Assuming you have read part 1, here is your guide on how to answer interview questions that are more gritty- the type of questions that leave the unprepared shaking in there boots.

Remember when learning how to answer interview questions be sure to write your answers down and practice the examples you have prepared.

I see you weren’t ever promoted at your last job- why?

Note: NEVER bash former colleagues.  Doesn’t matter if its their fault.  Doesn’t matter if Jeff was in charge of promotions and he doesn’t like you because of that fruitcake you got him last Christmas.  Don’t mention past conflicts unless you want to talk yourself out the job.

Point out specific instances in your job where you weren’t promoted but were assigned more responsibilities.  Explain being assigned more responsibilities showed the company’s faith in you, note any rewards or acknowledgements you might have got.

Explain your excited to move to this new positions for opportunities to move up.  Although you weren’t promoted at your last job you received the skills and experience necessary to make a great transition here.

What is your definition of success? What about failure?

Whenever talking about success relate it to the current position you want.  Talk about what you learned and how it will help you in this job.

Show that your life is balanced between successes and failures, be sure to mention no matter the result the important thing is learning from it.

Again when talking about failure show how it has helped you and how you’ve learned from it.

Tell me about your education; did you enjoy school?

When questions about your education come this presents a great opportunity for your to make an impression.  When talking about school perk up a little bit, show you are passionate about what you studied and that you are eager to talk about it.  Some general things to keep in mind and mention while talking about school:

• Mention public speaking skills you’ve developed from giving presentations throughout the years
• Explain how you had to make a study schedule to stay organized, show how you followed it and the results
• Mention your experience in dealing with deadlines
• Mention how you applied things learned from different areas to a task

Why did you attend this school?  What things influenced your choice?

Discuss your reasons for selecting your school.  Plan out at least 3-4 ahead of time, relate them to career related goals, academic considerations and school reputations

Discuss your selection process, what you did to decide, what other schools you visited or considered.

Did you participate in any extracurricular activities?

• Discuss any leadership roles you might have held.  Talk about any problems you might have had and tell stories about how you worked your way through them.
• Talk about the skills you learned in the groups and show how they have helped you in other areas.
• If you didn’t participate in any activities mention how you were busy with working your way through school and studying.  Mention how you would make the time if you had a chance to re do it.

Aren’t you overqualified for this position?  Don’t you think you might be bored?

Enthusiastically address the interviewers concerns and explain how you see yourself growing in the position.  Try and find out if the interviewer thinks you are overqualified or too old.

Show how your previous experience will help you and the company excel, tell them your past experience is only an asset that will help you.

Our company has a mission statement, do you have a mission statement of your own?

Here would be a good place to talk about the objective you have set while creating your resumes.  Talk about your values and your ethics and show how those qualities relate to a successful employee.

How will you help our company?

Again talk about your key skills and values that will make you a great employee.  Discuss any special skills or intangibles you might have and why they set you apart from others.  List out your special and position relevant skills when preparing.

Why did you apply with this company?

When answering this type of question, talk about how the job puts your career in a position where you have always wanted to be.  Talk about how great the opportunity is and about how your skills will help you make a difference in the company.

Show off your research here, if you found anything that makes the company attractive be sure to mention it.

Example

Working with this company is a great opportunity to get the professional skills I have been seeking for a while.   Seeing as you are a fortune 500 company the career opportunities here are endless.  My hard working and strong analytical skills will help me fit in with this team and make a solid difference.

What do you know about our competition?

Note: There is almost no way you are going to be able to answer these types of questions without doing research first.  As soon as you find out you have a interview start researching and taking notes, hard will pay off or you will get left behind.

When answering these types of questions it is important to fall back on your research.  Discuss the current state of the industry and how all company’s are affected by this state.

Add specific details that show you truly understand what your talking about.

Remember, when preparing for interviews repetition and practice is extremely important.  Writing your answers out physically and practicing them out loud is a great way to learn how to answer interview questions.

If this article helped you learn something new, please share it with a friend ! Leave a comment below with any questions or comments you have, we love to here from you!  Read part 1 here