Preparation is the key to interview success. Poor, or no, preparation is a deadly mistake, demonstrating to the employer a lack of interest.
1. Tell me about yourself.
One of the most common questions in an interview is “Tell me about yourself.” Actually, it is not even a question — it is an invitation.
Your answer to this question is your opportunity to share with the interviewer whatever you think is important about you in their hiring decision.
More importantly, it is your chance to differentiate yourself from other candidates. In most cases, the standard questions offer the same opportunity.
2. Where do you see yourself in five years?
Employers don’t necessarily care to hear that you expect to climb the corporate ladder and be a supervisor.
If the job you’re interviewing for is not a supervisor, they probably aren’t concerned about your management skills. You can share how you’ve been a mentor to others and led projects with little to no supervision. That should indicate you have leadership potential.
Focus on them: In five years, you should have made a significant impact to the company’s bottom line. Think about how you can achieve this in the role you’re interviewing for. In technology careers, advancing your skills is important, too. You should be able to share what areas you want to strengthen in the near term (but be careful that they are not areas of expertise that the company needs now).
3. Why should we hire you?
This is clearly a differentiation question. What you want to tell them is: they’d be crazy not to they hire you.
Focus on them: You need to only share how you meet almost all the criteria they seek, and also have two to three additional abilities that they might not even know they need…yet. They need to know you are a candidate who can not only meet their needs now, but will also be valuable for where they want to go in the future.
- Are they likely to need another skill set as they grow as a company?
- Or maybe you have skills that you noticed are in another job description they are looking to fill?
You can help out with those deliverables until they find someone (or be a backup to the person they hire).
Have you been down a path already that they are currently starting? Having “lessons learned” to offer them is a very strong plus for a job candidate.
4. Why do you want to work here?
This is a key indicator of how interested you really are in the employer and the job. The answer to this question has two aspects:
- The content
- Your delivery
Focus on them:
- Content — Employers want to know you feel you can fit in at the company quickly. That means not only deliverables in the job description, but also your fit with the company culture. You will likely have to do some homework to answer this one. You need to understand the reasons why others enjoy working there. Is it a great place to advance your skills, have great challenges to add to your resume, or will it allow you to grow as a professional?
- Delivery — The delivery must be genuine. If a hiring manager feels you’re just “telling them want they want to hear,” but don’t mean it…well, the interview is over in their mind. They want to know this is not just a job and paycheck. They want to hear this is what you want to do and the best place to do it.
5. What do you know about us?
This is actually a test. If you know very little, it is an indication that you are not very serious about working there.
Focus on them: Candidates who are really excited about the prospect of working there have done their homework. If you really want to stand out, learn more than what is listed on their web site.
Do some heavy research — perhaps find some articles on the company that not many would know about. It may even come up in conversation spontaneously, and you can show them a copy of the article (I have had this happen to me).
6. How do people describe you?
Here’s another opportunity to differentiate yourself.
Everyone claims to be: a hard worker, good communicator, and team player.
But how many are a: problem-solver, game-changer, leader in the industry?
Be creative, and have stories to back it up. The interviewer will want to know why someone thinks you are one of these things.
Focus on them: You want to present attributes that make you sound like the go-to guy or gal wherever you work. Even the standard answers can be taken a step further to be more valuable:
- Yes, they want hard workers, but most likely that’s commonplace at their office. Maybe you work hard, but also help others work fewer hours (by helping them do their job better or making their jobs easier).
- Good communicators are everywhere. But this doesn’t mean just speaking well. It includes listening. Do you hear things that others don’t? Do you understand things quickly? Can you figure out what people are trying to tell you through other clues (body language, for example)?
- Being a good team player is expected, too. But what does this really mean? Getting along with everyone? That’s not hard to do if you’re a nice person. Pulling your weight in the office? Again, expected. What have you done, beyond your job description, that saved the team from a disaster or helped them make an impossible deadline? Have you won an award for this?
7. What is your greatest strength / greatest weakness?
Your greatest strength is something they need.
Don’t choose something irrelevant to the job or the employer, like your skill in sudoku (unless sudoku expertise is a requirement for this job).
Focus on them: You have many strengths, but pick the one they need help with the most. Is it your expertise in a particular skill? Is it your ability to turn low-performing teams into high performers? Share something that makes them think they need to hire you…right now.
I hate the “greatest weakness” question. Everyone knows it’s a trap, and everyone knows the candidate is going to sayI hate the “greatest weakness” question. Everyone knows it’s a trap, and everyone knows the candidate is going to say something trite (popular example: “I’m a perfectionist”). When you give a real answer, you are being genuine. You are admitting you have some growth opportunities and are not perfect. But you can include that you already have a plan to overcome this weakness through training or practice.
Some people even insert a little humor in their answer—“I wish I was better at tennis.” You can, too, if you feel like the interviewer has a sense of humor. But, be sure to quickly follow with a serious answer. Showing you have a lighter side is usually a good thing.
8. When can you start?
Be careful about this question for several reasons:
It doesn’t mean that you have “landed the job.” They may be just checking to add that to their notes. You must keep your guard up until you are in your car and driving away from the interview.
If you are currently employed, you should be honest about the start date and show professionalism. You should tell them you would have to discuss a transition with your current company to see if they require a two-week notice (or some other timing). If you currently have a critical role, your potential new employer would expect a transition period.
If you can start right away (and they know you are not currently employed), you certainly can say you’re able to start tomorrow. Sense of urgency and excitement about starting work at the new company is always a good thing.
9. How did you find this job?
You may have found the opportunity through research on ideal jobs where you can make the most impact and hope to grow professionally.
I would also hope you looked for companies that you feel meet your standards for corporate culture, investment in employees, successful business model (or perhaps giving back to community), and any other aspects you feel are important to you.
Make sure you can go into a little detail on what you found in your research.
10. Why do you want this job?
There should be a heartfelt answer on this one. Your gut should be giving you the answer.
Although, if the reason is about money, location, work schedule, benefits, and other factors not tied to actual role, you may want to think a little more about your answer. None of those reasons are important to the hiring manager.
Focus on them: They want to hear that this job is exactly what you’ve been thinking about as a next step in your career.
Of course, the follow-up question they’ll ask is: How so?
Be prepared to answer that with your rationale for how this job meets your professional needs and how you can contribute at your highest potential while in this role. People want to feel like their work means something. There is nothing wrong with sharing that feeling in a thoughtful way.
