Two Interview Questions You Must Be Ready to Answer

On a job interview recently, I was struck by a couple of questions that threw me back to my pageant interviews. I realized then that no matter what job you are going for, there are two questions that you must have a clear answer to. Whether you are getting ready for nationals or seeking that state or regional title, realize that you are competing for a job and to have a competitive edge you must be able to answer the following two questions:

Why do you think you are the best choice for this job?

In case you are unclear, the job I am referring to is that of the Titleholder - be it Miss Teen, Miss or Mrs. International. The best way to deal with this question is to understand why you want this particular job. Why do you want to be a titleholder for this particular pageant? For me the answer is simple. “The International Pageants is above all other pageant systems in that they believe that a titleholder should truly be working on her platform.”

The next thing you need to do to answer this question is to examine and identify at least two things that make you a great fit. For example, “Being an actress, I am comfortable in front and behind a camera, and people find me very approachable. This really helps when I do my community service because I am able to connect with and impact a lot of people from all sorts of background.” Interestingly, these factors actually came in handy during my reign as I appeared on interviews at KTLA5 and most recently at CNN Philippines.

What would you do during your reign?

Whatever job you interview for, one of the questions you should be able to answer is the first thing you would do in that job, whether it be the first week, the first month or in this case the year. I had a very clear plan when I went to nationals on what I would do as a title holder and when it came up during the one on one interview, I was able to outline it exactly to the judges.

My platform was Literally Literacy and I was going to work with 3 organizations - Jumpstart, Yellow Boat of Hope and Buildon. When I won my state title I was working with Jumpstart which was a national organization promoting early education. I felt it was important going to the national competition with a plan to bring my platform internationally which was why I had already developed a plan to work with Yellow Boat of Hope and with Buildon before I even got to nationals. Having said that, whether you win the title or not, you should keep your word and do what you say you are going to do.

I am proud to say that I met all the goals I had set when I first won Miss Teen International. I completed the Read for the Record campaign with 200 books purchased and 400 readers. I raised $10,000 for Yellow Boat of Hope and delivered it to them on my advocacy tour to Sitio Lipata, a remote village in the Philippines. Finally, I traveled to Haiti with Buildon to build a school there. Originally, I had planned to build a school in Managua, Nicaragua but unfortunately the political situation made it unsafe for Buildon to send us there. Hence, we went to Haiti instead.

Think what your answers to these questions are and if your answers come from your heart, you don’t even have to worry about remembering what to say. Good Luck!!!

One book, one child can change the world.

Carly Peeters