Having strong answers for interview questions depends on a number of factors. One of the key factors that is sometimes overlooked is authenticity. Do your responses give the interviewer a good sense of who you are and what you are about?

Job seekers sometimes forget about this concept of authenticity. Instead, they provide overplayed and generic answers that they think the interviewer wants to hear. These are answers like, "I’m a hard worker," "I’m a team player,” or "I have great attention to detail."

Such cookie-cutter answers are better than saying nothing, but every interviewer has heard these responses a number of times. Consequently, the interviewer doesn’t learn much about what makes this job applicant different from the next one. The interviewer also doesn’t know whether the interviewer is a hard worker or is just saying something that seems like a good interview answer. As a result, the interviewer is likely to dismiss this applicant.

So, what do you do if you really are a hard worker? You have a couple of options.

First, you can give examples to prove it. For example: "I work harder than other people. In college, I always took six classes, and never settled for a grade less than an A-" or "Being an architecture student, the norm was to do one or two all-nighters per week. I know how to work hard."

Alternatively, you can use less overplayed language that explains what makes you a hard worker. For instance: "I am someone who will dive headfirst into difficult problems and who only stops working when the problem has been solved." Or, as another example: "At this point in my life, my work comes first. I will put in whatever hours are needed to get the job done."

As you prepare answers for various job interview questions, think about how your responses can be less cookie-cutter. Focus on examples from your past that demonstrate your abilities, and come up with language that you feel comfortable with, that authentically represents you.

What should your resume, your cover letter, your interview answers and your elevator pitch have in common?

Numbers.  Numbers are one way to prove that you are the real deal. And, they can seriously change your job search. Let me explain.  

Here are some typical examples of phrases that individuals use in job searches, and where a few numbers would make a difference:

"Improved company sales"
Was that by $500 or five million dollars? By 2% or 20%?

"Revitalized school, resulting in improved academic performance"
Did student academic achievement improve by 1/10th of a grade level or two full grade levels? Did graduation rates improve by one student or 100?

"Implemented stroke recovery best practices, expediting rehabilitation"
Did the stroke sufferers recover a day faster or a month faster? Did they return to 60% of pre-stroke functioning or 90% of pre-stroke functioning?

As you can tell, adding numbers makes your arguments a lot more persuasive. You move from being vague to being specific. More importantly, you move from seeming like a big talker to a big doer, someone who produces results.

If you are like many people, you're saying,
1.    "Numbers don't really apply to me," and
2.    "Even where they do apply, I don't know the exact numbers and I don't want to say something that would be dishonest."

Let's dispel each of these.

Below are ten tips to having more effective answers to interview questions. While these tips are pretty simple, making mistakes on simple things could mean missing out on the job offer.

Tip 1 -  Make sure you know how to pronounce the name of the company. Search for YouTube videos or double-check with the security guard or receptionist to make sure you say it right in an interview.

Sun Tzu and the Art of Interviewing: Advice for an interview from history’s greatest strategist.

When you’re seeking advice for interview, there are various experts you can reach out to, especially to learn interview strategy and tactics.  It seems only fitting to see how history’s possibly best-known strategist could help today’s job seekers ace their next interview. Over 2,200 years ago, Chinese military adviser Sun Tzu wrote his treatise, The Art of War. Whether or not the current version also includes the work of other generals is a point of contention, but the strategic advice it provides has demonstrated its value time and time again.  Below you will find some quotes from this work and its applications to the job hunt.