What type of questions can I expect? (How to anticipate what questions you might be asked)

To best anticipate what questions you might face, we first suggest that you start out by conducting thorough research.

Research the job description, the company, and even the interviewer (if you know who you are meeting with). Get a well-rounded idea of what the position entails, what sort of company they are, and gather as much logistics as you can.

Then research forums - others who have interviewed for similar positions share what questions they were asked in their interview(s).

Every company and every hiring manager will have a different style of interviewing. Anticipating every one of the various questions would be difficult. But once you have completed your research, you'll be ahead of the competition.

The bulk of the interview is typically spent on behavioral/situational questions. Behavioral or Situational Questions will require a prepared story of your success with a measurable explanation of your experience.

For these types of questions, consider using the STAR approach to answering, it's a perfect way to ensure you are answering their questions fully and succinctly.

Situation: This is the backstory, the who, what, where, when.

Task: What was your part to play in this situation, your assigned role, and how were you able to turn this into an opportunity.?

Action: What were the steps you took to solve this challenge? Did you call on the help of others? Overcome roadblocks? Anything unique about your actions/method worth mentioning?

Results: What were the tangible results of your work? How were things better off because of what you did? What lessons did you learn?

The interviewer wants to know whether you’ve actually had the experiences that can prove you are capable handling this new position.

For example, if you can’t think of a single story for dealing with a difficult customer, and you are interviewing for a customer service job, then the interviewer can pretty quickly cut you from the list.

They want to understand how you think. How you approach and solve problems, and potentially how you apply certain required skills. Past experience allows the interviewer to see how you already applied those skills.

Here are 20 of the top most commonly asked behavioral/situational interview questions:

• Tell me about a time when you had to manage deadlines.
• Can you tell me about a time when things didn’t work out well?
• How do you handle setting goals? Can you give me an example?
• Tell me about the most difficult project you’ve tackled.
• Tell me about a time when you had a task to complete with a tight deadline.
• What do you do when a team member drops the ball and doesn’t complete their work?
• Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond what was asked of you.
• How do you seek to balance work and home life?
• Tell me about your client management experience.
• How have you handled uncertainty and change in the past?
• Tell me about a situation at work in which you led a team well.
• Tell me about a situation at work in which you experienced conflict and how you resolved it.
• How do you behave in teams?
• Tell me about a time when you exhibited initiative.
• How do you deal with stressful situations at work?
• How do you motivate subordinates?
• Tell me about a time when you solved an important problem in the workplace.
• How do you ensure that your employees meet project deadlines?
• How do you deal with difficult clients?
• Tell me about your greatest professional failure. How did you turn things around?

In short, the purpose of these behavioral questions is to demonstrate that the abilities you describe in your resume are real, and not just a bunch of fancy words on your resume.

Consider preparing between 4 and 6 stories from your work history, that you can adapt to answer various behavioral questions. Although the true list of possible questions, is nearly endless, most will simply be variations of the questions on our Interview Success Cheat Sheet and the ones listed above.

For example, you may have had a very challenging client. Let's say they were particularly adamant about getting their way and very exhausting. However, you began to anticipate their needs and even started delivering before they needed to ask. Eventually, this client invested half a million into the company, and you raised your department's profits by 37%.

This story can be an example of: "describe a conflict you had with a customer", or "describe your biggest accomplishment". It can be an example of your tenacity to achieve extraordinary results, your drive to improve profits, your passion for the client's happiness, etc.

The story can be elaborated on in certain areas, depending on how the questions are asked or phrased.

So dig into your work history and establish the most relevant and positive examples. Write them down, in detail. Remember the little things, that you did as an individual to achieve your success. The things that make you unique in your delivery, are going to be the things that set you apart and make you memorable.

Interviewers are searching for competency and compassion. Your resume told them how you are capable, now your interview answers need to sell them on your compassion - how you interact with those around you - superiors, co-workers, customers, etc.

Additionally, if the interviewer asks a question for which you don't have an answer, you can take a few moments to gather your thoughts. Dig deep and think for maybe ten seconds or so, and do your best to pull in the closest pieces that might answer the question.

In the end, if you still feel unsure, you can follow up with, "I'm not sure whether I fully answered your question. Was there an aspect of it that I missed, that I can elaborate on?"

Taking a pause to gather yourself, is respectful, and shows how important this opportunity is to you. And sometimes just repeating the question back to the interviewer, to ensure you heard correctly, can kickstart your inspiration enough to find an answer.