During the hiring process, the job interview is perhaps the best opportunity for both the employer and the prospective employee to assess how well the applicant's background, skills, experience and even personality will fit into the culture and operations of an organization.

The way a potential hire answers tough, albeit common, questions could determine whether he or she will receive a job offer. The following are some of the trickier questions along with thoughts to consider when facing them.

Why don't you tell me about yourself?
Its difficulty is in its broad simplicity. "This question, which when asked always occurs at the beginning of the interview, is a predictable opportunity to craft an engaging, intriguing executive summary of who you are professionally and why you are there," Monster.com says.

"If you are given this opportunity, turn it to your advantage to establish momentum," the job site continues.

According to CareerBuilder.com (via CNN.com), "Your answers should be a quick rundown of your qualifications and experience. Talk about your education, work history, recent career experience and future goals."

What is your biggest weakness?
Future employers do not want to hear generic weaknesses. So, avoid using "I work too hard and am too detail-oriented."

"The secret to answering this question is being honest about a weakness, but demonstrating how you have turned it into a strength," according to a separate CareerBuilder.com article.

"Respond to this query by identifying areas in your work where you can improve and figure out how they can be assets to a future employer," CareerBuilder advises. "If you didn't have the opportunity to develop certain skills at your previous job, explain how eager you are to gain that skill in a new position."

Why did you leave (or why are you leaving) your job?
Do not concentrate on any gripes you may have about your existing or former employer but on your positive ambitions instead. Being critical of past faults will only make you look petty, BNET says.

"This is your chance to talk about your experience and your career goals, not to badmouth a former boss or give a laundry list of reasons for your exit," CareerBuilder says. "Instead, focus on what you learned in your previous position and how you are ready to use those skills in a new position."

CareerBuilder suggests something along the lines of, "The company simply wasn't a good fit for my creativity, but I learned that organizations have distinct personalities just like people do. Now I know where I'll be a better fit."

These days, "Why were you laid off?" can often be interchangeable with this question.

What are your salary expectations?
"During the interview process, you want to keep the focus on your worth, not your cost," another BNET article says. Avoid discussing salary specifics before receiving a job offer. "If the subject comes up early in the process, politely decline to go into details about past salary and future expectations," BNET advises.

However, if pressed for a specific answer, "give a range" rather than a specific number, Yahoo! HotJobs recommends. Before you even go into the interview, you should have already researched the salary range in your field to have a better idea of the salary for the position. This way, you are prepared when the time comes to discuss compensation.

"When put in a sticky situation, you want to be truthful, but you also want to make sure you are portraying yourself favorably," according to CareerBuilder's The Work Buzz blog for job seekers.

There are many other questions that can be expected for almost any job interview, some trickier to answer than others. Among them:

• Why should we hire you over other applicants?
• Why do you want to work here?
• What is your biggest strength?
• How would your former coworkers or boss describe you?
• What accomplishment are you most proud of?
• Where would you like to be in your career five years from now?
• If you were a car or animal, what kind would you be?

"While there are as many different possible interview questions as there are interviewers, it always helps to be ready for anything," Monster makes clear.

This short video provides bite-size insights on how to answer some of the more challenging job interview questions.

Earlier: Interview Mistakes on Both Sides of the Table

Resources

How to Answer These Tricky Interview Questions
by Kate Lorenz
CareerBuilder.com, Sept. 24, 2007 (last updated)

How to Answer 10 Tough Interview Questions
by Rachel Zupek
CareerBuilder.com (via CNN), March 4, 2009

Answering Tricky Interview Questions
by BNET Editorial

Common Interview Questions (Parts 2, 3 and 4)
by Ian Christie
Monster.com

How to Answer the Toughest Interview Questions
by Caroline Levchuck
Yahoo! HotJobs

Job Interview Questions - Weaknesses & Strengths
Job-Interview-Site.com, May 10, 2009

Job Interview Questions - Weaknesses & Strengths (Part 2)
Job-Interview-Site.com, May 27, 2009

What are Your Greatest Strengths and Weaknesses?
by Carole Martin
Monster.com

Readers' Wisdom: How to Answer Difficult Interview Questions
by Jessica Stillman
BNET, Aug. 3, 2009

Avoid a Common Interview Pitfall
by Jessica Stillman
BNET, July 30, 2009

100 Potential Interview Questions
by Thad Peterson
Monster.com

Answering Tough Interview Questions
by Kate Lorenz
The Work Buzz (CareerBuilder.com), Aug. 10, 2009