Interview Skills: How To Navigate Tough Questions And Stand Out

“How can I sharpen my interview skills to be able to navigate tough interview questions and stand out?” Jane, an accounting professional.

“I have attended several interviews but once they ask me tough questions, my confidence is wavered due to lack of clear articulation of my experience. In my recent interview, I struggled to structure my response effectively and I left the room feeling defeated and I knew I had not demonstrated my true potential” She added.

When you are faced with tough questions, you may feel unprepared, but with effective interview techniques, you will tackle the interview questions with confidence.

In this article, I will highlight the interview strategies that can help you showcase your strengths.

1. Prepare Yourself for Tricky Questions

Preparing well before the interview is a vital component of mastering interview skills that can allow you to anticipate potential challenging questions.

This helps you to formulate well-thought-out responses to demonstrate your strengths, and your problem-solving capabilities.

2. Keep Your Responses Focused and Relevant

If you are asked difficult inquiries, you may be tempted to provide lengthy explanations that can make you go off-topic.

But it is important to show clarity of thought for you to highlight your key qualifications and suitability for the role.

3. Master The Art of Composure

Many candidates may feel nervous when asked demanding questions, and they may not know the best way to respond.

Being calm is one of the interview proficiencies that can have an impact on how you are perceived and therefore give yourself time to think before responding, take deep breath and pause when necessary to articulate yourself clearly.

4. Use a Structured Approach To Respond To Questions

When faced with tough behavioural questions, break down your answers by highlighting the situation, task, action and result to make it easy for the interviewer to follow.  

This reflects your critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities and helps you present yourself as a capable professional.

5. Rephrase The Question to Make It More Approachable

Twisting the question is one of the interview abilities that can help you break down the question in a way that you can understand which makes it easy to address.

This reduces interview anxiety and helps you focus on the relevant aspect of your experience.

Finally

The interviewers ask tough questions to test your problem-solving skills, cultural fit and gauge how you can handle pressure and setbacks. By sharpening your interview skills, you navigate tricky questions.

If you are struggling to respond to interview questions, invest in our interview coaching service in Kenya and enhance your interview performance.