Top 10 Answers to Interview Questions

Summary

This video script offers expert advice for job seekers on crafting interview responses. It emphasizes the importance of understanding what employers are looking for, particularly in the 'tell me about yourself' question, and provides a framework for discussing one's value to the company. The script also covers how to address common interview questions, such as reasons for leaving a current role and salary expectations, while highlighting the need for research, self-awareness, and aligning personal goals with the company's mission.

Takeaways

• 📝 Tailor your 'tell me about yourself' answer to highlight your value and fit for the role, rather than providing a life story.
• 🔑 Emphasize your specific job titles, the results you've achieved, and your strengths to demonstrate your qualifications for the position.
• 🔍 For the 'walk me through your resume' question, focus on experiences relevant to the job and explain how they translate to the role.
• 🏢 When asked why you want to work at the company, express enthusiasm for the company's mission, values, and how the role aligns with your career path.
• 💡 Frame your answer about weaknesses by admitting a genuine flaw and discussing how you are working to overcome it without it affecting the job performance.
• 🌟 To answer 'what makes you unique,' highlight a unique pairing of skills that sets you apart from other candidates.
• 🤔 When discussing why you're leaving your current role, avoid negative comments and focus on what you're seeking in a new opportunity that isn't available in your current position.
• 🚀 Be clear about your career aspirations and how long you see yourself contributing to the company, showing both commitment and flexibility.
• 🤝 Address what you're looking for in a new position by aligning your career goals, strengths, and desires with the role and company.
• ❓ Prepare thoughtful questions for the interviewer, such as specifics about the job description, how to exceed expectations, and the onboarding process.
• 💰 When discussing salary, research the market value for the role and present a flexible range based on your findings and the company's situation.

Q & A

What is the most common misinterpretation of the question 'Tell me about yourself' in an interview?

The most common misinterpretation is that interviewees tend to tell their whole life story, including personal details that are irrelevant to the job. What employers actually want to hear is a sales pitch on why the candidate is fit for the role, focusing on relevant experiences and skills.

How should you respond to 'Tell me about yourself' to showcase your value to the company?

You should start by stating your exact title and role, followed by the results you have driven. Then, discuss your biggest strengths and how they relate to the role you are applying for. The goal is to demonstrate how your past experiences and skills make you a good fit for the position.

Why is it important to focus on relevant experiences when discussing your resume in an interview?

Focusing on relevant experiences is crucial because it shows how your past roles and achievements directly relate to the job you are applying for. It helps the interviewer understand how your skills and experiences will add value to their company.

What is the correct approach to answering 'Why do you want to work at this company?'

The correct approach is to demonstrate your research on the company, express your excitement about the role, and show how you align with the company's mission, values, and vision. Avoid focusing on selfish reasons like pay or benefits, and instead emphasize your desire to contribute to the company's goals.

How should you handle the question about your weaknesses in an interview?

You should honestly admit a genuine weakness, but also explain how you are working on overcoming it or how you handle it in a way that does not hinder your performance. Avoid turning a strength into a weakness, as this is often seen as insincere.

What does the question 'What makes you unique?' really mean in an interview?

This question is asking why the employer should hire you over other candidates. You should highlight unique pairings of skills or experiences that set you apart and make you particularly suited for the role.

How should you answer the question 'Why are you leaving your current role?'

You should provide reasons that do not reflect negatively on your work ethic or attitude, and emphasize that the new role offers opportunities that align with your career goals and aspirations, which were not available in your current position.

What does an employer want to know when asking about your career aspirations?

Employers want to understand how long you plan to stay with the company and whether your career goals align with the role and the company's growth. They also want to gauge your flexibility and commitment to the role.

How should you approach the question 'What are you looking for in a new position?'

Focus on the environment and conditions that would allow you to thrive and contribute the most, such as autonomy, support, and clarity from leadership. Avoid listing personal demands or desires that may not align with the company's goals.

What are some effective questions to ask at the end of an interview?

Ask specific questions about the job description, inquire about how you could exceed expectations in the role, and ask about the onboarding process or your potential 30-60-90 plan. This shows thoughtfulness and a genuine interest in the role.

How should you handle questions about salary expectations in an interview?

