Improve Your Interview Answers: Understand the Question Behind the Question
I've been repeating the interview advice below to my clients a lot lately.
It's the concept of understanding the "core" question behind the interview question.
If you learn to dissect the core question things get a lot easier in interviews because you can prepare better answers and make sure you are answering exactly what they are asking.
Let's get into it.
Have you ever been in an interview and gotten a question that felt out of left field?
I was in an interview once where a VP asked me how I shop for groceries and it was v confusing to me at the time.
The big mistake I made was I only answered her surface-level question because I didn't understand her "question behind the question."
I know now she wanted me to talk about how I organize myself, prioritize tasks, etc.
But I only told her my actual shopping routine, which was pretty odd at the time.
Here's a secret: interviewers often have an underlying core question that they are trying to get you to answer.
They are not trying to be intentionally deceptive (and they don't always frame it oddly like the VP above did), but there is usually a core question behind their interview question.
It's your job to understand what they are really asking so you can improve your interview outcomes.
It's a little bit like learning to speak the language for your role and industry.
But just using thelingo is not enough because you have to go a level deeper to make sure you answer in a way that sounds compelling to the hiring team.
Once you discover the deeper core question behind the interview question you can formulate an answer a lot easier.
To improve your understanding of the "question behind the question" for common interview questions it's helpful to put yourself in the interviewer's shoes.
Ask yourself:
Why are they asking this question?
Consider what might be at the core of what they want to know.
How does this question relate to challenges the company is facing?
Understand what key business problems the role will solve.
What core skill or experience should you showcase?
Make sure to highlight your key strengths and experiences.
What values are important to his company/stakeholder?
Learn to reflect and weave their values into your answers.
What are frequent follow-up questions I hear?
Look for clues about their true concerns.
Do I have a concrete story or example for this question?
Have stories ready for as many answers as possible. The more you tell stories the better. But be concise.
Once you begin interviewing you'll hear similar questions at certain stages. Use the framework above to craft compelling answers and a strong narrative.
When you know you have a sharp answer that addresses the actual core question, keep reusing it in different interviews to practice your delivery.
That is how you get better over time.
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Pro Tip: Invite AI to the table when you prep for interviews.
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P.S. On a high level, most interview questions are typically asking 4 core questions:
Who are you and what motivates you?
How do you work with people?
What can you do for me now?
What can you do for me in the future?
Keep this in mind when you prep and make sure you are answering these questions to some degree throughout your interview process.