1.1 What’s so hard about interview questions? · 1.2 How to use this book · 1.3 What this book is and is not · 1.4 Prepare yourself for interviews · 1.5 Get to know the company · 1.6 Get to know the job · 1.7 Example: Outbound customer service representative · 1.8 Get to know the interviewer · 1.9 Know yourself · 1.10 What could get in your way · 1.11 Different kinds of questions and how to answer them · 1.12 Breadth vs. depth questions · 1.13 Behavioral or competency-based questions · 1.14 Hypothetical questions · 1.15 General questions · 1.16 Answer frameworks · 1.17 Tips and traps to avoid · 1.18 Weakening words and phrases · 1.19 Filler words · 1.20 Generic answers · 1.21 “I” vs. “we” · 1.22 The “negative sandwich” · 1.23 “Or” questions · 1.24 Rising inflection/uptalking · 1.25 Answer length and timing · 1.26 Think about · 1.27 Key takeaways
2.1 Most commonly asked questions · 2.2 Tell me about yourself · 2.3 Why are you looking for a new job OR why did you leave your last job? · 2.4 What are you looking for next? · 2.5 What do you not want to do? · 2.6 What kind of salary are you looking for? · 2.7 Why are you interested in this job? · 2.8 What do you know about our company? · 2.9 What are your career goals? · 2.10 What are your strengths? · 2.11 What are your weaknesses? · 2.12 What did you enjoy most about your last job? · 2.13 What did you not like about your last job? · 2.14 Why should we hire you? · 2.15 What questions do you have? · 2.16 Special situations · 2.17 What have you done since you left your last company? · 2.18 Why have you changed employers so frequently over the last several years? · 2.19 Because you were with your last employer for so long, do you think you may have a hard time adjusting to a new company’s way of working? · 2.20 What makes you think you know our industry and will be able to become productive right away? · 2.21 This job is a lower level than your current (or last) job; why would you be interested in taking a step down in your career? · 2.22 Think about · 2.23 Key takeaways
3.1 Approachability, credibility, and humility · 3.2 Give an example of an initiative you led that required you to interact with various levels within the company · 3.3 Tell me about a time when humility played a role in your being successful · 3.4 Describe a situation where you had to build credibility · 3.5 Influencing and gaining support · 3.6 Give me an example of a time when you convinced leadership in your organization to make a significant change · 3.7 Describe a situation where you had to delicately let a key stakeholder know that their expectations were unrealistic · 3.8 Tell me about a situation in which you built needed support for a goal or project from people who didn’t report to you and over whom you had no direct authority · 3.9 Diversity, equity, and inclusion · 3.10 How has your background and experience prepared you to be effective in an environment that values diversity and is committed to inclusion? · 3.11 In what ways do you think diversity is important to someone in this role? · 3.12 What kinds of experiences have you had with people whose backgrounds are different from your own? · 3.13 What programs or initiatives have you been part of that focused on working with diverse populations, and what was your role in those efforts? · 3.14 Conflict management · 3.15 Describe a time when you successfully defused a conflict · 3.16 Give me an example of a time when you found yourself in the middle of conflict; what did you do or say to get to a resolution? · 3.17 Think about · 3.18 Key takeaways
4.1 Failures and negative situations · 4.2 Tell me about one of your failures · 4.3 What was the most useful criticism you ever received? · 4.4 Describe for me a decision you regretted after having made it · 4.5 Give an example where you failed to persuade someone to do something you felt would be good for the organization · 4.6 Overcoming obstacles and difficult situations · 4.7 Tell me about a time when you were most persuasive in overcoming resistance to your ideas or point of view · 4.8 Give an example of a situation when you had to think on your feet to get yourself out of a difficult situation · 4.9 Perseverance and drive · 4.10 Tell me about a situation that shows your perseverance, persistence, and ability to remain positive when faced with adversity · 4.11 What can you tell me about yourself that best illustrates your personal drive and motivation? · 4.12 Describe a situation that required you to make sacrifices or put in extra effort to achieve the goal. How did your drive and perseverance contribute to your success? · 4.13 Think about · 4.14 Key takeaways
