The Best Answers to Tough Interview … - offer

81. Tell me about a situation that frustrated you at work.

This is another question designed to probe the candidate's professional
personality. The interviewer will want reassurance that you are able to
hold up under pressure. Describe how you've remained diplomatic,
objective, or professional in a difficult situation.

"I was frustrated once when one of my clients, who'd insisted on a
high-growth stock, called in a panic because the stock price had
dropped more than twenty points in one day. I had a hard time
convincing him to ride it out rather than cut his losses. This happened
despite my attempts from the beginning to explain the short-term
volatility of that stock."



82. Tell me about your least-favorite manager or professor.

Answering this question will be a bit like walking across a loaded
minefield, so be aware! Keep in mind that the interviewer doesn't want
to learn about your former supervisors; he or she does want to learn
about the way you speak about them. Though the interviewer may bait
you to make a negative statement about your former employer, doing so
can create a host of problems. Even if your claim is completely true
and justified, the recruiter may conclude either that you don't get along
with other people or that you shift blame to others. The best way around
this dilemma is to choose and example that's not too negative, touch
upon it briefly, then focus the rest of your answer on what you learned
from the experience.

"Well I've been pretty fortunate as far as managers go, and I didn't have
any problems with my professors. In my first job out of college I worked
with a manager who was pretty inaccessible. If you walked into his
office to ask a question, you got the sense that you were bothering him,
so we just learned to get help from each other instead. I wouldn't say he
was my least-favorite manager, because he was a good manager in a
lot of ways, but I would have preferred that he'd made himself more
available to us and given us more direction."



83. Who's the toughest employer you've ever had, and why?

Again, you should avoid making negative statements about your
previous employers, at all costs. Turn the question around with a
positive, upbeat response, as this candidate does.

"That would be Ms. Henson at Franklin Associates. She'd push people
to their limits when things got busy, and she was a stickler for detail.
But she was always fair, and she rewarded good, hard work. I'd call her
a tough boss, but a good boss."



84. Time management has become a necessary factor in
productivity. Give an example of a time-management skill you've
learned and applied at work.

When answering this question, describe a time-management technique
you've applied to work that's allowed you to save time and resources. In
such areas as public relations time is precious, and the interviewer will
want to see that you have an idea of how valuable your time is. Try to
give an example that demonstrates how you've managed to increase
productivity because of effective time management.

"I regularly use scheduling software, which helps me effectively plan
for the day, week, month, or year. It also has a to-do-list feature and an
alarm option, which is helpful for meeting timely deadlines. In general,
though, I'm very goal oriented and self-disciplined. I like to focus
clearly on one project at a time for a set amount of hours. In the past
I've found that this has helped me save time, which in turn has given me
the opportunity to implement new procedures that have ultimately
saved the department time and money."



85. Would you be willing to locate to another city?

You may, even in some first interviews, be asked questions that seem to
elicit a tremendous commitment on your behalf, such as this one.
Although such questions may be unfair during an initial job interview,
you may well conclude that you have nothing to gain and everything to
lose with a negative response. If you're asked such a question
unexpectedly during an initial job interview, simply say something like
"That's certainly a possibility" or I'm willing to consider that."

Later, if you receive an offer, you can find out the specific work
conditions and then decide if you wish to accept the position.
Remember, at the job-offer stage you have the most negotiating power,
and the employer may be willing to accommodate your needs. If that
isn't the case, you might wish to explain that upon reflection, you've
decided you can't (for instance) relocate but you'd like to be considered
for other positions that might open up in the future.

"I'd prefer to be based here, but it's certainly a possibility I'd be willing
to consider."


86. Would you be able to work extended hours as necessary to
perform the job?

Your response should match closely the position you're applying for
and should reflect a realistic understanding of work and time required.
Ask about seasonality of work, if you're unsure, and show a willingness
to work occasional extended hours.

