The 7 Tough Job Interview Questions That Can Make or Break You - and How to Answer Them

Some interview questions are asked so frequently that they've become classics. Practically every interview you go on you'll be answering one or more of these seven interview questions.

Why are these the most frequently asked interview questions? Probably because they give the employer a good idea of who you are and if you're the best fit for their company.

** Tell Me About Yourself

This is an obvious open-ended questions where the interviewer is inviting you to give some background on yourself. But wait. Should you start revealing personal information about yourself? No. This isn't a beauty contest or game show.

How to Answer: This is not a question you should try to wing off the top of your head. You need to write down a careful answer to this question and practice saying it out loud again and again.

** Prepare a Script

List five strengths that are directly related to this job and incorporate them into a "Tell Me About Yourself" mini script. You want to keep the focus on your past job experience and what you personally bring to your position(s):

Example:

"I have been in the ________ industry/business for the past ______ years."

"My most recent experience has been ______."

"One reason I enjoy this business is _____."

"In my last job I ________."

"My real strength is my ________."

"What I'm looking for now is _______."

About The Author

Copyright 2004

Donna Monday
Get Hired Now! Use These Online Interview Tips
http://www.get-a-job-interview-quick-tips.com

In The News:
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/business/12shifting.html%3Fref%3Dbusinesscid=1256638218ei=VZHySOmaNoLg6AOzj5DLAwusg=AFQjCNHjD5FYYBGWox_fnQ8tLWAu4tHplAShifting bCareers/b In Hard Times, Lawyers Advise Cautious Steps/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fNew York Times,nbsp;United Statesnbsp;-/font nobrOct 11, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By MARCI ALBOHER AS the turmoil on Wall Street continued, I sat down with two bemployment/b lawyers — Zachary Hummel, who represents employers, and Mark Risk, b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/stories/2008/10/12/credit_crunch_self_employed.htmlcid=1256964400ei=VZHySOmaNoLg6AOzj5DLAwusg=AFQjCNGSuyjZoBodzkrwbUa6z3gC2v_K_QAtlanta couple’s self-bemployment/b hurts loan chances/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fAtlanta Journal Constitution,nbsp; USAnbsp;-/font nobr4 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By PAUL DONSKY Marsha Middleton and her husband, Willie, have good credit, money in the bank and successful bcareers/b. But the couple has struggled to find a b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2008/10/12/presidential_race_complicates_office_politicscid=1256403378ei=VZHySOmaNoLg6AOzj5DLAwusg=AFQjCNHXQ4-mFpZDGhpR2I_TJvMi-LRK3Qimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=6RPMimhCcFAJimgurl=cache.boston.com/resize/bonzai-fba/Globe_Photo/2008/10/10/1223697426_6805/539w.jpg width=80 height=42 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Boston Globe/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/10/prweb1453774.htmcid=1256403378ei=VZHySOmaNoLg6AOzj5DLAwusg=AFQjCNHdeMBG9zXHNXpAcnQ5sAOTLACBIgFive Things You Can do to Take Charge of Your bCareer/b During Harsh b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fPR Web (press release),nbsp;WAnbsp;-/font nobrOct 11, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Individuals with a will to succeed enjoy 100% control over their bcareers/b. The bemployment/b recruiting industry is especially booming; In general, bemployment/b b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2008/10/12/presidential_race_complicates_office_politicscid=1256403378ei=VZHySOmaNoLg6AOzj5DLAwusg=AFQjCNHXQ4-mFpZDGhpR2I_TJvMi-LRK3QPresidential race complicates office politics/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrBoston Globe/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1256403378hl=ennobrall 3 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html%3Fid%3D360848f9-b8b1-4c31-8234-751fad240daacid=0ei=VZHySOmaNoLg6AOzj5DLAwusg=AFQjCNEWL3fNd75iKA1wxp8vZZG9TVgd1Aimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=bpAoymMHHJsJimgurl=a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/idl/vasn/20081011/137347-50253.jpg%3Fsize%3Dl width=80 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Vancouver Sun/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html%3Fid%3D360848f9-b8b1-4c31-8234-751fad240daacid=0ei=VZHySOmaNoLg6AOzj5DLAwusg=AFQjCNEWL3fNd75iKA1wxp8vZZG9TVgd1AExperts advise patience when seeking first job/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fVancouver Sun,nbsp; Canadanbsp;-/font nobrOct 11, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1About a year ago, the bcareer/b coaches at Youth bEmployment/b Services Montreal began noticing an increase in the number of depressed and anxious job-seekers