How do you deal with pressure?

21

How do you deal with pressure?

Interviewers need to know you won’t fold when the going gets tough. That’s why they ask typical interview questions like this.

right
I meditate a half hour a day and go to the gym. It helps all the time. Once at Pizza Palace we were short-staffed. The cut-and-cash guy was behind and started complaining. I stayed calm and took a break to help. He came over later and thanked me. The next time we got slammed, he stayed calm too.

wrong
I go to the gym and meditate. It helps me stay calm in stressful situations.

That second answer doesn’t show how your strategy has helped.

To answer behavioral interview questions like this next one, think hard before the interview.

22

What are you most proud of?

Job interview questions like this mean: “Convince us you can do the job.”

These answers are for a job that needs time-saving and communication skills.

right
When I was an executive assistant at Kallas, our top execs were spending too much time on customer misunderstandings. I created a call system that eliminated 95% of those and saved 10 executive hours a week.

wrong
I’m very good at collaboration. I worked with my team at Kallas to redo our scheduling system. We saved $20,000 in travel costs.

That second answer shows you helped the company. But—it doesn’t show the time-saving and communication skills the employer needs.

The next of our basic interview questions checks if you’re paying attention.

23

What do you know about our company?

Learn about the job before you apply. Typical interview questions like this will catch you if you don’t.

right
I know you make the finest golf products in the world. I also know you’re looking to raise your market share, which is why I’m so excited about this job. At Phair Sports, I grew business 60% in two years and consistently exceeded sales goals.

wrong
You make golf balls, clubs, and hats, and sell them to major retailers like Walmart. I really like your products and in fact I use them exclusively when I play myself. I know you’ve got two plants—one here in Massachusetts and the other on the West Coast.

That second example isn’t bad. But the first one lets you crow about a job-matching accomplishment.

Some common interview questions need prep work. Here’s one:

24

What’s your dream job?

Job interview questions about pie in the sky aren’t just for fun. The interviewers want to know if you’ll stick around.

right

A job like this where I can do end-to-end project management for multiple projects in a Lean business environment. At Raytheon we had to cut costs drastically or lose $70 million in contracts. I managed our Lean training project that improved quality by 30% while cutting costs 45%. We kept the contracts and the client ordered $50 million in new work. I’d love to have that kind of impact full time.

wrong
I’d like a job with flexible hours, great pay, lots of vacation time, and a nice fat 401k.

Some common interview questions get at choices you’ve made. Here’s one:

25

Why is there a gap in your resume?

For typical interview questions like this, show how your resume gap creates value.

right
My mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I took time off to help my father care for her. I learned a lot about stress management during that time. I also took continuing ed classes to keep my license up to date.

wrong
My mom was sick and I stopped work to help take care of her.

Want more help for resume gap interview questions? See our guide: How to Explain Gaps in Employment

26

Why are you changing careers?

Career-changers need good explanations. Valid reasons are:

• More learning
• More job satisfaction
• Relocation
• More responsibility
• Less responsibility

right
I’ve always been interested in tech. I loved my job as an office manager, but my favorite part was the system administrator duties. Saving the company $20,000 a year by automating our system monitoring and relocating our hardware was a real high point for me. I want to make that more central to my job.

wrong
I’m really tired of being an office manager. I’ve got solid tech skills and I want to use them. I think I’d really do well as a system administrator.

27

Are you open to relocating?

Some common interview questions look for yes or no answers. They’re actually a new opportunity to sell:

right
For this job, yes. I’m excited about it because it uses the multidisciplinary design process. At Doane & Daviau, I used that to develop two multi-million dollar projects with 15% less rework than my colleagues. I would definitely relocate to do that full time.

wrong
For the right position, yes.

Why does that first answer win? It shares a job-fitting achievement.

Here’s another of those tricky behavioral interview questions:

28

Tell me about a mistake you made

This is similar to What are your weaknesses. You need to be very careful to show a benefit and not just a loss.

right
I plugged in our rechargeable pallet jack to the wrong outlet and fried a $3,000 battery. I showed the manager the outlets look identical. We put a fixture on the outlet and plug so nobody can make that mistake again.

wrong
I plugged in a rechargeable pallet jack the wrong way and destroyed a $3,000 battery. I was pretty mortified, but my boss told me it could’ve happened to anyone.

The next of our typical interview questions takes a longer answer.

29

Walk us through your resume

The interviewer wants to know if you understand the job. Don’t explain your entire career path.

This answer is for a nursing job that needs critical care experience and patient education skills.

right
Well, at Northwest Medical Center, I worked in the ICU for three years. I received five commendations for efficiency from the charge nurse. Before that I was at Cornerstone Hospital for two years, where I helped raise HCAHPS scores 20%. Most of that was thanks to diligent patient education.xs

wrong
It’s got my summary at the top, which starts by saying I’m a Registered Nurse obviously. Then it talks about my last three jobs. In the most recent, I worked at Cornerstone Hospital, where I was responsible for handling all ward nurse duties and responsibilities...

Here’s one of the hardest common interview questions. It can trip you up if you’re not ready:

30

Do you have any questions for me?

The interviewer can learn a lot from what you ask.

Ask questions that show your interest and understanding.

Top 5 questions to ask in an interview:

1. What’s the next step?
2. How long does your hiring process take?
3. What would you expect me to accomplish in my first six months?
4. What would my day-to-day routine be?
5. What’s the key to succeeding at this role?

Pro Tip: Did you just blow it? Didn’t give answers to common interview questions like this? Learn from it. Research the company before your next job interview.

Need more questions to ask the interviewer? See our guide: 65+ Best Questions to Ask an Interviewer & Land Top Jobs

Common Phone Interview Questions

Typical phone interview questions are the same as the common interview questions above.

The difference?

You don’t have to memorize answers to telephone interview questions. You can read them—as long as you don’t sound like you’re reading.

Want some examples? See our guide: 20 Common Phone Interview Questions and Answers

STAR Method for Acing Behavioral Interview Questions

The STAR method of answering interview questions has four steps:

• Situation. Start with a situation you faced.
• Task. Tell about a task you had to perform.
• Action. Say the action you took.
• Result. Explain how it helped your organization.

It works because it proves key skills in a convincing way.

The STAR method works best for situational interview questions. For instance, “Tell me about yourself.”

For a full list of STAR interview questions and answers, see our guides: STAR Method for Acing Behavioral Interview Questions and 20 Situational Interview Questions and Answers

Illegal Interview Questions Employers Cannot Ask

Some of the most common interview questions are illegal.

Which interview questions are off limits?

Generally, the interviewer can’t ask about:

• Age
• Religion
• Birthplace
• Race
• Disability
• Marital status
• Pregnancy
• Gender

Most of the time interview questions about those things are illegal. To see when they’re not, check our guide: Illegal Interview Questions Employers Cannot Ask

Key Takeaway

Summary: How to answer common interview questions:

• Research the company and the job offer. Know the skills they want.
• Show how you used those skills in past jobs.
• Say how your actions helped the company.
• Have questions to ask the interviewer that prove your interest in the job.

Did we miss a common interview question? Not sure how to answer behavioral interview questions? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply!