Questions at Sony Pictures Entertainment interviews
We analyzed 196 interview reviews for Sony Pictures Entertainment from various job sites, social network groups and forums.
Here are the most frequent job interview questions asked by HR managers during initial phone or onsite interviews. This list does not include technical or factual questions.
16 frequent non-technical questions at Sony Pictures Entertainment:
According to our research, hiring managers at Sony Pictures Entertainment ask soft skills interview questions 2.2x more than at other companies.
1. Tell me about yourself top question
How to answer
Most job candidates expect this to be one of the first interview questions and probably think of it as an “icebreaker” to get the interview started. It is much more than that! It is your opportunity to show the interviewer your relevance for the job. You want the employer to know that you are qualified to do the job, you are interested in doing the job and capable of getting it done.
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About Yourself
What is your current occupation? Define yourself professionally in one statement.
Pick 3 key skills that make you great at your work (your Key Selling Points). How have you applied these skills?
Try to give some numbers to support your statement.
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About The Company
Your first step is to Research the company to find out as much as you can about what they do and their approach to their business and their employees.
Based on what you know about the company and the job description, why are you interested in the position you are applying for?
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About The Fit
Now is the right time to show the fit between your skills and the company's requirements. Your answer works best if you emphasize your relevance. How do you do this? You will have already researched the company, studied the job description to identify their needs and possible pain points and prepared the relevant Star Stories that show how you addressed similar issues in the past. Your next step is to develop your Present-Past-Present approach.
Start with the Present. Focus on the skills and experience from your most recent positions. What has enabled you to get the job done successfully and how this relates to what the employer is looking to accomplish.
Next go back to the Past. Here is where your Star story comes in. Explain how you were able to use your skills and experience to accomplish a task that relates to an area of concern for the employer.
Finally come back to the Present – summarizing the lessons you learned and how they shaped your response and approach today.
Remember, the whole conversation is about the present, not the past. Just one sentence can summarize why your approach works, and its applicability and relevance to this position.
Pro Tip
You can also end with a question like:
“Do you know what the current needs in the company/department are, where my skills and experience can help?”
That can help you learn more about the company and the job, turn the “interrogation” into a conversation and will allow you to relax some tension.
Read our blog post to learn more about how to answer this question.
Statistics
This question is asked 23% more frequently at Sony Pictures Entertainment than at other companies.
2. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
How to answer
This question belongs to a family of behavioral, or even more precisely, reflective questions.
The interviewer wants to learn two things about you by asking this question.
- They want to know what you think about the job you are applying for. Remember, they are interviewing you for the job that's open right now. Are you a good fit and will you do a good job for them?
- Just as important, they want to get an idea of your ambitions and goals for yourself and if your goals align with their needs, especially going into the future.
In this way the employer should see how you see yourself today, and whether you are ambitious and strive to grow as a professional, and whether you like to learn and develop your skills.
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About Yourself
What challenges do you like overcoming? Where are you starting from and where might you be going?
For example, let's say the position you are applying for is junior accountant. It includes a wide range of tasks such as basic bookkeeping, financial analysis, and reporting. If accounting is your chosen field, then you would most likely want to move in the direction of obtaining your CPA so that you might step up to more responsibility as an accounting manager or senior auditor within the next 5 years. Your responses should make sense in how you see yourself growing in your professional career.
However, at this point, if you are happy just where you are and want to further your current skills, that is also fine as long as there is a growth path for you that can be imagined and described.
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About The Company
Research the company to learn what career opportunities may be available in the department you are applying to, and what the trends are in the company in general.
- Is the business expanding, are they opening new locations, or starting new projects?
- Or are they heavily automating and cutting staff?
Let’s say you are applying for a UX designer position for a brand-new product.
In the future, if the product becomes a success - which is what the company hopes for - the company will hire more designers and you may become a lead designer, or you may become a product manager.
On a side note: If you train your mind to be open to opportunities you will be amazed at how much this world has to offer to you!
