
Don’t talk about the biggest mistake you ever made
that spiraled out of control and had
huge repercussions for your company
...

Don’t talk about a mistake that points to a major flaw
...

If you’re an administrative assistant, don’t talk about the time you failed to communicate vital
information and caused your boss to miss an important meeting—talk about the time in your first job
that you didn’t write down a message because you thought you could remember it and you didn’t, and
you had to call back, so now you are meticulous about keeping information complete and organized
...

Tell what you did to rectify the mistake or address the shortcoming that caused it in the first
place
...


Job Interview Question 9

Describe how you would complete
[a typical task on this job]
This behavioral interview question is very job-specific, so the details of your answer depend on the
job itself
...

However, they also want an insight into your thinking style andproblem-solving skills, and this
question helps them get to that
...

Break up whatever task it is into maybe 5-10 steps and walk them through the steps
...
I would involve X person in
this, and let Y person know
...
”
After you walk them through it, you should ask, “Was that correct?” Ask if you answered the way
they were looking for, or if there was something you’re missing
...

Clarifying for understanding is something you especially need to do with these types of questions,
so that you are sure you answered it to their satisfaction before you move on
...
Turn it into a learning moment
...
They’ll
get a chance to see how your mind works, and see what it would be like if they were working with
you and showing you how to do things on the job
...


Key to a Great Interview!

This question is a perfect time to introduce your 30-60-90-day plan!
Find out more here:

30-60-90-Day Action Plan
30-60-90-Day Sales Plan

Job Interview Question 10

Describe the boss who could get the very best work from you

This question is looking at fit—how you’ll fit into the organizational culture, and how you’ll fit with
the person who would be your boss
...
It also sheds light on your past relationships
...
But I would enjoy a boss who…
...
And then just point out 2-3 things you particularly enjoy in someone who supervises your work
...

But you also don’t want to pin yourself down to a specific list of ‘must-haves’ in case this
person doesn’t have them all
...


If you are talking about a future boss, a nice safe thing to do is to mention 2-3 qualities
that are broad enough to fit many people, and that managers strive for as a general rule:
“I love a boss who communicates with me on a regular basis, letting me know expectations
and goals
...
”
“I love a boss who trusts me enough to let me work independently but helps me when I need it
...
One in particular was a time management genius, and she really showed me
how to learn to prioritize my tasks in order to manage my time and increase my productivity
...
)
Your example could be a boss who taught you organization, communication, management skills, or
anything else that has resulted in you being better at your job
...
See how
quantification strengthens your answer:
"I brought in new clients" or
"Brought in 20 new clients in 3 months"
"I delivered product on time and under budget" or
"98% on-time delivery of product"
"Maintained accuracy in company database" or
"100% accuracy in 50,000-item database over 2 years"
Numbers, dollars, or percentages answer the hiring manager's (interviewer’s) primary
question:
"How can this person benefit MY company?"

Job Interview Question 11

Discuss your educational background

This seems straightforward, and in one sense, it is—your educational background is a fact
...

If your degree is completely and obviously related to the job you’re interviewing for, you can
say, “My undergraduate is in Chemistry and I have an MBA
...

Maybe they want to know why you chose this field
...
Plus, I knew that as a female, a Chemistry degree would make me stand out
even more, because it is unusual
...
I’m always looking for
educational experiences that help me with that goal
...
I never thought of it that way
...
”
If your degree is not 100% related to the job you’re applying for, then connect those dots for
them:
“My degree is in Psychology, which gives me a unique perspective to bring to this job that most
people in this field don’t have, so I can bring fresh, out-of-the-box thinking along with an
understanding of what makes people tick, and I have excellent communication skills
...
The skills I developed in those classes, backed by the solid critical-thinking skills I

honed in my major make me especially effective in this arena
...
You can also count:
certification or training classes (work-sponsored or not)
programs you participated in
mentorships with someone experienced in your field
even reading you’ve done on your own (being ‘self-taught’ can be even more impressive,
because it shows your level of drive and commitment)

Job Interview Question 12

Discuss your resume

This is a standard, open-ended interview question a lot like, “Tell me about yourself
...
Your job is to be a tour guide, giving them the relevant facts
they will be most interested in as they consider you for this job
...
So, say something like, “Well, my resume is in reverse chronological order, starting
with my most recent experience, but let me start from the beginning and go forward
...
My first job was at ABC
...


“From there, I was promoted to X position, where I accomplished Y
...
”
“From there, I went to XYZ Company where I really honed my skills in A, B, and C so that I was
able to move up to [a promotion]
...
For instance, you wouldn’t bother mentioning a Customer Service Award if the job you’re
interviewing for will have you working alone, never speaking to a customer
...

If you have a job in your history that seems oddly out of place, or a job that you were in a very
short time, or anything else that might cause questions, now is the time to explain your thinking
behind taking/leaving that position, or taking that time off, or whatever it is
...


Be strategic and think about which parts of your story would make this hiring manager want to
offer you the job
...


Job Interview Question 13

Do you know anyone who works for us?

Many times, the answer to this question is ‘yes,’ because many of us find out about jobs or get our
foot in the door with the help of someone we know
...

Someone they know (such as someone who works at their company) is going to be a much stronger
reference for you than someone they don’t
...
If you know that’s the case, then go ahead and tell the interviewer
who they are
...
But after you mention this person, bring it back to why you’d be a good fit
...
We’ve worked well together before, and he encouraged me to apply
here
...
”
If the person you know is someone having problems, you might not want to mention them
because you will be associated with their negative qualities
...
I applied because I believe
that my skills in A, B, and C are a perfect fit for this job, and the more I have learned about the
company and your plans for the future, the more excited I am about the possibility of working here
...
They can speak to my skill set, work ethic, and value as an X to your
company
...
A players like
to work with A players
...
You should always hire the best
you can get, and that’s an A player
...

The more A players you have, the more cushion you have in case one of your A players leaves for
a better opportunity
...

That’s not to say that B players can’t be valuable to an organization
...
They are often the
backbone of an organization that can keep the daily details moving—but they tend not to contribute to
active growth
...
If you’re going to be a manager, you need to read this book
...
Every organization is made up of
individuals with varying power levels, goals, relationship lines, and personal emotional baggage they
carry with them every day
...
How do
you bring your emotional intelligence into play to navigate in situations brimming with the baggage
and hidden agendas of the various players?
Maybe even more importantly, can you do this without bringing your own emotional baggage or
reactions to the situation? This shows your maturity, self-control and level of professionalism
...
Your example needs to be one where you exercised diplomacy or tact to not just come out
unharmed, but ideally to make all the players satisfied with the outcome (everybody wins)
...

As much as you can, keep the story you choose to tell positive, with you in a mediator role
rather than in the direct line of fire
...

You don’t want to talk about how your boss wanted you to do something unethical, and you had to
tactfully get out of doing it
...

Keep it positive and show how you made a positive impact on the situation
...
You have the power to choose a story that
highlights your very best selling qualities for this job—so use it wisely
...
Always choose a professional
example, NOT a personal one
...

A good goal that you reached could be anything:
Completing an important project
Gaining a key customer
Improving a system or process
Increasing sales
Reducing employee turnover
Implementing new procedures to improve X
Improving the company’s reputation for customer service

Tell your story using a STAR format:

Situation or Task (Set up the story—what happened? What was your goal?)
Action (What did you choose to do and why?)
Result (What happened as a result of your actions? Quantify this wherever possible
...
It was a complicated project with lots of moving
parts, and had to be completed in 90 days
...
To keep things
running as efficiently as possible, I assigned parts of the project to 5 different
teams, with check-in meetings every week
...
”
Result –
“Because of the way I set it up, we completed the project on time and 10% under
budget
...
”
Your story should clearly demonstrate how you added value to the organization through your
actions
...


Key to a Great Interview - Quantification

#$%
Describe your achievements in terms of numbers, dollars, and percentages
...
To know
them, you must be a good communicator
...
How you communicate and motivate says a lot about your work
style and management style
...
)

** If you are interviewing for a management position:
Talk about how you developed relationships with the members of your team, creating a strong,
cohesive unit that was able to achieve X (X should be a quantified value, like “the highest sales
numbers in the company” or “the award for the best customer service in the division” or whatever
outcome you achieved
...

Or, you can talk about how you go through the process of setting expectations and providing
specific feedback, and what the results of this process are for you
...

** If you are interviewing for a spot on a team:
Talk about the time your group had a member who was more focused on personal issues than on
getting the work done and say what you did to address that issue
...

Or, you asked them out to lunch and developed a relationship with them, and you realized that they
felt they weren’t a valued part of the group, so they weren’t participating
...

Any of these kinds of answers show that you are a team player who keeps an eye on the group as a
whole, not just on your individual piece
...

Either way, use the STAR format to talk about your example, and try to quantify the outcome
...
Companies want to know that you can do this and get the job
done with a minimum of conflicts and issues
...

At some point in your life, you worked on some kind of a team, whether it was an officiallyrecognized, formal team or simply a loose group with a common goal
...


Tell your story using a STAR format:
Situation or Task (Set up the story—what happened? What was your goal?)
Action (What did you choose to do and why?)
Result (What happened as a result of your actions? Quantify this wherever possible
...

