Practice Interview Questions with Answer Guidance for the Traditional Interview

Tips, Traps and Strategies

Beware, about 80% of all interviews begin with this “innocent” question. If you’re unprepared for the question, you will likely begin rambling, recapping your life story, delving into ancient work history or personal matters. Avoid this by preparing.

Best Answer

Start with the present and tell why you are well qualified for the position. Remember that the key to all successful interviewing is to match your qualifications to what the interviewer is looking for.
You must sell what the buyer is buying. This is the single most important strategy in job hunting.
Use the ‘Resume Mirror’ (this uses the job language) strategy to gather this information. Frame your answer around this information.

Tips, Traps and Strategies

This question seems like a softball lob, but be prepared. You don't want to come across as egotistical or arrogant. Neither is this a time to be humble.

Prior to any interview, you should have a list mentally prepared of your greatest strengths. You should also have, a specific example or two, which illustrates each strength, an example chosen from your most recent and most impressive achievements.

You should have this list of your greatest strengths and corresponding examples from your achievements so well committed to memory that you can recite them cold after being shaken awake at 2:30AM.

Then, once you uncover your interviewer's greatest wants and needs, you can choose those achievements from your list that best match up.

Best Answer

You know that your key strategy is to first uncover your interviewer's greatest wants and needs before you answer questions.

If you're unable to learn that before answering this question think about your most significant accomplishments using the tips on the left.

Remember to structure you answer in a short one to two minute response using the STAR technique taught in another lesson. 

And from the prior question, you know how to do this.

Tips, Traps and Strategies

Beware - this is an eliminator question, designed to shorten the candidate list. Any admission of a weakness or fault will earn you an “A” for honesty, but an “F” for the interview.

Don’t try to disguise a strength as a weakness. This is a overused strategy and HR and Hiring Manager’s are tired of hearing it and it will not serve you well.

It’s better to get a thorough description of your interviewer's needs before you answer questions as described previously. Assure the interviewer that you are confident you’re able to meet the critical performance outcomes for this. Then, quickly describe a top achievement using the SMART strategy..

Best Answer

“Based on what you've told me about this position, I believe I'd make an outstanding match. Based on (choose a key job need) I've been successful (describe something you've done that was similar and be sure to state it using SMART format)."

SMART = Specific, Measurable, Action Taken, Results Achieved and Time Required.

The goal is to tie something you've done with a key need of the job and describe it in ways that paints a positive picture in the mind of the interviewer.

Tips, Traps and Strategies

Not having goals…or having only vague general goals and not having highly specific goals is not a good thing. 

Many hiring managers are strong believers in goal setting. (It’s one of the reason they’ve achieved so much). They like to hire others who are also goal setters.

If you’re vague about your career and personal goals, it could be a big turnoff to many people you will encounter in your job search.

Best Answer

Be ready to discuss your goals for each major area of your life: career, personal development and learning, family, physical (health), community service.

Be prepared to describe each goal in terms of specific milestones you wish to accomplish along the way, time periods you’re allotting for accomplishment, why the goal is important to you, and the specific steps you’re taking to bring it about.

But do this concisely, as you never want to talk more than two minutes straight before letting your interviewer back into the conversation.

Tips, Traps and Strategies

This may seem like a strange question. Unless you’re up for a position in academia or as book critic for The New York Times, you’re not expected to be a literary lion. But it wouldn’t hurt to have read a handful of the most recent and influential books in your profession, industry and/or on management.

Yet you don’t want to seem like a dullard who hasn’t read a book since Tom Sawyer.

Consider it part of the work of your job search to read up on a few of these leading books. But make sure they are quality books that reflect favorably upon you, nothing that could even remotely be considered superficial.

Finally, add a recently published best-selling work of fiction by a world-class author and you’ll pass this question with flying colors.

Best Answer

“ The most recent book I’ve read was ___ by ___. The reason I chose that book was ___. The key takeaways for me included (demonstrate that those takeaways are things that help you in your career and if possible, tie those to the specific job needs and/or the employer’s business."

