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With anxiety often cited as the #1 perceived problem when doing well in an interview, it is crucial to thoroughly prepare so that you are confident you can nail those tough interview questions that often throw people for a loop. Below are tough questions and strong answers interviewers can give to ensure they will perform well in the interview. What are your weaknesses? The most important thing to remember when answering this question is to not take it literally! Do not go into a long tangent about what your actual weaknesses are. One good way to answer this question is to state the obvious. “I have never worked within telecom before; however my accounting background spans a wide variety of industries and sectors, so I feel confident that I could handle the accounting work within a telecom company as well.” Another strong response would be to cite something that can be taken as a negative OR a positive, depending on one’s perspective. For example, “I am very detail-oriented and in some industries that would not be a good fit. However, for this accounting position, being detail oriented would be a strong point so that I can handle the blocking and tackling aspects of the job.” Give me an example of a time when you had to…(show leadership; solve a problem without enough information, etc.) These are called behavior-based interview questions. These types of questions are asked because of the very simple fact: that past performance is the single most indicative criteria when determining future performance. The hiring manager will test these responses 1) because it requires the candidate to think on their toes which tests their reaction to pressure, and 2) give a real-time example of a situation that happened in their past and how they handled it. The best way to prepare for these types of questions is to think of one or two BROAD examples of scenarios or situations you’ve actually encountered in your work experience, and then figure out how to tweak your response depending on the way the question is worded. Another good way to prepare for these questions is to jot down good responses you could give, so that when in the interview, the scenarios quickly come to the forefront of your mind and you don’t draw a blank OR even worse, think of five scenarios you have to weed through in your mind to determine which will be the best example to give. Also keep in mind it’s okay to make up responses that could have happened if you can’t think of a real example. How would you solve this problem? These are hypothetical questions that can be risky. One, they may not like your answer and two; they could steal your idea if it’s a particularly strong one. The best way to answer these questions is to answer the question with a broad strategy in mind, while highlighting one or two specifics. For example if you’re asked, “How would you increase product awareness?” do not go into lengthy detail of the strategy you had in mind, but state something more general while mentioning a couple of major points. For example, “I would increase brand awareness by focusing on several marketing strategies that have worked for me in the past. I find advertising, mail-outs, and e-mail blasts to be very successful.” Why did you leave your last job? ALWAYS twist everything in a positive light. Never mention negatives without focusing on the positive, because an interview is not the time to reveal dirt on your prior employer. A strong response would be, “I feel as though the mission of the firm wasn’t in line with my interests. I wanted to work for a firm whose mission was more rewarding and gratifying.” Why do you want to work here? This is why you must do your homework before the interview. Answer with specifics; now is not the time to be vague in your response. An acceptable answer would be, “I want to work for a top global accounting firm in the area that has a great reputation” but a BETTER answer would be, “I want to be part of a global company that last year invested $1.4 million in research development of eco-friendly industrial processes.” Tell me about yourself. This is your chance to shine, but do not focus on your life history. Focus only on what’s relevant to the job, while quickly mentioning details such as education (if it was a number of years ago) and talk in summary format, walking the employer through your background while highlighting certain skill sets you learned that are relevant to the job you’re interviewing for. A strong response would be, “I graduated from (X University) with a degree in Accounting. I wanted to join a Big 4 regional firm and wanted public accounting experience so I joined (Company X.) I worked as an auditor and handled (x, y, z) and then moved to (company X.) There I handled (x, y, z) and was quickly promoted after six months to a manager role. The firm has recently been acquired and I am hoping to find a role that will offer me a new challenge and the ability to work with top professionals.”
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