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	Tests

60 – Second Aswers to Tough, Tricky Questions

There are four key components to successfully answering interview questions:

• Advance preparation
• Giving short, concise, specific answers that never exceed 60 seconds
• There are four key components to successfully answering
• Exhibiting the ideal worker persona traits

The key to answering even the toughest questions is to think about them and prepare answers before the interview starts.
Knowing how to answer the employer’s questions is vital to your success. Your self-confidence is dependent on knowing you can effectively answer questions that demonstrate o the employer you can do his job.
Employers know that nervousness can cause job hunters to babble endlessly. Demonstrate your self-confidence and re­tain their interest with short, effective answers. Too often job hunters answer a question, pause, get nervous, and add more information which takes away from the initial answer. Strive to be concise but also complete. Short, concise answers that en­courage a conversation and exchange of information are the goal.
Whenever possible, give a specific example of how you`ve operated in the past. Employers want assurance you`ll be able to do the job. Offering explanations that include examples of how you solved a problem, saved money, or added to the bottom-line are very influential. While not all skills or accomplishments can be quantified, many can, so practice sharing them. It`s wise to have specific examples to point out any positive results you`ve achieved, whether it`s reorganizing the filing system or trimming production costs through some process change. Examples; can also include the results of volunteer jobs and outside ac­tivities. These are skills you have acquired and will use on the job.
Whenever possible, use descriptive words that paint a picture of how well you`ve performed the task in the past. Also include how willing you are to take on new tasks as needed. Your willingness to learn and be a value-added asset to the company, keeping its needs in mind, will make you a very appealing candidate.

Behavioral Interviewing and Situational Questions

This style of interviewing asks you to give specific ex­amples of positive and negative work situations. Job hunters frequently find these questions very difficult. The inter-1 viewer uses this probing style to determine how you have performed in the past. These questions often start out with "Give me an example," or "Tell me about a time, » or "De-I scribe a situation." They seek details of your past abilities and performance. Then the interviewer rates each response to determine and predict your future performance with her company. These situational questions are thought-provoking ones. The interviewer will likely take notes on each answer and continue the line of questioning looking for pecifics: specific details, specific illustrations. Practice an­swering these types of questions by giving concise, detailed examples. Be concise; tell the whole story in 60i seconds or less. You`re unlikely to know in advance who will use this format, so be prepared. Typically, Human Re­sources personnel and recruiters are the ones to use this style. More and more college students are being asked these questions, but so are managers, senior executives, professionals, staff, and everyone else in between.

Answering the Questions

Review the explanations and answers below, then choose your own words and formulate your answers to potential questions. The result: You`ll be prepared to handle question concisely, getting your point across in 60 second or less.

1. "Why did you leave your last job?"
2. "Tell me about your proudest accomplishments."
3. "Describe the worst supervisor you`ve ever bad." (Situational)
4. "What features of your previous job did you like?" (Situational)
5. "What features of your last job did you dislike?" (Situational)
6. "What is your greatest weakness?"
7. "Describe a time when you were criticized for poor performance."(Situational)
8. "I`m a little worried about your lack of..."
9. "You have a lot of experience. Why would you want this job?"
10. "Describe a difficult coworker you`ve had to deal with." (Situational)
11. "Describe how you work under pressure, deadlines, etc." (Situational)
12. "What do you know about our company?"
13. "Why did you change jobs so frequently?"
14. "What do you think of your previous boss?"
15. "This is a very high pressured job. Do you think `L    you`re up to it?"
16. "Why do you want to leave your present job?"
17. "Do you mind routine work?"
18. "Have you ever been asked to resign?"
19. "Tell me about one of your failures." (Situational)
20. "We work a lot of late nights here. Is that going to cause any trouble at home?"
21. "You have too much experience for this job. Why would you want it?"
22. "You`ve been with the same company for so many years, bow will you cope with a new one?"
23. "What was it about your last job that bothered you the most?"(Situational)
24. "How creative a problem solver are you?"
25. "Describe a large mistake you made at your last job." (Situational)
26. "How would you describe your ideal job?"
27. "How do you think your present/last boss would describe you?" (Situational)
28. "How would you rate yourself as a leader? A supervisor? An employee?"
29. "You`ve worked for yourself now for a while, so why Do you want to work for our company?"
30. "Give me an example of a time you bad to deal with criticism from your boss." (Situational)
31. "What`s the most difficult challenge you`ve faced in your life?" (Situational)
32. "What are you doing now to improve yourself?"
33. "How would you influence someone to accept your ideas?"
34. "Could you explain in detail your experience with computer software programs?" (Situational)
35. "Tell me about something your boss did that you disliked." (Situational)
36. "How do you organize and plan for major projects?" (Situational)
37. "What was the last book you read?"
38. "Tell us about a personal goal that you still want to achieve.``
39. "Describe to me your typical workday." (Situational)
40. "Tell me about an unpopular decision you had to make." (Situational)
41. "Give me an example of when it was necessary to reach a goal within a very short period of time and what you did to achieve it." (Situational)
42. "Do you consider yourself successful?"
43. "What would you do with an individual who is very angry and complaining to you?" (Situational)
44. "Tell me about a lime when your work performance was low." (Situational)
45. "Describe a time that you dealt with a stressful work situation." (Situational)
46. "Describe a time when you reprimanded an employee for poor performance." (Situational)
47. "Describe a time when you felt you made a poor decision." (Situational)
48. "Describe the environment that motivates your productivity." (Situational)
49. "Can we check with your current employer?"
50. "Describe your management style in dealing with staff and coworkers." (Situational)
51. "What would you find difficult from what you understand about this job?"
52. "How do you handle stress?"
53. "What was the most frustrating thing in your current (or last) position?" (Situational)
54. "What do you find most challenging in working with customers (clients) or coworkers?" (Situational)
55. "Were you fired from your last job or why did you leave your last job?"
56. "You`ve been unemployed for quite a while; why haven`t you obtained a job before this?"
57. "Are you pregnant, or do you have any plans to have children in the near future?"
58. "What does your husband think about your traveling so much?"
59. "What does your wife think about having to move all the way to Nebraska?"
60. "Who`s going to care for your kids while you`re at     £я work?"
61. "What country are you from?"
62. "The job requires you to work on Sunday. Will your religion cause a problem with that?"
63. "How will you adapt to this new job?"
64. "What are your long-range and short-range goals and objectives? How are you preparing yourself to achieve them?"
65. "What led you to choose your field or major?"
66. "What college subjects did you like best?  Least? Why?"
67. "Do you have plans for continued study? An advanced degree?"
68. "In what part-time or summer jobs have you been most interested? Why?" (Situational)
69. "What have  you learned from the jobs you`ve had?"
70. "If you were on an eight-hour transatlantic flight, who would you want to sit next to you and what would you talk about?"
71. "Give me an example of when you`ve demonstrated your customer service skills on the job.  (Situational)
72. "Give me an example of a time you`ve worked on a team or in a group." (Situational)
73. "Give me an example of a problem you`ve had here at college and how you solved it." (Situational)