Be Prepared to Answer Every Interview Question to Interview Your Best

There are literally thousands of possible interview questions. How do you prepare for them all? You can buy a book entitled something like “The 250 (or 500 or 700) Most Frequently Asked Interview Questions”, study the answers and pray that you get asked one of the questions you studied. Or, you can understand the basics and be prepared to answer any question you are asked.

Here are the basics of answering any interview question:

Be positive:
Avoid any possible negativity about anything. Being negative is the fastest way to turn off a hiring manager. Your last company did not go under because of stupid decisions; they were the victim of market forces. Your last boss was not inept she had unique approaches and different strategies. Your ride to the interview was fine even if you were stuck in traffic. You do not need to lie just avoid being negative put a positive or at least neutral spin on your answer.

It is not about you:
You are being considered based on the value you can bring to the company. All your answers should focus on what you will contribute rather than how the job will benefit you. Do not talk about a shorter commute, more money, or career advancement. Focus on answering question by talking about the benefits the company will derive from having you on board. Example, Question-”Where do you want to be in five years?” Answer-” I want to have gained experience in my position, taken on greater responsibility and be more of a contributor to the success of the company”.

Take your time:
There is almost a belief that an interview is a verbal test that is timed. The interviewer asks a question and you have five seconds to come up with the right answer, ie. the answer that pleases the interviewer. Take your time be thoughtful. There is no reason why you can’t say “let me think about that for a moment”. You can take 30-40 seconds to think and come up with a well reasoned answer. You don’t get extra credit for speed.

Whenever possible use examples and tell stories:
Every job candidate is hard working, a good team member, reliable, honest, multitasking, a leader, and dedicated; or so they all say. You have to prove it. You can prove it by giving an example or telling a story when you answer a question. “I am dedicated to getting a job done and here is an example of a time when I was dedicated…” Using an example or telling a story brings your answer to life and has more impact and validity.

So, get the books study the questions but keep the basics of answering any question in mind as you answer. Being able to answer any question in an interview will be one of your greatest interview strengths.

Define the Job to Interview Your Best

Research shows the main reason employees leave jobs in the first 12-18 months is that they were unhappy with the day-to-day requirements of the position or they were a miss-match for the job. In other words, during the interview there was no clear understanding between the candidate and the hiring manager of what the job was about.

I had this experience when I was hired as an “Account Manager” for a new software product in California. Three weeks into the job it turned out it was a project management job. I did not have the depth of experience in project management to manage a $6M software development project for a government entity with 3000 users. I stuck with it until the project was transferred to a vendor, however it was a stressful and unpleasant experience.

Start your interview by finding out as much detail as possible about the job and its exact requirements. Ask questions about day-to-day activities, success metrics, and priorities. Who will you be working with, what departments will you interact with, is there an unusual work schedules. How will you be “onboarded”? Is there training or an orientation period. No detail is too small to ask about and discuss.

Be aware of how well the job is defined. Can the hiring manager provide an in-depth description of the job and it’s duties and responsibilities. If the hiring manager is unclear and the job is poorly defined, this may indicate the organization will be difficult to work for. Take this into consideration when you are making your decision about accepting the job.

Also, in terms of the interview, once you have the details you will be able to target your answers more specifically to the job requirements. Your answers will be more focused and your interview performance will be more persuasive.

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Know it All to Interview Your Best

There are three domains of knowledge:

1. What you know
2. What you know you don’t know
3. What you don’t know you don’t know

The first two domains are easily handled. In terms of a job, there are things you know about the job. There are things you know you don’t know such as exact responsibilities, compensation, who you will report to etc etc. To learn this information you know what questions to ask. The third domain is the tricky one. How do you find out information you don’t even know exists, where do you begin?

It is what you don’t know you don’t know that typically causes you the greatest difficulty; “If I knew that before I took the job…….” To uncover this domain of knowledge, ask questions that do not bias or lead the interviewer. Here are some examples:

You want to find out how many hours people work on the job. Many applicants will ask “How many hours do people typically work”. The interviewer replies,”Typically 35 to 40 hours per week”. Sounds OK, then comes holiday time and you are putting in 50 to 60 hours and are overworked and miserable. An open question would have been more revealing, for example “Tell me about work hours on the job”. This question opens the opportunity for the interviewer to say “We typically work 35 to 40 hours per week except for holiday time when we work 50 to 60 hours and everyone feels overworked.”

Another example- You want to find out what it is like to work at the company. You can ask the question, “What do you like and dislike about working here” The answer will be focused on the interviewer’s predominant likes and dislikes. A better question is “So, tell me about working here”. This question opens up the possibility of hearing about challenges, relationships, concerns, excitement, etc, etc. You may very well hear about something you would not have thought to ask about.

The more exact and detailed your question the less likely you are to hear what you don’t know you don’t know. With open, non-leading, and non-biasing questions, the interviewer has the opening to respond from their own perspective. Once you hear their answer there may be a whole area of information you want to learn more about, and now you know to ask.