HOW TO INTERVIEW LIKE A TOP MBA
Introduction
In today’s business world, competition for jobs has never been keener.
Rather than keeping the same job for twenty years, a worker typi-
cally changes jobs at least five times in a lifetime. In addition, the pool
of job applicants is seemingly expanding, as companies have come to
recognize the value that nontraditional candidates (engineers, lawyers,
health care professionals, and the like) can bring to general management
positions. Responding to this highly competitive environment, top U.S.
business schools have intensified the preparation they provide their
MBA students who are seeking full-time employment. Students are
exposed to guest lecturers, benefit from private coaches, and receive
videotaped mock interviews to give them detailed feedback and coach-
ing. These efforts enable MBA graduates from top U.S. programs to
fine-tune their responses to tough questions in job interviews.
Overall, headhunters agree that in recent years, attractive candidates
for competitive jobs have developed a much more refined approach to
interviewing than past applicants. Recognizing these trends, How to
Interview Like a Top MBA: Job-Winning Strategies from Headhunters,
Fortune 100 Recruiters, and Career Counselors introduces you to some
“best practice” interviewing techniques. Whether you are seeking your
first full-time employment, switching jobs, applying for a part-time job,
or preparing for graduate school admission interviews, this book intro-
Top Ten Interview Mistakes
1. Failed to make a great first impression
• Treated informal interviews carelessly
• Dressed poorly
• Ignored business etiquette
• Failed to demonstrate enthusiasm
xii INTRODUCTION
2. Did not appear versed in the basics about the company, industry,
available job, or interviewer
3. Failed to present an effective résumé
• Didn’t have a strong story line
• Failed to articulate value of work experience or skills
• Failed to back up claims on résumé
4. Failed to demonstrate a fit for the position
• Unable to communicate the relevance of education or
professional experience to the job available
• Unable to communicate a fit with the culture of the
company
5. Had inadequate answers to common, open-ended or
“turnaround” questions
6. Failed to adequately address concerns about clear weaknesses
7. Did not satisfactorily explain periods of unemployment
8. Couldn’t explain the relevance of “nontraditional” work
experience to the available job (in the case of nontraditional
candidates)
9. Asked disturbing question(s) at the end of the interview
10. Didn’t leave a positive lasting impression
Best Practices
To address these common mistakes and introduce you to best practices,
this book is divided into two parts. Part I provides ten chapters cen-
tered around best practices, to help you address the top ten mistakes
associated with job interviewing. These chapters explain how to
approach the interview and sharpen your delivery. They include prac-
tical advice, anecdotal examples, details about useful techniques, exam-
ples of interviewing success factors, and work sheets to help you map
your own approach to your job interview.
Chapter 1, centering around the best practice “Create a Great First
Impression,” addresses the most common mistakes interviewees make—
failing to dress well, ignoring key business etiquette, and treating an
INTRODUCTION xiii
informal interview too casually. The chapter also provides techniques
and tips you can employ to help create a great first impression.
Chapter 2, centers on the best practice “Do Your Homework in Four
Key Areas,” and addresses another common mistake: a candidate’s fail-
ure to appear versed in the basic facts about the interviewing company,
industry, advertised job, and interviewer(s). This chapter explains what
sorts of information you should research in each of those four key areas
before your interview. It also points you to resources to explore as you
gather the information you need to sound informed and prepared dur-
ing the interview. Chapter 2 explains how learning information in the
four key areas can help you address common interview questions such
as, “Why do you want to work for our company and not for our main
competitor?”
Chapter 3, “Use Your Résumé as an Effective Interviewing Tool,”
addresses how you can avoid a situation in which you fail to make sense
of your education and career moves to date. It helps you understand
how to use your résumé as an effective tool in the interviewing pro-
cess, tailoring your résumé specifically to the advertised job, high-
lighting the most attractive and relevant aspects of your work
experience and educational history. It also helps you understand how
to highlight transferable skills and employ résumé language that can
help demonstrate a match between your qualifications and those of an
ideal candidate.
Chapter 4, “Demonstrate a Fit Through Your Responses to Key
Questions,” illuminates how you can convey the relevance of your edu-
cation and experience to the job for which you are interviewing. It helps
pinpoint the aspects of your record you should emphasize when
responding to questions about such things as your choice of career, work
experience, and personality.
Chapter 5, “Shape the Interview with Responses to Open-Ended and
Turnaround Questions,” addresses how to use broad, general, or open-
ended questions as chances to paint yourself in the most positive light
and in a way that conveys a match with the job you are interviewing for.
It also elaborates on how to “turn around” tricky questions like “Tell
me about a professional failure,” using such questions to underscore
your winning attributes and accomplishments.
xiv INTRODUCTION
Chapter 6, “Address Clear Weaknesses (Without Apologizing!),”
presents techniques through which you can effectively address aspects
of your record that might cause concern for the interviewer. Weaknesses
in your record do not need to prevent you from securing a job if you
are able to address your concerns about them in a compelling and con-
vincing manner.
Chapter 7, “Present a Strong Explanation if You’ve Been out of
Work,” explains ways in which you can present periods of long unem-
ployment in the most positive light, helping to create an image of your-
self as a proactive professional dedicated to self-improvement and
professional development.
Chapter 8, “Demonstrate Business Relevance if You’re a Nontradi-
tional Hire,” helps nontraditional candidates (candidates without busi-
ness backgrounds, such as engineers, lawyers, artists, and the like)
understand how to demonstrate the relevance of their education and
skills to the job they are interviewing for. Here, the concept of trans-
ferable skills is key. The information in this chapter helps you identify
and highlight transferable skills.
Chapter 9, “End Your Interview Excellently,” helps you to identify
how to end your interview so that it reinforces a positive impression,
through excellent closing comments or well-considered questions.
Chapter 10, “Follow Up, Reinforcing a Positive, Lasting Impression,”
provides ideas for how you can follow up an interview in ways that help
ensure the interviewer remembers you and has a favorable impression
of you.
100 Sample Questions and Answers
Part II provides 100 interview questions and sample answers in key cat-
egories, with critiques of the responses and information about what you
should avoid when responding to some of those questions. Specifically,
the structure of a Q&A section includes the following elements:
• Question and explanation of what the interviewer is likely looking
for when asking the question
INTRODUCTION xv
• Sample answer
• Analysis of answer
• Advice about what to avoid as you respond
The best practices presented in Chapters 1 through 10, the anno-
tated examples, and the work sheets for developing your own action
plan, together with the 100 sample questions and answers, can help you
understand how to interview like a top MBA.
xvi INTRODUCTION
P A R T I
Best Practices
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C H A P T E R
Create a Great
First Impression
3
1
Headhunters, career counselors, and professionals engaged in
recruiting efforts at Fortune 100 companies all stress the prime
importance of creating a great first impression. As the old saying goes,
you only make a first impression once, so you want to make sure that
impression is excellent. The following aspects of making a great first
impression stand out as most important.
“Informational” Interviews: Formal or Not,
They’re Interviews
Many candidates try to get an edge by securing informational interviews
with human resources personnel or with professionals in the corpora-
tions in which they hope to gain employment. Others receive invitations
to attend large informational sessions with corporate representatives to
learn more about a particular company. Believing that the exchange will
be informational and therefore informal, some candidates make the mis-
take of going into such situations too casually—unrehearsed, under-
dressed, unprepared for deep discussion because they have not
adequately researched the industry and company, and inattentive to key
business etiquette. Unwittingly, those candidates are making their first
impression, and that first impression is largely negative. Headhunters,
recruiters, and career counselors affirm that lack of preparedness for
informal interviews can be a key reason as to why candidates lose job
opportunities.
Copyright © 2004 by Shelly Leanne. Click here for terms of use.
Therefore, pay attention to a little-known fact: During “informa-
tional” or “informal” interview sessions, many top companies actively
evaluate candidates in the same way they would evaluate candidates dur-
ing a formal interview. You are being observed, and corporate repre-
sentatives often are taking mental notes. Following an informal session,
many company representatives compile written notes about their
exchange with you and disseminate them to other firm members. While
I was working in corporate America, for instance, I attended an infor-
mational luncheon for Harvard Business School students, who had been
invited to the large informal luncheon to meet members of our firm and
learn more about our company. Little did the Harvard students realize,
they were being evaluated, even down to their dining etiquette. After
this informal session, many of the students were eliminated from con-
sideration for formal interviews.
Consider the case of Jennifer. She attended this informal luncheon
casually dressed, which might not have been a problem except that her
clothing seemed to clash and did not seem well picked for the occasion.
She chatted on before a group of corporate representatives, eating with
poor etiquette, and laughing boisterously at questionable jokes she was
making in front of one of the firm’s partners. During the transition
from casual mingling to the sit-down portion of the luncheon, Jennifer
sat near corporate representatives and spoke in an unguarded way about
her dislike of her undergraduate institution. I could see one of the part-
ners wincing at her attitude and her poor table manners. The next
morning, when I met with several corporate members to review the
notes they had compiled about each candidate they had met, one part-
ner summarized his opinion about Jennifer in three sentences: “She’s
boisterous, unmannerly, and has poor conversational skills. I certainly
could never see any of us putting her in front of a client. She should not
be granted a formal interview.” Jennifer would perhaps never under-
stand why she was not called for a formal interview, even though her
performance in business school merited at least an initial formal inter-
view. Unknowingly, she had had her first interview in an informal set-
ting, and the lasting impression she made was universally negative.
Regardless of whether a session is called “informational,” “informal,”
or “formal,” therefore, you should err on the side of caution and assume
4 Best Practices
you are being evaluated. The following guidelines for creating a great
first impression therefore apply to each of these situations.
Dress the Part
An important way to create a great first impression is to dress well.
These days, however, it is sometimes unclear what that means. For
instance, if a company’s dress code is “business casual” and you are
going to interview there, should you dress in sharp business casual attire
or in a suit? Consider these guidelines:
Suit or No Suit?
• If the company’s professional employees dress in suits for their
everyday in-office work, even when clients are not present, then
you should wear a suit for any interview, unless instructed
otherwise.
• If the company’s professional employees dress in suits only when
meeting with clients, but wear business casual for their everyday
in-office work when clients are not present, then you should likely
wear a suit for any interview, unless instructed otherwise.
• If the company’s professional employees dress in business casual
both when meeting with clients as well as for their everyday in-
office work when clients are not present, that situation is much
more tricky. Here, you might choose to dress in sharp business
casual; that is, consider wearing a jacket to add a slightly formal
touch to your business attire. However, it is always best to call a
representative in human resources to ask how you should dress, to
ensure you are not underdressing.
If you are highly uncertain about whether your dress is appropriate,
call the human resources department and inquire about the appropri-
ate interview dress—formal or casual. But if you have to choose
between overdressing and underdressing, it is generally better to over-
dress. Underdressing sends the message “I am taking this interview
casually; it is not very important to me.” Overdressing might raise ques-
tions about whether you can fit into a more casual atmosphere, but those
Create a Great First Impression 5
concerns can be offset with your demeanor and responses to questions.
By overdressing, the message you will send is, “I care enough about
securing this job that I made sure to dress in my finest attire as a sign
of respect for you and for your firm.”
Dressing Conservatively
Many career counselors will also tell you to dress “conservatively.” By
this, for men, they mean wear black or dark blue suits or slacks and
white shirts. By this, for women, they generally mean you should not
wear heavy makeup, heavy jewelry, bright colors, nail polish, perfume,
or pants. (Only skirts or dresses are considered in some settings to be
“conservative” attire for women.)
However, in today’s business world, the rules are changing. Some
women would be offended and would not want a job at a company that
insisted that women should not wear pants to an interview. Some
women therefore ignore that traditional rule and still fare well in the
interviewing process. Likewise, some professionals like to dress in ways
that celebrate their ethnic heritage, which might include brighter
clothes or jewelry. The most cautious approach always is to dress con-
servatively, but many people choose to ignore some traditional advice
in order to avoid any appearance of renouncing their own heritage or
of kowtowing to a perceived old-boys’ network that insists on skirts
for women. If you choose to dress in bright designs or if you are a
woman who chooses to wear pants to an interview, it is probably best
to do so in a way that still allows you to appear well dressed. On the
whole, many interviewers still frown on heavy makeup, heavy perfume,
and nail polish.
Business Etiquette
Observing several basic etiquette rules also can help to create a great first
impression. Here are some of the most important rules for interviews:
• Arrive a few minutes early. It is important that you not be late.
It is also important that you are not too early—more than ten
6 Best Practices
minutes before the appointment is too early and can be seen as
rude or too aggressive. Arrive five to ten minutes early, as a sign
that you are punctual and that this interview is important to you.
• Arrive with a professional-looking pad and pen. It is very
important to some interviewers that you take some notes about
what they say. Note-taking signifies that you find importance in
what the interviewers are saying. However, do not take too many
notes, and do not take notes if you believe jotting down a note will
be interpreted as trying to bind the interviewer to some statement
he or she might not want to be held to later. Use moderation, and
before you start to take notes, ask the interviewer whether it is
OK. Getting permission to take notes sets a good tone at the start
of the interview.
• Appear organized, carrying related documents with you.
For instance, if the employer supplied a list of all of the persons
you should interview with, take the list with you on the day of
your interviews. Also have a few copies of your résumé on hand in
case any of the interviewers does not have your résumé readily
available.
• Shake hands with the interviewer. When you meet the
interviewer, be certain to shake hands with him or her. Keep your
handshake firm and steady. You don’t want a handshake that is too
firm or too weak. A handshake that is limp is interpreted as
weakness. One that is too hard is often construed as a sign of
aggressiveness. A medium grip signifies confidence and warmth.
• Wait to be asked to take a seat. As a common etiquette
practice, you should not move toward a seat and sit down until the
interviewer points out where you should be seated and invites you
to sit. If the interviewer does not do so right away, you can politely
ask, “Where would you like me to sit?” This is a sign of respect.
• Use the interviewer’s last name. You should treat the exchange
as formal, using the interviewer’s last name and proper title (Dr.,
Mrs., Ms., Mr.) unless the interviewer gives you permission to do
otherwise. If you are not certain whether a woman’s title is Mrs.
or Miss, err on the side of caution by saying Ms. rather than
asking for clarification.
Create a Great First Impression 7
How to Make a Good Impression in Informal
Interviews: An Insider’s View
Many candidates make the mistake of assuming that informal interviews do
not influence an organization’s ultimate decision about whether to extend a
job offer. That assumption is often wrong. In any interaction, you are creating
an impression. Therefore, what sorts of pitfalls should you avoid, and
what are good impressions to try to make in an informal interview? They
are much the same as in the formal interview. Here’s what Edward, a manager
at IBM, advises:
Common mistakes that candidates make in job interviews, informal
and formal, include not preparing enough for the interview. Candidates
should be ready with clear statements about their experiences, goals,
and achievements. This begins with the first contact with a potential
employer, and in formal and informal interviews, candidates should
demonstrate they know plenty of details about the company and the
available job. The résumé is also important. It should say something
meaningful about a candidate’s accomplishments and goals, and how
those are related to the available job and the hiring company. The
résumé should have integrity and be easy to read. The résumé should
not have useless information that is not needed for the job the company
is seeking to fill. It should not look like a cut-and-paste document con-
structed without reference to the specific job. In both formal and infor-
mal contacts with the interviewing company, the candidate should help
the interviewer see how he or she fits with the available job and com-
pany, how the job and company fit with her or his goals, and what the
value he or she can add.
Business Talk: Four Key Elements
In the earlier example of Jennifer on page 4, the bits of behavior that
created a poor impression included her boisterous laughter, her ques-
tionable jokes, her poor dining etiquette, and her negative attitude. As
we saw, when looking at Jennifer, one partner used a single question to
guide his assessment about her: “Can I ever see myself wanting to intro-
duce Jennifer to clients as a representative of our firm?” Observing her
mannerisms, her demeanor, her attitude, and the topics of her conver-
8 Best Practices
sation, he answered that question with a resounding, “No.” There are
some lessons to be learned here.
When interviewing—whether informally or formally—pay particu-
lar attention to four dimensions of what you do: your mannerisms, your
etiquette, your attitude, and the topics you choose to discuss. Assume
that you are being observed by those trying to envision whether they
could ever put you in front of a client on an important deal. Thus, you
should feel free to talk about noncontroversial current events, business
events, uncontroversial company issues, industry trends, and topics such
as sports. However, it is important that you stay away from important
do-nots:
• Do not talk about controversial issues.
• Do not talk about issues that will make you seem overly negative.
• Do not crack risky jokes.
• Do not engage in boisterous talk.
• Do not overuse business jargon.
• Do not use slang unnecessarily.
• Try to avoid speaking negatively of your past employers (unless
there is some important reason why you would want to do so).
Making the Most of Informational Interviews:
An Insider’s View
Many candidates wish to understand how top MBA candidates and other
skilled interviewers are able to use informational or informal interviews to
their advantage as tools for networking and introducing themselves to leaders
in their field. Kelli Holden Hogan, founder and president of City Scholars
Foundation, shares her insights. As a Harvard graduate who has worked
for the leading companies Goldman Sachs and Pacific Bell, and who served
as an executive recruiter for Los Angeles–based Berkhemer Clayton (where
she assisted Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, and Wharton MBAs with their
career searches), Kelli notes key steps to ensure that you have an excellent
informational interview:
Informational interviews—ones in which you meet professionals in
order to gain information about their career path or their companies—
Create a Great First Impression 9
are key to career development. They offer a wonderful opportunity to
meet senior-level executives with no strings attached. Most profession-
als find requests for informational interviews flattering. There are key
ways to maximize this opportunity, and there are also many things to
avoid.
Focus the conversation on the professional. First, if you secure an
informational interview, make sure you focus the conversation on the
professional who has agreed to meet with you, not on yourself. You
should approach a professional for an informational interview by
explaining that you are interested in speaking to him or her about their
career and how he or she moved from their prior career positions to
their current position, so as to get a better understanding of opportu-
nities that might exist for you. Be sure to present your motives as pure.
Avoid thrusting a résumé toward the informational interviewer early on
or shifting the conversation to be about you and your own aspirations
too soon. People love to talk about themselves, so by focusing the con-
versation on the professional and his or her career and achievements,
you not only make the interviewer feel good, you also make a good
impression.
Show respect: don’t waste the interviewer’s time. Even though
this interaction is informal, it is crucial that you are respectful of the
time of the professional who has agreed to meet with you. Never waste
his or her time. When you approach the professional for the informa-
tional or informal interview, specify that you only wish to take about
twenty minutes of his or her time. You can suggest you’d like to buy
the interviewer a cup of coffee, so that he or she can share with you his
or her experiences and how the individual made it to the current posi-
tion. If he or she chooses to share more time, that’s all the better.
Etiquette for the informational interview: dress the part, arrive
early. To show respect, in an informal interview you must dress well—
as well as you would for a formal interview. Similarly, just as you would
for a formal interview, you need to arrive early for your meeting, but
not too early to make the professional feel pressured to meet with
you earlier. Ten or fifteen minutes early is ideal. Never take a chance
10 Best Practices
that you will be late. That will leave the professional with the notion
that you do not value his or her time, creating a negative, lasting
impression.
Do your homework. Go to the informational interview well prepared.
Just as with a formal interview, you should have researched the com-
pany and the professional with whom you are meeting by looking up
company information on the corporate website and on the Internet, and
by looking up the professional’s bio on the Internet. Also conduct
searches for any quotes or articles about the professional on the Inter-
net. When you meet with your chosen professional, make it clear you
are knowledgeable about his or her company and the professional’s
career. Do this by framing your questions appropriately. For instance,
rather than asking a question such as “I understand you have been in
your position for a year, how do you like it?” you might ask instead, “I
understand you moved from the corporate development department to
the finance department a year ago. How are you liking your new depart-
ment?” The professional will be impressed that you have taken the time
to read up both about him or her and about the company.
Take your résumé and a brief cover letter summarizing your
experience. Finally, you should take with you a copy of your most
recent résumé—one that has been tailored for the sort of position you
say you are interested in pursuing—and a brief, bullet-point-style cover
letter highlighting your achievements and skills. While you should focus
most of your time on the professional and his or her experiences, it is
fine to later transition the conversation to focus on you. At that time,
you can present your résumé. Let the individual know you have been
garnering relevant experiences and skills.
Close with style. As your meeting with the informational interviewer
comes to a close, let the professional know that you have appreciated
speaking at length with him or her, and that his or her perspectives have
given you valuable insights. Reassure him or her how much you have
learned; that will help to end the meeting on a very positive note.
Finally, never forget to send a personal (oftentimes handwritten) thank-
you note.
Create a Great First Impression 11
Dos and Don’ts of Informal and Formal
Interviews: An Insider’s View
Wilson Shelbon, who served as a manager at Procter & Gamble, explains
what a world-class company looks for in a candidate:
I served as a manager at Procter & Gamble, where my responsibili-
ties included leading teams of talented professionals, working long hours
to analyze product costs and ways to reduce them, as well as working
with teams to devise strategies that will make us more effective in the
marketplace. When hiring, we selected candidates who we thought
would do excellent work and blend well with us at Procter & Gamble.
When I interviewed candidates from top schools, I used a number of
factors to guide my decision making as to whether to support them in
the hiring process. Several factors helped me think of some candidates
as skilled interviewees—as candidates who interviewed like top
MBAs—and as potentially excellent hires.
First, at Procter & Gamble, when we evaluated candidates, we took
into great account key factors such as leadership abilities, analytical
skills, problem-solving abilities, articulation, and creativity. You could
not be perceived as too weak in any of these major areas and expect to
get a job at a high level at Procter & Gamble. We especially valued can-
didates with extraordinary leadership abilities. We believed a manager
who has potential to succeed in any functional areas and who will be
tomorrow’s business leader will possess outstanding leadership skills,
because leaders drive change—every day managers at P&G are leading
changes in the company as well as in the market. As managers, we
devised strategies, analyzed market trends, performed competitive analy-
sis, and so forth. So a candidate must create a lasting impression of his
leadership abilities that wouldn’t be erased during a formal interview.
So what is my advice to a candidate who is approaching both an
informal and a formal interview? There are some don’ts. Don’t go into
any interview or interaction with a potential employer unprepared and
lacking knowledge about the basics. You should have a sense of what the
company does, and you should have read basic literature about the com-
pany. Don’t be nervous! That creates a bad impression and will leave
12 Best Practices
the interviewer questioning how he or she could put you in front of
clients on team engagements. Don’t fail to express yourself clearly. If
you do, you will demonstrate a communication problem, and an inter-
viewer will question whether you can contribute in teams and if you
will be an asset in front of clients.
There are also dos. Do focus on the qualities such as leadership, ini-
tiative, and innovation that a winning candidate must have. This is a bit
universal to all jobs, as these characteristics are all required in most
business and managerial positions. Do provide examples when speaking
about your qualifications. For example, it’s hard to make the interviewer
understand how strong your leadership is when you simply tell him that
you are a great leader. Stories help illustrate. Let the facts speak for you!
Be prepared to elaborate about your experiences that demonstrate your
skills. We can tell how strong your skills and leadership are from your
experiences.
Finally, in both an informal and a formal setting, try to demonstrate
that you have a work ethic compatibility with the company and that you
could blend into your potential new employer. Make sure your attitude
toward teamwork or independent work fits with the job offered. Make
sure to convey that your goals are compatible with those of the com-
pany. Those are among the most important things to get right.
Next Steps: Creating an Excellent
Lasting Impression
Now that you know how to make a good first impression, the next step
is to make an excellent lasting impression during an interview. The key
to creating an outstanding lasting impression includes appearing pre-
pared with knowledge and thoughtful responses about interview-
relevant topics. To prepare, there are key steps to follow:
• Do your homework. Appear highly knowledgeable about four
key interview-relevant areas: the industry, interviewing company,
available job, and interviewer with whom you are meeting.
Create a Great First Impression 13
14 Best Practices
• Know your résumé and be prepared to answer key
questions effectively. Be ready to discuss your résumé in depth.
Be able to back up the claims on your résumé. And be prepared to
respond to questions about your experience, work style, education,
and goals.
The following nine chapters help you prepare to create a strong, last-
ing impression in your interview. They will elaborate on best practices
for doing your homework before the interview and will explain how to
use your résumé and your answers to key questions to deliver a winning
interview.
C H A P T E R
Do Your Homework
in Four Key Areas
15
2
Now that you have learned key elements about making a great first
impression, it is important that you understand what some inter-
viewers might expect of you in terms of preparation for a specific job
interview. According to many Fortune 100 recruiters, headhunters, and
career counselors, one of the most frequently cited mistakes candidates
make in interviews is that they fail to come to the interview well
informed in four critical interview-related areas. It is imperative that
you learn the basics about the industry you hope to secure a job within,
the company you are applying to work for, the available job you are
applying for, and the person(s) who will be interviewing you.
Almost every Fortune 100 professional, headhunter, and career coun-
selor with whom I spoke ranked this sort of interview preparedness very
high. Given the importance of doing your homework and presenting
yourself as knowledgeable, this chapter highlights key issues to consider
about the industry, company, job, and people with whom you will be
interviewing.
What to Know About Your Industry
One of the key topics you should research before you interview is the
industry in which you want to work. The ideal depth of your industry
knowledge will depend upon the level of job you are applying for. If you
Copyright © 2004 by Shelly Leanne. Click here for terms of use.
are interviewing for a position as a senior manager or executive, of
course, you will be expected to know the industry intimately. Short of
this, it is advisable that you have at least a basic understanding about the
nature, dynamics, trends, and future direction of the industry. This
information should help you in the interviewing process.
For instance, consider Lucas, who attended a job interview for a posi-
tion as a general management consultant. He was asked, “How do you
see yourself contributing to our firm, given the industry trends we are
experiencing?”
Lucas found himself at a loss. He had been drawn to the strategic
consulting job because the company was prestigious and the salary was
large. He fumbled his way through his response, but the interviewer
noted a marked lack of understanding of the issues affecting the indus-
try and the trends affecting the company. Had Lucas taken the time to
run a few searches online, using resources such as the New York Times
or cnbc.com, he would have understood that the recession of 2002–2003
had severely hurt the consulting industry. Many consulting companies
were shifting their focus to corporate restructuring work and were
expanding their efforts to help distressed companies avoid bankruptcy.
Lucas had skills that were germane to this restructuring work, but he
was never able to talk about them, link them to industry trends, or elab-
orate on how he could use his background to help the interviewing
company address its new work. A wonderful interviewing opportunity
was lost as Lucas searched for a response.
So, what factors specifically are important? Keep things simple at
first. If you need a great deal of in-depth information because you are
applying for a high-level job, you can augment this base with more
detailed information from specialized sources. To get started, focus on
developing answers to three primary questions:
• What are the main characteristics of the industry? (Is it fast-
paced, expanding, slowing, marked by innovation, marked by
intense competition by a few giant competitors?)
• What challenges or trends are currently affecting the industry?
• Where is the industry heading in the long term?
16 Best Practices
Do Your Homework in Four Key Areas 17
Gaining that broad understanding will be useful as you proceed through
the interviewing process. Table 2.1 suggests how your understanding of
the industry can help you address interview questions.
Resources to Consider
When researching the industry in which you hope to work, useful
sources include the following:
News Media. You can conduct searches about the industry using local
newspapers or national newspapers and magazines such as the New York
Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Business Week, and
Fortune magazine. You can also conduct online research using archived
articles at network TV news websites, such as ABC News (abcnews
.com), CNN (cnn.com), and CNBC (cnbc.com).
Search Engines. Search engines such as Google (google.com), Yahoo
(yahoo.com), and Hotbot (hotbot.com) can lead you to articles and
other references about your industry.
Online Companies. For more detailed information about industries,
several sources provide useful overviews. Consider Vault.com, Monster
.com, and Tractiva.
Table 2.1 Key Areas of Information About the Industry
Basic Understanding of the Sample Questions This Knowledge
Industry Will Help You Answer
What are the main characteristics of Why is this the right industry for you?
this industry? What factors make this industry
appealing to you?
What challenges or trends currently How can you use your skills to help the
affect the industry? company meet the industry challenges
it faces?
Where is the industry heading in the Where do you see yourself in five years,
long term? given the changes and direction of the
industry?
Standard & Poor’s Reports. For good industry overviews, secure
Standard & Poor’s (S&P) industry reports. Take a look at their resources
at standardpoors.com.
What to Learn About the Industry Before
Interviewing: An Insider’s View
How important is the depth of your knowledge about an industry during an
interview? Is it necessary to garner information about the industry, rather
than just about the company? Knowledge about an industry can be very
important. Some employers will ask you to explain in detail why a particular
industry or career—not just a particular company—is right for you,
given your personality and experience. Susan Kim, the head of the successful
advisory group Kim, Hopkins & Associates—one of the largest franchises
of American Express Financial Advisors in the Washington, D.C., area, with
approximately $35 million under management—explains how you can use
information about an industry to interview like a top MBA:
In providing advice on how to use information about an industry in
ways that help you to deliver an outstanding interview, I draw on my
own experience at the Fortune 100 company American Express. Sev-
eral approaches have worked for me and have also impressed me as I
have interviewed and hired job candidates.
What information should you gather about an industry? First, gain
an understanding of the overall structure of the industry to which you
are applying. In the case of American Express Financial Advisors, you
should know the industry of financial planning and how it differs from
related industries such as investment banking. Within financial plan-
ning, you should have an understanding of who the main players are.
Know which companies dominate the arena and how they differ from
each other. Also answer for yourself key questions, such as, “How many
independent planners are out there, and what role do they play in the
industry?”
When I was seeking employment in financial planning, gaining an
understanding of these factors was very important. When I first made
18 Best Practices
my transition to the financial planning arena, I noted that only a small
percentage of professionals in the field were planners; most other pro-
fessionals were brokers. I could see that there was a tremendous growth
opportunity in the financial planning industry and that someone with
compatible goals and initiative could build a flourishing career. After I
gained this understanding about the structure and characteristics of the
industry, I took that information and related it in my interviews to why
I was choosing this industry, and how my personal characteristics made
me ideal for this particular profession. You must do the same thing in
order to interview like a top MBA.
In my case, I was a mathematics and economics major in college, and
then I taught math for a number of years. When I was ready to make
the transition to become a financial adviser, I had to communicate to
American Express why my background and my personal characteris-
tics made me excellent for financial planning. My ability to clearly
express these points was critical to my success.
For instance, my math and economics background meant that I had
developed excellent analytical skills, as well as a deep understanding
of the microeconomic and macroeconomic issues that all leading finan-
cial advisers must master. I was able to communicate how my back-
ground in math and economics, as well as my internships, had given
me skills relevant to the financial advising sector. I also conveyed how
my passion for numbers was also ideal in this industry.
Similarly, my experience as a mathematics teacher came in handy. I
was able to articulate how I am a people person, how I love working
with clients, and how I am excellent at teaching, building trust, and
maintaining the confidence of those with whom I work. My time as a
teacher also meant I was good at guiding others to make sound deci-
sions. These characteristics became assets because I had the opportu-
nity to clearly explain why the financial advising industry was perfect
for me.
Finally, as the mother of two small children, I was seeking a career
that provided flexibility with time. Through the autonomy I would gain
as I became a successful financial adviser with a large client base, I could
see that the financial planning industry could give me that flexibility.
Do Your Homework in Four Key Areas 19
During my interviews, when I was seeking a job as a financial plan-
ner with American Express, I articulated these key points well. I
impressed my future employers because my personal characteristics and
my goals were ideally suited to and compatible with the characteristics
of the industry to which I was applying. As a result, I successfully landed
the job I was seeking.
What to Know About the Company
Interviewing You
You should also become highly literate about the company where you
will be interviewing. This is clearly important, as you want to demon-
strate to the interviewer that you are serious about wanting the posi-
tion. To appear serious about this, you need to have considered deeply
whether the company is the right one for you. To articulate reasons, you
should be able to point out its distinguishing characteristics that attract
you and then state why the interviewing company is a better choice for
you than its main competitors.
What factors specifically are important? Start with these key areas
of understanding:
• The company’s main products or services
• The main competitors of the company
• What makes the company unique
• The company’s mission
• The company’s profitability and growth
• The corporate culture of the company
• The company’s strategy (for example, whether it is repositioning
itself or expanding its products and services in any notable way)
This broad understanding will be useful to you as you proceed
through the interviewing process. In particular, knowing this infor-
mation can help you respond to common interview questions. See
Table 2.2.
20 Best Practices
Mistakes to Avoid When Speaking About the
Company: An Insider’s View
Here’s what Tats, a manager at Tokio Marine Group, advises the successful
candidate not to do:
One thing that really makes for a poor interview, in my opinion, is
when a candidate clearly did not make any effort to do research about
the company and cannot state his or her reason for selecting our com-
pany rather than our competitors. That does not assure us that the can-
didate believes this will be a fit. It also does not assure us that the
candidate would take an offer from us seriously, or that he or she wants
the job enough. Another thing to avoid when interviewing is speaking
about the company in terms of its stability and high salary; those rea-
sons alone should not be reason for selecting a firm. A candidate should
clearly express why our firm is right for them, demonstrate knowledge
about our firm, and then tie that information to notions about their
uniqueness compared with other candidates. Namely, they should
Do Your Homework in Four Key Areas 21
Table 2.2 What to Know About the Company You Are
Interviewing With
Basic Understanding of the Sample Questions This Knowledge
Company Will Help You Answer
What are the company’s main products What interests you most about this
and services? company?
Who are the company’s main competitors? Why would you choose our company
over our competitors?
What makes the company unique? Why do you believe this is the best
company for you?
What is the company’s mission? How do your values fit with our mission?
How has the company been faring in terms How do you believe you can help this
of profitability or growth? company become more profitable?
What is the corporate culture of the Do you believe you will fit into this
company? office?
Is the company repositioning itself or Where do you see yourself in two
expanding its products and services in years?
any notable way?
answer the question for us of “Why him/her and not the next candidate
waiting in line?”
Resources to Consider
When you are researching the company with which you hope to inter-
view, the following sorts of sources are useful:
Company Website. One of the first information sources you should
review is the website of the company you are applying to. You can surf
the company’s website to discover the mission statement, structure, size,
locations, and areas of specialization. Also, many sites post news
releases; these might reveal information about the company’s plans.
Newspapers and Magazines. You can complete searches of local
newspapers and national newspapers and magazines such as the New
York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Business Week, Money
magazine, Kiplinger, and Fortune. You can also conduct online research
to find archived articles at network-TV news websites, such as ABC
News, NBC News, CBS News, CNBC, and CNN.
Specialized News Resources. For candidates wishing to gain per-
spectives of companies from the vantage points of minorities or women,
sources such as Black Enterprise, Ebony magazine, and Essence magazine
can provide useful perspectives and often provide rankings of good
companies to work for.
Search Engines. Search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Hotbot
can lead you to articles and other references about your company.
Specialized and Sophisticated Sources. For more detailed and
sophisticated information about companies, several sources provide in-
depth information about companies. Try Hoover’s Online, Bloomberg
.com, Vault.com, and Tractiva.
Annual Reports and SEC Filings. Annual reports and public filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission also provide detailed
22 Best Practices
information for candidates who believe they will be expected to be inti-
mately familiar with the interviewing company.
Formal and Informal Personal Networks. Contact your friends,
acquaintances, or former schoolmates who work for the company or
who might have knowledge about the company. Speak with them to gain
an inside or more detailed perspective on the company. Alumni or pro-
fessional organizations are particularly useful.
Job Fairs. Job fairs, in which companies make presentations and pro-
vide company information, are also useful for understanding key facts
about a company.
Headhunters. Executive career placement professionals are usually
very literate about companies in their fields of specialization and the dis-
tinguishing characteristics among companies.
What to Learn About the Company Before You
Interview: An Insider’s View
Many job candidates want to know what top MBAs and other skilled interviewees
have learned about how to appear prepared excellently for an interview.