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About The Fit
And, of course, try to see where the perfect fit lies between your own potential and aspirations, and the company’s trends and hopes.
However, beware of the risk of showing too much excitement for future opportunities compared to your attitude towards the current position.
As we said earlier, you must show interest and enthusiasm for the position you are applying for. If the interviewer senses that you are more enthusiastic about future growth than about the current position, they may conclude that you are not the right person for the job at hand.
Pro Tip
This question gives you a good opportunity to showcase your Key Selling Points (e.g. “As I am very good at delegating tasks, I can easily see myself leading a team of software testers in the future…”), and end your statement by asking about current initiatives and goals at the company.
In thinking about the possibilities that may lie ahead, you also might want to consider taking a personality test (I recommend 16Personalities which is based on the Myers-Briggs test), research the internet on what career paths are possible with your skills and current job.
It is generally NOT a good idea to say something like:
“Oh, I cannot imagine what happens to me tomorrow, let alone in 5 years”.
This will show you as a person who is unimaginative and not forward-thinking enough to grow with and be a good fit for the company.
Statistics
This question is asked 57% more frequently at Sony Pictures Entertainment than at other companies.
3. Walk me through your resume
How to answer
This question is often asked at the beginning of the interview.
The interviewer wants to hear a brief overview, a summary of your professional experience, in order to have a starting point from which they can dig deeper.
Structuring your answer wisely gives you a good chance to emphasize your Key Selling Points and to channel the conversation in the direction you want.
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About Yourself
Print out your resume. For each of your recent job experiences (at this point do not go back more than 5 years), write down 3-5 key points at which you feel you are strong.
For example, for your current (or previous) job, you may want to list skills like “Excellent presentation skills,” “Employee Engagement guru,” “Analytical skills,” “Attention to detail” (they don’t have to be all soft skills, but being aware of at least a few of your strong soft skills is important). Make sure you have examples for each of your statements.
If you have difficulties to think of these points, search online for job descriptions for similar job roles, and figure out which of those keywords appeal to you. Look for people on LinkedIn that have jobs similar to the one you are applying for. Their profiles often contain many keywords that you can use in response to this question.
Now that you’ve gone through all your recent experiences, are there any points that repeat more often than others, or are especially important to you? These are candidates to be your Key Selling Points -highlight 3-5 of them.
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About The Company
Research the company and the role for which you're being interviewed. When researching the company, find out what skills and qualities they value the most. Carefully consider the job requirements. What is it that you will be responsible for?
Now, write down 3-5 keywords from the job description that you find of utmost importance for this job role.
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About The Fit
Try to establish the match between your own highlighted keywords, and those of the job description. These are your Key Selling Points! You should normally limit yourself by 3-5 such keywords or phrases.
Now, craft a story based on your career history. You don’t have to go in chronological order - you can start with your current or last job experience, and then go back to your previous ones, or focus on just the experiences that are relevant to your story, and only briefly mention the less relevant ones and only if needed.
Select one point to highlight for each phase of your career. Make sure you ingrain your Key Selling Points in the interviewer’s memory - after the interview is over, you want them to remember you as someone who is strong at XYZ, or experienced in A, B and C.
It's okay to focus more on stellar achievements and brag a little bit about them.
Pro Tip
Don't bore the interviewer by going through your resume line-by-line.
Instead, WOW them by succinctly (keep it within 2 minutes) telling a story of how your career path has brought you to this point and how you are the best candidate for this role.
Super tip: The more you practice with Mr. Simon, the better you'll be at telling WOW-worthy succinct stories!
Statistics
This question is asked 7.3x more frequently at Sony Pictures Entertainment than at other companies.
4. Why did you leave your last job?
How to answer
This question may be a little touchy for some people, but it's a question asked by interviewers, to find out why you left, in order to better understand how you may or may not make a good fit with their company.
Remember, never speak ill of your old company (this will not go over well).
