General Guidelines in Answering Interview Questions Everyone is nervous on interviews.

If you simply allow yourself to feel nervous, you'll do much better. Remember also that it's difficult for the interviewer as well. In general, be upbeat and positive. ever be negative. Rehearse your answers and time them. ever tal! for more than " minutes straight. #on't try to memori$e answers word for word. %se the answers shown here as a guide only, and don't be afraid to include your own thoughts and words. &o help you remember !ey concepts, 'ot down and review a few !ey words for each answer. Rehearse your answers fre(uently, and they will come to you naturally in interviews. As you will read in the accompanying report, the single most important strategy in interviewing, as in all phases of your 'ob search, is what we call) *&he Greatest E+ecutive ,ob -inding .ecret.* And that is... Find out what people want, than show them how you can help them get it. -ind out what an employer wants most in his or her ideal candidate, then show how you meet those (ualifications. In other words, you must match your abilities, with the needs of the employer. /ou must sell what the buyer is buying. &o do that, before you !now what to emphasi$e in your answers, you must find out what the buyer is buying... what he is loo!ing for. And the best way to do that is to as! a few (uestions yourself. /ou will see how to bring this off s!illfully as you read the first two (uestions of this report. 0ut regardless of how you accomplish it, you must remember this strategy above all) before blurting out your (ualifications, you must get some idea of what the employer wants most. 1nce you !now what he wants, you can then present your (ualifications as the perfect 2!ey3 that fits the 2loc!3 of that position. 4. 1ther important interview strategies) ". &urn wea!nesses into strengths 5/ou'll see how to do this in a few moments.6 7. &hin! before you answer. A pause to collect your thoughts is a hallmar! of a thoughtful person. As a daily e+ercise, practice being more optimistic. -or e+ample, try putting a positive spin on events and situations you would normally regard as negative. &his is not meant to turn you into a 8ollyanna, but to sharpen your selling s!ills. &he best salespeople, as well as the best li!ed interview candidates, come off as being naturally optimistic, *can do* people. /ou will dramatically raise your level of attractiveness by daily practicing to be

more optimistic. 0e honest...never lie. 9eep an interview diary. Right after each interview note what you did right, what could have gone a little better, and what steps you should ta!e ne+t with this contact. &hen ta!e those steps. #on't be li!e the :;< of humanity who say they will follow up on something, but never do. 1. Tell me about yourself. TRAPS: 0eware, about =>< of all interviews begin with this 2innocent3 (uestion. ?any candidates, unprepared for the (uestion, s!ewer themselves by rambling, recapping their life story, delving into ancient wor! history or personal matters. !ST A"S#!R: .tart with the present and tell why you are well (ualified for the position. Remember that the !ey to all successful interviewing is to match your (ualifications to what the interviewer is loo!ing for. In other words you must sell what the buyer is buying. &his is the single most important strategy in 'ob hunting. .o, before you answer this or any (uestion it's imperative that you try to uncover your interviewer's greatest need, want, problem or goal. &o do so, ma!e you ta!e these two steps) @ #o all the homewor! you can before the interview to uncover this person's wants and needs 5not the generali$ed needs of the industry or company6 @ As early as you can in the interview, as! for a more complete description of what the position entails. /ou might say) 2I have a number of accomplishments I'd li!e to tell you about, but I want to ma!e the best use of our time together and tal! directly to your needs. &o help me do, that, could you tell me more about the most important priorities of this positionA All I !now is what I 5heard from the recruiter, read in the classified ad, etc.63 &hen, ABCA/. followDup with a second and possibly, third (uestion, to draw out his needs even more. .urprisingly, it's usually this second or third (uestion that unearths what the interviewer is most loo!ing for. /ou might as! simply, *And in addition to thatA...* or, *Is there anything else you see as essential to success in this positionA) &his process will not feel easy or natural at first, because it is easier simply to answer

(uestions, but only if you uncover the employer's wants and needs will your answers ma!e the most sense. 8ractice as!ing these !ey (uestions before giving your answers, the process will feel more natural and you will be light years ahead of the other 'ob candidates you're competing with. After uncovering what the employer is loo!ing for, describe why the needs of this 'ob bear stri!ing parallels to tas!s you've succeeded at before. 0e sure to illustrate with specific e+amples of your responsibilities and especially your achievements, all of which are geared to present yourself as a perfect match for the needs he has 'ust described. $. #hat are your greatest strengths% TRAPS: &his (uestion seems li!e a softball lob, but be prepared. /ou don't want to come across as egotistical or arrogant. either is this a time to be humble. !ST A"S#!R: /ou !now that your !ey strategy is to first uncover your interviewer's greatest wants and needs before you answer (uestions. And from Question 4, you !now how to do this. 8rior to any interview, you should have a list mentally prepared of your greatest strengths. /ou should also have, a specific e+ample or two, which illustrates each strength, an e+ample chosen from your most recent and most impressive achievements. /ou should, have this list of your greatest strengths and corresponding e+amples from your achievements so well committed to memory that you can recite them cold after being sha!en awa!e at ")7>A?. &hen, once you uncover your interviewer's greatest wants and needs, you can choose those achievements from your list that best match up. As a general guideline, the 4> most desirable traits that all employers love to see in their employees are) 4. A proven trac! record as an achiever...especially if your achievements match up with the employer's greatest wants and needs. ". Intelligence...management *savvy*. 7. Eonesty...integrity...a decent human being. F. Good fit with corporate culture...someone to feel comfortable with...a team player who meshes well with interviewer's team.

;. Bi!eability...positive attitude...sense of humor. G. Good communication s!ills. H. #edication...willingness to wal! the e+tra mile to achieve e+cellence. =. #efiniteness of purpose...clear goals. :. Enthusiasm...high level of motivation. 4>. Ionfident...healthy...a leader. &. #hat are your greatest wea'nesses% TRAPS: 0eware D this is an eliminator (uestion, designed to shorten the candidate list. Any admission of a wea!ness or fault will earn you an 2A3 for honesty, but an 2-3 for the interview. PASSA (! A"S#!R: #isguise a strength as a wea!ness. E+ample) 2I sometimes push my people too hard. I li!e to wor! with a sense of urgency and everyone is not always on the same wavelength.3 #rawbac!) &his strategy is better than admitting a flaw, but it's so widely used, it is transparent to any e+perienced interviewer. !ST A"S#!R: 5and another reason it's so important to get a thorough description of your interviewer's needs before you answer (uestions6) Assure the interviewer that you can thin! of nothing that would stand in the way of your performing in this position with e+cellence. &hen, (uic!ly review you strongest (ualifications. E+ample) 2 obody's perfect, but based on what you've told me about this position, I believe I' d ma!e an outstanding match. I !now that when I hire people, I loo! for two things most of all. #o they have the (ualifications to do the 'ob well, and the motivation to do it wellA Everything in my bac!ground shows I have both the (ualifications and a strong desire to achieve e+cellence in whatever I ta!e on. .o I can say in all honesty that I see nothing that would cause you even a small concern about my ability or my strong desire to perform this 'ob with e+cellence.3 Alternate strategy 5if you don't yet !now enough about the position to tal! about such a

perfect fit6) Instead of confessing a wea!ness, describe what you li!e most and li!e least, ma!ing sure that what you li!e most matches up with the most important (ualification for success in the position, and what you li!e least is not essential. E+ample) Bet's say you're applying for a teaching position. 2If given a choice, I li!e to spend as much time as possible in front of my prospects selling, as opposed to shuffling paperwor! bac! at the office. 1f course, I long ago learned the importance of filing paperwor! properly, and I do it conscientiously. 0ut what I really love to do is sell 5if your interviewer were a sales manager, this should be music to his ears.6 ). Tell me about something you did * or failed to do * that you now feel a little ashamed of. TRAPS: &here are some (uestions your interviewer has no business as!ing, and this is one. 0ut while you may feel li!e answering, 2none of your business,3 naturally you canJt. .ome interviewers as! this (uestion on the chance you admit to something, but if not, at least theyJll see how you thin! on your feet. .ome unprepared candidates, flustered by this (uestion, unburden themselves of guilt from their personal life or career, perhaps e+pressing regrets regarding a parent, spouse, child, etc. All such answers can be disastrous. !ST A"S#!R: As with faults and wea!nesses, never confess a regret. 0ut donJt seem as if youJre stonewalling either. 0est strategy) .ay you harbor no regrets, then add a principle or habit you practice regularly for healthy human relations. E+ample) 8ause for reflection, as if the (uestion never occurred to you. &hen say, 2/ou !now, I really canJt thin! of anything.3 58ause again, then add6) 2I would add that as a general management principle, IJve found that the best way to avoid regrets is to avoid causing them in the first place. I practice one habit that helps me a great deal in this regard. At the end of each day, I mentally review the dayJs events and conversations to ta!e a second loo! at the people and developments IJm involved with and do a double chec! of what theyJre li!ely to be feeling. .ometimes IJll see things that do need more followDup, whether a pat on the bac!, or maybe a five minute chat in someoneJs office to ma!e sure weJre clear on thingsKwhatever.3 2I also li!e to ma!e each person feel li!e a member of an elite team, li!e the 0oston Ieltics or BA Ba!ers in their prime. IJve found that if you let each team member !now

