Tough Questions and How to Answer Them
“Be Prepared.”
—Robert Baden-Powell
(official Boy Scout motto)
While I don’t recommend memorizing answers to anticipated interview questions, there are a few common ones managers like to ask because they tend to take candidates by surprise. You’ll note in the following examples that many answers are mined from your REAPRICH preparation, which serves a dual purpose: presenting a cohesive message to the interviewer by reinforcing your main points, and giving you less to memorize. Both are confidence boosters.
Who are you? Incorporate three personal and three or four professional positives into your answer. For example, “I’m an extremely hard worker who loves to finish before deadline and win awards. But I also put just as much emphasis on being a great dad and husband. I enjoy waterskiing, mountain climbing, and playing guitar, and have recently gotten into the power of great nutrition.”
Why should I hire you? Use four positives from your results list and two from your process and relationships lists. Keep it to about a minute.
Give an example of a time you tried your best and failed. You need to be honest here. Describe the goal, what went wrong, and how you approached it. Most important, end with what you did to remedy the situation, and what you learned from it.
Who was the worst boss (or employee) you ever worked with? Remember the prohibition on badmouthing? Even if you had an awful boss or coworker, it is not good to get into negatives or specifics like incompetence. Instead, describe this person as someone who challenged you beyond what you thought you could handle. Then show that the experience taught you tolerance, patience, and how to act professionally under all circumstances.
What four words would someone close to you use to describe you? This is one I use frequently. Often it throws people for a loop. If you can’t describe yourself as others see you in a positive way, it may mean that no one sees you positively. Be prepared for this one and don’t even hesitate with your answer. It could make someone question your ability to build relationships.
Who was your best mentor? Hopefully, you have someone on your relationships list who falls into the category of mentor. Be quick with your answer here too. If you can’t describe someone’s positive effect on you, then people might question whether you can build relationships, accept authority, learn from others, and collaborate.
What do you feel you will bring to this organization? Once again, mine your REAPRICH lists. Make a statement that highlights four or five items from your results list, two from process, and three from relationships.
Where do you want to be in five years? Don’t say you want the manager’s job. Let’s face it—self-protection is a human trait shared by even the best managers. A good manager will appreciate your ambition; a mediocre or bad one may feel threatened. Instead say, “I want to progress in the organization and be one of the fastest-learning and -growing employees. I’d also like to be of maximum use to you as you rise up the ladder.”
Insider Secret #14:
If you follow the REAPRICH method, you’ll answer most of your interviewer’s questions before they’re asked.
What is your greatest weakness? Don’t simply turn a negative into a positive. That’s an outdated approach that could come across as a lack of creativity. Instead, think of an honest negative that’s something that won’t count you out of a job. “I’ve realized I expect more from people than they expect from themselves,” is one example. Another is, “I need to learn to step back and look at the big picture more often, as I am used to driving things quickly.” Or, “I don’t enjoy details so although I’m careful to keep track of them, I always partner myself with someone I know will catch all the details while I’m moving at light speed.”
What is your ninety-day plan to be successful here? Before the interview, think about whether there’s a way to come up with an intelligent plan based on what you’ve learned through your research of the company and the position. If not, come prepared to talk about one from a past opportunity. At least you’ll demonstrate that you’re a planner who’s always ready.
Give me an example of where you took a difficult customer or situation and turned it into a win. Everyone has success stories of this kind. Pick one and boil the details down into a concise, punchy response.
Tough Questions Worksheet
Answer the questions reviewed in this chapter as if you were in an interview: