Some Tough Interview Questions And Their Answers

Some Tough Interview Questions And Their Answers

Interview, a conversation between two or
more people where questions are asked by
the interviewer to elicit facts or statements
from the interviewee. In this case, we are
talking about job interviews, where the
interviewee seems to be on a somewhat hot
seat, seated patiently or impatiently to get
bombarded with some unknown but
probably predictable questions from the
interviewer(s).
Sit back, take a cup of chilled juice or
probably garri with rain water, then read
along…
Tell me about yourself.
Mind you, the interviewer does not want to
hear what is already on your resume. Job
applicants fall into the trap of discussing
what has being written on their resume. Do
you think the interviewer would not go
through your CV before calling you for an
interview? Then why repeat lines? That
means they know one or two things about
you. Infact most times, the interviewer will
have a copy of your CV with him as he/she
interviews you. This is why it is not a very
good time to repeat everything you have
written on your CV. Use this opportunity to
say something about how you fit into the
job role or company. Use it as an
opportunity to sell yourself.
What Are Your Weaknesses?
Most times, job applicants fall into the error
of saying they have no weaknesses. Trust,
the interviewer has heard it all a couple, if
not million times.
Tell them of that weakness(es) you’re
actively working on overcoming and you
should be able to present to the interviewer
how you’re working on it.
Mind you, do not project laziness as a
weakness or a sickness record; no
organization want to hire a lazy soul or
headache-sufferer.
In addition, you can give your knowledge
gap in the role you’re being interviewed for
as a weakness and how you’re seriously
working on developing the skill set to cover
the gap.
Are you willing to relocate?
There is no rel answer between Yes or No.
The right answer depends on what the job
requirement is, and what the job
description is. Does the job require that you
travel a lot, then the right answer will be Yes.
Even if it is not stated explicitly that you will
be travelling, take a moment to think about
the job you are applying for.
What accomplishment are you mostly
proud of?
When interviewers ask these questions, they
want to know what you hold dear. Flex your
achievement muscles and tell them what you
have done and proud of. If it’s really worth a
nod, you will get it.
Tell us about your resume.
Even though the interviewer might probably
have gone through your resume, here is an
opportunity to brief going through your
resume in a chronological order. Be brief
and straight to the point. If there is a point
you want to emphasize in your resume, here
is the opportunity to sharply draw the
recruiters attention to this point in your CV.
What are your salary requirements?
This is one of the most dreaded questions
candidates do not want to answer. Either
you are a die-hard job seeker or a fresher;
you still have to give answer to this
question. Fortunately there is no wrong or
right answer. Charging too high might look
greedy and charging too low might make
you look desperate for the job. Whatever
salary you are asking for, make sure it is
reasonable, it is something you can defend
and based on proper research carried out
on companies and jobs of related niche.
Why do you need a new job?
Excuses like Low wages, Wicked boss, not
conducive working environment, no
appropriate compensation ; these are no-
say statements to answer this kind of
question. Rather talk about the new job role
you want to fit in and why you are in love
with it. If it is the same job, then talk about
the new company and why you think their
brand is great.
Who are our competitors?
This question is to let your prospective
employer know if you have made research
the company you want to work for and how
well you know the brand. If you fail this
question, it bespeaks your lack of
preparation, insinuating that you are not
taking the job too seriously. Before you
attend any interview, you should not only
research the company but also its niche.
Are you a leader or a follower?
Don’t play too smart by jumping at the
option of being a leader. Calm your nerves
and then selectively give an answer that is
appropriate to the new role you are been
interviewed for. The new role might be
meant for followers and not leaders.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
What the interviewer simply wants to know
here is if you have defined your career path
and know what you want to be. No one is
ready to hire a man without vision.
Meanwhile, pass your boundary not, this is
not the time to tell them you will be the MD
of the company in 5 years time. Your
interviewer will only probably turn out to be
the MD of the company, you think he would
employ someone who is ready to take over
his job in 5 years time?
What are some of your leadership
experiences?
You may not have held an important title but
remember that time you were in the boy’s
scout and you had to lead a team.
Remember any task you have done as long
as it is remotely connected to leadership role
and emphasis how you were able to led the
team.
Who’s your mentor?
Mentor is an experienced and trusted
adviser. Whosoever you decide to mention
as your mentor in order for you to properly
answer this question, you must be able to
explain why you are picking such a person
because it will be asked, also how the
person has positively or will positively
influence you.
How would you deal with an angry
customer?
This is a a no-brainier but also a technical
question. The interviewer is interested in
knowing how you treat people and how
well you relate with others. If you have a
previous experience in your job, probably
you have worked in a position where you
had to interface with customers or client,
then draw from that experience.
What is the name of our CEO?
Indirectly asking, how well do you know the
company? Research the company before
you go for the interview. Find out their core
values, which the management is and
possibly, check out their profile on twitter to
know what interests them. The CEO might
just be sitting in the room and if you can
show how well you know him, then you
might just have nailed the interview.
Discuss your educational background.
This is quite different from the story of your
life. Highlight the certificates you acquired
and the skills you have acquired through
this education that will make you a more
suitable person for the job.
What Are Your Strength(s)?
This is by no means an easy question and a
lot of job seekers will fail to deliver what is
expected at this point. Most candidates fail
not because they do not know what to say
but for the lack of the accurate things to say
and how to put them. The interviewer
already gave you an opportunity to dig deep
into his/her mindset and pour into it how
awesome you are without being vain about
it. The best answer is when you are able to
exhibit how you used this strength(s) to
carry out a task or perform a job role.
Therefore, when answering this question,
look for the strength(s) that fit with your
present potential role or talk about specific
instances of where you were able to get a
notable appreciation for using this strength
in a job. A good example goes like “When I
am given a deadline, I do all I can to keep to
it and hardly fail.”
Why Do You Want To Leave Your Current
Job or Why Are You Looking For A New Job?
One mistake applicants make when
answering this question is to speak ill of
their present company or totally disrespect
their current boss. Then the interviewer
turns out to be a brother to the so-called
current boss.

