James Dimas thought he was well prepared to answer any question a job interviewer could pose, but he was caught completely off guard when a hiring manager asked: “What’s your favourite colour?”
“I had no idea what he was getting at,” said Mr. Dimas, who was interviewing for a full-time job in information technology in Vancouver.
“I know there is a theory in personality assessment that picking red means you are competitive, blue might indicate that you are creative and pink might be an indication that you aren’t aggressive enough. But it’s still a stupid question,” said Mr. Dimas, who lives in Vancouver and has been blogging about his interview experiences on the website LinkedIn.com.
His response to the interviewer was: “How is this relevant to our discussion today?” In that case, the fact that the interviewer had no good answer tipped off Mr. Dimas that he didn’t want to work for the company.
“Asking how questions are relevant helps keep interviews on track and gains respect of interviewers because it shows I'm focused on the job at hand,” said Mr. Dimas, who is currently doing contract software sales.
Having the right comeback can help you stand out from the crowd as the peak fall job-hunting season opens, career experts say. Interviewers facing marathon days of grilling candidates will be ruthless in trying to separate the gems from the also-rans by asking questions designed to test a candidate’s ability to think on their feet.
Ultimately, it’s not about answering quickly, but about speaking creatively and following up with relevant and interesting information so that an interviewer who may have asked a question a thousand times will perk up and think, “Wow, this person is saying something worth hearing,” the pros say.
The Globe and Mail asked Mr. Dimas, as well as career coaches Colleen Clarke, president of Colleen Clarke and Associates in Toronto; Jack Chapman, Chicago-based owner of Lucrative Careers Inc. and author of Negotiating Your Salary, and Scott Ginsberg, a St. Louis-based consultant and author of -ABLE: 35 Strategies for Increasing the Probability of Success in Business and in Life, for tips on anticipating tough interview questions and following up creatively. Here’s a summary of their responses:
Where do you want to be five years from now?
Best response: Because you don’t want to be seen as mercenary, use a response along the lines of “I hope to still be working for this company, with newly acquired skills, and growing responsibility.”
Pitfall: Don’t go into the exact title you’re aiming for in the future because that job isn’t on the table now. And don’t say you want to reach a certain level, because that might indicate you would leave if promotion doesn’t come fast enough.
Why do you want to work for this company?
Best response: You’ll want to come armed with research about the company. Not only does the job posting match your qualifications but you’ve done your homework and you’ve found you really like the company’s reputation and its prospects for the future.
Pitfall: Don’t suggest that you’re looking at the job because you’re in the market for a new challenge. Your message should be “I chose you,” not that you will try this on for size.
Why should we hire you?
Best response: Have an answer prepared about how you will save them money, increase productivity or free them to do their job by taking care of pressing needs using your unique skills.
Pitfall: Don’t simply list your skills. This isn’t a question about you; they already know your skills and now they want to hear how hiring you benefits them.
What is your greatest accomplishment?
Best response: Come to the interview with a recent example of success that is relevant to the position and the company that you are interviewing with. Radiate pride in the telling.
Pitfall: Saying anything that could be interpreted as negative, such as that you managed to avoid downsizing at your last employer.
What skill do you believe needs development?
