Features - Interview Technique
Tough Interview Questions - A CV Centre Guide
In any interview, it is very possible that you will be faced with having to answer questions requiring you to give what seems to be a negative response. The trick is to turn this potentially negative situation into one that is positive, something that can be quite difficult to achieve.
Often, an interviewer will deliberately try to expose you to this kind of question to see just how well you respond to such pressure. It is essential that you remain calm when the question is posed and do not appear flustered in any way. Examples of how to answer potentially negative questions are provided below:
What do you consider your weaknesses to be?
When asked this question, it is perhaps tempting to say "I have no weaknesses….." but this should really be avoided. An interviewer wants to know that you are able to look at yourself objectively and to criticise yourself where appropriate. However, it is important not to simply come up with a list of what you consider your weaknesses to be, but instead to try and reflect positively on these by outlining the active steps you are taking to overcome them. Another tip is to avoid saying that one of your weaknesses is to work too hard or to push yourself too hard. This answer is often considered to be a cliché and sounds almost like it came straight out of a poor book on interview techniques!
Why did you leave your previous position?
It is essential that you do not give a negative impression of your previous
employer as this can be seen as indicative of disloyalty. The most positive
answers to give here will be along the lines of:
Seeking further advancement
Wanting to diversify
Hoping to achieve greater training opportunities
Looking for a new challenge
However, in some circumstances, you may have actually been dismissed from
your previous role and this is probably the hardest reason to put a positive
slant on. Be honest when answering this question, acknowledge responsibility
for the causes of your dismissal but say that you have learnt a great
deal from the experience and know exactly how you should behave if similar
circumstances occur in the future. Explain the reasons for your behaviour
and how you now know that you were in the wrong.
How would you handle the following situation...
An interviewer may often pose a scenario based question asking you to imagine yourself in a difficult or negative situation and ask how you would deal with it. Below is an example of such a scenario and a model answer that should impress an interviewer by showing your ability to prioritise and to 'fire-fight' and not to become easily flustered.
Question:
"You are a receptionist working on the front desk when all of a sudden a fax arrives, several phone lines start ringing, clients arrive at your desk and a courier delivers a package that requires your signature. How do you cope with this situation?"
Sample Answer:
"My first priority would be to answer the calls whilst simultaneously presenting the waiting clients and the courier with a friendly and professional smile. The calls can be answered and put straight through or be put on hold, allowing me to deal with the client and the courier thereafter. The people waiting in front of me are able to see just how busy I am, whereas those on the phone will simply feel ignored if their calls are not answered and may consider it unprofessional if their enquiries are not dealt with promptly. Having successfully prioritised the visitors and the calls, I will then be able to respond to the fax when there is more time."
How are you on punctuality? / What's your sickness record like?
It may well be tempting to give the interviewer a glowing record of your perfect timekeeping and your complete lack of illness over a given period of time. However, it is important to remember that the interviewer will most likely be seeking references from your former employers and these are just the kind of facts that they may well check up on. If you have been absent from work for significant illnesses, do not be embarrassed by this - the interviewer will understand that people do fall ill from time to time and as long as they are given no reason to suspect that the illness was contrived, you should have nothing at all to be ashamed about.
Punctuality is very important in any job as it demonstrates your commitment, dedication and loyalty to the company. If you have had a poor record of punctuality in the past, you must be sure not to try to hide this but to explain that, despite your track record, you are more than aware of the importance of punctuality in ensuring that all daily deadlines and workloads are achieved and that you are able to offer 100% commitment.
How would you explain gaps in your career?
A number of people have gaps in their career for reasons that include
world travel, long-term sickness or simply inability to find a suitable
position. Each of these can be explained in a positive or a negative way.
Positive examples include:
World Travel - Explain how the travel was self-funded enabling you to
experience total independence and how you sought part-time and temporary
employment in the countries that you visited if necessary. The experience
provided you with an invaluable insight into different cultures and has
enhanced your ability to integrate into a multi-cultural environment.
Long-Term Sickness - As mentioned above, this is never something that
should be discussed with any feeling of shame or embarrassment. Feel free
to talk about your illness as openly as you like and explain that you
used the time at home as productively as possible maintaining awareness
of current affairs and reading literature relevant to your profession.
General Unemployment - Sometimes, the right job is not available at the
right time and there is nothing that you can do about this. Make sure
that the interviewer understands that you were proactive in your job seeking
during this time making use of the internet, local recruitment agencies
and jobs papers to help find the most suitable job for you. Also, perhaps
indicate that the reason it has taken you so long to find a job is that
you are waiting for an appropriate position to come along rather than
leaping into an unsuitable role simply to remain in employment.
Further Help
We can offer no better recommendation than to get hold of a copy of the book "Great Answers To Tough Interview Questions" which, despite its title, actually covers every single aspect of the job-hunting process. It’s the best book on the subject, is sponsored by The CV Centre, and is available from them for just £12.50. Of course, to get to the interview stage you do need an outstanding CV and there really is no substitute for taking advantage of in-depth professional experience. The CV Centre is the UK's leading CV consultancy; their CVs are carefully crafted to have the strongest possible appeal to potential employers, rather than being just an uninspiring typed summary of an individual's basic information. Their team of consultants also has a broad range of previous experience within recruitment and personnel management, which enables them to produce CVs of the highest standards. Find out how The CV Centre's professional CV writing services can help to maximise your chances of getting the job you deserve.
