How to Answer Tough Interview Questions

How to answer the worst

interview questions!

June Parker, Career Coach

Preparation is key

• Know the job

• Know the company

• Understand how your skills &

experiences fit

• Find the gaps THEN prepare!

(be brutally honest here)

No-one is 100%

Recognise no-one is perfect, however you

need to present as the BEST fit for the

role.

Fact

It’s not always the best

person for the job that

gets it, it’s often the

person who appears

the best!

How do you appear

the best?

First step

Re-read the job description

or job advertisement

thoroughly to understand

what the employer is looking

for in terms of

• skills and

• competencies

How do you appear

the best?Write down AT

LEAST five situations

where you feel you

have added value to

your previous

employers. Relevant

to the job you want.

Think – increased revenue,

reduced costs, increased

efficiencies, new ideas etc

STAR with a twist

Write down each situation as a success story;

SITUATION – overview

THINKING – why you chose the action you took

ACTION – what you did

RESULT – what happened

(quantify this)

Unstated need

Imagine yourself in the

employers shoes, what do they

REALLY need from someone

in the job you are applying for?

What keeps them awake at

night? What damage/pain

could you cause them, if you

stuff up? What’s the difference

Between OK and GREAT?

Prepare

Add to your success

stories, instances where

you have overcome or

demonstrated competence

in any of the areas you

thought of based on the

previous slide.

Map

Now list all the

competencies and skills

required and recognise

where your success

stories demonstrate this

skill or competence.

CompetenciesOne success story may cover a number of

competencies. For example;

Situation – “I recognised different

managers kept asking for different reports

each month, which took up a lot of my time

and detracted from my other duties.”

Thinking – “I thought, if I could streamline

this it would not only save my time but

maybe give the managers better

information.”

CompetenciesAction – “I called each of the 4 managers

and asked them about the most important

information they needed. Then I created a

single suggested report. I called a

meeting & discussed the report with them.

With their input, I made one minor

adjustment.”

Result – “I saved 2 hours of my time each

week, plus the managers got better

information upon which to run their

divisions more effectively.”

Competencies

The previous example could be used for the

following competencies;

- Initiative

- Stakeholder management

- Results orientation

- Efficiency improvement

Multiple examples

One success story provides

four competency examples.

Multiple examples

5 stories can provide 20 examples !!!!

This is WAY more easy to remember than

learning the answers to many different

questions.

Question &

AnswerPART ONE

NOW when your asked a question you will

have a situation, which demonstrates your

skill in the areas they want

(We have a template on our website which

walks you though this process if you’d like it)

www.selectionpartners.com.au

What about the

gaps?

Always remember when answering

questions the hiring organisation is ONLY

concerned about what you can do for

them. So focus on what you can do, NOT

on what you can’t do or on areas/skills you

are weak in.

What about the

gaps?Could you learn to overcome the gaps?

If so – explain that this is an opportunity for

natural career progression and this is why

you are interested in the role. You have a

passion for learning & developing. You will

be extra motivated. You will work hard to

develop the skill & appreciate the opportunity.

THEN

Tell them the Value you can add to the role.

What about the

gapsTell them all about

the other strengths

you have. Discuss

your transferrable

skills.

Help them see you

do measure up

Employer think

• Can you do the job?

• Will you do the job?

• Will you fit in?

• Will you be easy to manage?

• Can I afford you?

Tough Questions• What are your weaknesses?

• Have you ever had a bad experience

with an employer?

• Have you ever had a conflict with

someone at work?

• Why should we hire you?

• Tell us something about yourself not in

your CV

Tough questions

• Why are you STILL at this level role?

• Why do you not have a job yet?

• Why were you retrenched first?

• Why have you not stayed long in each

role?

• What animal best describes you?

Answers to these and more will be in our

next presentation.

If you would like one on one interview

coaching please contact

june@selectionpartners.com.au

www.selectionpartners.com.au