Job Interview Questions

In the Career Service's four-step plan to rethink your career after redundancy, the first step is simple: "Know yourself."

"Know what you have to offer - your skills and attributes," says northern regional manager Dale Bailey.

"Often people's identities are tied up in their current occupation. They may not realise that the skills they used in their old job could be transferred to a new setting."

Transferring resources from one setting to another is what a recession is all about. It is capitalism's painful way of shifting capital out of low-profit businesses, which are the first tofall over in a downturn, into more profitable fields. And many workers have no choice but to shift too.

Recognising this, job interviewing techniques have also become much more general, probing people's broad attitudes and behaviours rather than their narrow technical skills.

`How would you describe yourself?"

"Why would you be an asset to our company?"

If you're preparing for a job interview, regardless of the job, don't expect to be asked broad, open-ended questions like these. Employers today aren't interested in hearing job candidates talk about themselves in general terms. With no time or money to waste on hiring incompetence, employers instead are asking questions that require candidates to provide evidence of their ability to handle specific on-the-job situations and challenges.

Thus, "competency-based interviews are quickly gaining popularity among hiring professionals as the most effective questioning strategy to identify and hire the right people," notes career consultant and columnist Linda Matias.

The secret to acing such interviews, says Matias, who is also author of "201 Knockout Answers to Tough Interview Questions: The Ultimate Guide to Handling the New Competency-Based Interview Style," is to recognize and speak well of your accomplishments. To come up with diverse examples to draw upon, she encourages candidates to dig into their past and to "think small."

"Interviewers do not expect you to provide extraordinary examples every time," she says.

But they do expect well thought-out answers. "Think SOAR," says Matias. "First, set up the Situation or Obstacle you encountered; next, explain the Action you implemented; and finally, close with the Result."

Instead of resume writing, the first step in your job search is career planning. For example, you may need to know if you want to find a job in academic, industry, or even start your own company. You also need to have a long term vision in your mind to guide yourself. Government statistics show that average American has more than 10 jobs in his lifetime; and ten years from now, half the working population will be in jobs that have not yet been invented. Without a clear vision in your mind, you may easily get lost in job market. After all, even if you get your perfect job, how long can you keep it?

Your career planning can all boil down to your self-analysis. You can ask yourself some questions like "What kind of person am I", " What kind of person do I like best to work with", "What kind of knowledge and skills do I have" and "What's the most important things for me in a job?" etc. Be honest to yourself and take some time to reflect on it. You may not really know what's your perfect job until you first do some self-exploration like this.

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First, let's look at some terms. A job is a collection of tasks and responsibilities that an employee is responsible to conduct. Jobs have titles. A task is a typically defined as a unit of work, that is, a set of activities needed to produce some result, e.g., vacuuming a carpet, writing a memo, sorting the mail, etc. Complex positions in the organization may include a large number of tasks, which are sometimes referred to as functions. Job descriptions are lists of the general tasks, or functions, and responsibilities of a position. Typically, they also include to whom the position reports, specifications such as the qualifications needed by the person in the job, salary range for the position, etc. Job descriptions are usually developed by conducting a job analysis, which includes examining the tasks and sequences of tasks necessary to perform the job. The analysis looks at the areas of knowledge and skills needed by the job. Note that a role is the set of responsibilities or expected results associated with a job. A job usually includes several roles.

Typically, job descriptions are used especially for advertising to fill an open position, determining compensation and as a basis for performance reviews. Not everyone believes that job descriptions are highly useful. Read Dr. John Sullivan's article listed at the end of the following links. He points out numerous concerns about job descriptions that many other people have as well, including, e.g., that too often job descriptions are not worded in a manner such that the employee's performance can be measured, they end up serving as the basis for evaulation rather than performance, etc. Read the following links to buid your own impression.

Here's where you can learn about the three-step process for successfully writing your college admissions essay.

