|
INTERVIEWING
Selling yourself is what the interview is about. This can be difficult if you are not normally in a sales position. Think about what makes a good sales person. They know their clients past, present and future. They know their product and how it can be of use to their clients. They are confident and honest and can find the benefits of every situation. They have a positive attitude and their clients enjoy meeting with them. The first thing you must do is make sure you have a positive attitude. If you do not, make a list of your strengths and focus on what you have to offer. You may want to invest in motivational tapes and literature by Zig Ziglar, Anthony Robbins, Les Brown, Peter Lowe, and others you can find in the business section of book stores and the library. You must have self confidence and a positive mental attitude! The next step is information gathering. Find out as much as possible about the company. See if you can get last years annual report and if Human Resources or Marketing has any company information packets. Look them up on the internet and in the library. The more you know about the company the better prepared you will be to ask and answer questions. Be professional in dress and manner. Always be polite to everyone you meet at the company. It can cost you the job if you are not respectful of the people you meet, even if they are not interviewing you. Always dress neat, conservative and more professional than you normally would working at the company. It is better to be overdressed than too casual. Navy or black suits are always the best choice. Arrive at the company ten to fifteen minutes early for your interview (earlier if you will need to fill out an application). You may want to bring your information you gathered to review while waiting for your interview. Use the time you are waiting to get more information about the company. Notice the people passing through the lobby. How are they dressed? Are they enjoying their job? What type of person works for the company? If possible talk to the receptionist and find out information about the company. How long have they been there? What do they like about the company? Do they have any pointers on interviewing with the people who you are meeting? Have a firm handshake (but not rough) and smile and make eye contact when being introduced. Notice your surroundings and comment if appropriate to relax the interviewer. Be prepared for questions in the interview. Some sample questions will be on the following pages. Make sure you are comfortable with them. You may want to practice with a friend. Be direct with your answers and tie information to the question by using examples of how you applied your answer to specific situations. Do not ramble or talk too much, but do communicate your answers completely. Make sure you remember to tell the employer how you would benefit their organization. At the end of the interview make sure you find out the next step and ask for the job. Follow up all meetings with a thank you note. This will allow you to emphasize information in the interview and to re-state positive reasons why you believe the position fits you and what you could bring to the company. Again, say you look forward to the next step and would like to work for the company. Leave the company with an image of you that is positive, enthusiastic, focused, polished and convinced. You must be outstanding enough to be memorable. TIPS FOR INTERVIEWING
You have one opportunity to make a good first impression. Research the company and the position. Get a good night's sleep. Dress for success. Be early for your appointment. Bring a copy of your resume and information for application details. Do not bring anyone with you. Remember the four P's which are Positive, Prompt, Professional and Polite. The three A's employers look for are Attitude = 70%, Appearance = 20% and Ability = 10%. Remember the two S's which are Smile and Self-confidence. Keep eye contact during interview. Show enthusiasm and excitement. Find a common link to break the ice. Answer all questions in a positive manner. Indicate your flexibility and eagerness. Do not argue with the interviewer. Never bring up personality conflicts or discuss confidences of your previous employer. Stress your qualifications, stability, reliability and good attendance. Use short, vivid, descriptive words. Show confidence. Be honest about what you can do for the company. Know your weak points and be objective and demonstrate that you are capable of a realistic appraisal. Follow up with how you are improving or compensating for your weak points. Stay on track. Ask questions to clarify if you don't understand. Spend time listening as well as talking. Do not bring up salary or benefits. Do not chew gum or smoke and avoid carbonated beverages. Have a pencil and paper handy. Know when the interview is over. If it's a match ask for the job. Send a short thank you note. Follow up with the appropriate calls and inquiries discussed in the interview. Prepare for your next interview. 200 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 1. Tell me about yourself. 2. Why did you leave your position? 3. What excites you in your current job? 4. What are your career goals? 5. Where would you like to be in five years? 6. What are your greatest strengths? 7. What are your greatest weaknesses? 8. Why do you wish to work for this firm? 9. Where else are you seeking employment? 10. Why should we hire you? 11. What are your long-range and short-range goals? 12. When and why did you establish these goals? 13. How are you preparing yourself to achieve them? 14. What motivates you? 15. How would you describe yourself? 16. How would a friend describe you? 17. How would a supervisor describe you? 18. How would a co-worker describe you? 19. How do you determine or evaluate success? 20. What do you think it takes to be successful in our company? 21. In what ways do you think you can make a contribution to our company? 22. What qualities should a successful manager possess? 23. Describe the relationship that should exist between a supervisor and employees working for them. 24. What two or three accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction? 25. In what kind of work environment are you most comfortable? 26. How do you work under pressure? 27. What would be the ideal job for you? 28. What interests you most about this position? 29. What do you know about our company? 