You’ve done all of your homework: you’ve studied the company’s website and thoroughly researched their industry. You’ve polished your interview techniques and practiced talking about your experience from every possible angle until you can do it in your sleep. You’ve rested up, had a good breakfast, and arrived to the interview on time. Now you’re sitting tall and alert, and you seem to be making a great connection with your interviewer. All is going so well . . . and then it happens. The dreaded “stumper” suddenly creeps across your path and completely trips you up! 

The “stumper” is any question that stops you in your tracks, and can threaten to derail your interview. Even though you can’t prepare for the content of the stumper, with the proper interview techniques you can prepare for encountering a stumper in the first place.

Here are some tips to help you do that. 

Interview Techniques for when you don’t understand the question

 Ask the interviewer to elaborate on the question, or give an example of what he or she means. More information may help you understand what end result the interviewer is looking for, and is much better than plunging ahead with an answer that doesn’t truly fit. Your interviewer will appreciate you taking the question seriously enough to give an answer that helps them. 

Interview Techniques for when your mind simply goes blank

This is normal – it happens. Silence during an interview is not only ok, it’s also one of the most effective interview techniques. (Refer to the article:"Awkward Pauses": Good or Bad during an Interview?  ) It’s acceptable to ask for a moment to think. It’s also alright to ask to come back to that question at the end of the interview to give yourself a chance to think about it in the back of your mind. Make a note, and be sure to address the question later. 

Interview Techniques for questions from left field

 Sometimes an interviewer will ask you a question that seems to have nothing to do with the job at hand. Just because may you don’t see how the question relates, don’t skim over it lightly. He or she may be curious about the breadth of your knowledge outside of their industry, or may simply want to see how your mind works. Answer the question as thoroughly as possible.

Interview Techniques for inappropriate questions

Interview techniques work both ways, and interviewers are not always up to par with theirs. If your potential employer asks you a question about your age or family situation, try to give an answer that creatively promotes your skills without directly answering the question. For instance, you can play down questions about age by saying something like:  “Even though I’m fairly young, the experience I gained at xxx would be beneficial…” or “I’ve lived enough years to gain valuable experience in xxx…”  Most interviewers will pick up your queue and back down. If the question is even more sensitive (such as regarding your sexual preferences or religion), it’s acceptable to politely say that you’d rather not share that private information, and gently guide the interview back to the skills you can bring to the job.

 Encountering the dreaded stumper is not the end of your chances to win the job. Use these interview techniques to climb gracefully over this obstacle and continue with your interview on its original path. Visit this link to understand more about this tactic: How to Answer Difficult Questions in Job Interview 

“Tell me about a time when you had a conflict with a boss or co-worker.
How did you handle the situation?”
“What kinds of things make it difficult for your to do your job?”
“Why are you leaving your current job?”

In asking this type of question, interviewers are trying to find out
how you deal with difficult situations and whether you are able to
solve problems constructively. Also, they want to learn about your
personality, and how you react to negative situations.

Here are some presentation skills and tips for projecting a positive attitude even when answering the most difficult questions:

Use Positive Body Language

It’s hard to project positivity when you’re slumped in your chair,
not smiling, or listless. Sit up straight, smile pleasantly, and look
alert and enthusiastic. These small actions are some of the most basic
presentation skills that go a long way in helping you put your best
foot forward.

Choose Stories that Have a Good Ending

It’s okay to take a moment to formulate your best answer. Think
through where your example will end before you begin the story, so you
don’t talk yourself into a negative outcome. (For more information
about pauses and silences during an interview, click here .)

Balance the Bad with Some Good

In every example you give, be sure to include some redeeming
quality. For instance, in explaining how a lack of information impeded
your progress during an important project in your last job, you can
mention that as a result you learned about a little-known website that
was very helpful and that you were able to share it with your
co-workers.

Be a Problem-Solver

Don’t just talk about the problem. Demonstrate your problem-solving
skills by explaining how you turned the negative situation into a
positive one.

Never, Never, Never Bad-mouth Anyone!

No matter how you feel personally about the story you’re telling, or no
matter how much the other person was a fault, it is a big mistake to
say anything negative about another person. This can make you sound
like you may be likely to badmouth people in your new job. Even worse,
your potential employer may wonder if you might speak this way about
him or her if you leave this job. The best policy is to just present
the facts objectively, and then use your presentation skills to apply
your positive spin.

Another favorite question interviewers like to as is, “When you’re in a bad mood, how does it show?” 
Your first inclination may be to answer that you’re more quiet than
normal, or you keep to yourself. However, this tells the interviewer
that you may be prone to letting your personal life interfere with your
work. The answer to this question should be, “It doesn’t!” (And then, when you get hired, be sure you follow through with this answer!)

Interviewers do not expect you to be perfect, or to never encounter
difficulties. However, they do want to know that you react to and deal
with adversity in a constructive way. So use these simple presentation
skills to put a positive spin on negative situations, and you’ll excel
at answering these difficult interview questions.

In our fast-paced society, with a constant stream of information, talk,
and even just “white noise” flowing around us at all times, we are
trained to feel the need to fill the empty spaces. And when these
pauses happen, especially during a job interview, most people’s first
thought is that something has gone dreadfully wrong with their
communication skills.