One key step is to ensure the interviewer realizes you are interested in
the job enough to have done your homework about the company. What specific
information should you know? Celeste Garcia, a Harvard graduate who
became a senior-level consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers and now serves
as managing director of consulting services for the D.C.-based Ivy Planning
Group, LLC, shares the best practices she has learned through her successful
career. She also provides insights into what impresses her as she interviews
top MBAs for jobs today:
There are critical sorts of information that any serious candidate
should know when walking through the door of an interview. This
includes all knowledge about the company that can be garnered from
the corporate website. It will be assumed that you have at least read that,
and it will make a bad impression if you have not. You should also have
Do Your Homework in Four Key Areas 23
a firm understanding of the company’s products and services, its cus-
tomers, and its overall direction. For instance, if the company is a con-
sulting company, are the main clients federal entities, state agencies, or
Fortune 500 companies? Is it based more solidly in the private or the
public sector? In the practice area that you hope to join within the com-
pany, who are the main competitors? What types of professionals does
the company recruit? What is the employment structure within the
career path? Where does the company operate? How long has the com-
pany been in operation, and how have its products or services changed
in recent years?
It is always bothersome to meet an interviewee who asks basic ques-
tions that are answered on our website. Without demonstrating that you
have a solid understanding of the company, you will likely leave the
interviewer with the impression that you are not serious about the job,
that you would really prefer to work elsewhere and are comparison
shopping. Given how crucial preparation is to having an excellent inter-
view, let me explain how to secure the appropriate information and what
to do once you have it.
Securing the Information. After reading the corporate website, you
should conduct a general search on the Internet for recent press about
the company (good and bad, for the past few years). Also secure basic
information about the company’s main competitors, products, and ser-
vices. Beyond doing Internet research using the corporate website and
reviewing press about the company, there are some sources of informal
information that you might consider tapping into. For instance, use your
college or high school alumni networks to speak with alumni who might
be working for the company you hope to interview with. They may be
willing to speak with you outside of the formal interviewing process.
Use information from these contacts to get an inside story about the
company, its competitors, its services and goods, and how the company
differs from its competitors. Perhaps even have a friend or fellow alumni
introduce you to the relevant personnel within the company.
How to Best Use Information About the Company. Form is
important. Don’t inundate an interviewer with too many facts that they
24 Best Practices
already know. Someone can know a whole lot and come across as too
pushy or still ask silly questions; that person will create a negative
impression. Instead, subtly and skillfully weave in references, so it is
clear to the interviewer that you have researched the company well. For
instance, rather than asking, “Tell me about your consulting practice,”
you might ask, “I know your company takes a quantitative approach to
process improvement, so I would be interested to know what sorts of
process improvement projects you foresee in the future.” If given the
chance to ask questions at the end of the interview, take the opportu-
nity to make references to what you have read, and ask questions that
are valued-added. Rather than “Do you have a change management
practice?” the question should be, “I read on your website that you have
a growing integration management practice. How do you weave inte-
gration management into your various practices?”
What to Know About the Specific Job Offered
Before interviewing, you should also become as familiar as possible with
the job you are applying for and its associated roles and responsibilities.
You should seek out a formal job description from the human resources
department or another reliable source, and you should seek an under-
standing of these aspects of the position:
• What are the educational requirements and work experience
requirements for the position?
• How many people will you be managing, if any?
• What will your primary tasks and functions be?
• To whom will you report?
• Will you be working in teams or individually?
• Are special technical or writing skills required?
Gaining this broad understanding will be useful to you as you pro-
ceed through the interview process. In particular, knowing this infor-
mation can help you respond to the questions in Table 2.3.
Do Your Homework in Four Key Areas 25
Resources to Consider
When attempting to locate a good job description for the position you
are applying for, you might request that the interviewing organization’s
human resources department send you a precise job description. Other
reliable sources include official job postings that the company has sent
out.
What to Know About the Job Before You
Interview: An Insider’s View
A skilled interviewee should go into an interview with a solid understanding
of the position he or she is seeking. What helps a candidate come across
as extremely well prepared? Fred Clayton, former head of the Price Waterhouse
western U.S. executive search practice and partner at Ward Howell
International and now president and CEO of the Los Angeles–based executive
search firm Berkhemer Clayton, Inc., offers his insight:
26 Best Practices
Table 2.3 Questions to Ask About the Specific Job
Basic Understanding of the Position Sample Questions This Knowledge
for Which You Are Applying Will Help You Answer
What are the educational requirements? How is your educational background
relevant to this position?
What are the work experience How has your work experience
requirements? prepared you for this position?
How many people will you be managing, Tell me about your managerial
if any? experience.
What will be your primary tasks and What makes you feel qualified to
functions? complete the primary tasks of this job?
To whom will you report? How do you interact best with your
superiors?
Will you be working in teams or What factors do you believe help
individually? create good teamwork?
Are special technical or writing skills Tell me about any special skills you have
required? that you believe can enhance your
performance in this job.
During my twenty-three years of work as an executive recruiter, I
have presented top executives with MBAs from Stanford, Berkeley, and
Harvard. Of the key skills these excellent interviewees showed during
the interviewing process, most important was the knowledge that the
interviewing candidate demonstrated about the position for which they
were applying. Several things, done well, will leave the interviewer with
the impression that you interview like a top MBA and you will likely be
a great fit for their position. Here are some steps I recommend.
First, review the position description well before the interview. You
usually have access to a short version through a job posting, but see if
there is a longer version available, either by calling the human resources
contact or looking for more information on the company website. If the
job search is not confidential, you can also take the opportunity to net-
work, asking friends or sources in that company for extra background
about the potential job. You can also approach friends or colleagues who
hold similar positions in other companies in that industry to help you.
Understanding the type of position, the job responsibilities, and what
the job will be like in the crucial first year that you walk through the
door will help you guide the interviewer to discuss your relevant expe-
rience and skills.
Second, find out whether the position is new or a replacement posi-
tion. This is important, particularly at higher levels of the organization.
If the position is new, your role may principally be defined as builder—
building new management processes, building new teams, building new
clientele. If instead you will be replacing someone, particularly at a high
level of an organization, then your role may be principally to lead a turn-
around situation, fixing problems that might exist in the department.
By knowing whether your role will be “replacement-turnaround” or
“new-builder,” you will be able to reflect on your experience better and
prepare more appropriate responses to questions. This is particularly
important when you encounter “behavioral” questions from skilled
interviewers who ask questions such as “Give me an example of how
you have handled this sort of situation.” You can better anticipate which
situations the interviewer is more likely to ask you about.
Third, remember, it is up to you to relate your experience to the
position offered. You will likely have two or three interviews at a com-
Do Your Homework in Four Key Areas 27
pany, and perhaps more, before you reach the offer stage. The inter-
viewers may be skillful or relatively inexperienced. And the “ultimate”
interviewer, the person to whom you would report if hired, may be an
excellent manager but not very skilled as an interviewer. If you are not
asked questions that you think would bring out important information
about your background, you must find a way to weave that information
into your conversation.
On this point, a very important piece of advice is to get the inter-
viewer to do the talking as soon as you sit down with them. Ask the
interviewer to describe the job responsibilities in greater depth. This
gives you, the interviewee, the opportunity to understand how you
should be looking at the job and how to deliver the right message about
your relevant skills and experience. This is much better than starting
to describe your achievements and your background without a better
understanding of the job.
What to Know About the Professional
Interviewing You
Finally, you should do your homework about the person interviewing
you. Normally, this need not take much time or effort. You can simply
surf the company’s website and pull the biography of the person who
will be interviewing you, if that bio is available. If a biography is not
available, it might be worthwhile to put in a call to human resources
simply to determine the interviewer’s title and position in the firm, so
you are clear about whom you will be meeting with.
Sometimes, knowing the biography of the person who will be inter-
viewing you can help you determine which topics you can chat about to
help develop a good personal rapport. For instance, if you discover that
your interviewer attended your college, you know before the interview
that you can speak at length about the interviewer’s college days in order
to strike up a more personal dialogue. Likewise, if you discover that you
and your interviewer are from the same hometown, you will immedi-
ately have a large number of topics that you can broach in order to estab-
lish a friendly dialogue with the interviewer during your discussion.
28 Best Practices
If you consider it necessary, you can also conduct more extensive
searches using resources such as Google and newspapers online to find
information about the professionals who will be interviewing you for a
job. For the most part, only very prominent company professionals will
be mentioned in articles searchable with Internet search engines or
online newspapers.
Knowing About the Interviewer and Personalizing
an Interview: An Insider’s View
What sorts of information should you try to gather about the person who will
be interviewing you? How can you best collect that information? Byron, a
Harvard graduate with experience at the top firms McKinsey & Company
and Booz Allen Hamilton, uses his experience as a successful hire and his
interaction with graduates from MBA and law programs such as those at
Harvard, Stanford, and Yale to provide insights about best practices to employ
in order to interview like a top MBA:
In my view, the most important information to gather prior to an
interview is information about the industry, the company, and the spe-
cific job. The main thing the interviewer is looking for is someone who
can perform well on the job. It is an important additional touch if you
are able to also gather information about the interviewer. That infor-
mation can help you deliver responses that are more tailored to the spe-
cific person who will influence the hiring decision.
What sorts of information should you look for about the interviewer?
Educational background is always relevant. If you attended the same
school, that would be a great way to personalize your conversation with
the interviewer. If you went to school in the same region of the coun-
try, that too can serve as a basis for personalizing your comments in the
interview. Other sorts of information you should be looking for include
the interviewer’s project background. Know what sorts of work the
interviewer has done or gravitates toward; this information can help you
avoid missteps in your comments to the interviewer. Personal back-
ground, such as where the interviewer grew up or what their hobbies
are, can also help you make references that add a nice personal touch.
Do Your Homework in Four Key Areas 29
Here are some steps that have brought me, as well as top law school
graduates and MBAs whom I have worked with, success in the inter-
viewing process:
Gather written information about the interviewer’s background.
You should search the company website and the Internet for informa-
tion about your interviewer. The more senior the interviewer is in the
company, the more information you are likely to find. How will you use
this information? You can add a personal touch to the interview by mak-
ing reference, for instance, to the interviewer’s educational background.
This can provide good conversation points during an interview. Gen-
erally, interviewers are impressed if you appear to have bothered to gain
information about their backgrounds or their careers.
Leverage contacts. Leverage your friends and acquaintances to gain
information about the interviewer. This can include brief discussions to
find out what your friends know of the interviewer, if they know him
or her directly. It can also include access to other information, such as
a bio or résumé about the interviewer to which a friend or acquaintance
may have access.
Ask the interviewer. Despite your best efforts, you may find it diffi-
cult to locate information about the interviewer. So don’t be bashful
about asking the interviewer directly in the interview. It can be a great
practice to be straightforward and ask about the interviewer’s back-
ground and how their job fits into their overall goals and ambitions.
People like nothing better than to talk about themselves. Leverage this
tendency.
For example, in my interviews, which enabled me to land a job with
one of the top consulting companies in the world, I laid the ground-
work for the interviewer to talk after first demonstrating that I knew a
great deal about the industry and the available job. I had learned as
much as possible about the industry and the job. I had done my research
and was able to speak using industry terms such as section 508 and
GPEA, to sound like someone who had worked in the government con-
sulting industry area before. After making those solid impressions, I
30 Best Practices
prompted the interviewer to talk about his own background. This
enabled me to take the interview to a whole new level. I established a
strong rapport with the interviewer, and I left an excellent impression.
In fact, part of my success in the interviewing process can be in part
attributed to how, in many cases, I have succeeded in getting inter-
viewers to talk about themselves for half of the interview! My inter-
viewers always end our conversations saying they were great.
Another example of how an interview can be personalized is when you
are able to pick up on “sidebar” comments, such as when the interviewer
mentions children (indicating a strong value toward family life), sports
teams (strong values of life outside of work), etc. A skilled interviewee,
one who interviews like a top MBA, will actively look for such references
and leverage them to his or her advantage during the interview.
By gathering information about an interviewer’s professional, edu-
cational, and personal background, you will be able to speak about sub-
jects other than professional topics during the interview and create a
good connection with the interviewer. This information can also help
you avoid mistakes. If you are aware that the interviewer went to a rival
school and is very sensitive about your education at their school’s rival—
information that you could have discovered through friends—that
information can help you to speak carefully about your school. Never
give the interviewer an opportunity to dislike you for subjective rea-
sons. Similarly, if you were to ask an interviewer about their background
during the interview, you should be an excellent listener and take oppor-
tunities to elaborate on things about which the interviewer feels pas-
sionately, and avoid topics that seem sensitive.
Now that you know about best practices and what sorts of informa-
tion you should review to deepen your knowledge before the interview,
you should be able to become much more informed about the relevant
industry, company, job, and interviewer before attending your job inter-
view. Use this knowledge to refine your responses and to interview like
a top MBA.
Do Your Homework in Four Key Areas 31
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C H A P T E R
Use Your RÉsumÉ as
an Effective
Interviewing Tool
33
3
Another important step to performing excellently in a job interview
is making effective use of your résumé as a tool in the interview-
ing process. Headhunters, career counselors, and Fortune 100 recruiters
agree that failure to use a résumé effectively is one of the top reasons
why candidates fare poorly in interviews. Here are two tips for using
your résumé effectively. First, you must use the résumé to present a
powerful and tailored portrait of your job-relevant skills and experi-
ences, woven together strategically with strong indications of a coher-
ent story line, indicating the broader purpose behind your educational
and career choices. Your résumé should be carefully crafted to show a
match between your qualifications and those of the ideal candidate for
the job. Second, you must be able to back up your claims on your
résumé and be able to respond to questions in depth, further demon-
strating that your qualifications and experiences fit the requirements of
your desired job. This chapter focuses on the first of these require-
ments—tailoring your résumé to demonstrate a fit. Chapter 4 will
describe how to back up the information on your résumé and respond
to queries in depth.
Using Your Résumé to Demonstrate a Match
One of the first principles you should embrace when trying to use your
résumé as an effective tool in the interviewing process is to make sure
Copyright © 2004 by Shelly Leanne. Click here for terms of use.
you tailor your résumé as needed to each job for which you are apply-
ing. You are seeking to create the notion that your qualifications and
experiences match what the interviewer believes are those of the ideal
job candidate. To be called for an interview, you have to create in the
interviewer’s mind a belief that there is the possibility for such a fit.
Here are six key steps to help tailor your résumé for a specific job
opportunity:
1. Create the interviewer’s checklist. Use the job description and
your understanding of the available position to assess the job
requirements and profile of an ideal candidate.
2. Assess your record in three dimensions. These are work
experience, education, and extracurricular activities.
3. Highlight relevant experience. Use the interviewer’s checklist
to prune your résumé.
4. Prioritize. Use the interviewer’s checklist to strategically
structure your content.
5. Phrase effectively. Phrasing matters! Use action words, “fit
phrases” (that demonstrate a match between your qualifications
and those of the ideal candidate), and “leadership language” to
describe your experience.
6. Final check. Complete a final check to avoid common résumé
mistakes.
Create the Interviewer’s Checklist
A first useful exercise in tailoring your résumé for a specific job is to
assess the job’s requirements and try to consider what the ideal candi-
date for that job might look like in the eyes of the interviewer. In this
way, you are creating the interviewer’s checklist. In fact, many com-
panies employ a very systematic recruiting process providing inter-
viewers grids or checklists with which they rate candidates. In some
companies, if you are not rated high in most categories on their
checklist, you might not be considered a serious candidate. In com-
pleting this exercise of creating the interviewer’s checklist, you are
34 Best Practices
Use Your RÉsumÉ as an Effective Interviewing Tool 35
compiling a hypothetical checklist that you can use to discern areas of
weakness in your application. It will also help you pinpoint your
strengths, experience, skills, and knowledge that you should emphasize
on your résumé.
The Sample Job Assessment Work Sheet provides an example of this
process. It maps out the core responsibilities, tasks, and skills associated
with a particular job and helps to highlight the most desirable attrib-
utes that an ideal job candidate might possess.
SAMPLE JOB ASSESSMENT WORK SHEET
Sample Formal Job Description
The Omni Consulting Group is seeking an MBA-level professional for
its position as an associate. The associate will join a team of
professionals, providing strategic and organizational design advice to
leading companies in the high-technology sector. The associate will
report directly to the vice president, manage three junior associates,
and will interact frequently with key clients.
Sample Assessment of Job Requirements
Using the formal job description, I have completed Part A of the work
sheet, mapping out the main responsibilities, tasks, and skills needed
for this position. When formulating your list of associated tasks, I tried
to envision the work an associate might be required to complete on a
daily or weekly basis.
Part A
Top Five Responsibilities
Provide strategic advice to high-technology companies
Provide organizational design advice to high-technology companies
Manage teamwork of Junior Associates
Facilitate work between team and client
Serve as support for Vice President’s work
Associated Tasks
Oversee research and compilation of data about challenges faced by hightechnology
clients
Stay abreast of trends affecting the high-technology sector
Set team goals, assign team tasks, review work products of team members
Mentor junior team members
Meet with Vice President to keep him/her abreast of team activities and progress
Meet with client to ensure client’s needs are met and to address client’s concerns
Meet with client to coordinate collection of data or to present findings
Associated Skills/Knowledge
Research skills
Familiarity with data resources
Familiarity with high-technology concerns
Analytical skills
Team participation skills
Team leadership skills
Time management skills
Client management skills
Presentation skills
Sample Profiling the Ideal Candidate
Given the assessment of the job responsibilities, tasks, and associated
skills, I have completed Par t B of the work sheet, mapping out the
ideal work experience, education, skills/knowledge, personal attributes,
and goals that an ideal candidate might possess.
Part B
Ideal Work Experience
Experience managing teams
Experience participating in teams
Experience coaching team members
Client management experience
Experience collecting, sifting through, and assessing of data
Experience formulating recommendations
Experience making presentations to clients
Experience working as liaison between upper management and teams
Ideal Education
MBA degree, undergraduate degree in sciences or engineering (major relevant to
high technology)
Education that included courses requiring collection and analysis of data
Education that included participation in team projects
36 Best Practices
Ideal Skills/Knowledge
Research skills
Analytical skills
Familiarity with data resources and high-technology concerns
Team participation skills
Team leadership skills
Time management skills
Client management skills
Presentation skills
Ideal Personal Attributes
Organized
Motivated
Good communicator
Good problem solver
Goal oriented
Innovative
Cooperative
Good team player/leader
Ideal Short- or Long-Term Career Goals
Short-term: Desire to help high-technology companies perform excellently and
continue to innovate
Long-term: No particular requirement but perhaps a desire to help lead the
interviewing company’s high-technology practice
Assess Three Dimensions of Your Record: Work
Experience, Education, Extracurricular or
Outside-of-Work Activities
Now that you have seen an example, take the opportunity to assess the
job descriptions for jobs you hope to secure. Construct a profile of the
ideal candidate for each job. After you have mapped out your potential
employer’s checklist of an ideal candidate’s qualities, it will be time for
you to assess your own strengths and weaknesses. You will prepare to
craft your résumé in a way that helps portray you as a match for the
position.
Use Your RÉsumÉ as an Effective Interviewing Tool 37
JOB ASSESSMENT WORK SHEET
Formal Job Description
Assessment of Job Requirements
Using the formal job description, map out the main responsibilities,
tasks, and skills needed in this position.
Top Five Responsibilities
Associated Tasks
Associated Skills/Knowledge
Profiling the Ideal Candidate
Given your assessment of the job requirements, map out the ideal
work experience, education, skills/knowledge, personal attributes, and
career goals that an ideal candidate would possess.
38 Best Practices
Ideal Work Experience
Ideal Education
Ideal Skills/Knowledge
Ideal Personal Attributes
Ideal Short- or Long-Term Career Goals
You will use your assessment to help determine what to emphasize on
the résumé you tailor for this job.
Use Your RÉsumÉ as an Effective Interviewing Tool 39
Now that you have constructed a profile of an ideal candidate, you
should examine your work experience, education, and extracurricular
activities to pinpoint the aspects of your record that you want to high-
light to promote yourself as qualified for the job.
Work Experience
Using your analysis in the Job Assessment Work Sheet on pages 38–39,
complete an analysis about the ways in which each of the jobs you have
held, either full-time or part-time, has helped you to demonstrate rel-
evant experience, skills, or knowledge.
Assessment of Your Recent Jobs
On the Professional Record Work Sheet, map out the main responsi-
bilities, tasks, and skills associated with your most recent position. In
the top portion of the same work sheet, list the responsibilities, associ-
ated tasks, and associated skills that are most relevant to the job for
which you will apply. List all other responsibilities, tasks, and skills of
your most recent full-time job in the lower portion of the work sheet.
PROFESSIONAL RECORD WORK SHEET: MOST RECENT JOB
Aspects to emphasize on your tailored résumé.
Most Relevant Responsibilities
Most Relevant Associated Tasks
40 Best Practices
Most Relevant Associated Skills
Other Responsibilities
Associated Tasks
Associated Skills
On your résumé, you should try to emphasize the responsibilities,
tasks, skills, and knowledge that are most relevant to your desired new
job. Elaborate about those at greater length than the responsibilities in
the bottom half of the work sheet, which are less relevant to the job you
seek to secure.
You can use this same work sheet to assess jobs you held before your
most recent job. Additional work sheets can be found in the Appendix.
Use Your RÉsumÉ as an Effective Interviewing Tool 41
Use these assessments to decide what information to highlight on your
résumé.
Educational Record
Similarly, you should attempt to discern the key ways in which your
education can be seen as relevant to the job you hope to secure. Use the
Educational Record Work Sheet that follows to help you pinpoint
knowledge, skills, or courses that make you more qualified for the job
you are seeking. List the courses that are directly relevant to the job
you are seeking and list any associated knowledge or skills. For instance,
if you are applying for a job as a marketing specialist, you might high-
42 Best Practices
EDUCATIONAL RECORD WORK SHEET
Education Information (Name of Institution, Degree): _______________
Relevant Courses
Associated Certificates/Training/Knowledge
Associated Skills
light a marketing course such as Advanced Marketing Techniques that
you completed in college. In that case, you could list as associated
knowledge information such as “techniques to determine ideal distri-
bution channels,” or “techniques for communicating value of products.”
Associated skills could include “ability to use pricing methodology,” or
“ability to assess marketing data.”
Extracurricular or Outside-of-Work
Activities Record
Finally, determine the key ways in which your extracurricular or
outside-of-work activities can be seen as relevant to the job you hope
to secure. Using your Job Assessment Work Sheet as a guide, complete
an analysis of the ways in which each of the main extracurricular activ-
ities you have participated in has helped you demonstrate relevant expe-
rience, skills, or knowledge.
Assessment of a Main Extracurricular or Outside-of-
Work Activities
Map out the main responsibilities, tasks, and skills associated with each
of your significant extracurricular or outside-of-work activities, using
the Extracurricular Record Work Sheet. In the top half of the work
sheet, list the activities that are relevant to the responsibilities, associ-
ated tasks, or associated skills of the job you hope to secure. On your
résumé, you might add one description line beneath your extracurric-
ular or outside-of-work listings to describe and highlight the way it adds
to your qualifications for the available job. (Please note, it is not uncom-
mon for you to find that some of your extracurricular activities are not
very relevant to your job search.)
Fill in the following extracurricular/outside-of-work activities work
sheet to determine whether some of your extracurricular activities help
demonstrate your qualifications for the job you desire. If they do, con-
sider highlighting those activities in your interview and/or on your
résumé. Refer to the filled-in sample work sheet for guidance.
Use Your RÉsumÉ as an Effective Interviewing Tool 43
SAMPLE EXTRACURRICULAR RECORD WORK SHEET
In the following sample, Pat, an applicant for a position as a manager
at a retail bookstore, has analyzed her specific outside-of-work
activity:
Extracurricular or Outside-of-Work Activity
Executive Board Member, Chicago Women’s Business Association
(Chicago, IL)
Relevant Responsibilities
Play integral role on committee of ten in leading this club of more
than 1,000 professionals in the Chicago area. Oversee the direction
of club to subsequently help steer direction, ensuring that the needs
of members are met.
Relevant Tasks
Help set strategy for organization. Design campaigns to increase
membership and gain feedback on desires of members. Lead
committees to plan desired activities. Help implement programs.
Organize professional seminars.
Relevant Skills/Knowledge
Setting organizational strategy. Leading teams. Organizing learning
seminars. Implementing programs. Analyzing and responding to
feedback.
Relevant Personal Attributes Demonstrated
Leadership, initiative, teamwork, dedication to hard work,
commitment to community, detail orientation
* Note, the “relevant” responsibilities, tasks, knowledge/skills, and
personal attributes are those that help demonstrate that you have
experience, knowledge/skills, and personal qualities that will make
you qualified for the particular job for which you are interviewing.
44 Best Practices
EXTRACURRICULAR/OUTSIDE-OF-WORK
ACTIVITIES WORK SHEET
Extracurricular or Outside-of-Work Activity
Relevant Responsibilities
Relevant Tasks
Relevant Skills/Knowledge
Relevant Personal Attributes Demonstrated
Use Your RÉsumÉ as an Effective Interviewing Tool 45
When you have completed an assessment and are aware of what aspects
of your work experience, education, and extracurricular or outside-of-
work activities help you demonstrate a fit for your desired job, your next
task is to organize this information into a résumé. Use the following
general principles to help compile a strategically designed résumé.
Common Résumé Mistakes: An Insider’s View
Verizon Telecommunication’s Malli had this to say about the finer points of
a résumé:
One problem I have seen in résumés is the failure to place educa-
tional information in the ideal place on the résumé. If you have been
out of school for several years, put your education qualifications last or
at the bottom of the page. I know of a case in which a candidate dis-
played his Ph.D. very prominently on page 1, even though he had
twenty years of post-Ph.D. work experience. That told me that this can-
didate did not likely have any significant real-world experiences that
would be useful to us.
One thing to do well on the résumé: try to highlight “soft” skills that
can serve as the common denominators in both a nontraditional and a
mainstream job.
Prioritize and Prune: Highlight
Relevant Experience
To structure your résumé, you can use your assessment of your own
work experience, education, and extracurricular activities to decide
which parts of your record should receive the most attention on the
résumé. Elaborate at greatest length about the activities that help you
convey relevant experience, skills, and knowledge.
Prioritize your résumé by relegating irrelevant work experience to
a category lower on the résumé, in a section that you might label
“Other Work Experience.” Keep the central part of the résumé focused
46 Best Practices
on relevant experience. Similarly, you should prune your résumé, giv-
ing more space to work experience that the interviewer is likely to
value. Do not elaborate at length about your education, except to indi-
cate awards, distinctions, and information that highlight relevant knowl-
edge and skills.
The key to carving your résumé for a specific job is just that: you are
carving it, drawing attention to the aspects of your education and pro-
fessional experience that demonstrate you have been picking up rele-
vant skills and experiences over the years. Consider the instance of
Elaine, who completed four summer internships: two in law firms, one
in a government agency, and a fourth in an artist’s studio. Elaine decides
upon graduation that she will apply for a job as a paralegal at a law firm.
To carve her résumé well, she gave greater prominence to her two law
firm internships and her government agency position. She placed infor-
mation about her internship at the artist’s studio in a category lower on
the résumé called “other experience.” While she still includes informa-
tion about the artist’s studio internship to reveal all of her work expe-
rience, she skillfully uses the résumé in a way that calls the most
attention to experiences that relate to the job she is applying for—a
paralegal position. When she enters the job interview, therefore, the
interviewer will focus on the experiences that are most relevant and that
convey the skills that will help Elaine excel as a paralegal.
You should also prioritize the details you provide when describing
your work experience, education, and extracurricular activities. Priori-
tize the description details of your résumé by placing any details, wher-
ever possible, with the most relevant information first. The information
least relevant to the job you are applying for should go last. In doing so,
you can help create an initial impression of a match—one you will hope
to sustain and deepen during your interview.
Résumé Mistakes to Avoid: An Insider’s View
Isabell, of Staples, Inc., describes the differences among duties, skills, and
accomplishments:
Use Your RÉsumÉ as an Effective Interviewing Tool 47
Common mistakes I see in résumés for candidates applying for jobs
include instances where a candidate is too focused on job duties rather
than skills and accomplishments. Another mistake occurs when a can-
didate presents a general and vague objective statement that adds little
to the résumé, or fails to utilize action verbs in the job descriptions.
That is not ideal, because we want to know about the skills and accom-
plishments. Similarly, for mainstream jobs a candidate should usually
emphasize business skills rather than technical proficiency on a résumé
and during the interview.
Describe Work Experience Effectively—
Phrasing Matters
Phrasings matter a great deal on résumés as well as in the interview
itself. Make an effort to convey through your résumé language an image
that is goal oriented and proactive. You can do this through use of action
verbs or leadership language. For instance, rather than saying you par-
ticipated in a team, you might say you “helped lead a team” (leadership
language). Instead of saying your responsibilities included meeting with
a client, you could indicate that you “nurtured client relationships”
(using an action verb). Make sure that when you employ this type of
leadership language, however, that you are not exaggerating your
responsibilities.
You should sprinkle your résumé with fit phrases, but do not do this
too extensively. Fit phrases are ones that weave in the language associ-
ated with the profile of the ideal candidate for the available job. For
example, in our Sample Job Assessment Work Sheet on page 35–37, we
determined that an ideal candidate for the associate position would have
experience advising clients, making presentations to clients, and meet-
ing with management. To demonstrate a match with your own prior
work experience, if you have the relevant experience, you can state that
you “currently provide strategic advice to clients,” “facilitate work with
members of the current management team,” and “manage teamwork
and make presentations to clients.”
48 Best Practices
Constructing a Winning Résumé:
An Insider’s View
Certain pieces of critical advice are key to writing a winning résumé, regardless
of whether a résumé is intended for a full-time business job, a summer
job, a nonprofit job, or a legal job. What makes for a winning résumé? Eve
Jaffe, president of Garb Jaffe & Associates Legal Placement of Los Angeles,
California, and a prominent executive recruiter who has worked with graduates
of top schools such as Stanford, UC–Berkeley, Harvard, and Yale, shares
her insights:
A résumé is critically important, as it is the key to securing a job inter-
view. A great candidate with a bad résumé will have difficulty securing
any interviews. There are several keys to writing a winning résumé.
Succinctness and Information Placement. The résumé should be
written clearly and succinctly, without excess wordiness. Get straight to
the meat of the résumé, which is your experience and education. For
candidates who have been out of school for five or fewer years, their edu-
cation should be listed first with the educational institution at the top.
Clear Chronology. Dates of graduation are important to include.
Sometimes I see older professionals leave off their dates of graduation
because they feel uncomfortable about their age. I don’t recommend
doing this because it appears to be disingenuous and also makes the
candidate appear lacking in confidence. Upon meeting a candidate, the
employer will discover his or her approximate age anyway.
Honors Highlighted. If the candidate graduated in the top third of
their class or higher, I recommend so stating on the résumé. Of course,
the candidate should include any academic honors or activities as well.
Relevant and Valuable Experience Highlighted. The next section
of the résumé is the experience section, listed in chronological order.
The description of the candidate’s experience should be tailored to fit
the job for which he or she is applying. For instance, if the candidate is
Use Your RÉsumÉ as an Effective Interviewing Tool 49
a professional who is applying for a securities job and has experience in
three areas—mergers and acquisitions, lending/financing work, and
securities—he or she should describe in detail his or her securities expe-
rience first, then include the other experience but with less description.
It is not uncommon for a candidate to have two or three résumés tai-
lored to the different positions for which he or she is applying. Candi-
dates should not ramble on in the description of their experience. A
good way to avoid doing this is to use bullet points. It will keep your
descriptions short and to the point. It’s also important for the inter-
viewer to feel that the candidate has not held too many jobs. Therefore,
leave off jobs held prior to school or during college (or simply list the
company names and positions held, without job descriptions), unless you
feel that those jobs continue to be important.
Adding an Extracurricular Touch. If the candidate has teaching
experience, has been published, or holds an office in a relevant organi-
zation, those activities should be listed next in their own section. I also
like to see an “interests” section at the bottom because it gives the inter-
viewer a little insight into the type of person the candidate is and also
provides conversation material for the interview outside of the standard
professionally related discussion. If the candidate has a noteworthy
hobby or activity in his or her past, it should be included. Interviewers
love information about personal interests that demonstrate excellent
qualities about a candidate.
Résumé Length. The rule of thumb for résumé lengths is one page,
especially for candidates who have been out of school four years or less.
Even for partners at firms, a résumé generally shouldn’t be more than
two pages. I once worked with a partner of a healthy book business who
was very unhappy in his job. He had worked with another recruiter who
sent his résumé all over town and couldn’t get him more than a couple
of interviews. When he showed me the résumé he had been using, it
was five pages long! It was rambling and disorganized and included a list
a quarter of a page long of different tasks he had done. He called that
section “skills.” Sections like this don’t get read, and they make the can-
50 Best Practices
didate appear to be scattered and lacking writing skills. He was a ter-
rific professional and business generator, but with a poorly written
résumé, no one cared to meet him. I worked with him to pare his
résumé down, to prioritize his achievements, to highlight relevant skills,
and he was able to get multiple offers of employment.
Final Check
Before sending your résumé, be certain you have remained alert to the
following ten things that often go wrong with résumé writing. Simi-
larly, try to observe the résumé-writing dos listed that follow.
Top Ten Résumé Mistakes
• Résumé has too many job listings.
• Résumé lacks strategic arrangement of information: candidate’s
qualifications for available job not clear or prioritized.
• Résumé has too many bullet points per job listings—not
adequately streamlined.
• Résumé lacks sense of direction or indicated progression of skills.
• Résumé lacks action verbs.
• Résumé contains typographical errors (typos).
• Résumé contains exaggerated information.
• Résumé lacks consistent formatting.
• Résumé does not explain missing years.
• Résumé is not professionally printed.
The Ultimate Résumé No-No: An Insider’s View
Hong, of J. P. Morgan Chase, explains one of the deadliest interview
sins:
The ultimate résumé no-no is a candidate’s inability to explain in
more detail what he or she has written down on the résumé. That’s a
deal killer. The interview will likely end there.
Use Your RÉsumÉ as an Effective Interviewing Tool 51
Top Ten Résumé Dos
• Elaborate in greater length about jobs that are most relevant to the
position for which you are applying.
• Strategically arrange information, emphasizing your relevant skills
and knowledge.
• Keep bullet points to five or six per job listing.
• Show a progression of skills over time.
• Use leadership language and action words.
• Do not exaggerate qualifications.
• Check résumé for typos or incorrect information.
• Account for any missing years somewhere on the résumé.
• Use consistent formatting.
• Have your résumé professionally or laser printed.
Know Your Résumé: Everything Is Fair Game
Finally, a frequent complaint heard among Fortune 100 recruiters is that
many candidates show up with wonderful résumés but cannot back up
the claims they make on their résumés. Inability to speak in depth about
anything on your résumé is a sure way to lose a job opportunity. After
compiling an effective résumé, therefore, be sure to observe all of these
principles:
• Remember that everything on your résumé is fair game. The
interviewer will feel free to ask you about anything you put on your
résumé, so be able to speak about anything on your résumé in depth.
• Do not exaggerate. If an interviewer feels you have inflated your
credentials, you could jeopardize your candidacy for a job.
• Be sure you can relate the relevance of the résumé information.
With the exception of your extracurricular activities, which can
simply reflect your personal interests, aim to relate the information
on your résumé to your candidacy for the job you are applying for.
When you have finished composing your tailored résumé, it can
become your effective tool for delivering an excellent interview, since
52 Best Practices
it serves to guide, the interviewer to the key experiences, skills, and
achievements. To help you know how to draw on your résumé and your
record to deliver an excellent interview, the next two chapters are
geared toward helping you speak about your record in ways that can
help you deliver outstanding responses to common types of interview
questions.
Use Your RÉsumÉ as an Effective Interviewing Tool 53
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C H A P T E R
Demonstrate a Fit
Through Your
Responses to Key
Questions
55
4
Now that you have guidelines to help you to create a résumé tailored
to the specific job for which you will be applying, you
should review how to deliver outstanding responses to questions in four
key question areas: questions about your education, work experience,
career goals, and personality or personal interests. In this chapter, we
explore how you can project to the interviewer an image of yourself as
a candidate with winning attributes. The chapter will then review specific
tips for answering key types of questions.
Winning Attributes Recruiters Look For
Before attempting to answer questions in a job interview, you should
clarify for yourself what sort of image you are seeking to put forward
to the interviewer. You might wish for the interviewer to think of you
in a few of these ways:
Goal-oriented
Hardworking
Dedicated
Determined
Focused
Copyright © 2004 by Shelly Leanne. Click here for terms of use.
