Job interviews: 8 trick questions (and how to handle them successfully)

What are the most common "trick questions" in interviews and how to overcome them easily?

In an increasingly competitive society, the mission of looking for and finding a job can be one of the greatest challenges facing both the unemployed and those seeking promotion.

This means, among other things, that selection processes have to refine their methods to identify those characteristics that, although they might remain hidden for a while, would be a reason to discard someone.

Recruitment and human resources technicians know this.and that is why in recent years they have started to make use of the trick questions. Knowing how to identify them and being aware of the weight they have in a job interview can help us communicate our candidacy in the best possible way, without making mistakes due to doubts and nerves at the time.

What is the purpose of trick questions?

The objective behind the use of these questions is to explore the possible reasons why an application may not be interesting even if formally the resume is suitable for the vacant position. In other words, it is the candidate himself or herself who, indirectly and unwittingly, is asked to give reasons why he or she is not a good match for what you are looking for, rather than being asked directly about these issues.

Trick questions can also be used to lighten the applicant pool prior to testing them through assessment methods that take more time and effort than the initial contact. In a way, they are part of the basic filter that takes place in all selection processes, although they do not serve to collect simple and objective data but rather speeches that do not fit the company's philosophy or the ideal profile.

8 trick questions often used in interviews

At this point... What are the most frequently used trick questions in job interviews? And, more importantly, how can we answer them properly to convince the recruitment team? Let's take a look at some useful tips for dealing with these tricky moments.

1. What was the biggest mistake you made in your previous job?

Recruiters are aware that no employee is perfect, and that your work life is likely to be full of more or less big and notorious mistakes. However, they are they are interested to know what is your view on the subject..

How to manage it

The best thing to do is to admit responsibility for the mistake you are talking about, without diverting too much of the conversation to the mistakes made by others that may have triggered your own mistake.without diverting too much of the conversation to the mistakes made by others that may have triggered your own mistake.

2. Why did you leave your previous job?

This trick question serves, first of all, to get information about your previous jobs and your motivations for working in them.. However, it also has a hidden side to test us: it leaves us in a situation where we can either lie about what happened, or talk badly about the company we worked for.

How to handle it

There is no single way to answer this question well, and the best option will depend on each case, but it is necessary to keep in mind that talking about a situation in which it is necessary to keep in mind that badmouthing previous employers can be a reason for not passing the selection process.. If we really left that job because the conditions or personal treatment were not good, this should be communicated as sparingly and neutrally as possible, without showing revanchism in the explanations given.

3. Why do you want to change company?

This question serves to explore your motivations and evaluate your degree of commitment to the companies.. By answering it, you are indirectly communicating what you do not want in your new job.

How to handle it

The best way to prepare for this question is simply to, to inform yourself beforehand about the characteristics of the company and the competencies, functions and responsibilities associated with the job you are applying for.

4. Why have you been out of work for so long?

This trick question This trick question serves to explore the reasons why there has been a break in your working life, if there has been one.l, if there has been one. In this way you can find out if you have simply been unlucky or if you are not a very proactive person, something that would be reflected in the way you look for a job and also in the way you work once you are employed.

Also, keep in mind that this question can appear even if this temporary hiatus without work has not occurred in the last few months but some time ago.

How to manage it

If during that time that appears blank on your resume you have been doing other things that you have not written down because you do not consider it important or it is not related to the sector in which the company works, you must communicate it. Even if they are personal projects, unpaid jobs or hobbies that require a lot of involvement, will serve to reflect that you are a more active person than what is reflected in your CV..

5. Do you prefer individual work or teamwork?

It's a pretty straightforward question, but it also has a flip side. Depending on how you answer, it may seem that you are always depending on others for work, or that you don't like having to interact with people.or that you don't like having to interact with people. That means your answer can't be short, you'll always be asked to explain yourself to see which category you fit into.

How to manage it

You should bear in mind that although there are more and more specialized profiles, most organizations prefer that everyone has some basic skills that allow them to work in a team, as this way they can respond more quickly and efficiently to changes and developments in the market.

6. What can you bring to this organization?

This question is a means by which you can talk about the skills you think are required in the job and your vision for the way in which and your vision of how your skills fit with these. But the most important thing here is not what you say, but how you say it: how you "sell" yourself and speak positively about yourself, and how you are able to argue something from abstract concepts.

How to manage it

Here you should talk about those personal strengths that you have not included in your CV, as well as those that do appear in writing and that you believe are related to what is being asked for. It is important that you don't try to force your speech to make very specific or unrelated competencies seem as if they are not related to the position. This gives the impression that you have little to offer and you are trying to justify your candidacy in any way you can.

7. What are your shortcomings or weaknesses?

This question serves to test you in a situation that generates tension and nervousness.But it also serves to see to what extent you are able to identify those competencies in which you are lacking and what solutions you can provide so that this is not a major problem. A person with little self-criticism will have a hard time trying to give an answer, because he/she will have to improvise it, and also what is said here will have a lot of importance.

How to manage it

It is important that you go into the interview having thought about what measures you are able to implement in the coming weeks or months to work on those weaknesses. That way you won't have to improviseThis way you won't have to improvise, something that would make you more nervous about this question.

8. What do you think is the appropriate salary for this job?

The question "How much do you think you should be paid?" is a classic and one of the trickiest moments of the interview. You can make a mistake whether you answer too low or too high..

How to handle it

There is no right way to answer this trick question, and it all depends, in part, on luck.and it all depends, in part, on luck. However, one way to avoid putting yourself in a compromising situation is to first ask to be told about the amounts that are on the table and you can negotiate from there. You can also do your own research in the days leading up to the interview to find out approximately how much is being charged and then decide where your cache is.