It’s hard to believe I’m entering my 35th year as a business professional. In that time, I’ve spent 30 of those years in roles where I interviewed new employee candidates. There are plenty of books and blog posts about how to prepare for an interview, so why would you want to read another one?
Well, I’d love to not only share the top 4 questions used in interviews, but I’ll tell you what’s driving them. Having sat in the interviewer's seat plenty of times, these questions are not just given to the interviewer to ask. These questions have a purpose. If they have a purpose and if you know that purpose… you’re better prepared to crush your answer to each one!
I know, I know… that’s not a question. Fine. How about, “What can you tell me about yourself?” Better? Regardless of how it’s phrased, so many interviews start with this type of broad request. This is the opportunity for the interviewee to choose what to share with the interviewer.
What are they looking for?
The interviewer generally wants to uncover two things.
First, what topic do you select to share? Some people share personal preferences or hobbies. Others share specifics from their resume. What I love to hear is something that tells me about how they think or make decisions. That’s why I’d suggest you be ready for the follow up question that I would ask, “Why do you enjoy that so much?” I want to know if it aligns with a passion, a core value, or a preference.
Second, the interviewer is evaluating your confidence level, communication skills, and personality. How well do you communicate? Are you clear, concise, and complete?
At some point the interviewer wants to know how you solve problems. They love to give you something to solve right in front of them. They’re looking for two things here.
First, how quickly can you solve problems. Just remember, this is not all about speed, but… who are we kidding… they will notice the speed.
Second, they want to know your thought process. In sales, this is the “How would you handle an objection like…” or if it’s a project management job, “How would you allocate human resources to two Sr. Managers who both want the same resource?” You give them an answer but always be prepared for the follow up question, “How did you come to that decision?”
Do people really still ask this? I know, I know… sounds like an outdated interview question that we’ve all heard before… because it is. But that doesn’t mean they won’t ask it. If they know everyone will be prepared for this one, why would they ask? They want to know if you're coachable. If they ask you this, they want to get a glimpse into two different spots in your career timeline.
Were you “one way” …but now you’re another? Did you grow or change? Who helped you change?
If you changed and can show it, GREAT! But, if you can show you humbled yourself to be coached by someone else, even better. There’s nothing wrong with taking the initiative and figuring out where you need to grow and then do it. That will go a long way with the interviewer.
But my point is that if a coach, mentor, or guide came alongside you to help you find a better way, then it shows you are also open to criticism and constructive feedback. You can lean into humility to ask for help when needed. I love people who take initiative to improve themselves, but I also value those who are willing to admit when they need help. They’re coachable and willing to learn.
This brings us back to our starting story when I asked this question in the interview. “Why do you want to work here?” You need to have an answer to this. It doesn’t sound like it would be terribly difficult to answer. But please understand this; the interviewer is looking for something very specific.
You’ll most likely give a response that falls into one of two buckets.
Response Bucket 1: Everything is about the interviewee
“Well, I hear the hours are great without much overtime.” Or “I want to build a career and I heard this is a great place to excel.” Or “The PTO and benefits are quite substantial.” Or “I love spreadsheets and I’ll get to live in them all day.” There’s nothing wrong with a company having great benefits, good hours, or aligned work. But the interviewer just hears you asking for a job. That’s a J-O-B, job. That’s it.
Response Bucket 2: The interviewee sees the bigger picture
“I love the role this company plays in technology industry.” Or “The corporate goals to help use technology to improve human lives is attractive.” Or “I appreciate the team approach.” Or “I love the company mission to provide one pair of socks for every pair sold. It tells me about the soul of this company. I want to be a part of that.” These are all outside the interviewee’s direct benefit. It shows they see the greater picture.
Not every company out there will agree with my thoughts on the importance of bucket 2 and that’s okay. If I’m ever interviewing for a job of my own with one of those companies… THEIR RESPONSE to MY RESPONSE to this question will tell me whether I would even want to accept an offer… and that’s okay too.
So, how did she answer me? Did she get the job? Her response was, “I love seeing the light bulb go off above a student’s head when it clicks. Seeing them learn and knowing that I helped make that happen. I know I’ll have lots of opportunities to have that kind of impact here at iSpeak.”
And, yes… she got the job. Now you also know a little bit more about our iSpeak culture. We have a simple mission, “Help others achieve more through better communication.” If you believe in that mission above self, then you’ll fit right in here!
Let me know how we can help,
Russ
Russ Peterson Jr.
Co-Founder, iSpeak