Motivated
Detail-oriented
Creative
Innovative
Analytical
Organized
Energetic
Articulate
Ethical
Trustworthy
Cooperative
One to take charge
Directed
Your Winning Profile
Which among these attributes should you focus on? Use two exercises
to decide. First, think about which of these characteristics you have demonstrated
in the past. You must be able to provide examples about how
you have manifested these traits. Second, recognize that the best image
or attributes of the ideal candidate will vary by job. With that in mind,
review your assessment of the ideal attributes a candidate would have for
your desired job (see pages 38–39). With that information, consider
which three or four of your own attributes you would most like to convey
to the interviewer as a part of the image you are putting forward.
For instance, if you are seeking to serve as a senior creative marketing
director, it might be important to convey creativity, innovation, a
willingness to take calculated risks, and analytical acumen (ability to
assess your market well). If you are seeking to become a financial officer,
it might be important to convey attributes such as goal orientation,
detail orientation, organization, and high ethics. These examples
demonstrate that the ideal candidate’s attributes vary by job.
When thinking about how to present yourself in the interview,
therefore, be sure to refer to your assessment on pages 38–39 of which
attributes your potential employer would most value in a candidate. The
56 Best Practices
Demonstrate a Fit Through Your Responses 57
work sheet that follows, called Personal Attributes Work Sheet, can help
you think through which of your personal attributes you should emphasize
in your interview. To complete the Personal Attributes Work Sheet,
rewrite the ideal personal attributes you identified on pages 38–39 in
the first section. Then in the second section, write down the dominant
attributes you have that are most relevant to the job. Compare those
first two sections. Then, in the third section, write down the attributes
that appear in both of the first two sections. This can help you decide
which characteristics to highlight in your interview.
As you respond to questions in the four key areas described in this
chapter, keep the winning attributes you want to emphasize in mind.
PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES WORK SHEET
Ideal Personal Attributes
My Strengths
Matches (Attributes That Appear in First and Second Sections)
Take opportunities to convey those attributes through your responses
when possible. Indeed, the key to answering questions excellently in an
interview is to use each question as an opportunity to focus the interviewer
on either your winning attributes or on the aspects of your education,
work experience, or extracurricular record that demonstrate you
are a match for the available job. Thus, be sure to also review your
responses on pages 40–41 (the Professional Record Work Sheet), where
you recorded the responsibility, tasks, and skills/knowledge you have
that are relevant for the job you hope to secure. Keep those winning
aspects of your record in the forefront of your mind, along with your
winning attributes, as you respond to interview questions. The following
examples illustrate how you can weave references to your winning
attributes and references to your relevant experiences into your
responses.
Mastering Responses to Educational Questions
If an interviewer asks you why you chose your major in college, you
should use this question as an opportunity to demonstrate that you have
attributes that are ideal and that you have attained relevant skills for your
job through the major. When answering the question “In what ways did
your major prepare you for this finance job?” Sheila responded:
As an economics major, when taking upper-level courses, I took two
finance courses that gave me a solid foundation in finance concepts.
That has helped prepare me. I also had to complete many mathematical
courses as well as advanced economics classes that required extensive
research and teamwork. All of those additional elements—
mathematics, research, and teamwork—have also helped make me very
prepared for my new finance career. In this field, the math skills, ability
to work with data, and analytical skills that I have acquired will
be keys to my success. Likewise, your company completes much of its
work in teams and through research. The research skills and team skills
I already have can therefore help me to excel at your company.
58 Best Practices
In this answer, Sheila makes her major relevant not only in terms of
content but also in terms of broader skills. That is a good blend. Sheila
also could have used her response to draw attention to her winning
attributes, in addition to pinpointing the ways in which her major has
made her qualified for the available job. She could have remarked:
I loved my economics major, because I am someone who loves an intellectual
challenge and who loves to problem solve in teams. My major
suited my personality but also prepared me for a finance career. As an
economics major, I took two finance courses that gave me a solid foundation
in finance concepts. That has helped prepare me for this job. I
also had to complete many math and economics classes that required
extensive research and teamwork. Those were among my favorite
aspects of my major. All of those additional elements—mathematics,
research, and teamwork—have also helped make me very prepared for
my new finance career because math and analytical skills are keys to
success in the field of finance. Likewise, your company completes much
of its work in teams and through research, so the research and team
skills I have acquired can help me excel at your company.
Much of the substance of this response is the same as the prior example,
but in this case Sheila took an extra effort to weave in references to
her winning characteristics—her love of an intellectual challenge and
her passion for problem solving. Because she also clarified how her major
is relevant to finance, she did a great job of answering the question.
Even if you are applying for a business position without a business
or economics background, you can still use this question as a chance to
talk about your major in positive terms, emphasizing the broad skills
that transcend a particular major and will enable you to distinguish
yourself with excellent performance in a business position. Use this
question as an opportunity to underscore your skills, knowledge, and
experiences that will help you be an excellent employee. Emphasize
transferable skills—skills that can be acquired in nonbusiness majors
but that are relevant to business. Consider these examples of businessrelevant
transferable skills:
Demonstrate a Fit Through Your Responses 59
Relevance of Education: Ten Useful Types of Skills
1. Analytical skills
2. Problem-solving skills
3. Teamwork skills
4. Writing skills
5. Presentation skills
6. Mathematical skills
7. Computing skills
8. Research skills
60 Best Practices
WHY THIS INDUSTRY? THINGS TO CONSIDER
In inter views, it is common for you to be asked why you have
chosen a particular industry or career. A best practice in
answering this is to consider which characteristics are associated
with your career or industry. Be prepared to demonstrate a fit
between those characteristics and your own winning attributes.
For instance, if a field is known for being fast-paced and
characterized by innovation, be able to pinpoint how you have
succeeded in fast-paced environments in the past and how you
have demonstrated innovation and creativity. Here are some
ways to think about the nature of your chosen industr y:
➤ Degree of innovation
➤ Fast or slow pace
➤ Nature of intellectual activity within industr y (technical,
problem solving)
➤ Amount or type of new products
➤ Nature of work within (team-based, individualistic)
➤ Importance to lives of everyday people
➤ Impact on society
➤ Relation to other key sectors
➤ Lifestyle associated with
You should also be able to ar ticulate “why this company” and
“why this job.”
9. Teaching skills
10. Persuasion skills
Chapter 8 illustrates in greater depth about how to communicate the
relevance of transferable skills.
Mastering Responses to Questions About
Work Experience
Questions about your work experience are usually central to any job
interview. It is important, therefore, to learn how to deliver outstanding
responses. When asking you about your work experience, the interviewer
is asking you to draw parallels between your past work and your qualifications
for the job you are interviewing for. You must demonstrate the
relevance of your experience and clarify why you are qualified for the
available job. For example, if the interviewer were to say, “Describe the
job you held two years ago, before your current job,” a good response is
a concise, structured answer that conveys valued information about the
skills and capabilities you used, developed, or refined during that job. In
addition, answering this question gives you the opportunity to elaborate
on your winning attributes and the activities and achievements that
enabled you to move on to your current (and hopefully, more advanced)
job. When asked this question, Andy answered:
In the job I held two years ago, my work as a junior manager included
three main areas of responsibility. First, I was in charge of managing
a team of five junior team members in completing a significant project
for one of my company’s core clients. This included setting goals for
the team and assigning the specific roles and tasks of each team member.
I also had to manage their work to ensure we were making headway
toward our goals, and to provide guidance to my team members.
Second, I was responsible for managing the company’s relationship with
that core client. This meant nurturing the relationship with the client
by meeting individually with representatives and ensuring that our
work was meeting their needs. Finally, I served as a liaison between
Demonstrate a Fit Through Your Responses 61
the team and my superiors, so that they understood how things were
progressing. My success as a junior manager opened up the opportunity
to take a position as a full manager in my current job.
This answer is very structured, concise, and to the point. It presents a
clear range of responsibilities that the interviewer will find directly relevant
to the job offered.
In responding to the question about the job he held two years prior,
Andy also could have chosen to weave in information about the personal
attributes he wants to emphasize through his interview. For
instance, Andy could have modified his response slightly to reply something
like this:
I really enjoyed the job I held two years ago because I am someone who
is very goal-oriented and enjoy leading groups. In addition, my job as
junior manager helped me take steps toward my goal of managing a
large department by providing me the opportunity to develop skills that
could help me move toward my goal, such as good team leadership skills.
In the job I held two years ago, my work included three main areas of
responsibility. First, I was in charge of managing a team of five junior
team members in completing a significant project for one of my company’s
core clients. This included setting goals for the team and assigning
specific roles and tasks to each team member. I also had to manage
my team members’ work to ensure we were making headway toward
our goals. Second, I was responsible for managing the company’s relationship
with that core client. This meant nurturing the relationship
with the client by meeting individually with representatives and ensuring
that our work was meeting their needs. Finally, I served as a liaison
between the team and my superiors, so that my superiors
understood how things were progressing. My success as a junior manager
opened the opportunity for me to take a position as a full manager
in my current job.
This response still conveys wonderful information about the skills and
responsibilities that Andy had in a prior job that have helped make him
qualified for the job he is now seeking. Additionally, Andy manages to
weave in references to his winning characteristics—his goal orientation
62 Best Practices
and his passion for leading teams. Those elements helped make this
response a great use of the question about his prior work experience.
Mastering Responses to Questions About
Your Goals
Discussions about your career goals are also often a part of many interviews.
An interviewer who asks you about your goals is also assessing
whether the goals you express match the opportunities presented by the
advertised job. The interviewer also hopes to determine whether your
ambitions are attractive to the organization. If the interviewer from a
company that likes to hire long-term employees were to say, “Tell me
about where you see yourself in five years,” you might therefore choose
to emphasize your goal-oriented nature and your desire to still be at
their company making valued contributions in five years. In Bob’s
response, he chose to say:
In five years I hope to be serving as a manager of one of the restaurants
in this chain. I love entrepreneurship and I am very goal oriented.
I would enjoy the entrepreneurial challenge of building a strong
branch and adapting marketing to the local environment so that my
branch would become a high-revenue-earning one. My education has
helped me prepare for this goal, by introducing me to broad principles
of economics. And the fact that I have worked for a competitor chain
gives me a good alternative perspective that I can draw on when working
for your company. Because I have already served as a junior assistant
manager and have experience building a successful staff and
contributing to key marketing campaigns, I will bring a lot to the position
of assistant manager and I believe I will be able to attain my career
goals in your company.
In this response the candidate conveys a medium-term goal that is
compatible with the company’s interests. The candidate also explains
the relevance of his education and work experience to the job while also
making reference to his winning attributes (goal-oriented nature and
love of entrepreneurship).
Demonstrate a Fit Through Your Responses 63
WHY THIS FIRM? THINGS TO CONSIDER
Many interviewers want to hear you express why you want to
work for their company rather than another. You should be able
to express reasons for your choice. Here are characteristics you
can cite when responding to why you prefer a par ticular
company.
➤ Degree of innovation
➤ Fast or slow pace
➤ Nature of intellectual activity within (technical, problem
solving)
➤ Types of products produced
➤ Work style (team based, individualistic)
➤ Types of clients served
➤ Corporate culture
➤ Characteristics of workforce (young, seasoned)
➤ Company’s goal or mission
It is often effective to personalize your rationale for choosing
the interviewing company. Make reference to your winning
attributes. Thus, rather than just saying, “I like your company
because its work is team-based and innovative,” say, “I have
always enjoyed team-based activities and I am very creative. Your
company attracts me given the team-based, innovative nature of
its work.”
Conveying a Fit with the Organization—the
Importance of Corporate Culture:
An Insider’s View
How do excellent interviewees and top MBAs convey a fit with the organization
to which they are applying? Using largely informal networking structures—
speaking with alumni or colleagues, for instance—skilled interviewees
research the corporate culture of a firm to which they are applying and are
able to demonstrate during the interview that their personality and goals are
64 Best Practices
compatible with the culture of the interviewing company. Susan Kim, the
head of the successful advisory group Kim, Hopkins & Associates—one of the
largest franchises of American Express Financial Advisors in the Washington,
D.C., area—explains the difference that demonstrating a fit can make
both in securing and in retaining a job:
Ensuring that an employee is a good fit for your company is critical
to corporate success, which is why many employers place great emphasis
on it these days. For example, in my role as a senior financial adviser
within the Fortune 100 company American Express, some of my clients
work in high-level positions for consulting companies such as Booz
Allen Hamilton, McKinsey & Company, and PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
I can tell you, just by meeting a consultant, which of these companies
they work for, because successful companies tend to ensure a match
between their professionals and their culture. As I have grown my advisory
group to over seven professionals with over $35 million under
management, I have learned the importance of making sure there is a
fit between a candidate and our culture, as it is critically important.
For example, I made the mistake once of choosing to hire the person
with the fanciest résumé. It did not work out for us! He did not have
the personality that fit with our organization. When we launched our
new rapidly growing branch of American Express Financial Advisors
two years ago, we wanted to build a team of the most dynamic, personable,
dedicated individuals who shared our goals of excellent performance
and excellent client service. Since we are a growing company,
we needed a candidate, first and foremost, with similar goals and a personality
compatible with the innovative professionals who form our
staff. The ideal candidate needed to be eager to grow and to make more
money; they needed to be someone who was not content with where
they were. We failed to take that into consideration and chose the wrong
candidate, because we were swayed by that candidate’s sterling credentials
alone. Today, we know better! We have sharpened our interviewing
process, which has enabled us to staff a leading financial advisory
team, becoming one of the largest American Express Financial Advisors
franchises in the metropolitan D.C. area.
Now, as I interview, I ask a candidate, “What is an ideal work environment
for you?” in order to sift through the candidates who are not
Demonstrate a Fit Through Your Responses 65
a good fit for our organization. One candidate recently responded to
that question with such precision and he so clearly demonstrated a fit
that I hired him right away. He explained that he was looking for a work
environment with a younger set of professionals who were intent on
growing and were not content with just servicing their existing set of
clients. He wanted an organization that cared about its clients. He
wanted an organization known for excellence. I was struck; that was
exactly what we offered and that was exactly the basis upon which we
were trying to hire professionals! I hired him on the spot.
Mastering Responses to Questions About
Personality and Personal Interests
Finally, some candidates fail to recognize that questions about personality
or personal interests should also be used as opportunities to focus
on winning attributes and present oneself as a suitable personality for
the advertised job. For instance, if you are asked a question such as
“What are your most memorable characteristics?” you should recognize
this question as a chance to highlight key attributes and skills you bring
to the new job. From your Job Assessment Work Sheet on pages 38–39
and your Personal Attributes Work Sheet, you should be aware of which
qualities the ideal candidate would demonstrate and which of these you
have. Spend time elaborating on your winning characteristics. For
example, when answering a question about her memorable characteristics,
Carla, a recent college graduate, said:
Overall, I am a very directed businessperson who has been building a
strong skill set in marketing in order to attain my career goal of serving
the marketing department of a company like yours. My most
memorable characteristics are creativity, hard work, and a friendly
personality. The importance of my creativity can be seen as I helped
launch a new club during college, which grew to be one of the largest
on campus by my senior year. My creativity can also be seen through
my success in leading two new marketing campaigns at my current
company. My hard work has been demonstrated through the success of
66 Best Practices
those marketing campaigns. And my friendly personality has manifested
itself both through my community work and through my team
leadership at work. I know others enjoy working with me, which is one
reason why my marketing teams do so well.
This answer does a great job of focusing on three attributes that are
directly relevant to Carla’s ability to be an effective and pleasant marketing
professional to work with. Carla provides examples for each
attribute offered, and she uses the opportunity to focus attention on her
successes.
The Art of Responding to Personality and Fit
Questions: An Insider’s View
How are skilled interviewees able to respond excellently to personality or fit
questions during an interview? Byron, a Harvard graduate with experience
at the top consulting firms McKinsey & Company and Booz Allen Hamilton,
uses his experience as a successful hire and his interaction with graduates
from MBA and law school programs such as those at Harvard, Stanford,
and Yale to provide insights about best practices to employ in order to interview
excellently:
In order to present excellent responses to personality or fit questions
such as “Describe yourself in three adjectives,” or “Describe what you
are looking for in a firm,” you must first have an understanding of the
culture of the firm to which you are applying. For instance, in leveraging
your contacts, you might find that the culture of the company to
which you are applying is not very casual in terms of dress—so definitely
attend the interview in a suit! You might also discover that the
company is flexible in terms of work hours and encourages its professionals
to pursue hobbies outside of work. The culture of a company
can include whether it is very family oriented, whether it is a work-allnight
shop, whether its main projects are team based, whether the attire
is casual or formal, etc. Network with friends, colleagues, or even a
company representative at a job fair to gain an understanding of corporate
culture. Speaking with junior-level professionals in the organi-
Demonstrate a Fit Through Your Responses 67
zation can also be helpful, if you are able to get a business card and
speak with someone before the interview. Once you have this knowledge,
you can craft your answers more appropriately to reflect a fit with
the company.
I advise discreetly integrating references to the corporate culture in
ways that show a fit. If the company is known for assertiveness, talk
about how you are a leader and enjoy exploring new ideas. If the company
is known for being family oriented, make reference to your activities
with your family. Many leading companies take the “fit” issue very
seriously. If you cannot blend into the new work environment, you will
likely not be successful. So do your homework and prepare your
responses to fit questions appropriately.
Value of the Memorable Answer: An Insider’s View
Glenn Jaffe, a senior vice president at a Fortune 100 company, warns
against clichés:
I look for pointed and catchy responses with a foundation of candor
behind them. Most interviewers have made up their minds in the first
five minutes of the interview. When asked to tell about oneself, I would
hope that a candidate would endeavor to differentiate, to stand out, to
make a memorable statement. It is only the strong interviewee that has
the courage and initiative to respond to a question with a truly memorable
answer.
All Things Equal, a Fire in the Eye
Finally, a word about enthusiasm. Throughout all this, don’t forget the
importance of enthusiasm! Many Fortune 100 recruiters report that, all
things equal, they will choose the candidate who demonstrated a high
level of enthusiasm or “fire in the eye” for the job. That is, they choose
to work with the candidate who is truly excited about the new job.
Enthusiasm can make a strong, positive impression.
68 Best Practices
C H A P T E R
Shape the Interview
with Responses to
Open-Ended and
Turnaround
Questions
69
5
One of the key best practices in interviewing excellently is the abil-
ity to take control of the interview or shape the direction of the
interview. In an interview, you have a wonderful opportunity to shape
the direction of the interview when you are asked an open-ended or non-
specific question, such as “Tell me about yourself” or “How would oth-
ers characterize you?” The open-ended question differs from specific
questions such as “What courses in calculus did you complete?” because
a specific question requires a specific answer for an adequate response.
Many professionals tell me they get very nervous when asked an
open-ended question in an interview. Their general reaction is, “What
am I supposed to say? I have no idea where to start.” If you are well pre-
pared, an open-ended question is one of the best questions you can
receive in an interview. This chapter will help you understand how you
can use the open-ended question to present yourself in a good light. It
also explores how to create and address turnaround questions.
The Gift of the Open-Ended Question
In an interview, the interviewer is often trying to ask questions that
allow him or her to paint a picture of you, so the interviewer can assess
Copyright © 2004 by Shelly Leanne. Click here for terms of use.
whether you will be a good employee and whether you fit well with the
organization. The reason the open-ended question is such a wonderful
gift in an interview is that it is as if an interviewer has handed you the
paintbrush and has given you permission to paint the picture yourself.
You are able to control the colors of the paint, the strokes of the brush,
the emphasis of the details. It is an ideal situation.
To use this ideal situation to the best of your abilities, you must go
into the interview knowing what top three or four attributes you want
the interviewer to associate with you before you leave. You must also
know what top three to five accomplishments you want the interviewer
focused on when considering your record of achievement. When you
are asked an open-ended question, you can move the conversation
directly to a discussion of those attributes and those achievements.
Here’s how.
Addressing Open-Ended Questions Effectively
• Use the question to paint a picture of your winning three or four
qualities—the ones that will demonstrate a match between your
qualities and those of the ideal candidate.
• Use the question to move straight to the strengths that distinguish
you—the skills and work experience that show you are highly
qualified for the job.
Using Open-Ended Questions to Paint a
Picture of Yourself
Consider an instance when a job candidate, Peter, is interviewing for a
position as a manager of a small computer consulting company. The
interviewer has asked Peter to “tell me about yourself.” This is an exam-
ple of a poor answer:
I was born in Kansas City and lived there until I was twelve. I moved
to Chicago at that time, and I lived with my parents in Chicago until
I went to college at the University of Chicago. At that time, I moved
to a campus apartment and majored in economics. I spent my junior
70 Best Practices
Shape the Interview 71
year abroad in Scotland and then returned to the University of Chicago.
After finishing my senior year, I took a position at a computer
store, where I have worked for four years. Now I am looking to move
into a company with a broader client base so that I can expand my
skills.
Now, clearly, that answer is not horrible. Peter was able to convey
after a few sentences a sense of why he is interested in a job with the
computer consulting company. But even though the response is not hor-
rible, it clearly is not very strategic and does not take advantage of the
opportunity to focus the conversation on his most attractive attributes
and achievements. Equally important, in the first few sentences, Peter
simply recites some information that the interviewer likely has in Peter’s
résumé. What was the point of that? That repetition of biographical
details, in this instance, was not an optimal use of the time and the
answer.
Once he took the time to prepare, Peter was able to deliver a much
stronger answer in an interview at a later date. This time, when asked
the question, “Tell me about yourself?” Peter answered:
I am a very goal-oriented person with a passion for new ideas and a
desire to achieve excellent outcomes in all that I do. I have demonstrated
my commitment to excellence in many ways. For instance, when I
attended the University of Chicago, I earned a B+ average in a very
difficult major, and I graduated with honors. I was recruited by a leading
computer company in our city, and my experience there reinforced
my passion for new ideas. My innovation and contributions resulted in
three promotions in four years and an award of “Employee of the Year”
last year. I now have a very valuable skills set and am ready to move
to the next level of my career, working as a manager. That is why I
have approached your computer consulting company. I believe this is
my ideal company and job position.
Many things make this answer a much better use of the open-ended
question. Among the most important are these. First, Peter uses his
very first sentence to characterize himself with words that convey a
sense of initiative, drive, goal orientation, and excellence. These are
all attributes the employer will value. By painting himself in this light,
Peter has probably caused the interviewer to sit up in his or her seat
with deep interest. Second, Peter moved directly to a discussion of
some of the achievements that will mark him as stronger than some of
the other job applicants. These achievements may also form the basis
for why the employer may choose him over other applicants. Empha-
sizing his academic achievement assures the interviewer that Peter has
the skills to make a good contribution in the new organization if he is
hired. Emphasizing his promotions and award for excellence not only
underscores that his company recognized him as a high-performing
employee, but also hints that through his promotions, Peter has gained
greater responsibilities and greater skills, so he is ready to “move to
the next level” of his career. Finally, this answer is wonderful because
Peter ends with a sentence that might prompt the interviewer to ask a
follow-up question. By stating, “I believe this is my ideal company and
job position,” the interviewer might choose to expand on that end
remark by asking a question such as “Why do you believe this com-
pany and position are ideal for you?” Thus, Peter has set himself up for
a follow-up question that will allow him to elaborate even further about
his skills and the many ways he is a good match for the company and
the position.
This example demonstrates that an open-ended question is a fantas-
tic opportunity to carve out the direction of the interview. An open-
ended question can be used to your advantage if you move into the
interview with a firm understanding of the attributes and accomplish-
ments you seek to convey to the interviewer. Suppose Karen, a recent
college graduate, is applying for a position as a store manager for a
national clothing chain. She has already considered what attributes she
would like to convey to the interviewer. She is highly disciplined and
organized, enjoys interacting with people, is creative, and loves a chal-
lenge. Before the interview, she also outlined the activities of her col-
lege years that illustrate these attributes. When she receives a job
interview, the interviewer asks her a open-ended question: “Why did
72 Best Practices
you attend your chosen college?” For the unprepared interviewee, this
would be a less than ideal response:
I did not want to travel too far from home, since I am relatively close
to my parents, so I looked for an affordable university within fifty miles
of my home. I didn’t have many other choices in the area, and the college
I attended had a fairly good reputation, so I chose to go there. The
experience was very pleasant.
That sounds like a truthful answer, but this answer does little to
enhance the image of the interviewee in the eyes of the interviewer.
While it is wonderful to care about one’s parents, this could have been
answered much more strategically.
Because Karen went into the interview prepared, she has a response
that positions her much better in the eyes of the interviewer. Karen has
been looking for opportunities in the interview to weave in informa-
tion about her winning characteristics. When asked, “Why did you
attend your chosen college?” Karen notes this is an opportunity and
responds this way:
I am a very creative person who enjoys interacting with people and a
challenge. My college gave me what I was looking for by enabling me
to challenge myself with a terrific curriculum, use my creativity in
class projects, and develop excellent leadership skills as I interacted with
others in the club I founded, the Environmental Club. One of the things
I enjoyed most in college was my major, economics. It was rigorous and
demanding, and it really made me challenge my thinking and become
much more disciplined in my work. The experience of completing difficult
problem sets on a weekly basis and completing a detailed thesis on
a world event also made me very organized in my use of time. I made
a good choice when I chose my college.
What makes this response excellent is that Karen touched on her key
attributes while also mentioning one of the achievements that distin-
guish her record—her leadership in the Environmental Club. She has
Shape the Interview 73
successfully portrayed herself as a hard worker who is creative and
thrives amid rigorous, challenging experiences. The image she has
established in the interviewer’s mind is positive and attractive.
Creating Turnaround Questions and Responding
to Them
In an interview, you also have a wonderful opportunity to shape the
content of the interview when you are asked a question that can be
transformed into a “turnaround” question. By this, I mean you can
strategically address a question that asks you to talk about a negative
experience you’ve had or about one of your negative personal qualities.
By skillfully “turning around” such questions, you will create the chance
to elaborate on some of your most valuable experiences and qualities.
Turning Around Questions About Your Failures
To demonstrate, take the case of Eleana who was interviewing for a
teaching job and was asked to elaborate on her greatest failure as a
teacher in her current junior high school class. Eleana, unprepared for
this question, blurts out one of the first examples she thinks of. She
responds:
One of the biggest failures was my inability a year ago to motivate my
class to study well enough to pass the school-wide English exam that
our principal administered to ensure that students were gaining the
basic skills they would need to proceed on to high school. It was a disappointment,
but that class represented a very difficult group of students.
I remind myself that there were other tests on which they
performed very well, and those students even passed a statewide
English exam later that same year. But my failure to motivate them
to pass my principal’s exam was significant for me. I intend to successfully
encourage my students to do better in my next teaching position.
I am very certain I have the skills to do so.
74 Best Practices
Certainly, there are a couple of positive aspects to this response.
Eleana displays some confidence in her abilities as she states “I am very
certain I have the skills” to encourage students in the future to pass
school-wide English exams. But this positive comment does not ade-
quately offset the many negative aspects of Eleana’s answer. In partic-
ular, two aspects of Eleana’s response are troubling. First, Eleana
indicated that she had failed to enable her students to pass an exam that
was designed to test basic skills. There may be circumstances that
explain why Eleana failed in this task—perhaps her students were sim-
ply a boisterous bunch of kids who would have been difficult for any
teacher to handle. But an interviewer might likely read this admission
by Eleana as an indictment of her ability to perform well as a teacher.
Even though Eleana points out that there were other exams on which
the students performed well, the interviewer would tend to believe that
if the school-wide exam was not reflective of the abilities of her stu-
dents, she would not have dwelled on the failure and therefore would
not have chosen to bring it up as a great failure.
Because this answer undercuts one of the most important skills that
Eleana needs to establish in the interview—her ability to excel through
excellent teaching skills—her response is a poor choice for this ques-
tion. Similarly, even though Eleana expresses confidence that she can
perform better in the future, a potential employer would be more com-
fortable hiring Eleana if he or she were certain of her record of success
in her current job.
Bearing these mistakes in mind, it is possible to see that there is a
better approach for answering “failure” questions such as this. A best
practice is to use a turnaround technique. That is, address the failure
question posed only briefly, with a short synopsis of a failure. In the
case of “Tell me about your greatest professional failure,” you should
devote only a small part of your response to providing details about the
failure. It is a weak spot in your credentials, so there is no need to pro-
long the discussion about the failure. Rather, acknowledge the failure
quickly, so as to answer the question, but quickly transition your
response to speak about the lessons you learned, and how you have
achieved many successes since the failure.
Shape the Interview 75
There are other useful guidelines for determining what topic to elab-
orate on. If the interviewer does not specifically ask for you to elabo-
rate on a failure from your work experience, choose a non–work-related
experience that has little bearing on the skills or knowledge you must
use excellently to excel in your potential new job. In that way, the fail-
ure you elaborate on will not call your work-related credentials into
question. Also, if you are able to elaborate on a failure that is further
back in time, rather than more recent, that is often a better choice. After
all, your aim is to turn around the question quickly and then elaborate
on how you have succeeded since the failure by employing the lessons
that you learned from your failure. Do not choose a failure that is too
recent, because in that case you will have a hard time elaborating on
your successes since the failure; it will simply be the case that enough
time has not yet passed for you to have established a record of success
since your failure. Finally, don’t elaborate on a failure that was very
costly to your employer. If you do so, the interviewer will likely become
nervous, wondering whether you would make a similar costly mistake
at their organization.
Let’s return to Eleana’s case. Once she learned these best practices,
she was much more prepared to answer failure questions and to turn
them around, creating opportunities to talk about her successes. In
another interview, therefore, when asked about her greatest failure in
her current position as a junior high school teacher, Eleana replied:
When I first started teaching four years ago, I was not aware that I
would have such a broad range of abilities represented among my students.
I started with a one-size-fits-all approach to teaching. Soon, I
saw that some students were left behind because the pace seemed too
quick, and others were frustrated by the slow pace. While the majority
of students were in the middle, I felt that I owed it to my students
to help them all learn. My lack of ability to do this during the first
months of my new position was a failure. I took the time to speak with
other teachers to understand how they dealt with similar situations. I
learned from them good practices for teaching a class of students with
such a wide range of abilities. Since that time, I have been able to teach
my students in a way that allows each of them to learn according to
76 Best Practices
their abilities. My students have learned and they have performed
excellently on their exams.
This was a much better choice. Eleana chose a topic further back in
time, and quickly turned the failure question into an opportunity to talk
about the lessons she learned and how she has become a better teacher.
The turnaround method of responding to questions is useful with a
variety of questions. Consider using this turnaround technique when
addressing questions such as “Tell me about your greatest setback in
life,” “Tell me about your greatest personal failure,” or “Tell me about
a time you were disappointed in yourself.”
Greatest Failure Questions: What to Avoid
• A failure that is too recent
• An example that was financially costly to your employer
• An example that cost your employer a client or hurt your
employer’s reputation
• A failure that is central to your current work
• A failure that reflects a weakness in the skills you need to use
excellently to succeed in your potential new job
• An example where you cannot elaborate on what you have learned
• An example where you cannot cite another example of when you
dealt with a similar situation and succeeded
Greatest Failure: Sample Approach
• Spend only a small amount of your response addressing your
failure.
• Talk about the lessons you learned.
• Spend the remainder of your time mentioning an example of when
you succeeded by applying the lessons you learned from the failure
you have spoken about.
Turning Around Questions About Your Weaknesses
Another type of question that you should view as a turnaround oppor-
tunity is a question about your greatest weakness. Just like questions
Shape the Interview 77
about your greatest failures, many candidates are uncomfortable answer-
ing questions about weaknesses, because they do not know what to say.
Some people feel that if they mention something like “I work too hard,”
they will have just offered a generic answer that is not very satisfying for
the interviewer. What is a best practice? Be cautious. It is better to offer
a more generic answer than to respond by pointing out a weakness that
makes the interviewer question your qualifications for the available job.
Consider the case of Nathan, who chose not to be cautious in his
response to an interview question about his greatest professional weak-
ness. He answered by pinpointing one of several weaknesses of which
he was aware:
In my position as a manager at my bank, one of my greatest professional
weaknesses is that I do not communicate with my subordinates
as best as I can. Given my personality, I personally always prefer to
hear criticism in a straightforward and uncoated fashion. But when I
issue that sort of to-the-point criticism to my subordinates, they react
very defensively and it has caused some friction. But otherwise, my
work as a manager has been very effective and I believe I can be a great
manager at your company.
This answer, while not necessarily poor enough to cost the candidate
a job opportunity, could have been much stronger. First, Nathan has
indicated that his actions cause friction at work. He makes no attempt
to indicate that he has tried to smooth the friction over, or even that it
is a priority for him to smooth it over and create a more harmonious
work environment. In many cases, interviewers do not want to hire
managers who cause friction in the workplace unnecessarily or who do
not attempt to create harmonious work relations after some friction has
been introduced. Nathan has probably caused the interviewer to ques-
tion whether he is a difficult person to work with. Also, in his response,
Nathan does not indicate that he is working to improve his greatest pro-
fessional weakness. That is a problem in and of itself. If you are aware
of a professional weakness, the interviewer will want to know that you
are proactive enough to be diligently seeking to strengthen that weak-
78 Best Practices
ness. Here is how Nathan could have answered this question better. He
could have responded:
When I first took up my position as a manager at my bank, one of my
greatest professional weaknesses was that I did not communicate with
my subordinates as best as I could have. Given my personality, I personally
always prefer to hear criticism in a straightforward fashion.
But when I issue that sort of to-the-point criticism to my subordinates,
they react very defensively and it has caused some friction. I know that
as a manager, my role is not only to manage our work excellently but
also to motivate my workers to improve their performance. If I was demotivating
my workers with such direct criticism, then that indicated
to me that I had a weakness in my communication style. Now, I always
remind myself not to issue abrasive or uncoated criticism. Even though
I would not mind receiving criticism like that, this style does not work
for my subordinates. I have worked since that early period of my role
as a manager to adapt my style and to combine a mixture of praise and
constructive criticism. Not only is our work environment very harmonious
now, but I am pleased to see my subordinates respond positively
to my feedback of their performances.
That is a much better response. Nathan points out a weakness,
demonstrates that he has actively addressed it (and continues to do so),
and also indicates that the initial friction that his old style introduced
has been resolved.
Greatest Weakness Questions: What to Avoid
• A weakness that resulted in a bad outcome that proved financially
costly to your employer
• A weakness that resulted in a bad outcome that cost your employer
a client or hurt your employer’s reputation
• A weakness that indicates a problem using the skills you will need
to excel in your potential new job
• A weakness that indicates a significant skill needed for the central
work in your current job
Shape the Interview 79
• An example upon which you cannot elaborate to describe how you
are productively addressing and strengthening that weakness
Now that you are aware of some of the best practices for respond-
ing to open-ended questions, you can use them as opportunities to con-
vey the winning attributes and work experience that the interviewer will
most value. Similarly, now that you have learned how to turn around
questions about your shortcomings, weaknesses, or failures, you can use
turnaround questions to convey information about your ability to learn
and about your strengths. With this information, you can now respond
excellently to open-ended and turnaround questions.
80 Best Practices
C H A P T E R
Address Clear
Weaknesses
(Without
Apologizing!)
81
One situation that often causes anxiety among job candidates is the
knowledge that they have a clear weakness they must address during
the interview. A clear weakness can take many forms, such as a low
GPA, a bad standardized-test score (some employers request your SAT
score or graduate-level standardized-test result), or a disciplinary problem
that is noted on a transcript. There are important ways to handle
excellently a discussion about a clear weakness during an interview.
First, and very important, don’t be defensive when addressing the concern.
Be willing to acknowledge the clear weakness. If you become
defensive, the interviewer will likely assume you are unable to handle
criticism well or are “hardheaded” and don’t like to admit it when you
have made a mistake. This is likely to hurt you in the interview.
Second, don’t apologize for the clear weakness. Normally, an apology
will be seen as reflecting low self-confidence. Ideally, your response
should be somewhere between these two extremes of becoming defensive
and apologizing. With an even tone, you should simply acknowledge
the weakness and then move the conversation toward your successes.
This is the third key to handling a discussion about a clear weakness.