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About Yourself
There are a number of reasons why people leave or plan to leave their jobs. One very important recent factor has been the impact on jobs and job security due to Covid-19 and all of the issues raised by remote vs. on-site work.
Regardless of the causes, there are three possible reasons that you left your last job or are planning to leave your current job:
- You are looking for a career change
- You are unhappy with your current employment
- You were let go.
Whatever the reason, it's best to always speak in a positive light.
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About The Company
Based on your research about the company and the position you are interviewing for, what do you like most about the company? What excites you about the work as it is outlined in the job description?
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About The Fit
Let's take a closer look at how you might respond to each of the three reasons for leaving your last job.
1. You were let go
You should simply state the facts (e.g. the company was downsizing, your position was eliminated, your department was offshored, etc.). Focus on the positive. You might want to share your accomplishments at your previous employment by relating a pertinent STAR story if you feel that would be relevant.
2. You are looking for career advancement or a career change
In your response you should be upfront, honest and as enthusiastic as you can be about the position. Consider using the Present-Past-Present method when giving this answer. Start with the Present by describing a career goal that is important to you. For instance you are a data analyst applying for a data management position and you are ready for this move. Then go back to the Past to indicate that at your previous job, there were little or no promotional opportunities in your field. Then come back to the Present and say that you are ready to take on the manager role and know that you will do an outstanding job for the company.
3. You are unhappy with your current employment
Sometimes a job just isn't going to take you to the next step in your career.
Keep two things in mind when answering this question, 1) never "bad mouth" your current employer and 2) focus on the postive when speaking about the job and your reason for wanting to leave.
The following is an example of how this question might be answered. This individual was looking to move up to a project manager position and did not feel that her current employer was the right place to achieve her goal. You might find her answer helpful in crafting your own response.
"I really like my job as assistant project manager and love working with all of my coworkers on the team. However, the way the department is set up there is no real path to promotion. There are currently 3 project managers and they are all relatively new in their jobs. As far as I can see, they are all doing a good job and opportunties for promotion may not be opening up in the foreseeable future."
Her comments were positive and her reasoning was clear and consise. Always try to keep your reasons positive and try not to create an impression that you were unhappy with the way you were treated.
Pro Tip
Whatever the reason you are looking for a new opportunity, make sure you are able to show how you are the perfect fit for the job for which you are interviewing!
Statistics
This question is asked 73% more frequently at Sony Pictures Entertainment than at other companies.
5. What is your greatest weakness?
How to answer
This question ranks as the most challenging for many people. Fortunately, Mr. Simon is here to help!
Interviewers are not out to trick or trap you! They ask this question to gauge your level of self-awareness, your honesty and openness, and your capability for self-improvement.
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About Yourself
No one is perfect and your interviewer doesn't expect you to be perfect either.
While it is good to be honest and open, it will not help you to put yourself down.
What's important is to find a weakness that you have overcome. How you turned what might be considered a negative into a positive.
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About The Company
Research the company (website, social media, etc) to learn about the company culture.
What personal and professional qualities do they value?
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About The Fit
This is the time to clearly state a true weakness that you have overcome.
Be as specific as possible and stay away from vague cliches like “I work too hard.” It would be difficult for anyone to try and explain how they overcame a weakness like that
Mr. Simon emphasizes the Present-Past-Present method of responding to behavioral questions. When you are asked about your greatest weakness, you should be able to successfully use this approach as well. Here is an example of how someone might answer this question.
Present - "I have always had a fear of public speaking, and believe this may have held me back in my career, especially when having to make presentations to management."
Past - "Last year I learned about Toastmasters International and decided to join this group to help me gain confidence in myself and improve my ability to present to others in just about any situation."
Present - "By overcoming this weakness I believe that it has made me a much stronger candidate for this position, someone you can count on to make presentations to management, conduct training and communicate at a high level."
It's important to show how well you've overcome a weakness by motivating yourself and learning a new skill to grow professionally.
Pro Tip
Use this question to sell yourself!
