Written by Brian Skory, Technology Talent Specialist at Stout Systems
We’ve all heard the advice to be prepared for any interview question that comes your way, but let’s be honest, we can’t think of all the questions that could be asked. That said, we should at least put some thought into the questions we’re likely to be presented with, particularly those pesky “blindside questions” that have the potential to catch you off guard. Answer it the right way and you can practically feel the interviewer’s satisfaction with your answer, but if you screw up, you’d better close your folio right then and there, thank the interviewers for their time, and walk out the door. Below are some examples of those questions and the thought process behind them.
Tell me about moving from [previous position]?
The interviewer is looking to see whether or not you left under favorable or unfavorable circumstances. Did you outgrow the position and the company had nothing better to offer? Has your work been sent abroad? These would be acceptable responses. On the other hand, being caught off guard by something unfavorable (dismissal for non-performance, not being able to get along with your boss, etc.) and stumbling over an acceptable explanation will surely set off alarm bells. Be prepared to explain why you left each position listed on your resume and consider how your reasoning will be perceived from the hiring manager’s perspective.
What could you have done to improve your performance in [previous position]?
The interviewer is simply checking to see if you are a process improvement-minded person. If so, it will be obvious that you’ve put some thought into this, and you’ll be able to offer something like, “In hindsight, if I had taken a little time to brush up on my Perl scripts, I would have been able to perform certain tasks much more efficiently.” If you stumble upon this answer, you run the risk of being perceived as someone who has no particular intention of improving.
What would you consider to be one of your weaknesses?
This continues to be an increasingly popular interview question, but again, if you’re not prepared to answer it, the first thing that comes to mind could be the thing that kills the interview. No interviewer expects you to reveal your insides or reveal your darkest secrets. Instead, they are looking to see if you have put some thought into this and, if so, whether you have been able to frame it with a positive outcome. An appropriate response would be: “I’m not much of a socializer at work, but I’ve been working on that so I don’t seem unfriendly.” This shows that a candidate has thought about their weaknesses as well as possible solutions, and puts them in a much better position than an answer like, “I spend too much time at work checking my Amazon store.”
With a few minutes of forethought and mental rehearsal, you can put your best foot forward and maximize your chances of being the chosen candidate.
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Stout Systems is the software consulting and staffing company powered by the most powerful technology available: Human Intelligence®. We were founded in 1993 and are headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We have clients throughout the United States in fields including engineering, science, manufacturing, education, marketing, entertainment, small business, and robotics. We provide expert-level web and embedded systems development consulting and staffing services along with direct-hire technical staff.