When should you first begin thinking about a job interview? Ideally, as early as possible. This is, after all, a hurdle you must overcome if you are to get the job you want.
As soon as you go online, click here and land on a job that you’re interested in you, should throw yourself forward to that interview room. How will you promote yourself? What strengths do you have that are relevant for the position? Why are you attracted to the job? What research do I need to do to be able to prepare for this position?
Every job interview, no matter how big or small, contains awkward questions. We’ve picked out four of those particularly tricky questions that top CEOs told Quartz they like to use in a bid to show you how to navigate these potentially awkward moments…
#1 Would you rather be respected or feared?
This question aims to tap into your personality. There’s no wrong answer and, as with many challenging interview questions, it’s more about the way you answer than what you actually say. Talk with confidence about your character and the strengths you have and you’ll get the panel nodding in agreement.
#2 Why are you here today?
Sometimes interviewers can word their questions in what appears to be a confrontational manner. Show that you’re unflappable by seeing through this and keeping your cool. Interviews are a test of your mettle as well as your knowledge. The test here is to bring the question back to what you want to say. You need to talk about what you can bring to the job and why the job would be good for you. This video from Recruiter offers more pointers on how to do this.
#3 Tell me about when you failed.
Here’s a sneaky one. This is basically about exploring your weaknesses. Don’t just focus on something that you are not good at though. Try instead to focus on a time when you’ve made a mistake but learned something important in the process. By showing that you can overcome setbacks, and turn them into positives, you’ll show that you’re a well-rounded candidate.
#4 What is your favourite property in Monopoly, and why?
What does this mean? Well, in truth, it’s little about your ability to bankrupt your grandma by building a hotel on Park Lane during your Christmas board game battle. Instead this – and similar offbeat questions such as ‘who would play you in a film of your life?’ – are asking you to explore what sort of character you are. If you’ve read the person specification and company’s website properly then questions such as this will offer you the chance to put that to use. Throw in the right buzzwords and you’ll be able to show that you’re likely to fit in well at the company.
With these questions, and any others you face, it’s vital to stop and think. Think what you’re really being asked and don’t miss out the chance to sell yourself, both in what you say and the way you say it.
