I probably passed to the last round of interview for an entry position on an IB here in Brazil, in a group interview the interviewers didn’t get very aggressive with me (I don’t know if it’s good, but since I have previously experience in finance of a big bank and the only candidate there who has passed in level I, they seem to be comfortable with me).
However, I saw a lot of weak candidates getting burned with questions made to put you under pressure like: “Why should I hire you? You don’t seem a candidate for finance” or “Why you went to this crappy college?” (not with this words and I was surprised to not get this one)
My question is: There is any right answer for this kind of question? Or what an interviewer want to hear with this kind of question? They always seem to beat the candidate until the guy has no answer, this last interview is with the associates of the firm, so they probably will be aggressive with every candidate.
I was asked what I would do if stuck with a male colleague in a hotel, late at night, with one room booked. I did not even blink to answer it, w/o offending anyone and sounding even a bit irritated))). (I was told it was testing my reaction, have no idea, but that was an easy act… And you can not handle the ordinary questions?)))
Usually all the interviewer ask same type of question with the candidates. they check the attitude of the people, wheather they can handle a tough situation or not. its quite good in some case.
It seems to me that the employer wants to see your interest. Or perhaps your zeal to defend your future workplace. Because you have to prove that you are fit
I’ve spent a fair amount of time in sales so the way I’ve answer these questions have definitely been influenced by my training. First off, you need to acknowledge their concern, make them feel like they asked a good question (some people actually say “that’s a good question” which I sometimes do, to buy some time, but don’t ever over use it). The reason both questions are different and difficult is they are objections.
“I agree, I’m sure my background is pretty different than a typical candidate applying for this job…” or “yeah, I agree, there are colleges that are definitely more prestigious than ______________”
Then you need to follow up and pitch them what you can offer them. Always, always pitch in a way that show them that you would benefit them. A lot of people will say, that’s my passion (wrong answer, they don’t care). So for the first question, I’m different but I’ve had experience doing ______ and it would help me in the role… ____________and it would help me in the role". For the college one, I might have chosen different if I could do it again, but I did meet some inspiring teachers while I was there which motivated me to work hard to get on the path I am today. (that’s kind of a soft answer, it’s easier in real life because these questions usually come at the end and you can use what ya’ll have talked about so far to tailor it to the person).
I just wonder if making aggressive questions is a psychological trick of interviewers.
In fact, the interviewer does it in order to destroy the confidence of the interviewee just before the negotiation of salary. With less confidence, the interviewee doesn’t dare to ask a salary as high as he expected before entering the interview, or he will just easily accept a salary proposed by interviewer.
Seem like pretty run of the mill interview questions. I’ve been doing quite a bit of reading over the last year on interview techniques and it has definitely changed the way I approach interviews. You should have a canned answer for most of these. “Why should I hire you?”, “What do you bring to this position/firm?”, “What differentiates you from others seeking this position?”, these should all be answered in your head long before you step into the interview. You should definitely be prepared to explain every bullet point on your resume. If you have not anticipated a question about why you went to a crappy college then you have big problems.
Can you recommend some of those books? I’m REALLY new to the interview game and my first interview (today) was a disaster, and although it was by no means my fault, I’d like to avoid making blunders in the future.
Sorry, I rarely read this forum. This year I read, 60 Seconds and you’re Hired by Robin Ryan, and Boost Your Interview IQ by Carole Martin. The first gives a lot of info and context while the second is more of a test prep because you are given a slew of interview questions and answers where you decide which answer is best then get feedback on why. They both helped me develop a depth of understanding when it comes to situational and behavioral interview techniques.