How to prepare for tough interview questions is part of becoming a more effective job seeker.

First, prepare thoroughly for the routine questions.  This approach will make large parts of the interview easier for you.  You will increase your confidence and reduce the pressure when an interviewer asks you a difficult question.

Here are some of the most difficult questions.

The questions link to some of the hundreds of career articles on this website:

• Why Should I Hire You?
• What do you do when a supervisor gets angry?
• Do you ever work too hard?
• What Is Your Greatest Weakness?
• What do you do when you make a mistake?
• How do you handle unfair requests at work?
• How do you become confident?
• How have you solved problems at your company?
• How do you deal with difficult people?

Another step in preparing for difficult interview questions is to develop basic interview skills.

• Listen: Just listening closely to the questions will help you subconsciously develop effective answers.
• Clarify:  Make certain that you understand the question.  Ask the interviewer for more information.
• Ask for time:Sometimes you might ask the interviewer to allow you to come back to a question.
• Be honest: If you do not know the answer to a question, be honest.

Don’t sweat it.

Of course, you would like to handle every question with ease.  Some interviewers ask questions to see how well you can think under pressure.  When an interviewer asks you a difficult question, take a deep breath and think about what you are saying.  Realize that everyone has trouble giving good answers all the time.  I see politicians, television reporters, talk show hosts, and talk show quests become tongue-tied.  The ones who are most effective are the ones who smile at their mistakes and work past the mistakes to answer the questions.