You know the feeling – palms sweaty, knees weak, arms heavy, heart pounding. Not the song lyrics, but the exact moment before you walk into a room with the hiring manager. Already a nerve-racking experience, interviews can be tricky to manoeuvre because there are a lot of factors to take into consideration: Your dressing, research on the company, non-verbal behaviour, and your choice of words, to name a few.
What happens if, during the interview, you're suddenly hit with a few curveball questions and you're unprepared? Not only will your stress levels shoot through the roof, you run the (very real) risk of accidentally saying the wrong thing which may jeopardise your chances of securing the role. Which is why we highly encourage you to be prepared for any possibility, that'll help you feel much more in control, in addition to maintaining the confidence to express yourself.
With that said, our guide to some of the more popularly-asked tricky questions by recruiters should give you the edge you need. You’ll be able to anticipate what will get asked in an interview; imagine acing the session if you're cool, calm, and collected! The recruiter may try to intimidate you to observe how you conduct yourself, but throw in steady eye contact and adopt a humorous approach (but don’t overdo it), and you're on your way to impressing the panel.
“Opportunity doesn't make appointments, you have to be ready when it arrives.”
Tim Fargo