How to answer the 5 most important interview questions

How to answer the 5 most important interview questionsHow to answer the 5 most important interview questionsMark Zuckerberg, CEO and founder of Facebook, describes his hiring process this way I will only hire someone to work directly for me if I would work directly for that person.Zuckerbergs comment illustrates an overlooked, yet fundamental, truth about hiring - people are ultimately looking for someone they want to work with.This is why companies of all types will ask you the same five questions.Human nature ensures interviewers return to these questions time and again to find out if youre someone they want to have down the hall.Your ability to wow the interviewer and land the job hinges on how well you answer these questions.Fear not Ive provided perfect answers to the five questions you will be asked every time you interview.Why are you leaving your current job?This question trips a lot of people up because it can get you into a negative mindset or a rant against your present ( or previous) job. The interviewer only wants to know that you arent leaving purely for money and that you dont have trouble getting along with people.Even if you were fired, the key to answering this question is to maintain undying positivity. Put a positive twist on the negatives to show your interviewer that youve learned significant and valuable lessons.If at all possible, show the interviewer that your moving jobs is all about passion and career growth.Tell me about yourselfWhen interviewers ask this, they dont want to hear about everything that has happened in your life the interviewers objective is to landsee how you respond to this vague, yet personal, question.Most people are quick to gush about their life story or their passions outside work. In the process, people have the tendency to slip up and to reveal things that cast them in a negative light. You dont want to be too loose with your personal life with someone you just met.The idea here is to give the most important po ints of your resume and how these experiences make you a great fit for the job. All you need to do is show the interviewer why youre the best fit for the lage and leave all the other extraneous details out.What are your weaknesses?Its difficult to find agenuineweakness that makes you appear competent.For instance, telling your interviewer that your weakness is working so hard that you have trouble prioritizing your family life is a little too clich and comes across as disingenuous. But telling your interviewer that you lose interest in mundane tasks (though this may be genuine) makes you an unappealing candidate as well.To answer this question perfectly, pick weaknesses that areminorand can bedeveloped.A great tactic is to choose a past weakness that you have an awesome story about fixing. For example, if your weakness is that you have difficulty confronting people with bad news, tell your interviewer that youve learned to begin with something positive before moving into the negativ e. This is a perfect example because the issue is minor (interviewers wont consider it a deal-breaker), and youve shown that youre someone who can learn and seeks improvement.What is your desired salary?The unwritten rule when it comes to salary is this whoever proposes a number first, loses.When you interview, you should never feel pressured to answer this question. Simply let your interviewer know that the most important thing to you is how well you fit the position.Say something simple like, Though I know salary is relevant, I dont make decisions based solely on it, and I would prefer to discuss it later once you know mora about me and I know more about the role.This shows the interviewer that you have put thought into the question and that you would prefer to focus on fit before pay. Youll have far more leverage in a salary negotiation if you wait until they want to hire you before discussing it.Tell me about a time when you _______This question sounds simple, but its difficult to clearly and concisely share a meaningful story.Laszlo maschine, the head of HR at Google, says you should approach this question like this Heres the attribute Im going to demonstrate heres the story demonstrating it heres how that story demonstrated that attribute.Bock also says, Most people in an interview dont make explicit their thought process behind how or why they did something and, even if they are able to come up with a compelling story, they are unable to explain their thought processes.A perfect answer to this question shows what you did andwhyyou did it (i.e., how you think).Have stories prepared that demonstrate different desirable attributes of yourself. Just dont forget to explain the thinking that went into your actions as you tell them.Bringing it all togetherNow that you know how to answer the five most important questions in any interview, youll have a leg up on the competition. Just dont forget to prepare and practice your responses until you can share them wit hout your answers sounding rehearsed.Travis Bradberry is the coauthor ofEmotional Intelligence 2.0and the cofounder ofTalentSmart.This article originally appeared onLinkedIn.How to answer the 5 most important interview questionsMark Zuckerberg, CEO and founder of Facebook, describes his hiring process this way I will only hire someone to work directly for me if I would work directly for that person.Zuckerbergs comment illustrates an overlooked, yet fundamental, truth about hiring - people are ultimately looking for someone they want to work with.This is why companies of all types will ask you the same five questions.Human nature ensures interviewers return to these questions time and again to find out if youre someone they want to have down the hall.Your ability to wow the interviewer and land the job hinges on how well you answer these questions.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and mo reFear not Ive provided perfect answers to the five questions you will be asked every time you interview.Why are you leaving your current job?This question trips a lot of people up because it can get you into a negative mindset or a rant against your present (or previous) job. The interviewer only wants to know that you arent leaving purely for money and that you dont have trouble getting along with people.Even if you were fired, the key to answering this question is to maintain undying positivity. Put a positive twist on the negatives to show your interviewer that youve learned significant and valuable lessons.If at all possible, show the interviewer that your moving jobs is all about passion and career growth.Tell me about yourselfWhen interviewers ask this, they dont want to hear about everything that has happened in your life the interviewers objective is to see how you respond to this vague, yet personal, question.Most people are quick to gush about their life story or their pa ssions outside work. In the process, people have the tendency to slip up and to reveal things that cast them in a negative light. You dont want to be too loose with your personal life with someone you just met.The idea here is to give the most important points of your resume and how these experiences make you a great fit for the job. All you need to do is show the interviewer why youre the best fit for the position and leave all the other extraneous details out.What are your weaknesses?Its difficult to find agenuineweakness that makes you appear competent.For instance, telling your interviewer that your weakness is working so hard that you have trouble prioritizing your family life is a little too clich and comes across as disingenuous. But telling your interviewer that you lose interest in mundane tasks (though this may be genuine) makes you an unappealing candidate as well.To answer this question perfectly, pick weaknesses that areminorand can bedeveloped.A great tactic is to choo se a past weakness that you have an awesome story about fixing. For example, if your weakness is that you have difficulty confronting people with bad news, tell your interviewer that youve learned to begin with something positive before moving into the negative. This is a perfect example because the issue is minor (interviewers wont consider it a deal-breaker), and youve shown that youre someone who can learn and seeks improvement.What is your desired salary?The unwritten rule when it comes to salary is this whoever proposes a number first, loses.When you interview, you should never feel pressured to answer this question. Simply let your interviewer know that the most important thing to you is how well you fit the position.Say something simple like, Though I know salary is relevant, I dont make decisions based solely on it, and I would prefer to discuss it later once you know more about me and I know more about the role.This shows the interviewer that you have put thought into the q uestion and that you would prefer to focus on fit before pay. Youll have far more leverage in a salary negotiation if you wait until they want to hire you before discussing it.Tell me about a time when you _______This question sounds simple, but its difficult to clearly and concisely share a meaningful story.Laszlo Bock, the head of HR at Google, says you should approach this question like this Heres the attribute Im going to demonstrate heres the story demonstrating it heres how that story demonstrated that attribute.Bock also says, Most people in an interview dont make explicit their thought process behind how or why they did something and, even if they are able to come up with a compelling story, they are unable to explain their thought processes.A perfect answer to this question shows what you did andwhyyou did it (i.e., how you think).Have stories prepared that demonstrate different desirable attributes of yourself. Just dont forget to explain the thinking that went into your a ctions as you tell them.Bringing it all togetherNow that you know how to answer the five most important questions in any interview, youll have a leg up on the competition. Just dont forget to prepare and practice your responses until you can share them without your answers sounding rehearsed.Travis Bradberry is the coauthor ofEmotional Intelligence 2.0and the cofounder ofTalentSmart.This article originally appeared onLinkedIn.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people