In many cases you know what they’re going to ask. Are you ready?
➔ There are many articles out there – and we’ve run a few of them here ourselves – that focus on the most commonly asked questions in job interviews.
You have probably experiences the usual suspects. “Why did you leave your last job?” “What are your strengths?” “What are your weaknesses?” “How would you handle this situation…?”
There are more, but you get the idea
So, if you know that there is a pretty good chance that those (and others) questions are coming, how prepared you to answer them? When a football team knows what the other team is going to do, they’re ready. They know what will work.
And so should you.
Make a list of the most common interview questions and write down your responses. Now, edit your responses so that they say precisely what you want them to say. Plan the anecdotes and examples that you intend to use or reference.
Don’t just practice your answers. Rehearse them. (But don’t try to memorize them. Recalling that memorization may come across as stilted and unnatural.) Practice your answers while you’re in the car. Listen to yourself. Imagine the interviewer who will be listening to your answers.
Test your answers on other people – your spouse, a colleague, your job search buddy. Ask them to be brutally honest. Plead with them if you must. Even in their comments are not warranted, they should give you cause to think – and that’s a good thing.
Do it and do it well and you’ll feel more relaxed and more confident in your interviews. And, that, also, is a good thing. A very good thing.