b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.examiner.com/x-654-Baby-Boomer-Examiner~y2008m10d1-Byebye-to-career-employment-for-Baby-Boomer-mencid=0ei=VZHySOmaNoLg6AOzj5DLAwusg=AFQjCNFEvU7ARoqkxpmBSQ-kAfPyvBKiWAimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=Y0v3p9n65aUJimgurl=www.examiner.com/images/blog/author/img81paul_briand_photo.jpg width=80 height=67 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Examiner.com/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.examiner.com/x-654-Baby-Boomer-Examiner~y2008m10d1-Byebye-to-career-employment-for-Baby-Boomer-mencid=0ei=VZHySOmaNoLg6AOzj5DLAwusg=AFQjCNFEvU7ARoqkxpmBSQ-kAfPyvBKiWABye-bye to bcareer employment/b for Baby Boomer men/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fExaminer.comnbsp;-/font nobrOct 1, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1quot;bCareer employment/b – meaning bemployment/b with a single employer from middle age to retirement – is no longer the norm. So if workers are to remain in the b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://nwitimes.com/articles/2008/10/10/business/jobs_sunday/doc48e66153b8d5b950947014.txtcid=0ei=VZHySOmaNoLg6AOzj5DLAwusg=AFQjCNEZQToolcPcw2YoqJIFRCDZghlr7gbCareers/b without college/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fnwitimes.com,nbsp;INnbsp;-/font nobrOct 10, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1The requirements for bemployment/b in these fields include work experience and on-the-job training. Some employers may desire candidates who have had some b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.examiner.com/x-828-Entry-Level-Careers-Examiner~y2008m10d11-Recommended-reading-The-Nonprofit-Career-Guidecid=0ei=VZHySOmaNoLg6AOzj5DLAwusg=AFQjCNGwS9sMjVNlPzne7i97O3FeDL7A5Aimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=HhA0NY5T5SMJimgurl=www.examiner.com/images/blog/author/img205heather_huhman_photo.jpg width=80 height=67 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Examiner.com/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.examiner.com/x-828-Entry-Level-Careers-Examiner~y2008m10d11-Recommended-reading-The-Nonprofit-Career-Guidecid=0ei=VZHySOmaNoLg6AOzj5DLAwusg=AFQjCNGwS9sMjVNlPzne7i97O3FeDL7A5ARecommended reading: The Nonprofit bCareer/b Guide/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fExaminer.comnbsp;-/font nobr11 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1From 1998 to 2005, bemployment/b in the sector grew by 16 percent – three times faster than the rest of the economy. 1. Be directed. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/lifestyle/jobs-in-scotland/2008/10/12/a-change-for-the-better-78057-20795624/cid=0ei=VZHySOmaNoLg6AOzj5DLAwusg=AFQjCNE1RXXo9t9-6kfRFqrHHO2WSqdsEAA Change For The Better!/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fGlasgow Sunday Mail,nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobr19 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1quot;Now I am known as Mrs Motivator or the Positive Woman, acting as a catalyst for change in people#39;s lives or bcareers/b.quot; Liz, 49, set up her firm Positive b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.washtimes.com/news/2008/oct/13/new-calculus-on-campuses/cid=0ei=VZHySOmaNoLg6AOzj5DLAwusg=AFQjCNHRdEN7vnS1IMh3yeX9AQoGpUDzpAimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=SvpeT-knOT8Jimgurl=media.washingtontimes.com/media/img/photos/2008/05/26/WT200810518761702AR_r106x74.jpg%3Fc4028041f07984cc2b0208af53263b8f9a78b153 width=80 height=56 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Washington Times/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.washtimes.com/news/2008/oct/13/new-calculus-on-campuses/cid=0ei=VZHySOmaNoLg6AOzj5DLAwusg=AFQjCNHRdEN7vnS1IMh3yeX9AQoGpUDzpANew calculus on campuses/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fWashington Times,nbsp;DCnbsp;-/font nobr50 minutes ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Ms. O#39;Neill admitted to being concerned about the current job market, but as a freshman, she is not worried about her bemployment/b yet. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/education/12student.html%3Fref%3Deducationcid=1256661518ei=VZHySOmaNoLg6AOzj5DLAwusg=AFQjCNFS8Ha64S1bUpEzomvFXcVj-ovBJAimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=jgwAoYYra1UJimgurl=graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/10/12/us/12student_span.jpg width=80 height=44 alt= border=1brfont size=-2New York Times/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/education/12student.html%3Fref%3Deducationcid=1256661518ei=VZHySOmaNoLg6AOzj5DLAwusg=AFQjCNFS8Ha64S1bUpEzomvFXcVj-ovBJAFinance Students Keep Their Job Hopes Alive/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fNew York Times,nbsp;United Statesnbsp;-/font nobr23 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1“Mine is a generation that’s been told from high school onward, ‘You’re going to change bcareers/b five or six times throughout the course of your life,’ ” he b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
careers employment - Google News


