The interview process is a critical component of a job application. It is an opportunity for you to connect one-on-one with an employer, provide the context behind your experience, and highlight reasons for them to hire you. Unfortunately, many interview questions can lead to broad interpretations of how to structure a proper response. In this article, we guide you through how to approach open-ended interview questions, including an analysis of a few of the most common ones.
Open-ended interview questions are prompts that encourage a candidate to provide a detailed explanation of a thought process, personality trait, or event in their professional history. These questions help an employer get a better sense of a candidate’s disposition, professionalism, and preparedness to meet the demands of a role.
Examples of commonly asked open-ended questions include:
Each of these questions or prompts requires a minimum reply of a few sentences to address them. In contrast, closed-ended interview questions, such as “How long have you worked in the industry? Do you have experience working remotely? Are you willing to relocate?” seek only short, direct answers, providing the employer with basic information.
Interpreting and answering open-ended interview questions can be challenging for any candidate because there is often no single “right” answer. While this may appear daunting, it also gives you the opportunity to be creative and shape how employers perceive you.
An employer has initial expectations of what the ideal candidate will offer, but open-ended questions give you room to exceed those expectations. Take advantage of this chance to showcase talents that could not be communicated in-depth within the confines of a resume or cover letter.
It can be tricky to process and remember every aspect of an open-ended question, especially if an employer blends several questions into one. It might also be hard to remember specific details of projects or events that happened years ago, especially on the spot. The opposite challenge could be over-analyzing too much information at once and rambling about less relevant tasks or events. Considering that all this occurs under the pressure of limited time and watchful eyes, preparation is key to formulating a strategic and coherent reply.
Before you can formulate strong responses, you need to review the company’s website and the job description thoroughly, so you know exactly what they value and what they want to see in the ideal candidate.
As you read through the organization’s mission and vision statements, their recent accomplishments or projects, and the daily tasks expected for the role, it can help you recall examples from your own education or training, volunteer projects, club memberships, or past jobs that connect to something you’ve studied about the new role. This is a great way to help you filter out less relevant parts of your background and focus instead on preparing the best short stories that prove your capacity to thrive in the role.
Research industry-specific terminology (and understand what it means) so you can incorporate it into your responses and show the organization that you’ve taken the time to immerse yourself in the industry’s communication style.
Structurally, the more specific you can get in describing a skill or experience, the better. For example, instead of just telling an employer “I answered phones in my last job,” expand on the level of detail, such as by saying “I was in charge of answering phone calls in my last role, which meant being the first point of contact for the company and helping to manage our public image. Customers often started calls by sharing their complaints, but after I made them feel acknowledged and offered solutions, we would have a productive conversation.”
Rather than merely stating “I’m creative,” share an example of a time you thought or acted creatively that proves you possess this trait. Sprinkling in a few bonus (but still relevant) details on top of the simplest version of a reply gives the employer more reasons to be impressed by you and to understand the worth of a claim you make.
Writing down a few notes throughout an interview is usually acceptable to help you organize your thoughts and remember important information they tell you. Pen and paper are likely to be received better than typing on a computer, but you may ask for their preference on using a digital accommodation.
One of the most common first questions in an interview is “Tell me about yourself.” It’s inherently vague, offering few clues as to how you should respond. You might wonder, “Do I share about my home life? My interests or hobbies? The things on my resume?”
With this question, employers are trying to ease into more intensive questions about the role. They’re looking for you to summarize key points about who you are and what major experiences and qualifications brought you to this point in your professional journey.
Common mistakes include not tailoring your response to the specific role and its responsibilities, repeating line-by-line what’s on your resume, giving a lengthy chronological life history, oversharing inappropriate personal information, and rambling. This response should generally take no more than two minutes to deliver—keep it brief.
Effective ways you can answer this question about who you are include:
A useful method for responding to open-ended interview questions about a past event is the STAR method.
STAR stands for:
The “Result” portion of STAR is a great chance to shine and prove the value of your contributions. Many job seekers describe their accomplishments with words alone but don’t reinforce the measurable value of their skills with specific numbers (such as the number of projects you worked on simultaneously, the number of people you led/managed/helped, the percentage by which you increased something your company wanted to grow).
If you cannot think of a concrete number, ask yourself “Would the project have resulted in a worse outcome or failed entirely if I had not made the choices I made? Did I improve how a procedure functioned and is that new method something the company continues to use? Did I provide satisfactory outcomes to my supervisor or a client and did they acknowledge it formally?”
