3 Questions No Job Seeker Ever Wants To Be Asked?

By Brian Stephenson
Posted Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Employer and interviewers expect you to answer tough question during interviews. Take a few minutes to brainstorm on how you might elaborate on the following answers. The answers you give to these questions that will be asked during your interview will be very important in your career prospects.

Suppose you were asked these questions right now. Could you give a good answer? If not, study, study, study.

1. “Can you explain why you’ve been out of work so long?”

Mothers usually have an easier time with this one than others do because the reason for long unemployment can almost always be related to raising the family. However, if you were just traveling or not looking for work very much, it’s more difficult.

“I felt that before I settled into a career job I had better get some personal travel out of the way. So, I traveled all over the country as a sort of self-education. The travel bug is out of my system and I’m ready to start on that career.”

“I held many jobs before this long period of having no job. I decided I didn’t want to settle for just any job again, so I pretty much stopped looking while I identified what I really wanted to do as a career. I am convinced working for you fits my career plans very well.”

2. “Do you know anything about our company?”

Hopefully, you will have done some homework and will know something about the company, but if you don’t, you should be prepared to say something other than “no”, and indicate interest in knowing “more”. Highlight their services, products and or revenues.

“Not as much as I would like to. I understand that you are a very large firm, which indicates success and advancement potential. Where are your plants located besides here?”

“Well, you certainly have a reputation for being a leading force in the local economy.”

3. “I’ve interviewed several people with more experience than you. Why should I hire you instead of them?”

This question can appear in many different forms (as can most of the others). Beware of passing judgment on others because you don’t know them and you might be starting an argument, at least in the employer’s mind. Also, steer clear of answering from a selfish point of view. Instead, refer to the job candidate you do know (you), and give some indication of what the employer stands to gain by hiring you.

“I can’t speak for the others, but I can for myself. I can assure you that I always learn new assignments very rapidly, and I think that may have the advantage of not having to unlearn someone else’s way of doing things before learning how to do them your way.”

“I’m sure it would be very hard for you to find someone who could beat my eagerness and capacity for work.”

Tip: Don’t concern yourself with trying to memorize each answer to every possible interview question. Each answer you give will be unique to you. Use these questions as a guide for your practice sessions with your team members.

Have a family member or close friend sit down with you and “grill” you with each of these questions. You can not simply read these questions to yourself or study them alone. You must participate in multiple mock interview sessions with someone acting as the interviewer.

If possible, have these sessions audio or video taped so that you can hear and/or see answers that you stumble over or questions that you do not clearly respond to. Also, with video, you will notice certain gestures and body language that might be distracting to the interviewer that you might not notice by practicing alone.

REMEMBER: The interviewer is not just listening for how you answer the question but also, how you present your case and the image you project.

About the Author
Brian Stephenson is the author of, “Job Search Boot Camp”, the most hard-hitting, step-by-step job search course that takes each student by the hand and shows them how to beat the odds and have great interviews that lead to job offers. Also, imagine if you could create powerful resumes that get results, stunning cover letters that command interviews, and winning interview thank you letters that get you hired? Consider for a moment what is possible for you if you had access to these forbidden secrets. For more information on the Job Search Boot Camp course, visit (http://www.JobSearchBootCamp.com)