NOTE:  There are 56 questions.  Below are questions one through eight.  The rest are available on the CD-ROM and web versions.

Here are some of the most commonly asked stress or interview questions and suggested approaches for answering them. Bear in mind that the two main issues on the interviewer’s mind are...

Consequently, if you can use your answers to score points on either of these issues, you’ll gain an edge on your competition. The answers also keep you from getting yourself in “hot water” with extreme answers.

1. Tell me about yourself.
   This is not an invitation to ramble on. Take some time in advance to think about yourself and those aspects of your personality and/or background that you’d like to promote or feature for your interviewer. Write this in about a 90-second to 2-minute format and practice it until delivery is smooth.
   
   
2. What do you look for in a job?
   State what you want in terms of what you can give to your employer. The key word in the following example is “contribution.”
   
   “My experience at the XYZ Corporation has shown me that I have a talent for motivating people. That is demonstrated by my team’s absenteeism dropping 20 percent, turnover steadying at 10 percent, and production increasing 12 percent. I am looking for an opportunity to continue that kind of contribution in a company and with a supervisor who will help me develop in a professional manner.”
   
   
3. Why are you leaving?
   You should have an acceptable reason for leaving every job you have held. If you don’t, pick one of these seven acceptable reasons.
   
   • You don’t feel there is room to grow professionally in that position (at that company)
   • You’re driving or commute is too long.
   • You are at a dead end in your position and there is no place for you to go.
   • You have excellent skills and talents but there are just too many people ahead of you in line for promotions.
   • You feel, based upon your research, that you are underpaid for your skills and contribution.
   • You want to be with a better company.
   • In your opinion, the company does not have the stability you seek.
   
   
   For example: “My last company was a family-owned affair. I had gone as far as I was able. It just seemed time for me to join a more prestigious company and accept greater challenges.”
   
   
4. What can you do for us that someone else cannot do?
   This question will come only after a full explanation of the job has been given. If not, qualify the question with “what voids are you trying to eradicate when you fill this position?” Recap the interviewer’s job description as you highlight your skills.
   
   Finish with a question that asks for feedback or a powerful answer. If you haven’t covered the interviewer’s hot buttons, he or she will cover them now, and you can respond accordingly.
   
   
5. Why should we hire you?
   Your answer should be short and to the point. It should highlight areas from your background that relate to current needs and problems. Recap the interviewer’s description of the job, meeting it point by point with your skills. Finish your answer by remarking: “I have the qualifications you need [itemize them], I’m a team player, I take direction and I have the desire to make a thorough success.”
   
   
6. Can you work under pressure, deadlines?
   You might be tempted to give a simple “yes” or “no” answer, but don’t. It reveals nothing and you lose the opportunity to sell your skills and value profiles. Whenever you are asked a closed-ended question, answer the question and add a skill-selling example story.
   
   
7. What are your most significant accomplishments in your present or last job?
   Keep your answer job-related. You might begin your reply with a statement such as: “Although I feel my most significant achievements are still ahead of me, I am proud of my involvement with…I made my contribution as part of that team and learned a lot in the process. We did it with hard work, concentration and an eye for the bottom line.”
   
   
8. What is your primary strength?
   Isolate high points from your background and add key values. You might want to demonstrate pride, reliability and the ability to stick with a difficult task yet change course rapidly when required.