you e+pect e+cellence in their performanceKif you wor! hard to set an e+ample yourselfKand if you let people !now you appreciate and respect their feelings, you wind up with a highly motivated group, a team thatJs having fun at wor! because theyJre striving for e+cellence rather than brooding over slights or regrets.3 +. #hy are you lea,ing -or did you lea,e. this position% TRAPS: ever badmouth your previous industry, company, board, boss, staff, employees or customers. &his rule is inviolable) never be negative. Any mud you hurl will only soil your suit. Especially avoid words li!e 2personality clash3, 2didnJt get along3, or others which cast a shadow on your competence, integrity, or temperament. !ST A"S#!R: 5If you have a 'ob presently6 If youJre not yet 4>>< committed to leaving your present post, donJt be afraid to say so. .ince you have a 'ob, you are in a stronger position than someone who does not. 0ut donJt be coy either. .tate honestly what youJd be hoping to find in a new spot. 1f course, as stated often before, you answer will all the stronger if you have already uncovered what this position is all about and you match your desires to it. 5If you do not presently have a 'ob.6 ever lie about having been fired. ItJs unethical D and too easily chec!ed. 0ut do try to deflect the reason from you personally. If your firing was the result of a ta!eover, merger, division wide layoff, etc., so much the better. 0ut you should also do something totally unnatural that will demonstrate consummate professionalism. Even if it hurts , describe your own firing D candidly, succinctly and without a trace of bitterness D from the companyJs pointDofDview, indicating that you could understand why it happened and you might have made the same decision yourself. /our stature will rise immensely and, most important of all, you will show you are healed from the wounds inflicted by the firing. /ou will enhance your image as firstDclass management material and stand head and shoulders above the legions of firing victims who, at the slightest provocation, $ip open their shirts to e+pose their battle scars and decry the unfairness of it all. -or all prior positions) ?a!e sure youJve prepared a brief reason for leaving. 0est reasons) more money, opportunity, responsibility or growth. /. The 0Silent Treatment1

TRAPS: 0eware D if you are unprepared for this (uestion, you will probably not handle it right and possibly blow the interview. &han! goodness most interviewers donJt employ it. ItJs normally used by those determined to see how you respond under stress. EereJs how it wor!s) /ou answer an interviewerJs (uestion and then, instead of as!ing another, he 'ust stares at you in a deafening silence. /ou wait, growing a bit uneasy, and there he sits, silent as ?t. Rushmore, as if he doesnJt believe what youJve 'ust said, or perhaps ma!ing you feel that youJve unwittingly violated some cardinal rule of interview eti(uette. Chen you get this silent treatment after answering a particularly difficult (uestion , such as 2tell me about your wea!nesses3, its intimidating effect can be most dis(uieting, even to polished 'ob hunters. ?ost unprepared candidates rush in to fill the void of silence, viewing prolonged, uncomfortable silences as an invitation to clear up the previous answer which has obviously caused some problem. And thatJs what they do D ramble on, sputtering more and more information, sometimes irrelevant and often damaging, because they are suddenly playing the role of someone whoJs goofed and is now trying to recoup. 0ut since the candidate doesnJt !now where or how he goofed, he 'ust !eeps tal!ing, showing how flustered and confused he is by the interviewerJs unmovable silence. !ST A"S#!R: Bi!e a primitive tribal mas!, the .ilent &reatment loses all it power to frighten you once you refuse to be intimidated. If your interviewer pulls it, !eep (uiet yourself for a while and then as!, with sincere politeness and not a trace of sarcasm, 2Is there anything else I can fill in on that pointA3 &hatJs all there is to it. Chatever you do, donJt let the .ilent &reatment intimidate you into tal!ing a blue strea!, because you could easily tal! yourself out of the position. 2. #hy should 3 hire you% TRAPS: 0elieve it or not, this is a !iller (uestion because so many candidates are unprepared for it. If you stammer or adlib youJve blown it. !ST A"S#!R:

0y now you can see how critical it is to apply the overall strategy of uncovering the employerJs needs before you answer (uestions. If you !now the employerJs greatest needs and desires, this (uestion will give you a big leg up over other candidates because you will give him better reasons for hiring you than anyone else is li!ely toKreasons tied directly to his needs. Chether your interviewer as!s you this (uestion e+plicitly or not, this is the most important (uestion of your interview because he must answer this (uestion favorably in is own mind before you will be hired. .o help him outL Cal! through each of the positionJs re(uirements as you understand them, and follow each with a reason why you meet that re(uirement so well. E+ample) 2As I understand your needs, you are first and foremost loo!ing for someone who can manage the sales and mar!eting of your boo! publishing division. As youJve said you need someone with a strong bac!ground in trade boo! sales. &his is where IJve spent almost all of my career, so IJve chal!ed up 4= years of e+perience e+actly in this area. I believe that I !now the right contacts, methods, principles, and successful management techni(ues as well as any person can in our industry.3 2/ou also need someone who can e+pand your boo! distribution channels. In my prior post, my innovative promotional ideas doubled, then tripled, the number of outlets selling our boo!s. IJm confident I can do the same for you.3 2/ou need someone to give a new shot in the arm to your mail order sales, someone who !nows how to sell in space and direct mail media. Eere, too, I believe I have e+actly the e+perience you need. In the last five years, IJve increased our mail order boo! sales from MG>>,>>> to M",=>>,>>>, and now weJre the countryJs second leading mar!eter of scientific and medical boo!s by mail.3 Etc., etc., etc., Every one of these selling 2couplets3 5his need matched by your (ualifications6 is a touchdown that runs up your score. I& is your best opportunity to outsell your competition. 4. Aren5t you o,er6ualified for this position% TRAPS: &he employer may be concerned that youJll grow dissatisfied and leave. !ST A"S#!R: As with any ob'ection, donJt view this as a sign of imminent defeat. ItJs an invitation to teach the interviewer a new way to thin! about this situation, seeing advantages instead of drawbac!s. E+ample) 2I recogni$e the 'ob mar!et for what it is D a mar!etplace. Bi!e any

mar!etplace, itJs sub'ect to the laws of supply and demand. .o Nover(ualifiedJ can be a relative term, depending on how tight the 'ob mar!et is. And right now, itJs very tight. I understand and accept that.3 2I also believe that there could be very positive benefits for both of us in this match.3 20ecause of my unusually strong e+perience in OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO , I could start to contribute right away, perhaps much faster than someone whoJd have to be brought along more slowly.3 2&hereJs also the value of all the training and years of e+perience that other companies have invested tens of thousands of dollars to give me. /ouJd be getting all the value of that without having to pay an e+tra dime for it. Cith someone who has yet to ac(uire that e+perience, heJd have to gain it on your nic!el.3 2I could also help you in many things they donJt teach at the Earvard 0usiness .chool. -or e+ampleK5how to hire, train, motivate, etc.6 Chen it comes to !nowing how to wor! well with people and getting the most out of them, thereJs 'ust no substitute for what you learn over many years of frontDline e+perience. /ou company would gain all this, too.3 2-rom my side, there are strong benefits, as well. Right now, I am unemployed. I want to wor!, very much, and the position you have here is e+actly what I love to do and am best at. IJll be happy doing this wor! and thatJs what matters most to me, a lot more that money or title.3 2?ost important, IJm loo!ing to ma!e a long term commitment in my career now. IJve had enough of 'obDhunting and want a permanent spot at this point in my career. I also !now that if I perform this 'ob with e+cellence, other opportunities cannot help but open up for me right here. In time, IJll find many other ways to help this company and in so doing, help myself. I really am loo!ing to ma!e a longDterm commitment.3 1&E) &he main concern behind the 2over(ualified3 (uestion is that you will leave your new employer as soon as something better comes your way. Anything you can say to demonstrate the sincerity of your commitment to the employer and reassure him that youJre loo!ing to stay for the longDterm will help you overcome this ob'ection. 7. #here do you see yourself fi,e years from now% TRAPS: 1ne reason interviewers as! this (uestion is to see if youJre settling for this position, using it merely as a stopover until something better comes along. 1r they could be trying to gauge your level of ambition. If youJre too specific, i.e., naming the promotions you someday hope to win, youJll sound presumptuous. If youJre too vague, youJll seem rudderless.