Statistics
This question is asked 17% less frequently at Sony Pictures Entertainment than at other companies.
6. What is your favorite movie? What do you like about it?
How to answer
What are interviewers looking for with this question?
Perhaps, the question is just an icebreaker, one that gives the interviewer a chance to get to know you better, to see where your interests lie.
Or it’s more likely they want someone who is intelligent, can think on his/her feet and has varied interests all of which might be reflected in your answer about a favorite movie.
They are mostly looking for your reaction to get a better sense of who you are.
Asking this question, they try to understand if you would be a good fit and if they would want to spend their time working with you as a person.
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About Yourself
- What film left a lasting impression on you, one that you have watched and enjoyed over and over?
- What was particularly interesting (or useful) that you found in it?
- Were there scenes that moved you, or moments that left you at the edge of your seat, or situations that changed your way of thinking for the better?
If you think carefully, this seemingly unimportant question may tell the interviewer a lot about how you will fit the company, based on your interests.
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About The Company
Do your research about the company.
Read carefully the “About Us” page of their website and the job description.
Is your personality a match for the company culture?
If you know exactly who you will be interviewed by - find his/her profile on social networks – maybe you will find his/her interests and even names of films the person likes. It will be a more successful interview if you have common interests with the person who interviews you.
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About The Fit
Do not look for ideal answers because there are none.
Unless you have a particular film that is your absolute favorite that clearly reflects on your tastes and personality, there are few people that can think of only one such movie.
For most of us a better (and more realistic) answer would be to say something like
“I enjoy many different movies and cannot pick out just one. I really like watching adventures like the Indiana Jones and Star Wars series, but I also like some of the older classics like the Maltese Falcon and the Wizard of Oz.”
This will let the interviewer know something about your tastes and may lead to further conversation.
Pro Tip
Remember: you are who you are. Be honest, enthusiastic, and passionate with your answer.
People who are passionate about things are interesting for hiring managers.
Statistics
This question is asked 19.5x more frequently at Sony Pictures Entertainment than at other companies.
7. What experience do you have in this field?
How to answer
This question may help you convince the interviewer how smoothly you would fit into the position to which you are applying. It's your chance to WOW them! Be sure to focus on the experience that is relevant to the company and position.
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About Yourself
Start with defining your Key Selling Points you want to emphasize for this position.
- What job experiences brought you to those points?
- What were the job titles and the most relevant responsibilities?
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About The Company
Do your research of the company and the requirements for the position.
- What is the company looking for in terms of experiences and qualifications?
- What problems are they trying to solve with this position?
Most importantly, make sure you are able to highlight and speak about at least 3-5 of your key experiences that match up with the requirements listed in the job description.
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About The Fit
Using the Present-Past-Present method is a perfect way to answer this question.
Starting with the Present, speak about your experience as it relates to one of the key requirements in the job description. You might say "I noted that the job description requires experience in employee training and this is an area in which I have a great deal of knowledge and skill."
Then go back to the Past to describe how you improved overall training of staff from 82% to over 97% within your first year on the job. Senior leadership took note of this accomplishment for which you received a company commendation.
Finally, come back to the Present to describe how you will help ensure that the company maintains the highest possible compliance with all employee training requirements.
Nowadays, every hiring manager wants results, so think in terms of specific achievements and try to structure your example accordingly.
Pro Tip
When telling your story, remember to talk about your STARs!
S - What was the Situation?
T - What was your Task?
A - What Action did you take?
R - Talk about the Results.
Statistics
This question is asked 56% more frequently at Sony Pictures Entertainment than at other companies.
8. Tell me about your work experience. What was the most interesting?
How to answer
This question lets an interviewer gauge what makes you tick and whether the job you are applying for corresponds with your areas of excitement and enthusiasm. Such a fit will earn you important points for being a viable candidate.
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About Yourself
Review the details that you shared in your resume. Select the three to five best points to highlight and relate to the position to which you're applying.
