Tell me about a situation when your work was criticized (difficult).

Why ask this question: 

The interviewer isn’t asking you whether you can cope with stressful situations at work, but how you meet them. This is a tough question because it’s a more clever and subtle way to get you to admit to a weakness.  You can’t dodge it by pretending you’ve never been criticized.  Everybody has been.  Yet it can be quite damaging to start admitting potential faults and failures that you’d just as soon leave buried.

This question is also intended to probe how well you accept criticism and direction.

Most Effective Answer: 

Try to think of a failure that took place relatively early in your career and/or one that would seem completely unrelated to the work you would be performing for your new employer. Begin by emphasizing the extremely positive feedback you’ve gotten throughout your career and (if it’s true) that your performance reviews have been uniformly excellent.

No one is perfect and you always welcome suggestions on how to improve your performance.  Then, give an example of a not-too-damaging learning experience from early in your career and relate the ways this lesson has since helped you.  This demonstrates that you learned from the experience and the lesson is now one of the strongest breastplates in your suit of armor.

Radiates experience and self-confidence in all communication situations.

If you are pressed for a criticism from a recent position, choose something fairly trivial that in no way is essential to your successful performance.  Add that you’ve learned from this, too, and over the past several years/months, it’s no longer an area of concern because you now make it a regular practice to…etc.

Another way to answer this question would be to describe your intention to broaden your master of an area of growing importance in your field.  For example, this might be a computer program you’ve been meaning to sit down and learn… a new management technique you’ve read about…or perhaps attending a seminar on some cutting-edge branch of your profession.

Again, the key is to focus on something not essential to your brilliant performance but which adds yet another dimension to your already impressive knowledge base.

Remember: 

Don’t ever admit to any personal quality that might hamper job performance, such as procrastination, laziness, or lack of concentration.

This question can be ask as under also.

• How do you cope with job stress?
• Have you ever had a conflict with a superior? How was it resolved?
• Give us a recent example of when you came up with a different approach/solution to a situation or problem.
• Describe a situation when you found it difficult to focus the work of a team on an objective.
• Tell me about the most competitive situation you have experienced and how you handled it.
• Describe a situation when you had to tell someone bad news.
• What Is the Biggest Failure You’ve Had in Your Career? What Steps Have You Taken to Make Sure Something Like That Doesn’t Happen Again?
• What’s the Most Difficult Part of Being a Manager or an Executive?

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What good books have you read lately?

Why ask this question:  
As in all matters of your interview, never fake familiarity you don’t have.  

Most Effective Answer:  
Unless you’re up for a position in academia or as book critic for The Times of USA, you’re not expected to be a literary lion.  But it wouldn’t hurt to have read a handful of the most recent and influential books in your profession and on management.

Consider it part of the work of your job search to read up on a few of these leading books.  But make sure they are quality books that reflect favorably upon you, nothing that could even remotely be considered superficial.  Finally, add a recently published bestselling work of fiction by a world-class author and you’ll pass this question with flying colors.

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What are your career options right now?

Why ask this question:  
The interviewer is trying to find out, “How hopeless are you?”

Most Effective Answer:  
Prepare for this question by thinking of how you can position yourself as a desired commodity.  If you are still working, describe the possibilities at your present firm and why, though you’re greatly appreciated there, you’re looking for something more (challenge, money, responsibility, etc.).  Also mention that you’re seriously exploring opportunities with one or two other firms.

If you’re not working, you can talk about other employment possibilities you’re actually exploring.  But do this with a light touch, speaking only in general terms.  You don’t want to seem manipulative or coy.

Continue to Question 12 - Why do you want to work at here?

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Very Difficult and Greatest Interview Questions, Answers and Guidelines

In this section of my blog I pack all about what interviewers want to hear, plus lessons about the most common mistakes that candidates commit. Also for knowledge, the two qualities most needed to succeed in any job interview and human challenge.

Read carefully general Guidelines for interview.

Employers are looking for self-managing employees—people who are versatile, confident, ready and able to work with a team, and not afraid to roll up their sleeves, work long hours, and get the job done. “That’s me,” you chortle. Congratulations. But you won’t get the chance to prove yourself on the job without making it through the interview process.

Interviewing was never easy, and right now it is harder than ever. Companies are taking far longer to make hiring decisions, and then only after putting prospective employees through more and longerinterviews. One search firm reports that many candidates have had to interview a half dozen times or more for a single position.

Everyone is nervous on interviews. If you simply allow yourself to feel nervous, you'll do much better. Remember also that it's difficult for the interviewer as well.

In general, be upbeat and positive. Never be negative.

Prepare your answers and time them. Never talk for more than two minutes at once.

Don't try to memorize answers word for word. Use the answers shown here as a guide only, and don't be afraid to include your own thoughts and words. To help you remember key concepts, jot down and review a few key words for each answer. Prepare your answers frequently, and they will come to you naturally in interviews.

Find out what people want, than show them how you can help them get it.

Find out what an employer wants most in his or her ideal candidate, and then show how you meet those qualifications.

In other words, you must match your abilities, with the needs of the employer. You must sell what the buyer is buying. To do that, before you know what to emphasize in your answers, you must find out what the buyer is buying... what he is looking for. And the Most Effective way to do that is to ask a few questions yourself.

You will see how to bring this off skillfully as you read the first two questions of this report. But regardless of how you accomplish it, you must remember this strategy above all: before blurting out your qualifications, you must get some idea of what the employer wants most. Once you know what he wants, you can then present your qualifications as the perfect “key” that fits the “lock” of that position.

Other important interview strategies:

Turn weaknesses into strengths (You'll see how to do this in a few moments.)

Think before you answer. A pause to collect your thoughts is a hallmark of a thoughtful person.

As a daily exercise, practice being more optimistic. For example, try putting a positive spin on events and situations you would normally regard as negative. This is not meant to turn you into a Pollyanna, but to sharpen your selling skills. The Most Effective salespeople, as well as the Most Effective liked interview candidates, come off as being naturally optimistic, "can do" people. You will dramatically raise your level of attractiveness by daily practicing to be more optimistic.

Always Be honest...never lie.

Keep an interview diary. Right after each interview note what you did right, what could have gone a little better, and what steps you should take next with this contact. Then take those steps. Don't be like the 95% of humanity who say they will follow up on something, but never do.

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