!ST A"S#!R: Reassure your interviewer that youJre loo!ing to ma!e a longDterm commitmentKthat this position entails e+actly what youJre loo!ing to do and what you do e+tremely well. As for your future, you believe that if you perform each 'ob at hand with e+cellence, future opportunities will ta!e care of themselves. E+ample) 2I am definitely interested in ma!ing a longDterm commitment to my ne+t position. ,udging by what youJve told me about this position, itJs e+actly what IJm loo!ing for and what I am very well (ualified to do. In terms of my future career path, IJm confident that if I do my wor! with e+cellence, opportunities will inevitable open up for me. ItJs always been that way in my career, and IJm confident IJll have similar opportunities here.3 18. 9escribe your ideal company, location and :ob. TRAPS: &his is often as!ed by an e+perienced interviewer who thin!s you may be over(ualified, but !nows better than to show his hand by posing his ob'ection directly. .o heJll use this (uestion instead, which often gets a candidate to reveal that, indeed, he or she is loo!ing for something other than the position at hand. !ST A"S#!R: &he only right answer is to describe what this company is offering, being sure to ma!e your answer believable with specific reasons, stated with sincerity, why each (uality represented by this opportunity is attractive to you. Remember that if youJre coming from a company thatJs the leader in its field or from a glamorous or much admired company, industry, city or position, your interviewer and his company may well have an 2Avis3 comple+. &hat is, they may feel a bit defensive about being 2second best3 to the place youJre coming from, worried that you may consider them bush league. &his an+iety could well be there even though youJve done nothing to inspire it. /ou must go out of your way to assuage such an+iety, even if itJs not e+pressed, by putting their virtues high on the list of e+actly what youJre loo!ing for, providing credible reason for wanting these (ualities. If you do not e+press genuine enthusiasm for the firm, its culture, location, industry, etc., you may fail to answer this 2Avis3 comple+ ob'ection and, as a result, leave the interviewer suspecting that a hot shot li!e you, coming from a -ortune ;>> company in ew /or!, 'ust wouldnJt be happy at an un!nown manufacturer based in &ope!a, 9ansas.

11. #hy do you want to wor' at our company% TRAPS: &his (uestion tests whether youJve done any homewor! about the firm. If you havenJt, you lose. If you have, you win big. !ST A"S#!R: &his (uestion is your opportunity to hit the ball out of the par!, than!s to the inDdepth research you should do before any interview. 0est sources for researching your target company) annual reports, the corporate newsletter, contacts you !now at the company or its suppliers, advertisements, articles about the company in the trade press. 1$. #hat are your career options right now% TRAPS: &he interviewer is trying to find out, 2Eow desperate are youA3 !ST A"S#!R: 8repare for this (uestion by thin!ing of how you can position yourself as a desired commodity. If you are still wor!ing, describe the possibilities at your present firm and why, though youJre greatly appreciated there, youJre loo!ing for something more 5challenge, money, responsibility, etc.6. Also mention that youJre seriously e+ploring opportunities with one or two other firms. If youJre not wor!ing, you can tal! about other employment possibilities youJre actually e+ploring. 0ut do this with a light touch, spea!ing only in general terms. /ou donJt want to seem manipulative or coy. 1&. #hy ha,e you been out of wor' so long% TRAPS: A tough (uestion if youJve been on the beach a long time. /ou donJt want to seem li!e damaged goods. !ST A"S#!R: /ou want to emphasi$e factors which have prolonged your 'ob search by your own choice.

E+ample) 2After my 'ob was terminated, I made a conscious decision not to 'ump on the first opportunities to come along. In my life, IJve found out that you can always turn a negative into a positive I- you try hard enough. &his is what I determined to do. I decided to ta!e whatever time I needed to thin! through what I do best, what I most want to do, where IJd li!e to do itKand then identify those companies that could offer such an opportunity.3 2Also, in all honesty, you have to factor in the recession 5consolidation, stabili$ation, etc.6 in the 5ban!ing, financial services, manufacturing, advertising, etc.6 industry.3 2.o between my being selective and the companies in our industry downsi$ing, the process has ta!en time. 0ut in the end, IJm convinced that when I do find the right match, all that careful evaluation from both sides of the des! will have been well worthwhile for both the company that hires me and myself. 1). Tell me honestly about the strong points and wea' points of your boss -company, management team, etc..; TRAPS: .!illfull interviewers sometimes ma!e it almost irresistible to open up and air a little dirty laundry from your previous position. #1 J& !ST A"S#!R: Remember the rule) ever be negative. .tress only the good points, no matter how charmingly youJre invited to be critical. /our interviewer doesnJt care a whit about your previous boss. Ee wants to find out how loyal and positive you are, and whether youJll critici$e him behind his bac! if pressed to do so by someone in this own company. &his (uestion is your opportunity to demonstrate your loyalty to those you wor! with. 1+. #hat good boo's ha,e you read lately% TRAPS: As in all matters of your interview, never fa!e familiarity you donJt have. /et you donJt want to seem li!e a dullard who hasnJt read a boo! since &om .awyer. !ST A"S#!R: %nless youJre up for a position in academia or as boo! critic for &he ew /or! &imes, youJre not e+pected to be a literary lion. 0ut it wouldnJt hurt to have read a handful of the most recent and influential boo!s in your profession and on management.

Ionsider it part of the wor! of your 'ob search to read up on a few of these leading boo!s. 0ut ma!e sure they are (uality boo!s that reflect favorably upon you, nothing that could even remotely be considered superficial. -inally, add a recently published bestselling wor! of fiction by a worldDclass author and youJll pass this (uestion with flying colors. 1/. Tell me about a situation when your wor' was critici<ed. TRAPS: &his is a tough (uestion because itJs a more clever and subtle way to get you to admit to a wea!ness. /ou canJt dodge it by pretending youJve never been critici$ed. Everybody has been. /et it can be (uite damaging to start admitting potential faults and failures that youJd 'ust as soon leave buried. &his (uestion is also intended to probe how well you accept criticism and direction. !ST A"S#!R: 0egin by emphasi$ing the e+tremely positive feedbac! youJve gotten throughout your career and 5if itJs true6 that your performance reviews have been uniformly e+cellent. 1f course, no one is perfect and you always welcome suggestions on how to improve your performance. &hen, give an e+ample of a notDtooDdamaging learning e+perience from early in your career and relate the ways this lesson has since helped you. &his demonstrates that you learned from the e+perience and the lesson is now one of the strongest breastplates in your suit of armor. If you are pressed for a criticism from a recent position, choose something fairly trivial that in no way is essential to your successful performance. Add that youJve learned from this, too, and over the past several yearsPmonths, itJs no longer an area of concern because you now ma!e it a regular practice toKetc. Another way to answer this (uestion would be to describe your intention to broaden your master of an area of growing importance in your field. -or e+ample, this might be a computer program youJve been meaning to sit down and learnK a new management techni(ue youJve read aboutKor perhaps attending a seminar on some cuttingDedge branch of your profession. Again, the !ey is to focus on something not essential to your brilliant performance but which adds yet another dimension to your already impressive !nowledge base. 12. #hat are your outside interests% TRAPS: /ou want to be a wellDrounded, not a drone. 0ut your potential employer would be even

more turned off if he suspects that your heavy e+tracurricular load will interfere with your commitment to your wor! duties. !ST A"S#!R: &ry to gauge how this companyJs culture would loo! upon your favorite outside activities and be guided accordingly. /ou can also use this (uestion to shatter any stereotypes that could limit your chances. If youJre over ;>, for e+ample, describe your activities that demonstrate physical stamina. If youJre young, mention an activity that connotes wisdom and institutional trust, such as serving on the board of a popular charity. 0ut above all, remember that your employer is hiring your for what you can do for him, not your family, yourself or outside organi$ations, no matter how admirable those activities may be. 14. The 0Fatal Flaw1 6uestion TRAPS: If an interviewer has read your resume carefully, he may try to $ero in on a 2fatal flaw3 of your candidacy, perhaps that you donJt have a college degreeKyouJve been out of the 'ob mar!et for some timeKyou never earned your I8A, etc. A fatal flaw (uestion can be deadly, but usually only if you respond by being overly defensive. !ST A"S#!R: As every master salesperson !nows, you will encounter ob'ections 5whether stated or merely thought6 in every sale. &heyJre part and parcel of the buyerJs an+iety. &he !ey is not to e+acerbate the buyerJs an+iety but diminish it. EereJs howK Chenever you come up against a fatal flaw (uestion) @ 0e completely honest, open and straightforward about admitting the shortcoming. 5.howing you have nothing to hide diminishes the buyerJs an+iety.6 @ #o not apologi$e or try to e+plain it away. /ou !now that this supposed flaw is nothing to be concerned about, and this is the attitude you want your interviewer to adopt as well. @ Add that as desirable as such a (ualification might be, its lac! has made you wor! all the harder throughout your career and has not prevented you from compiling an outstanding tac! record of achievements. /ou might even give e+amples of how, through a relentless commitment to e+cellence, you have consistently outperformed those who do

have this (ualification. 1f course, the ultimate way to handle 2fatal flaw3 (uestions is to prevent them from arising in the first place. /ou will do that by following the master strategy described in Question 4, i.e., uncovering the employers needs and them matching your (ualifications to those needs. 1nce youJve gotten the employer to start tal!ing about his most urgentlyDfelt wants and goals for the position, and then help him see in stepDbyDstep fashion how perfectly your bac!ground and achievements match up with those needs, youJre going to have one very enthusiastic interviewer on your hands, one who is no longer loo!ing for 2fatal flaws3. 17. =ow do you feel about reporting to a younger person -minority, woman, etc.% TRAPS: ItJs a shame that some interviewers feel the need to as! this (uestion, but many understand the reality that pre'udices still e+ist among some 'ob candidates, and itJs better to try to flush them out beforehand. &he trap here is that in todayJs politically sensiti$ed environment, even a wellDintentioned answer can result in planting your foot neatly in your mouth. Avoid anything which smac!s of a patroni$ing or an insensitive attitude, such as 2I thin! they ma!e terrific bosses3 or 2Eey, some of my best friends areK3 1f course, since almost anyone with an IQ above room temperature will at least try to steadfastly affirm the right answer here, your interviewer will be 'udging your sincerity most of all. 2#o you really feel that wayA3 is what he or she will be wondering. .o you must ma!e your answer believable and not 'ust automatic. If the firm is wise enough to have promoted peopled on the basis of ability alone, theyJre li!ely (uite proud of it, and prefer to hire others who will wholeheartedly share their strong sense of fair play. !ST A"S#!R: /ou greatly admire a company that hires and promotes on merit alone and you couldnJt agree more with that philosophy. &he age 5gender, race, etc.6 of the person you report to would certainly ma!e no difference to you. Choever has that position has obviously earned it and !nows their 'ob well. 0oth the person and the position are fully deserving of respect. /ou believe that all people in a company, from the receptionist to the Ihairman, wor! best when their abilities, efforts and feelings are respected and rewarded fairly, and that includes you. &hatJs the best type of wor! environment you can hope to find.