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About The Company
Carefully research the company and the job description.
Find out what duties you'll be taking on to determine which of your top skills to emphasize. Try to find out what current challenges they are trying to solve by opening this vacancy.
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About The Fit
Knowing the duties for which you will be responsible will help you identify which prior experiences to highlight.
How well you connect your previous experiences with the job requirements can tell the interviewer how prepared you are for this role and how enthusiastic you will be about your job.
Pro Tip
Do not start your answer with "as you can see from my resume," even if you have listed those skills and qualities.
Instead, tell a story showing that you can solve problems similar to their current challenges and that you are enthusiastic about this.
You can best do this through constant practice of your STARs.
Statistics
This question is asked 2.4x more frequently at Sony Pictures Entertainment than at other companies.
9. Tell me about a difficult work situation and how you overcame it
How to answer
Everyone faces some awkward, difficult, and possibly even dangerous situations on the job once in a while.
The interviewers aren’t asking you this question to remind you about any stress you have experienced in the past or so that you can complain about your old job. They are asking you this question to see how you handled the situation.
It says a lot about you as an employee and as a person. They want to know how you will deal with an unprepared situation that might arise during your work tenure.
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About Yourself
Try to think of a time when outside forces created a stressful situation.
- What was the context?
- What was the challenge?
- Did you step in?
- Were you able to create a solution that could make everyone happy?
- What did you learn from that situation?
- How would you handle this situation should it happen again in the future?
Avoid examples that make you seem indecisive or uncertain, and keep your answer positive.
This is your chance to show that you have problem-solving skills. Showcase these skills using the STAR method, which will help you effectively organize your response when answering this type of question.
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About The Company
Do your research about the company. What challenges and kinds of situations may you face in your new role?
Read carefully the job description and the list of responsibilities required.
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About The Fit
Do your best to ensure your interviewer that you are a person who can identify, isolate, and solve problems.
Ultimately, it doesn't matter how big of a difficulty you had with any particular project. What really matters is the process of how you overcame that difficulty and whether you are capable of handling difficult situations in the future.
Choose your example wisely: if you're looking at a team leader or manager role, it might be better to talk about a people issue rather than technical.
If you're looking at a developer or architect role, then highlight something more technical.
Name your soft skills as well, such as project management, dealing with difficult people, pushing back requirements that were inadequate, etc. Talk only about your fits which are relevant to the job you want to get.
Pro Tip
Any company would prefer to hire a mature person, capable of rising above complex situations.
Therefore, make it a point to describe a situation in which you utilized your strong personal and professional skills. Emphasize how the situation helped you grow in different aspects of life.
Statistics
This question is asked 4.1x more frequently at Sony Pictures Entertainment than at other companies.
10. Describe the most challenging work problem you faced in your last job
How to answer
Everyone faces problems in the workplace, it’s how we deal with them that matters most.
The problems you faced in your previous workplace actually tell future employers a lot about your problem-solving strategies and abilities.
You can expect that some employers – especially those that consider themselves high stress or those that are replacing someone that struggled with problem-solving – are going to ask you questions about workplace problems to learn more about how you reacted.
It’s a complicated question to answer because different people handle challenges in different ways.
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About Yourself
So, how should you talk about your strategy to approach tough situations?
Try to think about the actual most challenging thing you did, or just pick something that was really difficult, but you succeed at it in the end.
The situation should be real. Perhaps you went above and beyond to meet a tight deadline while taking over the responsibilities of a coworker who was out sick? Or you took a course, completed an online training, or attended seminars on a topic that was new for you, but necessary to match your qualifications to the position's requirements?
Make sure your story isn't boring: interesting is a keyword here. Use the STAR method to demonstrate your positive approach to problem-solving.
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About The Company
Take a moment to consider the role and the daily tasks you’d be engaged with.
- What kind of problems might come about?
- What difficulties can you possibly encounter because you will be working directly with clients or in a big team?
