Make the Most of Two Guaranteed Interview Questions

Perry Maddox explains how preparing for two specific interview questions that will be asked makes all the difference in landing the job.

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I barely caught my breath before the interview began.

It was scheduled as a phone call, so I set up at the kitchen table where I had more space. I laid out my notes, arranged my talking points on post-its, and had everything ready.

As I opened my phone to click the dial-in details, I saw a last-minute message from the recruiter. Would you mind doing a video call instead?

In a flash, I flew through the house, changing my shirt and moving my materials to my desk where I had a more professional background.

As I breathlessly logged in, I wondered if the interviewer made that last-minute change on purpose.

Interview Questions Bring the Stress.

The best hiring managers use an interview to understand you and to help pull out your best.

Those folks are rare. Sadly, many interviewers take an adversarial approach. They grill you, try to make you sweat and aim to keep you guessing. Maybe they invent trick questions to surprise you, or maybe they change logistics to throw you off.

Here’s where the stress comes in. It’s difficult to prepare when you don’t know what’s coming.

There is good news, though. You’re highly likely to get two questions in most interviews. Make the most of them, and you’re on the way to a new job.

Tell me about Yourself.

This one often comes first, but it can come anytime and takes many forms, like:

• Tell us why you applied for this role.
• Tell us about your job history. Talk us through your application.
• Tell us about your career aspirations. How does this job fit in?
• What are your strengths/weaknesses?
• What are you passionate about?

You will be asked this question in one way or another, yet the amount of times I watch a candidate pause to think of an answer astounds me. You know it’s coming, so don’t wait until you’re in the room to develop your answer .

This question gives you a blank canvas.

With other questions, you’ll need to think and react. Not so with this one. You can say whatever you want them to know about you. It’s your best chance to give them the impression of your choosing. And they’ve asked you to, so no mind games are needed.

Maximise this golden opportunity, know the picture you will paint before you enter the room. Put in the work in advance to craft a compelling, clear picture of who you are, what you offer and why you’re their best choice.

Such an opportunity might not appear again until the end of the interview.

Any Questions for Us?

A second question you will be asked.

A second blank canvas, where you have total control over the message you convey. And like the first one, most candidates waste it. Two common answers to avoid:

• Telling them that you don’t have any questions. This is the height of incompetent, lazy or arrogant interviewing.
• Asking them about logistics or next steps. Don’t waste this chance on procedural detail.

Use this second golden opportunity to reinforce the picture you want to paint.

Technically you’re asking a question about them, but this is really your second opportunity to deliver a well crafted message about you.

Use this question to reinforce that compelling impression of who you are and why you’re the right candidate for them. Demonstrate your insight, how well you understand them, how you think and who you are. Show them the person they want on their team through the question you ask.

If further interviews are to come, also use this question to gain insight that will help you perform better in the next round. Gain knowledge of their work, their culture or their thinking. I once asked a Board Chair interviewing me what success in their business plan would look like in 5 years. You can bet that I used the insight from his answer in the next round.

So, prepare one great question to do the jobs above. Then prepare two more. Your top question may well come up in the interview, so have a backup ready to go.

Whatever you ask, though, remember that you’re not only asking a question.

You’re also telling them something very important about you.

Use their Interview Questions to Start and Finish Strong.

Here’s where it gets cool.

These questions tend to come first and last in an interview. That means that both the opening and closing remarks are effectively yours. A virtually guaranteed opportunity to make the impression of your choosing and to shape the first and last thing they’ll think about you.

The only real the question is: what do you want them to say about you when you leave the room?

Now get to work on putting those words in their mouth.