$8. >n confidential matters; TRAPS: Chen an interviewer presses you to reveal confidential information about a present or former employer, you may feel itJs a noDwin situation. If you cooperate, you could be 'udged untrustworthy. If you donJt, you may irritate the interviewer and seem obstinate, uncooperative or overly suspicious. !ST A"S#!R: /our interviewer may press you for this information for two reasons. -irst, many companies use interviews to research the competition. ItJs a perfect setDup. Eere in their own lair, is an insider from the enemy camp who can reveal pri$ed information on the competitionJs plans, research, financial condition, etc. .econd, the company may be testing your integrity to see if you can be ca'oled or bullied into revealing confidential data. Chat to doA &he answer here is easy. ever reveal anything truly confidential about a present or former employer. 0y all means, e+plain your reticence diplomatically. -or e+ample, 2I certainly want to be as open as I can about that. 0ut I also wish to respect the rights of those who have trusted me with their most sensitive information, 'ust as you would hope to be able to trust any of your !ey people when tal!ing with a competitorK3 And certainly you can allude to your finest achievements in specific ways that donJt reveal the combination to the company safe. 0ut be guided by the golden rule. If you were the owner of your present company, would you feel it ethically wrong for the information to be given to your competitorsA If so, steadfastly refuse to reveal it. Remember that this (uestion pits your desire to be cooperative against your integrity. -aced with any such choice, always choose integrity. It is a far more valuable commodity than whatever information the company may pry from you. ?oreover, once you surrender the information, your stoc! goes down. &hey will surely lose respect for you. 1ne 8resident we !now always presses candidates unmercifully for confidential information. If he doesnJt get it, he grows visibly annoyed, relentlessly in(uisitive, ItJs all an act. Ee couldnJt care less about the information. &his is his way of testing the candidateJs moral fiber. 1nly those who hold fast are hired. $1. #ould you lie for the company% TRAPS:

&his another (uestion that pits two values against one another, in this case loyalty against integrity. !ST A"S#!R: &ry to avoid choosing between two values, giving a positive statement which covers all bases instead. E+ample) 2I would never do anything to hurt the company..3 If aggressively pressed to choose between two competing values, always choose personal integrity. It is the most pri$ed of all values. $$. (oo'ing bac', what would you do differently in your life% TRAPS: &his (uestion is usually as!ed to uncover any lifeDinfluencing mista!es, regrets, disappointments or problems that may continue to affect your personality and performance. /ou do not want to give the interviewer anything negative to remember you by, such as some great personal or career disappointment, even long ago, that you wish could have been avoided. or do you wish to give any answer which may hint that your whole heart and soul will not be in your wor!. !ST A"S#!R: Indicate that you are a happy, fulfilled, optimistic person and that, in general, you wouldnJt change a thing. E+ample) 2ItJs been a good life, rich in learning and e+perience, and the best it yet to come. Every e+perience in life is a lesson it its own way. I wouldnJt change a thing.* $&. ?ould you ha,e done better in your last :ob% TRAPS: &his is no time for true confessions of ma'or or even minor problems. !ST A"S#!R: Again never be negative.

E+ample) 2I suppose with the benefit of hindsight you can always find things to do better, of course, but off the top of my head, I canJt thin! of anything of ma'or conse(uence.3 5If more e+planation seems necessary6 #escriber a situation that didnJt suffer because of you but from e+ternal conditions beyond your control. -or e+ample, describe the disappointment you felt with a test campaign, new product launch, merger, etc., which loo!ed promising at first, but led to underwhelming results. 2I wish we could have !nown at the start what we later found out 5about the economy turning, the mar!etplace changing, etc.6, but since we couldnJt, we 'ust had to go for it. And we did learn from itK3 $). ?an you wor' under pressure% TRAPS: An easy (uestion, but you want to ma!e your answer believable. !ST A"S#!R: AbsolutelyK5then prove it with a vivid e+ample or two of a goal or pro'ect accomplished under severe pressure.6 $+. #hat ma'es you angry% TRAPS: /ou donJt want to come across either as a hothead or a wimp. !ST A"S#!R: Give an answer thatJs suited to both your personality and the management style of the firm. Eere, the homewor! youJve done about the company and its style can help in your choice of words. E+amples) If you are a reserved person andPor the corporate culture is coolly professional) 2IJm an evenDtempered and positive person by nature, and I believe this helps me a great deal in !eeping my department running smoothly, harmoniously and with a genuine esprit de corps. I believe in communicating clearly whatJs e+pected, getting peopleJs commitment to those goals, and then following up continuously to chec! progress.3 2If anyone or anything is going off trac!, I want to !now about it early. If, after that !ind

of open communication and follow up, someone isnJt getting the 'ob done, IJll want to !now why. If thereJs no good reason, then IJll get impatient and angryKand ta!e appropriate steps from there. 0ut if you hire good people, motivate them to strive for e+cellence and then follow up constantly, it almost never gets to that state.3 If you are feisty by nature andPor the position calls for a tough straw boss. 2/ou !now what ma!es me angryA 8eople who 5the fill in the blan!s with the most ob'ectionable traits for this type of position6Kpeople who donJt pull their own weight, who are negative, people who lieKetc.3 $/. #hy aren5t you earning more money at this stage of your career% TRAPS: /ou donJt want to give the impression that money is not important to you, yet you want to e+plain why your salary may be a little below industry standards. !ST A"S#!R: /ou li!e to ma!e money, but other factors are even more important. E+ample) 2?a!ing money is very important to me, and one reason IJm here is because IJm loo!ing to ma!e more. &hroughout my career, whatJs been even more important to me is doing wor! I really li!e to do at the !ind of company I li!e and respect. 5&hen be prepared to be specific about what your ideal position and company would be li!e, matching them as closely as possible to the opportunity at hand. $2. #ho has inspired you in your life and why% TRAPS: &he two traps here are unpreparedness and irrelevance. If you grope for an answer, it seems youJve never been inspired. If you ramble about your high school bas!etball coach, youJve wasted an opportunity to present (ualities of great value to the company. !ST A"S#!R: Eave a few heroes in mind, from your mental 20oard of #irectors3 D Beaders in your industry, from history or anyone else who has been your mentor. 0e prepared to give e+amples of how their words, actions or teachings have helped inspire your achievements. As always, prepare an answer which highlights (ualities that would be highly valuable in the position you are see!ing.

$4. #hat was the toughest decision you e,er had to ma'e% TRAPS: Giving an unprepared or irrelevant answer. !ST A"S#!R: 0e prepared with a good e+ample, e+plaining why the decision was difficultKthe process you followed in reaching itKthe courageous or effective way you carried it outKand the beneficial results. $7. Tell me about the most boring :ob you5,e e,er had. TRAPS: /ou give a very memorable description of a very boring 'ob. ResultA /ou become associated with this boring 'ob in the interviewerJs mind. !ST A"S#!R: /ou have never allowed yourself to grow bored with a 'ob and you canJt understand it when others let themselves fall into that rut. E+ample) 28erhaps IJve been fortunate, but that IJve never found myself bored with any 'ob I have ever held. IJve always en'oyed hard wor!. As with actors who feel there are no small parts, I also believe that in every company or department there are e+citing challenges and intriguing problems crying out for energetic and enthusiastic solutions. If youJre bored, itJs probably because youJre not challenging yourself to tac!le those problems right under your nose.3 &8. =a,e you been absent from wor' more than a few days in any pre,ious position% TRAPS: If youJve had a problem, you canJt lie. /ou could easily be found out. /et admitting an attendance problem could raise many flags. !ST A"S#!R: If you have had no problem, emphasi$e your e+cellent and consistent attendance record throughout your career. Also describe how important you believe such consistent attendance is for a !ey e+ecutiveKwhy itJs up to you to set an e+ample of dedicationKand why thereJs 'ust no