5.1 Leadership and management · 5.2 What is your leadership style? · 5.3 Discuss a situation in which you were able to create a high level of trust, morale, and team spirit · 5.4 Tell me about an occasion when you pulled the team together and improved morale during challenging circumstances · 5.5 Describe a difficult experience you’ve had while leading a group with different opinions and personalities. What issues arose, and how did you resolve them? · 5.6 Hiring and motivating staff · 5.7 What kinds of things have you done to both attract new talent and guard against poor hires? · 5.8 What do you do to create an environment that inspires and motivates your team? · 5.9 Think about · 5.10 Key takeaways
6.1 Analysis, problem-solving, and decision-making · 6.2 Describe a complex problem you solved · 6.3 Tell me about a time when you missed an obvious solution to a problem · 6.4 What was the most difficult decision you ever had to make on the job? · 6.5 Describe for me your decision-making process · 6.6 Time and project management · 6.7 Tell me about a time when you were juggling multiple projects with overlapping deadlines, tight time frames, and conflicting priorities · 6.8 Recall for me a major project you initiated and worked on through to completion. How did you proactively manage changes in project priorities, scope, and expectations? · 6.9 Negotiation · 6.10 Tell me about a difficult negotiation in which you were involved. What challenges arose during the negotiation, and how did you work through them? · 6.11 Describe a situation that demonstrates your ability to negotiate skillfully when costs were critical · 6.12 Change management · 6.13 Give an example of your ability to implement change and influence people to accept that change · 6.14 Describe something you instituted or changed that required collaborative planning with other departments and resulted in improved customer relationships · 6.15 Tell me about a time when you had to deal with frequent changes or unexpected events on the job · 6.16 Think about · 6.17 Key takeaways
8.1 Not doing your homework · 8.2 Assuming being an interviewer will make you a good interviewee · 8.3 Not investing time in preparation or thinking that you can wing it · 8.4 Not practicing your answers to difficult or delicate questions · 8.5 Not planning good questions (or enough questions) to ask the interviewer · 8.6 Not testing out your tech in advance (for video interviews) · 8.7 Not mapping out your directions, parking options, and commute time (for on-site interviews) · 8.8 Not arriving early · 8.9 Dressing inappropriately or wearing cologne or loud jewelry · 8.10 Not being real · 8.11 Not being yourself in your answers · 8.12 Trying to pass off a memorized answer as authentic · 8.13 Trying to pass off a BS answer as authentic · 8.14 Ignoring the importance of rapport-building · 8.15 Leaving without . . . · 8.16 Finding out the next steps and time frames · 8.17 Getting the names and contact information of all interviewers · 8.18 Closing the sale · 8.19 Think about · 8.20 Key takeaways
9.1 Not letting the interviewer finish their question before planning your answer · 9.2 Not taking a brief pause to allow yourself to truly understand the question prior to starting your answer · 9.3 Rambling as you try to come up with an answer · 9.4 Not explicitly tying your answer to the heart of the question · 9.5 Think about · 9.6 Key takeaways
10.1 Answers that are too long · 10.2 Answers that are too short · 10.3 Using acronyms, talking in Tech Speak or Industry Speak that may be unknown to your interviewers · 10.4 Focusing your answer mostly on what you did rather than how you did it and why it mattered · 10.5 Not giving answers that relate to the job, company, and industry · 10.6 Leaving out the results in stories · 10.7 Overusing “we” and underusing “I” · 10.8 Failing to balance confidence with humility · 10.9 Bringing things up that you shouldn’t: lack of experience, negatives, compensation, time off or other benefits · 10.10 Not answering the “why should we hire you?” question from the employer’s perspective · 10.11 Giving a general answer instead of a past example · 10.12 Think about · 10.13 Key takeaways
