By Jeff Lipshultz

Stand Out with Your Answers to the Most Common Job Interview Questions

Here are some of the most popular questions and my thoughts on how to answer them.

Tell me about yourself

One of the most common questions in an interview is “Tell me about yourself.” Actually, it is not even a question--it is an invitation. It is an opportunity to share with the interviewer whatever you think is important in their hiring decision.

More importantly, it is your chance to differentiate yourself from other candidates. In most cases, the standard questions offer the same opportunity.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Employers don’t necessarily care to hear that you expect to climb the corporate ladder and be a supervisor. If the job you’re interviewing for is not a supervisor, they probably aren’t concerned about your management skills. You can share how you’ve been a mentor to others and led projects with little to no supervision. That should indicate you have leadership potential.

Focus on them: In five years, you should have made a significant impact to the company’s bottom line. Think about how you can achieve this in the role you’re interviewing for. In technology careers, advancing your skills is important, too. You should be able to share what areas you want to strengthen in the near term (but be careful that they are not areas of expertise that the company needs now).

By Gus Lawson

It's easy to think of rejection as losing or experiencing failure. Before I changed my beliefs about rejection, I recall my body reacting the same way after not not being invited to interview or not getting an offer for a job that I really wanted. Gut punch!

When considering rejection, we have two options when searching for our next role.

1. Accept rejection as part of the process. Put yourself "out there" -- continuing to network and to search for a great new job.
   OR
2. Let the fear of rejection block you from progress. Fear keeps you from reaching out, meeting others, or applying for new roles, so you stay in your current situation for as long as your current employer wants to pay you.

Which option sounds better to you?

Benefit of Escaping Fear

I've found the fear of rejection (felt as losing or failing) has held me back in the past. Not anymore. For me, the costs of not knowing if I could have succeeded are much greater than the costs of worrying about what others think of me. This coupled with a new belief has helped me move forward.

For example: After applying for a dream role at an ideal employer, unfortunately without an established network in the company, I got an interview. I was excited. I prepared and was ready. I felt the interview went great. When I sent the follow up note, the recruiter emailed me back, "Do you have a minute to chat now?

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