Tips, Traps and Strategies

You don’t want to come across either as a hothead or a wimp.

Give an answer that’s suited to both your personality and the management style of the firm.

Here, the homework you’ve done about the company and its style can help in your choice of words.

Best Answer

If you are a reserved person and/or the corporate culture is coolly professional: 

“I’m even-tempered and positive person by nature, and I believe this helps me a great deal in my work. I hold my teammates accountable just like I do myself. I believe in open communication about expectations.” 

“If anyone or anything is going off track, I will bring it up for corrective action, but I try to do that in a tactful way without sounding impatient or angry. Good people appreciate that and aren’t put off by bringing this to their attention.”

If you are feisty by nature and/or the position calls for immediate corrective action. 

“From what you told me, ____ needs immediate attention. Am I understanding that correctly?

Based on that, I’d like to have a brief give-and-take discussion as to how I’d approach that. This will give both of us an opportunity to see how compatible our styles and strategies are. Are you open to doing that?”

(Then have a real business discussion about this issue(s)).

Tips, Traps and Strategies

The two traps here are being unprepared and irrelevance. If you struggle for an answer, it seems you’ve never been inspired. If you ramble about your high school track coach, you’ve wasted an opportunity to present qualities of great value to the company.

Have a few heroes in mind, from your mental “Board of Directors” - Leaders in your industry, from history or anyone else who has been your mentor.

As always, prepare an answer which highlights qualities that would be highly valuable in the position you are seeking.

Best Answer

Be prepared to give examples of how their words, actions or teachings have helped inspire your achievements.

Here’s an example. 

“A person that was really helpful to me early in my life was my Uncle Jake. He was also my Scoutmaster and he challenged me to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout by age 14, which at the time was highly unusual and quite difficult.

I was able to meet that challenge and it taught me the value of setting goals, anticipating challenges and finding solutions. That’s something that I have found very helpful throughout my career.”

Tips, Traps and Strategies

The two traps as the prior question. It's being unprepared and irrelevance. If you struggle for an answer, it seems you’re not as self-aware as you should be. 

This is highly personal question and only you can provide a relevant example.

Describe the situation or circumstances, what happened, how you reacted, what you learned from the experience, and how you’ve applied this lesson afterwards. This can also include what you might have done differently.

As always, prepare an answer which highlights qualities that would be highly valuable in the position you are seeking.

Best Answer

“In my leadership role at ABC Company, we went through two years when our market was extremely depressed. This required a reorganization of the national sales team I had worked so hard to build over the last 5 years.

As part of that, I had to lay off 10% of my sales team. That was tough because everyone of them was a top notch sales pro and great team players. 

Here’s how I went about it and what happened…”

Tips, Traps and Strategies

Illegal questions include any regarding your age…number and ages of your children or other dependents…marital status…maiden name…religion…political affiliation…ancestry…national origin…birthplace…naturalization of your parents, spouse or children…diseases…disabilities…clubs…or spouse’s occupation.

This includes questions about your age, being a single parent, returning to the workforce after a period of time, a lot of past jobs, member of ethnic minority group, etc.

Unless questions are directly related to your performance of the job. You can’t even be asked about arrests, though you can be asked about convictions.

Remember that illegal questions arise from fear that you won’t perform well. Sometimes they are based on illegal biases. The best strategy is to get the job and do an outstanding job.

Best Answer

If you are over 50 and are asked, “How old are you?” Put a big simile on your face and ask “is there a concern that my age my affect my performance?”

Follow this up by reassuring the interviewer that there’s nothing in this job you can’t do and, in fact, your age and experience are the most important advantages you offer the employer for the following reasons…

Another example: If asked, “Do you plan to have children?” you could answer, “I am wholeheartedly dedicated to my career“, perhaps adding, “I have no plans regarding children.” (You needn’t fear you’ve pledged eternal childlessness. You have every right to change your plans later. Get the job first and then enjoy all your options.)

