We've teamed up with The Daily Mirror's Careers Editor to bring you this free webinar on tough interview questions and how to answer them. We'll give you the tools and tips necessary to deal with some of the more bizarre, difficult, and inappropriate of interview questions. For more free webinars on how to rock the application process no matter what stage you're at, go here.

1. Brought to you by:

2. This webinar is based on your feedback
We asked you what
questions you found
challenging in interviews.
Over 600 of you replied…
and the same ones came
up again and again.

3. Types of interview questions
Fish4jobs.co.uk/careers-advice
Common
Tough
Quirky
Inappropriate
Scenario-based

4. Common questions

5. Common questions…
Downloads:
1. Common interview questions
Tell us about yourself
Tell us about your current
role
Why do you want this job?

6. Tell me about yourself
It may sound personal but this is definitely a question
that requires a professional response.
Be creative but link it back to you professional
achievements.
Top tips
Don’t waffle
Focus on your most recent work experience
Explain your career journey (concisely!)
Try to link to the job description

7. Tell me about your current role

8. Why do you want this job?

9. To sum up: common questions
Stay calm
Prepare as much as you can in advance
Keep your answers relevant to the job
Don’t waffle; be concise and confident
Link previous experience to current role
Be enthusiastic – demonstrate how much you want
the job!

10. Tough questions

11. Tough questions
Downloads:
1. Tough Interview Questions
Why is there a gap in
your work history?
Why should I hire
you?
Tell me your biggest
weakness?

12. Why is there a gap in your work history?

13. Why should I hire you?
Opportunity to reiterate your most impressive
strengths
Keep your answer focused and concise (3/4 points)
Tailor your answer to suit the needs of the role
Remember to demonstrate enthusiasm!
Example
I have four years experience of target-achieving in a very similar sales
environment which I know I can bring to this role and I can start contributing
from day one.
Furthermore, I have been developing my management skills by assisting
new starters which makes me perfect for the role of Junior Sales Manager.

14. What is your biggest weakness?

15. Roundup: tough interview questions
Back up your answers with relevant examples
Make sure your answers are relevant to the job
When giving examples of your previous work, think
about how they could apply to the job you’re
interviewing for

16. Quirky questions

17. Quirky questions
Downloads:
1. Quirky Interview Questions
If you were a biscuit, what type
would you be and why?
Tell me one fact about yourself
How many tennis balls are
there in London?

18. If you could be any type of biscuit, what
would you be and why?

19. Tell me one fact about yourself
Use one of the following as your basis for this answer…
Achievements
e.g. Captain of school sports team, Sales person of the month
Volunteering
Demonstrate your empathetic side.
Unusual hobbies
Can be a great way to set yourself aside from the other candidates
Light-heartedness
A carefully selected & humorous fact will naturally get the interviewer to
warm to you

20. How many tennis balls are there in London?
This type of question is designed to test your thought
processes when presented with an obstacle
Top tips
No right answer so don’t over think it
Explain your reasoning behind the answer as you go
along so the interviewer can follow your logic
Back up each point in the answer with a reason

21. To sum up: quirky questions
A potentially fun part of the interview where the
interviewer gets to see the real you & how your mind
works
There is no right answer
Explain your thinking behind your answers
Let your personality shine through in your answers
Be confident in your responses

22. Inappropriate questions

23. Inappropriate questions…
Downloads:
1. Inappropriate Interview Questions
Respondents Inappropriate question
2% Religion
6% Age related
6% Pregnant/children
5% Sexual orientation
12% Asked out/sexual nature

24. Inappropriate questions…
Downloads:
1. Inappropriate Interview Questions
How old are you?
What is your religion?
Are you going to get pregnant soon?
What is your sexual orientation?
Would you like to go out with me?

25. How old are you?
Video to come

26. What is your religion?

27. Are you going to get pregnant soon?

28. What is your sexual orientation?

29. Would you like to go out with me?
Video

30. To sum up: inappropriate questions
These questions aren’t relevant so you shouldn’t really
have to answer them. However, the interviewer might not
know s/he shouldn’t ask them, so…
Keep calm
Stand your ground
No need to be rude, just deflect the question and move
on

31. Scenario questions

32. Scenario questions
Downloads:
1. Scenario Interview Questions
Sell me this pen
A colleague has suddenly
been taken ill and your
workload immediately doubles
while they’re off. How do you
manage your time?

33. Sell me this pen
Could be whatever product they sell…pen, coffee, t-shirt,
adverting etc.
Split this question into sections to make it easier to tackle
1. Gather information on buyer
2. Respond to that information
3. How you deliver that information
4. Close the deal
Avoid:
Not gathering enough information on the buyer
Not listening to their needs
Forcing the sell

34. A colleague has been taken ill and your workload doubles.
How do you manage your time?

35. To sum up: scenario questions
Key area of questioning
Tend to be based around your potential role
Break down into sections to demonstrate your
thought processes
Back up with answers with relevant reasoning

36. Resources to download
All downloads can be found in the resources tab below:
Common interview questions
Tough interview questions
Quirky interview questions
Inappropriate interview questions
Scenario-based interview questions

37. And finally…
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