- Do you have to communicate a lot, or would problems be more technical in nature?
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About The Fit
Your answer is an opportunity to highlight your fit for the role and the work environment.
This question allows the interviewer to reflect on how you handled past challenges and use this to make predictions about your future capabilities. It might help them to realize you’re a good fit.
When employers ask such questions, they are looking for some specific details relevant to the job.
For example, if you are interviewing for a customer service role, highlight how you’ve managed to deal with a difficult situation in customer service.
On the other hand, if your future role would be very technical, you might talk about a technical challenge you’ve overcome.
Pro Tip
Sometimes it is hard to come up with “Big” challenges but that does not mean you never had to face down a problem.
I’m sure that you have solved problems in the past, you might just have to dig deep to come up with a few that you resolved to make your point.
Statistics
This question is asked 4.4x more frequently at Sony Pictures Entertainment than at other companies.
11. What were your responsibilities in your last job?
How to answer
This is a good opportunity to demonstrate that you have experience or knowledge suitable for the job you are applying for.
Even if you have never done exactly this specific kind of job, usually you should be able to name a few “transferable” skills that you used in your previous work assignments that are quite easily applicable to the position you are applying for.
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About Yourself
Remember your last (or current) job and compile a list of things you had to do while working there.
If you don’t know where to start, picture your typical working day at one of your previous jobs, or college day if you are applying for your first job ever.
Describe the categories of tasks in bullet points. Then, try to remember the less ordinary tasks you had to do as well, and add them to the list.
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About The Company
Research the company and the job description.
- What do you expect to be doing in this job?
- How would your performance be measured?
List a few items in bullet points.
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About The Fit
Choose a few task categories that seem like a match between your experience and the requirements of the current position. Think of a couple of relevant examples to illustrate your experience.
Craft your stories using the STAR method.
Pro Tip
Optionally, you can end with a question like “Does this correspond with the expectations for this role? Could you give me an example of what is expected from a successful candidate within the first, say, 3 months?"
That can help you learn more about the company and the job, turn the "interrogation" into a conversation and will allow you to relax some tension.
Statistics
This question is asked 2.4x more frequently at Sony Pictures Entertainment than at other companies.
12. What was the biggest mistake you made in your most recent job? How did you handle it?
How to answer
It’s important to know how to answer a job interview question about mistakes. They ask questions like this to learn how you handle challenges. They also want to determine your weaknesses, and decide if you have what it takes to do the job well.
It’s a chance for the interviewer to see that you can learn from your mistakes and use the experience to get better.
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About Yourself
Do your best to tell a positive story about how the mistake was made, how you dealt with it and what learned from it.
We all make mistakes from time-to-time.
Answering some of the following questions will help you understand your own view of dealing with mistakes and their consequences. For instance:
- How do you use a mistake to improve your abilities?
- Are you self-aware enough to acknowledge failure and weakness?
- Do you take smart risks?
- How do you view success, failure, and risk in general?
- Do you take responsibility for past mistakes instead of putting the blame on others?
- If the situation repeats, what would you do differently? What would you do again?
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About The Company
Before the interview, look over the job listing, research the company. Try to think of a mistake you have made in the past that is not too closely related to the requirements of the job you are interviewing for.
What kind of challenges might you face if you get the job here?
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About The Fit
It’s your opportunity to emphasize the skills or qualities you gained from your past negative experience that are important for the job you’re interviewing for now.
Put a positive spin on your response by defining the “mistake” as a “learning experience” that led to your increased competency in the workplace.
Talk about a specific example of a time you made a mistake. Briefly explain what the mistake was; quickly switch over to what you learned, or how you improved, after making that mistake.
You might also explain the steps you took to make sure that mistake never happened again. Say that something you may have struggled with in the past has actually now became one of your strengths.
Pick a story that ends with a compelling example of a lesson learned. Tell your story using the STAR method.
Pro Tip
Make absolutely sure that the interviewer understands that you learned from the experience.