11.1 Interview stages and mindsets · 11.2 First screening · 11.3 HR/Talent acquisition · 11.4 External recruiters, headhunters, and staffing agencies · 11.5 Hiring manager · 11.6 Direct reports · 11.7 Peers · 11.8 Boss’s boss · 11.9 Internal clients · 11.10 External clients · 11.11 Panel interviews · 11.12 Presentations · 11.13 Translating other things interviewers say before, during, and after the interview · 11.14 Before the interview · 11.15 During the interview · 11.16 During the interview, continued · 11.18 After the interview · 11.19 Think about · 11.20 Key takeaways
12.1 The poker-faced interviewer · 12.2 The lackadaisical or disinterested interviewer · 12.3 The talkative interviewer · 12.4 The interviewer who asks very few questions · 12.5 The interviewer who tests you · 12.6 Multiple interviewers · 12.7 The inexperienced interviewer · 12.8 The highly experienced interviewer · 12.9 Interview example · 12.10 Interview preparation · 12.11 Initial phone interview · 12.12 Interview review summary · 12.13 Think about · 12.14 Key takeaways
13.1 What Clueless Clark learned · 13.2 Chapter 1: Welcome to Interview Speak · 13.3 Chapter 2: Common questions and special situations · 13.4 Chapter 3: Interpersonal skills questions · 13.5 Chapter 4: Perseverance skills, failures, and negative situations questions · 13.6 Chapter 5: Leadership, hiring, and motivating skills questions · 13.7 Chapter 6: Problem-solving, time management, negotiation, and change questions · 13.8 Chapter 7: Questions by job function · 13.9 Chapter 8: Not doing your homework, not being real, or leaving without . . . · 13.10 Chapter 9: Not hearing the question, the whole question, and the heart of the question · 13.11 Chapter 10: Giving answers that sound good to you (but aren’t) · 13.12 Chapter 11: Interview stages and translations before, during, and after · 13.13 Chapter 12: How to deal with bad interviewers (and really good ones) · 13.14 Chapter 13: Next steps · 13.15 What’s next for you · 13.16 What could hold you back · 13.17 How to move forward
interview questionAn interview question that is frequently asked across roles, organizations, or industries.
negative sandwichAn interview-answering technique that frames a negative disclosure between an initial positive statement and a concluding positive statement.
tell me about yourself questionA common opening interview question that invites a candidate to introduce their background, relevant skills, accomplishments, and interest in the position.
initial interviewAn initial interview is the first formal interview stage used to assess a candidate before later interview rounds.
changeAn alteration made to behavior, process, or practice in response to new understanding or circumstances.
preparationThe process of becoming ready for an interview by reviewing relevant background, anticipating questions, and organizing responses or questions.
influenceInfluencing is the ability to affect other people's views, decisions, or actions through communication or interpersonal behavior.
interviewerA person who conducts a job interview and evaluates the candidate's responses.
job interviewA structured hiring conversation in which an employer evaluates a candidate's qualifications and suitability for a position.
job description deconstructionA structured technique for analyzing a job description to identify requirements, important terms, and likely interview topics for preparing evidence-based responses.
humilityA modest assessment of one's abilities or accomplishments that avoids self-importance.
stakeholderA stakeholder is a person or group with an interest in, influence over, or potential impact from a project, decision, or organizational outcome.
motivationThe reasons, drive, and internal determination that energize persistent effort toward an objective or desire to pursue a job.
question behind the questionThe underlying information, behavior, or evaluation criterion that an interviewer seeks through an interview question.
decision makingThe process or competency of selecting a course of action among alternatives.
human connectionRapport is a sense of mutual understanding and interpersonal connection between people in an interaction.
negotiationA capability for reaching agreement among parties with differing interests through discussion and trade-offs.
credibilityThe perceived trustworthiness, competence, and reliability of a person in a professional relationship.
trustConfidence in another person’s reliability, integrity, or ability to act dependably.
