Not sure how everyone else feels about the many posts and articles circulating on “tough interview” questions. What I have noticed is that many seem to have a bit of a rinse and repeat rhythm to them – same questions reworded. Here are a few of the commonly suggested tough interview questions:

• What would you say are your strengths? What are your weaknesses?
• Why should we hire you?
• Give us an example where you encountered a disagreement with a colleague or your direct manager. How did you resolve this disagreement?
  
  

Sound familiar? Thought so.

There is nothing wrong with these questions. With that said here is what I know – there are a lot more difficult interview questions that can be asked of interviewees. Let’s try some new one’s :

• Describe a project or work situation where your ideas or solutions were rejected. How did you respond to your ideas being rejected? How did you resolve this and complete the project?
• How do you react when you are angry? How do you react when others are angry at you?
• Describe how your work approach and ethics are aligned to our values.
• How did you overcome the negative impact of losing a job?

Being that majority of the world is still working on pulling themselves out of a recession – this last question is very appropriate and can be quite a sensitive area for many. It is also a great question for assessing an individual’s tenacity, determination and ability to overcome very difficult challenges and changes.

Do these questions make you feel uncomfortable? They are supposed to – they are meant to get interviewees out of their comfort zones and cookie-cutter interview question/response pattern. Even your facial and body reaction to these questions are very telling to a seasoned interviewer.

If I could recommend one thing to those preparing for an interview it would be – Practice and be Prepared! That means if there are topics or areas you are uncomfortable with to the point your fingers/toes and all that crosses on your body is crossed in hopes the topic isn’t broached during the interview session – those are exactly the areas you need to prepare for the most.