This Week’s Job Interview Tip #3

Practice, practice, practice your interview answers.

Don’t get caught with your pants down. That’s exactly what it will feel like if you go to an interview unprepared. You’ve got one time to show what you know. Make it count by being on your game. I’ll share two quick tips that will help you be prepared and stay prepared for interviews.

Let’s Start With You

It’s likely that the interviewer will ask you questions about you. You know yourself, don’t you? Of course you do. But there are times when the interviewer may ask you questions about yourself that may throw you off, like the loaded question, “Tell me about yourself.”

This is one of those interview questions that should be stored in your arsenal. Think about that question and understand what they are really asking. Most likely, they want a summary of your professional background, not a timeline of your personal life.

Write a summary of your experience and knowledge and then read it out loud. If you’re satisfied with it, set it to the side and answer the question out loud several times without referring to your note. Don’t try to memorize it. Just be comfortable with knowing your answer.

Behavioral Interview Questions

Behavioral interview questions are situational questions. Interviewers are curious about how a candidate may handle certain situations. Below are a few examples of behavioral questions:

1. How would you handle an angry customer?
2. Tell me about a time when you had to make a leadership decision.
3. Tell me about a time when you had to think on your feet.
4. How would you handle a situation where you feel your manager is unfair?
5. Describe a time you needed to get information from someone who wasn’t very responsive. What did you do?

It’s hard to know what questions an interviewer will ask. Practice some of the common ones and know your answers to these types of questions. When you’re prepared, your confidence and chance of getting the job will increase. Hope this helped!