Sunday, January 25, 2009

Answer Common Interview Questions - Brilliantly

By Edward Baker

Want to know the secret to standing out in your interview? It's giving the best answers to common interview questions. How you handle these can make or break your job interview. The secret is being prepared. Here are five common interview questions and how to answer them, so you stand out from the crowd.

Common interview questions are what are you major strengths or weaknesses. Remember to stay positive and upbeat. This is easy to accomplish with the strengths interview question. However, with the weakness interview question - try to turn your weakness into a strength and keep your chances alive.

Tell me about yourself. This is a tricky interview question for a lot of people. You don't want to sound egotistical, but you have to sell yourself. It's best to prepare a short statement in advance covering you're accomplishments and future goals. Then, memorize and rehearse your statement out loud either in front of a mirror or video camera. It's also a good idea to practice on a friend or spouse and get their feedback.

Why did you leave or want to leave your most current job? The secret to this common interview question is to stay positive and be honest. No matter how much you're tempted, don't say anything negative about previous employers. If you were let go from your last job, don't lie. When they do a reference check they're likely to find out. It's better they hear it from you up front. When they ask what happened, tell your story in the best possible way for yourself as you can, and no matter what, stay positive about your previous employer.

Tell us about when you dealt with ...[this problem]. This is a typical introduction to a competency based interview question. Have two or three examples prepared in advance through which you can sell a number of different skills and attributes. You can use this question as an invitation to talk about that example in the terms that you have designed in advance.

How would your coworkers describe you? This common interview question is best handled with examples. They can be exact quotes or paraphrased. Having a couple ready like "Ron, who I worked with at Fun inc. always said I was the most trustworthy person he had ever worked with." Statements like that are just as good as if Ron were there and made them himself.

So to summarise - if you keep a positive and enthusiastic outlook, remain truthful and prepare in advance, your chances of interview success will dramatically improve - 14915

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