Surviving and thriving during job interviews

Your dream job’s on the line. Questions come, questions go. Rattling off insightful answers, you’re impressing the crowd. But suddenly, an interviewer flashes a mischievous grin, then asks, “If you have 1,000 unread emails and can answer only 200, how would you determine which ones to answer?”

How do you answer that?

Job interviews are inherently stressful, and the stakes are often high, but often, the calmest minds prevail. Rather than getting frustrated with tough questions, consider what your interviewers are looking for. With oddball questions, your interviewers are likely as interested in seeing how you respond under pressure as they are in the answers themselves. So stay calm.

In the above scenario, you can start your reply with something like, “Oh, great question! Of course, our time is finite. I’d first focus on emails concerning high-priority projects.”

With the above answer, you’re offering compliments, acknowledging limited resources, and demonstrating that you can make good decisions.

By now, you likely already know you should be well-rested for the interview. Ditto for offering concise answers and balanced confidence. You should show up early and be appropriately dressed, of course. But did you know that blue shirts may help build trust?

It’s also wise to dig around on Glassdoor to see if you can learn about the company culture. The interviewers want to ensure you’re a good cultural fit.

You should also take some time to outline some insightful questions of your own. Often, interviewers will ask you if you have any questions. This offers you a chance to go above and beyond. You might try something like, “What’s your favorite thing about this company?” Now you’re digging deep and demonstrating genuine interest.