Subjects: Human Resource Management & Recruitment and Selection

Teacher: RAD Fernando INTERVIEW QUESTIONS and ANSWERS 1. Why is there a gap in your work history? Employers understand that people lose their jobs and its not always easy to find a new one fast, says Susan Nethery, the director of student affairs marketing at Texas Christian University, who often advises recent grads on the interview process. When answering this question, list activities youve been doing during any period of unemployment. Freelance projects, volunteer work or taking care of family members all let the interviewer know that time off was spent productively. 2. Can you think of a recent problem in which old solutions wouldnt work? This question is seeking a creative answer. The interviewer is trying to identify how knowledgeable you are in todays workplace and what new creative ideas you have to solving problems. Ex: Your workplace swears by fax machines for signing contracts. Until the phone lines go down. Did you save the day with a scanner and an emailable .pdf? You may want to explore new technology or methods within your industry to be prepared for. Twitter-phobes, get tweeting. Stat. 3. What would the person who likes you least in the world say about you? The people who cant answer this question are the people I worry most about, says Jim Link, managing director of human resources at staffing firm Randstad. I can honestly say Ive never hired one of them. Link says that this tricky question, a twist on the whats your worst quality or weakness? standby, often leads to pregnant pauses as the interviewee struggles to present an answer that wont present them in a bad light. Im not saying answer it quickly, because you should definitely answer it thoroughly. Highlight an aspect of your personality that could initially seem negative, but is ultimately a positive. His example? Patience or lack of it. Used incorrectly this can be bad in a workplace. But always driving home deadlines can build your esteem as a leader. 4. What is the biggest risk youve ever taken? Some roles require a high degree of tenacity and the ability to pick yourself up after getting knocked down, says Dale Austin, director of career services at Michigans Hope College. Providing examples of your willingness to take risks is important because it not only shows your ability to fail and rebound, but also your ability to make risky or controversial moves that succeed. 5. Have you ever had a supervisor challenge your behavior? How, and how did you manage that? Pappalardo shares an anecdote from an interview he recently conducted. The head of IT was rolling out a new technology to the sales team that required two days of training. He wouldnt back down despite sales pushing back saying they couldnt make time for it. Finally the president of the company challenged him about his actions, forced him to rethink his stance. He was a senior executive standing on propriety, not creativity. In the end, Pappalardo says the executive rebounded and a compromise was reached but its the lesson learned, not the situation, that the interviewer is looking for. 6. Describe a time when you were part of a project or planning team that could not agree Lynne Sarikas, director of the career center at Northeastern Universitys business school, stresses that questions pertaining to difficulties in the past are a way for potential employers to anticipate your future behavior by understanding how you behaved in the past and what you learned. Its important to clarify the situation succinctly, she says, to explain what specific action you took to come to a consensus with the group and describe the result of that action. 7. If you could change one thing about your last job, what would it be?