The Results you achieved
What was the outcome of the action?
Did you get a positive response?
Was your team recognized for your achievement?
Can you quantify it?
Did you complete your project 5 days ahead of schedule?
Did you save $10,000?
Did you cut 5 minutes off of every part, so that you saved 80 hours over a year?

**What if you’re a student with no work experience interviewing for your first job? How do you
answer this question?
There will be some example from your past where you worked on a team—a group project, a
sports team, or even a school play
...


Job Interview Question 19

Have you ever fired someone?
If you are interviewing for a management role, they are likely to ask you this question
...
They want to know how you would handle that—
your thought process, how you feel about it, and if you can make good, logical, thoughtful choices
about this situation
...
Although it is probably difficult to make that decision, I know that I would
make it with the good of the whole department and the whole company in mind, with any necessary
input from HR and my own supervisor
...

If your answer is “Yes,” you’ll want to describe what happened
...
)

For example:
Talk about what was going on with this employee, walk them through the process of how you
addressed the situation, and how it ultimately came to firing that person
...

You want them to know that you:
didn’t take it lightly
went through the proper channels
ultimately made the hard decision and took care of business

Job Interview Question 20

Have you had to turn an employee with a bad attitude into one
with a good attitude?
We’ve all encountered the person in the office who causes trouble—they gossip, bully, or cause
dissension; they are disrespectful and uncooperative; they gripe about the company/the workload/the
long hours/the ugly office/etc
...


Some companies want you to cut those people loose as soon as possible, but some companies want
to try to save them
...
Besides, the process you have to follow in some companies is long and daunting,
and hiring someone new is expensive and time-consuming
...

They want to see that you can take action when an employee causes a drain on the morale or
productivity of your department
...

Any number of ways you could have approached this situation is a good story to tell, as long as the
outcome was a positive one:
The employee was stuck in a job beyond his or her capabilities, so you gave them a personality
test, found another position that fit them much better, moved them over, and now everyone is
happy and thriving
...

The company made a mistake in a new policy that negatively affected the employee, and they

were legitimately angry
...

Her mother was diagnosed with cancer, so you worked out a flex plan so she could take care of
her personal business and still be productive at her job
...
When they realized how their actions were going to hurt them and
maybe even get them fired, they straightened up
...


Job Interview Question 21

How did you hear about this position?

This is probably an opening question, possibly in a phone interview—but that’s no reason not to
answer it in a powerful way
...
) and leave it at that
...

If you did learn about it on a job board, say so, but then follow up with what caused you to apply
for it: “I realized as I read through the job description that I am the perfect fit for this job
...

Or you were so excited to find it because you’ve heard great things about this company for a long
time and you’re thrilled about the possibility of working there
...

If you found out about the job through a more focused source, such as an industry newsletter, a
LinkedIn group post, or on their own company website, say so, and then again, add what it was that
caused you to be excited about applying for the job
...
Then you can say, “And as I
found out more about the job, I agreed
...
I’m so glad my friend
called me!”
If you found out through a recruiter, this can be the most powerful source of all, because the
recruiter is the person who likely has a relationship with the company, and who definitely has the
most objective viewpoint on whether or not you’re a good candidate for the job
...

Even with questions that don’t really seem on the surface like a serious job interview question,
don’t miss the opportunity you have with it (and every question) to sell yourself for the job
...
This is an ideal place to set yourself apart from every other
candidate in a big way
...

A ‘good’ answer would be: “I researched the company” and show that you did by asking great
questions about the company, its priorities, and future direction
...
I created a 30-60-90-day plan so you can see how I’d approach the job in
my first 90 days and be very successful
...
Can we take a
few minutes to go over my plan and see what you think?”
No interviewer will say “No” to this
...
When you show them your plan, they will clearly see the level of
preparation you put into this interview, and the level of professionalism and commitment that you’d
bring to the job
...

When you go through your plan, ask smart, informed questions about the job
...
This will be the best possible preparation you could do for
the interview
...
If you’re going to move me forward, I’m going to give you a 10; if you’re not, I’m
going to give you a zero
...
They want to see how you react in an unexpected situation, and maybe even to see
how you handle an awkward one (like evaluating the person who is supposed to be evaluating you)
...
Maybe they’re asking you great
questions or making it easy for you to point out how well you’d do in the role
...

Very often, this question is really the new version of, “Who takes care of your children when
they’re sick?” The employer wants to know if you are willing to work extra hours, or if you’ll be off
a lot with personal matters (like sick children), or if you’re the kind of person whose desk chair is
empty at 5:01 every day, no matter what
...

Your best answer is, “I am very organized
...

You could assume that the employer is asking about what you do in your spare time to offset the
stress of work, and this would be a good opportunity to mention an active hobbysuch as running,
dancing, hiking, tennis, or even traveling, that makes you seem full of energy
...

You might be able to make a connection with the interviewer, if you happen to have the same hobby
they do
...
rather than unusual ones
(like taxidermy)
...

Keep in mind that even with this question, every word you say has a purpose—to convince them
to hire you
...
Otherwise, wait until they love you and are
closer to an offer (or better yet, after you’ve worked there for a while)
...
Asking this way, “How do
you compensate for your weaknesses?” might throw you off your game a bit
...

Give them a weakness that doesn’t affect a central, critical part of your job and tell them
what you already do to overcome it
...


This might be a good opportunity to show that you are coachable, which is a big plus
in the eyes of your future supervisor
...
I’ve been using it ever since with no problems
...
I brush up my skills with a new class every few months or so
...

Think about the company, think about the job itself,
and really tailor your answer to fit
...

Since this is a salary question, your best bet at this point is to just yet
...


Your best strategy when faced with this question is to ask questions of your own:
“In the past, my income has been split between base pay, commissions, and bonuses, so I’m not
sure
...


Job Interview Question 27

How do you feel about working for a younger manager?

If you are asked this question, you are an older worker
...

Help them feel better about making the decision to hire you, by saying a definitive, “I’d be just fine
with that
...
”
To lend yourself additional credibility, add a follow up statements:
“There’s a reason that person is in a supervisory position, and I know I’d learn something from
them, no matter how old they are
...
”
“Age doesn’t matter to me at all
...
”
“I usually find that if someone knows a little less than me because they’re younger or don’t have
as much experience, they know more than me in another area
...
”

Job Interview Question 28

How do you make decisions?

With this question, the interviewer is looking to see what your decision-making process is like
...

A great way to answer this is to walk them through a difficult decision you made (with a
successful outcome)
...


Tell your story using a STAR format:
Situation or Task –
Talk about what you were faced with
...
Maybe your decision on resources made
a ton of money for the company, or maybe it set you up to develop a new market
where you hadn’t been before, or maybe it just got one new customer that has
turned into a loyal and profitable long-term relationship
...
Walk them through how you think so they can be comfortable with letting you make
decisions for them in their role
...
Essentially, this is
“why should we hire you?” This is a great opening to highlight your best-fit qualities for the job
...
The employer is like a buyer, or customer, looking
for the perfect product to buy thatwill solve a problem or provide a solution
...
’ But there’s no salesman waiting to sing your praises to this hiring manager—
that’s your task
...
Where will you shine? Don’t be afraid to brag…that’s essentially the point of this question
...
”
They want to know what YOU can do for the organization, so they can decide whether or not to
hire you
...

You take advantage of your strengths when you use them to accomplish those money-making or
money-saving things for the company
...

For instance:
**********
“I am a great listener, and that has helped me build especially strong relationships with my
customers
...
”
(Or, your listener skill could help you get projects done faster/more accurately because you pay
attention to the nuances/details/whatever
...
)
**********

“I am very detail-oriented, so I am an organizational powerhouse
...
”
**********
“I am comfortable talking to everyone, which makes me especially successful at going after new
business
...
”
**********
“I have a lot of experience in X, which means that I can hit the ground running for you and start
achieving the X, Y, and Z you would like to see immediately
...
That’s the way to make yourself stand
out
...

Make sure that the ones you point out are relevant to this position, so the employer will care about
them
...

Whatever you say, be able to point out the benefit to the employer—either with something
you’ve done in the past (with quantification, if you can) or with something you will be able to do
for them
...
They want to hear how fantastic you are, they want to hear
why they should hire you over someone else, and they won’t know unless you tell them
...
They’re also probing to see if you are applying anywhere else,
and trying to get a handle on what it would take to get you
...

Don’t say, “This is the only one I’m applying for,” even if it is
...

Plus, some of the best jobs available are part of the over 70% found in the ‘hidden job market’
...


Get my Hidden Jobs Finder today
...
At the same time, don’t overdo it
...

A great way to handle this question is to breeze past the outright comparison and point out what
especially attracts you to this company and this opportunity, following up with why you’re a good fit

for it:
“It’s very competitive
...
I believe it is an especially good fit for me because of A, B, and C
...
)
You could follow up this statement in a couple of ways:
1
...

2
...


*** If a recruiter has contacted you about this job,this is the only time it’s OK to say, “I am not
applying anywhere else
...
” In this case, the employer will realize
that they are going to have to sweeten the pot to lure you away from your current employer (where
you’re very happy)
...
It’s another version of, “Why should we hire you?” You
have the power here to highlight your best qualities
...

If you DO have related experience, this is easy
...
If you’ve already asked, “What does your ideal candidate look like?” then you
know what’s most important to them, and you can mention relevant things from your own background
...

