Job Search - Interviews - Awkward Questions

There are always questions you would prefer to avoid. Prepare answers to a few e.g. if you repeated an academic year or do not have any relevant work experience. Do not volunteer anything negative about yourself, former colleagues, or any organisation.

Depending on your personal circumstances you may need to prepare answers to address the following:

• Gaps in your CV - e.g. explain the reason for a year out - maybe family required you at home, travel, personal reasons (which you don't have to elaborate on). Try to present the year out in a positive way - what you learned from the experience, maybe you refocused on your return, etc.
• Poor grades in exams - e.g. maybe a subject that didn't interest you as much as others (only use this if the subject isn't a critical one for the job!), took a while to settle in college etc. Always talk about learning from the experience, the positive aspects of the getting a poor grade.

Questions on your Weaknesses

• This question is often asked at graduate recruitment interviews, the best approach is to try and try to give a real example and focus on how what actions you have taken to address the weakness. 
• You make be asked straight out "what are your weaknesses?" or the question could be framed slightly differently such as "what is the one thing you would change about yourself?" or "what is the one thing you would need to focus on in order to perform effectively in this role?".
• Avoid giving answers like "I have no weaknesses" or "I am a perfectionist" as this will sound like you are avoiding the question.
• Do a psychometric test to explore your potential areas for development. Available FREE from the Career Development Centre.

Unexpected 'Random' Questions

Some recruiters ask candidates a 'random' or off the wall question to see how they respond under pressure. These questions have no right or wrong answer, they are testing your personality. It is best to take a logical approach when answering these questions. Examples of these type of questions are:

Some tips for handling these unexpected questions:

• Do not say the first thing that comes into your head, it is perfectly acceptable to take a moment to gather your thoughts.
• If it is a hypothetical question do not be afraid to take a light hearted approach as this is a good way to build rapport with your interviewer.
• Remain calm, they are looking for someone who takes a logical or creative approach to problems so it is important to maintain eye contact and answer these types of questions confidently.
• Don't be tempted to give up when asked one of these questions as you might think the interview is going badly but the interviewer could well be impressed with the way you formulate your answers.

Note: – You have rights!

You should not be asked, nor are you required to answer, any questions regarding: race, religion, gender, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, membership of the traveller community or age.

Back to interview overview

• Disclaimer
• Privacy
• Copyright
• Accessibility