101 Great Answers to the Toughest Interview
Questions:
Fourth Edition
Ron Fry
Copyright © 2000 by Ron Fry
All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Conventions.
This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written
permission from the publisher, The Career Press.
101 GREAT ANSWERS TO THE TOUGHEST INTERVIEW QUESTIONS, 4TH EDITION
Cover design by Lu Rossman
Printed in the U.S.A. by Book-mart Press
To order this title, please call toll-free 1-800-CAREER-1 (NJ and Canada: 201-848-
0310) to order using VISA or MasterCard, or for further information on books from
Career Press.
The Career Press, Inc., 3 Tice Road, PO Box 687, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Fry, Ronald W.
101 great answers to the toughest interview questions / by Ron Fry.—4th ed. p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 1-56414-464-X (paper)
1. Employment interviewing. I. Title: One hundred and one great answers
to the toughest interview questions. II. Title.
HF5549.5.I6 F75 1999
650.14—dc21 99-088155
,
,Introduction
You Can Get There From Here
It's been nearly a decade since I wrote the first edition of 101 Great Answers to the
Toughest Interview Questions. I certainly couldn't boast of my own interviewing skills
before I wrote the book. Far from it—I had often not gotten jobs for which I was
eminently qualified. So I spent quite a lot of time learning all the mistakes you could
possibly make, having made each one of them—twice.
Instead of giving up (which, I admit I felt like doing more than once), I decided to
plunge into the interviewing process with even greater gusto. Fortunately—and only
after a lot more interviews—I got better. Now, as a veteran of the other side of the
desk as well (I've hired hundreds and interviewed thousands), I can tell you that
interviewing is more serious business than ever before.
Employers are looking for "self-managing" employees—people who are versatile,
confident, and not afraid to roll up their sleeves and get the job done. But you can't get
started proving yourself without making it through the interview process.
Let's face it. Interviewing was never easy. But of all the tools in your professional
arsenal, your ability to shine in that brief moment in time—your initial interview—
can make or break your chances for a second go-around, and, ultimately, dictate
whether you're ever given a shot at the job.
Chopsticks, Anyone?
Like playing the piano, interviewing takes practice. And practice makes perfect. The
hours of personal interviewing experience—the tragedies and the triumphs—as well
as my years as an interviewer are the basis for this book. My intention is to spare you
many of the indignities I suffered along the way by helping you prepare for the
interview of your worst nightmares—at a comfortable distance from the interviewer's
glare.
Will you have to answer every question I've included? Certainly not—at least, not in a
single interview. But chances are, the questions tomorrow's interviewer doesn't ask
will be on the tip of the next interviewer's tongue. Why? It's a mystery.
Think on Your Feet
Most interviewers are not trying to torture you for sport. They use tough questions to
get right to the heart of specific issues. Their motive is to quickly learn enough about
you to make an informed decision—should you stay or should you go? By the same
token, if you know what they're looking for, you can craft your answers accordingly
(and reduce your own fear and anxiety at the same time).
Is this the ultimate crib sheet? Sort of. But I hope you'll take it a step further and use
these questions as the basis for some thoughtful self-exploration. You'll need to be
prepared to think for yourself—on your feet, not by the seat of your pants.
, An Organized Layout to Get You Organized
Chapters 1 and 2 offer a detailed discussion of the work you need to do and the things
you need to think about long before you strut into your first interview. Interviewing
may not be 99 percent preparation, but it's certainly 50 percent.
In Chapters 3 through 10, we'll get into the meat of the book—the questions for which
you must prepare and the answers most interviewers are hoping to hear. (I have not
counted every question in this book, from the main ones to the variations, but there
are now far more than the 101 still advertised on the cover.) Additionally, I've laid out
this new edition in a way that makes it more practical and easy-to-use. Each question
is generally followed by a series of three subheadings:
• What do they want to hear?
(What information is the interviewer seeking?)
There may be follow-up questions you should expect or variations an interviewer may
substitute after each major question as well.
One, Two, Three . . . Red Light!
The "red lights" after many of the questions indicate answers that will make the
average interviewer cringe and the busy interviewer simply suggest you try another
firm.
After almost every question in the book, however, I could have included the same list
of "general" red lights, those factors that should be avoided in any interview or in the
answer to any question. So as not to unnecessarily clutter up the book, let me just state
these all-encompassing negatives right here:
• Poor grooming.
• Showing up late.
• Inappropriate dress.
• An answer, good and specific or not, that simply does not answer the question asked.
• An answer, good and specific or not, that simply does not answer the question asked.
• Lack of knowledge of the company, job, and/or industry (evidence of poor or
nonexistent preparation and research).
• Dishonesty.
• Lack of enthusiasm/interest.
• Asking the wrong questions.
• Any answer that reveals you are clearly unqualified for the job.
• Any disparity between your resume/cover letter and interview answers (such as
providing details about jobs not on your resume).
