This question is another case of the interviewer being a partner to both the company and the job seeker. The interviewer is trying to get an idea of what motivates you, and if that fits the job for which you’re applying. In addition, an honest answer to this question can help the company make the job more customized to your needs. Many companies are willing to do that – adjust the job within reasonable parameters so a person can excel.

Here are some examples.

“I loved working directly with customers, that really fulfilled me.” Many retail jobs have segments that are task oriented, such as restocking shelves or managing inventory, and jobs that are customer oriented, such as working the register or the customer service desk. This answer would help a company gear a retail job more to the customer service side of things.

“I enjoyed the challenge of troubleshooting problems. When someone else doesn’t have the answer, I love finding it. I’m really good at that too.” Giving this answer for a technical support job would tell the employer that you’re the go to person for tough issues. Not only would it motivate you, but solve a problem for the employer because not many people like working on the tougher technical issues.

Research helps with this question. Knowing the company and the job can help formulate an answer that is more likely to result in landing the job. If the job involves a lot of typing, and you love to type, the answer “I worked hard to become a speedy, accurate typist. I enjoy putting those skills to work,” is a strong one.

Thinking about this question in the first place can help you choose the right job, too. The answer “I enjoy working by myself” in a team environment wouldn’t be a wise choice. Not only would it be a negative in the employers’ eyes, but it would make the job a real grind. But it could be that the job is step one to a greater goal. Sometimes people take entry level jobs to prepare for what they really want to do. A good employer will understand that.

The keys to answering this question are:

• Honesty
• Research – formulate an answer that connects what motivates you to the job requirements

A “How Not to Get Hired 101” answer would be one given by a recent college graduate during a rather unsuccessful interview. “I live for the challenge of a beer drinking contest!”

Some variation of this question comes up in every job interview. The question to the job hunter is how to answer this question when trying to sell themselves to a potential employer.

First here’s what not to do. Do not try to offer up a strength taken to the extreme as a weakness – “I work too hard” or “I’m too much of a perfectionist” or “I can never say no to the boss.” Interviewers, even the inexperienced ones, will recognize this for what it is – evasive b.s.

Consider that a good interviewer is not an enemy. A good interviewer is a partner trying to work with the job seeker and the employer to find the right fit for both. The wrong fit means the employer ends up with an undone job, and an employee ends up struggling and miserable at work. Nobody wants that.

As with many things, in this case honesty is the best policy. Don’t be too honest, don’t offer up weaknesses that would make someone think you can’t do the job – “I have a sleeping disorder that makes me spontaneously fall asleep during the day.” Make sure to follow up the weakness on the positive side by describing how you’ve addressed it and conquered it – “I tend to be disorganized, so I make sure to use my PDA and calendar to keep me on schedule and all my contacts and work in order.”

The right answer to this question shows honesty, the ability to deal with problems, and a general comfort with dealing with tough questions in an interview and work situation.

Some suggested answers:

Disorganized:
“I’m not very organized, so I make lists which I check every morning to make sure I stay on track.”

Don’t Listen:
“I have a hard time listening to people before I interrupt them, so now I count to three to make sure people are finished speaking before making my comments.”

Forgetful:
“I tend to forget things, so I take notes and make lists of important tasks and details.”

Sometimes an interviewer will follow up with something like “That’s a great example of a personal issue you’ve solved, but what about one you’re still struggling with?”

The answer to this is the same as to the original question. Take some time to think, don’t mention too severe a weakness, and make sure to mention how you’re dealing with the issue.

I’m not great with computers:
“I take classes at night and on weekends and am making progress learning the more complex tasks involved with computers such as backing up data and upgrading software, even replacing the hard drive.”

Of course, this would be a severe weakness if computer work is core to the job.

The strangest answer we’ve heard? “I talk to animals, so when the birds chirp outside it ruins my concentration.”

This question asks for three positive things your last boss could say about you, not necessarily what the boss did say about you. For any decent worker a list of three shouldn’t be hard. Make sure to match these three positive things with the job being sought. That means researching the company and knowing the job requirements and responsibilities.

To prepare for this question, make a list of positive things your current boss has said about you. Then look for those that match the new job. A good place to start is your last review. Bring the performance evaluation with you to show the interviewer. It never hurts to show you know how to use visual aids when making a presentation.

Don’t worry if you can’t think of specific positive things that match the new job. Many general professional attributes fit many jobs. It doesn’t hurt to discuss specific skills.