Research the market value for the role based on your experience and the company's industry. Provide a flexible range that is realistic and justified by your research, rather than stating a specific number that might be seen as unrealistic.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Crafting Effective Interview Answers

The speaker, a seasoned hiring manager and CEO, offers insights on how to answer common interview questions effectively. They emphasize the importance of understanding what employers are looking for and how to present oneself as a strong candidate. The speaker shares their experience in conducting thousands of interviews and being an employee, providing a unique perspective. They discuss the common misconception about the 'tell me about yourself' question, explaining that interviewers are actually seeking a sales pitch on why the candidate is fit for the role. The speaker advises focusing on relevant job titles, results achieved, strengths, and how these align with the job being applied for. They also touch on the importance of preparing for the interview by understanding what employers are asking and how to frame responses accordingly.

05:02

🔍 Research and Relatability in Interview Responses

This paragraph delves into the nuances of answering the question 'why do you want to work at this company?' The speaker advises against focusing on selfish reasons such as pay or benefits, which are assumed to be non-negotiables. Instead, candidates should demonstrate their research into the company's mission, values, and vision, and express how these align with their own career path and aspirations. The speaker introduces the three R's – research, recognition, and right fit – as a framework for crafting a company-centric answer. They also discuss the common mistake of disguising strengths as weaknesses when asked about personal weaknesses, and the importance of showing resilience in overcoming these weaknesses. The speaker further explores how to answer the question 'what makes you unique?' by highlighting unique pairings of skills that set a candidate apart.

10:03

🚀 Addressing Career Aspirations and Interview Questions

The speaker continues by discussing how to handle the question about leaving one's current role, emphasizing the need to avoid negative comments about previous employers and focusing on what the new role offers that aligns with the candidate's aspirations. They also address the question about career aspirations, explaining that employers are interested in understanding how long a candidate plans to stay and whether their career goals align with the company's growth trajectory. The speaker advises being honest about one's intentions and the potential for backfilling one's role if growth opportunities are exhausted. Additionally, they discuss how to answer the question about what one is looking for in a new position, suggesting focusing on the environment and support that would enable the candidate to thrive. The speaker concludes by highlighting the importance of having thoughtful questions for the interviewer, demonstrating a candidate's interest and preparation for the role.

Keywords

💡Sales Pitch

A sales pitch is a brief, persuasive presentation that promotes oneself or an idea. In the context of the video, it refers to how a candidate should introduce themselves in an interview, focusing on their unique qualifications and how they can add value to the company. The script emphasizes that employers are not interested in a life story but rather a compelling argument for why the candidate is the right fit for the job.

💡Customer Success Manager

A Customer Success Manager is a professional responsible for ensuring that a company's clients are achieving their desired outcomes through the use of the company's products or services. The video script uses this role as an example to illustrate how a candidate should discuss their past experience and the results they have achieved in similar positions to demonstrate their suitability for a new role.

💡Strengths

In the video, 'strengths' refers to the positive attributes or skills that a candidate possesses, which can contribute to their success in a role. The speaker advises candidates to identify and articulate their biggest strengths, such as reducing time to value for customers, as a way to showcase their potential to excel in the position they are applying for.

💡Relevance

Relevance, in the context of the video, pertains to the importance of focusing on experiences and skills that are directly applicable to the job being applied for. The script advises against discussing unrelated jobs or experiences, as they do not add value to the interview and can detract from the candidate's suitability for the role.

💡Mission and Values

Mission and values are the guiding principles and objectives of a company. The video emphasizes the importance of aligning one's career aspirations with the company's mission and values. It suggests that candidates should demonstrate their understanding and enthusiasm for the company's mission and values as a way to show their genuine interest in working for the organization.

💡Career Aspirations

Career aspirations refer to an individual's professional goals and ambitions. The script explains that when asked about career aspirations in an interview, candidates should convey their commitment to the role and the company, rather than focusing on personal gains such as salary or benefits. It's about showing a long-term perspective and how the role fits into their career path.