After acknowledging your clear weakness in an open, level tone, quickly
move the conversation to a discussion of other aspects of your record
that can demonstrate you have either addressed or overcome that weak-
6
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ness. The fact is, we all experience challenging situations and circumstances,
and the interviewer is no different. Therefore, most interviewers
will be somewhat receptive to you if you acknowledge your clear
weakness and then demonstrate how you have addressed it.
The rest of this chapter elaborates on how to handle questions about
various clear weaknesses.
Poor Grades in a Few Classes
All of us go through difficult times, and many of us are stronger in some
subjects than in others. If you have a low grade point average, it is often
less of an obstacle to overcome in the interviewing process if only a few
grades lowered the GPA. In that case, often the courses with low grades
are the same sort of courses. For instance, if you are weak as a writer,
you might have received low grades in all of your college writing
courses. When your low grades are confined to a specific subject, you
can present a stronger case by emphasizing that you are applying for a
job that does not depend on skills in that particular area. Your strategy
should be to point out how strong your grades are in all other areas,
particularly in the areas that are more relevant to the job you are applying
for.
Similarly, a low GPA is less of an obstacle if your low grades are concentrated
in a particular period of time. Generally, your strategy in this
case should be to point out how your grades have improved over time
if you were affected by a negative experience.
Consider the instance of Mark, who has a low GPA because he was
not focused during his first two years of college. Mark became much
more organized and motivated in his last two years of college and during
his professional work. In spite of this, he knows his low GPA may
be a concern in the interview. He is ready for the question about his
GPA when the interviewer looks at his transcript and says, “We are
really concerned that your low GPA indicates both lack of commitment
and lack of discipline.” Mark responds without defensiveness in a way
that acknowledges the low GPA but emphasizes his strengths:
82 Best Practices
Yes, my GPA was low during my first two years of college. At that
time, I was adjusting to the new college environment and trying to
learn to balance the demands of my schoolwork with my part-time job.
But I was not one to give up prematurely. I was determined to make
the adjustment and develop the skills and time management abilities
that could enable me to eventually excel in college. Once I became more
adjusted to the new environment and challenges, I focused my energies,
and my grades improved dramatically. In my last two years, you
will note that I earned a B average in the advanced courses I was
taking, and I also began to distinguish myself in campus politics. My
classmates elected me to the student government, which was a tremendous
honor. I am hoping that you will note how much my grades
improved in my last two years and that you will see the notable
improvement in my overall record during those last years as signs of
my determination to meet and overcome challenges. My last two years
in college are much more accurate indicators of my future success than
the first two years were.
This response was well-articulated and convincing. No doubt, Mark left
a great impression and the interviewer was more prone to overlook the
two years of poor academic performance.
Poor Overall GPA
Consider next the situation of Sarah, who was unfocused throughout
her entire college career. This is a harder situation to deal with, but once
Sarah establishes a record of success after college, she will be able to
address her lack of performance in college with greater ease. When
asked about her low GPA in college, which started off low in year one
and did not improve before graduation, Sarah replied confidently:
Yes, my GPA is low. Unfortunately, when I attended college, I was not
very focused on my studies. I viewed college as a time to explore different
ideas and interests. I became involved in many clubs and made
Address Clear Weaknesses (Without Apologizing!) 83
significant contributions to several, including one involved with the
homeless. It was only after I left college and entered the work world
that I realized I had made such a mistake in neglecting my studies.
Once I found a job that captured my interests, I focused my energies
and excelled. I am hoping that you will therefore consider my record
since college, which reflects much more accurately my commitment and
discipline. Since I have served as an assistant manager, I have excelled,
helping our client base to grow. My reviews have been excellent, and I
was promoted just last year.
Poor Grades: When You Might Have to Wait It Out
Granted, some jobs are highly technical or depend on strong analytical
skills. In those instances, attempting to explain your poor GPA may not
work. Your better strategy may be to secure a job related to your longerterm
career that is easier to land without a higher GPA—one in which
college academic performance is not a primary basis of employee selection.
Once you excel in that job, you will be establishing a strong record
of achievement that you can point to when you try to later secure your
dream job. At times, therefore, you must put in a couple of years
between a poor record and your dream job. After doing so, employing
Sarah’s strategy of pointing to the new record of achievement will likely
prove successful for you. As an alternative, you can consider enrolling
in a one-year degree program or take courses in the area of your weakness.
If you perform well, you can point to your new record of achievement
during the interview, and your prior record should become less of
an obstacle.
Poor Standardized-Test Results
Some highly technical jobs require that you supply standardized-test
scores to hiring personnel in order to provide another metric for the
employers to use when determining if you are suitable for a job. Some
job candidates may therefore need to explain a poor standardized-test
84 Best Practices
score. This is easiest to do when there is a marked difference between
your test score and your performance in school.
Take the example of Janet, who received a poor standardized-test
score but managed to excel in college. She went into her job interview
prepared to address her test score. When the topic came up, she
addressed it strategically—acknowledging the low score but quickly
focusing the conversation on the many other metrics that could be used
to attest to her strong analytical abilities. When asked about her low
score, she replied this way:
Yes, my standardized-test score is low. This is not an indication of my
lack of motivation or my lack of preparation for the exam. I spent
months preparing, but I have never been a strong standardized-test
taker. Luckily, my inability to score well on such exams did not deter
me from gaining admission to an excellent college, and you can see how
I distinguished myself in college with a high GPA. I hope that you can
feel assured of my ability to handle quantitative tasks, given my performance
in the math and engineering courses I took. In my performance
at my last job, which included working with financial statements
and complex data sets, my performance ratings were always in the
highest category also, which indicates that I mastered the key quantitative
skills needed.
Disciplinary Issues
Disciplinary issues represent a more difficult challenge to address in the
interview process, simply because they are a red flag to the interviewer
that at one time in your life you had difficulty making the right ethical
decision or behaving in a manner that the interviewer would consider
upstanding. For any organization, the consequences of hiring an
employee who lacks high ethical standards or engages in behavior that
calls for disciplinary action could be grave. Such a candidate will appear
to be a risky choice for a position. You therefore will need to present
to the interviewer a convincing argument about how you have changed
since the period during which you received the disciplinary action.
Address Clear Weaknesses (Without Apologizing!) 85
While difficult, this is possible. The best way to make a convincing
case that you have changed is to build a record that reinforces this
notion. You must build a record that demonstrates your high ethics,
shows you engaging in upstanding behavior, and illustrates clearly that
you have learned a lesson and would not repeat the behavior that merited
the disciplinary action. I have seen many instances where a candidate
has presented a compelling case that convinced interviewers that
the candidate’s disciplinary problems of the past would stay in the past.
Consider the case of John, who was caught cheating on a college
exam and was expelled from college for a year. The disciplinary action
appeared on his transcript, and John was prepared when asked about
this during an interview. He responded with this explanation:
The biggest mistake I have made in my life was engaging in dishonest
behavior on that exam. It was foolish, and there is no excuse for it.
During the year I was away from college as a result of that choice, I
took the time to really do some thinking about my values, my ambitions,
and how I would need to change in order to do something meaning
ful with my talents. During that year, I began to work more in
community projects, and I also began to mentor young people who were
having difficulty. I found it rewarding to be able to share my experiences—
positive and negative—in ways that could help others avoid the
mistake I made in college. I have continued that work, and I intend to
continue it in the future.
When I returned to school the next year, I felt like a new person. I
went to the professor whose class I was in when I made my mistake,
and I apologized. He was impressed with my turnaround and even
allowed me to reenroll in his class. I received a strong grade, as you can
see. After returning to school, my grades were high. This experience
turned out to be a wonderful opportunity to learn and change, and I
carry with me the strong ethical values that have enabled me to succeed
since that time.
86 Best Practices
C H A P T E R
Present a Strong
Explanation if
You’ve Been
out of Work
87
Given the turbulent economic times of the past few years, many
people have found themselves out of work, some for short periods,
others for longer periods. If you find that you have a gap to account
for in your work experience, you are not alone. This chapter outlines
ways you can address gaps in your work during a job interview, as well
as ways in which you can use your time out of the workforce constructively
and valuably.
How to Deal with Periods of Unemployment
If you were out of work for only a couple of months, normally you do
not need to explain this during an interview. The interviewer will often
be content to hear that you took the time to assess where you hoped to
go with your career, research companies and job opportunities, and prepare
to begin interviewing. However, if you have been out of work for
a longer period of time—more than four months, for instance—you are
best off if you can state to your interviewer that you were doing more
with that time than searching for a job. An employer wants to see that
you were not content to sit idle but took the initiative to use the time off
as a tremendous opportunity. Ways to do this include expanding your
professional qualifications through certifications, expanding your knowl-
7
Copyright © 2004 by Shelly Leanne. Click here for terms of use.
edge base, deepening your professional experiences or your ideas about
your long-term goals, and broadening your worldview through travel.
This chapter outlines various strategies for impressing your interviewer
with the activities you engaged in during your time off.
What to Do if Unemployed: An Insider’s View
Edward, a manager at IBM, advises that while being unemployed is no
crime, selective companies do like to see initiative even during down times:
The best practice can be summarized as “keep moving!” Every one
of us has things we want to do but we could not do it because we were
working and did not have time. Well, an unemployed person has the
time to pursue such activities. I do not like it when a candidate just keeps
standing still waiting for a job.
Enhance Your Professional Qualifications
One of the ways in which you can impress a potential employer is to say
that during your time off, you took the opportunity to enhance your
skills and qualifications by attaining certifications and licenses. Obtaining
these credentials can deepen your knowledge in your career area
while also making you more attractive to the customers or clients of
your prospective new employer. For example, if you work in financial
planning, you could study for and obtain another license, such as the
Series 7 broker’s license. If you are a corporate lawyer who is out of
work, you might take the opportunity to secure a real estate license,
which can deepen your knowledge about real estate transactions. If you
are a computer specialist, you might want to get additional certifications
in computing, such as C certification. For those in other fields, you
should determine whether there are certifications in your field that can
enhance your skills and knowledge.
Deepen Your Knowledge
For many people, it is difficult to find the money or the time to secure
a new license or certification. Another alternative is to deepen your
88 Best Practices
knowledge by taking courses online, at a junior college, or through an
extension school of a university. You can likely locate a course for as little
as $100 at a junior college. If you work as an administrative assistant,
for instance, you might want to take a course in management
processes at a local junior college. If you work as a store manager, you
might want to take a course in marketing. Taking a course enables you
to tell an interviewer that you turned a setback (being laid off ) into an
opportunity, gaining valuable knowledge through formal instruction.
Enhance Your Work Experiences
If you are affected by a prolonged period of unemployment, for as long
as a year for instance, it is best to be able to indicate that you continued
to put your skills to use in some socially useful fashion. I have met
many consultants at large consulting firms who suffered from downsizing
in recent years, given the economic downturn. Rather than sit
idle, they began to offer consulting services for low or no fees to nonprofit
organizations or small businesses. In doing so, they were able to
apply their existing business and team management skills. In addition,
they were able to develop key entrepreneurial skills as they marketed
their services, set pricing, developed attractive services, and success-
Present a Strong Explanation if You’ ve Been out of Work 89
YOU’VE BEEN FIRED: NOW WHAT?
➤ Your own consulting company: Use the time to run your
own business, even if on a pro bono (unpaid) basis, showing
your desire to apply and stretch your skills.
➤ More credentials: Use the time to enhance your expertise
and credentials through certifications or licenses.
➤ Deeper expertise: Use the time to refine your knowledge
through online or extension courses.
➤ Long-term goals: Use the time to conduct research into your
desired long-term goals.
➤ Travel: Use the time to travel and experience other cultures.
➤ Community service: Use the time in community service, to
enhance the nonwork aspects of your résumé.
fully implemented projects. All of these steps can be seen as pluses on
a résumé.
If you worked as an administrative assistant and were laid off, you
might offer your services to small nonprofit organizations, helping them
consider ways to organize themselves more effectively. To a future
employer, taking this sort of initiative will likely be seen as demonstrating
excellent personal characteristics.
Broaden Your Worldview
It is also acceptable to take the time during a period of unemployment
to travel. Today’s business world is globalizing and is characterized by
diversity. Becoming more versed in the many cultures in the United
States and around the world can be seen as positive. Therefore, there
is little reason to be bashful about taking a break between jobs to travel
and expand your understanding of the world around you and of the
many cultures around you. I have worked with many successful candidates
who traveled throughout Asia, Latin America, Africa, or some
other region of interest during a period of time off. They used those
enriching experiences to impress a new employer. Others who chose to
travel around the United States have been able to use those experiences
to their advantage. They were able to convey to an interviewer how
much history they learned about their own state or region of the country,
and how much they learned about the many cultures in various
regions of the country.
Using Time out of Your Career to Enhance Your
Candidacy: An Insider’s View
In today’s economy, many talented workers have lost their jobs and have experienced
long periods of unemployment. If you are interviewing for a job after
months of unemployment, what will an interviewer want to see on your
résumé in terms of how you have used your time out of the workforce? What
do employers view as constructive ways of using time off? Celeste Garcia, a
90 Best Practices
professional with a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Harvard University,
became a senior-level consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers and now
serves as managing director of consulting services for the D.C.-based Ivy
Planning Group consulting firm. Here, she shares the best practices she has
learned through her successful career. She also provides insights into what
impresses her as she interviews top MBAs for jobs today:
There are many ways to use time out of the workforce creatively and
constructively. When I interviewed candidates both at PricewaterhouseCoopers
and at Ivy Planning Group, my antennae would go up if
there were unexplained gaps on a résumé. If the candidate is currently
unemployed, it raises questions: Why hasn’t this person gotten a job?
What happened at the last job? You do not want your interviewer to see
a period of unemployment as a big red flag, so you need to take steps
to mitigate the influence of a gap on your résumé. Here are some good
steps to take and a few things to avoid:
Participate in projects. Many professionals will fill their time during
unemployment with ad hoc jobs. Put those down on your résumé
as projects, and explain clearly what skills you employed and which skills
you further developed through work on those projects. That can
impress an employer or make the gap less obvious.
Engage in meaningful volunteer work. Volunteer work is also a
good way to use your time to contribute and also to possibly gain new
skills. You can volunteer to help lead or organize a conference that is
taking place in your career field. You can undertake pro bono work for
a meaningful institution. You can take a course—but make sure that it
is a thoughtful choice of a course, something that provides you with
concrete skills or knowledge. You can participate in projects with the
government. I know a candidate who took on a consulting project for
the government of a developing country and was able to write about
that excellently on his résumé. I was impressed! Another candidate
explained how she had used her organizational skills to run a conference
during a period of unemployment. Those activities can impress an
interviewer.
Present a Strong Explanation if You’ ve Been out of Work 91
Put the reasons for your unemployment in context. If you were
terminated or lost your job because of mass layoffs, make that clear in
your conversation with an interviewer (good people get laid off ). Even
better, references from your prior place of employment help mitigate
any concerns by demonstrating that your loss of employment was not
performance based. In the event that you did not get terminated but
you simply grew tired and wanted a break, make that clear. That is
fine—people sometimes work too hard and need time out. But in that
situation, it is important that you have strong references from your prior
employer and that you can draw on those references during the interview
process.
Avoid overt negativity. Be careful how you frame your comments
about your prior employer. When I meet a candidate who speaks negatively
about his or her current or former employer, I wonder if they
will do this to me and our firm. Such behavior calls people’s judgment
into question. Be diplomatic in what you say.
Using Time Off Creatively: An Insider’s View
Given the ups and downs of the current market, it is not unusual to find that
an excellent professional suffered a job loss and has been out of work for
months. In that situation, an interviewer will often still probe to make sure
nothing is amiss. How can you assure that potential employer that your
unemployment is not a big red flag? Here’s an answer from Rajat, a banker
who has helped with recruiting efforts at Smith Barney’s:
One response that would impress me in a job interview, if I were to
ask a candidate what he or she had done with their time away from the
workforce, would include an explanation about how he or she had tried
to establish their own business. That shows initiative; the candidate had
not remained idle. Another positive action could be taking the time off
to improve him- or herself in certain things by getting, for example,
business training. That again shows initiative. Finally, another interesting
choice could involve fulfilling a lifetime dream. This could take the
form of traveling around the world. I think such activities are healthy
92 Best Practices
because they help open one’s eyes and broaden one’s perspective. Candidates
should use periods of unemployment creatively.
How to Address Gaps in Your Work Record
After you have thought about creative ways to use your time off, you
must also consider how you will address gaps in your work record when
speaking to an interviewer. One useful tip: Don’t sound defensive during
the interview about your period of unemployment. It is best that
you present that period not as a setback, but as a wonderful opportunity
or pause in your career—a time you developed your skills or your
ideas more. This section describes ways to respond to questions about
periods of unemployment.
Specific Responses if You Were Laid Off
Keep several issues in mind when responding to questions about why
you were laid off. The greatest concern your potential new employer will
have is whether your termination reflected poor performance on your
part. If you were a lazy or irresponsible worker, your new employer will
be more hesitant to hire you. So, if you were not laid off because of performance
issues, you should make that clear. That is, if you were laid off
Present a Strong Explanation if You’ ve Been out of Work 93
HOW TO ADDRESS QUESTIONS ABOUT
YOUR TERMINATION IF YOU WERE DOWNSIZED
➤ Don’t be defensive!
➤ Emphasize the benefits of what you learned at your job
before you were laid off.
➤ Emphasize any good performance reviews you received.
➤ If possible, mention that you have taken the initiative during
your time off to deepen your skills through courses of
certifications or to conduct research into your longer-term
career goals.
for economic reasons—your company needed to downsize or streamline,
for instance, and your job was cut as a result—that information can
help ease the concerns of the interviewer. Therefore, if an interviewer
asks about if or why you were laid off, an early aim in your discussion
should be to convey that your termination was economically related, not
performance based. If you have strong references or a good performance
evaluation to share, you should let the interviewer know this.
If, however, you were laid off for performance-based reasons and the
interviewer is aware of this, you will have to clearly articulate any information
about extenuating circumstances to help address the interviewer’s
concern about whether you will perform well. For instance, if
your spouse was gravely ill and you missed many days of work to tend
to his or her needs, then explain this situation to the interviewer.
In both of these cases, how you present your circumstances are
important. Consider Bob, who was laid off when his company decided
that it needed to downsize and cut an entire department, given the
financial instability of the overall company. Bob secured an interview
and was asked by the interviewer, “I note that you have been out of the
workforce for five months. Were you laid off?” Bob answered “Yes,” in
a nondefensive, confident tone, then explained:
My company, as you might know, began to experience a tremendous
fall in revenues with the onset of the recent recession. Our executives
made the difficult decision to terminate all employees in my division
as part of a process of streamlining the company’s product offerings. It
was disappointing for all of us, but I used the opportunity to think about
where I wanted to go in my career and to tool up in some useful ways
by taking courses in finance at the local college. After a couple of
months, I began to research companies and positions, and that’s how I
discovered the great opportunity your firm is offering.
If Your Company Went Bankrupt
If you were a part of a small company that did not survive its early stages
of growth and development, or part of a more established company that
could not survive, the broad strategies for presenting your situation to
94 Best Practices
Present a Strong Explanation if You’ ve Been out of Work 95
an interviewer remain largely the same. But there are a few additional
pitfalls to watch out for. For instance, I find that many employees who
are coming from this situation tend to second-guess the decisions they
made about their former company’s strategies and financial decisions. If
the company was relatively small, and these former employees exercised
a strong voice in the company’s direction, they often berate themselves
before interviewers without recognizing it. To explain the downfall of
their former company, they say things such as, “I was a key part of the
company. Unfortunately, we did not formulate a coherent strategy, so
when we tried to implement it, the company failed,” or, “It was a small
company. We did not know how to market ourselves. We were a bunch
of novices who should have done more homework before launching our
business.”
Comments like these, while reflecting your true sentiment, will likely
prove very troublesome in the interview process. How poorly an interviewer
perceives such comments will depend on the situation. For
instance, suppose Jill is applying for a job that requires excellent marketing
skills. Obviously, if she says, “We did not know how to market
ourselves. We were a bunch of novices who should have done more
homework before launching our business,” this explanation of the
downfall of her prior company is likely to be extremely damaging. In
essence, she is saying, “I don’t know how to market at all, and my decisions
ended in disaster.” The comments will certainly have a devastating
effect on the interview outcome because Jill is applying for a job in
marketing.
It is much better to present any shortcoming in a more positive light,
emphasizing the challenges you faced and the decisions that went right.
Similarly, it is important to point out lessons you learned from the poor
outcomes. To many companies, your firsthand experience of what not
to do in a company can be as important as knowledge about what to do
in order to succeed. Here is an alternative answer that Jill could have
presented about why her company failed:
Our company was a very dynamic one, and I felt honored to be chosen
as one of ten employees of this start-up. So many things went right:
We developed a novel idea, we constructed an outstanding business plan,
and we brainstormed effectively as a team to determine how best to
implement our strategy. Everything was going relatively smoothly, but
then we hit the rough waters of the recession.
Funding everywhere seemed to dry up as investors became much
more cautious. We miscalculated how much money we would have
available for our marketing campaigns, and this proved to be a notable
mistake. Our otherwise sound marketing plan simply could not be
implemented successfully on 40 percent of the funds we had expected to
draw on. Without our planned marketing campaigns, our company did
not grow our client base adequately, and soon we could not meet our
financial obligations. It was a difficult and disappointing experience to
close down the company, but I have learned a great deal about putting
together a great business plan and developing contingency plans for
what to do if funding evaporates. Unfortunately, in my former company,
we did not have a contingency plan in place. But I have those
valuable experiences now to draw on in my next job.
Excellent! This presentation is much more attractive to the employer.
The information conveyed to the employer paints the candidate as a
successful professional who took the risk and initiative to participate
in a dynamic start-up. Even though the start-up failed, the candidate
maintains a positive attitude and relates that she has learned valuable
lessons she can draw on in the future. This turns her experience into a
positive and continues to paint her as a success in spite of this one business
shortcoming.
96 Best Practices
C H A P T E R
Demonstrate
Business Relevance
if You’re a
Nontraditional
Hire
97
8
In today’s business world, diversity is seen as an asset. Diversity does
not simply mean ethnic or cultural diversity, but also geographical
and professional diversity. This chapter focuses on the interviewing
candidate with a nontraditional or nonbusiness background—that is, a
candidate without a background in business, economics, finance, or
accounting. Recognizing the value of diverse experiences and how they
can lend themselves to innovation, interviewers today are often inter-
ested in not only traditional hires, but also in candidates who have
majored in public policy, engineering, medicine, computer science, and
other nonbusiness fields.
Often, when nontraditional candidates fail to secure mainstream
business jobs, it is not because they are nontraditional candidates, per
se. More often, the reason is that they did not know how to communi-
cate the value and relevance of their training, skills, and experiences to
the interviewer in a way the interviewer could understand and value.
When interviewing for a business position, you must in a minimal way
be able to speak in the language of business, conveying your experiences
and skills in a way that uses terms familiar to the business interviewer
and that emphasizes skills relevant to the business world.
For instance, I have worked with engineers who have decided to
embark on a business career, hoping to eventually blend their engi-
Copyright © 2004 by Shelly Leanne. Click here for terms of use.
neering expertise with business knowledge and run an engineering com-
pany of their own. They approach consulting companies to secure gen-
eral strategic management positions that will not draw directly on their
engineering expertise. When often interviewing, these engineers make
the mistake of minimizing the relevance of their experience. Moreover,
they often speak in terms that the interviewer has difficulty under-
standing and does not value. Consider Shawn, who served as an engi-
neer at a telecommunications company for four years before trying to
secure a job as a consultant at a top mainstream strategy consulting
company. The interviewer asked Shawn to explain how his responsibil-
ities in his current position as an engineering project manager were rel-
evant to the position he was seeking as a business consultant. Shawn
made a typical mistake and offered this reply:
Well, as a project manager, my role is to implement the information
technology projects requested by our clients. I match the specifications
of their systems to the products we offer, and I work with other engineers
to ensure that the projects can be implemented in timely fashion.
Sometimes, I find incompatibilities between the servers they use and
the Internet interfaces they need to develop. Similarly, if they need to
have remote access to computing services, the type of databases they use
can pose problems. In much of our work, I have also found it is better
to work using some of the older matrix configurations, rather than
using some of the more recent derivatives. My work has not involved
much business strategy work, which is why I am applying for this position
at your company. I am hoping to pick up the skills that will help
me to achieve my longer-term goal of running my own company.
Ding! Most likely, Shawn would have lost the job opportunity with
that answer. Many elements of this response are less than ideal. First,
Shawn launches into a discussion of the technical aspects of his job,
using references to interfaces and matrix configurations that the inter-
viewer might not understand. Most likely, the interviewer is thinking,
“What? I can’t understand a thing Shawn is saying.” The interviewer
would next think, “This candidate would not be able to converse easily
with a business client of ours.”
98 Best Practices
Demonstrate Business Relevance 99
Second, Shawn keeps referring to himself—“I match the specifica-
tions,” “I have found it is better to work using some of the older matrix
configurations,” and so forth. Yet his title is project manager, which
implies he is managing a project. Normally in projects, there are mul-
tiple team members. Shawn’s continual reference to himself is not nec-
essarily a hint that he does not work well in teams, but it clearly indicates
that he does not understand the importance of conveying that he knows
how to work in teams. In many companies today, teamwork is critical,
so Shawn should be emphasizing his team leadership, using we and terms
associated with teamwork and leadership.
Third, Shawn indicates that his skills are not relevant by stating, “My
work has not involved much business strategy work.” While companies
may hire you with no relevant experience, most companies would like
to hear you explain clearly the relevance of your experience. Let’s
explore how a nontraditional hire can convincingly portray the rele-
vance of his or her experience and skills.
Transferable Skills: Making a Nontraditional
Background Relevant
The concept of transferable skills is particularly important for nontra-
ditional job seekers who must demonstrate that their education and work
experience have given them skills that—though used in a totally dif-
ferent context before—can be used or adapted in the new environment
to enable the candidate to succeed in the workplace. To demonstrate
how a candidate with a nontraditional background often picks up
business-relevant experiences, consider these dimensions of work expe-
rience, which provide transferable skills you might employ whether you
are working in the health care industry or in a computer consulting
company:
Performing analysis
Performing math computations
Problem solving
Delivering presentations
Prioritizing tasks
Participating in high-performing teams
Leading teams
Setting goals
Communicating goals
Delegating tasks
Managing work flow
Setting clear deadlines
Coaching team members
Communicating effectively with superiors
Communicating effectively with peers
Communicating effectively with clients
Developing business plans
Securing buy-in for a project
Marketing a project
Implementing change
Phrasing Matters
This list suggests types of activities and skills that an interviewing can-
didate might have developed during jobs in fields as diverse as engi-
neering and public policy. To convey nonbusiness experience in relevant
terms, therefore, nontraditional candidates should draw on the language
of business to speak about their work, conveying in compelling terms
the business relevance of their experience. Considering this, Shawn
could have come up with a very different answer to the question of how
his responsibilities in his current computer company position are rele-
vant to the position he is seeking as a general business consultant who
will not have special responsibility for computer clients but will serve a
broader set of clients from a wide range of sectors. As he explained how
his responsibilities in his computer company position are relevant to the
available job, Shawn might have replied this way:
My role as a project manager at our computer company centers on leadership
and on effective team management. In my projects, I manage
teams of seven or eight talented individuals on complex projects designed
to help our clients offer better products and services. We are the point
100 Best Practices
Demonstrate Business Relevance 101
of contact between my company and our clients, so it is key that our
work goes well. We are responsible for keeping my company’s client base
strong and growing our business. Part of my role, of course, is technical—
I match our best IT products to our clients’ needs. I am able to
draw on my analytical skills to ensure a great match. But more importantly,
I harness the energy and talents of the team to come together
and brainstorm about these issues, and together we always emerge with
excellent alternatives for clients. I enjoy implementing our solutions.
I have succeeded in my position because I have mastered many of the
important team management skills that bring success—such as time
management, setting goals, and problem solving. I also know how to
work with clients and implement solutions. I bring all of these skills
with me to your company. I hope to further refine those skills while also
TIPS FOR NONTRADITIONAL CANDIDATES IN A
MAINSTREAM BUSINESS INTERVIEW
➤ Avoid speaking in highly technical terms if you are not
interviewing for a technical job.
➤ Communicate your skills in business-relevant terms, focusing
on transferable skills.
➤ Study key business sources to learn basic business principles.
➤ Demonstrate a clear willingness to learn in new environment,
and underscore adaptability.
➤ Appear versed in basic business etiquette such as how to
dress and whether to take notes.
➤ Take courses or seminars when possible to learn business
principles.
➤ Demonstrate a clear understanding of the industry and
position you are applying for.
➤ Articulate clear and compelling reasons for changing your
profession or direction.
➤ Become familiar with professionals who have made similar
career changes to the one you seek to make, and cite their
success as examples if appropriate.
➤ Emphasize how your uniqueness can add to the company.
learning and employing broader business principles through my new
position with your company.
Showing That Your Skills and Knowledge Are
Relevant: An Insider’s View
In today’s business world, companies value diversity and sometimes wish to
hire candidates whose educational or work backgrounds differ from the typical
candidate, as long as the interviewers are confident that such nontraditional
candidates can make the transition into their new field. If you have a
nontraditional background, what can help convince an interviewer that you
will be an asset and can make a transition to a new field or new business
career? Trained with a medical background, Hans transitioned to the business
world and has held a managerial position with a leading-edge health care
company. He has also served as director of several small companies. Many of
his colleagues have MBAs from schools such as MIT and Harvard, and others
come from nontraditional backgrounds. Hans shares his insights from his
success as a nontraditional candidate for business jobs and from his role helping
with recruiting efforts in his health care company:
I have learned from experience that there are several key steps to
interviewing like a top MBA if you are someone who is coming with a
nontraditional educational or work background and trying to make a
transition into a new field or new career in the business world. Below
are some winning steps that you can take:
• Speak lucidly about how the company will profit from your
knowledge, skills, and nontraditional experience. Will the
company gain a greater depth of knowledge in a key product area?
Will it be able to relate better to a new set of clientele with you as a
member of the team? Are your skills universal—team leadership,
interpersonal, or problem-solving skills, for instance? Be clear about
what your diverse background enables you to bring to the table that
can enhance the interviewing company.
102 Best Practices
• Use professional language. If you are a “techie” applying to a
business job, drop the tech talk. If you are a medical professional
applying to a mainstream job, speak in terms the layman will under-
stand. Don’t speak in such intricate terms or in such casual terms that
you will not be viewed as knowing what professional business lan-
guage sounds like. Use language that both sides in the interview can
understand.
• Use key words. Even beyond using professional language, adopt the
professional language used in the industry and company to which you
are applying. Understand the key buzzwords, but don’t overuse them.
• Speak in a clearly structured way. If you deliver clear messages,
that will be nothing but an asset in the interview.
• Show that you understand what the company is looking for.
To do this, you must articulate your understanding of the job and its
responsibilities and show how your skills, experience, and knowledge
are useful for the available job.
These simple steps are powerful and can help you interview like a
top MBA. These steps helped me transition from the medical world to
a business leadership role in a global health care company. Now, when
I conduct job interviews and I meet candidates with nontraditional back-
grounds who put these steps to use, I become confident through the
interview that the nontraditional candidate can make the transition into
the business world and be a huge contributor to our company.
Conveying Your Skills and Experience as
Transferable: An Insider’s View
Many professionals in today’s business world seek to move into new careers
or leverage their knowledge and skills within nontraditional business arenas.
While many employers recognize the value of diverse employment or educational
backgrounds, how can nontraditional candidates convey their backgrounds
in job interviews in ways that will assure an employer they can make
Demonstrate Business Relevance 103
a successful transition into a new career? Susan Himmelfarb, principal of
the Himmelfarb Group, an executive recruiting company specializing in
placements in the nonprofit and philanthropic sector, shares her expertise. A
graduate of Harvard University, Ms. Himmelfarb has helped many professionals
to interview like top MBAs, effectively presenting their nontraditional
skills and knowledge.
As someone who has specialized in professional placements in not-
for-profit organizations through my executive recruiting company, I
know that not-for-profit boards of directors and executives recognize
the value of hiring leaders with nontraditional backgrounds. In the non-
profit world, a “nontraditional” background is often considered to be
any background in the private rather than the not-for-profit sector. In
order to secure jobs in the not-for-profit world, private-sector profes-
sionals must show clearly how their experience can be drawn upon to
bring positive outcomes to not-for-profit organizations. Just as some-
one with an engineering background must communicate clearly how
their analytical and problem-solving skills have prepared them to be a
good consultant when applying for a mainstream business consulting
job, professionals moving from the private to the not-for-profit sector
must also interview skillfully to convince not-for-profit boards of direc-
tors and executives that they can put their private-sector skills to effec-
tive work in the not-for-profit world. In my examples of how to do this,
I will pinpoint not-for-profit examples in which private-sector individ-
uals are seeking to enter the nonprofit world. But, these principles can
be used by most professionals with nontraditional backgrounds who are
seeking to change careers. Beyond conducting excellent background
research on the not-for-profit to which they are applying (doing Inter-
net and literature searches, speaking to colleagues with similar jobs, and
so forth), there are specific tips that can help any candidate with a non-
traditional background interview for a job in a new industry or sector.
Consider carefully the differences between the two job sectors.
In the case of a private-sector professional making the transition to the
not-for-profit world, a job candidate must think very carefully about the
difference in the jobs they have held in the past and the new position
they are seeking. It is not enough to go into an interview with the atti-
104 Best Practices
tude that “I have excellent organizational and leadership skills from the
for-profit world, so I can help your not-for-profit to improve your per-
formance.” You must be thoughtful about the differences between the
private and not-for-profit sectors and be able to articulate what those
differences are. A potential employer will be reassured to hear you
acknowledge that there are differences and clearly state how you will
deal with those differences and your new environment.
Be able to articulate how your skills and experience translate.
As you approach the job interview, you must be able to show that you
have a firm understanding of the key responsibilities of the job you are
seeking, of the tasks that you must complete excellently in order to
uphold your responsibilities, and of the skills needed to complete the
tasks well. You can’t simply issue a blanket statement that you will be
able to handle the responsibilities of the job. You must be able to pin-
point for the interviewer the specific skills/tasks of the job and high-
light where you have previously demonstrated those skills and when you
have completed similar tasks. For example, if the not-for-profit job you
are seeking will require you to form a new division of the organization,
you should be able to cite instances in which you created a new team
and built management and organizational processes in your prior jobs,
and relate that to the responsibilities of the not-for-profit job you are
seeking. Similarly, if the not-for-profit you are applying to needs new
strategic direction, your job during the interview is to cite specific
examples about when you have demonstrated strategic leadership in
your past employment. The interviewers may not make those links
themselves, so you must do that for them.
Acknowledge the new skills you must develop. In most cases,
when a nontraditional candidate is seeking to move into a new career
area, there will be some skills required by the new job that the candi-
date may not have. It is best if you acknowledge those needed skills and
provide reasons why you are confident you will be able to quickly and
effectively develop those skills. Suggesting a plan for how you will do
so can also help alleviate a potential employer’s concerns about your
ability to make the transition.
Demonstrate Business Relevance 105
Take steps to fill the gaps, if possible. If you are making a transi-
tion to a new career, once you identify the skills you will need that you
do not already have, you should try to build those skills before the inter-
view if possible. For example, if you need good managerial skills but
have only a couple of years of managerial experience and feel you need
more for a potential new job, take a course in that area and be able to
speak about how this has complemented and supplemented your knowl-
edge. Of course, doing this requires planning ahead and assumes you
have months to devote to developing needed skills.
Use the language of the new organization or field. Don’t use lan-
guage specific to your current job or industry in an interview. Industry
or job-specific language is simply jargon to anyone outside of that world.
At best, it creates a distance between you and your interviewer. At
worst, you will just not be understood. Take the time to translate the
words and terms of your former field or sector into commonly under-
stood language or into the professional terminology of the industry or
job you are targeting.
There are several mistakes to avoid as well:
Don’t overestimate the ease of the new job. In my work in the not-
for-profit world, when I see private-sector candidates approach poten-
tial not-for-profit jobs, they sometimes make the mistake of conveying
the impression that, given their private-industry experience, any work in
the not-for-profit world will be easy. This can come across as arrogance.
