If an interviewer says, "Tell me a little of your personal history," what do you do? Just like with 'Tell me about yourself,' you may be tempted to talk about your family, your social life, your politics, or your last vacation. But don't.
In the video below, I will tell you how to best answer any questions about your personal history in a job interview.
Click the video to watch.
If you'd like more information about exactly how to answer questions about your personal history or 'life story', please see my blog article that goes into this in much greater detail: How to Answer Interview Questions Q42.
If you would like more great answers to interview questions, check out my 101-article blog series, How to Answer Interview Questions.
If you have been freelancing or consulting, but now you're applying to work for a company, they are going to have a few questions for you. The perception is that people who have been their own boss can't go back to working for someone else.
In the video below, I will tell you what to say if they ask you about your freelance or consulting work. You can answer these questions in a positive way that affirms how good you are at your job and explains why you want to work for them.
Click the video to watch.
If you'd like more details about exactly how to answer questions about your freelance work, please see my blog article that goes into this in much greater detail: How to Answer Interview Questions Q88.
If you would like more great answers to interview questions, check out my 101-article blog series, How to Answer Interview Questions.
Interviewers like to ask behavioral-style interview questions like, "Describe a time when your workload was heavy and how you handled it." They know that past behavior predicts future behavior, and they want to see how you reacted to a difficult situation.
In the video below, I will tell you a great way to respond to this question. Click the video to watch.
What are typical IT interview questions? What are the best answers to IT interview questions?
Those are questions I recently asked an expert--Jeff Lipschultz, owner of A-List Solutions, a recruiting firm in the Dallas area that places a large number of technology candidates all over the country. He's got a front-row seat for both sides of IT hiring--managers and candidates. Jeff offered some great insight into what interviewers ask and what they're looking for in your answers to IT questions. Here are excerpts from Jeff's best IT interview advice on how to answer IT interview questions: Read more...
Have you ever been asked to describe a time you went against corporate directives? Or bucked the system, went against the company, or violated company policy? This is not a typical job interview question, but this has been asked in job interviews before. It is a very difficult question to answer well.
In the video below, I will tell you what your best approach is to answering this question. Click the video to watch.
Are you looking for an IT job? Do you know how to handle an IT interview so that you DO get the job?
I am so excited to let you know that I just had a fantastic and very informative conversation with Jeff Lipschultz, owner of A-List Solutions, a recruiting firm in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area since 2007. A-List Solutions places technical candidates in a huge variety of companies all over the United States. He is an incredible resource for IT folks, and he spent over 30 minutes with me doling out all kinds of advice on how to do very well in IT interviews. I have put the entire conversation in an audio recording for you. All you have to do is click the bar below to hear it. Read more...
Have you been in your job for a long time? Have you made lateral moves? Your job interviewer might ask why you haven't been promoted.
Not being promoted is not always a bad thing...there could be a lot of reasons for that. But if they ask, they're concerned and looking for any problems you might present to them if they hired you.
In the video below, I will give you several suggestions for ways you can answer this question in a positive way that alleviates the fears of that hiring manager. Click the video to watch.
Is there a mistake you made in one of your past jobs that, looking back on it, you could have handled differently--and gotten a better outcome? When employers ask this kind of job interview question, they want to know that you can learn from your mistakes and be better going forward.
In the video below, I will talk about how to answer interview questions about things you could have done differently, and give you suggestions for what to say when you answer it.
"If we hire you, what will we know about you a year from now?"
Don't all hiring managers wish they had a crystal ball to tell them whether or not you'll be a good hire? Maybe that's the wish behind this question.
If an interviewer asks you what the company will know about you after they hire you, you can answer it with the suggestions I give you in the video below. Click on the video to watch.
Employers know that in a job interview, you are putting your best foot forward. You are going to say things that are positive, that sell you for the job, and that make you look good. So what do they do? They ask you questions that get you to talk about the not-so-sunny parts of your past jobs. They want to uncover any problems you might be hiding BEFORE you come on board.
