When faced with unexpected interview questions, it’s easy to feel caught off guard. Yet these moments are an opportunity to demonstrate your composure, adaptability, and thoughtfulness. How can you respond without losing the thread or compromising your message? In this article, discover techniques for deftly deflecting unsettling questions, reframing the conversation, and confidently highlighting your strengths.
Maybe it’s about the features of a new version of software you’re introducing, the timing of a funding event, such as an initial public offering, or commentary on an interesting recent event that’s a political “hot potato.”
In these types of situations, providing a clear and direct answer could put you at a disadvantage in some way. So the real question becomes: How do you answer in a way that maintains your credibility and satisfies the curious person who asked you the famous question?
Here are three techniques you can use to handle these types of difficult ob interview situations : reframe, blame, or explain.
Crop
When you’re asked a difficult question, it’s a good idea to start by paraphrasing the question before answering. This paraphrase confirms that you heard the question correctly, validates the asker, gives you time to think, and allows you to reframe the question to make it easier to answer. For example, imagine that a major prospect asks you about the availability of a particular feature of your product, one that you know is unlikely to exist in the future.
Let’s say a recruiter asks you: “You have changed jobs several times in recent years; how do you justify this lack of stability in your career path?”
Reframing, you might respond: “If I understand correctly, you want to know how my various experiences have contributed to my development and professional commitment.”
Your answer and paraphrase of the question might be: “So you’re asking me about our roadmap and how we prioritize features in our products.” This paraphrase expands the question, allowing you to frame the bigger picture and perhaps highlight features that are adjacent to, or related to, the feature your prospect is looking for. This reframing through paraphrasing gives you a way to turn the question into a more manageable situation and allows you to refocus your communication.
To reproach
Providing a legitimate reason for not directly answering a question is another tool for situations like this. Citing legal concerns, regulatory guidance, or past practice can be valid reasons for not answering directly. You can also cite an existing policy that prohibits commenting on questions like the one asked. Finally, you can blame your inability to answer on your lack of information on the topic. For example, if someone asks you what you think about a competitor’s new direction, you can say that you want to do more research first to make sure your answer is appropriate/correct.
For example, if a recruiter asks you: “What do you think of a competitor’s recent recruiting strategy?”
You might answer: “I prefer not to comment on our competitors’ strategic decisions without having a complete and up-to-date understanding of their context. I believe that having all the information is essential to having an objective and informed point of view.”
Explain
In some situations, it is sometimes better not to answer a truly destabilizing question, but that does not prevent you from explaining the reasons for this refusal.
For example, if you work for a private company and are asked about its plans for an IPO, you might respond by saying, “The question refers to an internal decision that we may or may not make, but our choice will always be driven by our desire to serve our customers, employees, and investors.” Explaining the principles of your response allows you to fulfill your obligation to answer the question without revealing information you don’t want to share.
Practice Deflecting Interview Questions
Taking the time to think about and practice answering difficult questions will help you feel more comfortable when you face them. Start by doing some pre-work before the Q&A sessions:
- Think of potentially difficult questions that you can’t or don’t want to answer.
- Identify possible avenues for reframing. For example, features are about roadmap priorities, pricing is about value, etc.
- Have a justification ready to explain why you can’t or shouldn’t respond. Example: regulations, compliance with company guidelines, etc.
- Keep explanations for your stock comments. Example: customer and partner satisfaction will always guide our decision-making; quality is paramount in everything we do, etc.
Next, practice answering potentially difficult questions out loud. You may even want to record your answers so you can listen to them later. Finally, validate your ideas by sharing your potential answers with your colleagues to ensure consistency and support for your approach.
Once you prepare for these types of questions, you can maintain your composure and credibility while staying in control during your Q&A sessions.
So, to handle a destabilizing question in an interview, techniques such as reframing, explaining, or using legitimate constraints allow you to respond without being destabilized. By choosing the right approach, you can transform a delicate question into an opportunity to strengthen your credibility and clarify your intentions.
