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....Fielding
Tough Job Interview Questions, by
Donna Deeprose
ASSESSMENT: |
| 1) |
Tell me about yourself. |
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Let's just chat a bit to get warmed up for the tougher questions. |
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I didn't read your resume, so tell me what's in it. |
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Will your personality, job experiences and life experiences contribute to doing this job well? |
| 2) | What is your greatest weakness? |
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Give me a reason not to hire you. |
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Impress me with how well you can turn this into a positive. |
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Let me see you squirm. |
| 3) | Tell me about a problem on your last job you weren't able to solve? |
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What have you learned from that experience? |
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Were the problems you faced before as tough as the ones you will face here? |
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Admit it. You don't walk on water. |
| 4) | Why should we hire you instead of another well-qualified applicant? |
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Knock my socks off with something really special. |
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Summarize your qualifications. |
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Can you answer this without putting down the others candidates? |
| 5) | Do you work better alone or with others? |
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Guess which this job calls for. |
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I want to know so I can slot you into the job best for you. |
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Convince me you work well both ways. |
| 6) | What salary do you currently make? |
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How little can we get away with paying you? |
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Is your current job level an appropriate stepping stone for this job? |
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I know you're going to lie, but it's on the form so I have to ask you. |
| 7) | Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10. |
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Let's see how well your self-image fits my image of you. |
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Describe yourself in a way that is confident, but not cocky. |
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Guess which number I want you to say. |
| 8) | Where do you want to be in five years? |
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Are you too ambitious for this job? |
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Are you ambitious enough for this job? |
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Will you and this company meet each other's needs? |
| 9) | Tell me about the worst boss you've ever had? |
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How well do you get along with the people you work with? |
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Give me the dirt. |
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We've got tough bosses here. Would you be able to work with them? |
| 10) | How old are you? |
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I think you are too old for this job. |
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How do you handle illegal questions? |
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How old are you? |
Have you ever wondered why recruiters ask questions like, What is your greatest weakness? Do they really expect bookkeepers to confess they can't add or managers to admit they sometimes scream at employees? Of course not, they're seeking much more subtle revelations than that.
When you understand what the tricky questions really mean, it's less difficult to prepare impressive answers in advance. The quiz below will help you crack the code. Each question is followed by three possible meanings. Pick the one you think is correct.