Why Most Career Sites are not Helpful Enough

I was surfing websites a day ago, looking for new interview questions and answers that other employment gurus have to offer, when I saw something amiss. You will find literally heaps of interview questions and answers out there but I did not notice a single website that shows people recommendations on how to answer the questions. They just offer the answers and that’s it.

Why is that bad?

Because the vast majority of job hunters will merely copy those answers without actually knowing them, and when the interviewer throws in a follow up question, come interview time, they end up getting lost. This fact makes a large number of interview assistance websites useless.

Realizing the need, I decided to create this article and fill in the blank. There are various kinds of interview questions and I will discuss 3 of them in this short article.

Behavioral interview questions – These types of questions are getting more and more popular since they not only test an individual's behaviour over a given scenario, they also show how a person recounts past events and how effective they are in conveying a message. It is actually some kind of a communication skills test as well.

Here is a sample behavioral interview question and answer

Give me an example of a time when you encouraged others

"The current financial meltdown led a lot of companies to downsize; it affected nearly every industry including ours. Several of my colleagues back then were hunting for other jobs because they were afraid that they might get laid off. Realizing the problem, I began talking with my group and told them that we should not abandon the company, if we carry out our job well the management will notice and we'll be too valuable to let go of. So we stuck with the company and started multi-tasking because several jobs were left vacant. The corporation got through the crunch and we all got a reward for carrying out a great job."

Notice that the reply starts with a problem, followed by an action, and then an outcome. This is the most appropriate way to effectively answer behavioral questions. It must be in that order so the message is clear.

Situational interview questions – These are the “what if” questions that are made to test your problem solving and critical thinking capabilities. You are usually given a scenario where you must choose between 2 actions that have particular effects on your job or personal life.

Here is a sample situational interview question and answer

What would you do if a team member is resisting a new idea you are introducing?

“I’ve worked in a team before and have been in this situation. What I did at that time was to speak with the team member who is resisting the idea and I tried to find out the reason for his resistance. Issues like this almost always boils down to mis-communication and misunderstanding on the team member’s part. Once I found out the reason for his resistance, I then formulated a solution and then we all agreed on the new idea.”

These kinds of questions demand some thought because there will be a consequence regardless of what action you choose. So you have to weigh your alternatives, evaluate the situation, prioritize, and then decide on which course to take.

Non-direct interview questions – These are generic questions that don’t really ask for something specific. One of the most common non-direct interview questions is;

“Tell me something about yourself”

In addressing this specific question, you should be able to discuss your education, skills, experiences, and personality in as short as 2mins. Don’t get carried away and start telling stories that are unnecessary. As much as possible, relate your answer to the opportunity you are vying for.

Those are 3 kinds of interview questions, and most importantly, how to answer them. It is highly recommended to think about possible answers to as many interview questions that you can discover because you’ll never know exactly what questions will get asked. It is also best to practice saying your answers out loud and find out whether you are sounding like a robot or not. Nothing beats an candidate who is well prepared.