Since 2011, we’ve been a neutral ground for the job seeker (since we’re not competing in the market) and recruiter community (since we’re not recruiting). It has made it so very easy for recruiters and employers to spill the tea safely to us.
And we’re hearing an ongoing trend – they’re surprised that these five questions are still fumbled so often… here’s what they’re actually looking for:
1. What are your greatest strengths?
They’re not looking to be your friend or have you summarize your resume, they’re really looking for how you’ll fit THIS specific role.
So know the job description and prepare in advance – weave in strengths that match the needs of this specific role. Interviewers know when you’re delivering a vague rehearsed line from online that you offer at all interviews, so think critically here.
Give them examples of how your strengths led to success at past employers, but make sure they’re concrete and supported by numbers when possible.
You’ll want to offer soft skills in your list of strengths as well, be they in communication, teamwork, flexibility, problem solving skills or emotional intelligence.
2. What about your biggest weakness?
Yes, this is a trap, but not one you don’t have the ability to easily leap over if you know what they’re really asking. They just want to know if you’re self aware, honest, and able to handle challenges and improve as you come across them. Can you evolve?
They’re looking for traits that are dealbreaker weaknesses like gossiping, disrespect, rage, lack of reliability, defensiveness, dishonesty, poor communication or teamwork, low adaptability, lack of initiative. If any of these are on your list of weaknesses, be prepared to really explain how you tackled that as a problem and resolved it.
You’ll want to be well practiced in expressing how you’ve identified and overcome any weakness. How did you evolve? It’s as simple as that.
3. What is a mistake you’ve made at work?
This is extremely similar to the weakness question, and may have some overlap, but the previous question was about traits, this is about a very specific example of something that happened.
You need to use a real example of a mistake that you yourself made – they absolutely hate when you dance around it and use other peoples’ vague mistakes as if you’ve made none. Huge red flag of dishonesty.
Communicate how you identified the mistake, fixed it, and avoided it in the future, but be sure it’s not so dreadful that it disqualifies you altogether (aka crime times).
Example: “Early in my tenure as an engineer, I underestimated the timeline for integrating a new technology with our existing systems, leading to a significant project delay. When I realized my mistake, I approached my direct supervisor and took full responsibility for this miscalculation, which affected our deliverables and client expectations. She had me chip in some extra time over the weekend and following week to set the ship upright but I was more alarmed by it than she was, honestly.
Nevertheless, this experience taught me the importance of thorough research, consulting with my team, and building buffer time for unforeseen challenges. Since then, I’ve implemented a rigorous estimation process involving key team members and detailed risk assessments, significantly improving our project timelines and client satisfaction. But I’ll always be haunted by that mistake.”
4. Why do you want to work here?
“Money please” is not an acceptable answer, even though we all know why we’re here, k? Research their mission and objectives and talk about how that aligns with your own.
Make sure that you address their market advantages and strategic benefits and how this speaks to your own goals ideals.
BUT, be sure to focus on the role at hand, not where you want to be in five years. “I want to work here because having this on my resume is a big deal and will open bigger doors in two years” is a surefire way to be invited to not work there.
Here’s an extremely, overly, TOO generic response, but gives you some insight anyhow (please don’t use this; tailor your answer to the actual company): “I am impressed by your company’s innovative approach to solving industry challenges and your commitment to cutting-edge technology. I am excited about the opportunity to contribute my skills to such a forward-thinking team and help drive continued success and growth.”
5. What would be your plan for your first 90 days here?
This is where your soft skills can be showcased alongside your hard skills. First, you’ll want to make it about the team. You want to make sure to really engage with the team, and how you can be the best fit for their unique needs.
You’ll want to discuss how you aim to find the most pressing team challenges and whatever doesn’t have an immediate owner (or is already in your role’s purview) gets priority.
They really want to know that you’ll be listening, observing, and strategizing, so don’t say (or hell, do) anything that shows you jump into challenges without any thought. Talk about how you’ll get through your first team project and combine that knew knowledge along with your team insights into a 12-month plan for the role.
You want to set goals and targets, but you must also show that you’re a sponge, soaking up company needs, client needs, and team needs, before making a deliberate decision on moving forward.
Pro tip: For anything above entry level, “The First 90 Days” by Michael Watkins is a must read. Go do it NOW.
How to put this all into play
If you have the answers to these questions in your head, put them on paper. Then edit the hell out of them. Get them perfect.
Then, head over to your favorite generative chatbot and use this prompt: “I am going to give you a job description for a [job title] role at [company], then I am going to give you five common interview questions and my answer to each, and I would like for you to evaluate my answers for the specific company and make four recommendations for improvement for each answer, in bullet point form, okay?” It’ll say okay and you’ll do The Thing.
Once you have them cooked to your preferred temp, say them out loud in a mirror at least five times. Ten times. Hell, twenty. Have someone do a mock interview with you on Zoom and ask you these questions out of order so you can practice how you’d answer them on the fly.
You won’t get them just as rehearsed, and you don’t WANT to sound rehearsed, but really knowing these answers as they pertain to a specific company can be a really amazing anchor for your interview performance.
Good luck out there, we’re pullin’ for ya!
PS: Did you know ADJ is on LinkedIn now? Join us!