General Attributes:
“Thanks for asking that question. When I started my last job I was pretty raw. My boss corrected me a lot, or gave suggestions on how things should be done. She often says I take criticism and direction well, and told me I shaped up to be a great asset. She said I was good, then, at passing along new information – a great communicator. And she always commented on how punctual I was – I never missed a deadline or was late to work for the five years I worked there.”

Specific Skills – Plumber
“He said I must talk the same language as the pipes, because I seem to be able to spot a problem the second I walk into the room. He never saw anyone who takes as much pride in his tools as I do. And he said I was second only to him in communicating with customers.”

Specific Skills – Sales
“My boss told me there’s the old sales story about selling ice cubes to Eskimos – he said I could sell them the ice, the freezer to keep them frozen, and the cups to put them in. He told me I have a way of zeroing in on customer needs. And, even though I lose a sale now and then, my honesty pays off big time in the long run.”

If a longer answer doesn’t feel right, try listing attributes your boss has mentioned, or hinted at on a review.

• Trustworthy / Honest
• Great sense of humor
• Hard worker
• Willing to work extra hours
• Flexible
• Great under pressure
• Knows the profession
• Energetic

Be ready for the follow-up question which is often “give some examples of these attributes in action.”

One answer surely won’t help land the new job. “I’m quiet, I work cheap, and I’m leaving.”

A good answer to this question has two main parts:

• A skill related to the job you’d like to improve
• A plan of action for improving it – better that this is already being implemented

This question is fairly similar to the questions about weaknesses – “What is your greatest weakness.” Avoid the same pit fall of naming a strength taken to the extreme. This is a transparent baloney answer that is more avoiding the question than answering it. Examples include:

“I’d like to be able to relax a little bit, stop working such extreme hours – I’ll stay at work 24 hours a day if someone doesn’t remind me to go home.”

“I tend to be too much a perfectionist. I’m working on letting go once something is 99% perfect.”

Knowing the company and the job description helps with this answer. Honestly evaluating yourself, then comparing what needs to improve to the job requirements will help formulate a strong answer for this question.

Communication:
“I have worked to become a better communicator over the years, but I still have some trouble when speaking to a large group. I’ve been a member of toastmasters for a few years so I can work on my ability to speak to large groups. That should serve me well when it comes time to making presentations to clients.”

Procrastination:
“I tend to put things off – it’s really helped that I learned to keep lists of priorities. I still have to work on that a little bit so I don’t have to keep looking at my written list. That list does help when I’m managing a group to complete a project.”

Computer Skills
“The “For Dummies” books seem to be written for me. I was afraid I would delete everything whenever I touched the mouse. I’ve read a lot of books and still take some weekend classes to keep improving my skills with a computer. I would call myself intermediate right now when it comes to computers. My goal is to become an expert.”

The key is to mention skills that need moderate improvement, the current weakness won’t negatively impact the job, improvement will help the job, and there is a plan to improve. Even weak skills central to the job, when mentioned needing improvement in this way, will earn points in an interview.

Try to avoid something as extreme as this. “I easily lose my temper. I’m working on it in anger management, but the last instructor got me mad so I hit him. I’m looking for a new anger management class.”

This is asked in a few different ways. Sometimes it’s “Describe how you deal with conflict.” The interviewer wants to know how you resolve difficult situations. There are none more difficult than conflict in the work place.

It should be clear that saying you are poor at resolving conflict is a negative. Learn to deal with conflict so you can answer this question positively. Even if you still really don’t like it, you can frame an answer that helps land the job, and learn to deal with conflict when it does occur.

If possible provide specific examples of work situations that involved conflict and how you dealt with it.

Avoid:
“I don’t much like conflict, so I think I’m probably not the strongest when it comes to dealing with it. But I think it’s best to try to deflate it, put aside differences to deal with the task at hand. We’re co-workers, we don’t have to be best friends.”

Authority:
“If things really heat up I don’t want to create a situation where it’s impacting the job. So I do my best to step out of the situation emotionally, and if someone else persists, I’ll talk to a supervisor to settle the problem. A few years ago we had a tight deadline, and I don’t know what happened but another worker and I just couldn’t agree on some details. I compromised on a lot, but he just kept at it. Finally I asked a supervisor to step in. She cleared the air and we were able to work together.”

Head On:
“Conflict is best met head on. If there’s a problem, I’ll get with the people involved in a room and hash it out. We have to work together whether they’re co-workers, employees or my boss. I’ve never met a situation that couldn’t be solved, or at least compromised. One time it came down to something as simple as who would speak during a power point presentation. We compromised, each taking the lead for half the presentation. It worked well.”