substitute for being there with your people to !eep the operation running smoothly, answer (uestions and handle problems and crises as they arise. If you do have a past attendance problem, you want to minimi$e it, ma!ing it clear that it was an e+ceptional circumstance and that itJs cause has been corrected. &o do this, give the same answer as above but preface it with something li!e, 21ther that being out last year 5or whenever6 because of 5your reason, which is now in the past6, I have never had a problem and have en'oyed an e+cellent attendance record throughout my career. -urthermore, I believe, consistent attendance is important becauseK3 58ic! up the rest of the answer as outlined above.6. &1. #hat changes would you ma'e if you came on board% TRAPS: Catch outL &his (uestion can derail your candidacy faster than a bomb on the trac!s D and 'ust as you are about to be hired. Reason) o matter how bright you are, you cannot !now the right actions to ta!e in a position before you settle in and get to !now the operationJs strengths, wea!nesses !ey people, financial condition, methods of operation, etc. If you lunge at this temptingly baited (uestion, you will probably be seen as someone who shoots from the hip. ?oreover, no matter how comfortable you may feel with your interviewer, you are still an outsider. o one, including your interviewer, li!es to thin! that a !nowDitDall outsider is going to come in, turn the place upside down and with sweeping, grand gestures, promptly demonstrate what 'er!s everybodyJs been for years. !ST A"S#!R: /ou, of course, will want to ta!e a good hard loo! at everything the company is doing before ma!ing any recommendations. E+ample) 2Cell, I wouldnJt be a very good doctor if I gave my diagnosis before the e+amination. .hould you hire me, as I hope you will, IJd want to ta!e a good hard loo! at everything youJre doing and understand why itJs being done that way. IJd li!e to have inD depth meetings with you and the other !ey people to get a deeper grasp of what you feel youJre doing right and what could be improved. 2-rom what youJve told me so far, the areas of greatest concern to you areK3 5name them. &hen do two things. -irst, as! if these are in fact his ma'or concerns. If so then reaffirm how your e+perience in meeting similar needs elsewhere might prove very helpful6. &$. 35m concerned that you don5t ha,e as much e@perience as we5d li'e in;

TRAPS: &his could be a ma!eDorDbrea! (uestion. &he interviewer mostly li!es what he sees, but has doubts over one !ey area. If you can assure him on this point, the 'ob may be yours. !ST A"S#!R: &his (uestion is related to 2&he -atal -law3 5Question 4=6, but here the concern is not that you are totally missing some (ualifications, such as I8A certification, but rather that your e+perience is light in one area. 0efore going into any interview, try to identify the wea!est aspects of your candidacy from this companyJs point of view. &hen prepare the best answer you possible can to shore up your defenses. &o get past this (uestion with flying colors, you are going to rely on your master strategy of uncovering the employerJs greatest wants and needs and then matching them with your strengths. .ince you already !now how to do this from Question 4, you are in a much stronger position. ?ore specifically, when the interviewer poses as ob'ection li!e this, you shouldK @ Agree on the importance of this (ualification. @ E+plain that your strength may be indeed be greater than your resume indicates becauseK @ Chen this strength is added to your other strengths, itJs really your combination of (ualifications thatJs most important. &hen review the areas of your greatest strengths that match up most favorably with the companyJs most urgentlyDfelt wants and needs. &his is powerful way to handle this (uestion for two reasons. -irst, youJre giving your interviewer more ammunition in the area of his concern. 0ut more importantly, youJre shifting his focus away from this one, isolated area and putting it on the uni(ue combination of strengths you offer, strengths which tie in perfectly with his greatest wants. &&. =ow do you feel about wor'ing nights and wee'ends% TRAPS: 0lurt out 2no way, ,ose3 and you can !iss the 'ob offer goodbye. 0ut what if you have a family and want to wor! a reasonably normal scheduleA Is there a way to get both the 'ob

and the schedule you wantA !ST A"S#!R: -irst, if youJre a confirmed wor!aholic, this (uestion is a softball lob. Chac! it out of the par! on the first swing by saying this !ind of schedule is 'ust your style. Add that your family understands it. Indeed, theyJre happy for you, as they !now you get your greatest satisfaction from your wor!. If however, you prefer a more balanced lifestyle, answer this (uestion with another) 2ChatJs the norm for your best people hereA3 If the hours still sound unrealistic for you, as!, 2#o you have any top people who perform e+ceptionally for you, but who also have families and li!e to get home in time to see them at nightA3 Ihances are this company does, and this associates you with this other 2topDperformersDwhoDleaveDnotDlaterDthanDsi+3 group. #epending on the answer, be honest about how you would fit into the picture. If all those e+tra hours ma!e you uncomfortable, say so, but phrase your response positively. E+ample) 2I love my wor! and do it e+ceptionally well. I thin! the results spea! for themselves, especially in K5mention your two or three (ualifications of greater interest to the employer. Remember, this is what he wants most, not a wor!aholic with wea! credentials6. ot only would I bring these (ualities, but IJve built my whole career on wor!ing not 'ust hard, but smart. I thin! youJll find me one of the most productive people here. I do have a family who li!es to see me after wor! and on wee!ends. &hey add balance and richness to my life, which in turn helps me be happy and productive at wor!. If I could handle some of the e+tra wor! at home in the evenings or on wee!ends, that would be ideal. /ouJd be getting a person of e+ceptional productivity who meets your needs with strong credentials. And IJd be able to handle some of the heavy wor!load at home where I can be under the same roof as my family. Everybody would win.3 &). Are you willing to relocate or tra,el% TRAPS: Answer with a flat 2no3 and you may slam the door shut on this opportunity. 0ut what if youJd really prefer not to relocate or travel, yet wouldnJt want to lose the 'ob offer over itA !ST A"S#!R: -irst find out where you may have to relocate and how much travel may be involved. &hen respond to the (uestion.

If thereJs no problem, say so enthusiastically. If you do have a reservation, there are two schools of thought on how to handle it. 1ne advises you to !eep your options open and your reservations to yourself in the early going, by saying, 2no problem3. /ou strategy here is to get the best offer you can, then ma!e a 'udgment whether itJs worth it to you to relocate or travel. Also, by the time the offer comes through, you may have other offers and can ma!e a more informed decision. Chy !ill of this opportunity before it has chance to blossom into something really specialA And if youJre a little more desperate three months from now, you might wish you hadnJt slammed the door on relocating or traveling. &he second way to handle this (uestion is to voice a reservation, but assert that youJd be open to relocating 5or traveling6 for the right opportunity. &he answering strategy you choose depends on how eager you are for the 'ob. If you want to ta!e no chances, choose the first approach. If you want to play a little harderDtoDget in hopes of generating a more enticing offer, choose the second. &+. 9o you ha,e the stomach to fire people% =a,e you had e@perience firing many people% TRAPS: &his 2innocent3 (uestion could be a trap door which sends you down a chute and lands you in a heap of dust outside the front door. ChyA 0ecause its real intent is not 'ust to see if youJve got the stomach to fire, but also to uncover poor 'udgment in hiring which has caused you to fire so many. Also, if you fire so often, you could be a tyrant. .o donJt rise to the bait by boasting how many youJve fired, unless youJve prepared to e+plain why it was beyond your control, and not the result of your poor hiring procedures or foul temperament. !ST A"S#!R: #escribe the rational and sensible management process you follow in both hiring and firing. E+ample) 2?y whole management approach is to hire the best people I can find, train them thoroughly and well, get them e+cited and proud to be part of our team, and then wor! with them to achieve our goals together. If you do all of that right, especially hiring the right people, IJve found you donJt have to fire very often.

2.o with me, firing is a last resort. 0ut when itJs got to be done, itJs got to be done, and the faster and cleaner, the better. A poor employee can wrea! terrible damage in undermining the morale of an entire team of good people. Chen thereJs no other way, IJve found itJs better for all concerned to act decisively in getting rid of offenders who wonJt change their ways.3 &/. #hy ha,e you had so many :obs% TRAPS: /our interviewer fears you may leave this position (uic!ly, as you have others. EeJs concerned you may be unstable, or a 2problem person3 who canJt get along with others. !ST A"S#!R: -irst, before you even get to the interview stage, you should try to minimi$e your image as 'ob hopper. If there are several entries on your resume of less than one year, consider eliminating the less important ones. 8erhaps you can specify the time you spent at previous positions in rounded years not in months and years. E+ample) Instead of showing three positions this way) GP4:=" D 7P4:=7, 8osition AQ FP4:=7 D 4"P4:=7, 8osition 0Q 4P4:=F D =P4:=H, 8osition IQ Kit would be better to show simply) 4:=" D 4:=7, 8osition AQ 4:=F D 4:=H 8osition I. In other words, you would drop 8osition 0 altogether. otice what a difference this ma!es in reducing your image as a 'ob hopper. 1nce in front of the interviewer and this (uestion comes up, you must try to reassure him. #escribe each position as part of an overall pattern of growth and career destination. 0e careful not to blame other people for your fre(uent changes. 0ut you can and should attribute certain changes to conditions beyond your control. E+ample) &han!s to an upcoming merger, you wanted to avoid an ensuing bloodbath, so you made a good, upward career move before your department came under the a+e of the new owners. If possible, also show that your 'ob changes were more fre(uent in your younger days,

