Job Interview Questions
MORE
INFORMATION ABOUT INTERVIEWING
INTERVIEWING
TIPS
Interviewing
Process
Don't worry
about being nervous during the interview this is normal and will be expected.
Just remember, the interviewer wants to hire you if you have the right
qualifications and interest in the position. In the first phase of
the interview process, many interviewers will begin the interview with
some "small talk" to help you relax. This may seem irrelevant to the position,
but you are still being evaluated. Take these opening moments to
show a great attitude, such as pleasure speaking with the interviewer and
interesting facts about the organization which you found during your research.
You may want to ask some questions about the organization, its products/services
to hear the interviewer talk, to get a sense of energy level and pacing.
Interview
Questions
The second phase
of the interview consists of the interviewer asking you questions to try
to determine your match to the specifications needed to do the work well.
The most reliable way for an interviewer to project how you would perform
in the future is to examine the past. Therefore, many employers prepare
some behavior based questions. Which ones are asked depends on the
work you are interviewing for.
Examples:
-
Tell me about a
time when you had to go beyond what is ordinarily expected of an employee
in order to get a job done.
-
Give me an example
of an important goal you set and describe your success in reaching it.
-
Discuss occasions
when you adapted to a wide variety of people and situations.
-
Describe a time
when you had an angry customer on the telephone.
By analyzing the
questions asked of you, you will be able to find out more particulars about
the job for which you have applied. What emphasis does the interviewer
seem to be placing on which skills, knowledge, personality traits and attitudes.
That insight can help you focus
your answers
more easily to the employer's position.
Always relate
your answers to your future responsibilities and the organization's policies.
Give concrete examples from your past activities as illustrations of your
qualifications. Never answer with a simple "yes" or "no". Substantiate
your answers whenever possible.
Your points
must be clear, relevant, and adequate to enable the employer to understand
what you are trying to say, determine your strengths for that particular
job, and enable the employer to have sufficient information to make a good
decision. In your answers, the interviewer should ultimately be able
to determine if you can do the job, will you do the job, and do you fit
in.
Questions
and Answers
To be fully
prepared, take the job listing and any job description information and
break down each skill requirement and responsibility into questions.
Often one sentence in the job listing would break into more than one question.
Create answers to these questions highlighting your experience. Many
interview questions are commonly asked and generally you will interview
better with practice. Ask your friends for help, they may have thought
through a common question asked in the field and can give you pointers
on how to structure your answer. Prior knowledge of possible questions
the employer may ask enables you to prepare points to include in your answers,
thus allowing you to relax and be yourself. Think about why the question
is being asked; determine what the employer really wants to know.
Following are some typical questions. Watch for behavior based questions!
Examples:
-
Tell me about yourself.
-
What are your short-term
goals? What are your five year goals?
-
What is your own
vision/mission statement?
-
What do you think
you will be looking for in the job following this position?
-
Why do you feel
you will be successful in this work?
-
What other types
of jobs are you looking for in addition to this one?
-
What supervisory
or leadership roles have you had?
-
What experience
have you had working on a team?
-
What have been
your most satisfying/disappointing experiences?
-
What are your strengths/weaknesses?
-
What kinds of problems
do you handle the best?
-
How do you reduce
stress and achieve balance in your life?
-
How did you handle
a request to do something contrary to your moral code or business ethics?
-
What was the result
the last time you tried to sell your idea to others?
-
Why did you apply
to our organization and what do you know about us?
-
What do you think
are advantages/disadvantages of joining our organization?
-
What is the most
important thing you are looking for in an employer?
-
What characteristics
do you think a person would need to have to work effectively in our company
with its policies of staying ahead of the competition?
-
What courses did
you like best/least? Why?
-
What did you learn
or gain from your part-time/summer/co-op/internship experiences?
-
What are your plans
for further studies?
-
If I asked your
friends to describe you, what do you think they would say?
-
What frustrates
you the most?
-
When were you last
angry at work and what was the outcome?
-
How did you handle
the time when you had to work with someone you disliked?
-
What things could
you do to increase your overall effectiveness?
-
What was the toughest
decision you had to make in the last year? Why was it difficult?
-
Why should I hire
you?
Tell Me About
Yourself
Tell me about
yourself is one of the most frequent questions asked at the beginning of
the interview. Prepare a short response related to your education,
professional background, hobbies providing transferable skills in the workplace;
mention supportive family/friends but move on to work interests quickly.
Discuss your level of computer literacy, SCANS skills such as organizational
skills, works independently and as a team player, self management, dependability,
interpersonal skills, honesty, and flexibility.
Why Should
I Hire You
Another frequent
question employers ask is why should I hire you generally at the end of
the interview. Refer back to the job listing and the information
gleaned from the interview process on what the employer said they are looking
for and structure your answer appropriately reflecting a can and want to
do attitude.
Illegal Interview
Questions
Following are
the categories that have restrictions on what can be legally asked:
-
birthplace, ancestry, ethnic origin, place of origin
-
sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family status
-
age
-
race and/or color
-
religion, creed
-
citizenship
-
education
-
record of offenses
-
handicap
-
references and membership in organizations.
Although it is
ultimately the responsibility of the interviewer to know the law, this
may not always be the case. It is to your advantage to be informed
on the subject. You've done the reading and know your rights as they
pertain to the interview. Now you're in the middle of one and have
just been asked what is clearly an illegal question. What should
you do? There is no clear-cut answer. Much depends on you.
Responses
to Illegal Questions
In some cases,
you may be able to answer the "hidden" question. Try to think of
what information the employer is trying to elicit. Example: "Do you
have or plan to have children?" may be a disguise for "Are you going to
be able to work overtime?" or "Will you be requesting time off for school
holidays/events?" In this example, your answer should convey your
willingness to work overtime as required or make alternate child care arrangements.
You may elect
to say "Why do you ask?" or "Would you explain how this point is connected
to the qualifications for this job?" This may cause the employer
to reconsider and/or clarify the question. This may offend some employers,
but probably not the majority.
If you feel
that you should not answer the question (you shouldn't have to after all)
or that you are not interested in working for the company, you may state,
"I don't feel obligated to answer that" or "That question is inappropriate".
If you choose this option, you will either enlighten (the employer
may not realize it is illegal and will be happy that you pointed it out)
or offend (the employer may not consider you for the position).
Links to
More Information
Sample Interview Questions: How
will you answer?
http://www.jobopenings.net/interview_tips.htm
This site provides the job seeker with
practice interview questions and answers. |
