WASHINGTON — Your resume got your foot in the door and you made it past the initial screening process. Now there’s only one thing standing between you and your dream job: the interview.
“An interview can be a life-changing moment,” said James Reed, author of “Why You?: 101 Interview Questions You’ll Never Fear Again” on WTOP. “It can be a moment that really sets you off in a new direction, opens up a whole world of new opportunities.”
“It’s a conversation you can prepare for and should prepare for,” he said.
For “Why You,” Reed surveyed thousands of employers for their best interview questions. From the hundreds of responses, Reed came up with a list of 101 that represented the most common and the most interesting.
He chatted with WTOP on Wednesday afternoon, offering a few tips to help you shine at your next job interview.
Preparation is key
Researching the company and considering some of the things you may be asked is a surefire way to take the edge off some of the nervousness leading into an interview.
“Be prepared because if you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail, as the old adage goes,” Reed said. “It’s surprising to me how many people are not really prepared.”
Preparation is what will give you confidence. Besides, you don’t want to be the candidate who asks a potential employer what the company does when the information is readily apparent on the company’s website, he said.
Also worth mentioning is the literal preparation — like not doing Skype interviews in your pajamas, he added.
“In one extreme case, a guy showed up to an interview not even wearing a shirt,” Reed said.
What ‘So, tell me about yourself’ really means
Reed said one of the most common interview questions was “So, tell me about yourself” — which isn’t really a question, but it does tell an interviewer a lot about a job candidate.
This isn’t a question to respond to, as presented. Basically, you should not go into a long, rambling monologue about your life story even though you were asked to do so.
Instead, consider the things that are relevant to this situation. Consider the context — why you are there, why you are sitting in the chair opposite the person asking the questions. What they probably are asking is what brought you to this company, to this juncture in your career, Reed said.
You don’t want to leave the personal stuff out, he said. You’ll throw in anecdotes about your life to add color and interest.
“I would start with the professional, career-focused stuff, then add to it. Not the other way around,” Reed said.
The ‘strengths and weakness’ question is really about self-awareness
A question about identifying your strengths and weaknesses is another common interview question. And it also is one that involves a bit of reading between the lines.
What employers are trying to assess is your level of self-awareness, Reed said.
For example, a detailed person might have trouble delegating work to others. A person who’s able to delegate easily might get lost in a lot of details. The point is that there are job roles that suit both these types.
“We all have weaknesses,” Reed said. “A weakness is just the other side of a strength.”
Consider, too, what it’s like working with people who lack self-awareness — it doesn’t always make for a great work experience. Having a bit of self-awareness can also help you assess whether or not the job would be a good fit for you.
Other interview questions that gauge self-awareness: What do people assume about you that that would be wrong? What do colleagues at work think of you? When was the last time you were angry?
There are still interviewers who ask oddball questions such as, “If you were an animal, which one would you be?”
“Yeah, people are really are still asking that question,” Reed said. “It doesn’t really matters what sort of animal you’d be as long as you just have some idea of why.”
That said, you probably don’t want to say “snake,” Reed said.
Interviews are a two-way process
Reed said fresh college graduates and others who are just entering the job market don’t necessarily reflect on whether the jobs they’re going for align with their passions and strengths. They’re usually hyper-focused on getting hired.
Then there are those on the other end of the spectrum: Those looking for what they can get out of a job rather than what they have to contribute.
“And that’s a common mistake, too,” Reed said.
This is where self-awareness becomes important. As you’re going through the process, really consider whether you’d enjoy working there.
“My message, generally, is to love Mondays,” Reed said. “It’s really important, I think, that people have jobs that they enjoy, and they want to go to work and feel fulfilled. So when you’re going through the interview, the question you want to ask yourself is ‘Is this the job for me?’”
If the answer is “yes,” do your best to leave a good impression. This means you should come to the interview with a few questions of your own.
“You should leave impression that you’re curious, keen to learn and enthusiastic,” Reed said. “No one can fault enthusiasm in the end.”
And remember to say “thank you.”
“Some employers have told us that they won’t consider people who don’t write and thank them for their time after an interview,” Reed said.