Beware oversharing or making disparaging comments about former coworkers or supervisors, as you never know what bridges you may be burning. But Taylor warns that an additional trouble point in answering this query is showing yourself to be someone who cant vocalize their problems as soon as they arise. A good rule, she says, is to steer clear of people. Problems with technology are safe ground. 8. Explain a database in three sentences to your 8-year-old nephew. This frequent Google question is no trick, and Taylor says it can be tailored to any sector. Explaining public relations, explaining mortgages, explaining just about anything in terms an 8-year-old can understand shows the interviewer you have solid and adaptable understanding of what it is they do. Do your homework, she says, Know the industry and be well-versed. 9. Tell me about yourself Seems simple, right? Its not. This is difficult because people tend to meander through their whole resumes and mention personal or irrelevant information in answering, says Dawn Chandler, professor of management at Cal Polytechs business arm. Jana Fallon, a VP of staffing and recruitment for Prudential, agrees. Keep your answer to a minute or two at most. Cover four topics: early years, education, work history, and recent career experience. Emphasize this last subject. Remember that this is likely to be a warm-up question. Dont waste your best points on it. Keep to your professional career! (e.g., dont cover your family life, weekend activities, pets, collections, etc.) 10. Why should we hire you? The most overlooked question and also the one most candidates are unprepared to answer. Chandler suggests that this is often because job applicants dont do their homework on the position, and as a result arent able to pinpoint their own unique qualifications for the job. What they are really asking is why you are more qualified than everyone else. You need to review the job description and qualifications very closely to identify the skills and knowledge that are critical to the position, she says, and then identify experiences from your past that demonstrate those skills and knowledge. 11. Why did you leave your last job? Never refer to a major problem with management or say undesirable things about your supervisors, coworkers or the organization. Keep smiling and talk about leaving for a positive reason such as an opportunity, or a chance to do something better. 12. Have you ever had to discipline a problem employee? If so, how did you handle it? This is a likely question if the position for which you are applying requires supervisory duties. Explain how you used problem-solving skills, listening skills, and coaching skills to help the employee. If those techniques turned the employee around, be sure to say so. If those techniques failed, tell how you followed the company's policies and what the end result was. 13. What do you feel has been your greatest work-related accomplishment? Choose one example from your past that was important to you and helped the company you worked for. Give specific details about what you did, how you did it, and what the results were. Try to pick an accomplishment that relates to the position for which you are applying. Employers like to hear about accomplishments that reduced expenses, raised revenues, solved problems or enhanced a company's reputation. 14. What is your greatest strength? This is a great chance to highlight your best skills. Don't pick just one, focus on your top three or four. Some examples are: leadership skills, team-building skills, and organizational skills. Determine which strengths would fit best with the position for which you are applying. For example, if the job announcement stresses the ability to handle multiple tasks, you could say: "I'm good at organizational skills, prioritization and time management. But my greatest strength is my ability to effectively handle multiple projects and deadlines."

15. "What is your greatest weakness?" Be careful with this one. Most interview guides will tell you to answer it with a positive trait disguised as a weakness. For example, "I tend to expect others to work as hard as I do," or "I'm a bit of a perfectionist." Interviewers have heard these "canned" answers over and over again. To stand out, be more original and state a true weakness, but then emphasize what you've done to overcome it. For example: "I've had trouble delegating duties to others because I felt I could do things better myself. This has sometimes backfired because I'd end up with more than I could handle and the quality of my work would suffer. But I've taken courses in time management and learned effective delegation techniques, and I feel I've overcome this weakness." IMPORTANT: Be sure the weakness you talk about is NOT a key element of the position! 16. How do you handle stressful situations? Give some examples of stressful situations you've dealt with in the past. Tell how you use time management, problem-solving or decision-making skills to reduce stress. For example, tell them that making a "to-do" list helps. Site stress-reducing techniques such as stretching and taking a break. Don't be afaid to admit that you will ask for assistance if you are feeling overwhelmed. If it's true, say you actually work better under pressure. 17. What is the toughest problem you've had to face, and how did you overcome it? Try to make this about a problem that faced your company and not just you or your particular work group. The bigger the problem, the better. Give specific examples of the skills and techniques you used to resolve this problem. Emphasize the successful results. Be generous in sharing credit if it was a team effort, but be sure to highlight your specific role. 18. Why do you want this position? Here's where your research about the company will help you stand out among the other candidates. Explain how you've always wanted the opportunity to work with a company that... provides a vital public service, leads the industry in innovative products, whatever... find something specific about that company that you can tie in with your answer. Explain how your qualifications and goals complement the company's mission, vision and values (use specific examples). If you are applying for a position in a company for which you already work, explain how you'll be able to apply and expand on the knowledge and experience you've gained from your current position, and will be able to increase your contributions and value to the company through your new responsibilities. 19. How long would you expect to work for us if hired? Don't give a specific answer. Say something like, "I plan on staying for long." or "As long as we both feel I'm doing a good job." 20. What do you know about the type of work we do? Do a research about the company before going to the job interview. 21. What do co-workers say about you? Recall good things that your co-workers have said like, "My manager, Mr. Santos, once told me that I am a very organized person". 22. What is your philosophy towards work? Don't give a monologue here. Say something short and positive like, "My philosophy is to do my best at all times." 23. What position do you prefer on a team working on a project? You may say you are comfortable with any position in the team, may it be the leader, or follower. This shows that you can lead a team but at the same time also able to follow directions. This shows you are flexible.

