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DEVELOPMENT


The Truth about How to Answer the Top 10 Job Interview Questions


esearch indicates that one reason job- seekers do not spend more time pre-


paring for interviews is that they believe they have no way of knowing what ques- tions will be asked. That’s true to an ex- tent, but some questions are asked fairly consistently in interviews. This article of- fers advice on responding to a subjective- ly selected set of 10 frequently asked in- terview questions:


1. “Tell me about yourself...”


A job interview will often start out with


this question, but it doesn’t mean it’s a good opener. “Tell me about yourself,” is often more accurately translated to mean that the interviewer is thinking: “I don’t know to what to ask. But I heard someone ask this question, and it seemed to go OK. So I’m going to use it too.” The main problem with this question is that you don’t know what the interviewer wants and needs. You are just guessing. The best advice is to answer this open-


ended first question briefly. Outline your education, professional experience, and key skills in a few minutes flat. Be bold, be brief and be to the point. Then begin your questions to find out


what the employer actually wants from this hire. The interviewer doesn’t want to know everything about you. He or she doesn’t care about half the things you have done. And if you take time to answer this question fully you will give a lot of information the employer doesn’t want, or worse, that will be held against you. All the employer wants to know is: Can you do the job -- do you have the


skills? Will you fit in -- will you be productive on this team? Will you cause any problems -- will


you leave after two weeks, sue us, get us sued, or be a pain to work with?


56 PROFESSIONAL WOMAN’S MULTICULTURAL MAGAZINE by David Couper


Focus on what you do and then high-


light what makes you different. Differen- tiating between you and the competition is a smart thing to do.


2. “What do you consider your most significant accomplishment?” Don’t ramble on about everything and


anything you’ve ever done, from winning first prize in a science fair to having chil- dren. Instead, discuss your hard work and accomplishments that relate to the job -- and only to this job. Make a list before the interview of your most significant achieve- ments, narrow it down, and then discuss these highlights in two to three minutes. Remember to use stories to get your point over.


3. “Why are you leaving your current position?”


Whatever you do, don’t badmouth your previous employer or co-workers. Instead,


CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF DIVERSITY


focus on the benefits of the experience gained in your last position.


4. “What do you consider your biggest weakness?”


An interview is a sales exercise. Soda manufacturers don’t advertise their prod- ucts as sugar water. No, they talk about the positives -- how it makes you feel good and quenches your thirst. You should do the same. Instead of talking about weaknesses, talk about something that you have worked on that is now not an is- sue. Preferably you had this weakness earlier in your career. Or talk about an is- sue that everyone knows is a challenge; for example, dealing with international business and juggling time zones.


5. “How have you handled stressful/ frustrating/difficult


situations in the past?” The interviewer is looking to see if you


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