But remember: every candidate can explain a direct relationship
...
For example, if your experience is in retail and
this job is in retail, you have plenty of experience
...


Key to a Great Interview Quantification
Describe your achievements in terms of
numbers, dollars, or percentages that answer the hiring manager's (interviewer’s) primary
question:
"How can this person benefit MY company?"

If you are a new graduate or if you are switching careers, your experience may not clearly
show why you’d be a good fit for the job, so your job is to connect those dots for them and explain
how your skills are transferable to this position
...

In this case, you also want to show that you can learn new things quickly by giving them an
example of a time that you did: “My job was X, but Y situation came up and they asked me to handle
it
...
” Walk them through your thought process to show them your strategic
thinking and ability to adapt, both of which are tremendously beneficial in a new role
...
The best way to help a
hiring manager see you in the role is to show them your 30-60-90-Day Plan
...
But to really show you how I could step into THIS
role and be successful, I’ve created a 90-day plan for how I would approach this job with my skills
and even fill in the gap that I have in X
...
They’ll be able to see you in the role much more clearly, which puts them further along the
road to offering you the job
...
With this question, the
interviewer is mostly looking for how you respond to underperformance, which is the most
common difficult situation
...

Think about a time when you had to deal with a problem employee and had a positive outcome
...
What was happening? What was the behavior?
How long had it been going on? How was it affecting the bigger picture?
Action
Walk them through what you did to address the problem
...

Result
What happened as a result of your actions? Did the employee have a better attitude or increased
performance? Maybe you found a better-fitting position within the company for the employee where
they are now successful
...
Did this happen in 2 weeks or 6 months? Did the
employee’s performance improve by 5% or 80%? Did you save money by not having to train a new
employee?
Walk them through a good example with a positive outcome so they can see how you approach a
difficult situation like this, how you think, and if your goals line up with them as a company
...

Yes, they can seem ridiculous
...
The key is to be ready for anything, and don’t get flustered
...
What you need to do is demonstrate
that:
1
...

2
...

So just take a deep breath and start thinking through the question out loud
...

For tennis balls in a limousine, maybe I would say, “I would first have to look up the average cubic
feet of the inside of a limo, and then I would do a simple calculation based on that number divided by
the size of a tennis ball
...
” So now, I’ve shown them that I can
come up with multiple ways to approach and solve a problem on the fly
...
” (It’s OK to
ask questions to clarify or get more information
...
” Or, if I wanted to be creative, I might say, “I’d have a contest for anyone who could move the
biggest bucketful of Mount Fuji 1 mile, and the winner would get a prize
...
S?” I’d probably estimate how many gas
stations there might be in a small town of say, 10,000 people and start multiplying until I got to the
approximately 300 million people there are in the U
...

In these kinds of questions, the answer is not the point as much as is the process of getting
there
...

They want you to walk them through the process you use to identify top issues and opportunities
to move the company forward
...
This approach is something you can use if you have a strong, quantified
example of something that had a major impact on your company (such as an
innovative new marketing program, an efficiency-boosting scheduling change, or
something that significantly saved or made the company money)
...
)

80/20 Rule
A long, LONG time ago, an Italian economist named Pareto noticed that 80% of the wealth in Italy
was held by 20% of the people
...


The 80/20 Rule says (among other things) that 80% of sales come from 20% of customers, or that
80% of your results come from 20% of your effort
...

Prioritize the most important tasks, and you become super-efficient and effective
...

(2) This is a good time to talk about the 80/20 Rule, and how you use it to determine
where you’re going to get the most impact from your actions
...
It is a databased decision-making process
...
Manager
...
” And then get out your plan and start going over it with the hiring
manager
...
They want to know what life is going to look like with you on the job and how they can expect
you to tackle problems, identify opportunities, and contribute to the growth of the company
...

Find out more here:

30-60-90-Day Action Plan
30-60-90-Day Sales Plan

Job Interview Question 35

How would people you have worked with describe you?

This is an important question, for two reasons:
1
...

What you say should be very positive: “They would say that I am a hard worker, who is very
thoughtful and strategic about the work that I do, that I am proud of my work and what I’ve
accomplished
...
And they would say that I am someone
they can trust, rely on, and call on when they are having issues, that I am someone who goes
above and beyond
...
If you say
that you are someone who goes above and beyond, you need to have an example of a time that
you did that
...

2
...

If what you say is miles away from what they actually say about you, you will seem very out of
touch with how you are perceived by others, which doesn’t say good things for your
communication skills
...
)
This is a great time to thumb over to the section in your brag book where you have printed out
emails or notes from bosses, colleagues, or even clients to actually show them what others have
said about you
...


Key to a Great Interview!

Your Brag Book isa "wow" factor in your interview
...
You will be amazed at how much it helps your interview performance
...

How well can you teach someone else?
Can you step back from something as completely basic as a peanut butter sandwich and remember
to explain the steps to someone who knows absolutely nothing?
Can you put yourself in their shoes?
Are you a good communicator?
So I would say,
“First of all, we have to assume nothing
...
Does he know he’s
hungry, or do we have to explain that, as well? Here on Earth, when we are hungry, we have to
physically eat food or drink, something that has calories in it, or we have a big problem
...

I would show him how to twist the lid on the jar of peanut butter to the right to open it, and let him
practice
...
I would demonstrate how to hold the knife, and let him have it
...

Then I would tell him to apply the peanut butter to one side of a piece of bread, and spread it
around
...
That’s how I would guide an alien through making a peanut
butter sandwich
...
They are looking to see how you
communicate
...
There’s no telling what your trainee might be bringing to this
process in terms of past experience, so you need to make sure there are no misunderstandings
...

Did you pursue a full-time job with them? What happened?
Internships are fantastic opportunities, and if you’ve had one, that puts you ahead of someone who
didn’t
...
So if yours didn’t,
why not? Did that company have a problem with you? (Which means, will they have a problem with
you?)
They are looking for reassurance that there is no risk in hiring you, so what you are trying to
do in answering this question is to eliminate any perceived risks
...
There are lots of reasons
why you might not have, not all of them negative
...
If you can, mention that they could even give a reference for
you
...

If you DID pursue a full-time job with them, and it didn’t work out, make sure the interviewer
understands it wasn’t you; it was them (the company)
...
You could say that they didn't have a position
open in your area or in your preferred geographical location
...
Again, if they can give you a good reference, that is a complete riskeliminator
...
Something needs to have changed in you or on your part between when they decided they
didn’t want you and now
...


Job Interview Question 38

If I were to ask your current boss to tell me one thing you do that
drives them crazy, what would they say?
Even though you’re spending the whole interview singing your praises, the interviewer knows you’re
not perfect
...
The usual question is, “What is your greatest weakness?” but some interviewers
get creative and ask this one
...


Things to stay far, far away from:
“I ask for too much direction
...

“I run late on projects
...

“My boss was mad because I didn’t tell her about a problem fast enough
...

*******
Whatever you choose to say, follow it up with some statement indicating that you either are taking
steps to improve, or that even though it’s not necessarily a saint-like quality, it does help you
succeed in your job
...
At times, it causes me a
problem socially and in my family life
...

Maybe your desk is messy and your boss is a neat freak
...
This is a case where it might drive your boss crazy

personally, but it doesn’t affect your work
...
That’s something your boss can’t
stand, so you started setting an alarm on your phone and you haven’t been late since
...

**The one exception to this would be if you were actually fired for cause
...
This is your chance to soften the story, present your side, and tell why whatever got
you fired is never, ever going to be a problem again
...

I might try to stack the deck and include a few more in my answer anyway: “My boss would have a
hard time choosing between my people skills, my work ethic, or X
...
It could be:
“My ability to take steps out of almost any process and make it more efficient
...
”
“My meticulous attention to detail
...
”
“My ability to fit into almost any team, get along with everyone, and accomplish our goal
...
”
“My knack for finishing projects on time and under budget every time
...
”
Whatever you say, follow it up with a story that tells about a time you did this, to give an example:
“Recently, I did X and my boss was so thrilled that she mentioned me to the VP and I got a mention in
the monthly meeting as an example to follow
...

Always try to quantify your answer
...
Let’s say you said your greatest strength
was your nose for finding new opportunities to generate revenue: “Last year, I realized that our
product would be perfect for X market, and we hadn’t ventured there yet
...
”
Whatever your example is, tell a story that provides this quantification for your interviewer
...


Job Interview Question 40

If you are employed, how are you managing time to interview?

Why would they ask you this question? It’s because they are trying to find out if you are lying to or
‘cheating on’ your current employer
...
)
Always answer this question briefly:
“I am taking personal time to do this today
...
”

Job Interview Question 41

If you could choose any company to work for, which one would it
be?

This is a question of fit
...
It’s a way for them to
understand your character and your thought process
...

Talk about how you are looking for a company that has growth opportunities, that has the same values
and ethics that you have, or that will use your skill sets (whether yours are in Accounting or Sales or
Operations or whatever)
...

Maybe the company you want to work for is simply in a specific industry (medical, beverages,
transportation, information technology)
...
”
Stay away from saying anything bad about your previous companies: “As long as a company
doesn’t do X (whatever X was that was so awful), then I’ll be thrilled
...