This particular question about the least favorite part of your last job, is strongly related to the "What's your greatest weakness?" question. Just like with that one, there is a good way and a bad way to answer it.
In the video below, I will tell you how to think about this question, and how to choose the answer you give. Click it to watch.
Employers love behavioral interview or situational interview questions about how you dealt with difficult experiences in your past. Why? For one, past behavior predicts future behavior. When you tell your story, you will give them a strong glimpse into how you would handle a similar situation when you work for them. Two, it gives them a big peek into your thought process. The ability to think critically about anything is an important skill, and your story will demonstrate that you can (or can't) do this.
In the video below, I will tell you how I would answer an interview question about difficult work experiences , using one of my own personal stories as an example. You will hear the structure you should follow in your own story, and I will tell you what the most critical part of your story is. If you leave out the most critical part, the hiring manager won't hear what he needs to in your answer.
Those pesky interviewers are always trying to get you to let down your guard and tell them things about yourself you wouldn't normally plan to say in a job interview. It's understandable, of course--hiring you is a risk for them. They want to find out as much as they can before they make the leap with you. They need to know not just what you can do, but what kind of person you are. A great way to find out is to ask you what your friends would say about you.
A key tip here is to never talk about things that don't relate to the job. Every job interview answer is another chance to sell yourself for the job...to reinforce the idea that you would be a great fit. Even with questions that seem non-job-related like this one, you can make your answer count.
In the video below, I will give you some suggestions for great ways to answer the interview question, "What would your friends say about you?" Click on the video to watch.
You always want to prepare answers for common interview questions before every interview. If you occasionally have to stop and think a bit before you give an answer, that’s OK--but if you constantly have a deer-in-the-headlights look in your eyes, it will be painfully obvious that you’re unprepared for the interview and you don’t care that much about getting the job. They can’t see your blank, panicked eyes in the phone interview, but those long pauses can also be pretty damaging.
Phone interviews lend you a big advantage here. You can jot down your answers to common questions and have them right in front of you during your interview. It’s your own personal “cheat sheet” to give you a boost and make sure you don’t forget any key points.
Here are a few of the most common phone interview questions, along with a few things to consider including in your answer: Read more...
How to Answer Interview Questions, my collection of 101 tough job interview questions and the best answers for them, is now an Amazon ebook! (And you can get the entire book for only 99 cents! Click Here)
I am so proud of this book and so pleased we've been able to price it low enough that anyone can get it. Because everyone needs it.
The biggest issue facing anyone going into an interview is: will you tell them what they want to hear? Do you have the "magic words" that will convince them to hire you?
That uncertainty is the major cause of all job interview nerves and stress.
What I do in this book is take away that stress.
In each one of these 101 questions, I tell you what's going on in that hiring manager's head. Why are they asking you this question? What is it that they're looking for in your answer?
And then I tell you how you should go about answering that question--with suggestions, examples, wording, and tips for giving an answer that helps you stand out and convinces them that you're the person they need to hire.
Job interviews are really all about communication. This book is going to help you communicate better with that interviewer. It's going to give you confidence going into your interview, and it's going to give you a better outcome. And it's going to give you the best answers to 101 tough job interview questions.
Talking about your previous job responsibilities sounds like a pretty straightforward job interview answer. But as in all interview answers, the same information can be delivered two different ways: in a way that sells you for the job, and in a way that doesn't.
In the video below, I talk about how to use even the simplest interview questions to keep selling yourself for the job. Learn the right way to talk about your past responsibilities and duties in your job.
HOW TO WRITE A 306090 DAY PLAN - These do take some work to research and put together, but the investment you make in time and effort is going to pay off big for you in terms of money and job offers
read more...
What are typical IT interview questions? What are the best answers to IT interview questions?
Are you looking for an IT job? Do you know how to handle an IT interview so that you DO get the job?
look in your eyes, it will be painfully obvious that you’re unprepared for the interview and you don’t care that much about getting the job. They can’t see your blank, panicked eyes in the phone interview, but those long pauses can also be pretty damaging.
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