"I'm accustomed to working long hours during the week. I usually work
until at least six-thirty, because I get a lot done after the business office
closes at five. I can make arrangements to be available on weekends, if
necessary, though I do prefer to have at least twenty-four hours'
notice."


87. Sell me this stapler.

With this kind of question the interviewer will want to determine how
quickly you can think on your feet, as well as your ability to
communicate effectively and succinctly. Be prepared to give a
thirty-second speech on the benefits and advantages of virtually any
common office object, from a paper clip to a telephone, particularly if
you're interviewing for a sales position.

"This is a professional-quality stapler, designed to be functional as well
as attractive. It will help you reduce clutter by enabling you to fasten
pages together. And since papers relating to the same subject will now
be attached, you'll be more efficient and will save time searching for
papers. Finally, its sleek shape and back color are coordinated to
match the rest of your office furniture."



88. What is your biggest weakness?

This is a great example of what is known as a negative question.
Negative questions are a favorite among interviewers, because they're
effective for uncovering problems or weaknesses. The key to answering
negative questions is to give them a positive spin. For this particular
question your best bet is to admit to a weakness that isn't catastrophic,
inconsistent, or currently disruptive to your chosen professional field,
and to emphasize how you've overcome or minimized the problem.
Whatever you do, don't answer this question with a copout like "I can't
think of any," or even worse, "I don't really have any major
weaknesses." This kind of a response is likely to eliminate you from
contention.

"I admit to being a bit of a perfectionist. I take a great deal of pride in
my work and am committed to producing the highest-quality work I
can. Sometimes if I'm not careful, thought, I can go a bit overboard. I've
learned that it's not always possible or even practical to try and perfect
your work-sometimes you have to decide what's important and ignore
the rest in order to be productive. It's a question of trade-offs. I also pay
a lot of attention to pacing my work, so that I don't get too caught up in
perfecting every last detail."


89. Why weren't your grades better?

It's likely that if you've made it to the interview stage, you fulfill the
basic criteria for the position, including the education requirements.
The recruiter is probably trying to judge here how well the candidate
handles adversity. It's important not to get defensive or to place blame.
Instead, try to put a positive spin on the question-for example, by
concentrating on what you learned and the extra effort you put in, rather
than on the grades you received.

"School was a wonderful experience for me. I really enjoyed learning
new ideas, I studied consistently, and I was attentive in class. But I
never believed in cramming before the night of an exam just to get a
higher grade or staying up all night to finish a term paper. I really
believe I learned just as much as many students who went for the
grades."


90. Was there a course that you found particularly challenging?

The interviewer will want to see how well you respond to difficult
situations. Demonstrate that you won't fold in the face of difficulty, and
that you're willing to put in the extra effort to meet a challenge.

"Initially I was completely overwhelmed by the introductory chemistry
course that I took last year. No matter how hard I studied, I seemed to
be getting nowhere. I failed the first three quizzes. So I tried a new
approach. Instead of just studying by myself, I asked a friend who's a
chemistry major to help me with my studies. I also began to seek help
from the professor after class. And I found that more time I spent in the
lab was critical. I ended up with a B-plus in the course and thought I
achieved a solid understanding of the material. More than that, I
learned that tackling a new field of study sometimes requires a new
approach, not just hard work, and that the help of others can be
crucial!


91. Why didn't you participate more in extracurricular activities?

The interviewer may be worried that if you don't have many outside
interests, you may eventually suffer from burnout. Employers like
candidates who are well rounded and have interests outside of work. If
you didn't participate in formal extracurricular activities in college, you
still may want to talk about some of your interests, such as reading or
exercising, that you may have a passion for running even if you weren't
on the college track team.

"I wanted to give as much effort as possible to my studies. I came from a
high school in a very small town, where I received a lot of A's, but this
didn't prepare me well for college. So I studied hard. I have, however,
found time to explore the city and make new friends, and I do socialize
formally on the weekends."

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