If you are running away, it doesn’t matter so much where you end up
...
You have a goal
...


Always Remember: Under no circumstances do you name a specific company that is
not this one—even as a joke
...
That’s a very appealing quality in someone interviewing for a job
...

You could say, “In this position, someone could lose money by making a mistake in X, Y, or Z
...
”
“A, B, and C” should be those tasks or actions that are central to your success in this job
...
The facility’s
attractiveness helps to make it a pleasant place to work, so that top performers in the field enjoy
working there
...
And, it sets the company in the customer’s or client’s mind as not only a nice place to do
business, but reassures them that this company takes care of details as well as the big picture
...
”
Once you answer the question,this is an excellent place to bring up your 30-60-90-Day Plan:
“I’ve thought a lot about how I could make money for you and be successful at this job
...
Would you like to
see my ideas?”
Any good interviewer or hiring manager is going to be intensely curious about you and your plan
you’ve put together
...
As you go through the plan, you’ll
be discussing ways you can make money for the company and getting this hiring manager’s input on
how you can be super-successful in this role
...

This is a good place to underscore your loyalty to the company you work for:
“I was so focused on doing my job well and taking up the slack where others had left or been laid
off that I just didn’t have the time to look around for another job
...
”
You would never want to answer this question by giving the idea that you were clueless (“I didn’t
know it was as rocky as it turned out to be”) or helpless (“I tried to look for something else, but no
one else was hiring”)
...

Always answer questions like these in a positive way that shows that it was your choice, that you
stayed out of loyalty, and that you fought until the bitter end
...

“Mistakes happen
...
So, if it isn’t going to give me food poisoning, I would just eat it
...

A good CEO:
thinks through problems
gathers and develops resources
looks at the data
makes thoughtful, strategic decisions
works to position her company to succeed now and in the future
So a good answer might be:
“I would look at why the market was tanking—is it a temporary situation or does it look
permanent? Is it the economy? Is it a change in social trends?I might try to conduct a survey of my
customers to see what they’re thinking
...
In addition, I would look at other potential markets for my
product that we hadn’t yet explored
...

It’s perfectly acceptable to gather more information before you decide on a plan of action
...
Help them see your problem-solving approach and solutionproducing abilities
...

How well do you know this company?
Have you done your homework?
Do your goals and thinking line up with theirs?
They won’t want to hear that you would come in with big, sweeping changes to radically transform
everything—for one, that’s threatening, and two, if you thought the company was that off-track, why
would you want to work there?
They also don’t want to hear that everything is great and you would change or improve nothing—if
that were so, they why would they need you?
If you have done your homework and looked the company up in terms of:
news releases
LinkedIn pages or discussions
Facebook pages
contacting current or previous employees
Then, you would have some idea of the direction the company is going, and you could contribute an
idea or comment to that
...
”
Anything you would suggest needs to have some financial benefit for the company
...

Maybe you don’t have anything concrete to contribute
...
”
Then, here’s the killer follow up to that statement:
“But that’s more theoretical
...
As we
go through it together, you’ll see my thought process and learn a lot more about me
...


Key to a Great Interview!

A 30-60-90-Day Plan is a sure-fire way to show how:
You think strategically
You could step into the role and be successful immediately
This plan makes it an easy decision for them to hire you
...
It’s also a vehicle they try to use to determine your work ethic, and
whether you do this work because you’re sincerely enthusiastic about the job, or because it pays for
your food, shelter, and hobbies
...
“I don’t know
...
If I told you I’d keep working, you might not believe me, but
I truly enjoy what I do and get a lot of personal satisfaction in a job well done
...
”
This answer at least lets them know that you care about your job and you enjoy being
successful at it, for reasons other than money
...
“We all have fantasies of relaxing on the beach, but I am someone who likes to keep growing,
learning, and accomplishing
...
I certainly wouldn’t run out
of ideas for new things to do!”
This answer shows that you are someone who is energetic, curious, and constantly growing—
all great qualities
...


You could answer this one with humor and a big smile on my face (one of my
favorite tactics): “I don’t know if I’d still work, but I’d definitely buy everyone I knew a car to
celebrate
...


3
...
How you answer it will tell the interviewer a lot
about how you look at the world
...

You never want to sound like, “Well, it must be more important to be lucky, because those are the
people who catch all the breaks!” This shows them that you consider yourself unlucky and are more
than a little resentful of that
...
You get to be skillful by putting
yourself out there, developing those skills, and when you do that, opportunities show up
...
’”
Or you could say something else that shows you have a positive attitude and you work hard, such
as:
“I think I was very lucky to have been born into a family that valued education and taught me how
to work hard
...
So in that sense, I’ve been both
...
But I
learned A, B, and C from that which is helping me today to be better at Y and Z
...
”
Whatever you say, keep your answer positive
...
Smile and say, “I think you
should ask me ‘When can you start?’”
This is a great time to ‘close’ for the job
...
When you close, you are at the ‘rubber meets the road’ point where
they’re either in or out, and you need to know which
...

If they start briskly backpedaling, you know they are leaning toward going with someone else,
and you should say (with surprise), “Oh, that doesn’t sound good
...

This is a great opportunity to plug any holes you might have in your discussion about your
experience or fit for the job
...
Make this a great story that is quantified and demonstrates your value
...


Tell your story using theSTAR format:
Situation or Task (Set up the story—what happened? What was your goal?)
Action (What did you choose to do and why?)
Result (What happened as a result of your actions? Quantify this wherever possible
...
If you have not had a chance to discuss that with the hiring manager, now is the
time:
“I think you should ask me how I would approach this job and be successful in my first 3 months,

because I’ve worked up a very nice outline with some great ideas that I’d love to talk over with you
and get your take on
...

(Interviewer doesn't ask questions)

I once had a candidate go to a sales interview, sit down and… nothing
...
That’s enough to rattle the most skilled and experienced person
...
It wouldn’t take long
before the manager would have gotten up and invited her to leave—or even walked out without
saying anything
...
She smiled at the ‘interviewer’ and said, “I’m so happy to
meet with you today
...
What are the most
important qualities you’re looking for in someone for this job?”
With that question, she got the hiring manager talking, they went on with the interview, and she got
the job
...
If this woman had shown that she
couldn’t even step out of her comfort zone to stand up for herself, how would she ever find the
strength to stand up for the company’s product in the face of an initially disinterested customer?
I’ve seen a lot of companies “play” with candidates this way—put them in uncomfortable
situations to see what they’re made of
...
Another company did something similar—
they had the cabbie deliberately take a long and winding route to the interview, making the
interviewee late
...

Never let anything make you lose your composure in an interview situation
...
Just smile at the
attempt, keep your cool, and keep moving toward your goal
...
Your suggestion doesn’t have to be something earth-shattering that changed the
direction of the company forever
...

Choose a suggestion to talk about that illustrates something that would be a positive selling point for
you in this job
...
2 secondsevery time
they logged in, which in a call center, means millions of times
...
2 second time savings added up
over the thousands of times they answered the phone every day, and that translated into savings of
millions of dollars for the company over a short amount of time
...
2 seconds for every login, which saved
the company $X every year
...
What could this be? The possibilities are many:
A brochure you developed, to show what you can do
A note from your boss thanking you for the suggestion and talking about how it turned out
Sales numbers pre- and post-suggestion
Any workplace improvements pre- and post-suggestion
A note from a customer thrilled with your new system/procedure
The outline of a training process you created
Providing evidence to back up your story or example is a powerful wayto stand out from every other
candidate
...

If you are in a service-related job, answer this as an example of how you work
...

A great example to choose is one where the customer or client was unhappy and you turned the
situation around
...
But be prepared to talk about specifics, and tell the story
...
)
If you’d like to highlight that you are a team player, choose to tell about a time that you helped
someone on your team—maybe this would be to finish a project, or maybe this would be helping train
them to be better at their job
...

*** It’s best to come up with a work-related answer
...
You have to get
past that feeling
...


Job Interview Question 53

Tell me about a time when you misjudged a person
Do not make this story a serious example of how you misjudged them with a severe negative
impact
...

My story is this one:

“When I was promoted to Regional Product Manager, my first task was to visit all of my newlyinherited sales reps to evaluate their performance
...
I stepped out of the plane to go down the steps to the tarmac (pre-9/11) in my very
conservative navy suit with my very conservative background and saw my sales rep waiting for me
on the tarmac wearing a pink chiffon scarf waving in the wind 8 feet out behind her
...
It didn’t matter
...

As I drove her sales route with her and watched her interact with her customers, I changed my
mind
...
She had a warm, friendly style that was very different
from my approach, but very effective
...
She was obviously good at her business and was clearly driving business
forward
...

I knew that other sales managers in my company would force this woman to change her style
anyway, to fit in with the established company image, but I decided to be open minded and let it go
...
”
You could tell the story of how you thought someone at work didn’t like you until you realized that
this person acted like that toward everyone
...
Since then, you try not to jump to conclusions about other
people’s motivations before you’ve gathered more information first
...


Job Interview Question 54

Tell me about a time you conveyed technical information to a nontechnical audience

As in any behavioral interview question, use the STAR format to tell this story:

Situation – Set up the story
...
There were 400 people in the
audience, divided among approximately 75% press people (not technical
chemistry or medical people) who wouldn’t have the background to understand
all the technical jargon, and about 25% extremely technical medical folks who
would have been bored and even insulted if I had simplified it too much
...