💡Weaknesses

In the video, discussing weaknesses is presented as an opportunity for candidates to demonstrate self-awareness and resilience. It advises against turning a strength into a disguised weakness, such as claiming to 'work too hard,' and instead encourages candidates to honestly identify areas for improvement and explain how they are actively working to overcome these weaknesses.

💡Unique Pairing

A unique pairing, as mentioned in the script, refers to the combination of two skills or qualities that are not commonly found together, making a candidate stand out. For example, a candidate with both creative and organizational skills would be considered to have a unique pairing, as these attributes are typically not associated with the same individual, thus making them more attractive to employers.

💡Onboarding

Onboarding is the process of integrating a new employee into an organization. The video script suggests that asking about the onboarding process during an interview, such as what the 30/60/90 plan looks like, shows that the candidate is forward-thinking and serious about their potential role, as they are considering how they will contribute from the start.

💡Compensation

Compensation in the video refers to the salary and benefits package that a candidate expects for a job. The script advises candidates to research market rates and company standards to determine a reasonable salary range. It also emphasizes the importance of presenting this information logically and rationally during the interview to negotiate a fair compensation package.

💡Goal Salary

A goal salary is the specific amount of money a candidate hopes to earn in a job. The video script explains that when asked about their goal salary, candidates should provide a range based on thorough research of the market value for the role and their own experience. It also cautions against setting an unrealistically high goal that could negatively impact their chances of being hired.

Highlights

The speaker offers a unique perspective on crafting interview answers based on their experience as a hiring manager and CEO.

The importance of not sharing one's life story when asked 'Tell me about yourself' in an interview.

Employers want to hear a sales pitch on why the candidate is fit for the role during the 'Tell me about yourself' question.

The speaker emphasizes the need to convey the value one brings to the company in their self-introduction.

How to structure the answer to 'Tell me about yourself' by discussing past titles, results, strengths, and relevance to the role.

Hiring managers often decide whether to hire someone within the first 15 minutes of the interview.

The common mistake of reciting one's resume verbatim when asked to walk through it.

The need to focus on relevant experiences when discussing one's resume during an interview.

How to answer 'Why do you want to work at this company?' by showing research, recognition of values, and a right fit for the role.

Avoiding selfish reasons and focusing on company-centric answers when discussing why one wants to join a company.

The correct approach to answering the question about one's weaknesses in an interview.

Admitting a flaw and discussing how one handles it despite being a weakness.

The significance of unique pairings of skills when discussing what makes a candidate unique in an interview.

How to answer the question of why one is leaving their current role without showing negativity towards a previous employer.

The importance of aligning career aspirations with the potential of the role and the company.

Discussing what one is looking for in a new position in terms of environment and growth potential.

The final question 'Do you have any questions for me?' and the importance of showing thoughtfulness and foresight.

How to handle questions about salary expectations by researching market value and presenting a logical range.

