We have all been there…
You are almost finished with an interview, you have answered every question to perfection.
You are confident that the job will be yours.
And then along comes a question that completely blindsides you. “What are your biggest weaknesses?”
It can be easy to become flustered during an interview, and it is completely understandable! The key to becoming great at answering interview questions is to be prepared and to practice as much as possible. When it comes to answering difficult interview questions, these same roles apply! Here are three difficult interview questions and advice from our career specialists on how to best answer them.
1. “What are your biggest weaknesses?”
Let’s start with one of the most common difficult interview questions. At first glance, this may seem like an easy answer. You may be asking, “Can I just answer that I don’t really have any?”. Unfortunately, this is possibly the worst response that you could give to this difficult question.
In order to better grasp this question, it is important to go into what an employer is trying to accomplish with a question like this. By asking this question, a hiring manager or recruiter is trying to determine what you struggle with at work, and more importantly, how you overcome these difficulties. This portion about working through your difficulties is so important, and it is essential that you explain exactly how you work on your weaknesses in your interview answer.
Let’s look at some examples of what not to say:
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“I don’t really have any weaknesses at work. I am truly a perfectionist.”
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“I struggle a lot with time management and that’s just how I work.”
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“Sometimes, my desk is really messy.”
Remember that at the core of this question, hiring managers want to see an example of what you struggle with. One of the worst answers to this question is to simply shrug it off and pretend that you are perfect. We’re all human, and employers know that! At the same time, take time to explain how you have worked on overcoming your weaknesses. If you are okay with your struggles, then the employer may see your behaviors in a negative light rather than a positive one.
Here are some examples of successful answers:
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“Sometimes I can have a very difficult time delegating responsibilities. I can get attached to the projects that I work on, and can feel frustrated when trying to share them with others on my team. I have noticed that this weakness can impact my ability to accomplish tasks, as sometimes I am overwhelmed by work. I am working on this by practicing delegating with my team, and have enrolled in several leadership courses that focus on delegation.”
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“At work, I can struggle with organization, and sometimes have a messy desk. This can impact me when I am trying to go through daily tasks, and have difficulty finding things. I have been working on this by dedicating 30 minutes each week towards organizing my work life, and I have been seeing drastic improvements in my organizational skills.”
The key is always to explain a weakness, talk about how it impacts your work, and show how you have been working on fixing it. Remember, no one is perfect! Just be honest and follow these steps.
2. “How did you overcome a mistake that you made?”
This is another tricky interview question that can often trip up job seekers during an interview. It can be hard to be critical of yourself during an interview, but always be sure to answer questions like this honestly and confidently.
Starting out, the best way to answer this question is in a similar way to the last one. First, identify the mistake that you made, then talk about how you went about fixing it. You may think that admitting a small mistake is the way to go here, but talking honestly about something important that happened can be effective as well. Employers want to know how you deal with problems and criticism, so be honest!
Here are some examples of how you should not answer this question:
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“One time I was complaining about my co-worker and I accidentally wrote the email that was meant for my friend to everyone at the company. I just pretended it didn’t happen.”
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“I was supposed to write a letter for our CEO and I ended up not being able to write it as I went home early that day. When she found out, she was very upset with me.”
First off, it is great to be honest, but try your best to remain professional in your answers. Along with this, always talk about how you overcame the mistake in your answer.
Here are some ways to answer the question correctly:
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“In my last job, I was afraid to ask questions in the beginning. As a result, I ended up completing one of my tasks incorrectly. My boss was disappointed, but I learned that I needed to ask more questions in order to succeed. I now ask enough questions now to know exactly what I need to do to excel in my tasks. I am now praised by my boss for the projects that I have been working on recently.”
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“During my first sales job, I was on a team that was unable to secure a rather large sale for our company. I went back and reviewed my communications with our clients, and found that I could have done a much better job of explaining our services. After reviewing my work, I developed new sales pitches that have closed numerous deals over the past year. I have also shared my findings with my team members, and we have now exceeded our required sales numbers for the last quarter.”
Both of these answers are successful as they talk specifically about a mistake, then about how they fixed it, and finally about the impacts that this made at work. Be specific and tell a story with your answers. The best interview answers are direct stories that best represent you!
3. Why are you the best candidate for this job?
This may seem like an easy question at first, but this question can be a little bit tricky. A hiring manager or recruiter is trying to gauge how confident and unique you are with a question like this. It is important to utilize unique experiences, data, and confident wording to make sure that your question will impress.
Bad answers to this question:
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“I am the best candidate as I will really try hard everyday that I go into the office. Everything that I will ever do for you will be exactly as you ask.”
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“I am going to become a boss someday. I have limitless potential, and you must see that.”
These examples show that importance of being specific with your answer, and they also show that overconfidence can be your downfall. Make sure to use specific data in your answer to show exactly why and how you are the best candidate. Along with this, be confident, but honest.
Great answers to this question:
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“In my last job, I doubled our total sales figures by over $200,000 and helped to market the company through my trade show presentations. This job will require someone who is able to showcase a product at trade shows and also bring in record numbers of sales. As someone with both of these skill-sets, I am an ideal candidate for the lead sales position.”
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“During my last job, I produced advertisements that reached hundreds of thousands of people and consistently generated leads. These advertisements helped our team grow revenue by over 40%. I understand that your company wants to increase revenue through advertising, and I have a proven track record which shows I can do just that.”
In both of these answers, the interviewees are confident and use data to support their answers. They also both remain confident but professional at the same time. If you can highlight the exact change that you can bring to a business, then you will answer this question extremely well!
The most important thing to remember when it comes to tricky interview questions is to always expect them! Prepare beforehand by practicing these questions with a friend. Then, when the time comes, you will ace the interview and get the job!
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