Result – How do you know that you were successful?What happened, and can it
be quantified in any way?
It was an extremely well-received speech and I was actually graded on it by
the folks who put the symposium on and was given a 94% satisfaction with the
topic
...

What does this example communicate to the interviewer?
I said what I did, and gave them a third-party source for the result
...
) The third-party reference is very powerful, and the numbers that I gave in the 94%

satisfaction rate are also very powerful
...
”
Even the number that I gave in the beginning, 400 people, is powerful
...
Some people couldn’t give a speech in front of
that many people, or would even have the chance to give that speech
...

I’ve told them about the situation—whatit was and why it was too technical for the audience,
I’ve told them what I did to address it, and I’ve said what the result was
...


Key to a Great Interview Quantification

#$%
Describe your achievements in terms of numbers, dollars, and percentages
...
Do you have creativity to come up with good
ideas? Do you have the decision-making ability and good judgment to take appropriate initiative
and the skill set to execute on it and be successful?

Use the STAR format:
Situation or Task –
Often in this situation, there would be some sort of urgency where there’s no
time to discussa solution with your boss—but not always
...
”
Action –
What plan did you come up with? How did you think through it? Did you
consider other options? What made you decide to choose the one you did?
Result –
How did the situation improve or resolve? Can you quantify it?
For instance:
“I once had a very angry customer come to me with an unusual problem, X
...

[Give details about the solution here
...
”
Or,
“I had been in my job for about 3 months when I realized that we kept stumbling
over the same problem [X]
...
I talked to some counterparts in other divisions of the company to see
what they were doing, realized they had a similar problem with no solution, so
then I went to work
...
I started a
discussion about it in a LinkedIn group, and ended up with quite a few helpful
insights and ideas
...
I presented it to my group with a PowerPoint presentation and
got them on board
...
It improved
our X by X% and actually freed up enough time for us as a whole that we were also able to
accomplish XYZ where we’d never had time for that before
...
Walk them through the story,
give them the details that help them see your value, and end on a positive note
...
Don’t just say, “I once coordinated X and it turned out great
...

Ideally, you’ll choose a work project to talk about, but if you really don’t have a good example,
then use a project from volunteer work of some kind—something where you coordinated something
with moving parts or multiple facets, whether that was people, places, or things, and has a successful
outcome
...
Did you have to learn anything new to complete this project? How
did you do that? Did you read a book, watch an online video, or talk to
someone?
Talk about the scope of the project
...


Job Interview Question 57

Tell me about a work incident in which you were totally honest,
despite a potential risk or downside

This question explores not only your honesty, but also your courage, your judgment, your conflictresolution skills, your company loyalty and whether or not you have the tact and communication
skills to handle delicate situations
...
Make sure the downside would have been a negative effect for YOU, not your boss or the
company
...
Make sure the benefit gained would be for the COMPANY or your boss, not you
...

You stood up against the group who wanted to hire a particular person, and later found out that
the person had caused major trouble in their last job
...
You did
this because you know that it’s more important to take action to correct a problem sooner rather
than later, when it could become a much bigger issue
...
Learning from a mistake is
fantastic, but causing a mistake that indicates you are incompetent at your job is not
...

What happened?

Emotional stability is a huge factor in your professionalism at work
...
They
want to know that you are in charge of yourself and your emotions and that you do not lose control
...
We are all under a lot of pressure at work, stressful
things happen, and just because we try to stay in control at all times doesn’t mean that others do, and
their actions and reactions have a powerful effect on us
...
What do you do?
How do you handle that? In this question, they are asking for an example
...
It never helps to lash out, and I know that my working relationships are going to have to last a
long time, so I never want to do anything to damage them out of anger
...
I was tempted to
retaliate but I know it would have just escalated the situation and not accomplished anything
...
I looked for what might
be causing her anger and realized she was completely stressed out because of X project
...
We still work well together on a regular basis
...
I was on a deadline, so every interruption put me that much
farther behind
...
I let everyone know that I had to have this done by 2pm so

I was shutting my door and turning off my phone until that time
...
I got
my project done on time
...

When you answer this question, think about what skills you are highlighting about yourself in your
answer
...
You want the end of
your negotiation story (and really, any negotiation you enter) to be a positive one for everyone
...
Persistence is good, but you haven’t shown any of those higher-level skills that
demonstrate your skill at negotiating
...


Job Interview Question 60

Tell me about the worst boss you've ever had
It’s OK to say, “I’ve never had a bad boss
...

It’s also OK to mention an example that is vague and neutral: “I inherited a boss and it happened
that our communication styles were very different
...
”

So what if you had the misfortune to work for a tyrannical, backstabbing, manipulative psycho?
Don’t mention it
...
It reflects
negatively on you and plants the seed in their mind that you are a complainer who won’t be happy
there, either, and will end up badmouthing them when you leave
...
e
...
)

This question is looking to see how well you know the company you work for (and if
you might also learn as much about them)
...
How you choose to answer it also shows how detail-oriented you are and if you can
summarize effectively
...
”
A much better answer would be: “ABC Marketing firm is a large regional company focused in
the Southwest that’s been in business for X years
...
Our
major competitor is XYZ
...
”

Job Interview Question 62

Under what circumstances have you found it acceptable to break
confidence?
This question is looking at your ethics and values
...


Your answer should be, “I would only ever break a confidence if the person was doing something
illegal or unethical and I couldn’t talk them into stopping and correcting the behavior
...


This is a very common interview question similar to “Tell me about yourself” or “Walk me through
your resume
...

With this question, they get a good overview of you as a candidate, they see where you feel that
your greatest strengths are, and they see whether or not you’d be a good cultural fit in the company
...

The key is to stay focused on the things that will help explain why you are here right now and why
they want to consider hiring you
...

They want to know what you did, how one thing led to another, and why you made decisions to
take certain jobs (especially if one seems to be outside a typical career path) or why you might have
a gap of time where you didn’t work
...

Start with your education: “I got my degree in X from State University and my first job at Acme
Corporation in ABC
...
This requires some strategic thinking to identify what parts of your
history would be the biggest “selling points” for you in this job
...
” Whatever you learned along the way that makes you an
especially good fit for this job, be sure to mention it
...


Never mention that you left a job because it was horrible, or the boss was a jerk
...
Talk about how you moved toward something, not away from something
...
I believe this job is a fantastic place for me to grow
professionally even further, and I know that I could move you forward as well, with my experience in
X, Y, and Z
...

They want to know:
what kind of leader you are
how you motivate others
how you manage the details—as well as the people
...
If you do not
already have management experience, that’s OK
...


Use the STAR format to talk about these experiences:
Situation or Task –
Were youplaced in charge of a project? Did you volunteer to spearhead a
project from start to finish? What was the scope of the project? How many
people did you lead (quantification)? What was your goal?
Action –
How did you start?How did you decide who should do what? How did you

communicate with your team? Did you have to train anyone? If this was a
volunteer experience, it can be an even stronger example of your leadership
ability, because no one was compelled to follow your leadership
...
Did you get it done on
time or early? Did you reach your goal? Did you exceed your goal? By how
much?
Be brief, since you will be talking about multiple experiences, add details, quantify what you can,
and be positive and tell stories with a successful outcome
...

I would never say that I was outstanding in all 5 areas, because that means that you don’t believe
you have room to learn and grow, and I believe we all do
...

Persistence –
It takes self-discipline to be persistent in the face of adversity, but we will
always face adversity
...

Positive Attitude –
A positive attitude contributes to your success in a thousand ways—in
interactions with others, your ability to keep going in the face of obstacles, in
your physical health so that you can keep going, and in your expectations
...

Willingness to Listen to Others and Learn –
You can never stop learning and growing if you want to be successful
...

A Desire to be a Subject Matter Expert –
To be successful, you need to know what you’re doing
...

They Choose Good Mentors –

I have always kept a group of 5 people who know more than me in various areas
that I take the time to go have lunch or coffee with on a regular basis
...

They Build and Maintain Good Networks –
Your network is there for you when you need to know something, when you need
a new job, when you need a new connection
...

They Manage Their Emotions –
One of the worst things you can do in a professional setting is lose your temper or
cry, no matter what the provocation might be
...

They Are Results-Oriented, Not Action-Oriented –
You can do a lot of things and not make any progress or see any results from
them
...
What works?
Successful people plan their next move based on what works and are known not
so much for working hard as for getting the job done
...
Read the National
Bestseller –

Learned Optimism
by Martin E
...
Seligman, Ph
...


As in all your job interview answers, be strategic
...


Job Interview Question 66

What are your long-term career goals?
The best answer to this really does depend on the company you’re interviewing with—is it a flat
company or a structured company? Some companies want you to be planning ahead, and others don’t
have anywhere for you to go—so they will be threatened if you aggressively talk about advancement,
promotions, etc
...
Both imply
that you may not give your best work because your focus won’t be here
...
I am good at what I
do, and that is rewarding
...
”

Job Interview Question 67

What changes have you made in working with others to be more
effective at work?

This question looks at your willingness to recognize areas where you need to improve and execute
those necessary changes in a successful way
...
There’s no reason to insert doubts about your ability to do the job into this
conversation
...

