You can't possibly know all the questions you'll be asked in a job interview. They could be zingers out of the blue ("If you were an animal, what would you be?") or total brainteasers ("Can you estimate the number of panes of glass in the city of Seattle?").
But no matter how much the hiring process has evolved, it's the simplest interview questions that will always remain the same. And yet, I see very few people prepare for them these days.
As the CEO of the world's largest recruiting firm, I've been hiring candidates for more than 22 years — and my advice is to never overlook these seven classic interview questions:
1. "Tell me about yourself."
Too many people respond by regurgitating their resume. That's not what your interviewer wants to hear.
The best — and most memorable — answer I have ever received to this question was: "I've climbed the highest mountains>2. "Can you describe a situation in which you took initiative to accomplish a goal?"
Your interviewer is listening for examples of how you've been proactive and results-driven. Describe your motivation and how you used your creativity to solve a problem or identify an opportunity.
3. "What value do you bring?"
This can be a tough>4. "What is your greatest career accomplishment?"
This is>5. "What are your weaknesses?"
By now, the interviewer already has an idea of what your strengths are, so they will be much more curious about what you can improve>6. "What major problem, challenge or failure have you had to overcome? How did you do it?"
In addition to highlighting your skills and competencies, you can showcase your goal orientation, work ethic, personal commitment and integrity.
Overcoming numerous or significant difficulties to succeed requires these qualities. Demonstrate your resilience by getting real about the challenges you've overcome.
7. "Why do you want to work here?"
What do you know about the company? This is an opportunity for you to discuss the "fit factor": What you admire about the company, its mission and purpose, products and services, and culture.
If you want to go the extra mile, do some research about the person you'll be reporting to and share what you'd like to learn from them. What have accomplished throughout their career that you aspire to achieve, too?