while you were establishing yourself, rounding out your s!ills and loo!ing for the right career path. At this stage in your career, youJre certainly much more interested in the best longDterm opportunity. /ou might also cite the 'ob5s6 where you stayed the longest and describe that this type of situation is what youJre loo!ing for now. &2. #hat do you see as the proper roleAmission of; ;a good -:ob title you5re see'ing.B ;a good managerB ;an e@ecuti,e in ser,ing the communityB ;a leading company in our industryB etc. TRAPS: &hese and other 2proper role3 (uestions are designed to test your understanding of your place in the bigger picture of your department, company, community and professionK.as well as the proper role each of these entities should play in its bigger picture. &he (uestion is most fre(uently as!ed by the most thoughtful individuals and companiesKor by those concerned that youJre coming from a place with a radically different corporate culture 5such as from a big government bureaucracy to an aggressive small company6. &he most fre(uent mista!e e+ecutives ma!e in answering is simply not being prepared 5seeming as if theyJve never giving any of this a though.6Kor in phrasing an answer best suited to their prior organi$ationJs culture instead of the hiring companyJs. !ST A"S#!R: &hin! of the most essential ingredients of success for each category above D your 'ob title, your role as manager, your firmJs role, etc. Identify at least three but no more than si+ (ualities you feel are most important to success in each role. &hen commit your response to memory. Eere, again, the more information youJve already drawn out about the greatest wants and needs of the interviewer, and the more homewor! youJve done to identify the culture of the firm, the more onDtarget your answer will be. &4. #hat would you say to your boss if he5s cra<y about an idea, but you thin' it stin's% TRAPS: &his is another (uestion that pits two values, in this case loyalty and honesty, against one

another. !ST A"S#!R: Remember the rule stated earlier) In any conflict between values, always choose integrity. E+ample) I believe that when evaluating anything, itJs important to emphasi$e the positive. Chat do I li!e about this ideaA3 2&hen, if you have reservations, I certainly want to point them out, as specifically, ob'ectively and factually as I can.3 2After all, the most important thing I owe my boss is honesty. If he canJt count on me for that, then everything else I may do or say could be (uestionable in his eyes.3 20ut I also want to e+press my thoughts in a constructive way. .o my goal in this case would be to see if my boss and I could ma!e his idea even stronger and more appealing, so that it effectively overcomes any initial reservation I or others may have about it.3 21f course, if he overrules me and says, Nno, letJs do it my way,J then I owe him my full and enthusiastic support to ma!e it wor! as best it can.3 &7. =ow could you ha,e impro,ed your career progress% TRAPS: &his is another variation on the (uestion, 2If you could, how would you live your life overA3 Remember, youJre not going to fall for any such invitations to rewrite person history. /ou canJt win if you do. !ST A"S#!R: /ouJre generally (uite happy with your career progress. ?aybe, if you had !nown something earlier in life 5impossible to !now at the time, such as the booming growth in a branch in your industryKor the corporate downsi$ing that would phase out your last 'ob6, you might have moved in a certain direction sooner. 0ut all things considered, you ta!e responsibility for where you are, how youJve gotten there, where you are goingKand you harbor no regrets. )8. #hat would you do if a fellow e@ecuti,e on your own corporate le,el wasn5t pulling hisAher weight;and this was hurting your department% TRAPS:

&his (uestion and other hypothetical ones test your sense of human relations and how you might handle office politics. !ST A"S#!R: &ry to gauge the political style of the firm and be guided accordingly. In general, fall bac! on universal principles of effective human relations D which in the end, embody the way you would li!e to be treated in a similar circumstance. E+ample) 2Good human relations would call for me to go directly to the person and e+plain the situation, to try to enlist his help in a constructive, positive solution. If I sensed resistance, I would be as persuasive as I !now how to e+plain the benefits we can all gain from wor!ing together, and the problems we, the company and our customers will e+perience if we donJt.3 )8.1 P>SS3 (! F>((>#*CP DC!ST3>": And what would you do if he still did not change his ways% A"S#!R: 21ne thing I wouldnJt do is let the problem slide, because it would only get worse and overloo!ing it would set a bad precedent. I would try again and again and again, in whatever way I could, to solve the problem, involving wider and wider circles of people, both above and below the offending e+ecutive and including my own boss if necessary, so that everyone involved can see the rewards for teamwor! and the drawbac!s of nonD cooperation.3 2I might add that IJve never yet come across a situation that couldnJt be resolved by harnessing others in a determined, constructive effort.3 )1. Eou5,e been with your firm a long time. #on5t it be hard switching to a new company% TRAPS: /our interviewer is worried that this old dog will find it hard to learn new tric!s. !ST A"S#!R: &o overcome this ob'ection, you must point to the many ways you have grown and adapted to changing conditions at your present firm. It has not been a static situation. Eighlight the different responsibilities youJve held, the wide array of new situations youJve faced and con(uered. As a result, youJve learned to adapt (uic!ly to whatever is thrown at you, and you thrive on the stimulation of new challenges.

&o further assure the interviewer, describe the similarities between the new position and your prior one. E+plain that you should be (uite comfortable wor!ing there, since their needs and your s!ills ma!e a perfect match. )$. Fay 3 contact your present employer for a reference% TRAPS: If youJre trying to !eep your 'ob search private, this is the last thing you want. 0ut if you donJt cooperate, wonJt you seem as if youJre trying to hide somethingA !ST A"S#!R: E+press your concern that youJd li!e to !eep your 'ob search private, but that in time, it will be perfectly o!ay. E+ample) 2?y present employer is not aware of my 'ob search and, for obvious reasonsQ IJd prefer to !eep it that way. IJd be most appreciative if we !ept our discussion confidential right now. 1f course, when we both agree the time is right, then by all means you should contact them. IJm very proud of my record there. )&. Gi,e me an e@ample of your creati,ity -analytical s'ill;managing ability, etc.. TRAPS: &he worst offense here is simply being unprepared. /our hesitation may seem as if youJre having a hard time remembering the last time you were creative, analytical, etc. !ST A"S#!R: Remember from Question " that you should commit to memory a list of your greatest and most recent achievements, ever ready on the tip of your tongue. If you have such a list, itJs easy to present any of your achievements in light of the (uality the interviewer is as!ing about. -or e+ample, the smashing success you orchestrated at last yearJs trade show could be used as an e+ample of creativity, or analytical ability, or your ability to manage. )). #here could you use some impro,ement% TRAPS: Another tric!y way to get you to admit wea!nesses. #onJt fall for it. !ST A"S#!R:

9eep this answer, li!e all your answers, positive. A good way to answer this (uestion is to identify a cuttingDedge branch of your profession 5one thatJs not essential to your employerJs needs6 as an area youJre very e+cited about and want to e+plore more fully over the ne+t si+ months. )+. #hat do you worry about% TRAPS: Admit to worrying and you could sound li!e a loser. .aying you never worry doesnJt sound credible. !ST A"S#!R: Redefine the word NworryJ so that it does not reflect negatively on you. E+ample) 2I wouldnJt call it worry, but I am a strongly goalDoriented person. .o I !eep turning over in my mind anything that seems to be !eeping me from achieving those goals, until I find a solution. &hatJs part of my tenacity, I suppose.3 )/. =ow many hours a wee' do you normally wor'% TRAPS: /ou donJt want to give a specific number. ?a!e it to low, and you may not measure up. &oo high, and youJll forever feel guilty about snea!ing out the door at ;)4;. !ST A"S#!R: If you are in fact a wor!aholic and you sense this company would li!e that) .ay you are a confirmed wor!aholic, that you often wor! nights and wee!ends. /our family accepts this because it ma!es you fulfilled. If you are not a wor!aholic) .ay you have always wor!ed hard and put in long hours. It goes with the territory. It one sense, itJs hard to !eep trac! of the hours because your wor! is a labor of love, you en'oy nothing more than solving problems. .o youJre almost always thin!ing about your wor!, including times when youJre home, while shaving in the morning, while commuting, etc. )2. #hat5s the most difficult part of being a -:ob title.% TRAPS: %nless you phrase your answer properly, your interviewer may conclude that whatever you identify as 2difficult3 is where you are wea!.

!ST A"S#!R: -irst, redefine 2difficult3 to be 2challenging3 which is more positive. &hen, identify an area everyone in your profession considers challenging and in which you e+cel. #escribe the process you follow that enables you to get splendid resultsKand be specific about those results. E+ample) 2I thin! every sales manager finds it challenging to motivate the troops in a recession. 0ut thatJs probably the strongest test of a top sales manager. I feel this is one area where I e+cel.3 2Chen I see the first sign that sales may slip or that sales force motivation is flagging because of a downturn in the economy, hereJs the plan I put into action immediatelyK3 5followed by a description of each step in the processKand most importantly, the e+ceptional results youJve achieved.6. )4. The 0=ypothetical ProblemH TRAPS: .ometimes an interviewer will describe a difficult situation and as!, 2Eow would you handle thisA3 .ince it is virtually impossible to have all the facts in front of you from such a short presentation, donJt fall into the trap of trying to solve this problem and giving your verdict on the spot. It will ma!e your decisionDma!ing process seem woefully inade(uate. !ST A"S#!R: Instead, describe the rational, methodical process you would follow in analy$ing this problem, who you would consult with, generating possible solutions, choosing the best course of action, and monitoring the results. Remember, in all such, 2Chat would you doA3 (uestions, always describe your process or wor!ing methods, and youJll never go wrong. )7. #hat was the toughest challenge you5,e e,er faced% TRAPS: 0eing unprepared or citing an e+ample from so early in your life that it doesnJt score many points for you at this stage of your career. !ST A"S#!R: &his is an easy (uestion if youJre prepared. Eave a recent e+ample ready that

