1.
"Tell me about yourself." This question means "give me a broad
overview of who you are, professionally speaking, before we dive into
specifics." You should prepare about a one-minute answer that summarizes
where you're at in your career and what you're especially good at, with an
emphasis on your most recent job. Keep your personal life out of it; your
interviewer isn't asking to hear about your family, hobbies or where you grew
up.
2.
"What interests you about this job?" Your answer here
should focus on what about the substance of the role most interests you. You
should not talk about benefits, salary, the short commute or anything else
unrelated to the day-to-day work you'd be doing, or you'll signal that you're
not particularly enthusiastic about the work itself. Interviewers want to hire
people who have carefully considered whether this is a job they'd be glad to
work at every day, and that means focusing on the work itself, not what the job
can do for you.
3.
"Why are you thinking about leaving your job?" Or, if you're
unemployed, " Why did you leave your last job?" This isn't the time
to talk about conflicts with your manager or complaints about your co-workers.
Job seekers are commonly advised to answer this by saying that they're seeking
new challenges, but that answer only rings true if you're specific about what
those new challenges are and how this job will provide them in a way your last
job didn't. It's also fine to cite things like a recent or planned move,
financial instability at your organization or other reasons that are genuinely
true -- just stay away from badmouthing employers or complaining about work.
4.
"Why would you excel at this job?" This is your chance to make a case
for why you'd shine in the job -- and if you don't know the answer to that,
it's unlikely that your interviewer will figure it out either. Since this gets
to the crux of the whole interview, you should have a strong answer prepared
for this ahead of time. A strong answer will point to your skills and track
record of experience and tie them to the needs of the job.
5.
"Tell me about a time when ..." Good interviewers will probe into
times in your past when you had to exercise the skills required for the job.
For instance: Tell me about when you had to take initiative / had to deal with
a difficult customer / had to solve a problem for a client ... and so forth.
Make sure to prepare in advance for these questions, so that you're not
struggling to come up with real-life past examples. Spend some time brainstorming
about what skills you're likely to need in the job and what challenges you're
likely to face. Then think about what examples from your past work you can use
as "evidence" that you can meet those needs. When you construct your
answer, discuss the challenge you faced, how you responded and the outcome you
achieved.
6.
"What would you do in your first 90 days if you got this position?" Interviewers are
looking for answers that reveal how you set goals and problem-solve, and
whether you're ambitious without being unrealistic. You should also acknowledge
that you'll need to take time to get to know the team, what's working and what
can be improved before you make any big decisions -- but your answer should
still get into specifics to the extent you reasonably can.
7.
"What salary range are you looking for?" Job seekers are
almost always asked this question, yet too often fail to prepare for it and
then are caught off-guard when the topic comes up. If you wing your answer to
this, you risk lowballing yourself and ending up with a salary offer below what
you might have otherwise received. It's crucial to research the market rate for
the job ahead of time. Don't let discomfort with talking about money thwart
your ability to negotiate well for yourself.
reference: yahoonews
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