Difficult & Tough Questions

 I want to address some difficult and tough questions that hopefully will aid you in the future in not so "cut and dry" circumstances...

What if I was fired from my previous job for reasons I don’t want to explain and the employer asks me about it in an interview?

The best way to answer questions like this one is to be brief in your answer and vague—but STAY POSITIVE. You want to remain truthful but also not give away too much personal information. For example, you can answer by saying "I needed to start my career path in a different direction, it was good for both the employer and I, and I have learned from my mistakes and am ready to move on and attain new skills." You can always answer in a roundabout way. The employer wants to know this: have they learned from their mistakes, and will they be a good fit here?

What if an employer at a job fair tells me to go apply online?

 

Yes-go apply online! Everybody else applies online and that is how the employer receives applications, but you showed initiative and you showed up! Keep the ball rolling and see if they would like to keep your resume on hand as well-sometimes employers will make notes on your resume after meeting you face to face and watch for your online application to show-up in their online database. Now you can also write in your cover letter “when I met your representative at the IPFW Career Fair…”

           What if I am asked a question in the interview I don’t know the answer to? Or a behavioral question about a situation that I have never experienced?

This can be difficult, but it is appropriate to say, “Let me think about that.” You can also ask the employer to come back to a question later on in the interview. If you have never experienced a situation that the employer wants to know how you handled, still answer the question by telling them what you would do in a situation like the one they are asking about. You want to answer all their questions in one way or another! This way, you are giving them some insight into how you process things and your response to a dilemma, even if it is hypothetical. Another way to go about this question is by answering with multiple scenarios. Perhaps you had dealt with a difficult employer in Job A, a lazy coworker in Job B, and asked for more projects in Job C.

1       I have done multiple interviews with different employers, but what if I prefer one employer over the other and hear from one but want to keep the door open until I hear back from another?

That is a very great question! A lot of people deal with this than you think, so don't feel alone. It is appropriate to ask for time to think it over so you can reflect before making a decision. Make sure the impression you are leaving is that you want to make the right decision and fit for you, not necessarily that you are waiting for the better offer you are more excited about! Ask if they have a deadline they need to know by, or give it a week.

If you still have not heard anything from anyone else give them a call to follow up and see where they are in the hiring process. At this point, you can let them know you have interviewed with other organizations, but they are your preferred choice.