Interview SpeakA book-specific term for the implicit meaning and expectations behind an interviewer’s words and questions.
behavioral interviewA job interview format that asks candidates to describe specific past actions or experiences to assess job-related behavior and competencies.
diversityDiversity is the presence and recognition of differences among people, including differences in identity, abilities, personality, communication, and social background.
buy-inBuy-in is acceptance and active support for a proposal, decision, or change by the people whose cooperation is needed.
resistance to changeOpposition or reluctance among people toward accepting an idea, proposal, or change to established behavior, processes, or practices.
employee moraleThe emotional state of enthusiasm, satisfaction, and motivation among members of a group or organization.
selling pointA selling point is a distinctive qualification or benefit that supports a candidate's fit for a position.
compromiseAn agreement in which parties resolve a disagreement by making mutually acceptable concessions.
communicationThe exchange of information between people or groups through shared messages or signals.
interview practiceA simulated job interview conducted for practice and feedback.
conflictA conflict is a disagreement or incompatibility between people, groups, or interests that requires resolution or management.
leadershipA position involving responsibility for guiding people or directing work toward goals.
qualificationA candidate attribute, credential, skill, or experience that supports suitability for a job.
selection processThe process of evaluating candidates to choose whom to hire for a position.
candidate negativeA limitation or deficient capability that a job candidate may disclose when discussing suitability for a role.
collaborative planningA planning approach in which people from multiple organizational departments jointly define work, resolve differences, and coordinate implementation.
feedbackInformation about a person's work or behavior that can guide improvement.
confidenceA speaker's assured belief in their abilities, decisions, or accomplishments.
cultureThe shared values, norms, behaviors, and working practices that characterize an organization.
collaborationThe process of working jointly with other people toward a shared objective.
multi-step reasoningThe sequence of mental reasoning steps used to analyze information and reach, evaluate, or justify a conclusion or action.
change agentA person who promotes, facilitates, or leads the adoption of organizational change.
interestThe degree of a candidate’s desire and enthusiasm for a particular job or for engaging with an interviewer.
honestyThe quality of communicating truthfully without deception or misleading omission.
diversity, equity, and inclusionThe organizational principle and practice of recognizing differences among people and ensuring that everyone can participate and belong.
interview storyA concise account of a past situation or accomplishment used in an interview to demonstrate relevant experience, actions, and results.
industry experienceProfessional experience gained within a particular industry or economic sector.
video interviewA job interview conducted remotely through digital communication technology.
business valueA positive business outcome produced by an activity, project, product, or capability.
active listeningA capability for attentively understanding another person’s statements, concerns, and perspective.
market analysisThe systematic examination of a market to understand its conditions, challenges, opportunities, and growth potential.
marketing planA coordinated plan for promoting an offering, building demand, and achieving marketing objectives.
stakeholder educationThe technique of explaining constraints, evidence, and options so stakeholders can understand the practicality of a requested outcome.
feasibilityThe practical possibility of completing a requested outcome within available time, budget, system, and staffing constraints.
interview performanceHow effectively a candidate responds and presents themselves during an interview.
analytical proficiencyAn analytical skill is the capability to examine information, relationships, and causes in order to understand a problem and guide action.
employer perspectiveAn employer perspective is a viewpoint focused on how a candidate’s qualifications meet an employer’s hiring needs.
ramblingRambling is speaking at length in an unfocused way while formulating an answer.
sales leadership roleThe practice of guiding sales people, processes, and results toward organizational objectives.
hiringThe process of attracting, evaluating, and hiring candidates for employment.
candidate fitThe degree to which a candidate's qualifications and characteristics match a job's requirements and workplace expectations.
adversityA difficult or unfavorable circumstance that requires resilience or sustained effort to overcome.
thinking on your feetA technique of reacting rapidly and effectively when facing an unanticipated question, problem, or difficult situation.
likabilityThe degree to which a person is perceived as pleasant, approachable, agreeable, and easy to relate to.
These guides are generated from the text of Manning books by Manning's knowledge graph and link to the sections they draw on. The full books are available on liveBook and at manning.com.