Walk a Mile:
“I try to see things from other perspectives. So when there’s conflict, I look at the situation from the other side. Sometimes I see I’m right, sometimes I see I’m wrong. People get the idea I’m pretty fair, and they’ll listen when I really stick to my guns.”

Co-Worker Slacking:
“I worked once with a guy who never did his share of the work. He’s play games during the day. For awhile most of the people covered up for him, but it got to be pretty crazy. I started giving him specific assignments, kind of taking a supervisor role. He still didn’t respond so some people went to the boss. Eventually they fired him because he just refused to work.”

One of the worst answers we’ve heard is “I can already see I won’t like you!”

Answer this question as it comes. But don’t give an answer like “My name is XYZ, I attended XYZ college, with a degree in XYZ…” The interviewer isn’t asking for your height and weight, or for the basic details about you and your work history – that’s contained in the resume or CV.

This question gives you the opportunity to say the things that didn’t fit in the resume. One example of a strong answer is describing things about your education that couldn’t be covered on the resume.

“When I was in college I spent weekends working in the library with Professor Soandthus, a premier historic researcher. I learned a lot about research preparation, organizing facts, as well as organizing questions so that there’s not time wasted looking for answers to the wrong questions.”

This is also a good time to mention some examples of your character strengths in action.

Perseverance:
“When I was a boy scout I wanted to become an Eagle Scout, that’s the highest level in scouting, in the worst way. But as I got older I had to work to help pay for books and tuition. I went a lot of sleepless nights studying for various merit badges, and preparing the project necessary to achieve the rank. But the day I became Eagle Scout made it all worth it.”

Honesty:
“I’m no Abraham Lincoln, but one day when I was in the store I noticed the cashier had undercharged me for an item. I love saving money, but that was a mistake. When I pointed it out to her she took even more off the price. I had to see a manager before someone understood they had charged me too little. He appreciated the honesty so much he let the lower price stick.”

General Nice Guy
“I don’t know if every neighborhood has one, but in my neighborhood I’m the handy man. Everyone comes to me when there’s something they can’t fix. The kids in the area think my garage is a bike shop – I’ve fixed more flat tires than I can count.”

It’s a good idea to try to fit the answer to the job or company, after some research. But don’t make up something that sounds too good to be true, like:

“The story of your company’s founder inspired me to get into this business. I patterned my life on his work.”

The only time that would be appropriate is if it were 100% true, and you could show proof, such as a photo of you with the founder when you were a child.

Sometimes interviewers ask trick questions. This isn’t one of those times. The purpose is to determine if you like working alone or as part of a group. While sometimes a job can be tailored to your preference, most often an employer is looking for someone flexible in this regard. Most jobs require periods of working alone, and periods of interacting with others.

Be honest. What that means is before looking for a job make sure you can work well with a team or alone. People will work better one way or the other, but having flexibility is important in the working world. As always, do research on the company and job to better frame an answer.

A good answer to this question reflects that flexibility, and gives specific examples of working in both situations.

Express Flexibility Directly:
“I enjoy working as part of a team, but also on my own. I read the job description and your web site, and found that there are going to be opportunities to do both. I look forward to each one. The bottom line is meet the goals.”

Story Reflecting Both:
“When I was in HS I was in the marching band. That required long hours of practicing on my own so I could play the music and march the right step length and cadence. Then there were long hours of practicing with the group to coordinate everything. I have to admit I much preferred working with the group, but I know solo work is often part of the overall picture.”

Ten Towards a Loner:
“I feel I get a lot more done when I work on my own. I get into a zone and really crank out the ideas. But I recognize that most tasks take working with others who bring their own unique skills to the table. When I first started college I didn’t much like working in groups, but I’ve learned to enjoy that too.”

The job itself will tell you whether to flavor the answer more with team work or more with working alone. For example software developers often work in isolation, but some software development shops employ methods that require team coding. It would be a disaster to say “I got into software development so I could work without being bothered by other people” in one of those team shops.

One woman didn’t have a clue when she answered the question. “Neither!”

If you don’t handle pressure or stress well, now is not the time to reveal that. Take a crash course in handling it. Honesty is the best policy in interviews. Honestly, if you can’t handle pressure or stress then you don’t belong in the work place.

The question is asked for exactly the reason it seems. The interviewer wants to know how well you handle pressure and stress. Give a positive answer, along with a real world example of how you’ve handled stress in the work place.

Embrace Them:
“Pressure and stress are part of the working world. I thrive under pressure. I bend, work harder, but I don’t break.”

Avoid Them:
“I plan and react to situations, not to pressure and stress. The best way to handle them is to deflate them as quickly as possible with calm, diligent work. One step at a time.”

