Some interview questions can be difficult to answer, especially if they come as a surprise.   Knowing what tough questions you are likely to face will help you be better prepared when you need to field them in an interview. Here are some examples of tough interview questions and suggestions for answering them.

Most interviews will contain at least one question asking you to elaborate on your shortcomings and weaknesses. Examples include:

• What are your three biggest weaknesses?
• Tell me about an area you need to improve on? Give examples.
• What would your former manager say you most need to improve on?

The thing you need to recognize is that these are basically trick questions.  You will not get points for honesty if you share your personal shortcomings here.  The way to answer these questions is to reply with something that really isn't a weakness, like that you work too hard, or are too much of a perfectionist, or you take on too many responsibilities and don't leave enough time for yourself.   As silly as it may be, this is an area where you will be rated more favorably by not being completely forthcoming.

Who Are You Questions

Take some time to look over the common interview questions and come up with answers you can give to these. This will help you come up with ideas for those difficult open-ended questions that are so tough to answer when you're on the spot. Almost every interview will include some questions where you are asked to describe yourself such as:

• How would you describe yourself as a person?
• How would your friends describe you?
• What are some of your best qualities?
• What three words would you use to describe yourself?

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