Transcripts

I'm going to help you craft your answers

to the top 10 questions so that you can

land your ideal job as a hiring manager

and a CEO I've done thousands of

interviews and I've interviewed

thousands of people and so I can tell

you exactly what an employer is looking

for but on the other side I was an

employee for years before I had my own

business so I know what it's like to be

on the other side of the table and so I

feel like I have a unique perspective

that I can bring together to present to

you these answers as a bonus at the end

of this video I'm also going to give you

the answer to one of the most important

questions that can dictate whether you

get more money or less money in your new

role the number one question that people

ask in interview is not really a

question it's tell me about yourself an

open-ended question that most people

misinterpret why do they misinterpret I

can tell you that nine times out of ten

when I say tell me about yourself to

somebody on interview what they come

back with is they want to tell me their

whole life story well I grew up in

Connecticut and I went to listen nobody

gets a they don't care about your

life story they don't care we grow up

you're wasting their time they need to

get to the next interview what they

actually want to know is give me your

sales pitch as to why you're fit for

this role they want to hear your sales

pitch why are you uniquely qualified

what experiences do you have that relate

to the role that then make you the right

candidate what they're really asking

when they say tell me about yourself is

they're saying what value do you bring

to this company enroll so I want you to

not even think when someone says tell me

about yourself switch it's what value do

you bring to this company enroll how do

you go about answering this question the

first piece is what you want to say is

where you've been so say you're applying

for a customer success representative or

a customer success manager I've been a

customer success manager at three of The

Fortune 500 companies and over the last

eight years and what I was able to do at

those three companies is Drive X Y and Z

results so the first thing you want to

do is say what you have been the exact

title and role and what results you have

driven so title results the second piece

once you've explained to the title and

results is what are your biggest

strengths I've been a customer success

manager at these three Fortune 500

companies I drove these results where

I've increased retention from 10

retention to 80 retention and my biggest

strengths are blank my biggest strengths

are that I'm fantastic at decreasing

time to value for customers in fact at

my last company I was able to decrease

time to value by 20 in just a quarter

and then you want to bring it home by

saying so the reason that I applied to

work here is relate it back to why that

pertains to the role and I saw that you

were looking for a customer success

manager to get clients ramped up and

onboarded more quickly and I figured

that would be a good fit because I've

done that in all these last three roles

and I was able to actually increase our

Revenue per account by four thousand

dollars you're gonna all tie it back to

how it relates to you applying for this

job so where have you been what results

has it driven what's your biggest

strength and how does that correlate to

this role here next time someone asks me

you tell me about yourself don't tell

them about yourself tell them why you're

qualified for this role a hiring manager

usually makes the decision as to whether

or not they're going to hire a person in

the first 15 minutes of the interview

and this is actually where most people

drop the ball they go through all the

effort they go and fill out the

application they research the company

they submit the application they write a

cover letter they do all this pre-work

to get to the interview and then they're

not thinking about how they're going to

answer the questions this isn't to give

you some strips in terms of I want you

to regurgitate this on your interview

this is to give you the framework to

understand what is the employer actually

asking when they ask you these top 10

questions the second most asked question

on interview is walk me through your

resume what I see a lot is that people

go line by line it's like first I worked

at Subways and I worked at this and I

had an internship and it's like nobody

again gives a they want to hear

about the relevant experience so the

first thing you want to do is you want

to skip through anything that's not

related to this job if it doesn't

pertain to this job in any way and it

adds no value to them then don't talk

about it so only pick the experiences

that relate to this specific role take

those experiences and translate them to

them they've already read your resume

that's why you're here for the interview

they don't want you to read it off and

say the exact same things from the

resume what they want you to do is talk

about how each of those experiences

translates to this role because you've

done the research on the company you've

done the research on the role and you

can translate it for them the third most

common question asked an interview is

why do you want to work at this company

I have done thousands of interviews and

most the time surprisingly this answer

is not answered correctly what they want

to hear is how much research you've done

on the company and how excited you are

about the role they want to hear someone

that relates to the mission they really

live by the values they really feel like

this role is exactly what's meant for

them and this is part of their career

path and then get them to their ultimate

goal what they don't want is for you to

talk about the selfish reasons as to why

you plan we all know that most of the

reasons people apply for jobs are they

see really good pay good benefits

there's a lot of benefits to them when

you're looking for a job you're looking

for the pieces that pertain to you

they're like this is how this would make

my life better that doesn't mean that

that's what you want to express in an

interview because they already by

default assume that if you apply for

that job those are things that are

non-negotiables for you pay your

benefits work remote or not remote those

kind of things what they're looking for

in that question is they want to hear

how selfless you are they want to hear

