11 Smart Ways to Answer Interview Questions - Career Sidekick

11 Smart Ways to Answer Interview Questions - Career Sidekick 11 Smart Ways to Answer Interview Questions Interview Preparation / https://www.edenscott.com/blog If you want to get noticed and get job offers in your interviews, this article is going to help.Were going to look at 11 proven ways to answer interview questions effectively.Lets get started11 Effective Ways to Answer Interview Questions1. Know when to tell a story, and when not toStorytelling is a great skill to be more memorable and persuasive, but you need to know when to use itDont tell a story for a yes/no question. Thats going to drive the interviewer insane.However, for questions that open the door for you to give a longer answer, like behavioral questions (tell me about a time you ___?), storytelling is a powerful skill.Example:Lets say they ask a question like, tell me about your experience serving customers in a fast-paced environment.You could just say, Ive worked with customers a lot and my last company was very fast-paced, but thats not going to be very memorable.Youll be a lot more memorable if you paint a picture through storytelling.Yo u might say, In my last job, I interacted with an average of 50 customers per day. I really excel in a fast-paced environment like this. In fact, each year our company gives an award to the top person in customer service, and I won last year for earning the highest customer satisfaction rating.2. Share specific facts and data to make your answers more impressiveWhich one sounds better:A: Im one of the top salespeople in my company right now.B: Im one of the top 5 salespeople in our group of over 50, and Im on pace to hit 200% of annual sales goals for my position.Facts, data, and statistics make your answers far more impressive.Do your research before the interview so you KNOW your past results and can talk about it.Ask former colleagues and bosses if you need to. This will also boost your resume bullets if you put it on there as well!3. Make a comparisonA reader emailed me recently and was having trouble in her interviewsShe had experience selling, but she had never sold to softwar e developers. And in this new position, thats who she would be selling to.So to address this concern of the employer, I recommended she make a comparison.At some point, she had never sold to her current clientele either, right? (In this case, it was other types of engineers).So I told her to explain how she learned to sell to those people, with no experience, and then using that to show them she would be able to learn to sell to this new client-base as well.Making comparisons like this can shift the interviewers focus and turn a negative into a positive (or at least make it a non-factor and stop them from being concerned).4. Be brief and conciseThis is another way to answer interview questions more effectivelyCover the important details and highlight your best points, but then STOP.Many job seekers have a tendency to carry on for too long when they should have stopped after answering the main question or highlighting their best points.5. Take your time and ask for clarification if n eededThis is one of the most under-utilized ways to answer interview questionsAnd its dead simple:Take a breath, relax and really think before answering. You cant take something back after you say it, so dont rush yourself.And if youre not sure you understood the question, ask for clarification.You can say things like:Are you hoping for a specific example? I just want to make sure I understand the question.Do you only want to hear about my hands-on experience? Ive done this directly, but Ive also led small project teams for this.And you can ask for feedback at the end of your answers too, for example:Did that answer your question, or did you want more detail?(This is a great way to make sure your answers dont go on too long and annoy the interviewer, which was tip #4).6. End your answer with a questionAsking questions mid-interview helps you target their needs and tailor your answers as the interview goes on!Lets look at how to do thisExample:They mention the job requires managing p eople and ask for your experience in this area.After answering and highlighting your relevant experience, youd say, Can you tell me more about the management Id be doing? For example, what size team would I lead, and would I be responsible for hiring and growing the team?This will also make it feel more like a casual two-way conversation, which will  boost your confidence and help you give better answers overall.7. Make it about them, not youMost job seekers think the interview is all about themThe truth is, youll get more job offers if you focus on talking about THEM.What are their concerns and needs?For example, dont just describe your skills and experience when they ask about it.Instead, show them how youll put those skills to use in this specific role, and how their lives will be easier by having you on their team.Thats how you get more job offers and stand out from other job seekers, who just talk about themselves.8. Speak with high energy and enthusiasmShowing enthusiasm  is a n important part of giving good answers in an interview.Its okay if youre an introvert or naturally quiet you dont have to be the most outgoing, bubbly personality to get hired.Just turn it up a bitDo  slightly more than you usually do in terms of energy in your tone of voice and body language.Tone of voice is especially important when answering questions in phone interviews  since they cant see your facial expressions or body language.If you need help showing energy and enthusiasm in your voice, try standing up and smiling when you talk on the phone. This may sound odd, but its a proven trick that phone salespeople use all the time.9. Treat it like a conversationWhen you boil it down, the interview is really just a conversation to see if its a good fit for both sides.Its a two-way deal.So go in and treat it like that and youll feel a lot more comfortable.This is one of the best ways to answer interview questions in terms of your mindset.How do you treat it like a conversation?You s hould ask a lot of questions  to figure out if youre interested in the job.You should build rapport with the hiring manager and find out one or two things about them.Remember their name when they introduce themselves, and use it once or twice in the conversation.To make them like you even more send a personalized thank you email after the interview to thank them for the great conversation.Get their business card after the interview too itll make this and all of your follow-ups easier.10. Talk about the futureA lot of interview questions are going to be about your past: Past experience, past successes, past failures.But one key to giving great interview answers  is to talk about the future too.When you give answers about your skills and experience, also talk about the future and how youll use those skills to perform well in their role.Mention something you saw on the job description, or something they mentioned earlier in the conversation, that makes you think your background will be useful to them in this role!This is one of the best ways to answer any interview question and most job seekers dont do this.11. Tell the truthMost employers will forgive a few interview mistakes, or missing pieces of experience (the truth is the requirements are mostly just a wish list for them).However, if you lie or seem like youre hiding something, you will NOT get hired.Trust and credibility are as important as anything else in the interview and no hiring manager is going to want you on their team if they dont feel comfortable trusting you.Its better to be 80% qualified and tell the truth, than lie and pretend to be 100% qualified.I guarantee youll get more job offers if you take the first approach.How to Answer Interview Questions Quick InstructionsUse storytelling to make yourself more memorableShare specific facts and data in your answersMake comparisons between your past experience and the job duties in this roleBe brief and concise; get to the point quicklyDont rush ask for a second to think when you need to, and ask for clarification if you dont understand a questionEnd some of your answers with a question directed at the interviewerMake your answers about their needs, not yoursSpeak with higher-than-normal energy and enthusiasmTreat it like a regular conversationTalk about the future and how youll directly help themTell the truth be honest, accountable, and upfront when answering questions and youll get more job offersThose are 11 of the best ways to answer interview questions effectively, so you can stand out and get hired in less time.