3 Tips For Successfully Answering Interview Questions

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practice-615644_1920What is it about interviewing for a job that can make otherwise intelligent people get tongue-tied? After all, we are at a job interview to discuss how we might help the company achieve its goals and who knows our career story, with all of our successes, better than we do?

Preparation is the key to a successful interview. Here are 3 tips to help you successfully answer interview questions.

1.Write Your Answers Ahead of Time

You have a good idea of the questions the hiring manager will ask, right? “Why do you want to work here?” “Give me an example of a successful project you managed” “What is your biggest strength/weakness?” and the all-important, “Tell me about yourself”.

Rather than “wing it” during the interview, think about what you want to say and type out your answers ahead of time.

Go back and review your answers, making sure they are succinct and convey the best part of you and your career. Place yourself in the hiring manager’s position: Are your answers what you would want to hear from a candidate?

2. Answer the Hiring Manager’s Question: WIFM?

The hiring manager is looking for someone to solve her problems. She’s silently asking the question, “What’s In It For Me?”

To answer this question, you need to “show”, not “tell”.

It also means using examples to show why she should hire you, NOT using fluffy words or generic information that isn’t specific to the position for which you are applying.

For example: “Tell me about yourself”. Your answer: “I’m passionate about analytics and am a dedicated, hard worker.  I really enjoy working in finance and would love to work here at XYZ Company.”

That’s awesome that you want to work for the company but the hiring manager doesn’t care about your needs/desires. I’m sure you are dedicated and hard-working, but how do you prove that in an interview? Besides, isn’t every candidate going to say that?

A better answer is, “I’m a financial analyst with more than ten years experience helping companies such as yours strategize and plan for the future. My career includes both corporate experience as well as consulting, for both domestic and global organizations. Recently my team completed a project that allowed our company to increase revenue by 8%. I believe my experience has prepared me to take the next step, and I’m ready to make a positive contribution to your organization.”

State who you are and show you can do for the hiring manager and the company.

3. Practice!

Just like being in a play, practice saying your answers out loud until they roll off your tongue naturally. Do not wait until the interview before you speak these words!

Trust me when I tell you that practice makes you sound perfectly unrehearsed.

Remember: Write. Show. Practice. These three tips will take you from tongue-tied to eloquent.

The Sport of Shopping

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vera bag

“Listen to this”, I said to Hubby while reading the Sunday paper at our favorite coffee spot.  The article listed a number of unusual interview questions that candidates had reported answering.  I started reading the list out loud to Hubby.  “What three things would you take to a desert island?”  “If you had to describe yourself as a breakfast cereal, what kind would you be?” and “Are you a hunter or a gatherer?”

“Well, at least the last one’s easy! “ I said.  “I’m a hunter.”

Hubby let out a loud snort.  “Since when? You practically wrote the definition of gatherer! ”

I’ve been told this hunter-gatherer comparison goes back to prehistoric times, when it was the cave man’s business to hunt and the cave woman’s business to gather – or something like that.  In today’s world, a gatherer is the last thing a business woman wants to be called.

Shocked at this blatant disrespect for my keen business acumen, of course I became defensive.  My insides were screaming, my stilettos were stomping as if to say, “I am too a hunter!” But I tried to stay poised and focused.

Instead, I started listing the reasons why I’m a hunter.  That’s what we hunter’s do, right?  We stay calm. We identify the problem, quickly outline solutions and make a decision.  Ready, aim, fire!

Hubby tried to soothe me.  “I agree that you’re a good businessperson; I’m just saying that you like to gather all the information first.  Just like you do when you go shopping; you want to make sure you’ve seen all the options before making a purchase decision. That’s why I can go to the grocery store much more quickly and efficiently than you can,” he smiled, and went back to reading the sports.

Shopping is my forte – talk about being an expert!  If shopping were an Olympic sport I’d have at least one gold medal. We sat in silence, although I’m not sure Hubby was aware of the storm brewing.

Determined to prove him wrong, I volunteered to go to Sam’s for our weekly shopping.   While it wasn’t a business situation, I was determined to show him that I was indeed a hunter.  Chicken, toilet paper and dog treats; I estimated in and out in fifteen minutes, even if I stopped to taste the food samples along the way.

Arriving at the store sans Hubby, I started out quickly, heading towards the chicken when something colorful down a side aisle caught my eye. Several women were gathered around.   My cart veered toward the colors before I knew what happened.

It was an awesome “special purchase” of designer tote bags, one of those rare finds that required quick action or they would be gone before you knew it.  Quickly determining the best colors, I snatched two for my cart and left the melee that was ensuing, figuring I could find a calmer aisle to choose a color.

I decided to keep moving while pondering the colors, and in a moment of shopping brilliance I pulled out my smart phone.  Suddenly I was “Super Gatherer”, scouring different sites for information and offers on the same tote bag.  Up and down the aisles I went, comparing offers and available colors, the sample ladies fueling me with snacks along the way.

Hubby called, wondering where I was.  “You’re still at the store?” he exclaimed. “What happened? Are you okay?”  

Kind of hard to explain that I’m a hunter, not a gatherer, when I had spent the past forty-five minutes roaming the store with two tote bags in my cart, eating free snacks, while I surfed the web for a better deal on the same item.

It was the snacks, I tell you!  They are evil.

Making my decision, I quickly checked out and headed for home, pulling into the garage at the same time as Hubby.

“Show me this special tote bag”, he said, knowing better than to say anything about the time spent.

“It’s the perfect color”, I gushed.  “You’ll love it when it gets here this week – I decided to order one in a different color online.”

Hubby shook his head and went inside.  In his “hunter” world, he would have seen the item, decided it was a good value, selected a color from those available, paid for the item and left the store.

Well, all I’ve got to say is there’s not much sport in that now, is there?