You perfected a killer, accomplishment-based resume and you landed that interview. So now what?

Hiring Managers are under incredible pressure to make good hiring decisions. In fact, their job performance will likely be judged in part by their ability to do so. Plus, in a soft job market, HR departments are stretched incredibly thin and are forced to do some pretty heavy candidate prescreening, over the phone and in person. Having answers ready to some tough behavioral interviewing questions will put your mind at ease and help you put your best foot forward. 

1) What are three adjectives your would use to describe yourself? Use examples from your professional history to support your answer. Hmmmm, right? Not a question you want to be caught off guard with. And, no the hiring manager is not looking for words like cool, laid-back, or crazy. How would they describe your work style? Are you a great problem solver? Very analytical? A team player? Have three words or phrases at the ready and provide solid, concrete examples of times you displayed these qualities.

2) Tell me about a difficult situation at work and how you overcame it. This is another doozy if you’re not prepared. Do not tell your prospective employer about a time you didn’t get along with your office mate or the time you totally blew the big presentation. Think about a time when you were especially challenged by an assignment and how you assembled resources and rallied the troops to help you accomplish it. Don’t forget to include the part about how you were commended by your manager or won the big client with your fabulous work.

3) If I asked your coworkers about you, what are some of the words they would use to describe you? These should be different from question #1. Utilize adjectives that refer to your interpersonal, leadership, and communication style. Enthusiastic, hardworking, determined, collaborative. It is a good idea to have examples from your recent work history to support these as well.

Preparation is the key to success in interviewing. Just showing up with your beautiful resume won’t cut it. Study the company, the hiring manager (LinkedIn is great for this) and spend some time thinking about your work history and what you want to highlight. Make a list of the skills that are important to the position and write out examples of how you’ve demonstrated these competencies. A few hours of forethought on your part will go an extremely long way towards wowing them on the interview. Remember, you won’t get a second take. This is your one shot to show them what you’ve got…so make it memorable!