It is self-defeating, and it also shows a lack of understanding of challenges
in the not-for-profit world. Acknowledge the challenges of the new job,
outline instances when you have faced similar challenges in your past
experience, and explain clearly to the interviewer how these relate.
Don’t assume that you don’t need to explain clearly your past
level of responsibilities. Another problem I see with candidates mak-
ing the transition between career types is sometimes they consider their
past experience so much more valuable than experience in the new field
that when going into the interview for their potential new job, they
106 Best Practices
make no effort to clearly explain the scope of managerial or leadership
roles. Be careful to explain what level of responsibility you have held in
the past and how that has prepared you for both your potential new job
and your potential new environment.
Avoid exaggerating. In an effort to make your experience more rel-
evant, don’t exaggerate the level of your former responsibilities. Learn
something about how the level of organizational responsibility and com-
plexity at which you’ve worked compares with that of the position
you’re seeking. It may seem to you that your previous work was at a
level of responsibility analogous to the level of the position you’re inter-
viewing for. But be sure to confirm that, to avoid appearing as if you
don’t understand and appreciate the differences, if they exist, and the
greater demands they might place on you if you were to be hired for
the position.
Avoid parroting information back. Because you are trying to make
a transition into a new career, you may have read up on the new orga-
nization or the new field. In the interview, avoid simply repeating infor-
mation you have read on the new organization’s website. Your comments
about the new field and organization you are trying to join should make
it clear that you have learned something about the organization. But
your comments should also show that you’ve taken the time to bring
some of your own thoughts and experiences to your thinking about the
position.
If you put these practices to use, you will make your task of transi-
tioning into a new career field much easier. One example of when I saw
a nontraditional candidate make a transition excellently occurred when
a very dynamic private-sector professional was seeking to move from
editing and reporting to philanthropy. On its face, you might think
there was little relation between her career and experience and making
decisions about which grants a foundation should make. This candidate,
however, in approaching my firm to be placed in this foundation job,
concisely summarized the skills that would be required—analysis,
research, exploring new ideas, deciding which new ideas had promise
and should be pursued, thinking strategically, and writing. She made
Demonstrate Business Relevance 107
the link between those skills and the ones she had acquired working in
the media. She made the links clearly and instantly in the first few min-
utes of our first conversation, pointing out that grant making was about
setting strategy, serving as a gatekeeper, and also going after promising
ideas. Within three sentences she made those connections in a way that
I knew an employer would understand. As I expected, she successfully
made the case to the prospective employer.
Another example of a successful transition occurred when a not-for-
profit organization needed a new executive director to bring effective
leadership, new visibility, and strategic direction to their organization.
A private-sector individual with senior-level banking experience was
selected for the position. During his interviews, this candidate described
exceedingly well the strategic leadership role he had played in his firm,
how he had brought new leadership to his company, and how his effec-
tive leadership had enabled him to successfully implement his strategy.
He articulated these points not only in his interviews but also in his
cover letter and résumé, using language that was appropriate for the
new field he was seeking to enter. He also had some volunteer not-for-
profit experience in his background that helped him understand and talk
intelligently about making this transition.
To interview like a top MBA as you try to transition from a nontra-
ditional background to a new career field, keep these tips in mind.
Social Science Majors Applying for a Business Job
Just as a computer specialist and an engineer are able to convey their
experience in business-relevant terms, an interviewing candidate from
a social science background such as public policy or political science also
can do so. Consider the example of Melanie, who majored in political
science and worked for two years in a government position focused on
health care policy. When asked to explain the relevance of her experi-
ence to a business consulting job, she might offer this reply:
I have greatly enjoyed political science and my government job, because
both enabled me to become immersed in new ideas and innovative
108 Best Practices
thinking, and both presented me with opportunities to challenge existing
policies with new ways of approaching long-standing problems. In
my job, for instance, I am able to draw on the wonderful analytical
skills I developed during my political science education, when I learned
how to disaggregate problems and focus on the key issues that were creating
a problem. A large part of my job involved completing relevant
research and prioritizing the issues, and making presentations to my
superiors in accessible language that laid forth the heart of the issues,
and focused on the key factors to be addressed in order to improve the
problem. I became a wonderful communicator, and I mastered the art
of using visual aids to facilitate understanding of issues at hand. I also
became excellent at persuading others through structured and clear
reasoning. Once my analysis and recommendations were considered
and accepted, my job was to develop an implementation plan, prioritize
the next steps, and lead a team to implement the new policies. All
of those skills and experiences will enable me to be a great consultant
for your company.
Demonstrate Business Relevance 109
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C H A P T E R
End Your
Interview
Excellently
111
9
Generally when an interview comes to a conclusion, the interviewer
often asks one of three questions: whether you have anything else
you’d like to discuss about your record, whether you have questions, or
what you will do if you do not secure the job. Your goal in the inter-
view is to secure a job offer, so you should approach each end-of-the-
interview question with that goal in mind. This chapter presents some
ideas about good ways to address each of these three questions.
End-of-Interview Chance to Discuss Your Record
Often, in bringing an interview to a conclusion, the interviewer asks
you whether there is anything else you’d like to discuss about your
record. Many of the ways you can approach this opportunity will enable
you to take advantage of this chance to end the interview with a last-
ing, positive impression. You should use this question as an opportunity
to emphasize your winning attributes, relevant skills, and record of suc-
cess. In doing this, consider the attributes and qualifications you out-
lined in Chapter 3 as the key ones desired in the ideal candidate for the
available job. Think of the attributes and qualifications you highlighted
as the ones you would like to focus on in the interview to demonstrate
a match. When given an opportunity at the end of an interview to dis-
cuss your record, focus your response on those winning attributes and
qualifications.
Copyright © 2004 by Shelly Leanne. Click here for terms of use.
Recap Your Winning Themes
You can take the opportunity to recap the themes you had hoped to
present during the interview. Since this is the close of the interview,
you should not elaborate for too long. Concisely recap a summary of
the skills and attributes you bring to the company and restate your deep
interest in the company. For instance, when Lindsay concluded her
interview with a strategic consulting firm, she responded with these
words:
I thank you again for meeting with me and discussing your firm with
me. As I mentioned, since college I have been working toward a position
like this. I have devoted a great deal of effort to developing a
strong skill set in marketing, business strategy, and finance through a
consulting firm that specializes in start-ups. Now is an ideal time for
me to move to a larger firm with a more diversified client base. With
my leadership successes, I believe I can help to grow your new division.
I hope to have the opportunity to join your firm.
This answer provides a brief recap of the candidate’s main theme:
that she has a strong skill set and leadership successes that can serve as
the basis for excellent outcomes in her new position. The positive atti-
tude and confidence of the candidate’s response, combined with a
restatement of the candidate’s themes, will leave a positive impression.
What to Ask the Interviewer
Instead of asking if you have anything to add, some interviewers close
an interview by asking you to pose questions to him or her. This is a
great opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge about the company
or industry, underscore your deep interest in the company, and further
demonstrate that your qualifications and attributes are a good fit for the
available job.
While the chance to ask questions at the end of an interview is a
wonderful opportunity, err on the side of caution. In your initial inter-
112 Best Practices
End Your Interview Excellently 113
views with a company, your goal is to land an offer, so you do not want
to ask risky or highly sensitive questions at this time. Pointed questions
aimed at probing to see if there is a misfit between you and the com-
pany are generally best saved for later, after you have secured an offer
and are trying to determine whether you should accept it.
Questions to Avoid
In general, when thinking about which questions to ask, it is useful to
know which ones you should avoid:
1. Avoid questions that paint you in a bad light, such as deep concerns
about salary levels. Questions such as “I hear your professionals get
little sleep—is that rumor true?” or “I wanted to make sure your
compensation matches what I am currently making. What salary are
you proposing?” can cause a negative reaction from an interviewer.
The former question might make you seem as if you have an aver-
sion to hard work or as if you will not fit into a prevailing work cul-
ture, and the latter may make you appear too focused on money.
Questions of this nature are best rephrased more softly and asked
after the job has been offered to you.
2. Avoid questions that demonstrate a lack of fit between the company
and you. For instance if the corporate work in your interviewing
company is completed primarily in teams, avoid saying, “I prefer to
work individually, so I would like to know if the majority of work
here is done in teams.” If you know that work is done mostly indi-
vidually, then this question may not be so horrible. However, if the
corporate work is completed mostly in teams, you have just demon-
strated a misfit between you and the company. On this basis alone,
you might have jeopardized your chance of securing a job offer.
3. Avoid asking questions that are personal, such as, “I am concerned
about what happens in three years if I want to have children, because
I was recently married. Do you have children, and how have you
worked this in with your work life here?” This question is one you
might ask after you have secured a job offer or if you are in the midst
of a callback interview and are trying to determine whether you
really want this job. In a first or early-stage interview, an interviewer
may consider this too personal and may form a negative impression
of you as a result.
4. Avoid asking questions that are controversial. Try to stay away from
sensitive issues when you are trying to secure a job offer.
5. Avoid asking questions that indicate you have not done your home-
work about the job, company, or industry. For example, if you ask,
“What does your consulting company focus on?” the interviewer
will think that you could have found an answer by reading the com-
pany website or annual report. Your aim is to sound informed, pre-
pared, and interested in the job. Try to avoid sounding as if you have
put little effort into exploring the job responsibilities, company, or
industry before coming to the interview.
What Not to Do if Offered a Chance to Ask
Questions: An Insider’s View
Celeste Garcia, formerly of PricewaterhouseCoopers and currently managing
director of consulting services for Ivy Planning Group, LLC, offers advice
about what not to say if the interviewer invites you to ask questions:
Don’t ask about benefits early on before you get an offer. That would
make me, the interviewer, nervous and suggest that you are more focused
on your needs than your possible contribution to the organization.
Equally important, the skilled interviewee never chooses not to ask
a question at all. In order to interview like a top MBA, you should always
have questions to ask. This demonstrates that you are interested in what
the interviewer has to say, as well as very interested in the job. Even
when you have posed all of your chosen questions to other interview-
ers in my company, I would not know that, so ask me the same ones!
You might get a different answer.
Questions to Ask
Now that you know what to avoid, let’s explore best practices of how to
use end-of-the-interview questions well. If the interviewer asks you to
114 Best Practices
pose questions, stay with simple questions that have fairly predictable
answers. As much as possible, ask questions that help demonstrate a fit
between you and the company. Also ask knowledgeable questions to
demonstrate you have done your homework about the job, company, or
industry. Here is an example:
I was interested to learn when reading through current business articles
that, given your corporate culture that encourages innovation, your
company has doubled its client base and is seeking to grow its Houston
base in the area of gas and energy consulting. What have you most
enjoyed about the work in this area?
Through this question, the candidate conveys to the interviewer that he
is familiar with the direction the company is taking. The question also
asks the interviewer to comment about his or her own experience at the
company, which will likely create a positive reaction.
In posing questions to the interviewer, avoid sounding as if you do
not know the basics about the company or industry, or as if you have
not completed your homework about the job offered. Here are some
sample questions that you might want to consider when thinking about
what to ask your interviewer at the end of an interview:
• What have you most enjoyed about working for this company?
• How is your company seeking to grow?
• How is this division seeking to grow?
• How would you describe your firm’s culture?
• What are the most important divisional goals at this time?
• What are the most important corporate goals at this time?
• What makes this company particularly good at what it does?
• How does the work of this department fit with the overall goals of
the company?
• What do you foresee as the biggest changes to your service or
product lines in the future?
• Who do the leaders of this department report to?
• What have you most enjoyed about this atmosphere?
• Where does the company see itself in five years?
End Your Interview Excellently 115
Demonstrating Knowledge While Asking Questions
If you would really like to impress the interviewer, you might consider
introducing a question from this list with a brief sentence or two to
demonstrate your knowledge of the job, company, or industry. For
instance, rather than simply asking, “How is your company seeking to
grow?” you might choose to ask the question this way:
Having read a great deal about this industry and the growth of the
health care sector within it, I was interested to learn that recently your
company has expanded mostly through its health care consulting work
and its restructuring consulting work. Looking forward, how else is
your company seeking to grow?
What I Like to Hear at the End of the Interview:
An Insider’s View
Wilson Shelbon, a former manager at Procter & Gamble gives end-of-theinterview
advice:
When interviewing candidates from top schools, certain end-of-the-
interview behavior makes me think of some candidates as good inter-
viewees. For instance, when given a chance to ask questions, the
candidate should ask more questions concerning the scope and pros-
pects of the position. That shows enthusiasm. But be sure to structure
your questions in ways that clarify you have a solid understanding of the
scope and prospects to begin with. That way, you will show both enthu-
siasm and competence.
Explaining What You’ll Do if Not
Offered the Position
A third common variation for how interviewers close an interview
involves questions about your future plans. Interviewers have different
ways of asking what you will do if you are not offered the position for
116 Best Practices
which you are interviewing. The interviewer might not ask you that
precise question but might catch you off guard by asking where else you
are interviewing. If an interviewer asks this directly, be straightforward
about where else you are scheduled to interview or where you have
recently interviewed. Integrity is very important in the business world,
so you do not want to do anything that would call your integrity into
question, such as not telling the truth about where you are interview-
ing. Recruiters at companies in the same industry often know each
other, so you do not want to seem less than forthcoming and have your
interviewer discover later that you omitted information or fudged your
answers.
Consider Cindy, who applied for employment as a dental assistant
for a large office. If asked where else she is interviewing, she could
answer as follows:
I have applied at the top three dental practices in this area. However,
your company is my top choice. As I mentioned, I have been looking for
a company that is known for focusing on providing affordable dental
care with excellent health care staff. The way your practice is structured
and your specialization, in combination with the corporate culture
of your company, makes your dental practice very appealing to me.
This response does a good job of answering the question in a straight-
forward manner but also underscores why this particular company is a
good fit for the candidate.
Another version of this query is more straightforward. The inter-
viewer might state, “Well, you are an interesting candidate, but we are
not certain about hiring you at this time. What will you do if you are
not offered a position here?” In many ways, you can interpret this ques-
tion as “where else are you interviewing?” Explain that you have or are
currently exploring alternatives, but underscore that their job is ideal
for you. Cindy might choose to respond in this way:
I would be disappointed if I did not secure this job, of course, because I
sense such a fit between my qualifications and goals and the culture of
your dental practice. However, I am not one to give up quickly. If I do
End Your Interview Excellently 117
not secure this job, I will think about how to strengthen my candidacy
and take steps toward doing so. At the same time, I will consider other
opportunities in this general career field, because I am certain that
becoming a dental assistant is what I wish to do.
This response is upbeat and underscores the fact that Cindy intends to
work in this area and will not give up on her goals prematurely. This
response also indicates that Cindy seeks to continually strengthen her
skills and is forward-looking—attributes that the interviewer will likely
find appealing.
Now that you understand how to respond to three common ways in
which interviews come to a close, Chapter 10 will explore other ways
to ensure you reinforce a positive, lasting impression.
118 Best Practices
C H A P T E R
Follow Up,
Reinforcing a
Positive, Lasting
Impression
119
10
It is important that you end your interview well, reinforcing a positive,
lasting impression. Chapter 9 elaborated on ways to do that. But
many candidates who interview for jobs are uncertain how to follow up
an interview. If they wish to write a letter of appreciation, they are often
uncertain to whom to write, when to write, and what to write. For
instance, if there are two rounds of interviews, it is sometimes unclear
whether writing follow-up or thank-you letters after the first round of
interviews will appear too aggressive or even manipulative. This chapter
discusses some best practices for following up an interview.
What to Do After the Interview: An Insider’s View
Byron, former consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton and McKinsey & Company,
offers this advice about following up:
After the interview, remind the interviewer who you are by writing
a brief note—even if it is just a brief e-mail—that makes reference to
some of the things you spoke about with the interviewer. Express your
appreciation for their time, and mention that you greatly enjoyed getting
to meet them. I have received many responses from interviewers
letting me know they really appreciated it when I sent them notes after
the interview. It adds a nice touch.
Copyright © 2004 by Shelly Leanne. Click here for terms of use.
How to Follow Up if Another Interview
Might Follow
When you have interviewed for a job, regardless of whether further
interviewing might take place, it is a good idea to send a follow-up
letter within forty-eight hours after your initial interview, if possible.
Follow-up letters are excellent for multiple reasons. First, they enable
you to keep your image and candidacy in the interviewer’s mind. A
letter also personalizes the interaction you had with the interviewer and
can make the interviewer feel appreciated. If the interviewer feels good
about the interaction with you, you are more likely to have a positive
outcome. In addition, writing a follow-up letter is an excellent sign of
professionalism and courtesy, which will reflect positively on your sense
of business etiquette.
When writing this follow-up letter, you should address the letter to
the main person who interviewed you. For instance, if you interviewed
with eight professionals in a firm on one day, write to the main interviewer
or the human resources manager who was your point of contact
for the interviews. It is usually not advisable to write to each individual
you interviewed with; that can be misinterpreted as too pushy or too
aggressive. Rather, your letter might simply request that the main interviewer
pass on your sentiment to all other people who interviewed you.
The best content in an instance when the interviewing process may
not yet be complete is content that focuses on accomplishing four tasks:
It should express your appreciation for the opportunity to meet with
representatives of the company. It should express your deep interest in
the job. It should emphasize how your positive impression of the company
was reinforced through your discussions with the talented representatives/
professionals with whom you met. And it should speak
enthusiastically about the possibility of joining the company. The following
letter accomplishes those tasks:
Dear Ms. Flores:
I wanted to thank you for taking the time to meet with me yesterday
about the job you are offering in the Marketing Department. It was a
120 Best Practices
Follow Up, Reinforcing a Positive, Lasting Impression 121
pleasure to have the opportunity to introduce myself and to meet the
many talented professionals of your company. Having completed
detailed research about your company, its culture, and its plans, I
entered the interviewing process very excited to meet key personnel and
discuss the possibility of joining your team. The highly positive image
I had of your company was only deepened and reinforced by the dynamic
team members I met throughout the day yesterday. I find the ideas you
are pushing forward and the goals of the Marketing Department to be
very impressive, and I believe that with my leadership skills and record
of marketing success, I can be a very valuable addition to the team. My
interest in the position remains strong, and I hope to be able to add my
creativity and demonstrated leadership abilities to your marketing
efforts.
Thank you so much for your time.
With much appreciation,
James Cohen
How to Follow Up if the Company Gives You
an Offer
If the company has already offered you a job, after you decide whether
to join the company, you should write a letter to each person who interviewed
you. If you have chosen to accept the position, writing a letter
soon thereafter lays the groundwork for positive interactions after you
join the firm. If you have chosen not to join the firm, the letter still creates
a foundation for positive interactions, because the recipients will
appreciate that you took the time to express your appreciation for meeting
with them. If you ever seek to join the firm at a later date, you will
have helped solidify a lasting, positive impression.
For instance, if you decide to accept the offer, you might write a note
informing each person who interviewed you and thanking each of them
for taking the time to do so. Try to personalize each letter. Refer to
your notes for bits of information you might want to refer to, and in
addition to more job-centered topics, refer to more jovial topics that
you might have spoken about. For instance, after accepting an offer following
her interview, Kendra wrote the following letter to a vice president
who had interviewed her:
Dear Ms. Mendez:
Thank you so much for meeting with me last week to discuss the managerial
position that is available in the business division of your company.
I greatly enjoyed speaking to you at length and hearing about
your experiences in the firm. I particularly appreciated your candor as
you spoke about the key differences between your firm and its main
rivals. I have decided to accept the offer that your company has extended
to me, and I will be joining the team in two months. I am very excited
about this opportunity and this wonderful transition in my career. I
will look forward to many interactions with you in the coming months.
With my best wishes,
Kendra Reynolds
How to Follow Up if the Company Chooses
Not to Hire You
In the unfortunate instance when the company decides not to make you
an offer, consider writing a letter to the main person who interviewed
you. Writing a letter soon after you receive the decision lays the
groundwork for future positive interactions if you ever interview with
the firm again. It will help you leave a positive impression. Even if you
never join the firm, professionals within the same industry often
encounter each other, and your letter may help lay the groundwork for
future collaboration or friendly relations that might serve an important
business purpose in the future.
Following a rejection for a job, Bob Johnson chose to write this polite
letter to the main interviewer:
122 Best Practices
Dear Ms. Eckstein:
I recently received your letter informing me that I was not selected for
the position as assistant manager of your health care division. Nonetheless,
I wanted to sincerely thank you and the rest of the health care
senior staff with whom I met, for taking the time to let me introduce
myself and to learn more about your company. I was very impressed by
your company and your dynamic staff, and I remain very interested
in your company. If the opportunity ever arises for me to join your
team, please be in touch.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I hope our paths will cross
in future business dealings.
Sincerely,
Bob Johnson
Generally you will write only one letter to the main interviewer. But
if you happened to strike up a particularly strong rapport with any other
interviewer, you might consider also sending a brief note to that person.
But use caution. People often feel uncomfortable if they feel they have
rejected you, so if you write a letter to anyone aside from the main interviewer,
keep the letter brief and upbeat. Refer to your notes for bits of
information you might want to mention in order to personalize the letter,
weaving in references to lighter or more jovial topics that you might
have spoken about with that interviewer. Following that same rejection
for a job, Bob Johnson wrote the following note to another interviewer
with whom he had struck up a particularly vibrant conversation:
Dear Mr. Mason,
I received news two days ago that I was not chosen for the position as
assistant manager of your health care division. I was disappointed that
I will not have the opportunity to join your team. But I wanted to
express my deep gratitude that you took the time to speak with me about
your company, career opportunities, and the future of the health care
Follow Up, Reinforcing a Positive, Lasting Impression 123
industry. In the future also, I will try to remember to avoid the orange
bicycles on the pathway that you warned me about near our home!
Thank you for your time and consideration. I hope our paths will cross
in future business dealings.
Sincerely,
Bob Johnson
Conclusion
Chapters 1 through 10 have introduced you to best practices that can
help you deliver an outstanding interview. These principles outline ways
to avoid the “top ten interview mistakes” mentioned in Chapter 1. Keep
these best practices in mind during every job interview. Here’s a quick
recap:
Top Ten Interview Dos
1. Create a great first impression.
2. Do your homework about the company, industry, job offered,
and interviewer.
3. Use your résumé as an effective interviewing tool.
4. Demonstrate a fit through your responses to key questions.
5. Shape the interview.
6. Address concerns about clear weaknesses effectively.
7. Explain any periods of unemployment well.
8. Demonstrate the business relevance of your experience and
education (if you are a nontraditional candidate).
9. End your interview excellently with wonderful closing
comments or well-considered questions.
10. Follow up your interview so as to reinforce a lasting, positive
impression.
Above all, practice your delivery. Practice can make your delivery
much smoother, so rehearse. To aid your effort, in Part II we provide
100 questions and sample answers to help you think about your own
responses to common interview questions.
124 Best Practices
P A R T I I
100 Tough
Questions
and How to
Answer Them
Copyright © 2004 by Shelly Leanne. Click here for terms of use.
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General Résumé
Questions
127
1. Take me through your résumé, starting with your first fulltime
job. (Or, “Describe your career progression to date.”)
What They Are Looking For: This question gives you an opportunity
to convey your key skills, responsibilities, and achievements. You
should use this question strategically, carving your answer in a way that
emphasizes the skills the employer will most value. Use your time
strategically. Do not dwell long on parts of your work career that had
fewer significant responsibilities or major accomplishments. Spend more
time on the aspects of your work experience that highlight your key
characteristics such as leadership, team management, and excellent analytical
skills. As you proceed with a summary of your work experience,
emphasize an expanding set of responsibilities, any promotions you
received, and your deepening skill set.
Sample Answer: “After I majored in computer science, I sought a job
that would enable me to use the analytical skills I had developed. I
landed a wonderful position at a Fortune 500 company, and in my first
job as an analyst, I learned to combine my computing expertise with
strategy principles. I excelled and was then promoted to associate, where
my responsibilities expanded to include aspects of project management.
Copyright © 2004 by Shelly Leanne. Click here for terms of use.
In my current position as an associate, I have also developed financial
analysis skills.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer is good because it presents a progression
of skills and implies the job candidate has continually excelled
in his or her job.
What to Avoid: Avoid speaking only about the tasks you completed,
rather than the skills you garnered. A good answer often blends information
about both skills and tasks.
2. Describe the job you had before your present one.
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is interested in hearing
whether you can present a concise, structured answer while also
transmitting valued information about your skills and capabilities.
Because the interviewer is asking you about the job before your current
one, you have the opportunity to talk about the activities and achievements
that enabled you to move on to your current, and hopefully more
advanced, job.
Sample Answer: “In my prior job, my work included three main areas
of responsibility. First, I was in charge of managing a team of five junior
team members in completing a significant project for one of my company’s
core clients. This included setting goals for the team and assigning
the specific roles and tasks of each team member. I also had to
manage their work to ensure we were making headway toward our
goals. Second, I was responsible for managing the company’s relationship
with that core client. This meant nurturing the relationship with
them by meeting with representatives and ensuring that our work was
addressing their needs. Finally, I served as a liaison between the team
and my superiors, so that my superiors understood how things were
progressing and could continue to keep an eye on how they hoped our
relationship with this client would develop.”
128 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
Analysis of Answer: This answer was structured, concise, and to the
point, and it presents a clear range of responsibilities.
What to Avoid: Avoid speaking only about the tasks you completed,
rather than the skills you garnered. A good answer often blends information
about both skills and tasks.
3. Tell me about what level of responsibility you have in your
current job.
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is interested in hearing
whether you can present a concise, structured answer while also
conveying valued information about your skills and capabilities. Your
answer to this question is particularly important because, as you answer
about your responsibilities and your roles in your current job, you will
also be conveying to the interviewer information about whether your
experience range and skills make you qualified to handle the responsibilities
of the job the company is trying to fill. Take advantage of this
opportunity to speak clearly about your achievements and skills and
about how your successes have encouraged your superiors to entrust
you with increasing levels of responsibility. Also take the time to mention
any instances where you made unique or innovative contributions
to your work environment. Initiative and leadership are highly valued.
Sample Answer: “I feel honored to be in my current position because
I was promoted after only five months in my prior job, given my strong
performance. In my current role, I have an expanded set of responsibilities,
which include not only managing my team on critical projects
that help bring in about 20 percent of the firm’s revenue, but also helping
to maintain strong client relations. This latter responsibility
includes meeting with our clients’ representatives and keeping an effective
dialogue there. I must also be creative about organizing gettogethers
between our clients’ and our company’s representatives.
Another key area that has been added to my responsibilities is to help
General Résumé Questions 129
grow our client base, which means marketing our services to potential
new clients.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer is structured and presents a clear
range of responsibilities. The job candidate does a good job of weaving
in extra information about helping to bring in 20 percent of the company’s
revenues and about receiving a quick promotion. This is a good
use of the opportunity presented by the question.
What to Avoid: Avoid sounding as if your level of responsibility has
not prepared you for the job for which you are interviewing.
4. Describe the role you played on your most recent project.
What They Are Looking For: As with Question 3, the interviewer
is interested in hearing a structured, compelling answer that relays the
responsibilities and skills you employ in your current job. Your answer
to this question is particularly important because you will be conveying
to the interviewer information about whether you have the skills and
experience needed to excel in the position the company is trying to fill.
Touch on the most important aspects of your role that are relevant to
the job you are interviewing for. For more advanced positions, the sorts
of responsibilities you might speak about include teamwork, team leadership,
client management, business strategy, and business development.
Sample Answer: “I served as a key team member on a team of fifteen,
which was assigned responsibility for implementing a new IT system
for a small business with great growth potential. My company was seeking
to make inroads in the small-business market, so our success here
was key. I helped to set the goals for the team—both long-term and
short-term goals. I took on the task of designing the specifics of the IT
system and matching it to the client’s current technology programs. I
played a part in meeting with the client’s executives to ensure my program
design would work well for them. I also guided client representatives
through key discussion points in meetings. Because I delivered
130 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
excellent work on time and helped other team members when they
experienced difficulties, the project was a success.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer is creative. Even though the candidate
held a position only as a team member and not as a team leader,
the candidate projected an image that made it clear that she served as
an integral part of the team and that her work was important to the
team’s success.
What to Avoid: Even if you did not hold a leadership position, don’t
downplay the importance of your work. If you were an active part of a
team, then you were an active part of the team’s success also, so be sure
to present your work that way.
5. How did you like your last job?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is giving you a
chance to shape the discussion but still wants you to convey information
that demonstrates you are a good choice for the job. This question
can be considered open-ended, so you have considerable scope to steer
your answer in many different directions. Take advantage. The interviewer
is leaving the field wide open for a response. A response that
blends references to your winning attributes with descriptions of
impressive responsibilities and roles you had in your last job is likely to
produce a good answer to this question.
Sample Answer: “There were so many aspects of my last job that
were enjoyable. I am someone who loves a challenge, loves working in
a team, and loves to solve complex problems. My last job gave me all
three elements. Most of our work was built around teams. We had to
work on marketing issues that were complex given the downturn in the
economy and the dip in consumer spending. We had to design ways to
entice reluctant buyers to purchase our goods. I enjoyed the challenge
of coming up with creative ideas. My role involved harnessing the ideas
of my team members and molding them into a coherent, winning com-
General Résumé Questions 131
bination. I hope to find these sorts of characteristics in my new work,
but I am also looking to expand my role in a new position with more
leadership responsibilities.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer is positive, which is great. The job
candidate comes across as someone with a desirable work attitude who
would make a good colleague. The candidate uses this question as an
opportunity to display qualities that are attractive to most job interviewers,
as well as to define how he hopes to develop his skills in future
work.
What to Avoid: Try to avoid sounding overly negative about your
prior job if you disliked many elements about it. Start off mentioning
the positives, even if you must eventually elaborate on the negative
aspects of your prior job.
6. What did you like least about your last job?
What They Are Looking For: This can be considered an openended
question, but the interviewer is still seeking information from
you that will help to convince him or her that you are the right person
for the advertised job. Take advantage of the open-ended nature of the
question. The interviewer has left the field wide open for you to paint
a picture of yourself with references to your winning attributes. But be
careful. Because the interviewer is asking you to speak negatively about
your last job, you should make sure not to be too negative about the job.
You do not want to come across as whining. Rather, adopt an even tone,
make note of the shortcomings of the job, and speak in positive terms
about what you are now seeking in a job. That is, make it clear you are
seeking the new job for positive reasons, not simply fleeing from a job
you dislike.
Sample Answer: “What I liked the least about my last job was the
resistance my team sometimes encountered from our company’s executives
to novel ideas. This has to be considered alongside the fact that
132 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
there were so many aspects of my last job that I enjoyed. I love a challenge,
working in a team, and solving complex problems. My last job
gave me all of these elements. We had to work in teams on human
resource issues that were complex given the downturn in the economy
and the dip in our company’s revenues. We did not want to fire employees,
but to make ends meet, we had to adjust incomes and benefits so as
to weather the difficult economy. I enjoyed the challenge of coming up
with creative ideas. It was hard, though, to sell those ideas at times to
a couple of upper-management members who held firm to old ideas
about human resource management. After several presentations, however,
we eventually persuaded them to accept many elements of our new
ideas, which enabled us to implement some successful programs.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer responds to the question, highlighting
a negative aspect of the job briefly. But the response then
quickly injects a positive tone. The job candidate comes across as someone
with a positive and desirable work attitude who would make a good
colleague. The candidate uses this question as an opportunity to illustrate
qualities that are attractive to most job interviewers, as well as to
define how she hopes to develop her skills in the future. The positive
aspects of the response pave the way for the respondent to speak about
the negatives without sounding sour or whining.
What to Avoid: Try to avoid sounding as if you are sour, whining, or
prone to complaining a great deal.
7. Compare and contrast your experience at your last two jobs.
What They Are Looking For: This sort of question is very specific
and challenging, as it asks you to quickly summarize two jobs and use
clear analytical skills and language to draw comparisons and contrasts
between the two positions. Most interviewers who ask this question are
seeking to assess the strength of your analytical skills—how quickly you
can draw out the similarities and differences of two situations. Ideally,
if you followed the advice in Chapter 3, you will have made notes about
General Résumé Questions 133
each of the jobs listed on your résumé, and you will already have in the
forefront of your mind the key responsibilities, achievements, and skills
associated with each job. If this is the case, you will be able to more easily
respond to this question.
Sample Answer: “In my job as a paralegal, my responsibilities included
support for the top lawyers of our firm. I was responsible for completing
key research, helping to define legal precedents, and reviewing some
legal documents for consistency. What I lacked in this particular job was
hands-on work with clients. I sought that in my next position, as I
wanted to refine the ‘people skills’ that I believe are key to my future
professional success. When I received an opportunity to be a legislative
manager with a congressman, therefore, this represented an ideal
chance. My role there included key research and definition of policy
stances, but it also involved a great deal of interaction in public settings,
during which I explained policy positions to citizens. While my position
as a legislative manager required that I spend less time with the
process of researching precedents and comparing legislation, I greatly
enjoyed the expansion of my role in the area of education and communication
with citizens.”
Analysis of Answer: The answer does a good job of projecting the
candidate as someone who is purposefully amassing a strong skill set
and moving toward a longer-term goal.
What to Avoid: Avoid appearing as if you do not know how to quickly
summarize the key responsibilities of each job you have held or the skills
you employed in each job. If possible, also avoid appearing as if your jobs
are randomly chosen and not directed toward some broader purpose.
8. Tell me about your management experience.
What They Are Looking For: Given the general nature of this
question, this question falls into the category of open-ended questions.
The interviewer has given you a tremendous opportunity to choose
134 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
which of your management experiences you will focus on the most. As
always, the interviewer wants you to relay relevant information that
demonstrates your fit for the advertised job. You should use this chance
to focus immediately on the winning accomplishments and responsibilities
you outlined after completing the exercises of Chapter 3. You
should provide a response that refers to your winning attributes, the
number of promotions you have received, and any award you might have
won for high performance. You also have the latitude to spend the most
time on the aspects of your managerial experience that will be most valued
by the employer interviewing you.
Sample Answer: “I was promoted to the position of manager after
three successful years as assistant manager. In my role as manager, I
oversee ten direct reports, who form three teams in our core group. My
responsibilities include helping to set direction for my subordinates,
reviewing their work, and providing feedback. I particularly enjoy this
work because I have a good opportunity to mentor my professional staff
and to help develop in them the attributes that make for successful managers,
such as goal setting, communication skills, and coaching abilities.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer could have been longer, but for a
brief response, it achieves the important objective of transmitting information
about relevant skills. This candidate clearly communicates the
skills he or she employs as a manager, and these skills will be seen as
transferable and relevant to any managerial position.
What to Avoid: Avoid elaborating on skills or experiences that have
little or no relevance to the job for which you are interviewing.
9. Tell me about your client management experiences.
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is looking for you
to elaborate on relevant experiences, not just on any experiences. Like
Question 8, this question is relatively general and falls into the category
of open-ended questions. That is, the interviewer has given you
General Résumé Questions 135
a tremendous opportunity to choose which of your client management
experiences to focus on the most. You should try to mention a good
range of skills, if appropriate, such as your experience in meeting with
clients in small-group sessions or one to one, making presentations
to clients, receiving feedback from clients, or managing client work
in a timely fashion. Select the elements you stress based in part on
the responsibilities you are likely to have in the job for which you are
interviewing.
Sample Answer: “When I was promoted to the position of manager,
one of the things I most looked forward to was the increase in direct
client contact. Now I have responsibility not only to manage our clients
and strengthen our client relationships, but also to help our company
to secure new clients. I have successfully helped to increase our client
base by 20 percent, in part through referral clients. But equally importantly,
I have helped to improve client relations, which has led to more
business per client. I have done this by meeting more frequently with
our clients to ensure our products are meeting their needs and by
responding to feedback from clients. All of these skills and experiences
are ones I hope to draw on as I work with your company.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer achieved the important objective
of transmitting information about skills and experiences that are relevant
to the advertised job. This candidate clearly communicates the
skills she employed in managing client relationships, and these skills will
be seen as transferable.
What to Avoid: Avoid speaking at length about skills or experiences
that have no relevance to the job for which you are interviewing.