Here are a few examples:
I improved my communication skills by becoming a better listener, and I have developed
excellent working relationships with my colleagues
...
They seem to appreciate it
...
I
learned to step back and distance myself in order to keep calm and not let it affect my work or
my positive outlook
...
So I learned to set priorities, and instead of immediately
moving to address whatever problem they came to me with, I looked at how that fit into my
priority list for the day and planned accordingly
...

It wasn’t necessarily a problem for me, but I am always looking for ways to improve and so I
realized that I could become a better time manager
...
This helped me plan more
effectively for meetings with colleagues, and give more accurate dates for completion of
projects
...
I’m very organized, productive, and easy for others to work with
...
” This question
gives them a lot of insight into what will make you happy and what has made you unhappy and why
you are looking for a job
...


They want to hear that you are running TO something, like more responsibility, a chance to use
increased skill sets, or just something different than you were doing)
...

So you must explain this in terms of: “The reason why am here is, in my current role I'm doing
fantastic
...
I don't
get to use the experiences that I had at XYZ
...
”
Or, “I’m here because my former company went through a series of layoffs and cut 30% of the
workforce and I got caught in the cuts
...
”
Always talk about what this job has that attracts you, and what you could bring to it as a
benefit to the company—and anything you can mention using numbers, dollars and percentages of
what you been able to do and how you'd like to do more of that, will help
...
It means
that you are probably a self-starter, and a good communicator
...
It also increases your value, because the more you know, the more
you can do to make money for the company
...


Job Interview Question 70

What do you expect from this job?
What they really want to know is, why do you want to work here? What’s in it for you? What aspects
of this job appeal to you and why?
You must have done your research in order to answer this question, because you need to be able to
explain why THIS job, with this company, is the one for you
...
”
Or you could say:
“I expect that because I can utilize my ABC skill set in this role, and be successful and help move
you forward, that I will be extremely happy and productive here
...
”
Maybe this company:
Does work you’re especially excited about
Provides a product or service you love
Fosters a sense of community you can’t wait to be a part of
Whatever it is, say it with sincerity
...


Job Interview Question 71

What gets you up in the morning?

For many people, what really gets them up in the morning and motivates them to get on with the day is
a personal thing—maybe it’s your kids, or your love of life, or your goal of early retirement
...
In an interview setting, they are not your
best choices
...
)
In an interview, you always want to keep thefocus on your fit for the job, even with personal
questions like these
...
Show your enthusiasm for the job here—it
makes you more likeable
...
I know
that I am good at my job, and I love the feeling of overcoming challenges and being successful
...
”
You might mention that you are motivated by:
Meeting goals (like when you met the goal for X last year and were recognized for it)
Being recognized for doing a great job (like when you won ‘Most Valuable Employee’)
Making difficult sales (like when you landed the customer that everyone said you couldn’t)
A positive and supportive work environment (like the one that this company is known for)
Competition (which is why you enjoyed being named #1 out of 135 sales reps in your company)
The chance to come up with creative solutions to complex problems (like you did when you
got to be on the team tasked with X in your company and you created Y solution)
Knowing that the work you do makes a positive difference in someone’s life (like when you
help someone be healthier, save money, reach a goal, etc
...
Back up what you say with an example or an
accomplishment that adds credibility and sincerity to your statement
...
When they ask you this, they do not want you to talk about a greater truth you learned or a lesson
that changed your life, and they really don’t want a long random list of everything you picked up here
and there
...

How have you developed professionally into someone they would be interested in hiring now for
this job?
It’s important that you be strategic and think about the best answer to this question for YOU
...


SPIN Selling
by Neil Rackham

For instance, when interviewing for a sales job, you might say,
“In my first job, my manager gave me the book SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham and reading it
changed my life
...

In my next job, I went into selling a much more technical product, which meant I had to fill in gaps
in my background to be able to know my product and discuss it intelligently with my customers
...

In my current job, I worked with someone who happened to be a tremendous time manager and
watching her, I learned a lot about how to prioritize tasks and organize my day so that my productivity
has gone up I would estimate about 30%
...

Maybe what you need to point out is that you:
Learned a new software that this company uses
Developed customer service techniques that help you retain customers at a 20% higher level
than before (and this job description puts a high value on customer retention)
Created market trials that helped you hone your skill at matching products to customer need
Learned a particular procedure that helped you increase X
Whatever it is, make sure that what you learned is something that this employer could use as a
reason to hire you
...
In an interview, I would choose one that helps me
demonstrate a desirable work quality or fit for the job
...
I use the 80/20 Rule daily to prioritize tasks for maximum
results
...

For instance, when I was in sales, I used the 80/20 Rule to identify which customers generated the
most revenue, and which actions generated the most sales
...

So not only have I chosen an admirable historical figure, I have tied my choice to a positive trait
in my work and another selling point for me
...
Even if
you truly admire whoever it is, it’s better in this situation to play it safe
...
Joseph Juran took Pareto's Principle and successfully applied it to
quality management--and the 80/20 Rule was born
...


It's about productivity and identifying the significant tasks/actions that contribute most to it
...
You will spend time on the
things that matter
...

With conflict questions in general, the interviewer wants to know several things:
How do you see your role at work?
What is your communication style?
Do you remain calm?
Do you confront issues head on?
Do you try to keep the peace at all costs?
Do you take things to HR, or handle them yourself?
How do you approach the situation and how do you come up with solutions?
I probably would try to inject a little humor into this answer:
“Well, part of my job is certainly to make my boss look good, and my great ideas are part of that
...
If I were being
rewarded by my boss with raises and promotions, I would be happy
...
a minor part of your job you are already improving on
2
...
something that would be a benefit to you later in your career but that you don’t necessarily
need now
(All ‘strength’ questions should be directly tied to key parts of your job
...

You can’t say that you have a major flaw that would directly affect your job—like that you are
uncomfortable meeting new people even though you’re in sales, or that you struggle with time
management and prioritization if you are a project manager, or that you need to pay more attention to
details if you are an accountant
...
It doesn’t matter how good you are technically if you can’t communicate
effectively with the people you work with and for
...
”
**********
“I would like to handle stress better
...
”
**********
“I’d like to be a better public speaker, because that’s a skill everyone should have, and it would
make me stronger running meetings and giving presentations at work
...
I also joined
Toastmasters so I can practice
...
The
interviewer is looking at your personality and whether you would be a good cultural fit within the
organization
...
Don’t talk about any
book that might raise an eyebrow
...

Maybe the book you mention is:
the fiction one the latest blockbuster movie is based on, so you show that you are socially
current
a non-fiction one on the best-seller lists that everyone is talking about
a book that is important for your field and you read it for fun because you really like your
work
I always like to use humor in job interviews if I can, but it’s probably not a good idea to say, “The
last book I read is a book on how to answer interview questions!” It’s funny, but it isn’t helpful
...


Be prepared to talk about the book you mention
...
It became crystal clear right
then that he did not know what I was talking about and had lied to me about reading the book
...


Job Interview Question 77

What is the most courageous action or unpopular stand that you
have ever taken?

This question could apply to you whether you are a manager or an individual contributor
...

This really is a question to measure your integrity, courage, and leadership, and you need to
show that you are not afraid to make difficult decisions when they are in the best interests of your job
or the well-being of the company
...
What was going on? What was the conflict? Why were you faced
with this problem? What factors affected the situation?What risks did you face?
This situation could be anything…maybe you needed to lay off a certain
percentage of your workforce, maybe you needed to set a new policy you knew
would make some employees unhappy, or maybe you were leading a team where
one member wasn’t pulling their weight
...
Maybe this was your decision to leave
the company and start your own business
...
Walk them through the process
...
Or, maybe this is where you got fired, and this is your
chance to tell the story
...
You’d say it like this:
“What I’m looking for is actually a very good match for this position…that’s why I was so excited
about interviewing with you
...
You
need the job description for this, but it will also help you if you have done your research on the
company before the interview
...
I believe it’s a unique
opportunity to utilize my skills in X, Y, and Z, and that’s why I’m particularly excited about it
...

If you wanted to keep this answer more generalized, you could say,
“I want to work for a company where I can enjoy going to work each day, because I can make an
impact and be recognized and rewarded for it
...
” And now here is this hiring manager asking you to go against everything you’ve
learned about selling yourself for the job and tell him something truly negative about you
...
Are you worth the risk?
This question also tells you that this interviewer has heard “I’m a perfectionist” and “I work too
hard” a few too many times
...

For instance, no project manager should say their weakness is organization or delegation, no
accountant should say that their weakness is attention to detail, and no customer service rep should
say that they have anger issues
...

For instance, I always gave ‘impatience’ as my weakness
...
However, that same impatience
made me super successful in my role as a sales rep because I could not stand waiting around for the
sale
...

You could give a weakness that you actually have, but that you have a solid, working way to
overcome: “I get so involved in my work that I lose track of what time it is
...
Unless your job involves giving presentations on a daily or weekly

basis, you can safely get by with this one
...

Choose a useful, practical website that contributes to your professional success
...
You could choose:
a specialty website that concentrates in your career arena (like AdAge for media and
advertising news and trends, or Inc
...
com for tips and shortcuts to get things done smarter and more efficiently
any mainstream news site
Forbes
...
com for instructional videos
I would answer this question very briefly—naming the website with a quick mention of what it is,

if it isn’t an extremely common one
...
Maybe you’ll learn
about a great new website!

