The vice presidential campaign of Sarah Palin was marked forever by the failure of her team to properly prepare her properly for difficult interview questions. As running mate for Republican presidential contender John McCain, Sarah was expected to be able to handle the tough questions from day one.
Like Sarah, most of us have had interviews where we lost out on opportunities simply because we did not answer tough questions with ease and confidence. Below are three action steps you can take to hit hard questions out of the ballpark
Step one is anticipation. In the now famous interview she had with Katie Couric of CBS News, Sarah was asked to name some instances where John McCain had voted for more regulation. A totally stumped Ms. Palin tried to dodge this question. That did not work as Katie Couric simply repeated it over and over again.
This is just one example of several where poor anticipation by her team. These poor showings made her appear to be inexperienced and unprepared for the job of vice president.
With more time and better coaching, Ms. Palin was able to perform much better later in the campaign. But first impressions count and her early performances never left the consciousness of the voting public.
You should begin your action plan by anticipating each and every question you might reasonably be asked in your upcoming interview. You might even include some which may be considered unreasonable.
As an exercise try to write down every question you can remember from previous interviews. List all the questions, from the easiest to the most difficult.
Next, you should call some friends and ask them to share the hardest questions they have ever been asked in an interview. You can also find lists of difficult interview questions on the web.
Now approach the most judgmental and unfair friend or family member you can think of for assistance. Have this person read your resume and then nitpick and question you mercilessly about your background and experience. You want to be ready for tough questions specific to you and your background.
If at all possible try to find someone who has interviewed with the company you are meeting with and ideally the specific hiring manager. Ask what questions they were asked in their interview.
You can never anticipate every interview question, but at this point you should have a nice list from a variety of different perspectives. With these answers as a base you will be better positioned to respond to questions even those not on your list.
Step two is planning your strategy to take advantage of hard questions. Of course, there are many ways to answer a question. What interviewers are looking for is honesty and compatibility with the company goals among other things. What you are looking for is to look good and get an offer.
The harder the question the better your appeal if you answer well. You want to make a connection with the interviewer and leverage every question into a positive win for you if possible. At the minimum a question should cause you no harm.
Take the list of questions you compiled and then write out a minimum of two completely different answers to each question. Answer honestly and answer from a few different perspectives. Also ask friends for advice on good answers.
Prepare several answers to the particularly difficult questions. Consider the first answer which is the most logical and then consider other answers which also sound the best. You want to have the flexibility in the interview to choose answers you feel are best at that time given the circumstance.
Now combine each of your answers with one good, but not difficult question of your own. With this combination you will have answered the tricky question well and then you quickly added a question of your own that requires more than a yes or no answer.
Remember this tactic. If the interviewers are busy answering your very good and relevant questions to them, there is less time available to pepper you with their own hard questions.
Remember not to overdue it with your questions. You want a balanced information exchange not a tennis match. Don not respond with a equally difficult questions to your interviewer. Doing that will come off as planned and antagonistic instead of showcasing you as spontaneous, likable and a team player.
Step three in your action plan is to practice. It is one thing to memorize answers and another to look like your answers are spontaneous. The secret is to practice answering the questions you anticipate until the answers flow easily.
Try sitting in front of a mirror and having a friend ask you potential questions. Look at yourself while giving your answers. Focus on your body language, posture and facial expressions.
Try to relax and give the answers in a natural flowing way. You want to be yourself and not look practiced. The ultimate is to be practiced to the point where you don't appear to be practiced at all.
There are many nuances and subtleties in interview situations. Being prepared to answer the most likely and the most difficult questions well helps you make a winning impression. This will dramatically improve your job hunting results.
Herman Collins is an acclaimed executive recruiter and known around the globe as The Job Search Specialist. His proven job hunting strategies have helped 1,000's. Go to: http://www.realjobtips.com to discover how to put his
free powerful tips to use!
