Interview Tips: 6 Ways How To Handle Unexpected Questions & Get The Job

By Mark Namaswa,

Have you ever handled interview questions out of the blues? Probably yes. We do it all the time: prepare for interviews by ‘googling’ all the tough questions HR managers love to ask, do some online research and even call some friends who have previously attended interviews of companies that have invited us for interviews.

All these is to minimize the chances of being caught off-guard by surprise questions. However, employers and HR managers are getting more creative and still candidates are working round the clock to catch up; if not stay ahead. How do you attack questions that take you by surprise?

Here are some tips:

1. Buy Time Smartly
Many candidates can buy time. Still it boils down to how cleverly you do it. If you don’t know the answer but can slowly come up with a decent answer with time, buy time by paraphrasing the question.

You can also seek clarification for the question by saying: ‘Let me just make sure I understand your question…’ according to bemycareercoach.com all the while working out a good answer in your head.

2. Pause Before Answering
A few seconds taken to digest the question might just be enough to wither the element of surprise. According to an online interview advisory source, silence can also convey a sense of confidence which might not exactly be the case here.

You can say: ‘Good question. Let me think about it for a second…’ and go ahead to answer it with newly-gathered confidence. This is much better than giving a rushed, disorganized response.

3. Give Structured Answers
In questions that require you to give case responses, most likely the interviewers are not interested very much in the answer but how you can be able to break it down bit-by-bit.

Letting the interviewers know you thought process, how you would approach a given situation and attempt to solve the question can be you winning point.

This can be done using logic: say ‘In normal circumstances, this is what happens, but if….” Or you can also use analysis: Look at the information you can use to arrive at a convincing response step-by-step.

4. Practice the Art of Storytelling
This works well in questions that are seek to test your behavior, say at the workplace. According to bemycareercoach.com, coming up with a good story to tell that is closest to the question asked is a good suggestion to follow and this should also be done in a slow, deliberate but confident tone.

At the end of the explanation, it will display how good you are to respond to pressure—a lot of which is to be expected at most workplaces.

5. Think Aloud
According to cbsnews.com, interviewers don’t appreciate long moments of silence on the part of candidates so the trick to go about this is to think verbally.

The ability of ‘taking it slow’ – not appearing shocked or taken by surprise by the question helps you appear logical, focused and composed. With that in mind, you can talk as you think while you figure out the answer.

6. Be Honest Enough to Admit You Don’t Know Everything
You probably have watched tough questions fielded during quiz shows on TV and noticed that even though the teams are comprised of the most brilliant contestants, not all questions get answered: there’s that occasional ‘pass’.

Similarly, according to cbsnews.com ‘If you don’t know the answer, say so. And don’t give the answer you think the interviewer expects, because it won’t sound sincere.

Moreover, in many cases, there is no specific right answer.’ The goal isn’t to give right answers to any of these questions—the goal is to get some insight into the way you think the way you handle pressure, and for the recruiters to learn something about your personality and how you suit the job.

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