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Although there’s no way to be 100% prepared for a job interview, a candidate can always feel confident and knowledgeable. Quite honestly, that comes from only one thing: preparation. The BEST form of preparation is to spend the time to learn about the company in question and to mock interview using as many common questions as possible. Investing in a career coach to go through this process is something EVERY candidate should do the day that they find out they’ve lost their job. This will keep them on track, teach them vital interview skills, and quite possibly get them a job MUCH faster than someone who doesn’t have all of these tools properly in place. Having answers prepared for the common interview questions is vital to a serious candidate.

#1. What are you looking for? Don’t miss the opportunity in this question! Be ready to talk about the job that would be appropriate for you and how your skills would translate to the new employer. Be careful NOT to talk about opportunities for advancement – you could talk yourself right out of the job you are interviewing for. Companies want to know that you have many assets and skills and an enthusiastic attitude about your job, but they don’t want to hear that the position at hand is a “stepping stone” to something greater. It’s far too easy to unintentionally imply that their company is also a stepping stone – or a quick stop while you find the “right” job.

#2. Aren’t you overqualified for this position? This is a tough one. Definitely be enthusiastic about the job and proud of your expertise; don’t downplay your accomplishments. Instead, share what makes you interested in the job at hand at this point in your career. For instance, elaborate about applying your expertise to a new industry or talk about the upside of working in a smaller company – or a larger one. Be VERY careful to leave out any tone of desperation!

#3. What’s your biggest weakness? Definitely do not answer this with a self-deprecatory statement about yourself. This is not the place to be humble. Keep your answer brief and be sure to put feature your “weakness” in a good light. For example, “I’m very much a perfectionist, but I use that to always make sure my team’s needs are fulfilled quickly and completely.”

#4. What are your salary requirements? Be prepared! This question should NOT leave you caught off guard. Always try to postpone answering this question until a job offer is made. If you used a staffing agent, let them handle this for you. But do be prepared and know what the salaries are in your industry (you can find this out at SimplyHired.com and Salary.com). If you don’t know the budget that the company has available, and the interviewer persists, you can simply ask, “What salary range are you working with at this time?” If you’re seriously being considered for the job, it’s quite likely that they will tell you what their constraints are.

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Let’s face it, if you’re out of work, the hundreds of hours spent reading job postings, working on and sending out resumes, pounding pavement, going to networking events, etc., etc., ALL of that effort is really about ONE thing: the interview.

The interview (either live or by phone) is where you need to bring your best stuff – and to be quite honest, there’s no second chance to get it right. So let’s jump in and cover the top three questions everyone needs to be ready for.

#1. Tell me about yourself. This is usually the FIRST question that comes up and the FASTEST way to end an interview. First of all, be sure to make your answer short and sweet and try to focus on experiences and goals that relate to your prior work experiences. We don’t need to know that you like to canoe or bake. If you can, make the effort try to tailor your answer to the specific job you’re applying for. If you’ve been in the workforce for a long time, resist the desire to stress that fact. It’s much more important to focus on your skills, achievements and how you add value. Be sure to emphasize your personal attributes as well, but only if the interviewer seems open to hear more – stress great assets, like flexibility and a positive attitude.

#2. Why are you looking for a job? Be sure to keep this answer brief and straightforward. For example, “My company was forced to downsize.” Avoid negative statements about yourself, your work, the company you left, or your ability to get along with your team. I share this quite often, but never criticize former employers or coworkers. What do you say if you really hated where you worked? You can say that you simply did not find the opportunities that you were looking for. It’s also important to have a few goals at your fingertips, in case the interviewer asks you to expand on that thought.

