Top 6 Tricky Interview Questions

Interviews are sometimes a breeze, but do you ever leave an interview feeling like you messed up? A good interview can be a make or break it factor on whether or not you receive a job offer. Often times, interviewers/hiring managers ask tricky open-ended questions that require a creative response. Today, we are going to talk about some of those tricky interview questions so you can prepare your best.

Can you tell me about yourself? This question seems pretty self-explanatory. Except it is often used for the interviewer/hiring manager to get a good idea of how you see yourself. When this question is asked, they are most likely looking for a strong response. Try to stray away from answering this question with details about your personal life. Use this question to talk about your past achievements or accolades. Focusing on work-related answers will give the interviewers a sense of what you are like in the workplace setting.
Can you name three of your strengths and weaknesses? This question is asked so the interviewer can look for red flags. That shouldn’t stop you from being honest, though. Talk about your weaknesses, but also address ways that you are learning and improving on your weaknesses. This will show that your weaknesses are not a deal-breaker.
Why do you want to work here? Do your research! Never go into an interview, or even apply for a job, without researching the company itself. Read up on their values, mission statements, company culture, etc. By researching, you will be able to effectively answer this question. Hiring managers want to know that you care about this job and that you did your research on the company.
Why do you want to leave your current job? Hiring managers/interviewers are also using this question as an opportunity to look for red flags. You simply may be looking for another job because you don’t like the commute, the pay isn’t great, and you don’t like your boss, etc. These are not sufficient answers to this question. The best answer is to say something along the lines of- you want to be more challenged in your career, find a position better fit for your skillset, or you’re really passionate about what their company does, so you were inclined to apply. Keep your answer lighthearted and be confident.
What’s a difficult situation that you turned around? Use this question to talk about a time where you had to problem-solve. Don’t use this question as an opportunity to talk about your successes. Stay focused and discuss how you handled a stressful situation and what course of action you took. Hiring managers are looking to get an idea of how you problem solve under pressure and how you overcome professional challenges.
Can you give us a reason someone may not like working with you? This question is designed to give the hiring manager an idea as to what your personality is like, especially when working with others. They want to know if you’re a team player. A bad response to this question would be saying that you can’t think of a reason anyone wouldn’t like working with you. We are all human and sometimes have friction with other people, especially in a workplace setting. They want to know why people have not liked working with you in the past. Tell them about a time that maybe you pushed your team to be more challenged in order to meet a deadline- this is the kind of answer they want to hear.

There are a lot of interview questions that can be tricky, these are just a few. Do your best to prepare for an interview by reading up on potential questions, don’t stress too much and just be yourself.

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