Most jobseekers worry about their subject matter expertise. They are afraid of getting hit with a tricky question at an interview, giving a lackluster answer and looking like an amateur
They worry too much. No one is an expert in everything. If you don’t know the answer to a question someone asks you at a job interview, don’t panic.
Let’s say they ask you how much experience you have with a software program you’ve never heard of.
You’ll smile and say, I’m not familiar with that one. Do you use it here? I’d love to hear more about it.
Sometimes people ask you tricky questions because they themselves want to know the answer. Sometimes they want to talk about their favorite topic, but expertise in that topic is not a requirement for the job you’re interviewing for.
It doesn’t matter why they ask you a confusing or tricky interview question. They might not have a good reason. It’s just a conversation. It’s far better to say I’m not familiar with that, but I’d love to hear about it than to fake your way through.
Remember, an interview is a time and place for two people to figure out whether their interests intersect. You have no one to please or impress. If they don’t get you, they obviously don’t deserve you
