How to Handle Questions with No Right Answers

Sometimes interviewers ask questions when they know there are no right answers. They’re asking to see how you think and how you respond to stressful situations. Below are 4 tough questions with suggestions on how to handle them:

1. “Were you let go from XYZ job? Why?” I like the advice of Judy Smith (the lawyer and crisis manager known as The Fixer). If you’re asked what happened, don’t say the word “fired.” Instead, say something like, “It wasn’t a good fit for me any longer, and I’m ready for a new opportunity.” If you were laid off, “talk about the division-wide cuts that were made that just happened to include you. But avoid taking on a ‘woe is me’ tone that makes the pink slip seem personal.” 

2. “How do you handle a situation where a co-worker takes credit for your work?” Sometimes employers ask HR type questions like this one. Judy advises answering that you want to avoid miscommunications, which result in work crises, so you want to put everything in writing. “No one ever really wins a he-said/she-said blame game”, but emails can support your position.  I also think no prospective employer wants to hear that you will promptly escalate without trying a few things first, e.g., talking to the person, understanding the importance (or insignificance) of the project, etc.

3. “Why do you want to leave your company?” (or the loaded question “If things are going so well/if you learned so much, why do you want to leave?”) It’s tough to answer the first question, let alone the second, and still look good. A safe answer is that you are looking to join the prospective employer. Give all the reasons why it makes sense and how you can immediately add value. Avoid reasons like your current job is no longer challenging or the political situation is tough because the interviewers will assume you will find those same problems at their company.

4. “How would you advise [unresolved legal/business issue]?” Sometimes employers ask about novel or unresolved issues to see if you’ve done research in the area and how you think. I suggest you ask about their risk tolerance and goals, and then lay out a framework so they can understand your reasoning.