Job Interview Question & Answer Guide: Introduction
Welcome back to the C Suite, staff! It is your favorite exec, BowtiedCEO.
I have decided to launch a guide that will go through the Top 20 standard interview questions. This will be a comprehensive guide that analyzes each of these interview questions in a five part series, plus an introduction on basic interview techniques and things to know.
Over the next few months, I will post 20 interview questions in 5 parts and outline:
Why they are asked by the interviewer
What the interviewer is trying to gauge from the question
Ways to answer each
Sample answers to each question
This introduction will be the precursor to those five parts. Below I will go over key things to utilize when preparing for any interview.
Dress To Impress Everyone knows to dress up for an interview, but what does that actually mean? Essentially, it means you need to look knowledgeable and that you want to be taken seriously. Humans will take anyone more seriously if they are wearing a suit. It is instinctual. You can put someone who knows absolutely nothing in a suit next to an expert in most fields, and they will immediately equate looking good with credibility. At the same time, an interviewer will remember if you look awful. You do not want that.
What is the best way to dress for an interview?
Navy blue suit, fitted well. Nothing baggy or too tight. Choose navy specifically because it is the lightest of the traditional shades. Anything too dark is depressing.
Iron or steam all your clothes. Wrinkles will get remembered in a bad way.
Light blue or white dress shirt. These two colors are basic business attire.
All accessories and shoes should coordinate with a navy blue suit. I recommend a standard diver watch with brown shoes and a brown belt.
Don’t wear socks that pop either. Some people do this and it is ridiculous.
Always keep things positive Creating a negative memory for the interviewer(s) is one of the worst things you can do. This is called the Halo effect. We want the Halo effect to be positive when the interview team thinks of you. You want the interviewer(s) to walk away from your interview with a positive attitude. It should have been enjoyable for them to have spoken to you. Positivity will be a major factor layered throughout this guide.
STAR Method This is a great way to answer any behavioral questions like “describe a time” or “tell me about a situation”.
It stands for:
Situation - this provides context to the interviewers
Task - what you were responsible for or accountability of
Action - the steps you took to solve the situation
Results - then result and its impact
This is a very helpful framework that will allow you to structure your answers and will be mentioned quite a bit when I discuss specific questions.
Be honest and answer questions directly Actively listen to the question being asked and answer it head on. Do not go off on a tangent about something else or ramble on and on. You want to keep the attention of the interviewer. Observe their body language and their active listening. A general rule is, if they are not making eye contact, they are bored or aren’t listening.
Be focused and succinct with your answers. If you feel you did not answer it appropriately, ask “Did I answer your question?”, after the answer. This shows that you want to be transparent, clear, and have good communication skills.
DO NOT LIE! I have had what seemed like good candidates do this, and once they were hired and I found out, trust was broken completely. It was very hard to come back from.
Maintain a confident presence If you are reading this guide you are already ahead of other candidates. Preparing answers ahead of time is a great way to boost your confidence.
Being transparent, as I mentioned above, will also help this as well. If you are struggling to answer questions with inflated remarks, this will be viewed by the interviewer as suspicious.
Be friendly and inviting, make eye contact, and be open to answering the questions they have.
Thank everyone for their time Before and after the interview, thank the interviewers for their time. Being polite and courteous will give a positive memory to the interviewers. Within a few hours of the interview ending, be sure to to send a follow up email, or send an expedited letter through the mail, thanking them for their time. You would be surprised how many people fail here.