Job Interview Question 81

What qualities in your co-workers bother you most?
What do you appreciate most?

On the surface, this sounds like it’s a personality question or a cultural fit question
...
For this reason, you want to
answer both of these questions very positively
...
” I believe that answer is the same kind of bad answer as “My
greatest weakness is that I just work too darn hard
...

Everyone can think of things that others do that bother them
...
Never tell a story
about how one person irritated you—make it about a general quality
...

For instance, I would say, “I don’t particularly appreciate negative attitudes because they’re not
helpful to anyone—the person who’s complaining or the person listening to it
...
”
Then move right into the positive: “I’ve been very lucky to have worked with some great people in
my career who have demonstrated qualities I appreciate a lot, like working hard, being
knowledgeable, and having a positive attitude
...

The words you say and the things you focus on say more about you than about whatever you’re
talking about—so make sure that you present yourself in a positive, professional way
...

Anyone can say they are organized and productive, but not everyone is
...
It’s a simple question with a simple answer
...

Are you a Franklin Planner kind of person, a traditional “To Do” list maker or an app user?
Do you use Google Apps, Outlook, or Remember the Milk?
Do you use a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system such as Zoho, Help Desk, or
Salesforce
...
What keeps you organized? How do you manage your workload?
You might also quickly mention how you prioritize tasks, how you make sure you meet deadlines,
and how you don’t let anything slip through the cracks with a reminder system
...
Keep it short but descriptive
...


Job Interview Question 83

What will your job references say about you?

You absolutely need to know what your references will say about you
before you give their names to a potential employer
...

How to make sure your references help you get the job:
choose good quality references (people you have worked for or reported to are the best ones)
ask them if they are comfortable giving you a reference, what they might say about you, if
they are going to be available, and what is the best way to contact them
prep them before they are called by telling them what to focus on (“Hey, I’m interviewing for X
job doing ABC…can you mention the work I did on X, and that I’m amazing?”)
But this employer won’t expect that you can read the minds of your references, so what they are
really asking for is a list of your strengths
...

If you know that one will mention your high-level creativity as demonstrated on a certain project,
then you can say, “My references will say that I am extremely creative
...
”
If you know another reference would hire you if they could, that is a wonderful thing to report: “My
reference would say that they would hire me again in a minute if they could
...

Make sure that you are communicating well with your references so that you do know what they
will say about you
...

Here’s a hint: Go back though your performance appraisals and look for descriptive words
...
What 3 words would they choose to
describe you? You have to be a little bit brave with this one
...
But the answers
you get will help you both answer this question and help you make sure you are projecting the image
you want to project in this job search
...
They might as well say,
“What irritating quality are you hiding that’s going to show up after you’re here for a week?”
As with any weakness question, choose something that is a real weakness, most likely in your
personal life, but provides a benefit to you in your work life
...
Impatience might also be a good quality in someone who needs to drive
a team to get something done on deadline
...

You might be someone who isn’t particularly good with details, which drives your spouse crazy,
but if you’re applying for a job as a manager, you might be needed more for big-picture, strategic
thinking and can hire someone to handle details for you
...

Maybe you’re extremely competitive which has caused you some tense conversations at family
gatherings, but makes you an extremely valuable asset in sales and marketing
...

Maybe you’ve been accused of being too blunt or direct, but your direct honesty makes you
someone who always tells the truth, even if it is difficult
...


Job Interview Question 85

What would you do if management made a decision you didn't
agree with?
Why would they ask this question? They ask it to see how you would react in a very difficult
situation
...
If the decision has already been made, there’s nothing else to do but live with it
...
”

Job Interview Question 86

What would you do if you found out the company you worked for
was doing something illegal?
I might be nervous about a company asking this question, because I’d wonder what can of worms I’d
open up by taking this job! Most likely, this is simply a behavioral interview question designed to get
at your values, ethics, and loyalty
...
I would want to know if this was an isolated incident involving just a few
people, or one person, and not a cultural mindset of the entire organization, and I would follow up
with it to see if it gets resolved
...


Job Interview Question 87

What would you do if you got behind schedule with your part of a
project?

While this is a Behavioral Interview Question that is normally answered using the
STAR format, I don’t think that I would start telling the interviewer all about a time I got behind
schedule
...

So, for instance, I might say:
“Well, I hate the thought of being the bottleneck in a project, so I try very hard to make sure that
never happens
...

I would look to see if I got behind because the work was more complicated than anticipated or
because I got sidetracked by a more urgent matter, or whatever the issue was
...
I would
consider a variety of options, including working overtime to get caught up, delegating some of my
tasks so the work could get done faster, looking for ways to be more efficient with my process, or
maybe even reprioritizing what had to be done by the deadline and what could be added later
...

Assuming all was a go, then I would execute and work as hard as I could to bring my part of the
project to a successful conclusion as fast as possible
...


Job Interview Question 88

What would you do if you made an important business decision
and a co-worker challenged it?

This question gets to how you deal with criticism
...

In this case, I would say, “I would take this person aside and ask why they felt the way they did,
because I’m always interested in hearing the pros and cons of a decision so that I can make the best
one
...
If what they told me
made no difference to my decision or it was something I’d already considered, I’d thank them for
their input, let it go, and move on
...


Job Interview Question 89

What would you look to accomplish in the first 30 days/60 days/90
days on the job?

Congratulations, this is your lead-in for your 30-60-90-Day Plan!
Having a 90-day plan written out for the interview, that you can look at with the hiring manager and
discuss, is THE best interview tool you could ever use
...

With this question, they are looking to visualize you in this role, and your plan will help them do
that
...
I’ve actually created an outline of what I think my action
steps and goals should be for the first 30, 60, and 90 days of this job and I’d like to go over it with
you and get your feedback
...
Think about what would make you successful
from Day 1 in this job
...
What is your leadership style? What do you do that
makes you a good leader?
Great things to mention that they might say are that you set clear expectations, you are fair, you’re
a good communicator and a willing teacher, you give balanced feedback, and that you are
extremely knowledgeable about your industry
...
”

If you happen to have any evidence that supports this, offer it
...


Job Interview Question 91

What, as an organization, can we offer that is better than your
current employer?

Your interviewer wants to know that you are genuinely interested in and enthusiastic about working
for their company
...

They want to know what attracts you to this job, based on your research and your own opinion—
so answer that question
...

One reason should address the fact that this job is a good fit for you professionally and
culturally
...
So, talk about how your skills will make you
successful there:
“…this organization is a perfect fit for me
...
That’s going to make me very effective working here, and I am excited about the opportunity
...
”
Then move into a reason that addresses a particular professional aspect they offer that others
don’t
...
This could be any number of things:
They work with a particular customer, slice of the market, procedure, or software
...

They are leaders in their field
...

They have a great reputation
...

They are known for having the highest-quality X, and you want to be a part of that
...

They are known for being a great place to work in terms of community, and you think of work as
an extended family
...

You’ll have considerably more autonomy and responsibility with this job which will make
your work life more rewarding
...

It requires less travel, because you are ready to be in your own bed more often
...


Job Interview Question 92

What's your favorite dish, and how would you convince someone
who hated an ingredient in it to try it?
I think the ‘favorite dish’ part of this question is a throwaway part
...
What they care about is your ability to construct a compelling
argument in the face of strong resistance
...

To convince someone of something, it often works to use the ‘feel-felt-found’ argument
...
)

In my case, I would use sweet potatoes:
"I didn't like sweet potatoes either, until I was 30 years old
...
Those were in a
can and disgusting and you are right
...

Sometimes when you find an ingredient that you don’t like, in another situation you may very well
like it
...
You need to always try different thingsand have different foods to eat
...


Job Interview Question 93

When would you be available to start?

This question requires a straightforward, factual response
...

If you need to give notice to your employer, then let them know how much notice you are
required to give—usually this is two weeks
...

So say, “I would be able to give two weeks’ notice as soon as I have a firm offer, so it would be
two weeks after that
...
It could be that your
contract requires a longer time frame, so say so
...
Either they’ll think you
are exceptionally loyal and dedicated, or they’ll think you’re not serious about wanting to work for
them
...
It may make them think you are shopping around, and will only take their offer
if you don’t get something better
...


Job Interview Question 94

Who are our competitors?
An interviewer who asks this wants to see:
if you have done your homework and researched their company before the interview
if you are really as familiar with this arena/product/service as you should be
what else you mention on this topic that tells them more about what you can offer them in
terms of organizational advantage

This is a big question in any sales job, but it can easily come up in other
fields
...

You can get this information through your own research using Google and LinkedIn, as well as by
talking to others in your personal network or LinkedIn groups
...

If you have worked for their competitors, be careful about disclosing anything that would violate
a confidentiality or non-compete agreement
...


Key to a Great Interview
SWOT Analysis

SWOT is a strategic planning tool that stands for:
Strengths (attributes helpful to achieving the objective)
Weaknesses (attributes harmful to achieving the objective)
Opportunities (external conditions that will be helpful to achieving the objective)
Threats (external obstacles or conditions that will harm the process)
Doing a SWOT analysis on the company demonstrates your drive, commitment, and skills,
along with helping you create a better 30/60/90-day plan
...

