by Deborah S. Hildebrand

Created on: February 17, 2010

Ask a group of job seekers and you’re likely to find out that they each have their own personal horror story about the time they were in a job interview and got confronted with a question that they found difficult to answer. While one person may have been stumped when asked to provide details about how they would handle a particular situation, another might have felt overwhelmed at a request to describe a personal characteristic that they would like to correct or eliminate. It’s all a matter of how well you know yourself and whether or not you are prepared to answer questions on the spot.

While there are a variety of job interview questions that seem intentionally designed to throw candidates off track, what may cause one person to stumble may have no affect on the next guy. That is why the most difficult question in a job interview is the question to which you don’t have an answer.

It can be awkward sitting there racking your brain for some clever response that will illustrate what a great thinker you are and how your experience is the perfect fit for the current opening. But try as you might you find you’re at a loss for words. The truth is that you cannot anticipate every question that every interviewer is likely to ask and so at some time or another in your career quest you might just find yourself faced with a pregnant pause you are unable to fill.

That’s when it is important to take a deep breath and be okay with the silence. Give yourself time to think about the question that seems to have you stumped. If you feel the need to fill the gap, paraphrase the question back to the interviewer to ensure you understand what is being asked as well as to buy yourself some time. You may even want to admit your dilemma by indicating what a challenging question it is or that you need a few moments to reflect.

The fact is that no single specific question is likely to be hailed as the most difficult by everyone who hears it. Sure, there are probably those that rise to the top of the list. However, if you take the time to really know yourself, your values and interests as well as your work experience and skill sets then you should be in good shape to handle any interview question that comes your way.

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