For more information about using the STAR method to answer interview questions, read our article, Types of Job Interviews and Addressing Employment Gaps.
Everyone has professional weaknesses, so employers are not looking for you to deny having any when they ask you this question. Instead, they want to see if you are self-aware and have a desire to grow. It is important to be honest about your weakness, as an employer will need to know if you require extra training or support in an area, but it’s beneficial to choose a weakness that can be improved rather than a persistent character flaw. It’s even better if you can identify a weakness that you’re already taking steps to improve.
A good formula you can use is:
Example: “One area I’d like to improve in is my professional small-talk. I have found networking events and informal conversations with coworkers intimidating to navigate at times, but I want to build strong relationships. To work on this, I’ve been reading articles about good conversation-starters, and I have challenged myself to attend a couple of networking workshops.”
Employers ask questions such as “What is your greatest strength?” to evaluate how well your skills align with the demands of the role. This can be tricky to answer because you might not have received positive feedback or reinforcement yet in a professional setting, or you may feel uncomfortable, like you’re bragging about yourself. On this second point, know that the employer wants to hear reasons why you’re talented so they can feel confident in choosing you to hire.
When asked this question, a good place to start is to review the job description and find the “desired or required skills” section or a section called “the ideal candidate will bring.” Look for skills that match your own, either exactly or closely. Are you comfortable in a fast-paced environment? Do you have a strong attention to detail? Maybe you are good at technical aspects of a job or you are a strong communicator.
It might also be worth looking at character-based strengths. Do you have a positive attitude? Are you respectful? Are you reliable? Do you show up on time and put in 100% effort? By sharing these, you can help an employer understand the nature of your work.
If you’re unsure how to answer these questions, ask people who know you well to identify which skills they see in you and why they believe you have them. You can also take our Jobtimize assessment to receive a free report on your personality traits and soft skills.
By cross-referencing your perceived skills with the job description, you can help the employer understand why you would be a good fit for the role. The main type of answer to avoid here is something entirely irrelevant to the job, such as talking about your excellent ukelele-playing skills when you’re interviewing for a customer service role.
When an employer asks this, they want to hear your most compelling summary, elevator-pitch style, about why you’re the best candidate to fill that role. This is often your last chance to leave them with the main argument you want them to have in mind when weighing you against other candidates.
A few ways to answer this question include highlighting different aspects you appreciate about the company to show that you understand and respect what they do, emphasizing unique aspects of your background that may give you an advantage or distinction compared to other candidates, or presenting a logical case about how well the role aligns with your expertise and goals to portray yourself as natural fit with long-term potential and without too many compromises needed on the employer’s part.
Keep in mind quality over quantity. It is typically more effective if you assert one or two solid arguments than if you list five or six reasons but struggle to explain their significance.
This question’s difficulty lies in its hypothetical nature, forcing you to construct a linear pathway despite the unpredictability of life. Employers ask this for a few reasons:
Some ways you could respond to this question include referencing the job description and seeing which skills you already possess and which you want to develop. It might also help to think about what an ideal resume would look like five years from now for someone who held the position. What would it look like to gain more responsibility at that company? What achievements would you like to accomplish?
If you research one of their current projects ahead of time, you could even tease a few creative ideas you have for it—doing the job while in the job interview is a powerful way to show them what you could do as a permanent team member.
Good interviewers will leave a little time for you to ask about the company and/or the role. The response to avoid in this situation is “No.” If you do not ask any questions, you could appear unprepared or uninterested.
Feel free to ask questions about the company’s goals, workplace culture, the biggest challenges they face, and the onboarding process. Consider whether you want to ask about their experience supporting autistic employees or if they have a clear process for accommodations. This part of the interview can feel like a small reward because you get to switch roles and put them in the position of answering your questions.
While interviews may feel overwhelming, remember that there are many ways to answer different types of questions. Preparation is the best thing you can do for yourself. When you’ve researched the company, familiarized yourself with the job listing, identified which examples from your background are most relevant, and thought through some of the questions they’re likely to ask you, then you’ve put yourself in a good position to thrive. Employers want to fill the role with the best candidate, so take advantage of the opportunity to tell them directly why that person is you.
Making the Most of Open-ended Interview Questions
The interview process is a critical component of a job application. It is an opportunity for you to connect one-on-one...
Your Support Made the Difference!
Each year, OAR lays out ambitious goals for engaging community members in celebration of Autism Acceptance Month. Throughout the beginning...
How to Write a Resume Without Work Experience
I’ve been supporting autistic adults seeking employment for several years now. One of the questions I get asked the most is: Do...
