List of Articles - Impress Express

If You Could Be Any Kind of a Tree...

Your clothes are pressed, your shoes are polished, your teeth are sparkling. Not a hair out of place. You've got a fresh copy of your resume in hand. What could this possibly mean? Oh! You must be on your way to a job interview.

You've thought about what they might ask. You've thought about what you hope they ask. You've thought about what you're going to say. You've thought about how you are going to impress them and knock out all the competition. You've even rehearsed and memorized some of your answers, just in case your nerves prevent you from being spontaneous.

While many companies still conduct traditional interviews, an increasing number of interviewers ask questions that are "outside the box." And some interviewers still ask inappropriate, and even illegal, questions.

The more traditional questions consist of:

1) What makes you think you are a good candidate for this job?

2) Where do you see yourself in five years?

3) What has been your greatest accomplishment?

4) Why did you choose this particular career?

The less traditional questions tend to be more intricate and thought provoking. They may concern specific situations you have encountered that, under normal circumstances, should be easy to recall and describe. But in an interview situation, which is akin to a game show with the clock ticking, the answers may not flow quite as naturally. Here are some examples:

1) Describe an event where you got in over your head, and describe how you resolved it.

2) How would you handle a situation in which your co-workers didn't agree with you?

3) Describe a project you worked on where the outcome was not to your satisfaction.

These types of questions may be an attempt to reveal weaknesses, but the best thing you can do is respond articulately and honestly. Yes, the answers are important, but the way you handle these uncomfortable questions is also being judged.

Creative and less-anticipated (and definitely less likely to be rehearsed) might be questions that give the interviewer a chance to know you better. On the surface they might not seem relevant to a job acquisition. These could include questions such as the following: If you could invite any seven people to a dinner party from any time and place throughout history, who would they be? Or variations of the 'desert island' questions: What three books would you bring? What three people would you bring? The answers to these kinds of questions are attempting to bring forth insight, intuition and some creativity. But again, the most important thing is showing that you can think on your feet. If you can manage to be sharp and witty, all the better.

Other types of questions are not only inappropriate, but illegal to ask. These include inquires regarding marital status, health, age, children, intent to have children, church and political affiliation, etcetera. This is a sensitive area since you might really want the position you're applying for and, therefore, wish to avoid creating a scene. There are several ways to respond to these questions. You can answer them if they don't offend you; you can refuse to answer them and inform the interviewer that the question doesn't seem relevant to the job requirements; or, probably the safest solution is to answer the intent of the question. Focus on what the interviewer is really trying to learn about you and rephrase the question in a way that makes it more comfortable for you to answer.

Fine-tune the resume, get a good night's sleep, arrive on time, and be prepared for all types of questions. When you prepare yourself, you eliminate stress and your confidence will soar.

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