To stand out from the rabble at your interview - make sure that you have prepared yourself well enough to murder the "starter for 10" type questions. Work out an executable plan and deliver it. Here are some tactics for murdering some of the common questions that turn up in interviews.



What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? Telling them your strengths is pretty straight forward, just keep them in line with what the job you're applying for requires. Most people get tripped up on their weaknesses. What you want do is be honest about your weaknesses, but put a positive spin on them. Example: "Spending too much time polishing my presentations has always been a weakness, that's why I set definite deadlines and stick to them."

When candidates are asked to "tell me about yourself" - they often go into a blind panic. It's as if they had no advanced warning that this common interview question may come up! It can be tough knowing where to start. The truth is that this is a gift of a question. You now have the chance to talk about whatever you want for the next two minutes. Devise your top 5 selling points and talk about them to your partner or friend and discover which terms make you sound the most impressive.

"Why do you want to leave your current post?" The skill in answering this interview question is to remain upbeat and truthful. Never say anything derogatory about your current employer. Never lie. Tell them your story in a way that allows you to sell your candidacy in the most attractive light.

Give me an example of how you handled ...[this problem]. Questions like these are designed to give the interviewer a glimpse of what you're like on the job. So make sure you have a couple already planned out. It's best to give examples that are similar to the duties of the job you're applying for. Also, you want your examples to show how you handled difficult situations and delivered for your employer.

How would your coworkers describe you? This common interview question is best handled with examples. They can be exact quotes or paraphrased. Having a couple ready like "Ron, who I worked with at Fun inc. always said I was the most trustworthy person he had ever worked with." Statements like that are just as good as if Ron were there and made them himself.

So to summarise - if you keep a positive and enthusiastic outlook, remain truthful and prepare in advance, your chances of interview success will dramatically improve