136 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
Questions About
Career Goals
137
10. What are your short-term goals?
What They Are Looking For: In this question, the interviewer is
seeking to see if your goals match the opportunities presented in the
job for which you are interviewing. Tailor your answer in a way that
answers yes to that query.
Sample Answer: “In the short term, I hope to help manage a large
project that is aiming to expand social services into underserved educational
institutions. In college, I was fortunate to take a number of
courses about the history of such programs and about contemporary
trends in that area. It is a meaningful area, and I believe that with the
organizational skills I have developed through my internships, along
with my education, I will bring many skills and creative ideas to a project
like that. When I heard about the project your organization has
begun, it sounded like a wonderful fit with my interests and skills.”
Analysis of Answer: The candidate conveys a short-term goal that is
compatible with the organization’s interests. The candidate also explains
how his education and work experience are relevant to the job.
What to Avoid: Avoid presenting a short-term goal that is not compatible
with the needs or interests of the company with which you are
interviewing.
Copyright © 2004 by Shelly Leanne. Click here for terms of use.
11. What are your long-term goals?
What They Are Looking For: In this question, the interviewer is
seeking to assess whether your goals match the opportunities presented
in the available job and the company or organization offering that job.
You should know the company and the position well enough to understand
whether the interviewer might be bothered if you imply you do
not intend to stay at the organization for the long term.
Sample Answer: “My long-term goal is to serve as the head of a retail
store in a major Fortune 500 retail company. This is why I am highly
interested in working for your company. Over the past few years, I have
been preparing for this goal by studying marketing and management in
college. I learned a great deal about how to lead marketing campaigns
and how to manage a small store. I wanted to translate this knowledge
in the real world, so I took a job in a small retail chain for two years. I
received a broader range of responsibilities than I would have received
in a larger chain, and it was a very valuable experience. I am now ready
to move into a national chain, where I hope to draw on both my academic
and professional experiences.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer projects a solid long-term goal that
is compatible with the available job. It also takes the opportunity to
describe the educational and professional experience the job candidate
has garnered in order to prepare for the new position.
What to Avoid: Avoid seeming as if your long-term goals are unrelated
to or incompatible with the job you are seeking.
12. Where do you see yourself in five years?
What They Are Looking For: In this question, the interviewer is
seeking to assess whether your goals match the opportunities presented
by the job opening, and whether your ambitions are attractive to the
organization. To answer this question well, consider emphasizing your
goal-oriented perspective and your desire to continue to stretch your
skills and make valued contributions to the company you seek to join.
138 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
Sample Answer: “In five years I hope to be serving as a manager of
one of the restaurants in this chain. I would enjoy the challenge of
building a strong branch and adapting marketing practices to the local
environment, so that my branch would become a high-revenue-earning
one. My education has helped me prepare for that by introducing me
to broad principles of economics. And the fact that I have worked for a
competitor chain gives me a good alternative perspective that I can draw
on when working for your company. Because I have already served as a
junior assistant manager and have experience building a successful staff
and contributing to key marketing campaigns, I will bring good experience
to the position of assistant manager that you are offering.”
Analysis of Answer: The candidate conveys a medium-term goal that
is compatible with the company’s interests. The candidate also describes
how his or her education and work experience are relevant to the job.
What to Avoid: Avoid presenting a medium-term goal that is incompatible
with the needs or interests of the firm you are interviewing with.
13. Where do you see yourself in ten years?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer wants to know that
your longer-term goals are compatible with his or her company’s goals
or interests. How you answer this question should depend on the type
of company or organization you are interviewing with. Clearly, if the
company is known for training employees for three years and then
sending them out to be independent operators, you might not appear to
be a good fit if you imply you wish to be with the company for ten years.
However, if the company values long-term employees, you are probably
best off implying you intend to stay with the company for a while.
Sample Answer: “In ten years, I hope to be serving as a top CPA of
a company like yours. This is why I am highly interested in working for
your company. Over the past few years, I have been preparing for this
goal. I majored in accounting as an undergraduate and I have begun to
prepare to acquire my CPA credential. I had a wonderful opportunity
to intern for a small business, as well as for a larger CPA firm. That
Questions About Career Goals 139
diversity of experience provides resources for me to draw on in my
future work. Now I feel ready to take a longer-term career step by joining
a firm that I hope to grow with for years.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer is good for a company that is
known for hiring job candidates for the long haul. The candidate
demonstrates a long-term goal that is compatible with this company’s
interests and also conveys to the interviewer the educational and professional
experience that will help the candidate excel in the company.
What to Avoid: Avoid presenting a career goal that is incompatible
with the needs or interests of the firm you are interviewing with.
14. Will you be seeking higher education?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer wants to hear an
answer that is consistent with his or her company’s needs or interests.
Some companies expect their employees to continue to develop their
skills through additional education, while others may want you to
advance largely through learning on the job. If you believe the company
might be concerned that you will depart quickly in order to earn an
advanced degree, you might choose to let the interviewer know you will
consider the needs of the firm as you determine later whether or not to
pursue further education.
Sample Answer: “I foresee myself gaining many key skills on the job
with your company. Whether or not I pursue further education will
depend in part upon the needs of your company at the time that I would
likely consider further education.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer is very cautious. It is more suited
to a situation in which the candidate is unclear about whether the company
supports higher education among its employees. If the candidate
were certain that a company expected its employees to attain higher
education, the candidate ideally would have sounded more certain about
the desire to seek higher education.
140 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
Questions About the
Available Job
141
15. What are you looking for in this job?
What They Are Looking For: In this question, the interviewer is
seeking to see if your goals match the opportunities presented in the
job for which he or she is interviewing you. Tailor your answer in a way
that answers yes to that query. Answer specifically with references to
the challenges you hope to meet and the opportunities you want to use
to make valued contributions. You can also use this question as a chance
to underscore the skills you already have and ways in which this new
position might enable you to refine those skills and develop new ones.
Sample Answer: “Given my success as a manager in my telecommunication
company start-up, I have developed a good range of project
management skills, such as laying out goals and a plan for my team,
interacting with clients to meet client needs, and managing work in a
way that has enabled my teams to deliver wonderful work products. I
enjoyed working at a start-up, but I am now seeking the challenge of
using my skills within a larger, more established telecommunications
company. The specifics of the job you have advertised are ideal for what
I am seeking. I am seeking the challenge of managing larger teams,
working with Fortune 500 clients rather than small-business clients, and
managing teams in a variety of countries. I thrive in fast-paced environments,
so the fact that the job you are offering is expected to involve
brisk work is attractive also.”
Copyright © 2004 by Shelly Leanne. Click here for terms of use.
Analysis of Answer: The candidate clearly conveys awareness of the
job specifications and demonstrates a match between the candidate’s
goals and the specifics of the job for which he is interviewing.
What to Avoid: Be sure not to sound as if you are not versed in the
specifics of the job that is available. Be certain to do your homework
and review as many sources as possible to learn about the job, as well as
the roles and responsibilities you would hold in your new position.
16. Why are you seeking to change jobs?
What They Are Looking For: In this question, the interviewer is
providing you the chance to paint a picture of yourself with references
to your winning attributes. But be careful not to speak too negatively
about your present or prior job. You do not want to come across as
whining. You want to come across as seeking the new job for positive
reasons; you don’t want to be perceived as simply fleeing from a job you
dislike. Therefore, speak in positive terms about the wonderful opportunities
the new job offers you and the ways you will be able to leverage
your existing skills while also building new ones.
Sample Answer: “I have worked as a manager in my car rental agency
for four years now, and it has been a wonderful experience in terms of
the skills I have acquired. I progressed from serving as one of the attendants
who took customer information and rented cars to being the manager
of all of those attendants in my branch. I have found as I have
progressed, however, that my company does not have the culture I was
seeking. I understand that your company is more team oriented and
stresses that your employees continually undergo human resource training
to refine their skills. I am seeking a more collaborative environment
in which I can use the many skills I have while also building upon them.
The opportunity offered through your job is ideal in my view.”
Analysis of Answer: The answer is good because it starts off very
positive and stresses the skills of the job candidate. The candidate then
142 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
explains what is lacking in his or her current job and refers to the
strengths offered by the new company. The tone is positive, and the
answer presents the candidate as one who seeks continual development
and refinement of skills. Those characteristics are valued among most
employers.
What to Avoid: Try not to sound too negative when speaking about
why you wish to change jobs. You want to appear to be moving toward
a positive situation, not running away from a negative one.
17. Does your company know you are looking?
What They Are Looking For: In this question, the interviewer is
seeking to get a sense of whether you are honest and straightforward.
In most situations, candidates applying for jobs cannot reveal their
search to their current employer. However, the interviewer might be
pleased to hear that you have laid the groundwork for a departure from
your current job by occasionally hinting in open conversation with your
superiors that at some point you may wish to look beyond that company.
It is usually fine, however, to indicate that while you have spoken
openly about your general ambitions in your current workplace,
you have not specifically let it be known that you might leave your current
job soon.
Sample Answer: “I have a very open and cordial relationship with
the executives of my company, and over the years—as I have been promoted
and as my skills have developed—I have discussed with my superiors
my longer-term goals. They are aware that in time I would be
looking outside of our firm. I have therefore laid the groundwork for
a departure, but the executives of my firm are not aware that I am
currently interviewing for jobs. I will bring that up when I have a job
offer in hand.”
Analysis of Answer: The response seems candid and aboveboard, so
it is likely to leave a positive impression.
Questions About the Available Job 143
What to Avoid: Try to avoid sounding as if you are being underhanded
or deceitful by interviewing without the knowledge of your superiors.
If you come across that way, the interviewer may question why you are
trying to leave your job and begin to think it must be for a negative reason.
They might also question whether you are trustworthy.
18. Why are you interested in this firm?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer will be assessing
your response to determine whether there is a fit with what the company
offers. This is a question that merits a very specific answer. In
responding, draw upon what you have learned about the needs of the
firm you are interviewing with and the opportunities afforded by the
position you are seeking. You should demonstrate a match between the
specific things you say you are seeking and the opportunities and
responsibilities offered by the firm. It is also a good practice to weave
in references to your existing skills, so the interviewer understands you
bring valuable attributes and skills to the table.
Sample Answer: “I have worked as a manager in my clothing retail
branch for four years now, and it has been a wonderful experience in
terms of the skills I have acquired. I progressed from being one of the
cashiers to the manager of all the cashiers in my branch. I have found
as I have progressed, however, that my company does not have the culture
I was seeking. I understand that your company is more team oriented,
encourages input from branch teams who are closest to the
customer, and has built its success on customized local marketing campaigns.
The experience in your branches seems to be much more
rewarding for those with an entrepreneurial spirit, such as myself. Your
company is ideal for me because it encourages and embraces creativity
and provides a collaborative environment in which I can use and build
on my skills.”
Analysis of Answer: The candidate appears well versed in the reputation
of the company and clearly understands the dimensions through
which this company distinguishes itself from competitors. The candi-
144 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
date underscores the match between what he or she is seeking and what
the company offers.
What to Avoid: Avoid presenting information that establishes a conflict
between your goals and the available job. Avoid seeming as though
you are not versed in the specific factors that distinguish the organization
you are interviewing with from its competitors.
19. Why are you seeking a change now?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is assessing whether
the reasons behind your desire to change jobs indicate that you are a
suitable choice for the advertised job. This is a question that should
receive a specific answer. The interviewer is asking you to indicate why
you are ready to move into another position. In many cases, this question
is best answered with reference to the progression of skills you have
been building and your readiness to take your skills and experiences to
the next level. You can also refer to the key attributes that you find
attractive in the organization you are interviewing with.
Sample Answer: “I have been a computer and information technology
specialist for a start-up company for a number of years now, and I
feel I have reached a wonderful spot in my career in which I have maximized
my technology learning on the job. I have had the opportunity
to use my education to design systems that have supported our corporation
well and that have allowed us to do our work well. However, I am
seeking a greater challenge now. Since I have knowledge of how to
design a system to support business objectives, I want to apply that
knowledge in a company that enables me to consult with a wide range
of companies that need better technology. Your company offers me the
opportunity to use my experience in many creative ways.”
Analysis of Answer: The candidate does a wonderful job of touting
experiences and successes acquired so far and offers a convincing explanation
of why it is time to move to a company that offers greater diversity
of experience.
Questions About the Available Job 145
What to Avoid: Try to avoid an answer that sounds unconvincing.
Avoid an answer that makes your desired move seem arbitrary or motivated
solely by negative factors.
20. What would our company give you that another company
would not?
What They Are Looking For: This is a very important question;
the interviewer is asking you to state in specific terms why the company
you are interviewing with is your first choice or your ideal choice. You
should answer this question in detail and well, demonstrating that you
are highly familiar with the organization, as well as with the competitors
of the organization. It is important to convey that you are choosing
this company or organization over others for specific reasons that
indicate your interests match the offerings and strengths of the interviewing
organization.
Sample Answer: “Your company offers me a number of attractive elements
in terms of entrepreneurial experience and the specific culture of
your company. I have been a computer and information technology specialist
for a large Fortune 500 company for a number of years now, and
I feel I have reached a wonderful spot in my career in which I have maximized
my technology learning on the job. I have had the opportunity
to use my education to design systems that have supported our corporation
well and allowed us to do our work well. However, I am seeking
a greater entrepreneurial challenge now. I want to apply my knowledge
in a small company that needs better technology and in which excellent
technology will make a key difference. Your company would offer me
that opportunity. In addition, your company is known for innovation
and for its collaborative environment. Those are attributes I am seeking
in my new company.”
Analysis of Answer: The candidate does a wonderful job of touting
her experiences and the successes she has had so far. She offers a convincing
explanation of why it is time to move to a company that offers
146 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
entrepreneurial experience. The candidate speaks specifically about the
attributes associated with this particular small company, which is a plus.
She underscores why those attributes make the company ideal for her.
What to Avoid: Be certain to answer with specifics about the company,
since that is specifically what the question asks for. Avoid giving
too general an answer.
21. What will you contribute to this workplace?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer wants specific references
to what you hope to contribute and will assess whether your
response indicates a match in terms of the needs of the job and/or company.
This is an open-ended question that enables you to focus directly
on the winning attributes and skills you have to draw on in your potential
new work environment. Take the opportunity to direct the conversation
toward your strengths and the experiences the interviewing
organization will find most attractive.
Sample Answer: “I have been working in sales for five years, and I
love to bring fresh thinking and direction to projects I run. In my current
company, my ability to continually refine techniques allowed us to
increase our customer base and revenues about 20 percent over my first
two years. I was promoted to assistant manager. My skills there blossomed,
and I became an effective manager of junior sales personnel. I
bring to your company my desire to continually improve processes and
my history of excellent sales outcomes. I will also contribute to your
company excellent team leadership and innovative thinking.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer blends information about business
successes, skills, and attitudes that presents a positive image of the interviewing
candidate.
What to Avoid: Avoid an answer that is too general, such as one that
omits reference to specifics about successes or positive attributes.
Questions About the Available Job 147
22. How long do you expect to be at this firm?
What They Are Looking For: In this question, the interviewer is
seeking to assess whether your goals match the opportunities and
expectations of the organization, and whether your ambitions are attractive
to the organization. To answer this question, consider emphasizing
your goal-oriented perspective and your desire to continue to stretch
your skills and make valued contributions to your work environment.
Clearly, if the company is known for training employees for three years
and then sending them out to be independent operators, you might not
appear to be a good fit if you imply you wish to be with the company
in ten years. However, if the company values long-term employees, you
are probably best off implying you intend to stay with the company for
a while. If appropriate, consider emphasizing that one of your highest
priorities is performing excellently for the interviewing company and
serving it well for as long as the potential employer needs your valued
skills.
Sample Answer: “I hope to stay at your company for the foreseeable
future. I know your company puts a high premium on long-term
employees who are loyal to the company and willing to grow within the
company, taking on management positions as they continue to develop
their skill sets. In addition to the culture of your company and the
specifics of the job I am seeking, these elements are among the things
that most attract me to your company.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer responds to the facts the interviewing
candidate knows about the expectations of the company with
regard to the ideal length of time its employees would stay at the firm.
Therefore, this answer likely demonstrates a fit.
What to Avoid: Avoid implying you want to stay a short time at a
company that expects its employees to stay for the long term. Similarly,
avoid implying you want to stay for a long time at a company that wants
shorter-term employees only.
148 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
23. Where do you see this industry going?
What They Are Looking For: With this question, the interviewer
is asking you to demonstrate that you have done some research about
the industry, its trends, opportunities, and challenges. You do not necessarily
need to demonstrate that you have a “right” answer to this question.
It is usually more important to demonstrate you have done your
homework and used information to formulate a coherent, well-reasoned
opinion about the industry and where it is headed.
Sample Answer: “The exciting thing about this industry is that it has
so many possibilities. From the coverage I have read in finance magazines
and major finance journals, I expect to see the mortgage industry
seeking to make greater inroads with nontraditional homeowners. That
population, from what I understand, is largely untapped. I think that
will open opportunities for creative new products and marketing, and
the future of the industry is likely therefore to be very exciting.”
Analysis of Answer: The candidate demonstrates knowledge about
the trends of the industry, taken from reliable sources such as finance
magazines and journals.
What to Avoid: Avoid sounding as if you have no sense of the broader
trends of the industry. If you appear to have some knowledge about
industry directions, you will create a better impression.
24. How do you view our company?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is asking you to
comment on the qualities you like about the company. You might wish
to characterize the company both in its own right and relative to competitors
in its field.
Sample Answer: “I view your company as the ideal choice for me.
From my record in college, you can see that I helped to push forward
Questions About the Available Job 149
innovative research in the sciences, and that I enjoyed working on team
projects. I am looking for a high technology company that is known for
innovation and that spearheads research on leading-edge products for
hospitals. In the past five years, your company has led the way in developing
products to improve imaging in medical scanning devices. I have
read a great deal about how those innovative products have improved
health care. I know your company is also currently investing a great deal
of research and development money into developing a new generation
of products that can improve medical testing techniques. Given your
company’s emphasis on innovation and my own commitment to contributing
to advances in medicine through technology, your company
is ideal for me. I have also spoken with several of your employees, and
from our conversations I know that your corporate culture, which
emphasizes teamwork and collaboration with partner companies, is also
ideal for me.”
Analysis of Answer: Through this answer, the candidate clearly
demonstrates that he is aware of the company’s reputation for innovation
and is also aware of the range of products that the company has
produced recently, the effects of those products in the health care
arena, and the future direction of the company in terms of research
and development. This is likely to impress the interviewer. In addition,
the candidate took the time to speak with employees of the company
to get a sense of the corporate culture. This demonstrates
initiative as well as the candidate’s serious interest in ensuring that this
company is the right choice for him. The interviewer will no doubt
believe that this candidate is one who is serious and enthusiastic about
joining his or her company.
What to Avoid: Avoid issuing such nonspecific comments that you
cause the interviewer to question whether you have taken the time to
learn a great deal about the company. If the interviewer thinks you have
not researched the company well, he or she is prone to believe that you
are not serious about joining and perhaps may have another employer
as your first choice.
150 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
25. What do you consider our mission to be?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is asking you to
demonstrate that you have done your homework and are familiar with
the mission statement and broad activities of the organization. Draw
on the research you have done to summarize the mission for the
interviewer.
Sample Answer: “I admire your company because its mission is to
diversify the financial resources available to lower-income individuals
by developing new financial instruments and marketing those instruments
to large lending institutions. I am seeking a company that specializes
in finance but that has a social mission, and one that engages
in new areas of finance. Given this, I was immediately drawn to this
company.”
Analysis of Answer: The candidate does a wonderful job of demonstrating
familiarity with the mission of the company and stresses that the
institution offers the attributes he or she has been seeking in a company.
What to Avoid: Know what a company’s mission is before interviewing,
because this helps to demonstrate you have considered the company
carefully. Try not to interview without having that basic
information about the company and its goals.
26. Summarize what you consider to be the main aspects of the
job we are offering.
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is asking you to
demonstrate that you have done your homework and are familiar with
the roles and responsibilities associated with the available job. Draw on
the research you have done to summarize the mission for the interviewer.
Sample Answer: “As I understand it, you are offering a position in
which an experienced administrative assistant will be able to join a team
Questions About the Available Job 151
and help design new programs to increase the efficiency of one of your
slower-growing divisions. The position will involve analysis of the reasons
for the division’s inefficiency, streamlining projects, completing
implementation, and training new administrative personnel. I am very
drawn to this position. I have six years of experience as an administrative
assistant in a very successful large company. I would look forward
to applying what I have learned to your organization, and I believe my
perspectives can help identify the sources of inefficiency as well as the
ways we can streamline activities. Because I am also very good with people
and have trained many of our new employees, I believe I am ideally
suited for this position.”
Analysis of Answer: The answer is good in that it clearly demonstrates
that this candidate is familiar with all of the key elements of the
job. The candidate takes the opportunity to demonstrate a match
between the position offered and the candidate’s credentials.
What to Avoid: You must avoid sounding as if you have no understanding
of the roles and responsibilities associated with the job for
which you are interviewing.
27. What do you perceive as the negatives about this firm?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is giving you the
chance to assure him or her that you do not see significant negatives
about the interviewing company that might make you dislike it or otherwise
make you a poor choice for the job. Be careful with this question.
All too often, job candidates answer such questions too frankly.
Remember, your goal at this stage is to get the job. The well-known
negatives about the firm do not necessarily need to be brought up here.
In all probability, the interviewer may believe that if you bring up those
well-known negatives, your concern may indicate that you are not a
good fit for the organization. It is probably best to err on the side of
caution.
152 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
Sample Answer: “Given what I am looking for in a company, I do not
see huge negatives about your firm. I am looking for a small company
based in a small urban setting that focuses on new technologies in the
area of health care. Some people may feel that a small company is not
right for them or that a small urban environment is not ideal. For me,
those are key pluses.”
Analysis of Answer: The answer is good in that it acknowledges what
might cause some candidates to choose to forgo the company offering
the job, but it underscores that those very attributes are attractive to
the candidate.
What to Avoid: Avoid sounding as though the main negatives of the
company are factors that might make you dislike the job for which you
are interviewing.
28. What do you perceive as the negatives about this position?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is giving you the
chance to assure him or her that you do not see significant negatives
about the job that will make you dislike it or otherwise make you a poor
choice. Be careful with this question. All too often, job candidates
answer such queries too openly. Your goal at this stage is to land the
job offer. The interviewer may believe that if you bring up well-known
negatives about the job, your concern may indicate that you are not a
good fit for the position. It is probably best to be cautious in your
response.
Sample Answer: “Given what I am looking for in a company, I do not
see huge negatives in the position. I am looking for a challenging environment
in which I can help manage a team to meet the needs of our
clients. I am also looking for a company that is expanding into a new
marketplace. This company and this position provide those attributes.
Some people may view the brisk pace of your advertised managerial
Questions About the Available Job 153
position to be a burden, but I enjoy challenges and am good at dealing
with stressful situations and overcoming obstacles in order to achieve
success.”
Analysis of Answer: The answer is good in that it emphasizes areas
where the company and the advertised job are a good match with the
candidate. The candidate also acknowledges what many people might
consider to be a negative of the specific position advertised, while underscoring
that this is not a negative for the candidate.
What to Avoid: Avoid sounding as though the main negative of the
available job is a major factor that might cause you to dislike the position
for which you are interviewing.
154 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
Questions About
Your Education
155
29. Why did you choose the college you attended?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is probably genuinely
interested in your answer but will also be assessing which characteristics
you highlight and whether they indicate a fit with the
company or advertised job. This open-ended question gives you a
chance to refer to your key attractive attributes, college experiences,
and skills. You therefore can paint an excellent picture of your personality
and character, as well as of your skills, knowledge, and experiences.
Sample Answer: “Four key factors attracted me to my college: its reputation
for excellence, its location, its student body, and its curriculum.
I enjoy dynamic environments with a lot of diversity, where people are
serious about exploring ideas in depth. I also like being near a big city,
where I can enjoy the history and cultural attractions. My college gave
me all of these things. There I met people from all over the world, and
I studied with professors who were the best in their field. I also enjoyed
living near New York, where I could visit famous museums and attend
plays. This environment motivated me and accounts for why I excelled
not only academically but also through leadership as the president of
the Women’s Group.”
Copyright © 2004 by Shelly Leanne. Click here for terms of use.
Analysis of Answer: The answer does a great job of weaving in information
about the interviewing candidate’s winning personality characteristics
and values. The candidate also refers to a leadership position,
which is a plus.
What to Avoid: Try to avoid an answer that does not take the opportunity
to weave in information about your winning attributes and
achievements in college.
30. How did you like your undergraduate institution?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer will be assessing
which characteristics you liked or disliked, to determine whether your
personality and preferences make you a good choice for the available
job and interviewing company. This question gives you a chance to refer
to your key attractive attributes, college experiences, and skills. You
therefore can paint an excellent picture of your personality and character,
as well as of your skills, knowledge, and experiences. You should
emphasize the positive aspects of your experience and minimize references
to the negatives, unless there is a good reason for elaborating on
them. You want to present your education as an asset, so speaking about
it in positive terms that underscore the valuable knowledge and skills
you picked up, the opportunities to explore new ideas, and the students
you interacted with (among other things) helps you ensure the interviewer
sees your education as a plus.
Sample Answer: “I enjoy dynamic environments with a diversity of
ideas and people and in which there are many ways to deepen my
knowledge and to make good contributions. My college gave me all of
these things, so it was a wonderful choice. My college attracts talented
students from all over the United States and the world, and as a liberal
arts college, it offers a wide array of majors. I enjoyed deepening my
knowledge in education not only through great courses but also through
fieldwork. I also liked making contributions by serving as the vice president
of the Education for Rosemont group, which sent students into a
rural area to offer support to teachers in that area.”
156 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
Analysis of Answer: The answer does a great job of weaving in information
about the interviewing candidate’s winning personality characteristics
and values. The candidate also refers to a leadership position,
which is a plus.
What to Avoid: Try to avoid an answer that is flat and misses the
opportunity to weave in information about your winning attributes and
achievements in college.
31. What is the most distinct contribution you made to your
undergraduate institution?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is seeking to find
out how significant your presence was within your college. This will
give him or her a sense of how you will contribute at the interviewer’s
organization. The interviewer is also offering you a chance to use a concrete
accomplishment to speak about your key attractive attributes,
skills, and knowledge and how you were able to draw on these to make
a difference in an organization. Use this as an opportunity to underscore
important themes about your abilities, positive attitude, and
potential for success.
Sample Answer: “My most distinct contribution was starting a tutoring
group called College Support. Being from a rural environment, I
had a difficult time adjusting to my urban college at first. I wished I had
had more support in my freshman year. Watching others struggle the
same way motivated me to start College Support. I like to take the initiative
to make positive changes when I see significant problems. College
Support matched upper-class students, who were willing to tutor
for free, with freshmen who were having difficulties. I helped the organization
grow to 100 tutors and over 150 freshmen participants. I
learned a great deal about leadership through my work, as well as about
marketing and management. I also enjoyed the many thank-yous from
freshmen who were grateful to have a support network to draw on when
they arrived on campus.”
Questions About Your Education 157
Analysis of Answer: The answer does a wonderful job of referring
to the candidate’s achievement in business-relevant terms. It also portrays
the candidate as having initiative and motivation. The candidate
has likely created a highly favorable impression with the interviewer.
What to Avoid: Avoid saying that you made no distinct contribution
to your school! Even if you were not involved in campus activities, your
contributions to class discussions might be noteworthy.
32. Explain this series of poor grades you received in school.
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is seeking to have you
explain poor grades and assure him or her that the grades are not a reflection
of a current lack of motivation, dedication, or ability to perform.
Sample Answer: “Unfortunately, when I was in college I was not
focused on my future. I saw college as a time to explore friendships,
campus activities, and cultural events, but not as a time to focus on my
studies. I don’t make excuses for the poor grades. What I have tried to
do since I have become more focused and dedicated to my future is to
build a new record of achievement. You see that I have taken numerous
courses in the extension school of a local college to deepen my knowledge,
as well as to demonstrate my true capabilities. You can also see
that I have received numerous professional certifications that attest to
my abilities. The best indicator of my current abilities is my strong
record in my current job, as indicated by my recent promotion. I hope
that these other factors will demonstrate that you can count on me to
perform excellently at your organization.”
Analysis of Answer: The tone of the response is not defensive, and
it acknowledges and explains the poor grades without trying to make
an excuse for them. The candidate then shifts the conversation to focus
on the more recent record of achievements, to assure the interviewer
of the candidate’s current focus, dedication, and abilities.
158 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
What to Avoid: Do not sound defensive. Refer to your efforts to
establish a new record that can minimize or negate the importance of
your poor grades.
33. Why did you choose this major?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer wants you to stress
qualities that are relevant to the job for which you are interviewing.
Candidates who have backgrounds that are not directly relevant to the
position they are applying for often get defensive about this question.
However, as demonstrated in early parts of this book, it is possible to
gain relevant skills through a wide range of majors. Therefore, if you
are applying for a business position without a business or economics
education, you should still speak of your major in positive terms, underscoring
the broader skills that transcend a particular major and can
allow you to excel in the advertised position. Use this as an opportunity
to underscore important themes about your abilities, your skills,
and the many experiences you can draw on to excel within the interviewing
organization.
Sample Answer: “I was looking for a major that enabled me to test
new ideas and explore complex problems, while also helping to prepare
me for a future career. Engineering was a wonderful choice, because
not only did I work on projects in leading areas of engineering and
design, but the rigors of the major also made me very disciplined and a
sharp problem solver. I feel very prepared now to embark on my business
career because I can use my problem-solving and analytical skills.”
Analysis of Answer: The candidate makes his engineering major relevant
to business in terms of projects and design and in terms of broader
skills such as problem solving. That is a good blend.
What to Avoid: If possible, avoid portraying your major as not relevant
in any way to the advertised job.
Questions About Your Education 159
34. In what ways do you believe your undergraduate major
helped prepare you for this position?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer would like to hear
specifics about how your education has helped to make you qualified for
the available job. Like Question 33, this question gives you an opportunity
to demonstrate that you attained relevant skills for your job
through your undergraduate education. Therefore, even if you are
applying for a business position without a business or economics education,
you can still use this question as a chance to talk about your
major in positive terms, emphasizing the broad skills that transcend a
particular major and will enable you to distinguish yourself with excellent
performance in the advertised job. Use this question as an opportunity
to underscore skills, knowledge, and experiences that will help
you to be an excellent employee.
Sample Answer: “As a math major, I had to complete many upperlevel
applied mathematical courses that required extensive research and
teamwork. All of those elements—mathematics, research, and teamwork—
make me very prepared for my new finance career. In the area
of finance, math skills, the ability to work with data, and analytical skills
are key. Likewise, your finance company completes much of its work in
teams and through research. The research and team skills I already have
will enable me to excel here.”
Analysis of Answer: The candidate makes the college major relevant
not only in terms of content but also in terms of broader skills. That is
a good blend.
What to Avoid: If possible, avoid portraying your major as not relevant
in any way to the available job.
35. What was your favorite course in college?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer will assess the personality
qualities you reveal through your response. Use this opportu-
160 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
nity to highlight the positive attributes the interviewing organization
will value, such as curiosity and a desire to be challenged. The course
content might also be relevant. As you talk about your favorite course,
use business-relevant terms to explain why you enjoyed it.
Sample Answer: “My favorite class was one about public policy in the
area of farm subsidies. It sounds a bit boring perhaps, but what I enjoyed
was that this class required that I draw on many of the skills I had developed
as a freshman and a sophomore—research skills, economics
knowledge, math skills, modeling, and analytical reasoning—to work
with a team of students to produce a recommendation about how to
alter current farm subsidy levels. After we completed a small report
about this, we had the opportunity to present our findings to public policy
makers. The blend of drawing on such a broad mix of skills and presenting
a compelling set of findings was very exciting. I know I will be
able to complete similar work in your company’s setting, which is why
I would look forward to the opportunity.”
Analysis of Answer: The candidate comes across as someone who
enjoys bringing a wide range of tools to bear on issues, and who is pleasant
to work with in teams. The positive, upbeat nature of the response
leaves a favorable impression. Likewise, the candidate clearly conveys
the broad range of skills he developed in college.
What to Avoid: Avoid making a reference to a course that will be seen
as having very little relevance or that does not reveal desirable traits
about your personality.
Questions About Your Education 161
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Questions About
Your Qualifications
163
36. What attributes will make you a valued presence at our
company?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer wants to see
whether you can articulate your strengths clearly and whether these
attributes will make you ideal for the advertised position. This is an
open-ended question that gives you latitude to focus on your core
attributes, your skills, and some of your accomplishments in prior positions
that you will be able to draw on in the new position. Try to direct
the conversation toward the strengths and skills that the interviewer
will find most attractive, given the responsibilities of the position for
which you are interviewing.
Sample Answer: “I offer a great deal both in terms of my personal
attributes and in terms of my professional work record. In terms of
my personal attributes, I am goal oriented and committed to achieving
strong results. That has helped me to excel in my job. For instance,
in the first two years of my work as the manager of a dental clinic,
I have helped to expand our customer base by 40 percent. I also
designed marketing schemes that proved very effective. I bring to your
company my record of achievements and the attributes that made them
possible.”
Copyright © 2004 by Shelly Leanne. Click here for terms of use.
Analysis of Answer: The answer provides a good blend of information
about skills and accomplishments.
What to Avoid: Do not fail to articulate your winning attributes.
Make sure they demonstrate a fit with the company.
37. In what areas do you need to develop professionally?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is seeking a candid
answer that indicates how you hope to grow but one that does not
undermine the notion that you are suitable for the available job. All
employees have ways in which they can develop their skills and deepen
their experiences. Your answer to this question should acknowledge that
and name an area in which you would like to refine your skills. If there
is a clear weakness about your professional record, you might carefully
acknowledge that also, but do so after quickly referring to the many
skills you bring to the table.
Sample Answer: “The way I need to develop professionally is to gain
more experience managing large teams. In the past, I excelled in my
work as an associate and then as a project leader. In my position as project
leader, I was in charge of teams of four to six associates. I would
define the scope of our work, check the work of the associates, and provide
feedback on the work. I mastered the art of being a good team
leader, but I would like to expand my experience to include larger teams
and multiple teams.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer pinpoints something that is relatively
harmless. By stating that he or she has mastered the art of team
leadership, the candidate presents this professional development area
merely needing to be further expanded. It is a minor weakness, therefore
an area in which the candidate does not yet have experience. This answer
is not likely to undercut the candidate in the interview process unless the
job description requires experience with managing large teams.
What to Avoid: Try to avoid focusing on an area that is central to the
skills you need in order to excel in the job for which you are applying.
164 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
38. What is your greatest professional weakness?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is looking for a candid
description that indicates an area of weakness. He or she wants to
make sure your weakness is not central to the skills you will need to
succeed in the advertised position. Pinpoint an area you wish to improve
(and one that hopefully you are currently working on). All employees
have ways in which they can strengthen their performance. However,
there is usually no need to speak at length about a weakness, and it is
often best to choose something that is somewhat harmless and not central
to the skills you must use to excel in the position for which you are
interviewing.
Sample Answer: “My greatest professional weakness is working too
hard. I am passionate about what I do, but I have to keep balance in my
life and also allow my team members to maintain balance in their lives.
So prioritizing work and setting clear limits to the scope of our work is
always key. I have to make sure to do that so as to keep from working
my teams too hard.”
Analysis of Answer: This is a bit of a generic answer—one that interviewers
no doubt hear often. However, it is also a harmless answer. Few
employers will fault you for working too hard. For that reason, it is usually
a safe answer.
What to Avoid: Avoid mentioning a weakness that is central to the
skills you need in order to excel in the job for which you are applying
or that presents you as a professional who is hard to work with.
39. What is your greatest professional strength?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is looking for you
to elaborate on a broad strength that is well supported by your résumé
and highly relevant to the job you are applying for. If you highlight that
sort of strength, you can help create the notion that you are a good
match for the available job.
Questions About Your Qualifications 165
Sample Answer: “My greatest professional strength is innovation. I
love bringing fresh, novel ideas to issues and to drawing on the talents
of dynamic colleagues in order to bring creativity to our work. My
innovation enabled me to design new management processes for my
company and to blend those with technological tools. Given that the
job that I am interviewing for requires innovation, I believe I am a good
choice for the position.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer does a good job of focusing on an
attribute that is critical for success in the advertised job. The candidate
also offers an example of his or her innovation and its results, which
makes the importance of the attribute more concrete.
