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Interview Tips
Prepare Your Answers to These Interview Questions
Compiled from various books and sources:
Every job seeker has been asked at one time or another "So, tell me about yourself?", "Where do you see yourself in five years?", or the dreaded "Tell me about your weaknesses." How you answer these seemingly open-ended questions is important. The interviewer doesn't want your life story or a detailed explanation of your 30-year career plan, what he or she is looking for is how you think on your feet, are your answers to these questions thoughtful, and do they demonstrate professionalism.
Take, for example, my favorite interview question, "Tell me about a weakness." This makes every interviewee break out in a cold sweat but know that this IS a trick question. What a hiring manager is looking for is a positive response not a diatribe of your failings. Consider this reply - "I tend to be overly analytic, but I believe that for this Engineering position, it's a characteristic that will be an asset."
Caution: When asked about a current/former employer, consider your answer carefully. Never communicate negativity or bad mouth a past place of employment or manager. Take the high road. Even a bad situation can produce a positive learning experience.
In football, as in preparing for an interview, the best defense is a good offense. In positioning yourself to beat out the competition, prepare, prepare prepare.
Here are some typical questions you may be asked in an interview. You should prepare answers, and where possible, short examples of accomplishments to illustrate your answers, and thus your value to a company. After all, you are marketing your knowledge, skills and abilities.
Sample interview questions:
- What are you looking for in your next position?
- Why do you want to leave your present position? / Why did you leave your last position?
- Why did you leave the other positions you have held?
- Why do you want to work for our company?
- What do you know about our company?
- What other companies are you/have you interviewing/interviewed with?
- Tell me about yourself.
- How would you describe your present/last company?
- If you had your choice of a job in any company, what type of job and company would you choose?
- In your last position, what did you like most, and what did you dislike most? Why?
- What would you say are your greatest strengths/weaknesses?
- If you could start your career over, what would you do differently?
- Would you say you are a good manager? Why?
- What is your management style?
- What did you like most/least about your last/recent supervisor/boss?
- What are your short/long-range objectives/goals?
- Where do you want to be in 5/10 years?
- What would you say are the five (x#) biggest accomplishments in your career/life? Why?
- How do you get along with your coworkers? / Your supervisor?
- How would you describe your personality?
- How would you benefit our company the most?
- Do you know anyone working for our company?
- Have you ever prepared/managed a budget? How large?
- Have you ever had P&L responsibility? Describe the scope.
- How well do you know this industry? / What do you know about our industry?
- Have you hired anyone? / Have you trained anyone? / Have you managed/supervised anyone?
- What are you looking for in a company?
- What are some challenges that you have successfully met? How?
- How do you spend your spare time? / What are your hobbies?
- How did you get your previous positions?
- What did you learn most from your previous position(s)?
- Why did you choose this particular field of work?
- What do you think determines a person's progress in a company? How do you meet these criteria?
- Do you prefer working by yourself or with others?
- What makes you feel successful? Define success.
- How do you take criticism/instruction?
- How would people who know you describe you? / How would your worst enemy describe you?
- Tell me about a failure and how you handled it.
- How do you approach a problem? / How do you handle complaints?
- What do you offer this company? / Why should I/we hire you?
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