Questions:
Fourth Edition
Ron Fry
Copyright © 2000 by Ron Fry
All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Conventions.
This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written
permission from the publisher, The Career Press.
101 GREAT ANSWERS TO THE TOUGHEST INTERVIEW QUESTIONS, 4TH EDITION
Cover design by Lu Rossman
Printed in the U.S.A. by Book-mart Press
To order this title, please call toll-free 1-800-CAREER-1 (NJ and Canada: 201-848-
0310) to order using VISA or MasterCard, or for further information on books from
Career Press.
The Career Press, Inc., 3 Tice Road, PO Box 687, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Fry, Ronald W.
101 great answers to the toughest interview questions / by Ron Fry.—4th ed. p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 1-56414-464-X (paper)
1. Employment interviewing. I. Title: One hundred and one great answers
to the toughest interview questions. II. Title.
HF5549.5.I6 F75 1999
650.14—dc21 99-088155
,
,Introduction
You Can Get There From Here
It's been nearly a decade since I wrote the first edition of 101 Great Answers to the
Toughest Interview Questions. I certainly couldn't boast of my own interviewing skills
before I wrote the book. Far from it—I had often not gotten jobs for which I was
eminently qualified. So I spent quite a lot of time learning all the mistakes you could
possibly make, having made each one of them—twice.
Instead of giving up (which, I admit I felt like doing more than once), I decided to
plunge into the interviewing process with even greater gusto. Fortunately—and only
after a lot more interviews—I got better. Now, as a veteran of the other side of the
desk as well (I've hired hundreds and interviewed thousands), I can tell you that
interviewing is more serious business than ever before.
Employers are looking for "self-managing" employees—people who are versatile,
confident, and not afraid to roll up their sleeves and get the job done. But you can't get
started proving yourself without making it through the interview process.
Let's face it. Interviewing was never easy. But of all the tools in your professional
arsenal, your ability to shine in that brief moment in time—your initial interview—
can make or break your chances for a second go-around, and, ultimately, dictate
whether you're ever given a shot at the job.
Chopsticks, Anyone?
Like playing the piano, interviewing takes practice. And practice makes perfect. The
hours of personal interviewing experience—the tragedies and the triumphs—as well
as my years as an interviewer are the basis for this book. My intention is to spare you
many of the indignities I suffered along the way by helping you prepare for the
interview of your worst nightmares—at a comfortable distance from the interviewer's
glare.
Will you have to answer every question I've included? Certainly not—at least, not in a
single interview. But chances are, the questions tomorrow's interviewer doesn't ask
will be on the tip of the next interviewer's tongue. Why? It's a mystery.
Think on Your Feet
Most interviewers are not trying to torture you for sport. They use tough questions to
get right to the heart of specific issues. Their motive is to quickly learn enough about
you to make an informed decision—should you stay or should you go? By the same
token, if you know what they're looking for, you can craft your answers accordingly
(and reduce your own fear and anxiety at the same time).
Is this the ultimate crib sheet? Sort of. But I hope you'll take it a step further and use
these questions as the basis for some thoughtful self-exploration. You'll need to be
prepared to think for yourself—on your feet, not by the seat of your pants.
, An Organized Layout to Get You Organized
Chapters 1 and 2 offer a detailed discussion of the work you need to do and the things
you need to think about long before you strut into your first interview. Interviewing
may not be 99 percent preparation, but it's certainly 50 percent.
In Chapters 3 through 10, we'll get into the meat of the book—the questions for which
you must prepare and the answers most interviewers are hoping to hear. (I have not
counted every question in this book, from the main ones to the variations, but there
are now far more than the 101 still advertised on the cover.) Additionally, I've laid out
this new edition in a way that makes it more practical and easy-to-use. Each question
is generally followed by a series of three subheadings:
• What do they want to hear?
(What information is the interviewer seeking?)
There may be follow-up questions you should expect or variations an interviewer may
substitute after each major question as well.
One, Two, Three . . . Red Light!
The "red lights" after many of the questions indicate answers that will make the
average interviewer cringe and the busy interviewer simply suggest you try another
firm.
After almost every question in the book, however, I could have included the same list
of "general" red lights, those factors that should be avoided in any interview or in the
answer to any question. So as not to unnecessarily clutter up the book, let me just state
these all-encompassing negatives right here:
• Poor grooming.
• Showing up late.
• Inappropriate dress.
• An answer, good and specific or not, that simply does not answer the question asked.
• An answer, good and specific or not, that simply does not answer the question asked.
• Lack of knowledge of the company, job, and/or industry (evidence of poor or
nonexistent preparation and research).
• Dishonesty.
• Lack of enthusiasm/interest.
• Asking the wrong questions.
• Any answer that reveals you are clearly unqualified for the job.
• Any disparity between your resume/cover letter and interview answers (such as
providing details about jobs not on your resume).