Tips, Traps and Strategies

The employer wants to know if you’re interested enough to research them. This is also about your diligence in managing your career. Not having done your research, will likely label you as lazy.

Conducting your research is the magic key to creating a compelling resume, acing your interviews and getting the best possible job offer.

Top people do their due diligence research every time, average people sometimes. Which are you?

Best Answer

“I spent several hours researching your company website, LinkedIn and Facebook profiles (others as well). I also looked at your LinkedIn profile along with several of your engineers.

My goals has been to understand more about your products, market position, and growth plans. The key things that caught my attention were (mention the top 3 to 4 things). That further stimulated my interest and I wrote down a few things that I’d like to know more about when the time’s right for us to discuss them.”

Tips, Traps and Strategies

You MUST ask good, intelligent questions to be taken seriously. Never pass up the opportunity to ask your questions.

Your questions should come from your research on the company as well as information you have learned about the job. They should cover all aspects of the opportunity, short-term and long-term career, compensation, your growth opportunities, learning opportunities, employer plans, employer culture, employer products/services, the outlook for the employer’s marketplace, etc.

Best Answer

Here is the one best question of all time. It can be used to get at the heart of the job early on, and can be confirmed again at the end of the interview process.

“If you hire me, what would I have done (accomplished) by the end of my first 12 months that would make you say you made a great hire?” 

The focus here is on done/accomplished. Once you know that, you can structure your interview discussions and salary negotiations with those things in mind!!

Tips, Traps and Strategies

Never talk bad about your previous industry, company, board, boss, staff, employees or customers.

This rule is inviolable: never be negative. Especially avoid words like “personality clash”, “didn’t get along”, or others which cast a shadow on your competence, integrity, or temperament. 

Doing so, creates an immediate negative response from most interviewers and they tend to make a “no interest” decision before giving you an opportunity to recover.

Make sure you’ve prepared a brief reason for leaving for all jobs, including your reasons for considering leaving your current employer (if still employed).

Best reasons: Career opportunity, more responsibility learn new skills and more money (only if paid very low in relationship to the market).

Best Answer

(If you have a job presently)

If you’re not yet 100% committed to leaving your present post, don’t be afraid to say so. Since you have a job, you are in a stronger position than someone who does not. But don’t be coy either. State honestly what you’d be hoping to find in a new spot. Of course, as stated often before, you answer will all the stronger if you have already uncovered what this position is all about and you match your desires to it. 

(If you do not presently have a job.)

Never lie about having been fired. It’s unethical - and too easily checked. But do try to deflect the reason from you personally. If your firing was the result of a takeover, merger, change in leadership, division wide layoff, etc., so much the better.

Tips, Traps and Strategies

Believe it or not, this is a killer question because so many candidates are unprepared for it.

Don’t hesitate. Have an answer already prepared, or you’ll blow it!

Again, the key is to uncover as much about the job and employer as possible as early as possible. Then you’ll be able to tie your expertise directly to the employer’s job, market and growth plans. 

Whether your interviewer asks you this question explicitly or not, this is the most important question of your interview because they must answer this question favorably in their own mind before you will be hired. So help the interviewer out! Walk through each of the position’s requirements as you understand them, and follow each with a reason why you meet that requirement so well. Be ready to state your most significant accomplishment for each job.

Another way to think of your “significant accomplishment” is to think of what you did at each job that “you’re most proud of.”

Best Answer

“As I understand your needs, you are first and foremost looking for someone who can manage the sales and marketing of your book publishing division. 

As you’ve said you need someone with a strong background in trade book sales. This is where I’ve spent almost all of my career, so I’ve chalked up 18 years of experience exactly in this area. I believe that I know the right contacts, methods, principles, and successful management techniques as well as any person can in our industry.” 

“You also need someone who can expand your book distribution channels.

In my prior job, my innovative promotional ideas doubled, then tripled, the number of outlets selling our books. I’m confident I can do the same for you.” 