30. What are the two or three most important things to you in your job? 31. Are you seeking employment in a company of a certain size? Why? 32. What criteria are you using to evaluate the company for which you hope to work? 33. Do you have a geographical preference? Why? 34. Will you relocate? 34. Will you travel? 35. Are you willing to work overtime? 36. What major problem have you encountered and how did you deal with it? 37. What have you learned from your mistakes? 38. What can you do for us that someone else can't? 39. Please give your definition of the position for which you are being interviewed. 40. How long would it take you to make a meaningful contribution to our firm? 41. How long would you stay with us? 42. Your resume suggests that you may be overqualified for this position. What do you think? 43. What is your management style? 44. Do you feel that you have top management potential? 45. What do you look for when you hire people? 46. Have you ever had to fire people? What were the reasons and how did you handle the situation? 47. What do you think is the most difficult thing about being a manager? 48. What important trends do you see in our industry? 49. What have been your five most significant accomplishments in your current/last position? 50. Did you think about leaving your present position before? If so, what do you think held you there? 51. What do you think of your boss? 52. Describe a few situations in which your work was criticized. 53. Did you change the nature of your job? 54. What improvements did you make in your present position? 55. If you could choose any company, where would you go? Why? 56. What do you feel this position should pay? 57. Do you have any objections to a psychological test? 58. Do you speak to people before they speak to you? 59. What was the last book you read? Movie you saw? Sporting event you attended? 60. Are you creative? 61. How would you describe your personality? 62. Do you consider yourself a leader? 63. If you could start your career again, what would you do differently? 64. What career options do you have at this moment? 65. How successful do you think you have been so far? 66. How do you know about this job and organization? 67. What else should I know about you? 68. What are your expectations of your future employer? 69. Who has had the greatest influence on the development of your career? 70. Would your supervisor be surprised to learn that you are seeking new employment? 71. How long have you been looking for a job? 72. Have you received any offers so far? 73. How far can you advance with your current employer? 74. If you are so happy where you are, why are you looking for another job? 75. How does this job compare with others you've applied for? 76. What causes you to lose your temper? 77. What two adjectives best describe you? 78. What are your best professional skills? 79. If you were in my position, would you hire you? 80. What were the biggest pressures on your last position? 81. How do you cope with stress? 82. Describe your manager's style. 83. If you could make one constructive suggestion to your last CEO, what would it be? 84. What are the most repetitive tasks in your job? 85. To what extent have you automated your last job? 86. What decisions or judgment calls did you have to make? 87. Can you give a ratio for the amount of time you worked alone and with others? 88. How effectively did your boss handle evaluations? 89. How many hours a week did you find it necessary to work to get your job done? 90. Can you describe a situation where a crisis occurred and you had to shift priorities and workload quickly? 91. How do you feel about your present workload? 92. How do you think your supervisor will react when you tender your resignation? 93. Describe the most significant report or presentation you had to prepare. 94. What idea have you developed and implemented that was particularly creative or innovative? 95. Tell me about a team project of which you are particularly proud and your specific contribution. 96. Describe the way your department is currently organized. 97. What has been your most important work-related innovation or contribution? 98. What caused you the most problems in executing your tasks? 99. How do you organize and plan for major projects? 100. How do you plan your time? 101. What are three reasons for your success? 102. How do you train employees? 103. What were the biggest decisions you made in the past six months? 104. How did you go about making them and what alternatives did you consider? 105. Describe one of the best ideas you have ever sold. What were your approach and results? 106. How do you know you are doing a good job? 107. How do you prefer to measure performance? 108. What qualifications do you have to make you successful in this field? 109. Do you prefer to speak with someone or send a memo? 110. How do you motivate people? 111. Give an example of a situation in which you failed and how you handled it. 112. What characteristics are most important in a manager? How have you displayed these characteristics? 113. Describe a leadership role of yours and tell me why you committed your time to it. 114. Have you been in charge of budgeting, expenses and departmental progress against financial goals? 115. What suggestions did you make in your job to cut costs, add profits, improve morale, increase output, etc.? 116. What results did you get? How did you know? How did you measure results? 117. Can you think of an example of a lesson you learned from someone else's mistake? 118. What risks did you take in your last few jobs? What was the result of those risks? 119. What do you do when you are having trouble solving a problem? 120. Describe the people that you hired on your last job. Did they work out? 121. How do you use deadlines in your work? 122. How did your supervisor get the best performance out of you? 123. Give me an example of some approaches you used when persuading someone to cooperate with you? 124. Tell me about a time when you handled a difficult situation with a co-worker. 125. Tell me about yourself using only one-word adjectives. 126. What have been the biggest success and biggest mistake of your career? 127. What was the most useful criticism you ever received? 128. Describe the best person you ever worked for or who worked for you. 129. If your boss could wave a magic wand over you, what aspect of your performance would be fine-tuned? 130. Please rank the following from most important to least: duties, hours, location, pay, work environment. 131. What do you do when things are slow at work? 132. How important is it for you to learn new skills? 