#3. Why have you been out of work for so long? This question can come in a variety of ways, but responding to gaps in your employment history is definitely a tricky one, especially with the economy being so tough. People end up out of work for a variety of reasons, but they’re not ALL downsizing. So first of all, be sure to be honest. Next, make every effort to speak confidently about your experiences during gaps in your employment. Some of those efforts can surely transfer to on-the-job skills. For instance, if you were a caregiver, you may have managed complex financial issues. If you volunteered while looking for work, you might have worked with diverse groups of people and on flexible schedules – and definitely talk about your achievements. If you managed a huge annual fundraiser for a local charity while you were out of work, that speaks VOLUMES about your organizational skills, your work ethic and your integrity.

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What is your greatest weakness?

Asking this question is like begging for a cliché. What does the interviewer think he is going to hear? “Oh, well, let me tell you. I am perpetually late; I simply cannot get anywhere on time – not even to the office.” Right-on! No person at an interview is going to give that type of answer. Instead you would come up with something equally lame like the following: “Well, I am a consummate perfectionist; I must make sure that everything is perfect 100% of the time; so I expend extra energy to ensure things are done the right way.” Hmmm. That sounds like an answer you would give simply because you don’t know what else to say and you certainly aren’t going to provide a REAL weakness. You might be left at the starting line if you did that. Superficial answers will not work, though.

Consider this when answering the greatest weakness question. It might be ok to tell the hiring manager something that is not your strong suit. You should also follow it up with something you have done to improve. You are then not just telling someone what you are not good at, but you are also sharing information about the steps you have taken to change the situation. How you have addressed the problem or improved your confidence will serve as the basis for your answer.

Preparing to answer this question before the interview will help you. If you give the standard ‘perfectionist’ answer, you will seem disingenuous. You can even tell a story about a situation. That will uncover the weakness but also allow you to follow up with how you corrected the problem.

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The other day we had our first free virtual career coaching session on GoSavant.com. We had quite a number of people come in and ask multiple job search questions! It was so busy for our career coach that we have decided to limit the number of people next time or have 2 coaches available at once (depending on expressed demand). We hope we were able to answer the most pressing of your job search questions, and we empathize with those who need one-on-one career coaching beyond the hour. We are planning on having future virtual career coaching sessions, but if you have more than a few questions that can be answered via chat in an hour, visit www.gosavant.com to select a career coach for more personalized coaching.

So what were some of the questions and answers during our first free virtual meetup?

What can I do to increase my chances for a phone call for an interview?

Coach: The market is tight, so being able to stand out from the crowd helps. In your resume, include any unique information that will be a "hook" and grab people's attention-- maybe it is some background or perhaps a skill.

I have really strong writing skills so I'm not that concerned about the cover letter but more the resume itself.

Coach: I suggest that in today's economy a well-crafted and individualized cover letter can be very important. It can allow you to articulate very specifically what you bring to them. Other people will send generic cover letters… you will want to stand apart and be noticed with your specific skills, knowledge and ability that meet the job. For instance, you can highlight an experience that you perhaps can't do as well in a resume.

I see..good point.

What’s an elevator speech and what should I include in it?

Coach: Use your ingenuity! An elevator speech is what you would say to someone about yourself in the amount of time you spend on an elevator with him/her. Intro, goals, skills….

How do I find the unpublished jobs?

Coach: Good question. Do you have the ability to develop and maintain personal connections and professional contacts? These contacts may generate some leads.

I meet people, but where do I go from there?

Coach: Ask them if they know of any opportunities or contacts. You can also explain your skills and see if they have any ideas based on that. I also suggest using LinkedIn.com to keep in contact.

Chew on this! GoSavant.com team members show you how to really "blow" the interview by "sticking it" to the interviewer.

Rule #4: When interviewing, don't describe the reason why you want the job as a "stepping stone" to future jobs.

Rule #3: When asked about your weaknesses in an interview, mention an actual weakness. And when asked why you left a company, the word "supervisor" probably shouldn't be mentioned

Rule #2: When asked in an interview to "Tell me about yourself," your response should never include the phrases "I was born in" and "it was dark at night mostly there."

Rule #1: Know the position you're interviewing for. (Also throw out your used tissue in advance.)