Hardest interview questions: It is a well-known fact that there are 5 interview questions candidates keep failing their interviews on. These questions are designed to put you under pressure and they are also designed to sift out those candidates who are not going to be a good fit for the organization.
If you have a job interview coming up soon for any role or any organization, you do not want to miss this tutorial. Not only will you learn those five hardest interview questions are, I will also give you top scoring answers.
Top 5 hardest interview questions
To help you pass your job interview, this article cover the following three things:
- What the 5 hardest interview questions are. These questions will come up during your job interview and how you answer them is going to be the difference between a pass or a fail.
- Why these five interview questions are being asked and a very important tip for answering every one of them.
- The perfect answer to all five questions to make sure you are fully prepared for your interview.
What are the 5 hardest interview questions?
- What didn’t you like about your last job?
This is a really difficult interview question to answer because it is assessing your levels of honesty and your reasons for leaving your job.
- Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
This is one of the hardest interview questions to answer because if we’re honest, we don’t even know where you are going to be next year, let alone in 5 years time. Having said that, there is a way you need to answer this difficult interview question if you are going to pass your interview, which you will learn very soon.
- Why should I hire you?
This has always been one of the hardest interview questions to answer correctly because the truth is you just want a job, but to say you should hire me because I want a job is not going to get you hired.
Again, this could be the one interview question that decides whether or not you are going to get taken on in the role. Therefore, you have to make sure you give a brilliant powerful answer that proves you can add value in the position.
- What makes you unique.
This is one of the hardest interview questions to answer because the interviewer is using it to determine which candidate is the best person for the job. But what does make a person unique? In this article, you will learn outstanding answer that is guaranteed to impress the hiring manager.
- What is your biggest weakness?
This interview question catches out 95% of candidates. You can’t say you don’t have any weaknesses and you certainly can’t give a weakness that is a match for the job you have applied for. In this article, you will learn the perfect answer that will help you to be the standout candidate.
Let now look at the important tip for answering each of the five interview questions and then a top scoring answer that will make sure you pass your interview.
Important tip for answering each of the 5 interview questions
- What didn’t you like about your last job?
Tip: This question is being asked to assess the reasons why you wanted to leave your last job or why you want to leave your current job.
If you are still in position, do not under any circumstances be disrespectful about your former employer, your boss or your work colleagues.
Give an answer that demonstrates you are an ambitious and driven person who wants to succeed.
Below is a brilliant top scoring answer to the interview question, “what didn’t you like about your last job?”
Answer:
“There wasn’t much I disliked about my last job. They were very supportive, and the team I was a part of were all hard-working. However, one area that did frustrate me slightly was the fact that I didn’t think the company had achieved its full potential.
There were opportunities to grow the business in our market area and expand the product range, but the company owners were happy to maintain the business’s position. Being an ambitious person, I wanted to do more and get involved with different projects, but the opportunities to do so never materialized.
However, working for you, I think I will get more job satisfaction because of your ambitious plans, and your innovative approach to business.”
- Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Tip: One of the easiest ways to pass your job interview is to demonstrate to the interviewer that you want to build a career with their company.
Don’t forget, hiring someone for any job role genuinely takes a lot of time and effort and it also costs the company financially in terms of your monthly salary.
Therefore, the last thing they want to do is take someone on in the role who has plans to move on within the first couple of years of starting.
Below is a great example answer to help you answer the interview question, “Where do you see yourself in five years?”
Answer:
“The company I work for is really important to me. We spend a lot of time at work, and I genuinely want that time to be put to good use in a role that I enjoy doing, and for a company that wants to be the market leader.
In five years, I still plan to be working for you. I envisage having developed considerably by undertaking training courses and by learning new skills on the job.
In five years from now, I would also want to be respected, trusted and a high-performing member of the team and perhaps having even gained advancement to a more senior level. Essentially, I want to build a long-term career with your company.”
- Why should I hire you?
Tip: This is undoubtedly, one of the hardest interview questions to answer correctly. It is your opportunity to sell yourself.
The interviewer is asking you this question because it can help them to decide which candidate is the one person who can add the most value to their business.
They don’t want someone in the role who will just do the bare minimum. They want someone passionate, driven and commercially focused.
Below is a great example answer to help you answer this interview question, “Why should I hire you?”
Answer:
“I believe you should hire me because I already have the right skills, qualities and the drive to match the job description. You should hire me because I am a very quick learner. I will make sure I fit into your team and start achieving straight away.
You should hire me because I am flexible. I will do tasks that are outside of my job description, and I will be available to work extra hours if needed to help out the business.
Finally, you should hire me because I am commercially focused. This means I will be a positive role model when representing the company brand, and I will look for ways to help your business grow financially, whilst at the same time being frugal with resources and supplies to help the company save money.”
- What makes you Unique?
Tip: Again, this interview question is your chance to stand out from the other candidates.
This question is being asked because the hiring manager clearly wants to take someone on in the role who is going to make a difference to their team.
Below is a brilliant top scoring answer to help you pass your interview.
Question: What makes you unique?
Answer:
“Several things make me unique. The first thing is my ability to communicate and interact with people in a way that makes them feel comfortable. I am great with customers and clients, and I am a very supportive team worker.
This is good for your business because I can help you increase sales and I will always put the needs of the team above everything else.
The second thing that makes me unique is my drive, my desire to continually improve, and my understanding of how important change is within an organization. I will never do the bare minimum. I will support the company with its strategic vision and I will help you to achieve your goals.”
- What’s your biggest weakness?
Tip: This hard interview question is being asked for several reasons.
The first reason is, the interviewer wants to see if you are honest about your weaknesses. If you say you don’t have any, you won’t be getting hired.
Also, if you give a weakness that is a match for anything listed on the job description, they will be reluctant to take you on in the role.
Therefore, when you answer this interview question, make sure you give a weakness but be smart in your answer.
Below are three example weaknesses that will do you no harm in your interview:
(i) What’s your biggest weakness? (Answer option #1)
“My biggest weakness is my inability to say “no” to people. I always say “yes” whenever people ask me for help or assistance instead of first assessing my workload to see if i do have the capacity to help them.
However, i am aware of my weakness, and i am taking positive steps to improve and to be more mindful in situations like these whenever they occur.”
(ii) What’s your biggest weakness? (Answer option #2)
“My biggest weakness is the fact I don’t have any leadership experience yet. I’ve never had the opportunity to lead a project or a task.
Whilst I don’t believe this will hinder my ability to carry out my duties in this role. I would be keen to eventually lead a project if there were opportunities in your company to do so.”
(iii) What’s your biggest weakness? (Answer option #3)
“My biggest weakness, and perhaps something that I get anxious about, is public speaking. I tried to give a presentation once to a small group of people but I was very nervous.
Having said that, I do want to improve in this area and gain confidence, so if there was the chance in this role to give a talk or presentation to a group of co-workers then I would love to give it a try.”
Thank you so much for reading and for paying attention, and I wish you all the best for passing your interview.
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