Ex-Amazon, Deloitte HR executive shares 3 tips for candidates appearing for a job interview: 'It goes a long way'

Teresa Freeman's tips can help candidates recover from a difficult situation, and impress potential bosses. (Representational image: Unsplash)

Teresa Freeman has 25 years of experience as a recruiter for companies like Amazon and Deloitte, and she acknowledges that sometimes, questions asked during a job interview can stump even the most confident and experienced professionals. Speaking to CNBC Make It, the career coach and former HR executive shared three tips that can help candidates recover from a difficult situation, and possibly impress potential bosses simultaneously.

1.) Repeat or reframe the question

Freeman suggests repeating or reframing the question back to the interviewer so that you understand what they are really asking for. “Sometimes you don’t know how to answer, or you may think you don’t know because you didn’t hear it right, or the way it was framed,” she told the publication.

2.) Redirect to a related topic

After reframing the question, if you still have no idea what the person is asking about and you can’t answer the question directly, you can try to redirect the interviewer with a related thought or example of your expertise, Freeman said. Suggesting an example, the former Amazon recruiter added, “I understand you’ve asked me about a time where I’ve demonstrated complex data analysis for a client. While I may not have done that, specifically, I did organise and provide data consolidation for a project for this company or this client as an intern.”

3.) Show your eagerness to learn

Suppose you still don’t have any experience adjacent to what the interviewer is asking about. In that case, Freeman recommends turning that into a conversation about how it’s something you’re eager to learn about.

Giving another example, the career coach added: “So if someone says, ‘Tell me about a time you ran a complex data analysis process,’ you can say to them: ‘Unfortunately, I haven’t had the experience yet, but I’m eager to demonstrate and strengthen these skills, and I understand this is a really important part of the job. I understand from the job description that the person in this role will get to do that often, and I’m a quick learner and I’m really excited about that aspect of the job.’”

The senior recruiter explained that framing your eagerness in that way lets the interviewer know you understand the job description and are enthusiastic about the role. “You’re helping me as the interviewer understand, ‘Oh, she wants this job,’” Freeman added. If candidates display positivity, energy, and interest, “it goes a long way.”