Gap Interview Preparation Guide

We all have fears. It's okay to discuss them. Just don't dive too deeply into them. Discuss how you would work to overcome your fears. You don't want to seem weak. You want to acknowledge it's out there but that you'll be able to work through it.

If you want to show your fun side, discuss your extracurricular activities. If you want to show your ambition, discuss the work / school projects you do in your spare time.

Again, this question could get you in trouble so tread carefully. Some good answers might be that your previous job didn't provide any room for growth, that you were laid off due to a mandatory reduction in staff, that they closed their office in your state and required you to relocate, etc. Make sure not to mention anything negative about the people you worked with, the company in general or the job itself.

Cite your role models (possible examples could be your parents, people successful in the industry, world leaders, etc)

The key is to show that you put a lot of thought (weighing out the pros and cons) but were able to be decisive. Be sure to explain your logic in arriving at the decision.

While your CV will say a lot about your work history In Gap, the interviewer will most likely look for greater detail with questions such as this. Be positive about previous experience, highlighting your own strengths.

This is typically a straightforward question that merits a straightforward answer. Do you have strong worth ethic? Will you do whatever it takes to make sure the job gets done? Just say so in your response. Keep it short, direct and positive.

First ask yourself that question before the interview - what are your priorities? Are money and success actual one in the same goal for you? If not, what's more important based on how do you define success?

You could discuss the company's vision, culture and solutions/services as reasons for wanting to join it.

Show that you set great goals and the process and steps you took to achieve it. Details really matter here.

You want to first understand why the policy was put into effect. From there, if you truly disagree with it, explain your position to your management. If they don't change it, then you must accept their decision and continue to work or the alternative decision would be to find a new job.

Try to talk about a book related to the industry, for example, if you're applying for a role related to business, cite a business book.

First, find out what the root of the problem is. Second, determine the best steps to remediation with the best possible outcome. Third, take action to put remediation plans in place.

Some jobs require employees to work under stress, and some interviewers just like to see how applicants handle stressful questions.

There are many questions designed for putting the interviewee into an awkward situation, or throwing them off, to see how they do under stress. Here are some samples.

1. How do you feel this interview is going In Gap?

2. How would you handle undeserved criticism from a superior?

3. How many other jobs are you applying for?

4. What would you do if you saw a colleague stealing supplies or equipment?

5. What did you do when you had a boss you didn’t get along with?

6. What would you do if a colleague took credit for your idea, and got a promotion?

7. Was the stress of your previous job too much for you?

8. What would you do if a colleague admitted to lying on their resume to get the job?

9. What would you do if a customer verbally insulted you in front of co-workers?

10. What would you change about the design of a baseball hat?

11. Why were you fired from your previous job In Gap?

12. How successful do you think you've been so far?

While discussing this, be sure to stress specific examples of what you bring to the company. Good qualities include resolve to fulfill job responsibilities, optimism, and a desire to be as efficient as possible while at work.

Be completely honest and thoughtful with this one. You don't want to wake up one to find out that you're moving to a new city or state and it may be a major factor in your eligibility for employment. But again, if you don't want to move then the job probably isn't for you.

Be open to sharing hobbies and activities that you enjoy. Make sure you're genuine about it and don't list off things you don't really like because if they ask you a follow up question it'll be harder for you to answer.

For this question, the interviewer wants to know what you do in a situation that doesn’t have a clear answer. This will help the interviewer know how you respond to unforeseen challenges.

I've always been motivated by the challenge – in my last role, I was responsible for training our new recruits and having a 100% success rate in passing scores. I know that this job is very fast-paced and I'm more than up for the challenge. In fact, I thrive on it.

Possible methods:
Talking to them, emailing them, sharing best practices in meetings

Here being specific is probably not the best approach. You may consider responding, “I hope a very long time.” Or “As long as we're both happy with my performance.”

This would be the first question asked in any interview. Therefore, it is important that you give a proper reply to the question regarding your education. You should have all the documents and certificates pertaining to your education and/or training, although time may not allow the interviewer to review all of them.

Do not belittle or talk badly of your last boss - it will come off as being petty. Instead, talk about the positive lessons you were able to learn from your last boss.

Use your knowledge of the job description to demonstrate how you are a suitable match for the role.

If you have a professional network, discuss it detail (# of contacts, people you know, their positions and what you've learned from them or how you've worked with them). If you don't have one, discuss how you would develop one (career fairs, networking events for that industry, through your existing friends, etc)

OK, if you get the admittedly much tougher follow-up question as to why you were let go (and the truth isn't exactly pretty), your best bet is to be honest (the job-seeking world is small, after all). But it doesn't have to be a deal-breaker. Share how you’ve grown and how you approach your job and life now as a result. If you can position the learning experience as an advantage for this next job, even better.

Ideally you can handle all three well, but you may have a personal preference for one or a few. The key is to make sure you understand what the job is looking for and to pair your answer with that (assuming it's true)

Make you give an example where you discuss details and metrics. For example, I was a tutor in my last job and mentored 5 students on their SAT test taking skills and raised their scores by 15% on average after a 3 month teaching stint.

Think back to the classes that either resonated with your passion or truly helped you to develop skills that you believe will help you in your career. Talk about those.

List three attributes that you aspire to attain / build in the next few years - and then explain how you would develop those.