Accounting Clerk

Review your employment experience. Try mentioning qualifications which are probably the most vital: numeric agility, ability to use computers and calculators, typing skills, ability to maintain files and records with impeccable attention to detail, etc. Mentioning people skills can also help, even if you think the job will be all backroom.

This question creates a great opportunity for you to reiterate your value proposition. If this company didn't already see reasons to hire you, you wouldn't have received an interview. Re-establish those reasons by being prepared to expand on information they already have in your resume and bring focus to those times where your involvement proved beneficial. Additionally, you may point out an area of "pain" you happen to know this company is experiencing and then offer your ideas for a solution.

Some job seekers struggle with this because they're concerned with appearing conceited or overly confident. The interviewer most likely is aware of your strengths already, or you wouldn't have been invited to this interview in the first place. They are simply hoping to hear you verbalize them. Keep your answer apropos to the position for which you are interviewing. Your ability to bench press 300 lbs. will have little impact on your duties as the new accounting clerk.

Take your interviewing skills to the next level by practicing replies to a few unusual questions. In an office team survey, executives were asked to share the strangest questions they'd ever been asked during an interview. Here are just a few they cited:

☛ What would I find in your refrigerator?

☛ What's the last book you read?

☛ What animal are you most like?

Companies have several reasons for asking this question, and often, experts suggest you answer with a prior weakness, and the steps you already have taken to convert it to a strength. You may also consider that some companies want to gain insight into areas where additional training may be necessary when you become a part of the team. Being honest with yourself and the interviewer here will ensure that you don't wind up being placed on assignments you're not prepared to handle. The last thing anyone wants is for those weaknesses to be exposed at an inopportune time, wreaking havoc on the company's goals and your career.

The interviewer will expect you to take some time with an unusual question. A thoughtful answer is better than a rushed one. It's OK to say something like, That's an interesting question. Let me think about it.