Your interview answers give interviewers insight into how you approach problems. Below is a short video Julie Zhuo from Facebook made explaining one of her favorite interview questions to ask! After watching make sure you take some time to jot down how you would answer!

https://www.cnbc.com/video/2019/04/11/facebook-executive-julie-zhuo-heres-my-favorite-interview-question.html

Most candidates don’t take the time to have pre-formulated interview answers on stand-by.

Don’t do that…

don't do it no way GIF

This is an easy way to fumble questions, come across as ill-prepared and potentially answer with an emotionally charged answer that doesn’t paint you in the best light.

So, to help you ensure you don’t bomb interviews you could have easily passed, I’ve copied 11 questions hiring managers are asking now as of June 2019!

These questions are variations on the oldies everyone knows how to answer, however, the language used in these, may trip you up.

Let’s get into them!

Tell me about your best collaboration experience.

Hiring managers ask this to help them understand which team you will work best on as well as testing for if you’d be a good fit for company culture in general. Try to keep your answers short and sweet while always providing a positive spin!

What do you do to stay motivated?

Glassdoor gave a great synopsis of this one:

“If the candidate’s cause for motivation is likely to be volatile – like the constant hope of a promotion, or the ability to shape big company decisions, it may be cause for pause. In addition, if their source of motivation is tied to your company’s culture and values – like care for the environment, or providing excellent service to customers – it can be a sign they’re a good fit.”

What Glassdoor is saying is don’t talk about ‘wins’ being the only cause of motivation. Candidates do this A LOT. I know a lot of us are motivated by glory, but try to find reasons outside of that. What about your values and the companies? Are they aligned?

For example, a better answer may be that your motivations come from causes you care about like identity theft or online security. This may be a great answer if you’re interviewing with a startup that makes VPN’s or encryption software…

Also, consider speaking to your need to be a good team player and not cause bottlenecks. Get creative and use this time to be introspective and formulate a self-reflective answer.

How do you build relationships?

Companies value candidates that have the tools to cultivate and manage long term relationships. Period.

Being able to communicate how you’re able to do this well is crucial.
Try to show them how much you value your work relationships and leave behind the old “I’m fake at work…I am only clocking in to get this paycheck…” Yeah, no.  

Companies and teams want to know you actually like working with them and that it’s important for YOU to test THEM for their team dynamics as well. If you’re a minority coder and the team doesn’t have any other minorities on it, a good question to ask may be what their plans are to become more diverse…

Anyway, to get back to the actual questions… interviewers want to know that they can expect you to bring the most authentic version of yourself to a position and that you know how to make your teammates feel safe, included, and valued as well.  

What would you do if an interviewer didn’t show up?

This answer is just a case study question testing your ability to handle surprise situations that go wrong.

For example, if this actually happened would you just assume that the company didn’t want to interview you anymore and proceed to ghost?Would you call and complain/accuse the scheduler or interviewer of dropping the ball? Would you try to reschedule right away or wait until the next day to follow up because “it’s  not that serious” or “I didn’t want the job that much anyway” or even worse “oh well, this isn’t my problem!” You’d be surprised how many candidates act this way and just as a heads up..none of these answers are it!

Instead, try to communicate how you would take the responsibility to try to come up with a solution even when it isn’t your fault, as well as gain clarity and not make assumptions.

Jada Pinkett Smith That Part GIF by Red Table Talk

What is one project you’re proud of?

Glassdoor sums this up well!

“This is one of the main chances during the interview for the candidate to shine. It gives them a chance to promote their work and the role they played in bringing that work to life. It’s also important to listen – how do they promote themselves? Do they give more credit to themselves or others? This question gives a window into both how the candidate works and promotes their work.”

My suggestion – Try to use this opportunity to speak to a project that really aligned with your values, versus one that just placed you as the star… An additional level-up to this answer would be to choose a value that resonates with the company as well. ?You can typically find these on their Company Values page.  

Why do you want to work for Facebook/Google?

We have all messed up this question ? when we’ve interviewed at a super impressive company we just really wanted to get based on the leg up it would give you. However, step out from the crowd and actually answer this question intelligently.

Yes, you’re interviewing at Facebook but Facebook isn’t perfect. … They want to hire people that know that. Speak to the trends you see, share your vision of the things you would do differently whether that be their products, features or offers.

Try to stand out by sharing how hiring YOU would make them a better, stronger machine vs a moocher that is just in it for the (resume) clout.

What is the biggest compliment you have received in your current role?

It is likely that what you were appreciated for in your current role will similarly be an asset in the new role.

Try to really think about this one versus giving a generic answer. The worst thing you can do in answering questions like these is not preparing and giving generic answers. Stand out by being the 10% that actually prepares.

What would be your biggest challenge coming into this role?

This is, in essence, the  “what is your biggest weakness” question. I recommend being honest here. It’s really easy to tell when a candidate is using an example that will make them look better. Instead, try to be honest and end your answer by giving them your proposed solutions to overcome the challenge.

This challenge area should be something you’re excited about fixing/learning/growing while in the role.

Tell me about a time that you had a disagreement with your manager.

Be on guard for questions like these. Sometimes candidates will find themselves inadvertently spilling all the tea – meaning treating this question like a therapy session. Employers want to know you are able to be solution-oriented as well as have the tools to ‘manage up’.

This question gives you the opportunity to shed light on how you will interact with your manager and resolve difficulties with them. Do not use this question as a venting or therapy session. You’ve been warned…

What are Facebook’s challenges in the coming years?

Do your research.

I Mean What I Say Love And Hip Hop GIF by VH1

Always be able to speak intelligently about a company prior to your interview with them. Don’t hold back on sharing trends you anticipate or solutions you would implement. Even if your solution is flawed, present it anyway. They will appreciate your willingness to dive deep. *but try to present a not flawed solution if you can…?

What would an old co-worker say about you?

Again Glassdoor nailed it again: “This question is a definitive upgrade to the hackneyed “tell me about yourself.” It allows the candidate to speak about themselves more objectively, from the shoes of a hypothetical coworker, rather than feeling the pressure of having to either be humble or boast in a self-assessment.”

If you like reading about interview questions then comment below!

We’d love to share our top 30 interview questions for 2019 once YOU’RE ready to receive them.

Link to Original Article on Glassdoor.com: https://www.glassdoor.com/employers/blog/interview-questions-facebook-asks/