6 Things To Do When You Don’t Know What To Say In A Job Interview. Share it: What Difficult Question Did YOU Have to Answer?
Chris G. Laughter
VP Client Services at First Sun Consulting, LLC- Outplacement Services
Research the company. Iron your clothes. Come up with questions.??If you’ve ever Googled “How to prepare for a job interview,” then you already know that acing one means — at the very least – checking these boxes.
But I’ll admit, despite all the hours of?interview prep?in the world, sometimes you get thrown a question that makes you sweat.
“What’s the biggest piece of criticism you’ve received from previous employers?”
“What’s a mistake you made in your last job and how could you have handled it better?”
“What does a meaningful career look like to you?”
As the hiring manager looks at you with raised eyebrows, your mind goes blank. You have one thought and one thought only: “I don’t remember putting on antiperspirant this morning…”
Maybe this sounds like an all-too-familiar situation, or maybe it doesn’t. But go to enough job interviews and I promise you one thing: eventually you’ll be sitting across from a hiring manager who throws you a curveball that you can’t hit back.
Of course, it’s much easier to overlook the possibility of this altogether (sounds tempting, doesn’t it?). But just like ironing your clothes, figuring out what to say when you don’t know what to say at all is a necessary step if you want to end the interview process with a job offer in your hands.
Here are six steps you can take to form an answer to any question thrown your way during a job interview.
Step 1: Stop worrying.
A successful job interview is more about your energy than your words. Even with the perfect response, bad energy kills the mood. Reducing your anxiety during a job interview is easier said than done – especially since job interviews aren’t the ideal time to take long deep breaths and meditate.
Still, take a moment to challenge your negative thinking. Consider books for this like Eckhart Tolle’s?A New Earth?and Byron Katie’s?Loving What Is. Remind yourself that one weak answer in an interview won’t necessarily eliminate you from the running. You’re human, so give yourself permission to be one.
Employers ask job candidates difficult questions on purpose.?Filling a new position?costs companies an average of $4,129, so employers want to make sure they’re hiring the right candidate. But this also benefits you — difficult job interviews are?statistically linked?to higher employee satisfaction once the job is accepted. Make it through employers’ tough questions, and you’ll be rewarded for it later.
Still feel anxious? While I’m not a big believer in the concept “fake it until you make it,” there is something to be said about mustering confidence for important situations.
Research shows?that almost 40% of employers reject candidates for the quality of their voice and overall lack of confidence. If you don’t have a question ready-to-go in your back pocket, the best thing you can do is minimize your fear and move forward with confidence. You need to answer the question either way, so you may as well do It without looking scared.?
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Step 2: Take a moment to pause.
A strong response doesn’t need to be quick. Don’t word-vomit your way to an answer. It should be expected that a good interviewer will ask you one or two questions you don’t see coming, and it’s completely reasonable to take a few moments to think about your response when they do. In fact, taking a moment to ponder your answer shows the employer that you’re introspective.
If a quick pause doesn’t suffice, signal to the hiring manager that you’re still considering the question by saying something along the lines of, “That’s a great question. Do you mind giving me a moment to think more deeply about this one?”
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Odds are the recruiter will be more than willing to give you the time you need to pull your thoughts together. Have a notepad handy, start writing, and don’t be afraid to ask the recruiter to repeat the question. In some cases, they may even suggest moving to the next question so you’ll have time to develop your answer by the end of the interview.
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Step 3: Think out loud & proceed with caution
It usually only takes a few seconds before a response starts to form your head. Deliberate on it for a few extra moments to make sure it’s appropriate and relevant to the question being asked. Then, extract the key points or lessons you want to highlight and weave them into an answer.
Some people might find it easier to think out loud. If done correctly, verbalizing how you arrive at your answer can showcase your creativity and problem solving skills to a hiring manager.
With that being said, be sure to proceed with caution if you have difficulty predicting where a thought is headed. You don’t want to go off on tangents and you also don't want to reveal an unflattering image of yourself. Speaking slowly and deliberately will buy you more time to think and hone your response.
Step 4: Respond with honesty and authenticity.
Formulas used to answer interview questions don’t usually help when you’re thrown a curve ball that leaves you stumped. It’s hard enough to figure out how to come up with an answer when you’re flustered, let alone organize it neatly using the?S.T.A.R. method.
In a more positive light, leaving room for your authentic and messy thinking can actually serve you well. A?survey?of 200 talent acquisition professionals reported that, in addition to their confidence, hiring managers value candidates with authenticity and honesty the most. Don’t aim to impress the hiring manager with a perfect response (these don’t exist, anyway). Instead, show your ability to be vulnerable by grappling with a difficult question on the spot.
Pulling an authentic and impromptu response together relies on more than basic interview prep. When given a daunting and abstract question like “What do you hope to accomplish throughout your lifetime?” you need to rely on more than what you learned from reading the about page on a company’s website.
Instead, think about how you can work the self-awareness and insight you already have into your answer. Deciding what career path to pursue has already required you to think about your goals and motivations. Weaving this background information into your answers where appropriate not only shows your authenticity, but shows the employer that you see your work as more meaningful than a paycheck.
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Step 5: Elaborate on your growth mindset
In the same survey with 200 talent acquisition professionals, 72% said they consider a candidate’s arrogance as the biggest personality turn off.
If you don’t know how to answer a field-specific question, it’s okay to admit that you don’t know. But don’t end things there — convey your?growth mindset?to employers by explaining your willingness to learn and improve new skills. While you might not have all of the hard skills a company is looking for fully developed yet, describing your interest in the field and openness to feedback tells employers you have the drive to grow at the company.
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Step 6: Emphasize your desire to grow at the company
Conveying a growth mindset is good, but also need to emphasize that you are especially interested in honing your skills at the specific company for which you’re interviewing. This is the time for you to sprinkle in the information you gathered from researching the company during your interview prep. Be open to discussing your personal connection to the company. How do their core values resonate with you? Have they done any recent projects that interest you? If the hiring manager hasn’t already asked you, address your motivation for applying for the job.
Above all else, hiring managers want to know that their employers are committed to the company and invested in their work. Most specific job-related tasks can be taught or picked-up during the onboarding process.
… But as far as the motivation to excel goes, only the employee can bring that.
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Forbes.com | August 12, 2022 |?Ashley Stahl
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