How To Nail Those Clichéd Interview Questions

How To Nail Those Clichd Interview Questions How To Nail Those Clichd Interview Questions It would be nice if job interview questions merely involved being asked about your favorite foods and movies, with the interviewer saying, I love Happy Feet too Let me show you to your desk. Anything would be better than answering the inherently awkward questions that interviewers have been asking since clipboards were invented. But they keep asking them, and so we must keep answering them. As clichd as they are, the interview questions can offer insight into how you think, so lets go over some non-clichd answers to them.Where do you see yourself in five years?Unless youre a character in a science fiction movie who experiences all of time, answering this question can be tough. How can anyone know where theyll be in five years? I have trouble knowing where Ill be in five minutes. The last time I was asked this in a job interview, I sat there for five years trying to think of an answer. We took ba throom breaks. The interviewer is trying to assess whether your career goals somewhat align with the companys goals. For instance, if you were interviewing with a marketing firm and your answer to the five-year question was that you saw yourself playing in the NBA, they probably wouldnt hire you. You dont need to lie and tell them you see yourself as a senior executive at the company, but give an answer which suggests a passion and ambition for the industry itself. The more enthusiastic, the better. Dont worry about being a little off. Its notlage like the interviewer is going to check in on you after five years. Hold on, theres a knock at my door.What are your income expectations?Its certainly tempting to assert yourself with the old income question. I want 90 stacks, a company Aston Martin, a 78 gallon piranha tank, and my own private bathroom and solarium. Got it? But that might not be a good approach. This is one of those interview questions where its best to as brief as possibl e. Aim for a salary range that both makes you feel comfortable, and doesnt undersell you or scare the company away (the lowest range should be at least 5k over what you realistically would make, since they may go lower). If you want to be really brief just say, Im looking for compensation thats commensurate with my experience. It makes you sound smart.Learn more How to answer, What are your salary expectations?Whats your biggest flaw?This seems like a trick question, and it probably is, but the interviewer is mainly curious to see your level of self-awareness. You dont want to say something like, What the hell is that supposed to mean? What are your flaws??Since it feels like theres no great answer to this interview question, try to be sincere and simply describe a flaw that isnt crucial to the position itself. So if the job requires you to by hyper-organized, dont tell them youre unorganized, and if it requires networking, dont mention that youre shy.Feel free to take the humble br ag approach, as in, I have trouble delegating, since Im more confident in my own abilities. Tryto phrase it in the past tense, and describe what you did or are doing to fix it.Tell me about yourselfPerhaps the most frightening question out there (along with the dreadful Whats your story?), people tend to have a hard time describing themselves. The human life is a constantly changing art form which cant be condensed into a mere sentence, at least thats what we like to tell ourselves. Usually I just respond, I like cheese. You can do better.Try not to simply regurgitate basic details that the interviewer already knows. Im a human male that requires oxygen and love. Instead, opt to tell a professional anecdote that both reveals a bit of your personality, and shows your passion for the industry itself (and not about the time you spiked the water cooler). If none come to mind, describe who you are outside of whats on your resume, perhaps discussing how your upbringing influenced your car eer ambitions.If you want to jazz it up, get under a spotlight and do an elaborate dance routine about your life, which can crescendo with you sliding on your knees and catching a top hat. Or just use your words. No matter how you answer, try to keep it succinct, and make sure you end with and thats how I saved Christmas.Why do you want this job?The truth is that you dont want this job, you want to live in a world where the clouds are made of cotton candy and bills can be paid for by whistling. Nonetheless, youll have to come up with an answer, and not just say revenge or the bathroom is for employees only.Perhaps you like the work itself, or the company has released interesting products, or you think you can bring something new. Whatever the reason, prove that you actually want to be there. You want to be there, right? In your answer, try to connect both your personal and professional interests to the job itself, so that taking the job appears like a natural next step in your life. You cant go wrong there. Where you can go wrong is staying quiet and simply rubbing your thumb against your index and middle fingers to indicate money. Dont do that. Do you have any questions for me?Beyond asking where the bathroom is or if they validate parking, it can be difficult to ask questions after youve been answering them for so long. The question feels like the interviewer is being needy, as if a spouse is saying, Arent you going to ask me about my day?Its always best to ask questions before this point, but nonetheless, take the opportunity to demonstrate your enthusiasm for the company and the position. Ask them what theyre hoping for the role itself. Or ask if theres anything in your own background that could be improved to better align with the position (this question shows humility). If you want to confuse them, ask, Where do you see me in five years?This is the easiest part of the interview to prepare for in advance. Just come up with a few questions, a couple follow -up questions, and then close it all off by saying, Im sorry, were out of time.