A difficult question can really disrupt your flow during an interview. Taking some time in advance to plan your answers to these potential questions will help you endlessly throughout your career and will ensure that you don’t trip up during your interview.

Webrecruit looks at answering five of the most difficult interview questions, and what they really mean.
Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

Interviewers and hiring managers use this question to assess whether the job itself sits in your career plans. Not many people know where they will be in five years’ time, yet you can use this question to focus on how that job can ensure you develop particular skills to help you get to where you want to be. Use this question to match the opportunity on offer to your future career goals.

 

What can you do for this company?

In other words, why should we hire you? This interview question specifically looks at what value you can bring to the company. It is here where you need to think of the aim of the role, and what this role adds to the overall objectives of the company. Combining these two points together shows that you are looking to work at something to achieve an end objective both for you and your employer.

 

Tell me about yourself

This question is so wide and open that it can often stump interviewees. Not many people want to sit in the middle of an interview and talk about themselves, let alone know which bits to talk about.

The best way to answer this question is to talk about the parts of your personality, skills and experience that will help with the outcome of this position. Put differently, what parts of you evoke relevant skills that can be brought into the responsibilities included in the role.

Remember, however, that it is important to be truthful, as these aspects must be maintained when carrying out the job.

 

What is your biggest weakness?

Everyone has their weaknesses, but it’s showing that you are willing to work to overcome these weaknesses that is important. Answering this question honestly is a good idea (although saying “I’m lazy and lack motivation” might be a bit too honest) but you should always provide evidence on how you are working to overcome your weakness.

 

Tell me a time you haven’t got on with a co-worker

Each office has its own individual culture; what the hiring manager is searching for is whether you would fit in with others already on the team. In terms of when something has gone wrong previously with another colleague or within your department, show how you have moved past this issue to prove your skills in not only working well with others but solving problems when they arise.

 

It’s worth practicing your answers to these questions at home, so when they crop up during your discussion you are ready to respond quickly and effectively to ensure your interview success.