“You need someone to give a new shot in the arm to your mail order sales, someone who knows how to sell in space and direct mail media.

Here, too, I believe I have exactly the experience you need. In the last five years, I’ve increased our mail order book sales from $600,000 to $2,800,000, and now we’re the country’s second leading marketer of scientific and medical books by mail.” Etc., etc., etc.,, merger, change in leadership, division wide layoff, etc., so much the better."

Tips, Traps and Strategies

The employer may be concerned that you’ll grow dissatisfied and leave.

This includes feeling you won’t be motivated to do your best and will become bored.

Additionally, the interviewer may also feel the pay isn’t appropriate for your level of expertise, also leading to becoming dissatisfied.

There is also a fear that if they pay you at the high end of the salary range, this may cause others in the same job to be resentful (even though compensation is supposed to be private).

As with any objection, don’t view this as a sign of imminent defeat. It’s an invitation to teach the interviewer a new way to think about this situation, seeing advantages instead of drawbacks.

Best Answer

“Because of my unusually strong experience in ________________, I could start contributing right away, perhaps much faster than someone who’d have to be brought along more slowly.”

“There’s also the value of all the training and years of experience that other companies have invested tens of thousands of dollars to give me. You’d be getting all the value of that without having to pay an extra dime for it. With someone who has yet to acquire that experience, the’d have to gain it on your nickel.” 

“From my side, there are strong benefits, as well. Right now, I am unemployed. I want to work, very much, and the position you have here is exactly what I love to do and am best at. I’ll be happy doing this work and that’s what matters most to me, a lot more that money or title.”

“Most important, I’m looking to make a long-term commitment in my career now. I’ve had enough of job-hunting and want a permanent spot at this point in my career. I also know that if I perform this job with excellence, other opportunities cannot help but open up for me right here. In time, I’ll find many other ways to help this company and in so doing, help myself. I really am looking to make a long-term commitment.”

Tips, Traps and Strategies

One reason interviewers ask this question is to see if you’re settling for this position, using it merely as a stopover until something better comes along. Or they could be trying to gauge your level of ambition.

If you’re too specific, i.e., naming the promotions you someday hope to win, you’ll sound presumptuous. If you’re too vague, you’ll seem like you don’t have a good grasp of where you want to go and what you like to do.

Employer’s believe that the best people have a pretty clear-cut career plan in mind and they are evaluating not only if you do, but whether or not you have a realistic expectations for how you’ll get there.

If the employer can’t meet your expectations, it may not be a good fit. However, if their job offers a good interim place for you to contribute and bring value, don’t be shy about tying your best accomplishments to what they need for the job.

Best Answer

“Based on what you’ve told me about this opportunity, it’s exactly what I’m looking for and what I am very well qualified to do. 

I’m especially intrigued by (choose one or two things about the job that you love to do and relate those to similar things you’ve done in the past).

In terms of my future career path, I’m confident that if I do my work with excellence, opportunities will inevitable open up for me. It’s always been that way in my career, and I’m confident I’ll have similar opportunities here.”

Tips, Traps and Strategies

This is often asked by an experienced interviewer who thinks you may be overqualified, but knows better than to show his hand by posing his objection directly.

So they’ll use this question instead, which often gets a candidate to reveal that, indeed, he or she is looking for something other than the position at hand.

The only right answer is to describe what this company is offering, being sure to make your answer believable with specific reasons, stated with sincerity, why each quality represented by this opportunity is attractive to you.

The interviewer is almost certainly going to compare your answer against what they believe they offer both in the short and long-term. This is another reason it’s important to know as much about the company, culture and specific job as possible, as early as possible.

Best Answer

“I’m sure that you are comparing your opportunity to what I’m looking for in my next career move. I don’t blame you and in fact, that’s vitally important to me as well.

Based on how you’ve described the opportunity, it seems to fit very well. For example, (then pick several things you’ve uncovered about the job, company, etc. and relate that to what you’ve done and what you want to do now).