Never blame others for what you did (however, if you were part of a team failure, you could relate this experience, just be sure to own up to your part in it).
Always be accountable for what you could have done differently in the failure.
Demonstrate that you’ve had the maturity to benefit from previous “lessons learned” and you can move on with increased wisdom and competency.
Statistics
This question is asked 4.0x more frequently at Sony Pictures Entertainment than at other companies.
13. What negative thing would your last boss say about you?
How to answer
This question is another way of asking “What is your greatest weakness?".
Interviewers ask this question to gauge your level of self-awareness, your honesty and openness, and your capacity for self-improvement.
Understandably, people might be intimidated by this question; it's because the question refers to your shortcomings. Fortunately, Mr. Simon is here to help!
You can be fairly sure that the interviewer will ask this question sometime during the interview. Just as with your STAR stories, you should have a “weakness” story ready to relate, so be prepared.
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About Yourself
While it is good to be honest and open, it will not help you to put yourself down. What's important is to focus on a weakness or shortcoming that you have overcome.
Be certain not to mention something that is vital to (or related to) the position for which you are applying.
Think of something that may have been noted by a past supervisor that was, perhaps, mentioned in your performance reviews as a developmental area.
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About The Company
Research the company (website, social media, etc.) to learn about the company’s culture. What personal and professional qualities do they value?
Carefully check the job description to avoid speaking about any past weaknesses that may touch upon key areas of responsibility for the position that you are applying for.
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About The Fit
Despite what may seem to be a negative question, you can actually turn this into a positive one! You do this by stating a negative trait or a weakness, unrelated to the position you are applying for, and explain how you have either already overcome it or are working to improve it.
Be careful with your choices, if you mention any weaknesses that are needed to be successful in the position you are interviewing for, you probably won’t get hired!
For example, if you're applying for a front-end developer position, do not talk about how you are taking classes to improve your HTML coding skills. Even if you think you are succeeding in your studies, this will look to the hiring manager to be a shortcoming on your part.
Pro Tip
Use this question to sell yourself! Show how well you've overcome a weakness by motivating yourself and even learning a new skill to grow professionally.
Statistics
This question is asked 4.8x more frequently at Sony Pictures Entertainment than at other companies.
14. What makes you unique?
How to answer
Essentially, this question really means "What makes you an exceptionally good candidate?"
Interviewers ask this kind of question to understand what specific skills or qualities help you to stand out from the other candidates. They want to see the evidence of strengths and soft skills you might not have included in your resume or application, but that will help you do well on the job.
It's a chance to provide the interviewer with insight into how you'd be the best candidate for a role, proving you're someone who can think on your feet.
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About Yourself
Remember, unique does not mean “quirky” or “odd.” It means the skills, personality traits and other attributes you have developed over the years that make you “YOU.”
Think about your creative skills. Maybe you combine both logical and emotional aspects at work to solve problems? Show that you are not afraid to take risks and try something new.
It’s time for you to remember your best qualities and share the examples from your background, which highlight what you like about yourself as well as your level of confidence.
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About The Company
Research the company and review the skills listed in the job description to see how well your unique attributes relate to the job requirements.
The more you know about the organizational goals of the employer, the better equipped you’ll be to connect your unique attributes to the job. It can be helpful to think of what’s special about you and how those characteristics will enable you to make a strong contribution to the organization.
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About The Fit
Prove that you're a good fit for the job and that you are compatible with the organization’s culture. Always keep it relevant to the position you are applying for.
For example, for a management job, you might want to demonstrate communication skills, strong leadership or a willingness to take risks.
For a job in finance, you might focus on your discretion or your meticulous attention to detail.
If you previously worked at a small startup and now you want to transfer to a large corporation, it's important for you to mention how the experiences gained at that company have prepared you to take on the tasks at the new company and have given you a “leg up” over other candidates.
Pro Tip
While it's important to share an example or two of what makes you unique, be sure to keep it brief. You don’t want the interviewer to think your unique quality is “talking too much.”
