6 Tough Interview Questions, Answered

 1. What is your greatest weakness?

Understand that the point of this question is to find out how well you know yourself and how capable you are of managing your weaknesses. Best course of action when this question pops up during the interview is to just tell the interviewer an actual weakness and what you are doing to overcome it.

Sample Answers:

a. Forgetfulness – Tell the interviewer that you carry with you a pen and a paper to jot things down so you don’t forget them or that you make sure you save the details into your smart phone so that you can refer to it should you need a reminder on what else you need to do or accomplish for the day

b. Tardiness – You can tell the interviewer that you have resolved to wake up an hour or two before your usual waking hour to ensure you get to work or to your appointment on time.

c. Time-Management – maintaining a healthy work-life balance can be difficult but you can always tell the interviewer that you’ve taken necessary steps to ensure you don’t bring your office work with you at home (unless absolutely necessary) by prioritizing more important tasks first and then least importance tasks after.

2. Name a time where you worked in a team where something went wrong. How did you correct it?

This is a tricky interview question to answer as it can reveal a lot about the type of person you are so be very careful with your answer. Tread with caution and make sure your answers don’t expose an incident where you gossip or complained about a coworker because it can imply that you are a negative person and cannot work well with a team.

Start your answer by describing the situation to the recruiter or the hiring manager and then follow it up with detailed information of the things you did to resolve the situation. Stick with around 2-3 sentence so you don’t stammer or fumble with words. If the interviewer needs you to elaborate further, then that’s the time you add in more to better illustrate your skills and qualifications.

3. Why did you leave your last job?

You can spend hours trying to come up with a creative answer, but in the end it all boils down to wanting to grow your skills while learning new ones too.

Let the interviewer know that you felt that you had no further growth potential from your last job and then wait for the follow-up question. When asked to answer this question, remember that less is more. You don’t want to sound like you’re trying to justify your reason/s for leaving so badly so keep it cool and just give them your answer in a sentence or two.

4. Why did you leave so many jobs?

We’ve written about the implications of job hopping in our previous article and how interviewers view job hopping as somewhat of a red flag.

Most hiring managers would be worry about job hoppers and the financial impact they could bring to the company especially when continuous recruitment can be costly and time-consuming.

The best way to answer this interview question is to address their doubt and stress in your interviews that you are trying to find a “home” and you are serious about finding a company where you can settle down. You will be asked to explain why you’ve been with several companies in a short amount of time and when it’s time to answer, remember that honesty is still the best policy. Make sure your answers focus on career opportunities and your willingness to take on the job responsibilities and that you’re not in it solely for the money.

5. Why do you want this job?

This question is the more direct version of the other popular interview question, “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”

Hiring managers expect applicants to answer why they want this specific job. If you are interviewing for an entry-level software developer position, you need to say that you enjoy writing applications and even finding bugs and making products better. You might also want to emphasize that you wish to hone your skills and work on different operating systems.

Bottom line is that if you can’t provide a reason why you want the job advertised, you won’t sound as committed. And just like what’s pointed out in the previous question, companies are concerned about retention.

6. Why should we hire you?

If you are fresh out of college, you can include a personal story about what you’ve experienced in the past and how it applies to the job you’re applying for. Your answer to this interview question may lead to a conversation peppered with additional questions so just relax and let it flow.

If you have been working long enough to consider this new job a part of your career, then you need to understand the job you are applying for. Review your past experience, so you can have something to tell the hiring manager about why you are the perfect person for the job. Focus on the need you are filling for the employer.

Bottom line is that if you can’t provide a reason why you want the job advertised, you won’t sound as committed. And just like what’s pointed out in the previous question, companies are concerned about retention.

As a final piece of advice, relax, be honest, and don’t make stuff up. Know that with most of these interview questions, there is no right or wrong answer. You must, however, strike the interviewer as someone who will greatly benefit the organization. Think about your responses carefully before answering the questions because they are meant to evaluate your personality, motivation and thought process.

At the end of a job interview, if you are asked about any questions you have in mind, always say yes. Ask, “Is there anything about my application that concerns you?” or “What is the company culture like?” Show genuine interest in the job and the company, and you will have a high chance of acing your interview. Good luck!