demonstrates either) @ A (uality most important to the 'ob at handQ or @ A (uality that is always in demand, such as leadership, initiative, managerial s!ill, persuasiveness, courage, persistence, intelligence, etc. +8. =a,e you consider starting your own business% TRAPS: If you say 2yes3 and elaborate enthusiastically, you could be perceived as a loose cannon in a larger company, too entrepreneurial to ma!e a good team playerKor someone who had to settle for the corporate life because you couldnJt ma!e a go of your own business. Also too much enthusiasm in answering 2yes3 could rouse the paranoia of a small company indicating that you may plan to go out on your own soon, perhaps ta!ing some !ey accounts or trade secrets with you. 1n the other hand, if you answer 2no, never3 you could be perceived as a securityD minded drone who never dreamed a big dream. !ST A"S#!R:Again itJs best to) @ Gauge this companyJs corporate culture before answering andK @ 0e honest 5which doesnJt mean you have to vividly share your fantasy of the franchise or bedDandDbrea!fast you someday plan to open6. In general, if the corporate culture is that of a large, formal, militaryDstyle structure, minimi$e any indication that youJd love to have your own business. /ou might say, 21h, I may have given it a thought once or twice, but my whole career has been in larger organi$ations. &hatJs where I have e+celled and where I want to be.3 If the corporate culture is closer to the freeDwheeling, everybodyJsDaDdealDma!er variety, then emphasi$e that in a firm li!e this, you can virtually get the best of all worlds, the e+citement of seeing your own ideas and plans ta!e shapeKcombined with the resources and stability of a wellDestablished organi$ation. .ounds li!e the perfect environment to you. In any case, no matter what the corporate culture, be sure to indicate that any desires about running your own show are part of your past, not your present or future. &he last thing you want to pro'ect is an image of either a dreamer who failed and is now

settling for the corporate cocoonKor the restless maveric! who will fly out the door with !ey accounts, contacts and trade secrets under his arms 'ust as soon as his ban!roll has gotten rebuilt. Always remember) ?atch what you want with what the position offers. &he more information youJve uncovered about the position, the more believable you can ma!e your case. +1. #hat are your goals% TRAPS: ot having anyKor having only vague generalities, not highly specific goals. !ST A"S#!R: ?any e+ecutives in a position to hire you are strong believers in goalDsetting. 5ItJs one of the reason theyJve achieved so much6. &hey li!e to hire in !ind. If youJre vague about your career and personal goals, it could be a big turnoff to may people you will encounter in your 'ob search. 0e ready to discuss your goals for each ma'or area of your life) career, personal development and learning, family, physical 5health6, community service and 5if your interviewer is clearly a religious person6 you could briefly and generally allude to your spiritual goals 5showing you are a wellDrounded individual with your values in the right order6. 0e prepared to describe each goal in terms of specific milestones you wish to accomplish along the way, time periods youJre allotting for accomplishment, why the goal is important to you, and the specific steps youJre ta!ing to bring it about. 0ut do this concisely, as you never want to tal! more than two minutes straight before letting your interviewer bac! into the conversation. +$. #hat do you for when you hire people% TRAPS: 0eing unprepared for the (uestion. !ST A"S#!R: .pea! your own thoughts here, but for the best answer weave them around the three most important (ualifications for any position. @ Ian the person do the wor! 5(ualifications6A

@ Cill the person do the wor! 5motivation6A @ Cill the person fit in 52our !ind of team player36A +&. Sell me this stapler;-this pencil;this cloc';or some other ob:ect on inter,iewer5s des'.. TRAPS: .ome interviewers, especially business owners and hardDchanging e+ecutives in mar!etingDdriven companies, feel that good salesmanship is essential for any !ey position and as! for an instant demonstration of your s!ill. 0e ready. !ST A"S#!R: 1f course, you already !now the most important secret of all great salesmanship D 2find out what people want, then show them how to get it.3 If your interviewer pic!s up his stapler and as!s, 2sell this to me,3 you are going to demonstrate this proven master principle. EereJs how) 2Cell, a good salesman must !now both his product and his prospect before he sells anything. If I were selling this, IJd first get to !now everything I could about it, all its features and benefits.3 2&hen, if my goal were to sell it you, I would do some research on how you might use a fine stapler li!e this. &he best way to do that is by as!ing some (uestions. ?ay I as! you a few (uestionsA3 &hen as! a few (uestions such as, 2,ust out of curiosity, if you didnJt already have a stapler li!e this, why would you want oneA And in addition to thatA Any other reasonA Anything elseA3 2And would you want such a stapler to be reliableA...Eold a good supply of staplesA3 5As! more (uestions that point to the features this stapler has.6 1nce youJve as!ed these (uestions, ma!e your presentation citing all the features and benefits of this stapler and why itJs e+actly what the interviewer 'ust told you heJs loo!ing for. &hen close with, 2,ust out of curiosity, what would you consider a reasonable price for a (uality stapler li!e thisKa stapler you could have right now and would 5then repeat all the problems the stapler would solve for him6A Chatever he says, 5unless itJs $ero6, say, 21!ay, weJve got a deal.3

1&E) If your interviewer tests you by fighting every step of the way, denying that he even wants such an item, donJt fight him. &a!e the product away from him by saying, 2?r. 8rospect, IJm delighted youJve told me right upfront that thereJs no way youJd ever want this stapler. As you well !now, the first rule of the most productive salespeople in any field is to meet the needs of people who really need and want our products, and it 'ust wastes everyoneJs time if we try to force it on those who donJt. And I certainly wouldnJt want to waste your time. 0ut we sell many items. Is there any product on this des! you would very much li!e to ownK'ust one itemA3 Chen he points something out, repeat the process above. If he !nows anything about selling, he may give you a standing ovation. +). 0The Salary Duestion1 * =ow much money do you want% TRAPS: ?ay also be phrases as, 2Chat salary are you worthA3Kor, 2Eow much are you ma!ing nowA3 &his is your most important negotiation. Eandle it wrong and you can blow the 'ob offer or go to wor! at far less than you might have gotten. !ST A"S#!R: -or ma+imum salary negotiating power, remember these five guidelines) @ ever bring up salary. Bet the interviewer do it first. Good salespeople sell their products thoroughly before tal!ing price. .o should you. ?a!e the interviewer want you first, and your bargaining position will be much stronger. @ If your interviewer raises the salary (uestion too early, before youJve had a chance to create desire for your (ualifications, postpone the (uestion, saying something li!e, 2?oney is important to me, but is not my main concern. 1pportunity and growth are far more important. Chat IJd rather do, if you donJt mind, is e+plore if IJm right for the position, and then tal! about money. Could that be o!ayA3 @ &he R4 rule of any negotiation is) the side with more information wins. After youJve done a thorough 'ob of selling the interviewer and itJs time to tal! salary, the secret is to get the employer tal!ing about what heJs willing to pay before you reveal what youJre willing to accept. .o, when as!ed about salary, respond by as!ing, 2IJm sure the company has already established a salary range for this position. Iould you tell me what that isA3 1r, 2I want an income commensurate with my ability and (ualifications. I trust youJll be fair with me. Chat does the position payA3 1r, more simply, 2Chat does this position payA3 @ 9now beforehand what youJd accept. &o !now whatJs reasonable, research the 'ob mar!et and this position for any relevant salary information. Remember that most e+ecutives loo! for a ">D";<M pay boost when they switch 'obs. If youJre grossly underpaid, you may want more.

@ ever lie about what you currently ma!e, but feel free to include the estimated cost of all your fringes, which could well tac! on ";D;>< more to your present 2cashDonly3 salary. ++. The 3llegal Duestion TRAPS: Illegal (uestions include any regarding your ageKnumber and ages of your children or other dependentsKmarital statusKmaiden nameKreligionKpolitical affiliationK ancestryKnational originKbirthplaceKnaturali$ation of your parents, spouse or childrenKdiseasesKdisabilitiesKclubsKor spouseJs occupationKunless any of the above are directly related to your performance of the 'ob. /ou canJt even be as!ed about arrests, though you can be as!ed about convictions. !ST A"S#!R: %nder the everDpresent threat of lawsuits, most interviewers are well aware of these taboos. /et you may encounter, usually on a second or third interview, a senior e+ecutive who doesnJt interview much and forgets he canJt as! such (uestions. /ou can handle an illegal (uestion in several ways. -irst, you can assert your legal right not to answer. 0ut this will frighten or embarrass your interviewer and destroy any rapport you had. .econd, you could swallow your concerns over privacy and answer the (uestion straight forwardly if you feel the answer could help you. -or e+ample, your interviewer, a devout 0aptist, recogni$es you from church and mentions it. Eere, you could gain by tal!ing about your church. &hird, if you donJt want your privacy invaded, you can diplomatically answer the concern behind the (uestion without answering the (uestion itself. E+ample) If you are over ;> and are as!ed, 2Eow old are youA3 you can answer with a friendly, smiling (uestion of your own on whether thereJs a concern that your age my affect your performance. -ollow this up by reassuring the interviewer that thereJs nothing in this 'ob you canJt do and, in fact, your age and e+perience are the most important advantages you offer the employer for the following reasonsK Another e+ample) If as!ed, 2#o you plan to have childrenA3 you could answer, 2I am wholeheartedly dedicated to my career2, perhaps adding, 2I have no plans regarding children.3 5/ou neednJt fear youJve pledged eternal childlessness. /ou have every right to change your plans later. Get the 'ob first and then en'oy all your options.6 ?ost importantly, remember that illegal (uestions arise from fear that you wonJt perform well. &he best answer of all is to get the 'ob and perform brilliantly. All concerns and

