杏吧原创

WASHINGTON 鈥� Your resume got聽your foot in the door and you made it past the initial screening process. Now there鈥檚 only one thing standing between you and your dream job: the interview.

鈥淎n interview can be a life-changing moment,鈥� said James Reed, author of 鈥淲hy You?: 101 Interview Questions You鈥檒l Never Fear Again鈥� on 杏吧原创.聽鈥淚t can be a moment that really sets you off in a new direction, opens up a whole world of new opportunities.鈥�

鈥淚t’s a conversation you can prepare for and should prepare for,鈥� he said.

For 鈥淲hy You,鈥� Reed surveyed thousands of employers for their best interview questions. From the hundreds of responses, Reed came up with a list of聽101聽that represented the聽most common and the most interesting.

He聽chatted with 杏吧原创 on Wednesday聽afternoon, offering a few聽tips聽to help聽you shine at your next job interview.

Preparation is key

Researching the company and considering some of the things you may be asked is a surefire way to take the edge off some of the nervousness leading into an interview.

鈥淏e prepared because if you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail, as the old adage goes,鈥� Reed said. 鈥淚t’s surprising to me how many people are not really prepared.鈥�

Preparation is what will give you confidence. Besides, you don鈥檛 want to be the candidate who asks a potential employer what the company does when the information is readily apparent on the company鈥檚 website, he said.

Also worth mentioning is the literal preparation 鈥� like not doing Skype interviews in your pajamas, he added.

鈥淚n one extreme case, a guy showed up to an interview not even wearing a shirt,鈥� Reed said.

What 鈥楽o, tell me about yourself鈥� really means

Reed said one of the most common interview questions was 鈥淪o, tell me about yourself鈥� 鈥� which isn鈥檛 really a question, but it does tell an interviewer a lot about a job candidate.

This isn鈥檛 a question to respond to, as presented. Basically, you should not go into a long, rambling monologue about your life story even though you were asked to do so.

Instead, consider the things that are relevant to this situation. Consider the context 鈥� why you are there, why you are sitting in the chair opposite the person asking the questions. What they probably are asking is what brought you to this company, to this juncture in your career, Reed said.

You don鈥檛 want to leave the personal stuff out, he said. You鈥檒l throw in anecdotes about your life to add color and interest.

鈥淚 would start with the professional, career-focused stuff, then add to it. Not the other way around,鈥� Reed said.

The 鈥榮trengths and weakness鈥� question is really about self-awareness

A question about identifying your strengths and weaknesses is another common interview question. And it also is one that involves a bit of reading between the lines.

What employers are trying to assess is your level of self-awareness, Reed said.

For example, a detailed person might have trouble delegating work to others. A person who鈥檚 able to delegate easily might get lost in a lot of details. The point is that there are job roles that suit both these types.

鈥淲e all have weaknesses,鈥� Reed said. 鈥淎 weakness is just the other side of a strength.鈥�

Consider, too, what it鈥檚 like working with people who lack self-awareness 鈥� it doesn鈥檛 always make for a great work experience.聽Having a bit of self-awareness can also help you assess whether or not the job would be a good fit for you.

Other interview questions that gauge self-awareness: What do people assume about you that that would be wrong? What do colleagues at work think of you? When was the last time you were angry?

There are still interviewers who ask oddball questions such as, 鈥淚f you were an animal, which one would you be?鈥�

鈥淵eah, people are really are still asking that question,鈥� Reed said. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 really matters what sort of animal you’d be as long as you just have some idea of why.鈥�

That said, you probably don鈥檛 want to say 鈥渟nake,” Reed said.

Interviews are a two-way process

Reed said fresh college graduates and others who are just entering the job market don鈥檛 necessarily reflect on whether the jobs they鈥檙e going for align with their passions and strengths. They鈥檙e usually hyper-focused on getting hired.

Then there are those on the other end of the spectrum: Those looking for what they can get out of a job rather than what they have to contribute.

鈥淎nd that鈥檚 a common mistake, too,鈥� Reed said.

This is where self-awareness becomes important. As you鈥檙e going through the process, really consider whether you鈥檇 enjoy working there.

鈥淢y message, generally, is to love Mondays,鈥� Reed said. 鈥淚t’s really important, I think, that people have jobs that they enjoy, and they want to go to work and feel fulfilled. So when you’re going through the interview, the question you want to ask yourself is 鈥業s this the job for me?鈥欌��

If the answer is “yes,” do your best to leave a good impression. This means聽you should come to the interview with a few questions of your own.

鈥淵ou should leave impression that you’re curious, keen to learn and enthusiastic,鈥� Reed said. 鈥淣o one can fault enthusiasm in the end.鈥�

And remember to say “thank you.”

“Some employers have told us that they won鈥檛 consider people who don’t write and thank them for their time after an interview,” Reed said.