Tips, Traps and Strategies

This question tests whether you’ve done any homework about the employer. If you haven’t, you lose. If you have, you increase the odds of winning big.

This question is your opportunity to hit the ball out of the park, thanks to the in-depth research you should do before any interview!

We cover this in detail in our Researching the Employer Course.

In brief, the best sources for researching your target company: annual reports, the corporate newsletter, contacts you know at the company or its suppliers, advertisements, articles about the company in the trade press.

Best Answer

“The reason I’m so interested in ____ is because (choose two or three key things you uncovered in your research).

The reason those things caught my attention was (now tie those to your career objectives and don’t forget to also tie those to the most important things about the job)."

Tips, Traps and Strategies

The interviewer is trying to find out two things. First, “How desperate are you?” and “What is my competition?” 

Prepare for this question by thinking of how you can position yourself as a desired person. If you’re still working, describe the possibilities at your present firm and why, though you’re greatly appreciated there, you’re discretely exploring other potential opportunities that offer more (challenge, responsibility, growth, money, etc.).

Also mention that you’re in serious discussions with one or two other employers. 

If you’re not working, you can talk generally about other employment possibilities you’re actually exploring. Paint a picture that although unemployed, other companies are expressing interest and you’re in active discussions.

Best Answer

“I’m fortunate to find myself in active discussions with three other employers.

Each of them have expressed interest in continuing our discussions.

That being said, and based on what you’ve told me about the job here, I’m very interested to continue our discussions.

The top reasons I continue to be interested are (now again go back to your research and tie the key needs of the job to what you have done that’s comparable, to what you like to do and how that contributes to the company’s plans).”

Tips, Traps and Strategies

This can be a tough question if you’ve been unemployed for a long time. You don’t want to seem like damaged goods.
You want to emphasize legitimate factors which have prolonged your job search by your own choice.

Reasons may include, being sure you’re making a good long-term career move, slow job market, caring for a family member who is ill, choosing to take some vacation time and reflect on your next career move, etc.

You want the interviewer to know that you’re not just interested in any job, but are trying to be careful about your next employer (within reason).

Best Answer

“After my job was terminated, I made a conscious decision not to jump on the first opportunities to come along. I believe you can always turn a negative into a positive IF you try hard enough. This is what I determined to do. I decided to take whatever time I needed to think through what I do best, what I most want to do, where I’d like to do it…and then identify those companies that could offer such an opportunity.”

“Also, in all honesty, you have to factor in the recession (consolidation, stabilization, etc.) in the (banking, financial services, manufacturing, advertising, etc.) industry.”

“So between my being selective and the companies in our industry downsizing, the process has taken time. But in the end, I’m convinced that when I do find the right match, all that careful evaluation from both sides of the desk will have been well worthwhile for both the company that hires me and myself.”

This is not a time for true confessions of major or even minor problems. Again never be negative. 

Life is a learning experience and it’s no different in your job. Legitimate employers know that and they aren’t trying to catch you in a “got ya” moment.

They want to know if you’re self-aware and introspective. This includes viewing your work performance with an eye toward learning and figuring out how you can do even better next time.

Best Answer

“ I look at life as a learning experience and that certainly is the case with my work.

I’m constantly evaluating my work and looking for ways to improve. Let me give you an example from (choose an employer).

I was leading the ___ project and (what happened, what you learned, and if possible how you have already applied that lesson)."

Tips, Traps and Strategies

This should be an easy question, but your answer has to be believable. And, it is always best answered with an example.

Using your employer research to help uncover the job priorities, working environment and culture, try to choose an actual example of a situation that is as comparable as possible. 

If you’re early in your career, choose an example that demonstrates how you handled the pressure situation.

Best Answer

In cases where you are unsure of the pressure in the job. 

“I’ve worked in pressure situations and been very successful in the past. This includes both my work situation and (some other situation). In order to make my answer as relevant as possible, describe what pressure in this job is like.”

In cases where you are sure of the job pressure. 