24. What irritates you about co-workers? Do not speak badly of your past co-workers, as this reflects a flaw on your attitude, not theirs. Divert the negativity posed by the question. Assure the interviewer you get along well with fellow co-workers. 25. What would your previous supervisor say your strongest point is? There are many good qualities you can mention but be sure to give an example or a situation to back your answer. Or if you have a recommendation letter you may say, "I believe my supervisor would say that my strongest point is that I'm reliable, hard-working, efficient, timely, and responsible. I know this because he has written it in my letter of recommendation. Would you like to see it?" 26. How do you propose to compensate for your lack of experience? You may point out that you are a quick learner and hard worker. Or state experiences that may not be from work but are somewhat related like for a managerial position, you may cite experiences you had as a leader in a school project. 27. How do you see yourself five years from now? If you answer that you have not thought about it or you have no plans yet, the interviewer could conclude you have no vision and goals. Say something that is achievable but not too low as this could imply you lack initiative. It should be consistent with the objective on your resume and the skills you mentioned you have. 28. What are your expectations from this job/company? You will be able to answer this question well through company research and self-assessment. Think as if you are already part of the company. You may say something like, "I expect challenging tasks." 29. Do you have any questions for me? Always prepare questions, but those that are not answered in the company's website or those you have not discussed. Asking questions shows you are interested to know more about the company or the job. Do not ask questions related to you, such as "When will I be eligible for my first raise?" or "How often will I be subjected to a performance review?" Don't bring up money. (You can do that after you are offered the job.) In addition to specific questions you develop based on what the company does, here are some sample generic questions: What do you enjoy most about working here? Be sure the person you ask actually works for the company. Some organizations, especially public agencies, have interview panels in which employees from other agencies participate. Is there anything I've mentioned that makes you think I'm not the best candidate for this job? If they do mention something that's bothering them about you, such as lack of specific experience, this gives you a last-ditch effort to change their opinion about you. If you've thought about your possible weaknesses in advance, you should have a prepared answer to those weaknesses. For example, "I know I have limited experience in this field, but what I lack in specific experience I make up for in enthusiasm and desire to excel. I'm a fast learner and I'll work harder than anyone else to be a top producer on your team." When do you expect to make your final decision? Be sure to ask that! Failure to do so may give the impression that you're not that interested, and you need to know when to follow up. 30. What do you think of the last company you worked for? As always, never say anything negative about the last company you worked for. You can say you learned a lot from the company and the job, and you consider it an important stepping stone in reaching everything you have achieved.

31. How do you handle criticism? You can say something like, "I see criticism as an opportunity to improve my work." Then give an example where you were criticized and you handled it in a positive way like, "My manager once told me that the reports I gave him were unorganized so I tried to review my past reports and asked if he had any preferences. I followed my manager's suggestions and reconstructed my reports. My manager was happy with all the reports I handed him after that." 32. Do you feel you are ready to take on greater responsibilities? Employers ask this especially if the position you are applying for is higher than your former position. This is for them to gauge if you are up for the challenge of the new position. Give a positive answer and show them you are the job. 33. What are your activities and interests outside of work? Say something about your interest and how it can help you on the job you are applying for. Like basketball can teach you team work, or baking can teach you accuracy. If you are applying for a job that requires you to be fit, you may mention physical activities that you do like swimming or any other sport.