15+ People Who Nailed Their Job Interviews Share Their Success Stories

2 years ago

Sometimes, in order to land the job of our dreams, having all the necessary qualifications and a whole lot of confidence is not enough. Human resources’ specialists are looking for particular qualities in candidates, and guessing the right answer might feel like trying to win in a game show. But it’s possible to prepare even for this — if you know the recipe for success.

We at Now I’ve Seen Everything don’t know the secret spell to charm any employer, but instead, we’ve prepared a compilation of witty answers to tricky questions that can help you in your next interview.

1.

My daughter applied for a job as a model for a tanning product. There was a line of prospective models there. When they went in for the interview, they all said something like, “You should hire me because I’m fun, funny, and like to have fun.” Not her.

She said, “I really like your product, I use it often, and would love to help you sell it.” Susan Kaveny / Quora

2.

— Will you become the new star in the company?
— No, I want to be the moon, there are already too many stars.
— Why do you want to be the moon? Stars shine and the moon just reflects the light.

After thinking, I replied, “Light emitted by stars is of no use, neither during the day nor at night. But at least the moon reflects sunlight at night when we need it.” The interviewer smiled. Science made my day, and I got hired! Anonymous / Quora

3.

A company shortlisted 20 students for an interview round and intended to only hire 2.

Interviewer: What would you do if a better company with the same profile but a better package offers you the job?

Me: Sir, I would take that job.

Interviewer: This means that you are not loyal to us. Even if I offer you the job, there’s no guarantee that you will join our company. So why should I offer you one?

Me: Sir, if you find another candidate better than me, then you will offer them the job. So going by your logic, your company is not loyal to me. Everyone wants the best for themselves. You want the best people to work for you and I want to work for the best. Don’t you believe you are the best in the industry?

Result: Selected. Anonymous / Quora

4.

5.

The company’s HR department asked me to teach a writing course. When I went in to discuss the details, I was faced with 5 company executives who decided to interview me. They wanted their staff to go from an inability to write basic sentences to writing 10-page engineering reports after only 40 hours of instruction. I know some freelance teachers would agree to do the impossible to get the work.

I won’t. So I told them I wasn’t the teacher for them. I truly didn’t want the position, and that surprised them. They gave it to me anyway because I told them the truth. Verneita Boonlom / Quora

6.

HR asked me a domain-related question.

Me: I don’t know.

He: What will do when you don’t know things?

Me: I am sure I’ll be able to search it on Google and find the answer. Or ask colleagues. But I’ll definitely get the job done.

He asks some more general questions.

A day later. You’ve been selected for an entry-level role....Voila! Girish Mahadevan / Quora

7.

Interviewer: OK, so we’re done with the technical part, would you like to tell me something else about yourself?

Me: If you would have been an HR interviewer, I would have told you many things, but since you aren’t, I wouldn’t like to tell you anything else about myself.

The expression on his face was priceless, maybe I should have been frightened.

Interviewer: I have an HR column, so you could tell me about yourself.

Me: But I still don’t want to share anything.

The interview finished 3-4 minutes later. I was still called for the next round which was the actual HR round, without any mention of the previous incident. I was selected for the job. Akriti More / Quora

8.

Manager: It’s almost 3 months into your final year of college and I’m sure many companies have come to your college campus for recruitment. Why haven’t you been placed in any of the other companies?

Me: Most of the companies that came to our college had a prerequisite for a “minimum 3.5 GPA” and “no history of failing a class” and since I had once failed math while I was in my second year of Engineering, I didn’t apply.

Manager: So you never bothered to even apply to those companies?

Me: I don’t think those companies, that don’t respect my failure, deserve me.

There was a long silence after I said those words. Then the manager smiled at me and said, “I like your answer.” End result: I got the job! Nikhil P Kulkarni / Quora

9.

I was a junior in college. I had interviewed with dozens of companies, only to get rejected. I was sure that my summer was going to go to waste and I’d be less competitive to get a full time job offer when I graduated. I had one last interview and decided to take an alternate approach rather than being super polite and charming.

I told my interviewer I didn’t want the job if it wasn’t going to challenge me or if it couldn’t teach me anything.

I called a few days later to thank him for his time. He asked me if I wanted to work for him. I told him very much so. He said he wasn’t sure based on our interaction and gave me an offer.

I’m not sure if it was the confidence or just being honest, but that was an unusual thing, especially for me. Anonymous / Quora

10.

When I was 14, I wanted to get a job at a real estate development company. The manager said I was too young. I told him that I had been working since age 11, with a work permit, and showed him the article in my local paper, The Reston Sun-Times, to prove it. He said, “That’s a hardware store. We are much more sophisticated. This doesn’t prove anything.”

I said, “It proves that I fill each minute with 60 seconds worth of distance run.” He looked stunned and asked, “What did you say?!” I replied, “It’s from a poem by Rudyard Kipling.” And I recited the poem “If” from memory. He went quiet for a while and so did I.

Then he said, “OK, I love that. I will change the policies and we’ll hire you.” Alex Lightman / Quora

11.

12.

The CEO asked me, “How would you deal with a job that required you to work 6 days a week, 10 hours a day?” All the company people held their breath. I responded immediately, “I’d organize it so I’d have five 12-hour days instead, so I could enjoy weekends with my wife.”

There were about 30 seconds of silence as everyone calculated 6 times 10 and compared it to 5 times 12. The CEO said, “Okay,” and left. I got the job. Gaku Sato / Quora

13.

I was called in for a second interview and was asked if I was willing to work rotating shifts. I told them I’d rather not, but I would if the job required it. One manager said I couldn’t expect to work days all the time in a 24/7 industry. I replied that I preferred to work straight night shifts.

I got the job because the rotating shifts were causing a lot of turnover. Travis Grizzard / Quora

14.

15.

21 years after dropping out of high school for the army, with no degree and no engineering course work, I asked if I could operate the test equipment at a job interview.

I could, and did, and started as an EMC Test engineer the very next week — at 25% more than I was asking for. Cortland Richmond / Quora

16.

I was looking for a job. I had interviews lined up and went to each one. I took several tests for positions and passed them. Then I heard the same words I had heard all day: “We need someone with experience.”

I lost it right then and there. I stood up, hit his desk with both fists, and said, “How in the world can I get experience if no one will hire me?” I turned around and started for the door. Then he said, “Report for work Monday morning at 8:00.”

I said thank you and worked there for 5 years. Sandra Taylor / Quora