Wind Chimes and more...

Windchimes for great gifts!

The Recruiting Truth...Time Is Not On Your Side

In today's marketplace things are constantly changing and so are... Read More

Self-Knowledge: The Key To Finding The Right Career Direction

Your career, like any journey, has a beginning, an end... Read More

7 Secrets of a Highly-Effective Resume Cover Letter

Just like the late, great Rodney Dangerfield, the "humble" cover... Read More

How to Be Prepared for a Layoff

If you are concerned that your company might be planning... Read More

Your Job Search -- a Marketing Campaign?

The successful job search is really just a personal marketing... Read More

The #1 Job Search Mistake To Avoid: Not Preparing Your Mind!

Mental preparation is probably your most important task as you... Read More

Taking Charge During An Interview!

Perhaps you've found yourself in the position of seeking a... Read More

10 Things to Do to Get the Job

10. Understand all of the opportunities available to you. Don't... Read More

How to Make More Job Contacts Faster, through Viral Marketing

Are you in the job market? Sick of every blog-byte... Read More

Formal Business Attire is Making a Comeback

The dot com boom of 1990s brought with it a... Read More

What Do You Want From Life?

The tragedy for millions of people is that they never... Read More

What You Should Know About A Medical Billing Specialist

Whether you are a person who is thinking about becoming... Read More

Do More than Expected to Get Ahead

One of the best things you can do to increase... Read More

20 Ways to Advance Your Career

To survive and thrive in today's competitive environment, it is... Read More

Seriously Impress at Your Interview With These 7 Hot Tips

So you've managed to secure a job interview for a... Read More

You?re Ready for a Career Change - Is Your Resume?

You finally did it. You made the decision to leave... Read More

Counter-Offers: Do They Merit Consideration?

You are one of the fortunate few who have not... Read More

When the Teacher Becomes the Student

A relationship expert once said that during an argument, there's... Read More

How To Find A Telecommute Job

The answer may be easier than you think, but there's... Read More

The Right Way To Send Your Resume

Having a great resume is the first critical step in... Read More

Ask For That Raise!

For nine years Jeff worked for company G as an... Read More

Hiring the OverQualified Employee or Mining for Gold

I am having a hard time understanding why a valuable... Read More

3 Creative Job Search Tactics

It's a fact: the best jobs attract loads of competition.... Read More

Your Resume Format - What Is The First Thing You Need To Do?

The first thing you need to do before you write... Read More

Salary Negotiation: How To Earn More Money and Respect From Your Employer

Despite how important fair pay is to most of us,... Read More