How to ace those dreaded interview questions

“People want to hire people they like,  normal people who talk normally. They don’t want to hire a robot.” 

Be relaxed, but not too relaxed: When interviewers ask you to ‘tell us about yourself’, they want to know about how you work, what you enjoy in your career and how you’ll fit in with the culture of the company.

We’ve all been there, coping with those dreaded interview questions that throw a spanner in the works of your carefully prepared answers.

 The meeting is going well, and the interview panel is clearly on your side, until, out of nowhere, comes that innocent query that completely topples your career ambitions. 

These interrogations can come in many guises, but will mostly be posed such as: ‘Tell us about yourself’, ‘walk us through your resume’ or ‘Tell us something about yourself that’s not on your CV?’ 

Such innocent queries can pop up at any interview - from opening rounds to final call - and can often turn the most experienced job seeker into a babbling wreck thrashing helplessly for a suitable reply.

“The query, ‘tell us about yourself, is not an opportunity to tell the interviewer your life story,” explains Robert Walters, CEO Robert Walters Group, a leading specialist recruitment consultancy with 3200 employees across 31 countries. 

“When interviewers ask this question, they are actually more interested to know about how you work, what you enjoy in your career and how well you would fit in with the culture of the company. They also want to know what interests you, how skilled you are and what strengths you would bring to the organisation.”

Be mindful of the type of role you are applying for and adjust your responses accordingly, he says. 

“Avoid expressing your enthusiasm to work as part of a team in a busy noisy office environment if you are aware that you will be a one man band sitting behind a cubicle in a very secluded room. ‘I’m a very dedicated worker, I enjoy being part of a team and working in a challenging and dynamic environment and I also work well independently’ would be a good answer to this.” 

Like any skill, interviews take practice, repetition, feedback and coaching to develop. The more you practice, the better and more confident you will be, and the more likely you will be chosen over other candidates. 

So says Barry Drexler, founder of Expert Interview Coach. A former Vice President of HR at Lehman Brothers and Lloyds Banking Group, he has interviewed over 10,000 candidates on all levels, across all divisions and specialisations. 

“If you get the interview ‘the job is yours to lose’, since no hiring manager will spend the time interviewing someone that they don't think is qualified on paper,” Mr Drexler explains.

Barry Drexler, founder of Expert Interview Coach, advises job applicants that employers hire for attitude and train for skill. 

 If you don’t get hired, you didn't interview properly and you actually convinced the company not to hire you.

 “Even the most qualified candidates will be rejected by presenting themselves poorly or failing to properly communicate their qualifications. They will also lose to other candidates by making mistakes that are often simple and easy to avoid.” 

Mr Drexler has trained hundreds of job candidates from entry level to senior executives, across entertainment, financial services, sales, pharmaceuticals, consumer products, engineering, logistics, and technology.

 “People want to hire people they like. They want to hire normal people who sound comfortable in their own skin and who talk normally. They don’t want to hire a robot.” 

When it comes to preparing for an interview, the key thing is to study the job description, he says.  “Everything is driven by the job description, but often people don’t read it. From there, you try to predict the questions you'll get.” 

Interviews are sales and you're the product, he says, they're the customer - so you have to be good at selling yourself. 

“I always say, ‘Hire for attitude and train for skill’.  You may not fit the mould, but do your best to demonstrate your personality. Be eager, ambitious, collaborative, have a good work ethic and the ability to get along with people. Any smart person can learn anything, but you can't teach someone ambition.”