They Improve Me
“I do my best work under pressure or in a stressful environment.”

Channel Them
‘That’s why I box. At the end of a work day I take it out on the punching bag.”

Management
“Stress and pressure are often caused by a lack of communication or a clear understanding of a task. I make sure to communicate with my superiors, colleagues and staff so that we’re on the same page. That way we all know what to expect, and things don’t get tense.”

Types of Examples:

Deadline Changed
“One Friday the boss let us know the deadline had changed from the following Friday to the following Monday. I got him to buy lunch, dinner and late night snacks over the weekend, so that the team and I could get the job done on time.”

Someone Dropped the Ball
“One of our producers completely missed a deadline. I was waiting on that work to start my part of the project. I sat down with her and helped her finish her part, in return for her helping me with mine. We finished all the work ahead of schedule.”

Non Specific Example:
“When things get really tense I huddle with my co-workers and figure out how to improve the situation. Sometimes it means a few extra hours for everyone, but we know going in. Knowing is half the battle.”

Avoid this answer, given by a woman who didn’t get the job. “When things get tough, I usually retreat to the restroom for a good cry.”

This is a difficult question. Keep in mind it’s one of those questions used to determine future actions based on past actions. The interviewer is looking for specific examples. Be honest, but don’t relate stories that may show you in a negative light. “I had one supervisor who was on me all the time for not working hard enough. The guy was a jerk.” The problem with answers like this is the interviewer is likely to get the idea you really were slacking, rather than that the supervisor was a jerk.

Very often situations with supervisors are emotional. Take some time to think about your career and times you’ve had a problem with a supervisor. Remove the emotion from the answer, so that it doesn’t sound like sour grapes or reflect badly on you. Remember, when you put people down it reflects badly on you, not on the target of your personal attack.

The keys to a good answer are:

• Remove emotion
• Specific Example
• Keep it short, don’t go into too many details
• Limit discussion to situations where you took positive action, with a positive result to that action

Abusive:
“When I was younger I had a supervisor who yelled at everyone, all the time. Some people got angry, yelled back at her. But I decided the job was pretty good, so I just didn’t pay much attention to the yelling. She seemed to want a reaction, so she usually didn’t turn her anger onto me.”

Here’s how an emotional answer can reflect badly on you. Remember, the interviewer is likely going to be your new boss.

Company Supports Supervisor:
“Most companies take the side of people in higher positions. To this supervisor I could do no right. Eventually I had to quit. I talked to HR who said this person had been a problem in the past, but there was nothing they could do about him.”

The same situation can be described in a more positive manner.

Difference of Opinion:
“I had a supervisor who, well, we didn’t see eye to eye on most things. Eventually we decided it was best to go our separate ways. I found a better job. I think we were both happier.”

Even in situations where a supervisor was wrong, the new job interview isn’t a place to air dirty laundry.

Here’s an answer that’s probably best not repeated, except maybe as a joke. “Why, do you plan on being a problem?”

There’s really no right or wrong answer to interview questions like this one. The interviewer is trying to find out the key to maximizing your success on the job, to make sure it’s a good match. The interviewer is on your side, so honesty is the best policy.

This question requires a little thought before the interview. Know what inspires you, and be ready to give some examples of past work situations or projects that got your creative juices flowing. A good answer here can not only gain points in the interview, but assure a more positive work environment once you land the job.

Make sure that your excitement comes through in the answer. After all, you’re relating inspiring situations. Don’t down play the emotion. If there was a time a great work experience brought you to tears of joy, mention it. Show pictures if you have them!

Responsibility:
“I was made the lead on a number of projects that required a lot of coordination between various groups. We managed to achieve a great result, on time, by creating processes for a smooth work flow. I really enjoy the challenge of creating order from potential chaos. To me, that’s an art form like painting.”

Uncharted Territory:
“I like the challenge of doing something that requires new thought, not just something someone knows but doesn’t have time to do. To me that’s busy work. I’m contributing when I can bring new ideas or answers to the company.”

The career:
“To tell you the truth it’s no one thing. Sure there are some things I’d rather do than others, but I chose this career because it inspires me in general. The career is my muse, and I enjoy expressing that even in mundane tasks.”

Thought:
“To me creativity is about having time to think. The boss may have a specific method in mind, and that’s fine. But room for thought, coming up with a different path to the desired result is important as long as it doesn’t detract – such as by adding to much time or cost to a project.”

You’ll easily come up with your own good answer after taking a few moments to consider this question. But be careful not to come up with too eccentric an answer like this job seeker. “A camp fire, I’ll carry wood and build one indoors. You don’t have smoke detectors, do you?”