A Blueprint for Answering Hypothetical Interview Questions
By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
Hypothetical interview questions can trip up even experienced candidates, so having a game plan is essential.
00:00 Intro
00:25 What are they looking for in your answer?
00:49 THe first step
01:03 The second step
01:38 Bring it back to you.
02:37 Closing your answer
02:58 Summary
03:14 Outro
Tough Interview Questions: Tell Me About The Most Boring Job You’ve Ever Had.
Hypothetical interview questions can trip up even experienced job hunters. So having a game plan is essential. I’m Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter. People hire me for no BS job search and career coaching advice because I make everything so much easier for people.
Now, when you get a hypothetical question, what the interviewer wants to understand is your thought process and assess your judgment and problem-solving, as well as communication skills. They’re not looking for one right answer, unless they’re a bad interviewer. So don’t panic if you draw a blank at first. Take a breath and follow these steps.
First, make sure you understand the scenario. Repeat it back or paraphrase it to check your understanding. Ask clarifying questions if needed, just like you would in a case study interview question.
Next, think out loud and talk through how you would address the situation. explain your reasoning. Explain your thought process. Go step by step with this. What they want to see is how you work through problems. After describing your approach, highlight the potential benefits and risks or drawbacks that you see. Show that you can evaluate the pros and cons of different options, then bring it back to your fit as a candidate, because that’s crucial. But it can also be a little bit tricky.
If You Had A Lot of Money What Would You Do With It?
Don’t just repeat your resume. Instead, tailor your response to the specific scenario and role that you’re interviewing for. Explain why you’re the ideal person to handle this.
For example, if asked how you would handle an unhappy client, you might say “In my last role, I turned around several client relationships in similar situations by taking the following steps. This experience makes me well-equipped to manage client issues in this role. I’m also collaborative and a good communicator, which you need when working through problems with clients.”
So doing that’s going to make them connect the dots in their mind for why you might fit this role because the key is pulling in real examples from your background that demonstrate relevant skills and align with the company’s needs. This shows self-awareness about your abilities and how you’d bring value to the situation.
You can close by reiterating your cultural fit workstyle of problem-solving methods, using words directly from their job description. This further emphasizes why you’d be an excellent match. So with that kind of tailored response, you can turn hypotheticals into opportunities to prove you’re the right person.
So following this blueprint is going to demonstrate your critical thinking abilities and get you closer to an offer. Practice hypotheticals. If you practice, they will become one of your best opportunities to show up big.
So I hope you found this helpful. I’m Jeff Altman, my website is TheBigGameHunter.us. Go to the blog and go exploring. There’s just a ton there that will help you. In addition, you can schedule time for a free discovery call, schedule time for coaching, ask me questions through Trusted Advisor Services so you can get questions answered from someone who actually knows the answer, rather than friends, family, colleagues, managers, former colleagues, or managers who may not know as much as I do about job hunting.
Lastly, connect with me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/TheBigGameHunter. Have a terrific day and be great!
Two Questions About Building Consensus
ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
People hire Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter to provide No BS Career Advice globally because he makes many things in peoples’ careers easier. Those things can involve job search,
hiring more effectively, managing and leading better, career transition, as well as advice about resolving workplace issues.
Schedule a discovery call at my website, www.TheBigGameHunter.us
He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with over 2600 episodes.
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