What to Avoid: Avoid focusing on an attribute that lacks relevance to
the job you are trying to secure.
40. What could you have improved about your performance in
your last job?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is looking for a
description of an area in which you need to improve but he or she is
seeking to ensure that it is not central to the position for which you are
applying. Choose an area of performance that is not central to the skills
you must use excellently to distinguish yourself in the job for which you
are applying. You don’t want to undercut the notion that you are a good
match for the available job.
Sample Answer: “My performance could have been improved if I had
worked my team a little less hard. I tend to be passionate about what
I do, but I have to keep balance in my life. I also must remember to
allow my team members to maintain balance in their lives. So prioritizing
work and setting clear limits to our work is always key. I kept
our work level brisk in my last project, and we succeeded, helping our
client to save thousands of dollars with a new strategic solution. But I
believe we could have done equally as well while paring down our work
hours a bit.”
166 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
Analysis of Answer: This is a cautious answer. Few employers will
fault you for working too hard. Because the candidate affirms that the
team was successful, the fact that the team worked too hard will likely
be seen in a less negative light.
What to Avoid: Avoid naming a performance area that is central to
the skills you must use to excel in the new job.
41. If there is something we might be concerned about in your
résumé, what would it be?
What They Are Looking For: Often when an interviewer asks this
question, there is a specific issue of concern. The interviewer wants you
to acknowledge that issue and then explain why that issue will not be
an obstacle to your ability to perform excellently in the job for which
you are interviewing.
Sample Answer: “My résumé indicates that it took me seven years to
graduate from college. That may be a point of concern for you. Unfortunately,
I was working nearly thirty hours per week during college, and
during my last two years, I had to work full-time in order to earn my
tuition. With the stress of working and the difficulty of my major, I
decided to take a smaller course load so that I would not undercut my
ability to do well. You can see my GPA remained strong, so I believe I
made a good decision. The promotions I received during my work at
that time also show that I was quite motivated in my professional work
in spite of the hardship of working during my college years.”
Analysis of Answer: The candidate does not respond defensively,
which is good. Also, the candidate acknowledges the perceived weakness
and is prepared to explain it. The candidate assures the interviewer
that many other indicators, including his strong GPA, attest to his
strong commitment and abilities.
What to Avoid: Try not to sound defensive when you respond, and
offer a convincing explanation of the weakness. Also, try to point the
Questions About Your Qualifications 167
interviewer to your successes so that the interviewer might conclude
that the weakness on your résumé should not determine the interview’s
outcome.
42. We have found that people with your training have difficulty
at our company. Is there any reason why you think you will
fare better?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is giving you the
opportunity to highlight the range of skills and experiences that can
help you succeed in your new position.
Sample Answer: “I can only convey to you what to expect of my own
performance. As I hope my record indicates, I have worked very hard
to build an excellent record in every aspect possible, from academics to
professional work experience. My high GPA indicates to you how seriously
I take my work and how interested I am in learning. It also indicates
I have strong analytical skills. My professional experience, in which
I have received two promotions over three years, also demonstrates that
my superiors have seen me as a top performer among my peers and have
entrusted me with expanding responsibilities. With the skills I have
developed in the areas of financial analysis and management, I bring a
solid record to build upon at your company, and I believe my dedication
will enable me to excel.”
Analysis of Answer: The answer is not defensive and does a good job
of highlighting the candidate’s strengths and dedication.
What to Avoid: Don’t get defensive about the phrasing of this question.
Take the chance to steer the conversation directly to your winning
attributes, skills, and experiences.
43. You seem overqualified for this position. We think you may
have a problem with the reduction in your responsibilities.
What do you think about this?
168 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
What They Are Looking For: Appearing overqualified can pose a
considerable problem in the interviewing process, as the hiring company
may feel you will not remain in the position long or might be
reluctant to operate within the limits of your designated roles. One of
the best ways to address this is to draw attention to the many attractive
aspects of the position that have prompted you to apply for the position,
and to convey convincingly that you are certain the position is ideal
for you.
Sample Answer: “In my company, I have progressed to the position
of manager, where I have been in charge of seven team members and
very complex projects. However, with your company I will move into a
somewhat different product area with a different customer base. I have
much to learn about the new marketing techniques that should be used
in this new area. I see room for my own growth in the position you
offer. On top of this, because your company offers the culture and environment
I have been seeking, I am excited about the prospects of this
new position. I see the position of assistant manager as one that I will
greatly enjoy.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer does a good job of explaining how
the candidate sees room to grow and also points to other attractive factors
about the company that make the position attractive.
What to Avoid: Don’t get defensive about the phrasing of this question.
Take the chance to steer the conversation directly to your winning
attributes, skills, and experiences, as well as the reasons why the available
job is precisely what you are looking for.
Questions About Your Qualifications 169
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Questions About
Your Leadership
171
44. Tell me about a situation at work in which you led a team
well.
What They Are Looking For: In this question, the interviewer is
trying to learn whether you are familiar with broad, effective leadership
practices. You should refer to well-established leadership best practices,
such as setting goals, delegating work well, and managing the work
of your team members effectively.
Sample Answer: “In my current position as a team manager, I
recently led a successful transaction with a client in which we helped
design a computing system that enabled the client to catalog and track
inventory across 100 branch locations. The project was very complex.
Three things enabled me to lead my team wonderfully. First, I outlined
carefully and clearly the scope of the project. Second, I set goals for us
to attain at various points in the project and kept our work on track.
And third, I created a positive environment in which the team members
were willing to go the extra distance. We delivered the project on
time and without flaws.”
Analysis of Answer: This is a structured answer with concrete
specifics about what enables the candidate to lead teams well.
Copyright © 2004 by Shelly Leanne. Click here for terms of use.
What to Avoid: Avoid a situation in which you do not have an example
to present. Normally, if asked, this question is relatively important,
so you should have thought through ahead of time a good leadership
example upon which you can elaborate.
45. Tell me about a situation at work in which you experienced
conflict and how you resolved it.
What They Are Looking For: In this question, the interviewer is
trying to learn whether you are familiar with broad, effective conflictmanagement
practices. You might want to refer to well-established best
practices for conflict management, such as listening objectively to the
parties involved, creating an open dialogue to resolve the problem, and
helping to facilitate compromise.
Sample Answer: “In my current position as a sales manager, our division
began to experience falling revenue, and executives did not know
who was responsible for the downturn. Infighting began in our division,
and it was bad for morale. I suggested that all of the sales managers
get together and decide how to assign roles with more clear
responsibilities. We redefined our roles and also began to hold more frequent
meetings to help us work together in designing effective sales
strategies. By bringing people to the table to talk through the problem,
assign clearer roles, and to design programs to improve the situation, I
helped quell tensions. We were able to slow some of the decline in our
sales and win additional business.”
Analysis of Answer: This is a structured answer with concrete
specifics about techniques the candidate used to smooth over a tense situation.
The candidate conveys her ability to manage conflict.
What to Avoid: Be ready to elaborate on conflict-management practices
or principles. Avoid a situation in which you cannot articulate best
practices that have worked for you.
172 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
46. Describe a situation in which you faced an ethical challenge
in the workplace and how you resolved it.
What They Are Looking For: In the post-Enron environment,
some interviewers will be interested to hear about your ethics and the
degree to which you can be counted on to make sound ethical decisions.
Many job candidates have a hard time coming up with a response to this
question, so take time to consider an example if you think this question
may come up in your interview. Choose an example that enables you to
demonstrate you have strong ethics or that when you had a chance, you
chose not to participate in poor behavior.
Sample Answer: “I was in a situation in which I believed a woman in
our company was being discriminated against in the promotion process.
I work in a heavily male-dominated company, and some of the executives
have deep biases. I had to decide whether to keep quiet about this
or engage the executives about the rumors that were beginning to
spread about overt gender discrimination. I chose to address the issue,
and with the open dialogue I initiated, steps were put in place to ensure
a more bias-free evaluation and promotion process.”
Analysis of Answer: This is a good example, as it shows the candidate
in a positive light in an area—gender discrimination—in which
many people will agree that assertive action is commendable.
What to Avoid: Avoid conveying information that indicates you
engaged in unethical behavior. You should seek to highlight a situation
in which you acted in an upstanding manner.
47. How do you behave in teams?
What They Are Looking For: Asking how you behave in teams may
be a way for the interviewer to determine whether others in the organization
will be able to work well with you. You should convey to the
interviewer that you understand broad principles of good team partic-
Questions About Your Leadership 173
ipation, such as understanding your designated role on a team or of
delivering excellent work on time.
Sample Answer: “How I behave in teams is a function of my role on
the team. When I am appointed the team leader, I set direction and give
good feedback as our work progresses. When I am a team participant
and not its leader, I respect the role of the team leader, and I deliver
high-quality work on schedule. I also help the team leader with the tasks
that can bring us success, such as setting direction and creating a positive
atmosphere on the team.”
Analysis of Answer: The answer is good because the candidate offers
concrete information about what he does to be a good team leader and
participant. This response also indicates the candidate can function well
as either a leader or a team member.
What to Avoid: Be able to make reference to some useful best practices
of team participation that have worked for you. Try to avoid creating
the impression that you overstep your bounds if you are a team
member; indicate that you respect the team leader’s role. Try not to create
the impression that you are too controlling or authoritarian if you
are the team leader.
48. What is your management style?
What They Are Looking For: Asking how you manage people can
be a way for the interviewer to determine whether you are someone
with whom others enjoy working. While this question has no “right”
answer, you should convey to the interviewer that you understand the
value of listening to the opinions and views of others and of creating an
environment in which coworkers are encouraged to participate.
Sample Answer: “As a manager, I am straightforward and to the point.
I give clear directions and honest feedback. I encourage cooperation
among my staff, and I help to develop the skills of my subordinates, since
I consider professional development to be a core part of my job.”
174 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
Analysis of Answer: This is a good description of a management
style and portrays this candidate as a hands-on, effective, and pleasant
manager.
What to Avoid: Avoid coming across as dictatorial—as someone who
issues orders and does not attempt to receive input from others in your
management process. Also avoid a situation in which you are unable to
articulate a coherent management style.
49. Tell me about a time when you exhibited initiative.
What They Are Looking For: Some interviewers would like to
understand whether you can be counted on to push forward-thinking
or novel ideas in the workplace, or to help manage difficult situations
when they arise. If you think this question will arise, think of an example
in which you helped develop and implement a change or project that
improved the work or atmosphere of your organization.
Sample Answer: “In our company, many sales staff members believed
that a number of innovative ideas generated by the salespeople—who
are our point of contact with the customers—never made it up to management.
I developed a feedback system and a series of periodic lunches
between key sales staff and executives, which opened the doors for the
two sets of professionals to meet regularly and exchange ideas and information.
As a result, more innovative ideas were offered to our executives,
who could develop and implement them. This also enabled
executives to stay abreast of the needs and feedback of our customers.”
Analysis of Answer: This is a good answer that shows how this candidate
took the initiative to implement an improvement in the workplace.
It also demonstrates the candidate’s ability to work with both sales
staff and executives. The response paints a very positive picture of the
candidate.
What to Avoid: Avoid coming across as someone who must be prodded
to take leadership actions or to develop innovative ideas. Conversely,
Questions About Your Leadership 175
try to ensure that you don’t come across as someone who overreaches
his or her roles and interferes with the work of others.
50. How do you deal with stressful situations at work?
What They Are Looking For: In this question, the interviewer is
trying to assess whether you know broad principles about stress management.
If so, this implies you can use that knowledge to the benefit
of both yourself and others at work. You should refer to constructive
ways in which you deal with stress.
Sample Answer: “To deal with stressful situations, I always take time
at the end of a day to reflect upon the day’s events and to analyze what
I could have done better. When I notice prolonged problems, I take
action to bring about change. I have found that taking time to reflect is
a key part of managing stress.”
Analysis of Answer: This example portrays the candidate as thoughtful
and levelheaded. He also comes across as very action-oriented.
What to Avoid: Avoid seeming as if you do not know how to handle
stress.
51. How do you define success in a team project?
What They Are Looking For: In this question, the interviewer is
trying to assess whether you value professional work in ways that are
meaningful for the organization. The emphasis the interviewer will
want to hear in your response may depend upon the nature of the company
or organization. The answer you might give to the interviewer for
a nonprofit job, for instance, may vary from the answer you might give
to the interviewer representing a for-profit corporation.
Sample Answer: “I measure success in terms of producing excellent
work for my company’s clients and in terms of the professional devel-
176 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
opment I am able to provide for my team members. Excellent work for
our clients is important to keeping my company positioned well in its
field. Helping my team members develop professionally is one of the
most important goals in my role as a manager. When I was more junior,
others made certain that I stretched my skills and excelled, so I enjoy
doing the same for others.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer is very positive and demonstrates
that the candidate values two things most organizations also value: customers
and employees.
What to Avoid: Avoid appearing greedy or self-centered, by answering
something like “I measure success by the size of my bonus at the
end of the year.” In most situations, such an answer will be viewed
unfavorably.
52. Describe an unsuccessful project you have been involved
with at work, and assess why it was not successful.
What They Are Looking For: This question can be tricky. The
interviewer is asking you to demonstrate that you know how to learn
from mistakes, but you do not want to offer an extreme mistake that
you made that might have cost your company money, clients, or any
other valued resource. Choose something relatively harmless in which
you can demonstrate your ability to learn from a mistake without
undercutting the image of your own strong leadership or professional
abilities.
Sample Answer: “When I was first hired by my firm, I was assigned
to a project with a manager who was a poor communicator and had a
quick temper. On the team, members were afraid to approach him when
they experienced problems, and morale was low. Our work was rather
bland. From this unsuccessful experience, I learned a great deal about
what not to do as I progressed in my career. Since I have become a manager,
I have always made sure to establish strong relationships with my
Questions About Your Leadership 177
team members and to ensure they are comfortable approaching me.
These practices have helped to make my teams excellent at producing
high-quality work.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer is good because the candidate does
not choose an example that puts the candidate at fault for the unsuccessful
project. It is also good because the candidate stresses the lessons
learned from the situation and elaborates on how she has applied those
lessons since becoming a manager.
What to Avoid: Avoid speaking about a situation in which you were
at fault for a mistake that was highly costly to your company.
53. How do you help ensure that your employees meet project
deadlines?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is asking you to
explain what sorts of techniques you use to inspire employees to perform
well. You should focus mostly on positive incentives or techniques,
such as coaching team members or reviewing work periodically to
ensure short-term goals are being met.
Sample Answer: “To make sure my employees meet designated deadlines,
I meet with them periodically and manage them according to their
needs. Some of them require that I check their work products often.
Others work better with greater latitude. By checking work and making
sure we are meeting short-term deadlines, I ensure that we stay on
schedule.”
Analysis of Answer: The clarity of the answer demonstrates that this
candidate knows a great deal about managing staff. The fact that the
candidate highlights specific practices to answer the question will likely
impress the interviewer.
What to Avoid: Avoid answering in a manner that is too general.
Specifics are usually better suited to answering this question.
178 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
54. How do you motivate subordinates?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is asking you to
explain what sorts of techniques you use to motivate employees. You
should focus mostly on positive incentives or techniques, such as coaching
team members.
Sample Answer: “My subordinates are motivated by different things.
I have come to know each of them well, so I understand what motivates
each of them. Some employees are motivated by increasing
amounts of responsibility. Others are motivated by financial rewards.
So I have learned to carve the incentives in ways that each staff member
appreciates.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer is thoughtful and demonstrates that
the candidate has developed leadership techniques that have worked.
The candidate will likely impress the interviewer, given the attention to
developing good relationships with subordinates and managing employees
individually.
What to Avoid: Avoid sounding as if you do not know how to motivate
subordinates. Avoid sounding as if you employ only negative incentives
to motivate subordinates.
55. Tell me about a time when you solved an important problem
in the workplace.
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is looking for you
to demonstrate that you know how to approach problem solving, an
important part of work and teamwork today. Using phrases such as “I
analyzed the key factors” or “I secured input from the relevant parties”
can help give a response the texture the interviewer may be hoping for.
Sample Answer: “I work for an international company, and since marketing
is centralized in the head office, it is important that we understand
the needs of our local offices. For some reason, technology within
Questions About Your Leadership 179
our company had not been deployed well to ease the process of communicating
among all of our international branches. I found my work
very difficult and ineffective as a result. I did some research and presented
my findings to management, recommending that we purchase
and implement a technology system to support the company’s marketing
operations. My presentation impressed management, and we implemented
the system. Our marketing efforts are now much more timely
and effective, resulting in higher sales in many of the branches.”
Analysis of Answer: The candidate replies with a specific example
that demonstrates initiative in a key area of the company. This example
also demonstrates excellent research abilities and an ability to make a
persuasive presentation, thereby underscoring the candidate’s skills. This
answer is likely to produce a very positive response from the interviewer.
What to Avoid: Avoid sounding as if you are unfamiliar with key
practices associated with problem solving.
56. What is the central skill you employ in your current job?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is probing to assess
whether there is a fit between the skill you currently employ and the
skills needed for success in the advertised job. When answering this
question, consider what skill will be central to the job you are interviewing
for. When speaking about the skill you use in your current job,
speak in terms that are directly relevant to the job you are seeking.
Sample Answer: “Effective time management is the skill I use the
most in my current job. The pace of our work is brisk and demanding,
and I oversee the work of twenty employees. At least four teams are
operating in my group at any given time. My role is to coordinate and
oversee the work and to ensure that all work comes together so we can
attain our quarterly goals. To do that, I make sure to meet with all team
members and refine timelines, and to organize activities well. I understand
that in the position for which I am interviewing, the pace is
180 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
equally demanding. I believe I will be able to meet the challenge of that
brisk pace very well.”
Analysis of Answer: This provides a concrete answer and does a
good job of relating the current skill employed by the candidate to the
skill needed to excel in the new job.
What to Avoid: Avoid speaking about a skill that is not relevant to the
position you are interviewing for. You are aiming to make your experience
look relevant.
57. How do you balance client needs with company goals?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer wants to assess
whether you know how to balance the needs of the clients with the goals
of your company—considerations that do not always pull in the same
direction.
Sample Answer: “I have been fortunate because in most cases there
has been no conflict between our clients’ needs and our company’s
goals. Recognizing that I have a responsibility both to my clients and
my company, I would need to consider carefully any request in which a
client was asking me to do something that undercut my company’s goals.
I would have to consider how deep the conflict was and how important
this client was to the company. At the end of the day, if forced to choose,
I would confer with my supervisors and likely choose my company’s
best interests while continuing to act in a highly ethical manner toward
the client.”
Analysis of Answer: This response is candid and shows that the candidate
knows how to weigh the company’s interests against the interests
of the client. The fact that the candidate affirms a commitment to act
in a highly ethical manner is a plus.
What to Avoid: Avoid sounding as if you would make a hasty decision
rather than a thoughtful one.
Questions About Your Leadership 181
58. How do you deal with difficult clients?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer wants to know that
you know how to deal with tense situations in which you must try to
address client concerns and please your difficult clients. The interviewer
may also want to hear you acknowledge that you know how to set limits
on pleasing difficult clients when the actions required to please such
clients are not in the best interests of your company.
Sample Answer: “I have found over time that the best way to deal
with difficult clients is to meet with key client representatives individually,
convey a sincere intention to work with them to attain excellent
outcomes, and keep the dialogue with them open and frank. I make sure
they understand they can communicate with me openly and that I am
receptive to trying to address their concerns. I follow up with periodic
phone calls to keep things progressing smoothly.”
Analysis of Answer: The candidate sounds well versed in how to handle
difficult clients and is able to pinpoint specific techniques that have
worked for her.
What to Avoid: Avoid sounding as if you do not know how to handle
difficult clients or as if your people skills are undeveloped.
59. What elements make a work environment positive?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is interested to hear
you articulate the attributes you are seeking in a work environment.
When you choose attributes to highlight in your response, consider
what elements characterize the interviewing company’s environment.
Sample Answer: “To me, the elements that make a positive work environment
include talented colleagues, an atmosphere of collaboration
and cooperation, a commitment to innovative ideas, and an honest
atmosphere. In my experience, when those elements are present,
182 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
employees are happy and willing to work harder. Wherever I am working,
I try to help create and reinforce that sort of environment.”
Analysis of Answer: The candidate outlines elements that many people
would agree make a good work environment. By referring to her
efforts to help create this sort of environment, the candidate gives a
positive impression.
What to Avoid: Avoid naming characteristics that the interviewing
organization lacks. If you do this, you will indicate that the job or interviewing
organization is not ideal for you.
60. What have you done to make your current work environment
more of a positive place to work?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is interested to hear
how proactive you are as an employee and to what degree your unique
presence makes your work environment a more pleasing place.
Sample Answer: “I have done several things to make my work environment
more positive. On a team basis, I have helped to organize gettogethers
outside of work, so as to build morale and camaraderie. On
an officewide basis, I have helped initiate a mentoring program between
the more senior employees and the new employees. This has helped
people in the office get to know each other and made the workplace a
much more closely knit environment.”
Analysis of Answer: The candidate comes across as proactive in helping
to make her work environment positive. Therefore, the candidate
establishes a positive impression.
What to Avoid: Avoid sounding as if you do nothing to make the
workplace a better environment. For small companies or organizations,
your perceived willingness to help shape the work environment positively
may be particularly important.
Questions About Your Leadership 183
61. In your experience, what elements make for an excellent
team member?
What They Are Looking For: Through this question the interviewer
can assess what you value in other team members and what positive
traits you have demonstrated yourself as a team member. This
question gives you a chance to elaborate on qualities you associate with
high-performing teams and to refer to an instance when you displayed
those qualities. If you briefly refer to your experience, you can underscore
the breadth of the experience you have gained—experience that
can help you succeed in your new job.
Sample Answer: “Several attributes characterize an excellent team
member. For instance, there is commitment to teamwork—that is, each
member’s willingness to play his or her role well, as well as to help others
on the team as needed. Another attribute of an excellent team member
is a willingness to work hard. Finally, the best team members usually
possess a passion for new ideas that help the team keep its work sharp
and innovative.”
Analysis of Answer: The candidate does a good job of articulating
many facets of an excellent team member. The candidate could have
made this a better answer by referring to his own performance briefly,
citing an example of his own excellent team participation.
What to Avoid: Avoid seeming as if you don’t know what makes a
good team member. If you are unfamiliar with these attributes, it
implies you have not demonstrated them yourself in your teamwork.
62. Under what conditions would you fire someone?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is seeking to see what
sort of manager you are. You may wish to give an answer that falls within
the extremes of appearing to fire people quickly and being fearful of firing
anyone. You might let the interviewer know that you are not quick
184 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
to fire anyone except in the instance of a huge ethical or legal breach on
the employee’s part, and that you seek to help low-performing workers
address their weaknesses. However, you should probably also indicate
that, if necessary, you would consider terminating an underperforming
professional who failed to improve his or her performance after a long
period.
Sample Answer: “Firing an employee is not something I would do
lightly. For me to feel comfortable terminating someone’s employment,
I would require of myself that I had communicated to that employee on
at least three occasions that the employee was underperforming significantly,
and that I had taken steps to work with the employee to address
the area of weakness. If the employee showed a lack of motivation to
improve or if, after a longer period, the employee simply did not have
the talents and skills required for the job, at that point I would take steps
to either move the employee to a different position or terminate the
employee.”
Analysis of Answer: The candidate comes across as fair and evenhanded;
these are good attributes.
What to Avoid: Try to ensure that you do not seem quick to fire
someone, except in instances such as when an employee has engaged in
an act that represents a huge ethical or legal breach. But also do not
appear to fear the act of firing an underperforming or unmotivated
employee, because an effective leader must sometimes make difficult
decisions.
Questions About Your Leadership 185
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Questions About
Your Career
Progression
187
63. Why were you at that particular job such a short time?
What They Are Looking For: Through this question, the interviewer
seeks an assurance that you can be a stable, reliable employee
who does not have problems maintaining a job. If there is a job at which
you were employed for a brief period, explain why your employment
there was so brief. Try to keep your tone positive.
Sample Answer: “In my first job, I joined a start-up company that was
only a few months old. I greatly enjoyed the experience, because I was
given significant responsibilities as a member of a five-person team.
However, after our initial funding, we had difficulty securing additional
funding, and by the sixth month of its existence, the company had to
close its doors. Even though our company did not succeed, I learned a
tremendous amount about entrepreneurial ventures and team management.
I would look forward to serving at your company for a long while
and to drawing on my experience.”
Analysis of Answer: The candidate kept a positive tone and tried to
present a convincing explanation of the short-term employment. The
candidate also provided assurances that his or her interest is in securing
a longer-term position. This candidate likely left a positive impression.
Copyright © 2004 by Shelly Leanne. Click here for terms of use.
What to Avoid: Assuming the employer is seeking an employee who
will stay for a long while, avoid coming across as a candidate who will
leave a job on a whim.
64. You have moved jobs often in the past four years. What
explains that?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer wants assurance that
you can be a stable, reliable employee who does not have problems
maintaining a job.
Sample Answer: “During the years right after I completed college, I
was testing the waters, trying to find out what field I was most passionate
about. Although I worked at three different companies for short
periods of time, my record of achievement at each job remained very
high. I made significant contributions as I completed the work on
assigned projects before moving on. As you can see, in my last job, I
stayed much longer—for two years. I finally have found the area that I
am passionate about, and I hope to bring the skills I have developed in
my last job to the new position that you are offering. At your company,
I see myself staying for a long while, because I have learned through my
research that you offer both the professional career development and
the cultural environment that I am seeking.”
Analysis of Answer: The candidate kept a positive tone and presented
a convincing explanation of his changes in employment. The candidate
also provided assurances that his or her interest is in securing a longerterm
position.
What to Avoid: Assuming the employer is seeking an employee who
will stay for a long while, avoid coming across as a candidate who will
leave the advertised job quickly.
65. You have been with only one firm during your entire work
experience. Do you think you will have a hard time integrating
into a new work environment?
188 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
What They Are Looking For: This question may be posed if you
have worked for years at one institution alone. The interviewer is trying
to assess whether you are too set in your ways to be an innovative,
dynamic worker who is open to new ideas or new ways of doing things.
Sample Answer: “Yes, I was employed at only one company for over
ten years, but the wealth of knowledge I have attained and the diversity
of my experiences there mean I will be able to integrate well into your
new environment. I was fortunate to be engaged in innovative projects,
which means I was often on the leading edge of new developments in
the field. Also, I often worked directly with partner companies or client
companies. Because I had to work closely with teams from those companies,
I was exposed to other ways of conducting business and other
business cultures. All of this means that I am adaptable and open to new
ways of doing things.”
Analysis of Answer: The candidate’s response informs the interviewer
that although the candidate was with one company for a long
time, he was constantly engaged in innovative projects or in work with
parties outside of that company. This suggests that the candidate is
adaptable and open to new ways of doing things.
What to Avoid: Avoid sounding apologetic about a long tenure with
one company. Present it as an asset instead, and highlight the diversity
of your experience if possible.
Questions About Your Career Progression 189
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Questions About
Losing or Leaving
Your Job
191
66. Did you leave your last job voluntarily?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is probing to find
out if there was a problem with your performance in your last job.
Assuming that you were not fired, you should respond to this question
in a nondefensive manner, answering yes and then pointing out the reasons
why you chose to leave your last job. Also mention the positive reasons
why you are seeking employment with the interviewing company.
Sample Answer: “Yes, I chose to leave my job voluntarily. I had come
to a natural point in my career when I had to make a decision about
whether I would continue as a research analyst or seek to move my
career in a different direction, becoming a policy maker instead. There
are benefits to both types of work, but the main factor that inspired me
to leave my job was the passion I felt for policy-making work whenever
I had the opportunity to participate on policy teams. In particular, I
loved the process of assessing current challenges and comparing effective
solutions from across the country. I also loved the collaboration. I
know that your organization focuses primarily on collaboration, teamwork,
and current issues and has a strong voice in the policy-making
world. Because I have a passion for this work, have research experience,
and work well in teams, I believe there is a wonderful fit between what
your organization needs in its new hire and what I offer.”
Copyright © 2004 by Shelly Leanne. Click here for terms of use.
Analysis of Answer: This answer is not defensive. It offers a believable
explanation of why this is a good time for the candidate to change
jobs and an explanation of why the interviewing organization offers an
ideal opportunity. The candidate also provides details about the relevance
of his or her experience and skills. The response should be well received.
What to Avoid: Avoid sounding defensive, and avoid seeming to lack
a good reason for switching jobs. Try to sound directed and purposeful
in your choices.
67. Why were you terminated?
What They Are Looking For: This question can be difficult to
answer. Be careful how you phrase your response, and try not to unnecessarily
undercut your skills and work experience when discussing why
you were terminated.
Sample Answer: “Unfortunately, given the downturn of the telecommunications
industry, my company had to make the difficult decision to
cut 30 percent of its workforce. The decisions were not performance
based, but based on a particular area of work. The service lines they
decided to streamline were areas in which whole divisions of workers
were laid off. I am happy for the time I served with my company, as it
was a positive work environment and I was able to accomplish many of
the goals I set—from developing excellent teamwork skills to working
a great deal with customers. While I am sorry that my position was cut
due to economic factors, I am prepared to make positive contributions
in a new environment. I intend to draw on the skills and experiences of
my last four years.”
Analysis of Answer: The answer is upbeat and forthcoming, and it
does not sound defensive. The tone of the answer will likely elicit a positive
response from the interviewer. The candidate does a great job of
making her time at the telecommunications company seem well spent
and of projecting herself as someone who is goal oriented and has
192 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
achieved her goals in spite of the eventual layoff. The candidate gives
the interviewer a positive impression of the skills and attributes she can
bring to the new job.
What to Avoid: Avoid sounding defensive or as if you are hiding
something. Try to avoid sounding as if your experience at your prior
company was wholly negative or a waste of time, unless there is a clear
reason to present your time that way.
68. Why should this firm take a risk on you, given that you were
fired from your last position?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer wants assurance that
you do not have major personality or work-related flaws that will prevent
you from performing well at his or her organization. If you were
fired, carefully phrase why you were terminated, trying not to unnecessarily
undercut your skills and work experience as you give your
answer. Emphasize the many successful elements of your overall record,
and underscore the attributes and skills you bring that can help you perform
excellently in your new position.
Sample Answer: “My termination from my prior position was not
performance based. Unfortunately, given the downturn of the telecommunications
industry, my company had to make the difficult decision to
cut 30 percent of its workforce. I am happy for the time I served with
my company, as it was a positive work environment and I was able to
accomplish many of the goals I set—from developing excellent teamwork
skills to working a great deal with the marketing department.
Given the experiences and skills I picked up, I am prepared to make
positive contributions in a new environment. When working for your
company, I will be able to put to use the many leadership skills I developed
as I managed multiple projects. I will also be able to draw on the
many insights I gained from working so closely with our marketing
department. With those skills and insights, I will enhance the marketing
work at your company.”
Questions About Losing or Leaving Your Job 193
Analysis of Answer: The answer is upbeat and forthcoming and does
not sound defensive. The candidate does a great job of making the time
at the telecommunications company seem well spent and of projecting
an image of someone who is goal oriented. The candidate underscores
the key skills and insights that he can draw on in the new job.
What to Avoid: Avoid sounding defensive. Avoid sounding as if you
have major personality or work-related flaws that will prevent you from
excelling in the new work environment. Try to shift the focus quickly
to your many accomplishments and the skills and experiences you can
bring to bear in your new position.
194 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
Other Difficult
Questions
195
69. Tell me about your greatest professional failure.
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is seeking to determine
how you respond to failure as well as to learn whether you have
made any significant mistake that might affect negatively his or her decision
to hire you. Contrary to popular belief, this question provides you
a great opportunity to pinpoint some positive attributes about yourself.
Choose a professional example in which you fell short of a goal, but one
that was not a major failure. Ideally, you will indicate what you learned
from the failure and how you later put that knowledge to work, yielding
many successes. If possible, elaborate briefly on an example of a success
that flowed from the lessons you learned from that failure.
Sample Answer: “When I first began to manage a team, I was given
a time-sensitive project with a very tight deadline. I believed that we
would need seven days to complete the project. But I failed to consider
that some of our work depended on another department, which had to
deliver critical information to us. I did not keep close tabs on the other
department’s work, and I assumed they would deliver the information
as planned. They did not. As a result, our work was set back by days.
We had to work late hours, sometimes until two o’clock in the morning,
to finish the project on schedule. I learned from this experience
how important time management and communication are.
Copyright © 2004 by Shelly Leanne. Click here for terms of use.
“Ever since that time, I have been conservative in my time projections,
and I take into account major areas in which our work could be set back.
If I am relying on work from an external group, I am certain to stay
abreast of that group’s work flow. As a result of my early failure, therefore,
I learned to be excellent at time management and communication.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer presents a failure that might be
seen as a common mistake for a professional who is new to managing a
project. It is therefore a relatively safe choice. The candidate explained
her early failure concisely before moving on to underscore the lessons
the candidate learned from the experience. The candidate successfully
explains how the lessons became a resource as she moved on to manage
other projects successfully.
What to Avoid: Avoid providing an example that represents a huge
mistake that few professionals would have made. Also avoid choosing an
example so recent that you cannot elaborate on how you have put the
lessons you have learned to good use.
70. What explains this D on your transcript?
What They Are Looking For: With this question, if there is only
one poor grade on your transcript, the interviewer is probably looking
for a brief explanation. We all go through hard circumstances, so an
interviewer can understand if you went through some circumstance that
resulted in a poor grade. If you have only one poor grade or a few that
are concentrated in a particular period of time, you might wish to
emphasize the difficult circumstances you were experiencing and then
point to the many successes you have experienced since that time.
Sample Answer: “During the second semester of my junior year, I had
to increase the number of hours I spent working in my part-time job
because my parents were not able to assist me that semester with my living
expenses. The course in mathematics in which I did not do well was
very time-intensive and competitive. Devoting twenty hours a week to
my part-time job meant I had less time available for studying, and that
196 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
single grade reflects this. You will notice that there is no other poor
grade on my record and that I fared well in all other math courses I took.
That one poor grade is a result of very specific circumstances and does
not reflect my math abilities. The other courses on my transcript, such
as calculus and statistics, are much better indicators of my abilities.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer provides a believable explanation
for the poor grade—the need to work while in school. The answer also
points to other indications of success in the candidate’s record.
What to Avoid: Avoid explanations that draw on personal circumstances
such as a romantic relationship as a reason for a poor grade.
Also, avoid explanations that present you as irresponsible, such as saying
you attended too many parties that semester. The interviewer will
want to believe that you are able to keep your personal matters from
impinging upon your work.
71. Your college grades in math were quite low. Even though
this is a speech-writing job, do you feel those low grades
are something we should be concerned about?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is probably concerned
about a trend that appears on your transcript. Many of us are
stronger in some subjects than in others. Through this question, the
interviewer is asking about low grades concentrated in a subject that is
not very relevant to the job for which you are applying. In this situation,
keep your response brief, noting that you are not strong in that
particular subject but emphasizing how strong your grades are in other
subjects that are more relevant to the job you are seeking to attain.
Sample Answer: “Ever since I was young, I have shown a clear
strength in my writing and communication abilities, whereas I have
received only average grades in math. During college, we were required
to take three math courses, and those lower grades reflect the fact that
I have never been strong in math. The job I am interviewing for today
centers on speech writing and calls for strong skills in writing and com-
Other Difficult Questions 197
munication. You can see from my transcript that I excelled in those
areas. My GPA in my major of English is very high. Likewise, I won two
awards for my writing during college. I am hoping that my record of success
in areas that are critical for this job—writing and communication—
will be the basis of my selection for the position you are offering.”
Analysis of Answer: The candidate does a good job of acknowledging
the poor grades in a nondefensive manner and then shifting the
focus quickly to his strengths in the areas that are important for the job
for which he is interviewing. The candidate proceeds to outline specific
indicators of success—from the high GPA to the awards—in the areas
that are most relevant to the job.
