How to Answer Those Tricky Interview Questions!

(Originally posted on LinkedIn)

Every interview is a bit different and honestly, you never know what's really going to happen ahead of time! One manager might drill you on your technical skills, while the other might spend 20 minutes getting to know your weekend hobbies. There are a few common questions that we all seem to dread being asked, but by being armed with a thought out response ahead of time, you can take the worry out of it! Take a look below at some common interview questions and how to nail them!

"So, tell me about yourself.."

This is probably the most common way an interviewer will start an interview and because it is so broad, it can be difficult to know just how to answer it. To nail this question, prepare an answer ahead of time specifically for each interview. Keep your answer under 90 seconds, highlighting your relevant experience, chronologically, and sprinkle in a little bit of personal information too! You don't want to spend a solid five or ten minutes explaining in detail what you did in each role. Keep it high level and the hiring manager will dig into certain areas that they want to know more about!

"Why should we hire you?"

The purpose of an interview is to prove to the hiring manager that they should hire you. This question is a great opportunity for you to showcase why you are right for the position and show the research you have done ahead of time. Make sure you know the job description backward and forwards and have done research on the organization. Be prepared to speak to your specific strengths and past experiences and how they would set you up for success in THIS role. Ask yourself before the interview, “Why do I want to work here?”. Talk about how your values align well with the organization's goals and how you believe you would fit into the culture too.

"What are your goals?"

A hiring manager will sometimes ask you about yourself, about your career goals and things you are looking for in a position. Each person’s answer will be different and that is the beauty of it! The best tip for handling these types of questions is always keeping your answers relevant to the position. You will want anything you talk about in an interview to always add value to you as a candidate for this role. Your goals should align with this position if not, you may want to rethink your candidacy.

"Tell me about a tough time when...."

It’s no secret that interviewers want to see what you're made of, and sometimes even try to trick you! Odds are, they are going to ask you about a difficult situation you were in professionally and how you handled it. The key to answering a question like this is always ending with a solution. Think about this question ahead of time, and what you could use as an example. Never dwell on the negative and never speak poorly of past coworkers or organizations!

Think about it like this: If you we're hiring someone for this role, what attributes would you be looking for in a candidate? How would you want someone on your team to handle an issue? A solution-oriented mindset will land on every hiring manager's list of qualities they are looking for. Take at look the below example:

Q: “Tell me about a difficult time you have had with an end-user and how did you handle that?”

A: “In my most recent role, I was part of the implementation team for a big-bang Epic go-live. This health system had been on their legacy EMR for over 10 years and there was definitely a feeling of uncertainty with the end-users. They liked the old system and were comfortable with their processes. It worked for them and they weren’t ready for a change! Believe me, I get that! I took the time to learn what it was they liked about their current EMR, but also what they didn't like. I was then able to explain that while there will be a learning curve, this new system was actually going to make their lives much easier. Then I showed them how. Slowly but surely they came around!"

When you head into your next interview, set yourself up for success by remembering these key things: Be prepared, do your research, use every question asked as an opportunity for you to speak to your strengths as a candidate and stay positive!