Tips for tackling tough interview questions

Interviewers often raise questions that job candidates dont really want to answer. Especially when it comes to the tough questions, its important that candidates plan for their answers and dont go into too much detail. MedZilla asks the experts to offer these and other tips for handling those tough interview questions without losing a chance at the job.

For Immediate Release

Contact: Michele Groutage

Company: MedZilla, Inc.

Title: Director of Marketing & Development

Phone: 360-657-5681

Email: mgroutage@medzilla.com

URL: http://www.medzilla.com

Tips for tackling tough interview questions

Marysville, WA (PRWEB)September 26, 2003-- The interview process is stressful for job applicants-even if it goes smoothly. The interview gets challenging when job applicants find themselves having to answer tough questions.

Why did you leave your last job?" is an easy question for someone who was part of a massive layoff. But in the rare instance that a person was fired for cause, the applicant can find himself in the hot seat." A long gap in employment can also sometimes be a problem. Some have perfectly logical reasons for the gap; others do not. There are things that job candidates can do to smooth over the rough spots," says Frank Heasley, PhD, President and CEO of MedZilla.com, a leading Internet recruitment and professional community that targets jobseekers and HR professionals in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, healthcare and science. In fact, its often not so much the issue but how the candidate comes across when explaining it."

Tip: Be ready for the tough questions

Know the tough questions are coming, says Heath Shackleford, senior account executive with Ketchum Public Relations in Chicago.

Shackleford suggests that job applicants anticipate the tough questions--the five or six things that youre scared to death that theyre going to ask you when you walk in the door." Think of a worst-case scenario; then plan your response. Seek input from references and colleagues you trust about what to address and how to address it.

Tip: Create a resume that helps avoid tough questions

Carla Rosen, PHR, manager, at Vandover, a career management and relocation transition company, in St. Louis, says that the resume should be designed to minimize the visibility of potential negative issues that could surface. For example, gaps in work history can be visually minimized by using years and not months and years, she says.

Tip: Address tough issues head on or wait to be asked?

Experts disagree about whether to address potential trouble spots even if the interviewer doesnt bring up the issues.

I think the best piece of advice that I have for someone is that if you have a situation that ended badly--if you have a big gap on your resume (anything like that)--come clean the first chance you get and be the one to address it," Shackleford says. If you wait and the interviewer brings it up, youre in a defensive position and in a state where you look like youre trying to avoid the topic altogether."

Joseph Terach, cofounder, Resume Deli, an online resume and cover letter revamp service at www.resumedeli.com, disagrees. He says candidates who have been terminated for cause remain tight-lipped, never saying, unless pressed, that they were fired.

Its very uncommon that an interviewer will ask directly if you were fired from your last job, he says.

Dont make excuses; get to the point and move on

Should a job candidate be pressed to answer questions that might not put the candidate in the best light, James L. Wright, president, Radican Staffing, a technical staffing company in Providence, RI, says the candidate should answer them directly and not avoid the questions. If you sound like youre making an excuse, theyll pick up on it," he says.

Experts agree that shorter answers are better than longer ones, when it comes to negative topics.

Tip: Turn potential negatives into positives

For example, suppose you dont have any experience as a pharmaceutical representative. Terach says to consider leaving completely unrelated jobs off your resume when targeting your resume to an employer. Rather, focus on those areas that have some connection. Maybe the person going for the job as a pharmaceutical rep has experience in retail sales. Alternatively, if the position requires management skills, a management post in any capacity might look good to the interviewer.

Its getting more common to see gaps in employment, experts say, especially given the topsy-turvy economy. The key, Terach says, is to focus on how what you did during that gap that would benefit your career. Training, skill development, going back to school, authoring a book, volunteer work in the industry-all might impress the interviewer. The problem arises when youve wasted time.

Tip: Dont lie (but dont overdo the truth)

Wright has worked with people who have been fired for what they consider miscommunications or misunderstandings. Wright counsels many of them to be upfront because most corporations and governmental agencies will find out. What a person in the situation can do to soften the blow is to briefly say what happened and then give examples of people in the corporate culture that understood the persons side and would be happy to provide a reference. (Make sure you know theyll give you references, first.)

Even a sales rep that didnt meet his quota and was fired might have a reasonable explanation. Some companies, Wright says, misrepresent their products and lead sales people on to think theyll make big money when in fact the product is not what they say it is. Explain this to a sales manager and hell probably understand. Thats part of the culture," Wright says. Its understanding your audience [interviewer."

Telling the truth is important, Wright says, because the interview process generally involves talking with several people. Your story has to stay consistent.

Tip: Never, ever bad mouth your previous employer

Wright says avoid telling stories" about your former employer. Interviewers dont want to hear stories. If they want to hear more, they can always ask another question.

Mary Flynn, who is an executive coach and holds HR workshops, does a live, call-in radio show in Orlando, Fla., called Mary Flynn: Your Personal Career Coach." She says she often hears from people who begin badmouthing their employers without realizing it. We think were defending our position. Were over apologizing or defending. Before we know it were making critical remarks," she says.

A caller recently expressed his concern about being able to explain why he was fired without criticizing his boss. After exploring the issue, Flynn found the man was fired because he wouldnt fix" the financial numbers a certain way. She suggested that he simply say it was an integrity issue and that it took the employer and job applicant a while to recognize that they have very different styles. The important thing is not to go on about it and not berate the company," she says. [If the interviewer presses on, say: Im not at liberty to talk about it but found it difficult to stay in that situation."

Tip: Dont get flustered -- nobody has a perfect resume

Wright says that its getting more common to see things such as frequent job changes and employment gaps. Reasons might include the past lure of startups, competition for shortages of professionals in key industries and a faltering economy. Therefore, employers are less likely to perceive these as negatives if candidates give logical reasons for the job changes or gaps. Wright recommends that candidates have their answer planned-whether it was to pursue a career goal, try a startup or look for a better work environment-and then communicate it succinctly.

Especially in biotech, Pharma and healthcare, job candidates are often in the drivers seat-they are in demand. In an interview, the keys are to realize that honesty pays off, as long as you know the rules: An interview is a two-sided conversation. Minimize the negatives by planning your answers and make them brief and professional. Don't be afraid to answer a question with a question of your own. Dont let the answers you give turn into bigger issues, and remember that how you answer a question is sometimes more important than what you actually say." says Dr. Heasley.

About MedZilla.com

Established in mid 1994, MedZilla is the original web site to serve career and hiring needs for professionals and employers in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, science and healthcare. MedZilla databases contain about 9,000 open positions and 13,000 resumes from candidates actively seeking new positions. These resources have been characterized as the largest, most comprehensive databases of their kind on the web in the industries served.

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Copyright ©2003, MedZilla, Inc. Permission is granted to reproduce and distribute this text in its entirety, and if electronically, with a link to the URL http://www.medzilla.com. For permission to quote from or reproduce any portion of this message, please contact Michele Groutage, Director of Marketing and Development, MedZilla, Inc. Email: mgroutage@medzilla.com.