Prepare for your Interviews
One potential client shared that in the past, their interviews never seemed to go well. When I asked the question, “what have you done to prepare for your interviews?” there was an awkward pause and the admission that they had not prepared.
Think about it. You wrote your resume to get results and phone calls. That means that as soon as you start applying for jobs, you should also start preparing for interviews.
Commonly asked questions
There are a few questions that you should assume you’ll be asked. Prepare for these questions first. If you have a particularly difficult story, practice your answers with a trusted friend or work with me for interview preparation.
Tell me about yourself.
People hate this question because there is no one clear answer. Turn that view around. This question is a gift. It is generally the first question asked and you have the opportunity to set the tone of the interview and deliver your elevator pitch.
Make a list of key points that are important for an employer to know about you.
Consider what concerns there might be with your experience. What can you share to eliminate those concerns?
How do you connect with the mission of the organization?
Example:
“For the last ten years, I have built my project management experience in both technical and nontechnical industries. Those experiences show that even when I am new to an industry, I can easily transition my project management skills and quickly make an impact on the business. At the start of my career, I worked in customer service and I still take a customer-focused approach to my work, a value I know this company shares. Outside of work, I enjoy the challenge of running and I am always trying to “beat” my previous records.”
DON’T: This is not a time to give an overview of every job or detail of your life. If you’re not prepared, it is really easy to ramble on or give too much personal information. You know you’re going to be asked this question, prepare for it.
What is your greatest weakness?
This is the question I dislike the most. When people ask for my greatest weakness, I want to reply that there is no incentive for me to share that information with anyone. But unfortunately, I can’t give that answer and neither can you.
To answer this question well, demonstrate:
Self-awareness. You know and can verbalize your strengths and weaknesses.
Humility and the ability to acknowledge your weakness.
The thought process of how to overcome your weakness.
Even more than disliking this question, I dislike the answer I would hear people use, “I’m a perfectionist.” Seriously?! No one buys that. If that is truly your weakness, here is what you should say instead:
“I am very detailed oriented to the point that it can slow me down. To combat this, I outline my plan, focusing on the big picture and the end goal. Doing that helps me to focus on the most important part of the work and stay on track with my schedule.”
DON’T: Call out a weakness without also sharing how you overcome that weakness.
Can you share a time when you failed at something?
This is one of many questions to be prepared for. Times you failed, succeeded, worked on a challenging team, didn’t get along with a co-worker or customer, etc. As you build your resume, reflect on your experience and write down examples to help you prepare for your interviews.
My own experience is your lesson in this. I was asked to talk about a time when I had problems with a business partner that I needed to overcome. I fumbled through my answer and it wasn’t until after the interview ended that I remembered a particularly difficult relationship that I worked through and turned around completely. Had I prepared for these types of questions, I might have been able to come up with this example when I wasn’t in the pressure of the interview itself.
After each interview, write down the questions that were asked and your answers. Often, you will come up with better answers when you are not in the middle of your interview.
DON’T: Think that you’ll remember all of these scenarios when you’re in the interview. Write them down.
Why did you leave your last job? Or want to leave the job and come here?
No matter why you left your job, this can be a difficult question because you know that you should stay positive but let’s face it, for every relationship that ends, something wasn’t right.
If you were fired from your last job, I recommend that you work with someone—a friend, a coach or myself—to work through the best response.
DON’T: Lie about how you left a previous job. You don’t need to go through all of the details but if they ask if you were fired, you must be honest.
What questions do you have for me?
Hopefully, you know enough about the company to ask a question or two that is specific to the industry. Some more general questions to consider asking:
How will my performance be evaluated?
What does a typical work day look like?
How does the team work together?
Will I have opportunities for growth and stretch assignments?
Why did the previous person leave?
How long have you been in this role? Have you promoted many people?
During COVID, how are you working? How do you expect this to change once things begin to return to normal?
Keep Going!
This is just the start of questions to practice and prepare for. Another great source of questions is the job application itself. If the listing states “we want someone who is collaborative and able to work with many different teams” — prepare to answer when you did just that on a job.
Follow this other great site from another resume writer, outlining 21 common questions and tips on how to answer those questions.
Need help preparing for your interview? I can be hired to work through your answers and practice your delivery. Find out more.
