Tough Interview Questions
Dietmar Wuster
2 yrs ago ago
Tough Interview questions - top 5
Before looking at the toughest behaviour questions in interviews, I would like you to remember that any question you are being asked at an interview aims to assess your competencies for the job.
No matter how tough or tricky the question, you can always use your
competency based answers you have prepared ahead of the interview using
the STAR methodology for interviews.
While your prepared answer to the most common competency questions may
not perfectly fit the tough question you are being asked, you can use it
as a starting point and improvise to make it fit.
Improvisation is important during an interview as you simply cannot
anticipate a tricky and at times very direct or even unfair question at
an interview unless you know the interviewer well.
Practice improvisation while training for interviews with a friend or
relative. Or better, give me a call if you need coaching for interviews.
Ready for the toughest interview questions?
Here goes:
Why should I give You the job and not one of the other 20 candidates?
I`ve been asked this question more than just a couple of times at an
interview and it can sound quite overwhelming when you first hear it.
The best way to answer the question is to think about how you and your skills fit into the top 3 requirements for the role.
If you have researched the role, company and interviewer prior to the interview it will allow you to focus on selling your skills in a way that is perfectly aligned to what the hiring manager is looking for.
In other words, you should explain why you feel you will be a success in the job.
Are you innovative?
A hiring manager once told me that he gave me the job because he felt
that I had a brain. What he meant was that I was able to think outside
the box and didn`t just come up with text book answers he already knew.
When being asked this question it is important to talk about times when an idea from you had a positive impact on the company.
It does not have to be a huge idea but
instead focus on maybe 2 or 3 examples when you were innovative in your
approach to achieve a target or solve a problem.
Remember to use your STAR examples you prepared for the most common competency based questions you would expect to be asked for a particular role.
Would you bend the rules in your job?
This is a leadership question which aims to test how you deal with rules that could be put into question.
In answering the question I think it is important to differentiate
between the law which you definitely do not want to break and rules in
the job which can be much softer.
My answer to the question would be that policies, procedures and rules of how to do your job are constantly changing.
Instead of bending the rules I would
encourage and look for a healthy debate with the leadership team of my
department. If rules have to change in order to make processes more
efficient then this is a good thing.
Have you ever had a bad experience with an employer?
I think honesty is important when it comes to this question as it can show on your face if you are being dishonest.
If you had a bad experience with an employer in the past it is ok to mention it in the job interview as long as you avoid attacking your previous employers.
Describe how you dealt with the
difficult experience by highlighting the competencies required to be
successful in the job you applied for. i.e., problem solving, open
communication, active listening, etc.
What has been your biggest failure?
This question sounds quite dramatic. Don`t be thrown off by it.
I think it is best to reword it in your mind to something more
manageable such as: Give me an example of when you failed at something
and how you fixed it?
The question tests how resilient you are in coping with setbacks. Failure is normal and very much part of life and work.
It's not how many times you fall, but how many times you get back up, dust yourself off, and keep on moving that truly matters.
Think of an example when you failed at a task and highlight how you went and fixed it using your unique strengths for this role.
Your attitude and ethics are particularly important here.
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