Interview Questions from the Interviewer

This is the part of the interview where the company (interviewer) will essentially .....

Assess your interest/general motivations - remember this is a two way street and to be productive for the company you have to be interested as well.
Do a deep dive into your fit for the position along with your unique value proposition (UVP) (the core reason for the company to hire you).
Assess cultural fit (can you mesh with the team?).

How you respond to interview questions can make or break the opportunity. There are generally two types of questions to consider (as well as your approach):

Generic or open ended questions - These questions are geared around learning more about you and your ability to create a narrative that you can curate to show your fit for the position (refer to “Opened-ended Questions” below for more).
Specific questions - These types of questions may be of core importance to the interviewer and your answer could have significant impact on your candidacy.

Generic answers will be less impactful and memorable as they will probably mimic some of the answers of other candidates.
You will be judged by the quality of your answers (as well as the quality of any questions asked related to your answers).

The most impactful answers will be personalized and authentic (this is where some experience will be helpful) with a sufficient amount of details to show your thought/decision making processes.
Ask clarifying questions when appropriate can help you in two ways:

Since communication a lot of times has various assumptions embedded (based on the journey of the person asking the question), this can clarify those assumptions prior to answering the question to insure your answer is targeting exactly what is being asked.
Can give you an opportunity to gather your thoughts and structure your answer.

The key to answering with confidence: Understanding common rationale as to why the question is being asked.
Use the STAR (situation, task, action, result) model when answering behavioral type questions (refer to the Interviewing Methods in the Preparation section for more information).

It is impossible to prepare for every question/situation under the sun and no one has (or can be expected to have) all the answers. With that said, it is valuable to have some mechanisms to deal with unexpected situations or questions. As this is practically a certainty that there will be situations (intentional or not) that will arise that you could not have prepared.

If you answer the question as you have interpreted it and there is an awkward silence after your answer, you can simply ask "Did I answer your question?"
Validate the question by asking a follow-up question if it is not clear. You'll gain valuable information to shape your response at the same time showing that you care. Short open openned questions can help in these situations:

In what way?
Why is that?
Can you elaborate?
How so?

A lot of questions will depend on the situation. Do not be afraid to walk through the situation and the though process. This will show that you care and a situational mindset (can think on your feet).

Open-ended questions are generally used as a great way to start a conversation. Although, when in an interview setting they carry a different aura. They tend to put us on edge for any number of reasons. I hear this all the time when asked about open-ended type questions. The initial reaction is to get nervous and ask yourself:

What am I supposed to say?
Where do I start?
Is the interviewer looking for a particular piece of information that I should consider incorporating into my response? (I am very guilty of this one).

This type of initial reaction will tend to derail the interview as you will be stumbling through your answer and will generate a situation that will haunt you throughout the remainder of the interview. As these types of questions are typically asked at the beginning of the interview to give some context for the interviewer to ask more in depth questions during the rest of the interview. You definitely want to nail these to set a good tone going forward.

Three of the most commonly asked open-end questions are (that you should be prepared to answer):

Tell me about yourself. (This is not actually a question, but is definitely open-ended.)
What is your biggest weakness?
What is your biggest strength?

Though you could argue about if these are good questions to ask during an interview (that is not our objective here), there is rationale to ask these types of questions outside of the pure content of your answer alone. This will be explained below.

Why open-ended questions are a good opportunity during an interview

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Coming Soon - Strategies to overcome rambing in Interviews

The Equal Employment Oportunity Commision (EEOC) is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate. Here is a link to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commision EEOC website that regulates this subject matter.

What did you earn at your last job? (In some states/jurisdictions)
What is your ethnicity?
Are you pregnant?
How old are you?
Are you married or single?
Have you been arrested?
Do you have a disability?
What is your religion?

A reasonable reply to one of these questions would be to ask the question back:

How is that question relavent to the position that I am interviwing?
I would like to undestand why that is relavent to the position that I am interviwing?

Though these will be uncomfortable questions to address (assuming that the interviewer realizes that they are illegal), it will show your situational acumen.

Questions (From the Interviewer) with Rationale and Sample Answer (on back)

What do you like to do in your free time?

Rationale for Asking Question

What you do in your free time often says a lot about your personality, values, goals and work ethic. The interviewer will use this information as a proxy of how you will perform in a work environment.

Sample Answer

I like to use my time productively while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Top priorities include: Health and physical fitness, professional and personal development, spending time with friends and family, and staying active in community events.