What to Avoid: Do not fail to acknowledge the poor grades if you
have several, but try to shift the focus to your strengths and your qualifications
for the job.
72. This job focuses a great deal on finance. I notice your college
grades in math were quite low. Do you have an explanation?
We are very concerned about this.
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is probably concerned
about a trend that appears on your transcript. If your grades are
low in an area that is related to the job for which you are interviewing,
you are best off providing other indicators of your success in that subject
matter. For instance, perhaps you took courses after college and did
well in that same subject matter. Or perhaps your standardized-test
scores in that arena are strong. Acknowledge the poor trend on your
transcript, but then offer the other indicators as better measurements
of your abilities.
Sample Answer: “I realize that math is very important for the job you
are offering. For some reason, I had a difficult time learning math well
during college. It might have been because of the overall demands of my
schedule or the demand of working part-time. But understanding how
important this subject is to my future, I have taken steps to strengthen
198 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
my math skills. I enrolled in four specialized courses during the summer
after my college graduation, and I maintained a high grade point
average in those courses. I went on to take several standardized tests as
I prepared to attain a one-year master’s degree, and you can see from
those scores that my math score ranked above the 90th percentile. In
my current job, I have employed my strong math skills in financial modeling.
My successes since college demonstrate that performance in math
is now a strength, not a weakness, in my performance.”
Analysis of Answer: The candidate does not make light of the poor
record. The candidate presents the image of someone who has made
sure to address a weakness that is relevant to the available job by taking
specialized courses and redoubling his efforts to strengthen skills in that
area. The candidate does a good job of pointing to indicators that attest
to his strengthened skills in the critical area.
73. Your overall grades in college were quite low. What explains
this?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is concerned that
your low college grades indicate a lack of motivation, commitment, or
intellectual ability. You are best off addressing this concern by pointing
to other successes that demonstrate your motivation, commitment,
and/or intellectual ability.
Sample Answer: “Yes, my college GPA was low. Unfortunately when
I attended college, I suffered from youthful ignorance and was not at
all focused on my studies. I focused on just about everything else—
community projects, college extracurricular activities, and participation
in college sports. In terms of serving as a strong leader on campus and
helping to contribute to campus life, I would receive an A. But I recognize
now the poor judgment in my choice to neglect my studies. I
cannot turn back the clock, but I have taken significant steps to make
up for the lost opportunity to excel in my college studies. I have
enrolled in many extension classes at the local college, where I have
maintained an A average in courses relevant to this job, such as mar-
Other Difficult Questions 199
keting. I have also taken the opportunity to become certified in computing,
since I seek to blend my business and technology skills. I have
also attained a very high record of success in my career, with two promotions
in the last three years. I am hoping that my record of success
since college will assure you of my ability to excel in the job you are
offering.”
Analysis of Answer: The answer does a good job of acknowledging
the poor college record in an even-toned way. The candidate does not
make light of the poor record. Nor does the candidate make excuses for
the poor record. The candidate presents the image of someone who has
recognized an error in judgment and taken the initiative to develop a
better record. The interviewer will likely see this response in a positive
light.
What to Avoid: Avoid appearing to make light of your poor record,
if you have a poor record to explain. Take responsibility for the poor
record, but emphasize what you have done since that time to strengthen
your record of achievement and skills.
200 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
Personal Questions
201
74. Why do you want to work in this city?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is interested in hearing
you express a sincere interest in the city, which indicates that you
might want to stay in that city—particularly if it is a new city for you—
for some time. It is a good idea to have a sense of the benefits the city
offers so that you can reference these benefits in your response. If you
have friends or family in the area, you might also mention this, to further
indicate the depth of your interest in the city.
Sample Answer: “I am attracted to Boston for many reasons. I see
Boston as a city in which my career can grow, especially given the
strong base of business that exists in the region. Boston’s expanding base
of medium-sized business ventures is attractive. There are also more
personal reasons why I want to work in Boston. I attended college here,
and my ties to the community are deep—both in terms of my friendships
with former classmates who are now businesspeople in this region
and in terms of my ties to community organizations. I have always
enjoyed Boston, given its history and culture, and the many areas of
town to enjoy such as downtown, the harbor, and Newton. Also, Boston
offers communities in which I would enjoy living again and in which I
can envision raising a family.”
Copyright © 2004 by Shelly Leanne. Click here for terms of use.
Analysis of Answer: This answer does a good job of highlighting an
array of reasons why Boston is an ideal choice for the candidate. The
candidate makes sure to touch on the professional aspects that make the
city attractive. The candidate also adds a personal touch to the reasons,
with references to friends and community organizations.
What to Avoid: Assuming you believe the company is seeking a
longer-term employee, avoid sounding as if you have not thought deeply
about whether the city is attractive for the long term. Also avoid sounding
as if you have not considered a wide array of reasons why the city
is an attractive place to live and work.
75. What do you do outside of work?
What They Are Looking For: The reasons why an interviewer
might ask this question can vary. In general, you should seek to demonstrate
that you are not “all work and no play.” People like to work with
people they find interesting. Focus your answer on activities that show
a depth to your personality and diversity in your interests and that also
underscore some of your winning qualities, such as intellectual curiosity,
desire to help others, or teamwork.
Sample Answer: “My work is very demanding, so I have little personal
time in this phase of my career. However, with the time I do have,
I make sure to devote time to community service through a group
called Community Action. I serve on a committee that convenes once
every three weeks to provide valuable services at various boys’ and girls’
clubs. We help to teach arts and sports. It has been wonderful to keep
that part of my life active in spite of my long work hours.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer demonstrates that the candidate
seeks a balanced life and places a positive value on participating in activities
within communities. This reflects well on the candidate’s potential
attitude toward company activities. The interviewer is likely to believe
this candidate will help keep the workplace pleasant.
202 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
What to Avoid: While the degree to which companies value extracurricular
activities varies widely, it is a good idea to have some type of
activity to mention so that you do not appear to lack a lighter side to
your personality.
76. How do you seek to balance work and home life?
What They Are Looking For: The reasons why an interviewer
might ask this question can vary widely, but in most cases the interviewer
is probing to see whether the balance you try to keep between
work and home responsibilities is consistent with the demands of the
job for which you are interviewing. If the organization you are trying
to work for is very family oriented, you should probably underscore
your commitment to hard work and family values. If the organization
you want to work for is known for working employees hard and expects
employees to make significant sacrifices with regard to family, you may
want to answer in a way that clarifies your willingness to put in long
hours if needed.
Sample Answer: “At this phase of my banking career, my time is in
great demand professionally. It has been a challenge to maintain a balance.
My wife also works in a highly demanding job, so we have decided
to carve out time with each other in the mornings rather than in the
evenings. Often, we cannot control whether we must work until ten
o’clock at night, and we are very tired when we get home. So we have
reoriented our time to get up an hour earlier each day and spend time
together over breakfast or working out. We also try to carve out time
together on our weekends. This has helped me maintain balance.”
Analysis of Answer: This is a wonderful response in an instance
when the available job is known to be very time-intensive and demanding.
The candidate demonstrates that he accepts the high demands of
his work without much complaint, and that he has found a creative way
to balance those demands against the desire to maintain a good social
and family life. This answer would not likely make the interviewer ner-
Personal Questions 203
vous that a high-demand job would be incompatible with the desired
lifestyle of the candidate.
What to Avoid: Avoid an answer that sounds as if you are whining
about your work hours or that might make the interviewer nervous that
the demands of the job you are applying for would be incompatible with
your lifestyle.
77. Whom do you most admire?
What They Are Looking For: By indicating whom you most
admire, you also indicate the types of achievements and traits you
admire. The interviewer is interested to hear about this, because it
reflects your values and attributes. Choose a person, therefore, who
reflects attributes and values that will also reflect well on you.
Sample Answer: “I most admire Martin Kingmaker, a highly successful
local businessman, for a number of reasons. I admire the fact
that he followed his passion. I have met many professionals who regret
that when the opportunity arose, they did not pursue a career in which
they could follow their passions. I also admire Mr. Kingmaker’s vision
and the fact that he was able to translate that vision into a notable success.
That took diligence, discipline, and hard work. Equally important,
I admire his commitment to employing professionals from a wide range
of backgrounds. His employees represent a wide range of countries and
ethnicities. His choices and achievements represent qualities I try to
develop in myself.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer does a wonderful job of explaining
clearly why the candidate admires the local businessperson. It also is a
good response because the local businessman possesses many admirable
traits and the job candidate draws a parallel to his own attributes as he
closes his response.
What to Avoid: Avoid sounding as if you admire someone only
because of the person’s fame, wealth, or power. At times, those values
204 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
can be seen as negatives if you do not mention other attributes such as
the person’s hard work, community contributions, or ethics.
78. What is one of your defining experiences?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer uses this question
to understand what motivates you. If the interviewer asks you to recount
a defining experience, you have a wonderful opportunity to carve an
answer that highlights the winning attributes that have helped you attain
many successes in your life. For instance, suppose you failed an exam
in junior high school but used the experience to develop both a strong
vision of your future and the determination to try harder and excel in
that same subject. You can use this question as a chance to elaborate a
theme about yourself: You became someone with strong vision and
determination. From there, talk about the many wonderful successes
you have experienced.
Sample Answer: “I am motivated by a deep desire to help produce
new products that will help make life easier for people around the world.
This motivation developed as a result of one of my defining experiences—
the hardship I experienced one summer when living in rural
Chile, where excellent products are hard to come by. It was very different
from England. After that difficult summer, I immigrated to the
United States with my parents. I was twelve. But the hardships I had
seen in Chile inspired me to take the opportunity to develop my skills
so that when I went to college, I could train to become an engineer.
That summer in Chile continues to motivate me as I design affordable
home care products that will be ideal in developing countries and can
help ease the burden of everyday activities for many people around the
world. Your company’s commitment to this same goal is one of the
biggest reasons why I am seeking a job with your company.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer is good because it pinpoints a defining
experience and links the development of the candidate’s motivation
to that experience. The candidate also does an excellent job of using this
Personal Questions 205
as a basis for demonstrating compatibility with the goals of the interviewing
company.
What to Avoid: Avoid elaborating on an experience that does not help
highlight your winning traits.
79. What early experiences led you on your current career
track?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is using this question
to understand what motivates you. If the interviewer asks you about
the early experiences that have led to your current career path, take the
opportunity to elaborate on sources of motivation that present you in
an excellent light. For instance, you can mention how your early experiences
in school instilled in you a love of learning and innovation,
which spurred you to explore a career with those characteristics. As you
anwer this question, you can demonstrate a wonderful fit with the interviewing
organization.
Sample Answer: “I am motivated by a deep desire to help improve
education through technology. This interest stems from my own
upbringing in the inner city of Chicago, where technological tools were
hard to come by. However, in today’s business world, companies see the
benefits of extending computer literacy to all parts of the country, and
since many inner-city schools have become Internet accessible, there is
now a tremendous opportunity to improve education through technology.
Seeing these trends, I chose to major in computer science while I
was in college, and I sought a job after graduation with a small technology
company that was known for innovative products. I had a wonderful
two years in my first job, and now I am ready to apply my
knowledge of educational IT tools in a larger company whose sole focus
lies in this area. Your company is ideal, given its focus and its commitment
to deploying excellent technology throughout school systems in
upper- as well as lower-income areas.”
206 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
Analysis of Answer: This answer is good because it pinpoints a concrete
set of early experiences that sparked the candidate’s deep interest.
The candidate then links that interest to her career ambitions. The candidate
does an excellent job of using this as a basis for demonstrating
compatibility with the goals of the interviewing company.
What to Avoid: Avoid using this question to elaborate on early experiences
that had no role in developing your winning traits.
80. What is your favorite hobby?
What They Are Looking For: The reasons why an interviewer
might ask this question can vary. In general, you should seek to demonstrate
you are not “all work and no play.” If the interviewer asks you
about your favorite hobby, you have a wonderful chance to relate key
information about attributes that will make you an excellent employee.
Choose a hobby at which you have excelled and that demonstrates your
favorable characteristics. Don’t underestimate any hobby you have.
Think about what you love about it, and be able to articulate how it
enriches you and the people around you.
Sample Answer: “I really enjoy playing soccer in a local community
league. What I enjoy most about playing soccer is the way I have to
focus on attaining goals and the way in which I have to play an effective
role on a team in order to attain success. Besides that, it is just good
fun and enables me to remain fit.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer stresses qualities about the game
that are relevant in the business world—playing a good role in a team
and focusing to attain a goal. The candidate uses his response to reinforce
a positive image.
What to Avoid: Avoid mentioning a hobby that might not be seen in
a positive light.
Personal Questions 207
81. What is your favorite extracurricular activity?
What They Are Looking For: The reasons why an interviewer
might ask a student this question can vary, but many interviewers use
this question to assess a fit between the attributes you highlight through
your response and the attributes of an ideal candidate for the job. If the
interview asks you about your favorite extracurricular activity, you have
a great chance to focus on the winning attributes that will make you an
excellent employee. Choose an activity that demonstrates characteristics
the interviewer will value, such as teamwork, a commitment to
improving your school’s or community’s environment, or a commitment
to helping others gain greater knowledge.
Sample Answer: “I really enjoy working for the Campus Volunteer
Leadership Association as an extracurricular activity. We help provide
student leaders for various charitable projects in our community based
on the students’ interests and skills. I enjoy that work because it allows
me to contribute to my community, as well as to meet other students
who are seeking to make positive contributions. This activity fits
well with my values. I have already helped organize teams that have
completed multiple projects. It has been a fun opportunity to employ
my organizational and leadership skills while also giving back to the
community.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer stresses several appealing qualities
of the extracurricular activity: making a contribution to the community,
organizing students, and using leadership skills. The candidate
therefore reinforces a positive image.
What to Avoid: Avoid elaborating on an extracurricular activity that
might not be seen in a positive light. When possible, choose something
that highlights business-relevant attributes or skills.
208 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
Personality
Questions
209
82. How would you describe yourself?
What They Are Looking For: This is an open-ended question, and
the interviewer will assess how articulate your response is as well as
whether the characteristics you highlight are ideal for the available job.
You can answer it in much the same way that you might have responded
to the query “Tell me about yourself.” Use memorable adjectives that
reinforce the qualities and skills the interviewer will value, and elaborate
if possible with reference to specific achievements.
Sample Answer: “I am hardworking, directed, and interested in people
from different places. Those attributes helped me excel in college.
These attributes have also served me well in my company, since it is a
diverse multinational company with projects that often involve work in
multiple countries. I have enjoyed working on projects with teams from
countries such as South Africa and Mexico. My hard work has enabled
me to bring success to our clients, and my direction has helped me
inspire confidence in my superiors, who promoted me last year to assistant
manager. Because your company is multinational and focused on
work that requires directed and focused professionals, I believe I will
blend in well here.”
Analysis of Answer: The answer centers on attributes that immediately
paint the candidate as an interesting and perhaps ideal choice for
a company. The candidate emphasizes a good fit with the company.
Copyright © 2004 by Shelly Leanne. Click here for terms of use.
What to Avoid: Avoid mentioning attributes that do not demonstrate
a match or that do not show your ability to flourish in the available job.
If you refer to some of your achievements, try to use a modest tone
(don’t come across as bragging too much).
83. Name three adjectives that describe you.
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is looking for a
match between the qualities needed in an ideal job candidate and the
way you describe yourself. With this in mind, describe yourself using
adjectives that reinforce qualities and skills the interviewer will value.
If possible, elaborate with reference to specific achievements.
Sample Answer: “I am analytical, creative, and hardworking. I have
served on many teams in which my analyses were pivotal to the overall
success of our team. As a result, my supervisors have given me increasing
responsibilities at work. I also have a natural tendency to consider
new solutions to problems, thinking about how to use best practices in
other fields in ways that are relevant to the telecommunications industry.
Finally, my willingness to work hard has helped drive my success
both in school, where I held a high GPA, and at work.”
Analysis of Answer: The answer is concise and focuses on attributes
that are relevant to the professional environment. This answer can help
the interviewer conclude that the candidate is a good choice for the
available job.
What to Avoid: Avoid mentioning attributes that do not highlight
your strengths. Focus on traits that demonstrate a fit with the available
job.
84. What is your greatest weakness?
What They Are Looking For: Overall, the interviewer is looking
for a match between the qualities of an ideal job candidate and your
qualities. Therefore, when speaking of a weakness, the weakness you
210 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
mention should not be in one of the areas in which you must demonstrate
a strength in order to succeed in the available job. Use caution
when choosing a weakness to elaborate on.
Sample Answer: “My greatest weakness is a tendency to be too detail
oriented. There are times when work in our industry must be done
quickly and solving 80 percent of the problem is more than sufficient
for meeting our goals. If I try to attain perfection, I could waste a great
deal of time. So, I constantly try to delineate my goals to make sure I
am not putting in too much time on a project or doing unnecessary
work.”
Analysis of Answer: This is a common weakness, so mentioning this
is not likely to hurt the candidate much in the interviewing process. The
candidate was careful to indicate an effort to address the weakness,
which the interviewer will see as a constructive reaction to a weakness.
What to Avoid: Avoid mentioning a weakness that puts into question
your ability to excel in the job for which you are applying.
85. What is your greatest strength?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is looking for a
match between the qualities needed in an ideal job candidate and the
way you describe your greatest strength. Choose a strength that reinforces
the qualities and skills the interviewer will value. If possible, elaborate
with reference to specific achievements.
Sample Answer: “My greatest strength is my ability to work well with
others. This made me an excellent team participant, when I needed to
assist others with difficult situations. This also enabled me to be a great
team leader, because I needed to get to know my team members well in
order to manage them excellently. Finally, my ability to work well with
others means I am good with our clients, which is always a plus for
advancing in this career field. One of the reasons I would look forward
to the chance to work for your company as a project manager is that I
Personality Questions 211
will be able to put my strength to use as I manage large teams and help
attract new business.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer is wonderful in mentioning a
strength that reinforces the skills the candidate needs to succeed in the
available job.
What to Avoid: Avoid mentioning a strength that is not relevant at all
to your ability to excel in the job for which you are applying. Take the
opportunity to use this question to underscore your winning attributes
and qualifications for the job.
86. What motivates you?
What They Are Looking For: In seeking to understand what motivates
you, the interviewer can probe to see if your passion or goals are
suitable given the available job. This is a very open-ended question that
provides an opportunity for you to use your motivations as a way to
tout your major achievements and strengths. Motivations can vary from
“a passion for learning,” to “a love of serving others.” Once you offer
a motivation or two, elaborate with specifics about the successes you
have achieved as a result of your motivation.
Sample Answer: “I am motivated by a deep desire to help others
through innovative medical products. This motivation developed when
I was in junior high school, when I lost one of my favorite aunts to cancer.
It was difficult watching her health deteriorate and sensing the helplessness
of the doctors. That sparked my interest in sciences, and I soon
began to excel in the sciences. This interest stayed with me throughout
college, and the more I explored the companies devoted to developing
new medical devices, the more I understood I wanted to dedicate my
life to working for such a company.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer is good because it explains the candidate’s
motivation and elaborates on a believable reason why the candidate
has that motivation. This particular response may also be
212 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
attractive to an interviewer because the candidate implies that her interest
in the field is long-standing and firm.
What to Avoid: Avoid elaborating on motivations that might be perceived
as highly negative.
87. How would your friends describe you?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is looking for a
match between the qualities you highlight and the qualities of the ideal
job candidate. This is an open-ended question that enables you to focus
immediately on the winning attributes and skills you need to excel in
your potential new work environment. Take the opportunity to direct
the conversation toward strengths that the interviewing organization
will find most attractive.
Sample Answer: “My friends would describe me as very directed and
excellent at setting goals. They would point to my strong record in college
as an example of my ability to be directed and to excel in a competitive
environment. They would also look at my promotions in my
current job as evidence of my goal-setting tendencies. In spite of my
hard work and drive, though, my friends would also say I am a lot of
fun to be around. I try to keep balance in my life by continuing to work
in the community in my spare time and by participating in outdoor
activities such as hiking and biking with my friends.”
Analysis of Answer: The candidate focuses centrally on attributes
and the aspects of his record that will be appealing to the interviewer—
hard work and goal orientation. The candidate also makes sure to mention
being fun, since it is the candidate’s friends who are supposed to
be commenting. This response paints the candidate in a positive light.
What to Avoid: Avoid focusing on attributes that do not shed much
light on your ability to perform in the position for which you are applying
or that create the image of someone who would be dull or boring
to work with.
Personality Questions 213
88. How would your teammates describe you?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is looking for a
match between the attributes you highlight and the attributes of the
ideal candidate. This is an open-ended question that enables you to
focus immediately on the winning attributes and skills you need to excel
in your potential new work environment. Take the opportunity to direct
the conversation toward strengths that the interviewing organization
will find most attractive. Because the question is about team members,
be certain to touch on qualities that make for an excellent team member
or team leader.
Sample Answer: “My team members would describe me as cooperative,
insightful, and creative. They think of me as cooperative because
they remember the times that I helped them solve problems they faced,
even though the matter might not have been my particular responsibility.
They would say I am insightful because they would remember how
many times my analysis helped to shed light on our projects. They
would say I was creative because I am known for innovative thinking.
Those attributes make me an excellent team member.”
Analysis of Answer: The answer is concise and focuses on attributes
associated with good team participation. This response paints the candidate
in a positive light.
What to Avoid: Avoid focusing on attributes that do not shed much
light on your ability to perform well as a team member.
89. How would your supervisor describe you?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is looking for a
match between the traits you highlight and the traits your supervisors
at the interviewing company would hope to find in the ideal job candidate.
This is an open-ended question that enables you to center your
214 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
answer on the positive attributes and capabilities that can help you perform
excellently in the available job. Because the response should reflect
what your supervisor thinks of you, tailor your wording to reflect qualities
of particular value to a supervisor.
Sample Answer: “My superior would describe me as directed, excellent
at setting goals, and creative. Another of my goals has been to consistently
deliver excellent work on the job. Another thing that has meant
a great deal to me is to consistently perform successfully at work. I have
done this by ensuring I understood the goal of all projects I have led
and by meeting with all of the key parties to a project to make sure we
were all aligned in our objectives. I have also attained excellence by leading
my teams to develop creative solutions for our clients. I motivate
my teams to think outside of the box. My ability to perform so well in
my current job provides the basis of my ability to do well in the managerial
position you are offering.”
Analysis of Answer: The candidate focuses on attributes and the
aspects of his or her record that are most meaningful to the interviewer.
Her response concludes well as the candidate points out that her record
of success provides a basis for future success as a manager.
What to Avoid: Avoid focusing on attributes that do not shed much
light on your ability to perform excellently in the position for which
you are applying.
90. If two managers were discussing you, what would they be
saying?
What They Are Looking For: Just as in Question 89, through this
question the interviewer is looking for a match between the traits and
accomplishments you highlight and the traits and accomplishments of
the ideal job candidate. Emphasize the key attributes that will make you
an excellent choice for the new job.
Personality Questions 215
Sample Answer: “If two managers were discussing me, they would
focus on my record of success and the consistency of my performance.
One of my personal goals has been to perform with consistent success
at work. I do this by ensuring I understand the goals of all projects I
have led and by meeting with all of the key parties to a project to make
sure we were all aligned in our objectives. I have also managed teams
well by focusing our efforts carefully and prioritizing in ways that
ensure we deliver work on schedule. My ability to perform so well provides
the basis of my ability to do well in the managerial position you
are offering.”
Analysis of Answer: The candidate focuses on aspects of her record
that are most meaningful to the company conducting the interview. The
candidate closes her response well as she points out that her record of
success provides a basis for future success as a manager.
What to Avoid: Avoid focusing on attributes that do not shed much
light on your ability to perform excellently in the position for which
you are applying.
91. How can your superiors most easily motivate you?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is asking you to
comment on what sorts of incentives motivate you in the workplace.
Perhaps affirm that you normally remain highly motivated without the
need for extra prodding, but also mention other incentives that you
react positively to, such as the chance to make a significant difference
to the client.
Sample Answer: “I rarely need others to motivate me, as I am very
directed in my own career and am the sort of person who enjoys taking
the initiative. But if my superiors want to try to motivate me more,
it would be by underscoring the importance of my work to our company
and clients. It is important to me that my work is excellent and that
216 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
I make a difference through my work. When that is affirmed, it helps
to inspire me.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer is good because the candidate conveys
self-motivation and self-direction. The response also emphasizes
that the candidate places great value on providing excellent work for her
company and clients. These are all pluses in the interview process.
What to Avoid: Avoid sounding as if you are difficult to motivate or
as if you need constant motivation from your supervisors. In many situations,
it is also risky to imply that your sole motivation is money.
92. Give me a recent example of constructive criticism you have
received at work from a supervisor.
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is asking you to state
what one of your weaknesses is. Since they are asking you to reveal such
information from the perspective of a superior, this can be a tricky
question to answer. Be careful what you choose to speak about, because
you want to preserve the notion that you are an excellently performing
employee.
Sample Answer: “I recently received feedback that I should provide
more critical evaluations of my junior associates. My supervisor
reviewed my favorable comments about most of my team members during
their latest review, and commented that my evaluations were not
critical enough. My supervisor agrees that our team performed wonderfully
as it developed excellent computing systems for multiple
divisions of our company. But she points out that everyone has room
for improvement. My evaluation style has been to provide critical feedback
orally, and when I see my associates improve their weaknesses,
I have chosen to minimize the written feedback about those weaknesses.
I understand and accept my superior’s criticism and have made a point
to be more detailed in my written evaluations. If I were to begin to work
Personality Questions 217
with your computing systems company, I would seek to understand
clearly what sort of feedback you would like me to provide about the
people I supervise, because professional development is very important.”
Analysis of Answer: This is a relatively harmless answer. It provides
criticism about a particular area that is not likely to be seen as central
to the skills needed to excel in the available computing job. The candidate
balanced his response well by indicating the team he led had
worked excellently in spite of his tendency to provide more feedback
orally rather than in writing.
What to Avoid: Avoid discussing an area that will imply you are weak
in skills, knowledge, or experience that is critical for success in your
potential new job.
93. What makes you unique?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is seeking a match
between the characteristics you highlight and the characteristics of an
ideal candidate. The interviewer is offering you an open-ended question
that lets you focus on the positive attributes and capabilities that
can help you excel in your potential new work environment.
Sample Answer: “The diversity and depth of my work experience
help to make me unique. I have lived in four different countries. I have
enjoyed different cultures and enjoy getting to know the histories of
exotic places. Fortunately, I have also had the opportunity to lead teams
in each of those countries—in Egypt, England, Brazil, and the United
States. As a result of those experiences, I have learned to work with
multinational teams. This would be a big asset at your firm, because of
your firm’s diversity. I will be able to manage diverse teams well, which
is needed in the job you are interviewing for.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer focuses on one broad theme that
supports the notions that this candidate is prepared to blend into the
218 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
environment of the interviewing firm, and has a skill—managing
diverse teams—that will enable him to succeed in his new job. The candidate
could have also focused on two or three attributes, rather than
the one broad theme of diversity.
What to Avoid: Avoid focusing for too long on attributes that are
irrelevant to your professional career or the position for which you are
applying.
94. What are your most memorable characteristics?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer will assess whether
there is a fit between the characteristics you highlight and the characteristics
of an ideal candidate. This is an open-ended question. Center
your reply on the key attributes that help make you a good choice for
the new job.
Sample Answer: “My most memorable characteristics are creativity,
hard work, and a friendly personality. My creativity can be seen as I
helped launch a new club during college, which grew to be one of the
largest health education clubs on campus by my senior year. My work
with that health education club gave me a lot of leadership experience.
My creativity can also be seen through my success in leading two innovative
marketing campaigns at my current company. My hard work is
evident through the success of my marketing campaigns. And my
friendly personality has manifested itself both through my community
work and through my team leadership. I know others enjoy working
with me, which is one reason why my teams do so well. I believe my
memorable characteristics will help me be an excellent marketing manager
at your company.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer does a good job of focusing on
three attributes that are relevant to the candidate’s ability to be an effective
and pleasant professional to work with. The candidate does a good
job of providing examples for each attribute she highlights and of using
Personality Questions 219
the opportunity to focus attention on achievements that make her qualified
for a marketing position.
What to Avoid: Avoid focusing on attributes that are not relevant to
the position you are applying for or that fail to paint you as a person
with whom others would want to work.
95. Tell me about a trip you have enjoyed and what you liked
most about it.
What They Are Looking For: If appropriate, make this answer
deeper than simply “I liked that city because it has a lot of restaurants
that stay open late.” The interviewer is offering you an opportunity to
stress attributes such as your enjoyment of different cultures, your
appreciation of history, or your enjoyment of activities such as hiking
or camping. Those choices can be seen as indicating a passion for diversity,
intellectual curiosity, and a desire to challenge oneself, respectively.
Those qualities make for a good worker. As such, they can serve as key
parts of a good response. Carve your answer so that it reveals deeper
qualities about your personality that indicate you will be an interesting
colleague or a good worker.
Sample Answer: “I recently took a trip to Oklahoma and drove down
through Arizona. I had the opportunity to visit several local Native
American cultural centers and the Grand Canyon. I am intellectually
curious, so those aspects of the trip were wonderful. I enjoyed learning
more about the history of our country, as well as about the culture of
Native Americans. I am also a nature lover; I spend a lot of my time outside
of work on camping and hiking trips. So the opportunity to see so
much of our country’s natural beauty on this road trip was ideal for me.
The Grand Canyon is spectacular. I really enjoyed seeing such a beautiful
piece of America, and I hope to be able to visit again in the future.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer was good because the candidate
underscored his intellectual curiosity, love of learning about other cul-
220 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
tures, and enjoyment of nature. This candidate succeeds in making the
interviewer think that he or she will be an interesting person to have
around, and highlights traits often found in a good worker.
What to Avoid: Avoid providing a bland answer that fails to reinforce
a positive image of yourself. Instead, try to use this question to weave
in extra bits of information that make you sound interesting and highlight
the traits of a good worker.
96. If you could travel across the country with someone famous,
who would it be, and why?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is looking for you
to reveal deeper qualities about yourself through this answer. By revealing
whom you might want to complete a cross-country drive with, you
are presumably pointing out someone you admire. Thus, you are also
commenting on attributes you hold in high esteem. Use this question
as a way to underscore your own admirable qualities, if possible.
Sample Answer: “If I had the chance to travel across the country with
someone famous, I would choose former South African President Nelson
Mandela. There are lots of reasons why. First of all, I greatly admire
his commitment to freedom and his willingness to pay a high price for
what he felt was right. He exemplifies courage and high ethics. Second,
I admire his ability to have a vision of a country in which people work
together across differences in gender and ethnicity. That is a vision that
much of the rest of the world is working toward. I would also like to
have the chance to ask him how he managed to keep focused on his
goals through so many hardships. I am someone who is very goal oriented
and who is diligently pursuing a vision of my own future. I would
have much to learn from Nelson Mandela.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer is good because the candidate
chooses someone that most people would agree is a notable, admirable
figure. Likewise, the reasons the candidate offers for his admiration
Personality Questions 221
indicate that those characteristics—courage, high ethics, goal orientation—
are characteristics he is trying to emulate. Therefore, this
response presents the candidate in a positive light.
What to Avoid: Avoid choosing a highly controversial figure or a figure
whom you admire based solely on factors such as money or fame,
as you might miss an opportunity to underscore important values about
yourself that are relevant to the job for which you are applying.
222 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
End-of-Interview
Questions
223
97. Where else are you interviewing?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer wants a frank statement
of the other organizations with which you are interviewing. If the
interviewer asks you where else you are interviewing, be straightforward.
Recruiters at companies in the same industry sometimes know
each other, so you do not want to be less than forthcoming and have
the interviewer discover that you omitted information or fudged your
answers. But you can still restate and underscore your deep interest in
the company with which you are interviewing.
Sample Answer: “I am interviewing with three pharmaceutical companies
in this area. However, you are my top choice. As I mentioned, I
have been looking for a company that is known for focusing on affordable,
innovative health care products and medicine, and one that is particularly
focused on elderly health care. Your specialization and the
appealing corporate culture of this company are what makes me so
attracted to this firm.”
Analysis of Answer: This candidate does a good job of answering the
question directly while underscoring why this company is the ideal one
for him.
Copyright © 2004 by Shelly Leanne. Click here for terms of use.
What to Avoid: Avoid sounding as if you are being less than forthcoming
or omitting important information. Avoid sounding as if you
are indifferent about which of the firms you will work for, if you are
interviewing with other companies. Instead, underscore why the firm
with which you are interviewing is ideal for you.
98. Do you have any questions about our company?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is normally interested
in addressing questions you have. When interviewers ask you to
pose questions about their company, err on the side of caution. In the
interviewing phase, your goal is to land the job, so you do not want to
ask any risky questions at this point. Remember, the interviewer will
assess whether your questions indicate you are an ideal choice for the
company. If possible, ask questions that help demonstrate a fit between
you and the company. If possible, also ask questions that demonstrate
you know the basics about the company.
Sample Answer: “I understand that, given the many challenges of the
current environment, your consulting company has decided to launch
a restructuring division to help companies adversely affected by the economic
downturn. To my understanding, your company will help them
streamline after they have filed for bankruptcy. That sounds like a valuable
service to provide companies. Will other parts of your company,
such as the corporate consulting division, be able to share lessons
learned from your restructuring work in order to assist other companies
that are also distressed but not in bankruptcy? I am curious about
how you share best practices throughout the firm.”
Analysis of Answer: This question should be addressed to an interviewer
who has knowledge of the practices within this company. The
question demonstrates that the candidate has done his or her homework
and is aware of the company’s new initiative to establish a restructuring
division. Asking how the company leverages its knowledge across
224 100 Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
its divisions is good because the candidate shows general curiosity about
how to deliver excellence to clients.
What to Avoid: Avoid questions that paint you in a bad light, such as
too much concern about salary levels. Such questions are normally best
asked after the job has been offered to you. Do not ask questions that
demonstrate you lack basic knowledge about the company.
99. What additional questions can I answer for you?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer wants to answer
your questions but will also be listening to hear whether your questions
indicate a fit or lack of fit with the company or job. If the interviewer
invites you to pose questions, stay with simple questions that have fairly
predictable answers. Your goal in the interviewing phase is to land the
job, so err on the side of caution. If possible, ask questions that help
demonstrate a fit between you and the company. Also ask knowledgeable
questions to demonstrate you have done your homework about the
job, the team with which you might work, and the company.
Sample Answer: “When reading through current business articles, I
was interested to learn that, partly thanks to your corporate culture that
encourages innovation, this company has doubled its client base and is
seeking to expand its Houston base in the area of gas and energy consulting.
What have you most enjoyed about the work in this area?”
Analysis of Answer: This question should be addressed to an interviewer
who works in the gas or energy practice. This question conveys
to the interviewer that the candidate has done her homework and is
familiar with the direction the company is taking. The question also
asks the interviewer to comment about a personal experience, which
will likely create a positive reaction.
What to Avoid: Avoid sounding as if you do not know the basics about
the company or industry, or as if you have not completed your home-
End-of-Interview Questions 225
work about the available job and the individuals with whom you might
be working.
100. Is there anything else you’d like to tell me before we conclude
this interview?
What They Are Looking For: The interviewer is offering you the
opportunity to recap the themes you had hoped to present during the
interview. Since this question is posed at the close of the interview, you
should not elaborate for too long. Try to concisely recap a summary of
the skills and attributes you bring to the company and to restate your
deep interest in the company.
Sample Answer: “I just want to thank you again for taking the time
to meet with me. I was really happy to receive an interview because, as
I mentioned, I have for some time been working toward a goal of securing
a position like the one you are offering. With the engineering skills
and business experience I have gained, and project successes I have
achieved in my current position, I believe I can excel in the position you
are offering. I hope to have the opportunity to join your firm.”
Analysis of Answer: This answer provides a very brief recap of the
candidate’s main theme of offering a unique blend of engineering and
business experience coupled with many project successes. The positive
attitude and enthusiasm of the response, combined with a restatement
of the candidate’s themes, will likely produce a very positive response
from the interviewer.
What to Avoid: Avoid speaking for too long or sounding surprised
that you were chosen for the interview. You want to sound thankful for
the opportunity to interview, but you also want to sound confident in
your abilities.
