50 Common Interview Questions and Answers Page 19 of 25
Personal Questions
Questions about your personal life can be the trickiest ones to answer. However, it is possible
to control what you reveal, while also presenting a picture of yourself that’s honest,
reassuring and impressive.
Note
Questions about your family status, gender, nationality, religion, or age are
almost always illegal. You can politely decline to answer them – and follow up
later with a concern or complaint, if appropriate. However, personal questions
are sometimes asked indirectly, or simply in an attempt to put you at your ease
– and it’s up to you whether you want to answer them or not.
One useful tactic is to avoid giving specific details, but to ask instead if the
interviewer has a particular concern – so that you can address it. If a question
appears to raise doubts about your age, for example, you could respond with
evidence of your energy, fitness, and commitment to the job.
And a good approach to any queries about your future – about getting married,
for example, or having children – is to say that you haven’t made any decisions
yet, but, for the foreseeable future, you are concentrating on being as
successful as you can in your career.
39. What do you like to do outside of work?
This is a chance to show that you’re a well-rounded person, with a good mix of interests and
the ability to achieve an eective work-life balance. Make it clear that your out-of-hours
interests don’t take up too much of your time and energy. If possible, highlight ways in which
they actually make you better at your job – how they keep you healthy and sharp,
for example, or allow you to use useful new skills.
Pick examples that reveal positive things about your personality, and spell out the benefits –
the way that traveling has given you extra confidence when meeting new people, for
example. Take this opportunity to flag up some key personal achievements, to show your
overall commitment to self-improvement and to reveal the interesting new perspectives you
can bring to the job.
40. How do you achieve a good work-life balance?
Start by defining what a good work-life balance means to you. Emphasize its benefits, both to
you and your organization, and then give examples of how you’ve achieved it.