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How to Answer ‘Tough Questions’ in an Interview
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How to Answer ‘Tough Questions’ in an Interview Steps 1. Apply for the jobs you really want. If you are not very sure of this, each question asked will prove to be difficult for you to respond. 2. Keep in mind your strengths and weaknesses and be up to date with the employer potential. Be chirped about their past experiences and how have these helped them. 3. Before the interview, try to jot down all the possible questions you could be asked on the paper and try to find the answers for the same. 4. Be able to recognize what the interviewer is interested in and try to sell only those things which the employer is interested to buy. Don’t beat behind the bush and try to be polite and straight forward with your answers. This will make answering your questions simpler and easier. 5. Speak more about the future than about the past. Avoid speaking of uncomfortable things that happened to you in the past and to be centered about the things that can be done to bring about more business in the future. Give the interviewers the reason as to why you would like to work with them. If a question appears to get over your head, do not blabber something meaningless. Compose your thoughts for a few seconds and try to come up with something meaningful and significant. 6. Try to answer all the questions as positively as possible. Do not speak of your old employers, your place of work or your previous management in a negative way. This can cause potential harm to your personality. 7. Doing a bit of homework, i.e. trying to find out about the firm or the company you are applying for will work wonders for you. If possible, try speaking with someone who is been working with this company for sometime now and try to ascertain what qualities do these people seek in an employee. Do not lie, but position yourself as an ideal candidate. 8. Revise your résumé before the interview and figure out the types of questions that can pop up from the content of your résumé and be fully prepared for answering them. 9. Do not lose confidence if you are unable to answer any question. It is always better to be frank regarding your knowledge about a certain subject rather than ruining your reputation by uttering unnecessary and irrelevant answers.
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10. If you do not understand a particular question, do not hesitate to request for its repetition. You never know, the interviewer might reformulate the question in a better way and this may prove as an advantage for you. Counsels 1. Make sure to take a Shower an hour before the scheduled interview. Personal grooming is an extremely important part to be taken care of. A good haircut, usually short well trimmed hair will certainly impress the interviewer. Spend time to pare and file your fingernails, try to put on fresh-scrubbed look, pop a mint into your mouth for a pleasant breath but make it a point to spit it out before entering the interviewing area, wear a sweet smile and avoid perfume or aftershave ... you might love the way you smell after wearing the scent, but others may not! 2. Arrive at least 15-20 minutes before the interview. This will help you gain composure and will give you the extra time to get acquainted with the atmosphere around you and you can relax a little before being called in for the actual interview. 3. Keep in mind that an interview of work is not "only of you". It is infact an opportunity to determine whether the business in question is the one which you desire. So when the interviewer asks you if you have any doubts say ‘yes’ if you have any and make sure you clarify all your business/work related doubts. 4. To do a little investigation before the interview and to learn about the history of the company and its direction is a great way to impress the interviewer. During the interview, interviewers often refer to things that you have learned about the company. This shows the interviewer that you have interest in business and to understand the company’s mission. Surely this gives you an advantage over other candidates who simply "walk in" for the interview without prior preparation. 5. Try rotating potentially negative answers to positive ones. A common example would be when the interviewer asks, "What are your weaknesses?" The worst answer you can give is that you don’t have any. Finding a weak point about yourself and working on it will prove that you possess the potential of converting your weaknesses into strengths. For example, "I have learned in my previous position that my data processing know-how was not as strong as the situation demanded. Since then I have completed a few lessons regarding this weakness of mine in the classroom and I’m glad to say that I have improved a lot in that zone." Remember that the question asked was not destined to determine what your “weak points” were, but was deliberately thrown at you to determine what exactly was done to correct them. 6. Often the interviewers have this tendency of going back to the same question regarding your achievements. Each time a positive result is achieved, it is indispensable to note it down. For
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instance, "My actions resulted in a decrease in the operating expenses by 15% and helped to raise the income by 25%". 7. It is a good idea to practice asking questions in a mirror or asking someone you know to help. This is what all the presidents of the United States, the judicial witnesses and the executives do to prepare themselves for certain difficult questions. The use of a format of role-playing game gives the opportunity of practicing prior to the interview. By doing so, you not only give the best answers but the ones which are more comfortable to deliver as well as hear.
Beware 1. Do not go to the interview with the hope of obtaining work. Here anticipation is not a good thing. Going there to show what you are going to lose if they do not hire you is not a good idea. Do not attend an interview for work, but attend it to show how good you are at doing things. Never humiliate yourself by giving the impression that you are desperately in need of this job. Do not try to obtain a job by ‘Sympathy’ but prove yourself as a ‘Packet of Talents’ so that the company would proudly recruit you. 2. Do not to try to impress the interviewer by using vocabulary you are not sure of. If you are not aware what a particular word signifies, do not make the mistake of using it. Otherwise you will portray yourself as an ignorant and insincere person. 3. Do not try to be arrogant with the interviewer even if you are bored of his questions. This will irritate him and he will start asking you more difficult questions. Pay attention to his body language!
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