But this is not always the case. Pauses and silences are not
necessarily a breach in the communication skills of either the
interviewer or the interviewee. Instead, they are a necessary part of
processing information effectively, and can even be an indication that
the interview is going well!

Here are some examples of “healthy pauses” and how they can be used successfully during an interview.

• If the interviewer asks you a difficult question, it is
  perfectly fine to ask for a few moments to think about your answer.
  Most likely, the interviewer will be impressed that you are taking the
  time to carefully formulate your best response.
• If the
  interviewer is taking notes, give him or her time to write between each
  question. The fact that the interviewer is writing down your answers
  and their impressions means that they want to remember them – and
  that’s a good thing.
• Sometimes the interviewer may need a
  moment to think about your answer to a question. He or she may be
  considering an idea that hadn’t occurred to them until something you
  said triggers it, and may come up with a follow-up question or two that
  will help reveal something unique and useful about you in relation to
  the job at hand that would not come out if you nervously “fill the
  spaces”.

Some additional tips for using pauses and silence:

• Practice being comfortable during pauses. Learning to use
  silence effectively is as important to cultivating effective
  communication skills as what you say.
• Use this time to look
  around the room and find ways to “make a connection” with your
  potential employer (click here for more information on this technique).
• Don’t
  be alarmed if the interviewer does not respond to your questions. Most
  interviewers are trained to remain neutral, and do not want to give an
  indication of how the interview is going at this time.
• If
  the interviewer pauses after an answer and is not taking notes, it
  could be a signal that your answer was not quite what he or she was
  looking for. It’s ok to ask if you misunderstood the question, or
  whether he or she would like you to elaborate.

As awkward as pauses and silences may feel to us naturally, they are
actually a vital part of effective communication skills. Try to retrain
your reaction to them, and use pauses to your advantage in your next
interview.

Another advantage of this interview technique is that it can help the
interviewer understand more about you personally, and how you interact
with people. If your job is people-facing, this can be an important
determining factor. Also, aside from your qualification and experience,
another important consideration for your interviewer is how you will
likely fit in with other people in the office.

Even if you are not particularly good at making small talk, this is
still a skill that you can learn. Here are some tips for using this
effective interview technique to weave in conversation that will help
you connect on a personal level with your potential employer.

• Look for Clues

Look around the
interviewer’s office for any personal effects that might open the door
to a connection. For example, if you see a photograph of a very large
family gathering, you comment on it and mention that you, too come from
a large family (if you do). Find something in the room that you can
personally connect with, and then make a casual and sincere comment
about it.

• Listen for Cues

The skill of listening is
just as important an interview technique as presenting yourself well.
If your interviewer seems uncomfortable talking about personal
information, follow his or her lead. You do not want your attempt to
feel forced or fake. However, if a conversation does develop, do not
take the reigns: let the interviewer remain in control of the
interview.

• Cost your Line

Once you have developed a
personal connection with your interviewer, use it as “bait” you cast
out with your line. For example, if you’ve discovered that you both
have read a certain book, offer to send an interesting review you found
recently. And here’s an extra-special tip: you can use this interview
technique if you haven’t actually read a review! Thanks to the
internet, you can always do some quick research and find one later.
Think creatively, and find some chance to follow up after the interview
is over

• Follow up

To
continue the fishing analogy, don’t forget to “reel in” the bait you
left, and actually follow through on the offer you made. The purpose of
leaving the bait was so that you would have a valid excuse for
contacting your interviewer again, which further cements you in his or
her mind. Send the materials you promised

You never know – even if you are ultimately not chosen for the
position, making this connection may still be valuable to you if
additional positions become available with the company. And making
yourself stand out in the interviewers mind may help them remember to
recommend you to other hiring parties within their company or even
external contacts in his or her network.

So give this little-known interview technique a try in your next
interview. Making a personal connection with your interviewer may just
be the thing that tips the scales in your favor over other candidates
with the same skills and experience. I think you’ll find that it
increases your chance of winning a job position that is an excellent
fit for you.

First, one good tactic is to ask to meet the following day. Then be prepared; your boss may want to meet right away instead. This can be a critical point in your favor as it shows your preparedness under stress. Next, when you have the meeting let your body language enforce your words. Hold yourself confidently, keep your hands steady, and make eye contact.

Requesting a raise or a leave of absence requires excellent negotiation skills. For a raise, bring to the meeting evidence of both your growth as an employee and ways that you benefit the company. Bring past reviews and stress your improvements. If you can’t show evidence of your professional growth, don’t expect a favorable response. Your strength is in your value to the company.
A leave of absence always leaves the company in a strained position. You should be able to show why you need the leave and know how long you will need. This helps the company plan for both your absence and return. Also, if possible, offer suggestions for and assistance in facilitating the transition of your work responsibilities during your absence.

Getting a promotion requires the same negotiation skills as a raise or time off. Here though, you want to stress the benefit to the company in giving you the higher position, and not just the benefit to you. Show how your current position has prepared you for the promotion. Don’t stress seniority or fairness. Stress how areas of your current position have prepared you for the advancement, and how that will save the company money in hiring and training a new employee.
The last negotiation skill you should bring into the meeting is to keep the meeting on track and within the timeframe requested. This shows your professionalism and respect for your boss’s time.