How to Answer a Question You Don't Know the Answer To...

[@iGlide112]

Thank you so much for making this video. I always got stuck during interviews and would freeze up and don't know how to answer. I thought your steps were very useful so i watched it before every interview I had. I actively applied your steps and it actually worked haha I could not believe it, and I was able to move on to later stages of the interview process and even landed a job offer. Thanks Jeff

[@jeffhsipepi]

Tim, this is so amazing, I am so happy this video helped and congrats on the new job!

[@goyard9]

Jeff, I have a good job now, but back in the job hunting days, I was going through what seemed like an endless string of interviews. Each new one like the previous. You know, an unending string of more than likely googled interview questions from all the companies. All the stale, cliche questions..."Where do you see yourself in 5 years, tell me about a situation where you had an angry customer, blah blah blah...tell me about your previous employer"...etc. So I basically just had enough of it, and at the last of those interviews, (a very large insurance company) I interviewed with a supervisor, then the manager, who proceeded to start asking the same questions the supervisor just asked. I stopped him and said that I had a couple more interviews lined up this afternoon and to please get my responses from the supervisor, since they were the exact same questions, and if we could please just talk like 2 buddies and maybe get to know each other and see if I would be a good fit that way instead. He was frozen, and it took a minute for him to get his bearings. He agreed, then we chatted for about 10 or 15 minutes. He and the supervisor both kept saying how different their company was from the others, etc, and I said from what I've seen, you guys are not setting yourselves apart much. I ended the interview, shook his hand and told him I would think about things and be in touch if I was interested. Not long after that, I found my current job, which I've had for almost 8 years.

[@jeffhsipepi]

Chris, thank you for sharing your story. Controlling the interview and in this case determining you wanted/needed more from them was the perfect move. I actually did this in one of my Google interviews, we started talking and I said, let's just chat and my interviewer responded positively to that approach. I think you take this path in two cases: one, when you are not getting enough and need more from your interviewer/the company; two, when you build strong rapport with the interviewer and you feel they will be comfortable with you guiding the conversation. This is definitely not something I recommend for everyone, but when the timing is right it can have huge benefits. Thanks!

[@madhu73msp]

Good insights into the interviewing process. Thx.

[@jb9801]

Amazing content, you deserve way more subscribers!

[@jeffhsipepi]

JB, thank you, if you subscribed that is good enough for me!!

[@jb9801]

@@jeffhsipepi yes, I did. You should create a paid course on platforms like udemy. Put words on nice slides and sell the course, it will be a success.

[@jeffhsipepi]

@@jb9801 Funny that you should say that, I am working on a course right now that will be released this fall, a few high-level details can be viewed by clicking this link - www.practiceinterviews.com/interview-course. Thanks!!

[@nicolefrancia7728]

this is so helpful man, thanks!

[@jeffhsipepi]

Nicole, so glad you found this video helpful!

[@lat.k3189]

Thanks for sharing 👍🏽

[@jeffhsipepi]

Lat, absolutely! This is a tricky concept, glad you found this video!

[@nikithaaa8312]

Hi, Can you please make a video on how to prepare for Business Intership with Google?! Thank you!

[@jeffhsipepi]

Nikitha - I created a more generic intern video that would apply for any internship including a Business Internship at Google, I hope this video helps - kzbin.info/www/bejne/n4uTZGuVncdjps0. Thanks!

[@Shounak2411]

Dude, your videos are great

[@jeffhsipepi]

Shounak, thank you so much for the positive feedback!!

[@jaswandichitre9097]

Hi Jeff, awesome video as always, thank you. Couple of things that I wanted to share from my interview experience at a top 5 technology company. The clarifying questions I asked I never got a response on that from any of my interviewers. So yes even though a great technique not many are keen to respond maybe bcos they have many candidates to interview :) any insight that you can share on this.

[@jeffhsipepi]

Jaswandi, really glad you mentioned this item. The goal of clarifying questions is not to get answers (if we do, great), but it is more to demonstrate that we don't jump into the answer and that we are able to explore/provide data before diving into providing a solution. I hope this helps!

[@deepikamalavade3551]

Great content Jeff :) this is something not many people would tell you but you seem have nailed it so well .

[@jeffhsipepi]

Deepika, thank you and good luck!!

[@jaswandichitre9097]

Also I was asked questions which I had not mentioned on my resume as skills and the interviewer had to change his questions at the last minute. There was surely a disconnect between what was shared to them by the recruiter. How can I mitigate such situations going forward. Please advise.

[@jeffhsipepi]

Jaswandi, when there appears to be a disconnect, that is your time to stop the interview and make sure you and the interviewer are aligned. Because at this point, you have nothing to lose, I think when there is a misalignment, candidates try to work through it, better to get on the same track/path right away and course correct. I hope this helps!

[@katedidyk7000]

Hi Jeff! Thank you for a great content! I wanted to ask you about the clarifying questions, as I find it slightly confusing - I see that you mentioned before that those are not necessarily the questions to be answered, but rather to demonstrate our thinking process. However, how to proceed further if the interviewer doesn’t answer my question? Won’t it be awkward to continue asking them? Or maybe you can advise on the specific format to ask these questions without making the interviewer feel obliged to answer them? Thanks a lot in advance!

[@jeffhsipepi]

Kate, yes the cadence is key! This is the flow: -Question - pause. -Group 2-3 questions together. Ask your interviewer if they can clarify or provide anymore direction - pause (longer pause this time because you asked multiple questions) If your interviewer doesn't answer any of your questions, don't worry, I want you to expect them not to answer, then the next step would be: -A few items we would want to consider would be... and go into your framework Follow the CFS Method (Clarify, Framework, Solution) and you will do great. Good luck!

[@katedidyk7000]

@@jeffhsipepi thanks a lot Jeff for such a detailed explanation! It’ll be a great help

[@王一飞-y6q]

this is so helpful ，我收藏啦！

[@jeffhsipepi]

@user-pq7hx9vo3p, yes, this happens and is super tricky, I am glad you found this video helpful!