how company-centric versus self-centric

you are and if you say anything about

pay benefits working remote that's all

going in self-centered bucket which they

don't want to hire those people what

they want to hear is Mission values

Vision career path that goes in

company-centric bucket and so you want

to make sure that you have a

company-centric answer to that research

the company look at their missions look

at their values study their glass door

look at their LinkedIn and look at all

the things that you like about that

company and have an answer prepared that

is company-centric not self-centered so

the way you want to frame this answer is

really three R's research recognition

and right fit so research tie your

answer into well when I was looking up

the company what I found on your

LinkedIn was your mission talks about

recognition I love the fact that your

values talk about X Y and Z because I

actually relate to that because I live

my life in X Y and Z way and then write

fit and because of that I felt like I

was the right fit for this role because

those things resonated with me so much

research recognition right fits the

fifth most common question asked is what

would you consider to be your weakness

most people get this one wrong because

what most people say is something like I

just work too hard or I'm just such a

perfectionist you know I just tend to do

too much I don't even know if I've had

someone answer this one well what I

would like to explain is that one

everyone knows that's

perfectionists haven't heard that one

the last seven interviews I did today

worked too hard so did Sally Gary and

this guy who eventually got fired

because they were lazy as nobody

believes when you say that about

yourself so don't pick something that's

actually a strength disguised as a

weakness actually tell them what your

weaknesses are and then explain how you

are resilient despite those weaknesses

so this is a chance for you to admit a

flaw and then talk about how you handle

those flaws here's an example say that

you're a customer success manager maybe

talk about the fact that you're bad at

math and that was something you

struggled with your whole life and

here's how you've overcome being bad at

math I took tutoring I tried this I did

all these things it's still gotten me

down because I'm still pretty bad at

math but I've been working on it by

taking these lessons and doing this

online course so I can get better at

math because I do think it'll help me in

different areas of my life like the fact

that I rent airbnbs on the side and I

don't know how to do the math basically

what you want to do is pick a weakness

that doesn't pertain to the role so it's

not something that will detract from you

getting this job but it is something

that's a weakness for you the sixth

question that people ask on interviews

that is the most common is what makes

you unique when someone's asking what

makes you unique they don't really want

to know anything about you know what you

did in high school or college or I got

this or I was the scholar of some they

don't care about any of those things

what they want to know is why should

they hire you and not somebody else that

is what that question means why are you

unique for this role why should I hire

you and not the other five people I've

interviewed today tell me now that's

what this question is asking when you

are presenting why should they hire you

and not somebody else what I want you to

think about is unique pairings so what

is it that makes you different than

others and what you do so if you look at

some of the most talented people they

typically have unique pairings in terms

of skill sets it's the best person in a

creative role might also be very

organized that's a unique parent because

typically people in Creative roles are

actually not organized and the fact that

somebody is organized or extremely

meticulous would be a unique parent say

that your applying for a financial role

and then you say actually I have really

high you know people skills and I

actually have done lots of presentations

on leadership and management all these

other things wow that's a unique pairing

because not only am I getting that

person that's going to fill a financial

role but they can also contribute to all

these other things in the company

because of this skills that they have

when that person asks you what makes you

unique then you want to think about what

is your unique pairing what's a skill

set that you have that is contrary to a

different skill set and together are

rare to be seen the seventh most

commonly asked question is why are you

leaving your current role so if you

currently are in a job they're going to

ask you why are you leaving that role

here's what myself as an employer really

wants to know what are the red flags

that are the reason that you're leaving

and do they exist here in this company

so that I can just stop this now because

maybe it's not a fit and that's what

they really want to know is are there

the same things there that there are

here and so if there's any crossover

then that's not something that they

would want because they don't want you

to just leave this job too what they

don't want is they don't want you to sit

there and complain about your last job

to talk about your last employer

even even if you're like oh listen if

you say I'm not trying to talk

you're talking because you're just

literally what's going to follow that is

talking but the fact that you said

I'm not trying to talk you're

hiding it they can sense that don't do

it just say here's the reasons I left

and I don't think that pertains to this

role here even better is to say here's

the reasons I left and the reason I'm so

interested in this job is because you've

expressed these things which are the

things that I want that I didn't have

here the eighth most commonly asked

question is what are your career

aspirations what does an employer

actually want to know they want to know

how long you're going to be here that is

what it means when they say what are

your career aspirations don't

it's explain what you want to get from

this job explain how long you see

yourself being here and explain if

you're flexible or rigid in your weights

some people want to be a certain place

from maybe 100 employees to 300

employees and then they're out some

people want to complete what I call a

mission while they're there to build a

certain something and then after they've