133. What is more important to you: the salary or the challenge? 134. Do you generally clear your desk at the end of each day? 135. I'd like to hear about what you want to be when you grow up. 136. Would you rather formulate a plan or carry it out? 137. What was the last business or management book you read and what did you learn? 138. What strategies do you use when you have a great deal of work to accomplish and not much time to do it? 139. Do you anticipate problems or react to them? 140. Would you describe yourself as a risk taker or someone who plays it safe? 141. What problems do you have getting along with others? 142. What kinds of people do you prefer to work with? 143. What kinds of people do you find difficult to work with? 144. Tell me about a time when you said no to someone who asked you to drop everything to help out. 145. How do you operate as a team player? 146. How do you deal with people with different backgrounds and value systems different from your own? 147. What good or bad work habits did you pick up from your first job? 148. Describe your approach to evaluating risks. 149. What is one thing a teammate can say that is guaranteed to make you lose confidence in him or her? 150. Have you developed any special techniques for brainstorming? 151. Are you able to predict a people's behavior based on your reading of them? 152. As a member of a team, how do you handle a team member who is not pulling his or her weight? 153. What's more important to you, truth or comfort? 154. At what time is it better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission? 155. Have you learned more from your mistakes or your successes? 156. Is honesty always the best policy? 157. How has your tolerance for accepting mistakes from your subordinates changed over the years? 158. You want to go swimming in a pool. The water is a little colder than comfortable. Are you the type of person who jumps in or do you wade in? 159. How will you handle the least interesting or pleasant tasks of this job? 160. Your supervisor tells you to do something in a manner you are convinced is wrong. What would you do? 161. What do you want to hear first, the good news or the bad news? 161. If you were on a magazine cover, what would the magazine be and what would the headline say? 163. What kinds of things do you worry about? 164. Is the customer always right? 165. What is the most significant compliment anyone has ever paid you? 166. Are you the type of person who likes to make lists or strike items off lists? 167. What's the difference between a manager and a leader? 168. How can we best reward you? 169. What are some of your pet peeves? 170. How do you define employee morale? 171. What programs have you implemented to build morale? 172. How do you keep your staff informed of new developments? 173. How did you prepare for this interview? 174. Which spreadsheet programs do you prefer to work with? 175. Describe a problem that you solved using employee involvement? 176. How do you feel your subordinates would describe you as a delegator? 177. What specific behaviors do you think contribute to your effectiveness as a supervisor? 178. How important is it for you to move up in management? 179. How would you compare your oral skills to your written skills? 180. What's one thing that should never be communicated in a memo or e-mail? 181. Tell me what you have learned about reducing employee turnover. 182. Describe a situation that required you to use fact-finding skills. 183. How many projects can you handle at a time? 184. In what ways have you improved in your capacity for planning? 185. Do you have a favorite interviewing question? 186. How do you maintain discipline within your department or team? 187. How do you keep abreast of new development in information technology? 188. Do you have any questions? 189. When can you start? 190. May I contact your present employer and references? 191. When will you know it's time to leave this organization? 192. How do you handle rejection? 193. Were you ever dismissed from a job for a reason that seemed unjustified? 194. What kinds of things do you worry about? 195. Can you name three new skills, techniques, or methodologies you learned in the past twelve months? 196. Are you generally lucky or unlucky? 197. What do you do when your boss loads you down with a great deal of work and not enough time to do it in? 198. What do you do when there is a decision to be made and no procedure exists? 199. How would you finish this sentence: "Most people are basically...?" 200. Is there anything else I should know about you?
QUESTIONS TO ASK THE EMPLOYER What is the last person who had this job doing? What are the job responsibilities? What skills are the most important for the job? What kind of training is provided? What is the company's history? What are the company's goals? Where does the job lead? What is the management style of the company?
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF Do I understand the job responsibilities? Will I have meaningful responsibilities that can be measured? Will I be visible to key people in the company? Does the position fit with my goals? Is there an opportunity for advancement? Does the personality of the company fit with mine? Can I work with this supervisor? Is the company growing and profitable? How does the company rank compared to its competition? What can I contribute to the company? Is the job location within a comfortable driving radius? If moving to another location, does the change in salary fit with the difference in the cost of living? What would the company need to provide in order to accept an offer? Do I really want this job?
QUICK THINKING Here are some ideas to help you "think on your feet" in an interview: 1. Attitude is everything. 2. Pause to think. Take a deep breath and consider what you want to say. 3. Consider your audience and keep in mind what they really want to know. 4. Organize your thoughts. In most cases, you should begin with the most important point and then give information that backs up your point. 5. A step-by-step description is helpful if you are explaining how to do something. 6. Think quickly. Remember these basic points:
| Employers | Job Seekers |
|
You made it! The company liked your background and now you have the opportunity to tell them more. Are you ready for that first meeting? This information should help you to sell yourself to a prospective employer and find out enough about them to know if you are sold on working for them.