Red flag type answers:

Indicating that you have other work priorities – If you have a second job, or if you are running a business in your free time, these are not good things to say when answering this interview question. If the hiring manager thinks you are also working somewhere else, they won’t be convinced you will be 100% committed to their company.
Watch a lot of TV - This will make you sound lazy and/or lack ambition.
Play a lot of video/computer games - these are probably keeping up at night and probably contribute to being less focused at on the job.

Good answers:

Like to read - this will align with continuous improvement methodologies that include increase concentration levels, improved use of words and vocabulary, it helps you to learn, and it can reduce stree and anxiety.
Hobby or pastime - indicates that you have something to focus on and helps you relax when away from the 9 to 5 grind, also shows passion and commitment.

What are your strengths / biggest strength?

Rationale for Asking Question

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Sample Answer

Generic Type Answer: My passion for learning and continuous improvement (both professionally and personally) drives me to build on my existing knowledge base and skillset by always challenging my comfort zone. For example....

Reference Job Description Answer (subscribe to see the job description): I am passionate about using my knowledge and skill sets to find opportunities, that tend to be disruptive in nature, in order to create value over the current status quo.

"Disruptive" is utilized numerous times in the job description and is key to companies remaining competitive within their industry, hence would probably play well when used during the interview.

What are your weaknesses / biggest weakness?

Rationale for Asking Question

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Sample Answer

Share an area you have targeted for development and explain what you did or are doing to address it. Being aware of a weakness is essential to self improvement.

Reference Job Description Answer (for subscribers only):Look over the job description and insure that the weakness that you are referring to is not critical to the job you are interviewing.

Tell me about yourself.

Rationale for Asking Question

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Sample Answer

One easy way to start this answer is just to start by stating the years of experience that you have in the primary area that you are applying (by looking at the job description). In this case the reference job description states an 8+ years of product management experience requirement. After that you can narrate the remainder, I choose to talk about how I got into product management with using product development (a key word that was used numerous time in the job description) as a narrative that I thought would grab the interest of the interviewer.

Reference Job Description Answer (for subscribers only): I have been in Product Management for over 12 years. My journey began as a Product Development Engineer and naturally gravitated to NPD (within the four corner stones of product management: market intelligence, strategy, NPD and lifecycle management) where I have led cross-functional teams from concept through launch for over two dozen products. These products have ranged from simple hands tools to complex electro-mechanical tools to software solutions. As I have deepened my knowledge within Product Management, I have learned to appreciate the other three cornerstones for various reasons (which I can get into if there is time).

How would you describe your management style?

Rationale for Asking Question

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Sample Answer

Being familiar with the traditional management styles and knowing that managing comes with managing multiple personas....I would have to say "adaptable".

What has been your biggest/most significant career achievement?

Rationale for Asking Question

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Sample Answer

Answer for the less experienced - In early stages of your career you should have an example of an accomplishment that had a significant impact on the company.

Answer for the more experienced - After obtaining substantial experience, your answer should be focus on the progression and culmination of your career to date with key accomplishments that helped you get there.

Why should we hire you?

Rationale for Asking Question

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Sample Answer

This is an opportunity to emphasize your unique qualities and value proposition, and relate them to the position whenever possible. Be prepared to back them up with accomplishments and situations where you have utilized these skills. This is where your research comes into play so you can speak knowledgeably about the organization.

Reference Job Description Answer: I possess all the tools (skill sets and experience) mentioned in the published job description with emphasis in NPD. I have successfully lead/coached multiple cross-functional teams from concept through delivery for numerous products/product lines launches.

Why do you want to work here?

Rationale for Asking Question

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Sample Answer

I feel my skills are particularly well-suited to this position because......

Tell me about a time that you went above and beyond for the customer.

Rationale for Asking Question

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Sample Answer

During a product launch:

During the initial production run, the team identified a potential gap that could have a dramatic negative impact (due to a supply chain disruption).
Product was ordered to validate the suspicion of the potential gap (and the suspicion was confirmed).
A short-term and long-term plan was developed due to the dynamics of the product launch from the operations side.
Both plans were put into motion.
Priority was established for the short-term plan as some of the product had already shipped to the customer and had to be addressed immediately in order to salvage the brand image.

What is your ideal job?

Rationale for Asking Question

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Sample Answer

How do you synthesize data?

Rationale for Asking Question

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Sample Answer

The first thing to do is decide if the information is relevant and/or valuable. If the information is relevant and/or valuable it would ultimately depend on how familiar you are with the information you are evaluating to determine next steps. The more familiar you are with the information/data, the less validation required. If the information is new or less familiar, the following steps are general steps taken when presented with new information (some color around your personal experiences will help make your answer standout during the interview):

Assess if the information is relevant (to the situation at hand).
If relevant, the information will need to be validated (depending on the source/confidence level/etc.).
If not relevant than the information can be disregarded/not prioritized.