Mention that you always try to find the creative approach to non-standard situations.
Providing strong examples shows the interviewer that you're results-driven. Never use generic phrases like “I’m a hard worker” or “I’m a perfectionist” to answer their questions.
Statistics
This question is asked 4.7x more frequently at Sony Pictures Entertainment than at other companies.
15. What are your current professional goals?
How to answer
This question is your chance to show yourself as a focused and results-oriented person (and this is exactly who you are, aren’t you?)
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About Yourself
Define up to 3 goals. Think about each goal:
- Why is it important to you?
- What are you doing to achieve it?
Imagine a company where you would like to work, ideally. How can working in that company help you achieve your goal? And what about the opposite - how can the company benefit from your reaching your goal?
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About The Company
Based on the research you did on the company, what are their current goals and initiatives? How would its goals and initiatives help lead you to achieve your goals?
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About The Fit
From your list of goals choose the one with the most synergy between yourself and the company. Explain how your professional passions will help the company achieve its success.
Craft your story around these 4 points:
- The Why: Why is this goal important to you, what makes it so exciting?
- The What: What steps are you taking to reach your goal?
- What’s in it for you? How can this company and job role help you reach your goal?
- What’s in it for them? How can the company benefit?
Pro Tip
Try to validate your assumptions by asking the interviewer what they think.
For example, you can end your answer with this question: “And do you know what current goals the company/department is trying to achieve?”
It can help you learn more about the company and the job, turn the "interrogation" into a conversation and will allow you to relax some tension.
Statistics
This question is asked 2.0x more frequently at Sony Pictures Entertainment than at other companies.
16. Tell me about the most fun job you ever had
How to answer
This question lets an interviewer gauge whether the job you are applying for corresponds with your areas of excitement, passion, and enthusiasm.
It provides a telling glimpse into the commitment of you as a potential employee.
Interviewers ask this kind of question to understand how well you work with others and what qualities (such as collaboration and teamwork) help you to stand out from the other candidates.
They want to see evidence of strengths and soft skills you might not have included in your resume or application, that will help you do well on the job.
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About Yourself
Remember a time when you worked with special pleasure and felt most comfortable and determined.
- What kind of work was it?
- What made it interesting for you?
- What emotions did you have working on it?
- How did it help you on a personal level?
- Who did you participate with? Were you satisfied with your team?
- Did you learn something new from the experience?
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About The Company
Research the company and the job description. What duties will you be taking on?
Try to find out what challenges you will face there and what they value in their employees.
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About The Fit
When you are asked this question, you need to be focused.
Keep the answer short and professional.
Use the opportunity to talk about an instance of accomplishment, highlighting enjoyment derived from working with coworkers from a past project or job.
An expression of enjoying collaborative work or meeting new people often clues hiring managers into your abilities to adapt well in team-oriented or customer-centric environments.
Focus on aspects of learning and growing as an individual and working with a group of professionals on the job to impress hiring managers and demonstrate a fun yet serious attitude toward work.
Discuss a successful project you enjoyed completing, or a seminar you attended that offered different learning activities and interactive presentations.
Using the STAR method, relate specific experiences from a specific job, and if possible, tie it into the new position.
Pro Tip
Don’t hesitate to include emotions to your answer –you should show both enthusiasm and passion!
Statistics
This question is asked 8.6x more frequently at Sony Pictures Entertainment than at other companies.
You don't have to be alone in your job search!
Mr. Simon invites you to join the Friends of Mr. Simon Meetup Group that supports both individuals seeking their next job role and working professionals. Members of our network come together to learn and practice new skills and network with others through our regular interactive events where they establish meaningful connections and have a chance to promote their personal brand and stand out in the marketplace.
Group membership is free of charge, courtesy of Mr. Simon.
Join our Friends of Mr. Simon Meetup Group to become part of our growing and supportive community!
This page has been updated on February 23, 2024.