built that thing they're gone so explain

what your objective is in applying and

working at this company and then also

explain that if you were ever to

transition out you can always talk about

I can see myself being here for four

years building X Department y Department

beyond that I don't know if there's room

for me but I can see myself being here

from committing a solid four years and

obviously you know when the time comes

that I was no longer needed there's no

more growth I would always make sure to

backfill myself because that's what

people are really scared of they're

scared of you leaving and not

backfilling yourself be honest but also

talk about the things that you would do

if the time came when you were no longer

a fit the ninth most commonly asked

question is what are you looking for in

a new position so when someone asks this

what they want is not a list of all your

demands and desires that are again

selfish and not company-centric what

they want is to understand what are the

parameters that would make this a great

job for you what is your potential

that's untapped and what environment

would you thrive and mostly what they

want to know is do your career goals

align with the position your strengths

fit with the role and do your desires

fit with the role someone might have

strengths that fits the role but their

desires for their career don't

necessarily early so they want to make

sure that the desire also fits the Roll

Along with the strength so what you want

to do is explain what kind of

environment you would be best utilized

in so an example of that would be what

I'm looking for is a place where I can

really fully utilize myself I can build

a department from scratch which I know I

can do because I've done it three other

times and I have the autonomy to do so

but I also have the support and Clarity

from leadership where they're telling me

hey we'd rather have you do it this way

or that way or hey that's not exactly

how the company needs it that's what I'm

really looking for is a place where I

can have autonomy but also support and

Clarity and the last most frequently

Asked question in a job interview is do

you have any questions for me this is

always what people are going to ask

towards the end of the interview

sometimes even in the beginning of the

interview and here's what they want you

want to know that you have thought about

this decision what they don't want is

somebody who is thoughtless who says no

I really don't have any other questions

you don't have any other questions about

the place you want to be for the next

two to four years that's bananas most

people have questions most people just

haven't sat and taken the time to think

about what their questions are so here's

how I would answer that question

question one be specific pull out a line

from the job description that was on the

posted site and say I have a question

about this piece that you wrote in the

job description one that shows that you

read the job description which a lot of

people don't do thoroughly and then two

it shows that you were thoughtful enough

to ask the question about it the second

thing you can do is you can ask how

would I exceed your expectations in this

role the best interviews I've had have

been where candidates have asked me how

could I not meet your expectations but

exceed your expectations and that's a

great question for an employer because

then they're thinking how would this

person impress me and you can start off

on an even better flip because you can

get in there and right off the bat you

know what you can do to impress that

person and then the third thing that you

can ask is what would my onboarding look

like what would my 30 60 90 look like

the reason I ask you about onboarding or

30 60 90 is important because it shows

that you can see yourself being in the

company you have enough foresight to

think what's it going to look like when

I get in there and how can I prepare now

which shows again that you're thoughtful

and you're diligent and as a bonus

question a lot of people ask me Layla

how do I answer the question what do you

want to get paid here's the thing that's

actually not something you can ask

during a job interview nobody is

actually allowed to answer that question

or ask that question so if somebody asks

you what are you being paid now you

actually don't need to answer it so that

is something a lot of people don't know

now what a lot of people do ask the way

to get around it is to say what is your

goal salary so a lot of employers will

ask tell me what your goal salary or

goal compensation is and here's how I

would suggest to answer that to make the

most amount of money one you have to

understand that overshooting this is

going to stab you no employer is going

to hire somebody who say the job is

market value at a hundred thousand

dollars and you say two hundred thousand

dollars they're just not going to do

that and trust me I have had that happen

and if not appreciated because it's

unrealistic so here's what you want to

do to prepare for that question one you

want to research the role so go on

salary.com payscale.com see how much

that title and with your years of

experience is work in the market now the

second thing you want to do is just like

when you buy a house you look at comps

in the neighborhood go look at companies

that are similar what are they paying

for that role because the two pieces

that go into determining compensation

are the hard facts of researching and

finding market value and then also just

taking from word on the street like what

are people actually paying in similar

companies because it might be a little

different then you want to use that to

come up with the range that you want to

present to that person so given that

come up with a range make it fairly

flexible and then when they ask what's

your goal compensation you can say the

higher range however you can say the

range you know my goal would be to be

between 110 to 130 preferably on the

higher end based on my research you know

I've seen that companies like x y and z

are paying about blank and then

companies at x y z are playing blank and

if you look on payscale and salary.com

they're showing these so when you're

presenting that to them you come off

like a logical rational thinking adult

ultimately the way that you present it

and showing and telling that you've done

the research will probably get you paid

more than if you don't