Who you choose to mention as an influencer tells the interviewer a lot about you personally—what
you value, and what you aspire to
...

For instance, I would say, “My influencers would be my parents, who taught me how to work hard,
to challenge myself, and to make smart decisions, and my mentors, who I have chosen myself to be my
teachers and coaches in different areas of my professional life
...
”
Now, I’ve had many, many people that I’ve learned from in my life and career—too many to list
...

You may have had many influencers or those that you admire, too
...


Job Interview Question 96

Who do you follow on Twitter and why?

First, are you on Twitter? Do you Tweet? This question uncovers how much you participate in social
media in general, how computer- and internet-savvy you are, and who you think is important
enough to spend your valuable time on, finding out what they think
...
Are you only
following celebrities (I hope not) or looking for relevant and helpful information? Do you follow
those who contribute to your personal or professional development? Are you following the major
players and influencers in your field?
Here is a drop in the bucket of interesting people/organizations to follow on Twitter:
Brian Tracy – world-renowned speaker and coach for positive change in business and life
TEDTalks–mini lessons by experts in a variety of fields
Brian Solis – digital analyst, sociologist and futurist focuses on business-consumer relationship
and social media strategy
Steve Randy Waldman – Private investor with insights on economics and finance
Mark Hunter – The Sales Hunter who tweets motivational insights on sales, leadership, and
more
DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) – develops new technology for the
military
Neil deGrasse Tyson – astrophysicist who tweets about science and makes great jokes
You can browse interests through a variety of topics to see any names you might recognize
...
You really can
pick up a lot of useful news and information
...


Job Interview Question 97

Why did you get into this line of work?
(choose this as a career)

This is not just a friendly, ice-breaking kind of question (any more than any other interview question
is)
...

Why and how does this apply to your fit for the job? You need to connect the dots for them…
if you have a particular ability or talent that encouraged you to pursue this career, give an
example of how you have been successful using that talent
...
I loved the medical field but didn’t
want to be a doctor
...

When I began recruiting for the medical field, I was looking to reduce my travel because I had a
young son
...
I knew that I could do that very well because of
my particular experience
...

I started my own company and became a career coach, because I knew that I had a passion for
helping others and wanted to expand it outside of just the medical sales arena
...
Now I get to persuade and influence on a global scale through helping tens of
thousands of job seekers in over 90 countries
...
”
********
Try to show that you chose this career on purpose instead of a random accident—but if you did
just happen to stumble into this line of work at least talk about what a happy accident it was and how
you’ve made deliberate steps to grow and learn more since then
...
I
always recommend to my candidates that they try to completely avoid any discussion of salary until
after the company has decided they want to hire you
...
This puts you in a much
better bargaining position when it’s time to talk dollars
...
Your job is
to deflect as much as possible
...
You have several good options:
(1) Say, “I’m uncomfortable giving you a salary requirement until I know all the
factors
...
Can you
tell me what the entire package would be?” Whatever you might have earned in
another position isn’t really relevant to what is fair for this job
...
Other factors in a
compensation package (healthcare, profit sharing, bonuses, perks, etc
...


Key to a Great Interview
Negotiating the Best Salary
Find out everything you need to know about navigating salary questions and negotiating the
best compensation and benefits here:

Negotiating Your Salary:
How to Make $1000 a Minute
by Jack Chapman
(2) Go ahead and tell them something
...
Good research
sites include Salary
...
com and Payscale
...

Tell them that you found out that the range for this job is between X and Y
...
This way, you are
setting a bias that is skewed toward a higher end number
...

(3) Say, “My salary requirements aren’t relevant unless we have decided that I am
a good fit for this role
...
If you need to know more about my skills and
qualifications first, then let’s talk more about that
...
I am sure that the range you have set will be fair and commensurate with
the responsibilities of this job
...
What is the range?”

Job Interview Question 99

Will you be out to take my job?
In larger companies, managers always need to be looking for the one who can take their place so that
they can move up
...
In
this situation, I might answer it with humor: “I’m sure by the time that happens, you’ll be running the
whole company
...
In this situation, you need to reassure
them that you are there to learn and contribute
...
I’m sure that I’m going to learn a lot from you and that we are going to develop a
great working relationship
...
”

Job Interview Question 100

Would you rather be liked or feared?

The best answer is, “Neither
...
”
Some interviewers won’t accept this and press for a choice
...
I
think fear is too negative an emotion and wouldn’t produce an environment that is creative,
innovative, or motivating to do a great job
...
One of the best ways to earn respect is
to ask great questions, to understand the situation before you make decisions
...

A manager who makes decisions based on a complete gathering of evidence makes stronger
decisions
...

Why should I let you 'experiment' with me and basically pay you to
learn on the job?

The very best answer to this question is to say, “That is a good question
...
It’s an outline of what I
see as the main action steps and goals that would make me wildly successful in this job
...

When you talk about your first 30 days, you’re going to want to emphasize how you will train
yourself to learn what you need to know
...
If you are changing careers, you will need to do a lot of research
in order to determine what books you should read, what people you need to talk to, or even what
courses you need to take to get up to speed
...


Key to a Great Interview!

A 30-60-90-day plan helps make it an easy decision to hire you!
Find out more here:

30-60-90-Day Action Plan
30-60-90-Day Sales Plan
Think about what your skills are going to bring to this role that maybe someone from this field
already might not have—like maybe you are an especially creative problem-solver
...

When you talk about your next 30 days (the 90-day part), show this hiring manager how you will be
moving on your own to benefit the company and succeed in your role
...
)
The more research you can do for your plan, the more you will be able to show that you are very
capable of doing this job even if you have little to no experience
...

If for some reason after walking them through your plan, they still are pushing you on the
experience factor, say:
“Well, everyone has to start somewhere
...

Did you have any experience in your first job? And yet you are very successful
...
”

Key to a Great Interview Job Shadowing

If you are new to a career, a job shadowing experience gives you more "meat" to talk about during the
interview
...
That helps you speak more intelligently about what you can bring to the
table, and why it's going to be a good idea to hire you
...

Learn more about Job Shadowing here
...

However, this doesn’t stop all employers from asking them
...

You don’t want to come right out and tell them that what they are asking is an illegal question they
have no right to know the answer to
...

If you can, try to tactfully dodge the question without actually answering it
...

Questions About Gender
Usually these questions center around something like, “Do you really think you can run a team of all
men?”
A good answer would just slide right past that and say:
“I am very comfortable in a management role
...
”
Questions About Children
These are usually tied to gender, asked only of female candidates
...
”
If they say, “Are you planning on having children?” or “Are you planning on having more
children?” Unless you are pregnant right at that moment, I would just say, “No
...

Questions About Marital or Family Status

Any questions about plans to marry, to stay home after you have children, or your spouse’s
occupation or salary are all illegal
...

In response to any future marriage or family plans, smile and say, “You know, I’m not making those
kinds of plans yet
...
Can you tell me more about that?”
If you’re asked about your spouse’s occupation, it may be in a relocation situation where they’re
trying to see if your spouse will be OK with moving with you
...
If your spouse is in an impressive career, their follow up question may be, “Wow, then what
are you doing looking for a job?” Just smile and say, “I work for many reasons other than money
...
” Fill in the blank with whatever outstanding and impressive
thing you did
...
Just smile
and say, “Texas
...
S
...
They can’t ask “What race are you?” or “Were you born in the United
States?” They can only say, “Are you legally allowed to work in the U
...
?”
If you have an accent and the interviewer says, “Oh, are you from X?” it is probably an innocent
question
...
S
...
”
They might say, “Is English your first language?” Feel free to say, “I speak both English and
Spanish fluently
...
)
Questions About Religion
Employers are not allowed to ask about your religion, whether you’re going to be asking off work
for religious holidays or if you go to church on Sundays
...

Just say, “I’m certain I will be able to work the schedule that is required for this position
...
)
Questions About Disability

Employers are not allowed to ask direct questions about your disability, but they can ask if you are
able to perform specific job duties
...
”
Questions About Age
Generally, questions about age are going to be a problem (and a legal issue) for those who are over
40
...
In fact, I won the award last year in my company for X
...

********
Remember, most illegal interview questions are not asked with malicious intent
...

In most cases, you can tactfully dodge the question with a smile and a sentence that directs the
conversation back to your fit for the job, maybe even answering the question they should have asked,
but didn’t
...

***Note: This section on illegal interview questions is not intended to be a comprehensive list
of illegal interview questions, and does not substitute for legal advice
...

If you now feel as if you can tackle your next interview with confidence, let me know!
If you put the tips and principles of this book into practice and it results in an amazing interview for
you, let me know!
Review this book by clicking here

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More eBooks by Peggy McKee–

How to Answer Interview Questions

See description, reviews,
and get the book here!
(This ebook contains 101 additional job interview questions and answers!)

How Do You Prepare For an Interview?

See description, reviews,
and get the book!

Finding a Job Fast Using a 30 / 60 / 90 Day Plan

See description, reviews,
and get the book!

How to Ace Your Phone Interview

See description, reviews,
and get the book!

Cover Letters eReport:
17 Tips How to Write Cover Letters

See description, reviews, and get the report!

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