iPhone App Reviews

SwipeQ Interview

Michael (Admin) | Sep 1, 2009 Business

User rating: (3 votes, average: 2.33 out of 5)

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Need to sound intelligent at job interviews even though you’re a total buffoon? There’s an app for that!

I have to confess that I haven’t actually used this to prep for an interview, but for some reason I found SwipeQ Interview interesting so I took it for a spin. SwipeQ is an interview prep tool that provides sample answers and rationale for 150 different interview questions that actually get asked by really annoying HR people. (HR = Human Resources, for the first-time job hunters)

Interview questions are neatly divided up into seven different categories: Basics, Career Path, Teamwork (ugh), Qualifications, Communication, Work Product, and Brainteasers. Technically your entire interview is one giant brainteaser (how do I get this complete stranger to give me $50,000 a year?) but you get the idea. The name of the game here is Be Prepared, just like a Boy Scout… except the old lady sitting across from you doesn’t need any help crossing the street. Her goal is to make you look like a complete fool!

150 interview questions might seem intimidating, or to some it may not seem like enough, but they really run the gamut from common-yet-intelligent questions to common-yet-totally-unfair-and-borderline-stupid queries.

For example:

Q: What motivates you?

In your head you’re thinking “sex… and money”, but that’s the WRONG answer! The right thing to say is that you’re motivated by being the best at what you do and exceeding your personal goals. Duh, you idiot! It’s really a pretty fair question to be asked, but answering this kind of head-scratcher can be pretty hard if you haven’t anticipated it.

Another common question in SwipeQ Interview is “what’s your greatest strength” but unfortunately I didn’t find an answer to the question I’ve personally been asked more often which is “what’s your greatest weakness” (again, sex and money). I’m guessing you don’t want to say “I work too hard” or “I care too much”, but that’s just a guess! Hopefully SwipeQ will add more questions in future updates to address user feedback.

When you really decide to dig into this app’s questions, you can do so in a nice, orderly flashcard format or you can shuffle the questions so the flashcards are as unpredictable as your interviewer’s mood when you park yourself in the hotseat. Another great feature is the ability to add your own questions; most of the stuff in this app is geared towards very corporate environments, but if you’re interviewing in a field where special circumstances are often brought up the custom questions will come in very handy.

The sample answers and logic provided for each question in SwipeQ Interview may not be exactly what your interviewer wants to hear, but my general survey of the answers leads me to believe that they’re better than anything you’ll come up with on your own. I mean that in all sincerity… whoever wrote this thing definitely did their homework and, if BS’ing your way through interviews isn’t something you’re great at, this app will help you immensely.

I wouldn’t recommend whipping out your iPhone during an interview so that you can explain how you react to criticism, but carefully combing through SwipeQ Interview’s cache of questions and at least getting cozy with the underlying logic of the sample answers just might land you the job that you’re pining for in these trying times. $2 for this app? Unless you’re applying for a job at Taco Bell, two bucks is a miniscule investment for what could be the difference between getting hired and getting evicted.

iTunes Link – SwipeQ Interview
Version 1.0
Reviewed on iPhone 3G OS3.0.1