When candidates said the job interview questions were tough, it can mean several things.

1.You have no idea or enough information to answer the question.

2.You were taken aback by the questions because you were not prepared for them at all.

3.You were put on the spot or asked to make a judgment call and you are not sure your answer was the best one. If asked again, you may had given an absolute different answer.

It’s not possible to list all the tough questions because they can be framed in various ways. They can be one of the common questions asked which you can read in the following link.

Top 10 Most Common Job Interview Questions »

But the ones listed down here are not the most common ones but likely used as follow-up questions to affirm a hunch or thought. Sometimes, the interviewers purposely phrase the questions differently but in essence asking the same thing just to check whether the replies are consistent throughout or not.

So, how best shall you handle them?

Questions related to “Can he do the job?”

1.How do we know you will be successful in this job?

You are obviously not a prophet able to predict your future but it’s an opportunity for you to explain what you have done successfully in the past. If you have done something pretty well in the past and you have successful past stories to put on the table, express them unashamedly. The chances of you repeating your success in the future is fairly high and that gives you an advantage.

2.If you are really as good as you said you are, why have you not been promoted sooner?

Now, some of you may get a bit upset with this question. Don’t. There is no need to show your irritation by putting up a defensive tone. There must be reasons why your organization has not promoted you. Is it because your immediate superior has been in the position since the founding of the company? Is it because too many people are eying the same post but the company is not growing fast enough for more leadership posts to be created? In any case, mention the reason calmly and indicate that as one of the obvious reasons you are looking to change your job because you believe you deserve a promotion but no such opportunity is available in your current employment.

3.If we employ you, how long do you think you need to make a meaningful contribution to the company?

It’s a test of your confidence but yet, you need to be honest with what is involved. The reality is that you wouldn’t know how fast you can contribute until you get into the job. As such, you can answer along these lines, “It’s hard to predict until I get into the job but I can assure you, I pick up things very fast and I am aware any employer would like to hire someone that can contribute as fast as possible.”

You may even want to elaborate further by quoting how quick you get into the job when you first started with your previous employments. For example, if you were confirmed before the end of the probationary period before, that’s a good indication that you can do the same in the next job.

4.Describe a situation in your previous employment where you made a mistake. What was the mistake and how did you rectify it?

People make mistakes. Do not attempt to ignore the question by saying you have not really made any mistake before. It sounded too good to be true. Rather, highlight what you had learnt. It’s good to have one or two incidents in your pocket that you can recall immediately to relate your story.

5.Have you ever had to fire someone before? If yes, how often and why?

The tone and approach of your answer carry more weight than anything else. Firing someone is not a job that one should take delight in. So, even if you have done it before, you may want to communicate it as a task that was unfortunate but need to be carried out. This question is mainly posed to candidates considered for managerial position. In today’s context, an authoritarian style with the thinking, “the guy deserved it and I have no problem axing him anyway” may not be that popular anymore. So, watch carefully how you phrase your answer.

Questions related to “Do we like him?”

6.Do you ever lie?

A tricky question but generally, interviewers won’t expect you to say you don’t which would make you a liar. But they would like to hear your take on the whole issue of lying. The safest answer has to be along the line of telling them that lying is wrong especially in business matters but there are times in a social context, a white lie is unavoidable for the simple reason that if the truth was told, it may bring more harm than good.

7.Describe a very difficult person you had to work with and how you handled it.

It’s a question to determine how well you work or get along with others. If you had found a way of handling difficult colleagues in the past, this is a great opportunity to narrate your story. Interviewers being human want to relate to another person that is easy to get along with too.

8.If you have an opinion about something, how do you voice out your disagreement with your boss?

Again, they want to know whether you possess tact and diplomacy in the way you deal with people. Are you the type that voice out anything during meetings? Or are you the type that weighs your options before you decide to voice out and when to voice out? Obviously, the latter would give the perception that you have a better understanding of human relations.

Questions related to “Are you worth investing?”

9.What interests you most about this job?

It can be tricky. If your answer is based on what this job can do for me, for example, “I heard you guys pay very good bonus” or “I always wanted to work with an international company…”, you may not come across as a good investment. Instead, if you can talk along the line of the challenging job scope and how you can make a meaningful contribution once hired, that probably would give you an edge.

10.If you could start your career over again, what would you do differently?

It’s another way of finding out, “Will you stay long in this job?” Probably you may have some regrets but your answer should not led them doubt your interest in the position applied.