fears will then varnish, replaced by respect and appreciation for your wor!. +/. The 0Secret1 3llegal Duestion TRAPS: ?uch more fre(uent than the Illegal (uestion 5see Question ;;6 is the secret illegal (uestion. ItJs secret because itJs as!ed only in the interviewerJs mind. .ince itJs not even e+pressed to you, you have no way to respond to it, and it can there be most damaging. E+ample) /ouJre physically challenged, or a single mother returning to your professional career, or over ;>, or a member of an ethnic minority, or fit any of a do$en other categories that do not strictly conform to the ma'ority in a given company. /our interviewer wonders, 2Is this person really able to handle the 'obA3K3Is he or she a Ngood fitJ at a place li!e oursA3K3Cill the chemistry ever be right with someone li!e thisA3 0ut the interviewer never raises such (uestions because theyJre illegal. .o what can you doA !ST A"S#!R: Remember that 'ust because the interviewer doesnJt as! an illegal (uestion doesnJt mean he doesnJt have it. ?ore than li!ely, he is going to come up with his own answer. .o you might as well help him out. EowA Cell, you obviously canJt respond to an illegal (uestion if he hasnJt even as!ed. &his may well offend him. And thereJs always the chance he wasnJt even concerned about the issue until you brought it up, and only then begins to wonder. .o you canJt address 2secret3 illegal (uestions headDon. 0ut what you can do is ma!e sure thereJs enough counterbalancing information to more than reassure him that thereJs no problem in the area he may be doubtful about. -or e+ample, letJs say youJre a sales rep who had polio as a child and you need a cane to wal!. /ou !now your condition has never impeded your performance, yet youJre concerned that your interviewer may secretly be wondering about your stamina or ability to travel. Cell, ma!e sure that you hit these abilities very hard, leaving no doubt about your capacity to handle them well. .o, too, if youJre in any different from what passes for 2normal3. ?a!e sure, without in any way seeming defensive about yourself that you mention strengths, accomplishments, preferences and affiliations that strongly counterbalance any unspo!en concern your interviewer may have. +2. #hat was the toughest part of your last :ob%

TRAPS: &his is slightly different from the (uestion raised earlier, 2ChatJs the most difficult part of being a 5'ob titleK63 because this as!s what you personally have found most difficult in your last position. &his (uestion is more difficult to redefine into something positive. /our interviewer will assume that whatever you found toughest may give you a problem in your new position. !ST A"S#!R: .tate that there was nothing in your prior position that you found overly difficult, and let your answer go at that. If pressed to e+pand your answer, you could describe the aspects of the position you en'oyed more than others, ma!ing sure that you e+press ma+imum en'oyment for those tas!s most important to the open position, and you en'oyed least those tas!s that are unimportant to the position at hand. +4. =ow do you define success;and how do you measure up to your own definition% TRAPS: .eems li!e an obvious enough (uestion. /et many e+ecutives, unprepared for it, fumble the ball. !ST A"S#!R: Give a wellDaccepted definition of success that leads right into your own stellar collection of achievements. E+ample) 2&he best definition IJve come across is that success is the progressive reali$ation of a worthy goal.3 2As to how I would measure up to that definition, I would consider myself both successful and fortunateK35&hen summari$e your career goals and how your achievements have indeed represented a progressive path toward reali$ation of your goals.6 +7. 0The >pinion Duestion1 * #hat do you thin' about ;Abortion;The President;The 9eath Penalty;-or any other contro,ersial sub:ect.% TRAPS: 1bviously, these and other 2opinion3 (uestions should never be as!ed. .ometimes they come up over a combination dinnerPinterview when the interviewer has had a drin! or two, is feeling rela+ed, and is spouting off about something that bugged him in todayJs news. If you give your opinion and itJs the opposite of his, you wonJt change his

opinions, but you could easily lose the 'ob offer. !ST A"S#!R: In all of these instances, 'ust remember the tale about student and the wise old rabbi. &he scene is a seminary, where an overly serious student is pressing the rabbi to answer the ultimate (uestions of suffering, life and death. 0ut no matter how hard he presses, the wise old rabbi will only answer each difficult (uestion with a (uestion of his own. In e+asperation, the seminary student demands, 2Chy, rabbi, do you always answer a (uestion with another (uestionA3 &o which the rabbi responds, 2And why notA3 If you are ever uncomfortable with any (uestion, as!ing a (uestion in return is the greatest escape hatch ever invented. It throws the onus bac! on the other person, sidetrac!s the discussion from going into an area of ris! to you, and gives you time to thin! of your answer or, even better, your ne+t (uestionL In response to any of the 2opinion3 (uestions cited above, merely responding, 2Chy do you as!A3 will usually be enough to dissipate any pressure to give your opinion. 0ut if your interviewer again presses you for an opinion, you can as! another (uestion. 1r you could assert a generality that almost everyone would agree with. -or e+ample, if your interviewer is complaining about politicians then suddenly turns to you and as!s if youJre a Republican or #emocrat, you could respond by saying, 2Actually, IJm finding it hard to find any politicians I li!e these days.3 51f course, your best (uestion of all may be whether you want to wor! for someone opinionated.6 /8. 3f you won I18 million lottery, would you still wor'% TRAPS: /our totally honest response might be, 2Eell, no, are you seriousA3 &hat might be so, but any answer which shows you as fleeing wor! if given the chance could ma!e you seem la$y. 1n the other hand, if you answer, 21h, IJd want to !eep doing e+actly what I am doing, only doing it for your firm,3 you could easily inspire your interviewer to silently mutter to himself, 2/eah, sure. Gimme a brea!.3 !ST A"S#!R: &his type of (uestion is aimed at getting at your bedroc! attitude about wor! and how you feel about what you do. /our best answer will focus on your positive feelings. E+ample) 2After I floated down from cloud nine, I thin! I would still hold my basic belief that achievement and purposeful wor! are essential to a happy, productive life. After all,

if money alone bought happiness, then all rich people would be all happy, and thatJs not true. 2I love the wor! I do, and I thin! IJd always want to be involved in my career in some fashion. Cinning the lottery would ma!e it more fun because it would mean having more fle+ibility, more options...who !nowsA3 21f course, since I canJt count on winning, IJd 'ust as soon create my own destiny by stic!ing with whatJs wor!ed for me, meaning good old reliable hard wor! and a desire to achieve. I thin! those (ualities have built many more fortunes that all the lotteries put together.3 /1. (oo'ing bac' on your last position, ha,e you done your best wor'% TRAPS: &ric!y (uestion. Answer 2absolutely3 and it can seem li!e your best wor! is behind you. Answer, 2no, my best wor! is ahead of me,3 and it can seem as if you didnJt give it your all. !ST A"S#!R: &o cover both possible paths this (uestion can ta!e, your answer should state that you always try to do your best, and the best of your career is right now. Bi!e an athlete at the top of his game, you are 'ust hitting your career stride than!s to several factors. &hen, recap those factors, highlighting your strongest (ualifications. /$. #hy should 3 hire you from the outside when 3 could promote someone from within% TRAPS: &his (uestion isnJt as aggressive as it sounds. It represents the interviewerJs own dilemma over this common problem. EeJs probably leaning toward you already and for reassurance, wants to hear what you have to say on the matter. !ST A"S#!R: Eelp him see the (ualifications that only you can offer. E+ample) 2In general, I thin! itJs a good policy to hire from within D to loo! outside probably means youJre not completely comfortable choosing someone from inside. 2 aturally, you want this department to be as strong as it possibly can be, so you want the strongest candidate. I feel that I can fill that bill becauseK5then recap your strongest (ualifications that match up with his greatest needs6.3

/&. Tell me something negati,e you5,e heard about our company; TRAPS: &his is a common fishing e+pedition to see what the industry grapevine may be saying about the company. 0ut itJs also a trap because as an outsider, you never want to be the bearer of unflattering news or gossip about the firm. It can only hurt your chances and sidetrac! the interviewer from getting sold on you. !ST A"S#!R: ,ust remember the rule D never be negative D and youJll handle this one 'ust fine. /). >n a scale of one to ten, rate me as an inter,iewer. TRAPS: Give a perfect 24>,3 and youJll seem too easy to please. Give anything less than a perfect 4>, and he could press you as to where youJre being critical, and that road leads downhill for you. !ST A"S#!R: 1nce again, never be negative. &he interviewer will only resent criticism coming from you. &his is the time to show your positivism. Eowever, donJt give a numerical rating. .imply praise whatever interview style heJs been using. If heJs been tough, say 2/ou have been thorough and toughDminded, the very (ualities needed to conduct a good interview.3 If heJs been methodical, say, 2/ou have been very methodical and analytical, and IJm sure that approach results in e+cellent hires for your firm.3 In other words, pay him a sincere compliment that he can believe because itJs anchored in the behavior youJve 'ust seen.