This is an opportunity to put forward what
you’ve learnt from your current job and how
you can add value to the prospective job
role. Tell the interviewer how ambitious you
are and how your present employment does
not give you enough opportunity to fully
express your ambition, that’s the best hit for
the question. Tell the interviewer that you
believe and know that his/her organization
would give you the playing ground you so
much desire.
What is your dream job?
Only if you are not serious about getting the
job, your dream job should be the current
job you are applying for. Take time to make
the job sound interesting. Tell your
interviewer why you love the job and what
aspect of the job or industry you love and
explain why you want to work with them.
Why Should We Hire You?
There’s an apparent but too straight-
forward and not so justifiable answer to
this question, which is that you’re the best
for the job. For justification, you need to
backup this answer with salient points that
differentiate you from other applicants.
But how do you do this? Is a question that
needs a military attention. Take a look at the
specifications of the job and look deep to
get an example of a situation where you
excelled or simply add value to the job or the
project at hand.
Alternatively, speak passionately about your
achievements while bearing in mind that all
you say must be related to the job you’re
running for.
What questions haven’t I asked you?
This question depends on your level of
experience. If during the interview, you
notice a strength of yours that was not
related to any question and can give you an
edge; you can use this opportunity to draw
the interviewer’s attention to it. Just be
ready for any follow-up question that might
come up.
What questions do you have for me?
Never make the mistake of not asking any
question. This is your chance to find out
things you want to know and haven’t
known about the company. In asking your
question, do not pass your boundary, there
are some questions you should refrain from
asking. This is not the time to ask how many
times you are free to go on leave or to start
negotiating your salary, or probably asking
if there are enough ladies around the office,
who does that?. Ask intelligent questions
like “What drives the company”? or “Who
will you be working with”?, “Who held the
present role you are been interviewed for
and why?”.
drop yours