| If you can know in advance
some of the key questions your job interviewer will likely
ask you in an upcoming job interview, you can prepare to answer
those questions in a thorough and knowledgeable manner, thusly
impressing the interviewer and helping you to be more confident,
and possibly landing a good job offer.
Below are a list of questions that
history shows are questions frequently brought up in an interview
situation. Please consider the questions and the suggested
strategies for answering those questions.
"Tell me about yourself."
This question can be answered best by
researching the company prior to the interview, then offer
your answer in a way that emphasizes your experience and accomplishments
in terms of the position to be filled and the goals of the
company. Don't be modest and please do take credit for your
own successes, as they relate to the company's goals. You
can use this same question to your own end by asking it of
the interviewer to get the interviewer talking about his own
needs; do that by answering him, "I'll be happy to tell
you about my qualifications, but there's so much to cover
that I'd like to know more about the position and your company
so I can answer more specifically." Then, depending upon
what the interviewer says, you can modify your planned response
to put even greater emphasis on relating your experience and
qualifications to his requirements.
"What are your goals?"
This is a very popular question. For the
interviewer, if the answer exhibits well-thought-out goals,
it shows maturity and a commitment to your profession or business.
Your goals should be both long range goals and short range
goals and they should be in general alignment with the firm
with which you are interviewing. Be ambitious with your answer,
but be realistic.
"What is your greatest strength?"
Again, answer the question in terms of
the position to be filled. Present your skills and experiences
so that you state your greatest related strengths, and support
your claims with illustrations of past accomplishments.
"What is your greatest weakness?"
This is a loaded question because negatives
usually won't score pluses for you on the interviewer's evaluation
sheet. Still, understanding one’s areas of weakness
shows maturity. Offer a job related minor shortcoming or a
"positive-negative" such as, "I've been accused
of being a workaholic." Or, "I've been kidded about
being a perfectionist." Or that you are sometimes accused
of being over organized.
"Why do you want to leave your job?"
Be sure you have a good answer to this
question before going on an interview. Your reason for leaving
a current or past job has to make sense and it should not
come off sounding like it full of the sort of conflict one
experiences in an episode of a soap opera. There are many
good reasons people leave jobs. It might be because of corporate
changes, lack of opportunity or recognition, insufficient
authority, or unsatisfactory earnings. If appropriate, you
might say, "I wasn't thinking of changing jobs. I'm not
unhappy where I am, but I was told this was an opportunity
worth discussing." If you were terminated, or are leaving
because of a personality conflict, be very careful not to
make negative statements about former employers or colleagues.
Explain the situation as factually, simply and briefly as
possible. Then to turn what might be a negative into a positive
you might add, "Despite that problem, I really feel I
learned a great deal in that job and from that company, and
I'm sure I could put that experience to work for you effectively."
"What salary are you asking for?"
You should avoid discussing compensation
on the first interview unless you're actually offered the
job and want to accept it. If the interviewer asks specifically
what your salary requirements are, your answer should be,
"What I'm really looking for is the right career opportunity.
I'm sure you'll make me a fair offer if you want to hire me."
If you are pressed for a specific figure, describe your current
compensation and then add, "I believe on the basis of
what I've accomplished I'd be entitled to some increase, but
I'd rather hear what you think I'm worth to your company."
The questions above are certainly not
the only questions you will be asked in a job interview. But
they count among the most frequently asked questions in job
interviews. Understanding the point of these questions and
having a strategy for answering them in a manner that will
further your job interview goals goes a long way to increasing
your odds of landing a solid career position.
GOOD LUCK IN YOUR JOB SEARCH
Mark Baber has 20 years
experience as an Executive Search recruiter.
Mark is Recruit Consultant to http://www.JobNewsRadio.com
where Jobseekers access 2 Million job transactions, and can
submit their Resumes Free and have them distributed freely
to Employers they choose by industry, vocation, City or Region.
Mark is also Consultant to http://www.smarthiredirect.com
, a low cost, effective recruit, hiring and job applicant
tracking system for recruiters, HR staff and employers at
all levels.
Or, for one-on-one job search assistance
submit your resume directly to Mark via: http://www.recruit-services.com
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