Describe a career goal that you didn't meet. What happened and how did you handle it?

Rationale for Asking Question

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Sample Answer

Your answer will depend on your personal experiences. Your answer should focus on what you learned and how you implemented what you learned.

Give me an example of what you have done to establish credibility quickly with a new team.

Rationale for Asking Question

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Sample Answer

A framework similar to 30-60-90 day plan is a great starting point if there is not experience/background with the situation/team being discussed.

If you get hired, what would be your 30-60-90 day plan?

Rationale for Asking Question

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Sample Answer

A strong framework to followup whenever starting any new venture consists of 3 steps (allocating roughly 30 days for each step):

Understand - focus on learning names, job titles, duties, responsibilities, etc.
Assess - focus on interacting with the team and finding out more about their work.
Optimize - start having critical conversations and identifying areas of opportunity.

Adding person stories about your experience in this area will help you to standout.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Rationale for Asking Question

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Sample Answer

“In five years, I would love to be an industry expert that others can come to for ideas, help and strategy. I’ve had amazing mentors and managers in my past positions, so I’d like to be able to provide similar guidance, potentially taking on a leadership role. Finally, I’d like to have taken the lead on a project I’m passionate about. I’m motivated by connecting my initiatives to a company’s larger goals and I’m excited by the prospect of getting more experience in that."

Give an example of an innovative idea that you used to overcome an obstacle you faced in completing a project. How did the idea differ from the norm?

Rationale for Asking Question

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Sample Answer

One of the company's core issues with one of it product lines was that it was substantially more expensive than the other product lines, but was more desirable to sell as it provided a higher profit margin for the company. The biggest barrier was justifying the premium cost to the customer in a quantifiable manner. Due to my knowledge base and skill set (in software development), I was able to develop an iOS app that quantified the benefits and quantify the payback of the product line in order to remove the barrier.

How do you prioritize your work?

Rationale for Asking Question

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Sample Answer

Your answer will mostly likely differ depending on your experience level and type of position you are interviewing. A general framework for this answer is as follows:

Any urgent issues that are currently having a significant negative impact (i.e. unproductive activities, negative revenue/margin related activities, etc.).
A balance between the company's strategic goals and the highest value generating goals.

How would you deal with a conflict with a co-worker?

Rationale for Asking Question

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Sample Answer

At the core of conflict resolution to remove any emotional response and remain factual. Emotions will elevate the conflict and make it more difficult (if not impossible) to resolve.

Tell me about a time when you solved an important problem in the workplace?

Rationale for Asking Question

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Sample Answer

Using the STAR framework to answer:

Situation: A major product line was having an issue with generating excessive noise.
Task: Identify the root cause of the excessive noise, validate and implement a corrective action plan.
Action: I had to break existing paradigms, return to first principles, analyze key factors, engage subject matter experts and implement validated resolution.
Result: Identified a supplier that could produce the parts that eliminated the excessive noise.

Why are you interested in this job?

Rationale for Asking Question

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Sample Answer

You share the company's values.

What do you do in your free time?

Alternate phrasing: What do you like to do outside of work?

Rationale for Asking Question

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Sample Answer

Indicating that you have other work priorities – If you have a second job, or if you are running a business in your free time, these are NOT good things to say when answering this interview question. If the hiring manager thinks you are also working somewhere else, they won’t be convinced you will be 100% committed to their company.
Watch a lot of TV - This will make you sound lazy and/or lack ambition.
Play a lot of video/computer games - these are probably keeping up at night and will likely contribute to being less focused at on the job.

Good answers:

Like to read - this will align with continuous improvement methodologies that include increase concentration levels, improved use of words and vocabulary, it helps you to learn, and it can reduce stree and anxiety.
Hobby or pastime - indicates that you have something to focus on and helps you relax when away from the 9 to 5 grind, also shows passion and commitment.

How would others characterize you?

Rationale for Asking Question

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Sample Answer

Under Development

Why did you leave your last employer / want to leave your current employer?

Rationale for Asking Question

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Sample Answer

"The company closed their facility where I was employed which led to my departure."
The specific answer will obviously depend on the circumstances surrounding your situation. If your departure was performance or personality related, you need to rehearse your response and make sure your references will support your explanation.

Interview Questions from the Interviewer

Expect the Unexpected

Open-ended Questions (Why They Are a Good Thing)

Why open-ended questions are a good opportunity during an interview

Overcoming Rambling

Illegal Questions (Awareness)

Questions (From the Interviewer) with Rationale and Sample Answer (on back)

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