How to Handle Difficult Interview Questions

During your job interview, you will likely be asked some tough questions to see how you would handle difficult situations.

In this article, we look at some of the more difficult interview questions and help you answer them effectively.

We have created a three-part interview mini-series, top help you better prepare for your job interview:

• How to prepare for an interview
• How to follow up after an interview
• Mastering an Online Interview

Why employers ask difficult interview questions

Firstly, why do employers ask difficult interview questions? Harder interview questions are usually thrown into job interviews to see how you handle stressful or uncomfortable situations.

Another reason employers ask difficult questions is to find out important personal information, such as when they ask you to tell them about yourself.

Read some of the most common interview questions and answers.

Difficult interview question examples

To help you prepare for difficult interview questions, we have shared some of the most common tricky interview questions and provided potential responses you could use.

Question – Why do you want to leave your current company?

Answer – Talk about how you valued your time with your current/past employer but there is no opportunity for growth or development that align with your career goals. Reinforce the fact that the current position you’re applying for aligns perfectly with both your skill set and ambitions.

Question – What is your biggest weakness?

Answer – Rather than saying something that could prevent you from getting the job (such as “I’m often late” or “I can be difficult to manage”), choose something that won’t have a negative impact on your chances of being successful. A good example could be “I focus too much on the details”, “I have trouble saying no”, or “I sometimes have trouble asking for help”.

Question – Tell me about a time where you overcame an obstacle

Answer – Talk about a time where you helped resolve a customer’s issue by finding a solution to the problem they were facing, turning a negative situation around. This could be where a customer had an issue with a product or service, and you were able to turn them around and have them leave with a similar product or service, and they left a positive review.

Question – Why do you want to work for our company?

Answer – Talk about how during your job search, you looked for a new position with a company that was committed to integrity, innovation, etc and how their organisation came out top of your list. Use the facts you know about their business to show you have researched them and fully understand what they do.

Question – Where do you see yourself in five years?

Answer – It’s important to reassure your interviewer that you see yourself as a vital and impactful part of their business in the next five years. Talk about your career progression and any job roles, titles, and responsibilities you want to have gained in that time.

Question – Why should we hire you over someone else?

Answer – This question gives you the chance to showcase what makes you different and the ideal candidate for the job role. Think about your abilities, strengths, and successes from the past and share these with your interviewer to highlight why you are the best choice for this role.

To help you prepare for your interview, read our latest interview tips.

Preparing for difficult interview questions

You can prepare for difficult questions by rehearsing answers to them and even consider role-playing with another person, so they can ask you a series of difficult questions to practise going through the answers and provide you with vital feedback. Repeat this process as many times as required to deliver the answers confidently.

Practising and preparing yourself will help increase your overall confidence going into an interview.

Explore of range of training courses and qualifications.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you handle tricky interview questions?

Tricky questions are usually included to see how you react to unexpected and uncomfortable situations.

The best way to answer is to think about what the question is really asking you and what your interview hopes to get out of your answers. They are almost certainly more interested in your reaction rather than your actual answer (although this varies by question).

Tricky interview questions could include:

• Why do you want to leave your current company?
• What is your biggest weakness?
• Tell me about a time where you made a mistake
• Why do you want to work for our company?
• Where do you see yourself in five years?
• Why should we hire you over someone else?

What is the most difficult interview question to answer?  

This question could potentially have a different answer for almost everyone. That said, any question that you don’t have an answer for can potentially be the most difficult question to answer, as no response, or poor response, will be a strike against you.

In terms of a specific question that can be difficult to answer in an interview, many people find the question “what is your biggest weakness” a hard question, especially if they have not given it any thought before the interview.

A good way to tackle this question is with a positive-negative. Rather than saying something that could prevent you from getting the job (such as “I’m often late” or “I’ve been told I’m difficult to manage”), choose something that won’t hurt your chances of being a successful candidate. A good example could be “I focus too much on the details”, “I have trouble saying no”, or “I sometimes have trouble asking for help”.

One way to boost your career development and succeed at the interview stage is to earn industry recognised training qualifications, to help you gain the skills and knowledge required in more senior job roles, or to change departments.

We have a wide range of training courses for you to choose from, so get exploring today. You can speak with one of our Course Consultants on +44 (0) 20 3198 7700 or fill out our contact form, and someone will be in touch shortly.