A collection of resume and cover letter samples for college students seeking internships, including:

• Analyst Internship
• Broadcasting Internship
• International Internship
• Law Internship
• Marketing Internship
• Project Internship
• Research Internship

Sample resumes for college students and recent college grads, including:

• Financial Services Jobs Resume and Cover Letter Samples
• IT jobs Resume and Cover Letter Samples
• Marketing Jobs Resume and Cover Letter Samples
• Sales (Including Pharamceutical Sales) Jobs Resume Samples
• Artist Job Resume and Cover Letter Sample
• Biotech Job Resume Sample
• Healthcare Job Resume and Cover Letter Sample
• Management Job resume sample
• Public Relations Job resume sample
• Travel Job Resume and Cover Letter Sample
• Internship Resume and Cover Letter Sample

More than 90 high-quality job-search resumes, including:

• Resume Samples For Established Job-Seekers
• Resume Samples For MBA-Level Professionals
• Resume Samples For Management and Human Resources Professionals
• Resume Samples For Operations Management Professionals
• Resume Samples For Professionals in Engineering, Science, and Information Technology (IT)
• Resume Samples For Creative Design Professionals
• Resume Samples For Finance and Investments Professionals
• Resume Samples For Sales, Marketing, Business Development, and Public Relations Professionals
• Resume Samples For Training, Organizational Development, and Consulting Professionals
• Resume Samples For Professionals in Association Management, Nonprofits, and Social Services
• Resume Samples For Law and Government Professionals
• Resume Samples For Executive and Senior-Level Professionals
• Text Resume & Resume Addenda Samples

A variety of career networking and interview follow-up letters, including:

• Networking Letters
  • Letter Requesting a Job Shadowing Experience
  • Letter Requesting an Informational Interview
  • Referral Letter Requesting an Informational Interview
  • Letter Attempting to Revive Network Contact
• Follow-Up Letters
  • Follow-Up after Job Interview Rejection
  • Follow-Up after Interview and Rejection
  • The What-Did-I-Do-Wrong Letter
  • Job Offer Acceptance Letter
  • Declining Offer Letter
  • Rescinding an Accepted Job Offer Letter
  • Job Offer Counter Proposal Letter

More than 40 job-search cover letters, including:

• Recent College Grad Cover Letters
• Many Profession-Specific Cover Letters
• Referral Cover Letter
• Cold Contact Cover Letter
• Classified Ad Response Cover Letter
• Two-Column Cover Letter
• Email Cover Letter
• Graduate School Cover Letter
• Military Transition Cover Letter
• Internship Cover Letter
• Story-Based Cover Letters

The biggest mistake in interviewing is not being fully prepared. It behooves job-seekers to use every conceivable means possible to prepare for the interview and to allow ample time to fully prepare. Understand that interviewing is a skill; as with all skills, preparation and practice enhance the quality of that skill. Preparation can make the difference between getting an offer and getting rejected.

There is no one "best" way to prepare for an interview. Rather, there are specific and important strategies to enhance one's chances for interview success. Every interview is a learning experience, so learning that takes place during the preparation and actual interview process is useful for future interviews.

Initial preparation requires recent assessment of skills, interests, values, and accomplishments; a re-assessment and updating of one's resume; and research on the targeted company/organization and position. Preparation also includes actual practice of typical and targeted interview questions. Final preparation includes details of dress and appearance, knowledge of the location of the interview, what to expect, and protocols for follow-up.

• What will be my responsibilities?
• Where will I fit into the overall organisational structure?
• Who will I report to?
• Where does he/she fit in the structure?
• Who will report to me?
• How experienced are they?
• What do you expect me to do in the first 6 months?
• What level of performance do you expect from me?
• Who are your customers?
• Where is the company going? Upwards? Expansion plans?
• What are the chances of advancement/promotion in this position? When?
• What will be my salary, benefits and bonuses? [Do not bring this up too early in the interview - wait until they are sold on you.]
• Will travelling be required in this position?
• Will relocation be required now or in the future?
• What training do you provide?
• When will you decide on the appointment?
• What is the next step?

