Tips to Anticipate Interview Questions

After 15+ yrs interviewing and hiring at Fortune 500 companies, here's what I know: The difference between good and great candidates isn't talent. It's preparation. Here are the 12 must-prepare questions I've asked or seen being asked in interviews (and how to nail them): 💥 "Tell me about yourself" → Not your life story. Your career movie trailer: Hook, highlights, where you're headed (2 mins max). 💥 "What makes you different?" → Pick 3 strengths that solve their problems (I'll teach you how to find these). 💥 "Your biggest weakness?" → Be real. I've heard every "perfectionist" story. Show self-awareness and growth instead. 💥 "Why us?" → If you can't articulate this clearly, you're not ready. Research isn't optional. 💥 "Tell me about a challenge" → Use the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Keep it recent and relevant. 💥"How do you handle mistakes?" → Everyone fails. Winners show ownership and learning. 💥 "Managing multiple priorities?" → Concrete example + your system. Show me your mind works strategically. 💥 "Dealing with conflict?" → Focus on resolution, not drama. Emotional intelligence wins here. 💥 "Ethical decisions?" → Values matter more than outcomes. Pick a story that shows your compass. 💥 "Why leave your current role?" → Growth story, not escape story. Never bash your employer. 💥 "Missing a deadline?" → Ownership + Learning + Prevention. Three-part answer. 💥 "Your greatest strength?" → Match their needs. The job description is your cheat sheet. 🔥 Pro Secret: Record yourself answering these. You'll hear what needs work. The goal isn't memorization. It's authentic confidence. Save this cheat sheet. Your next interview could be tomorrow. 🔁 REPOST to help someone else get hired. 👤 FOLLOW for more practical job search content that works.

𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 Ask any major league baseball player and they'll tell you to be successful at the plate takes hours of batting practice. The same applies to interviews. Answering interview questions successfully takes hours of practice. You may think you can go into an #interview and wing it, but times have changed. Like today's major league pitchers, interviewers have more pitches (questions) in their arsenal. Traditional questions like, "What is your greatest weakness,?" "Why should we hire you?" and "What would your former boss say about you?" have been replaced by more difficult questions. When I conduct mock interviews, I mainly ask behavioral-based questions because they tell me more about the candidate. Instead of the lame weakness question, I'll ask, "Can you tell me about a time when you were unorganized and as a result you failed to complete an assignment." The weakness I'm trying to discover is disorganization. If the candidate says they can't remember a time, I discover another weakness; lack of self-awareness. How do you know if a question about organization will be asked? Read the job ad carefully, and if one of the required skills is organization, expect questions to be asked about it. Then practice answering a couple of questions about when you have succeeded in an important skill, as well as when you've failed in demonstrating the important skill. How can you practice? ① Read the job ad to determine which are the most important skills and requirements. ② Write the questions you predict will asked. ③ Write the answers to the questions. ④ Rehearse answering without sounding canned. ⑤ Go a step further and have a friend, neighbor, and/or job coach ask the predicted questions and critique your answers. ⑥ The best way to practice answering interview questions is to participate in a mock interview offered by a trained interview coach like the volunteers for Candorful, an organization that provides this service for Veterans and their spouses. #InterviewTips #JobSearch #LinkedInUnleashed

I've interviewed 100s of candidates for $100k+ roles. It's not the person with the best experience who wins. It's the one who is best prepared for the interview. 6 common questions you need to prepare for: 1. Tell me about yourself. ➟ Don't recite your resume. Tell them a story. ➟ Share a defining moment in your career journey. ➟ Tie it to your enthusiasm for the role and company. 2. What are your strengths? ➟ Focus on strengths crucial for the role. ➟ Back them up with numbers and examples. ➟ Show how they'll directly benefit the company. 3. What's your greatest weakness? ➟ Choose a skill not critical for the job. ➟ Show self-awareness and a focus on growth. ➟ Explain how you're actively working to improve it. 4. How do you handle stress or pressure? ➟ Share an example of a high-pressure situation. ➟ Highlight your approach to stay calm and focused. ➟ Demonstrate how you lead by example. 5. What are your salary expectations? ➟ Show you've done your research on market rates. ➟ Provide a range rather than a single figure. ➟ Emphasize your value and openness to negotiation. 6. Can you tell me about the gap in your resume? ➟ Be honest and brief about the reason for the gap. ➟ Focus on skills or experiences gained in that time. ➟ Express your excitement to re-enter the workforce. And just as important... Remember, you're interviewing the company too. Ask smart questions about: The role The culture The company An interview is a two-way street. It's not just about impressing them. It's about finding the right fit for you too. So don't hold back. Be curious. Be authentic. Be confident. You've got this. P.S. Find this valuable? Repost to help others too ♻️. And follow Justin Wright for more. Want a PDF of this and my 50 best infographics? Get them here for free: brilliancebrief.com

When I interviewed for, and landed my job at Amazon, I physically brought all 4 of the following items into the room 👇 1. A summarized copy of the Job Description I highlighted all of the critical skills, qualifications, and desired experiences. I referenced it during the interview to ensure my answers were delivering 'on target' examples. 2. A list of the "Corporate Leadership Principles" Interview rubrics typically focus on some combo of 1) hard skills, and 2) soft skills or character fit. Corporate values/principles (whatever they call them) are a good indication of "what good looks like" - and again, I referenced these throughout the interview - in addition to preparing examples that highlight them. 3. A blank piece of paper Obvious, but important. This is where I'd take notes during the discussion for anything I wanted to remember later. I'd also write down the questions, and quickly frame out my answers (using S.T.A.R.) prior to starting my responses. 4. My 'Micro-narrative' cheat sheet. Most of my interview prep goes into building a cheat sheet - that means creating a bulleted list of examples where I accomplished something, delivered value, or created results. Specific numbers/data can be difficult to remember during the interview, so having them prep'ed on paper makes it easier to give quantifiable evidence and tell an effective story. - - - *Disclaimer - having prepared examples does NOT mean I am reciting, or reading them off the page when I answer. Anyway, this approach has worked for me over the years. Feel free to try it out in your next interview! _________ Repost to share w/ others in your network ♻️ #interviewtips #jobsearchtips

She was in a high-level interview when the CMO asked: "A co-worker and client are arguing loudly in a meeting. What's your move?" My client smiled, paused and said, "What a great question." The truth was she hadn't prepared for it. In fact, she'd never been in exactly that situation. But, she nailed her answer. We had worked in depth on how to answer unexpected questions. Here's the 5-step process I taught her. 1️⃣: Take control of the moment ↳ Say "That's a new question..." ↳ Smile, pause and breathe 2️⃣: Do you have an answer? ↳ Why they are asking this question? ↳ Do you have a relevant or related example? 3️⃣: Ask for clarification ↳ "Do you mean..." ↳ "Could you give me an example..." 4️⃣: Confirm understanding ↳ "The thing that stands out to me in this situation..." ↳ "Have I got that right?" Make it a conversation 5️⃣: Answer the question ↳ Share a similar or related situation ↳ OR share how you would handle it, highlighting you understand the issues Questions we don't expect are inevitable in the interview process. The key to success with these is: 🌟 A deep of understanding of your skills, and ability to articulate them 🌟 5-10 stories that show how you have applied these skills in real life 🌟 Patience with yourself and a willingness to pause 🌟 Asking questions to learn more 🌟 Clarifying before answering a question you're unsure about Remember: It's not always about the right answer. It's about how you handle the situation. 🚀Get more career advice and job hunting tips in my weekly newsletter: https://lnkd.in/eEdhDCb3 Follow @Sarah Baker Andrus for more career insights