The Toughest Questions You'll Get Asked in a Job Interview

Making a career transition or even hunting for your first significant job is serious business. It takes planning and preparation, because you are about to swap 40 or more hours a week of your life for a paycheck. Being clear about what you want is the first step. There is a tendency to get easily frustrated through the job-hunting process, but stay focused. Use your network connections to help you determine the best potential employers and prepare yourself. As someone experienced in helping others write resumes and find jobs, I've come up with a list of challenging questions that candidates get asked during the interview. I suggest you print them off and get comfortable with your answers before each particular interview.

1. What do you know about this company? What attracted you to this company?

2. What ideas might you have for increasing the efficiency of this department?

3. What was/is the reason for leaving your last/current job?

4. This is a new position we're creating - we'll expect you to help write the job description. Do you have experience doing that?

5. We have some really strong candidates for this position - what do you think makes you outstanding?

6. We require regular drug tests of our employees. How do you feel about that?

7. We require a basic writing test of our candidates. Are you prepared to take that today?

8. What should I know about you that isn't on your resume or in your cover letter?

9. Tell me your biggest accomplishment.

10. Where do you want to be in five years with your career?

11. What are your salary requirements?

12. Do you have any questions to ask me?

After you feel comfortable with how to handle the questions, you need to know how to avoid mistakes in the interview.

What I'm providing below is a list of "dos" and "don'ts" to help you have the best interview experiences.

Interview Dos:

-Dress appropriate for the job. Don't overdress, but be clean and neat.
-Tame the hair. If it is a windy day, bring a comb and hit the restroom before the interview.
-Use mouthwash and/or a mint before you head into the interview. Dry-mouth is common when you are nervous and that can present a bad breath episode.
-Bring another copy of your resume and letters of reference (if you have them) in a file.
-Be prepared to stay as long as the interview takes. You don't want to appear to be in a rush.
-Make sure your fingernails are clean. Leave the gardening until the next day.
-Be well-rested. Get plenty of sleep the night before so that you don't look tired.
-Be friendly to the receptionist--she is the first one to impress.
-Check yourself for pet hair before leaving for the interview.
-Know something about the company. Even just a few bits of information will impress an employer.
-If someone you believe the employer will know told you about the job, indicate that in the interview.
-Answer each question completely but don't over elaborate.
-Smile.
-Mirror your interviewer - don't obviously mock - but note your interviewer's body language and follow.
It has been proven that this technique makes one feel comfortable around another.
-Thank your interviewer before departure and assure of your interest (if you still have interest).

Interview Don'ts:

-No chewing gum, hard candy or mints (dissolve them or get rid of them beforehand).
-No stilettos, mini skirts or extreme cleavage.
-No sweat (wear a jacket if you're at risk of having sweat rings).
-Don't bring an overstuffed purse or tote. No brief cases.
-Cell phone - leave it in the car, or at the least, turn it off in the interview.
-No friends. Go to your interview by yourself.
-No exposed tattoos or body piercings
-Earrings - don't wear 4 or 5 sets of pierced earrings. Keep it simple and professional.
-Don't overdo the make up, hair or jewelry.
-Don't bring a bottle of water or a cup of coffee with you.
-Don't wear strong cologne - in fact, don't wear any at all. Soap works well.
-No alcohol on your breath.
-Don't show up with chipped fingernail or toenail polish.
-Don't have coffee or soda right before the interview. It will add to your nerves. If it is
offered...decline.
-Don't smoke right before you go into an interview.
-Watch your hands -no wringing, tents over the tummy or fidgeting with items on the desk.
-Watch your language. You don't want to offend with a curse word or an inappropriate ethnic reference.
-Don't bring up your list of job requirements.
-Don't bring up issues on your resume that the interviewer hasn't even brought up - such as a gap, or
why you left your last job of 8 months.
-Don't bring up a disgruntlement that you may have over a previous employer or talk about a former
co-worker in a negative sense.
-Don't become the interviewer by asking too many questions about the job? What you really want to know
before leaving the interview is when they plan to fill the job or when you can expect some
communication. If they haven't provided the salary range in the job listing or they don't ask you for
salary requirements, certainly you can ask about the compensation and benefits.
-Don't arrive on the back of a motorcycle.
-Don't forget to thank your interviewer even if it becomes evident that the job isn't a good fit.

You're ready now to nail that interview, but what if you interview for a great job, and a couple of weeks go by without you hearing anything? You might wonder if it is appropriate to follow-up. It is, if you were told that you would hear something in that period of time. They may have been delayed in making a decision. Simply call and indicate your interest in checking on the timeline for filling the job. Don't allow yourself to sound irritated if you don't hear what you want. And, don't make the mistake of indicating that you are a serious candidate for another job, but you really like this opportunity better. That never goes over well.

Keep your professionalism in tact...always...and your confidence, as well. Good luck.