Once you know the situation, choose an example that is as relevant as possible. The objective is to uncover what pressure is like in the job you’re pursuing. 

This means that in your interview preparation, you should have anticipated this question and written out answers and committed them to memory so you don’t have to think about them, and you can immediately choose your most relevant example based on the job needs.

Tips, Traps and Strategies

This requires a careful answer. You don’t want to appear easily bored, yet everyone gets bored sometimes. And, if the job would bore you, it’s not the right job for you anyway.

If you’ve had a boring job, describe it honestly and describe why.

If you’ve been fortunate not to have a boring job, be upfront about that as well.

Top employers appreciate transparency and honesty vs. giving a contrived fake answer.

Best Answer

In cases where you’ve had a boring job.

“Early in my career, I was accepted as part of a management training program that required several months shadowing various manufacturing jobs as an observer. Just watching a repetitive manufacturing job being done for 8 hours did get boring. 

I decided to make the best of this situation and learn all I could. That paid off by being asked to transition out of the training program into what became my life-time career. Boy did what I learned as an observer pay off!

I was able to quickly apply what I learned to my new career and achieve a series of rapid promotions.”

Tips, Traps and Strategies

This is typically a make-or-break question. The interviewer mostly likes what they see, but has concerns about one or two key areas.

Sales people face this every day when they encounter objections (whether stated or merely thought) in every sale. They’re part and parcel of the buyer’s anxiety. The key is not to exacerbate the buyer’s anxiety but diminish it. 

To pass this question with flying colors, you are going to rely on your master strategy of uncovering the employer’s greatest wants and needs and then matching them with your strengths.

Best Answer

1. Be completely honest, open and straightforward about admitting the shortcoming. (Showing you have nothing to hide diminishes the employer’s anxiety.)
2. Do not apologize or try to explain it away. 
3. Agree on the importance of this qualification.
4. Provide a work example where you had to quickly learn a new skill or acquire new information and were successful. 
5. Review your unique combination of experience that does fit and emphasize that having this combination of experience that makes you an ideal candidate.

Tips, Traps and Strategies

You don’t want to give the impression that money isn’t important to you, yet you want to explain why your salary may be a little below industry standards.

Think about what the reasons are for your situation. It might be that:

1. You had a prior personal situation preventing you from moving from an employer whose pay was low.
2. You were in a job that allowed time to complete your education.
3. You were in a job that provided strong learning opportunities.
4. You were so focused on doing your job, you didn’t realize until recently that your pay was that much below standards, but now you’re doing something about it.
5. Your employer was going through tough times and pay increases were in short supply, and you wanted to stay to help them get through this period of difficulty.

Best Answer

Let the employer know that you like to paid competitively, but you also focus on long-term career opportunity as well.

“Being paid competitively is very important to me, and one reason I’m here is because I’m looking for a more competitive compensation. Throughout my career, what’s been equally important to me is doing work I really like to do at the kind of company I like and respect.” 

“I’m evaluating competitive pay along with a long-term career path and the opportunity to continue learning.”

Tips, Traps and Strategies

Your salary is your personal business. It’s confidential.

Recruiters and employers may insist on knowing this. If you tell them, you lose an important negotiating position.

If you were selling your house and were asked "What other offers have you received for the house, and for how much?" You'd wouldn't tell them. That's your private information, and anyone who has that information has a negotiating advantage.

The employer is not going to tell you what they paid the last person in the job. That's confidential information. So is your salary history!

Best Answer

Only give a range, with the bottom number as your rock bottom if the job turns out to be great, and the upper range you think is strongly competitive for the job. Know your worth beforehand by conducting research. 

“In this job search, I'm focusing on jobs in the $50K – 60K range. Is that in the ballpark for this position?” 

When pressed…
“I completely understand. I know you have salary questions you're supposed to ask candidates. I think the $50K - $60K salary range I mentioned is the right number in order to consider this opportunity. If that’s in the ballpark, we can continue our discussions.”