• What will be my responsibilities?
• Where will I fit into the overall organisational structure?
• Who will I report to?
• Where does he/she fit in the structure?
• Who will report to me?
• How experienced are they?
• What do you expect me to do in the first 6 months?
• What level of performance do you expect from me?
• Who are your customers?
• Where is the company going? Upwards? Expansion plans?
• What are the chances of advancement/promotion in this position? When?
• What will be my salary, benefits and bonuses? [Do not bring this up too early in the interview - wait until they are sold on you.]
• Will travelling be required in this position?
• Will relocation be required now or in the future?
• What training do you provide?
• When will you decide on the appointment?
• What is the next step?

Interview Questions to Ask - For the Hiring Manager:

• How would you describe your company culture?
• What is your vision for your department over the next two to three years?
• What major challenges are you currently facing as a manager?
• What makes your company better than your competitors?
• What are the areas where your competitors are better than your company?
• Who do you consider your customers to be?
• What can you tell me about the other people in the organization I would be working with? Can I meet with any of them before accepting an offer of employment?
• What are the most important skills and attributes you are looking for in filling this position?
• What is your management style?
• What is your preferred method of communicating with your team?
• What is the organization’s plan for the next five years, and how does this department or division fit in?
• What specific skills from the person you hire would make your life easier?
• What are some of the skills and abilities you see as necessary for someone to succeed in this job?
• What do you see as the most important opportunities for improvement in the area I hope to join?
• What are the attributes of the job that you’d like to see improved?
• What is your company’s policy on attending seminars, workshops, and other training opportunities?
• What attracted you to working for this organization?
• What have you liked most about working here?
• How will my leadership responsibilities and performance be measured? By whom?
• (If this a new position) What made you decide to open up this position?
• How would you describe your own management style?
• What are the most important traits you look for in a subordinate?
• How do you like your subordinates to communicate with you?
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  newslink: 

  http://jobsearchtech.about.com/od/gettingthejob/a/interview_ask.htm

Six common questions are listed below, along with insights from several recruitment professionals about how to answer. As part of your interview preparation, take the time to formulate answers to each question, focusing on specific tasks and accomplishments.

"What are your strengths and weaknesses?"

This is one of the most well-known interview questions, and interviewers often ask it indirectly, as in, "What did your most recent boss suggest as areas for improvement in your last performance review?"

"Why did you leave your last position?"

"Interviewers will always want to know your reasoning behind leaving a company ? particularly short stints," says Olson. "Be prepared to tell the truth, without speaking negatively about past employment."

"Can you describe a previous work situation in which you ... ?"

This question comes in many forms, but what the interviewer is looking for is your behavior on the job. Your answer could focus on resolving a crisis, overcoming a negotiation deadlock, handling a problem coworker, or juggling multiple tasks on a project.

"What is your ideal work environment?"

This question is not about whether you prefer a cubicle or an office, so think broadly to include ideas about supervision, management styles, and your workday routine.

"How do you handle mistakes?"

The best strategy for this general question is to focus on one or two specific examples in the past and, if possible, highlight resolutions or actions that might have relevance to the job you're interviewing for.

"What is your most notable accomplishment?"  read more »

It's true that your layoff and the gap on your resume will probably come up, not just during the initial job search right after the layoff, but also during future job hunts. But it doesn't have to derail your search. The key, experts say, is to be honest about the layoff but to focus your communication with potential employers on what you can do for their company, rather than on your past. And when the layoff comes up, make sure you talk about what you accomplished during your time off.

On a resume, you shouldn't say you were laid off, but you should try to account for any substantial amount of time you were out of work. Never try to bridge the gap between two jobs by using the wrong beginning or ending dates. Instead, focus on what you accomplished while you were out of work. Did you take a class? Do consulting work? Work as a volunteer?

On the whole, the less said in writing about a layoff, the better.