Changes to legislation have meant that often the real message is hidden or softened to conform to legal requirements.
But you have to be clear on your TARGETS needs in order to evaluate if you should pursue the role, and if so, how you then go about building your marketing materials.
So you have to really deeply read the advert or job description, or do detailed homework if we’re targeting an unadvertised or speculative position.
You MUST read between the lines, and flush out any hidden or left out needs. . Its not always easy to articulate what personality type works best in a role, or maybe the specification has been written by someone who does not deeply understand the role.
The stuff that often gets left out is the personality requirements or behaviour traits that suit the role
Point being it’s vitally important to identify at least three or four behaviour / personality traits that suit the role even if the ‘re not listed!
After careful reading I would highlight the following:-
The colour coding represents:
Red are critical to the business, though no measures are included in the advert.
Green are must have skills. A lot of the responsibilities are must have; but as they are all part of being a project manager I have left them. I will need to be ready to answer questions on how I have managed these aspects, but these are not the headline makers.
Blue noticeable for its absence! The advert is missing and behavioural / personality traits that are valued in a project manager, I will add these as we progress.
The way the advert is worded suggest the spec has been written by the recruiter, and that there may well be things missing (not intentionally).
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Using mock interview questions and answers as a preparation tool will improve your interviewing effectiveness. One of my clients used to practice with their pet, which is absolutely ridiculous. An actual person to provide feedback will make your practice more valuable. If you are not utilizing this as a part of your job interview preparation, now is the perfect time to begin!
Working with mock interview questions and answers is a type of role playing. It is the most practical job interview preparation you can utilize. The approach is to have another person ask a series of questions that you expect to hear during the interview. Perhaps the most important part is you taking the time to thoughtfully and fully answer them out loud, just as if you were in the interview. Skipping the answering portion makes the entire mock interview questions and answers session useless. If you take the time and effort to complete the exercise, you will become more comfortable in the skills you want to highlight and how you articulate them. This kind of job interview preparation is very worthwhile, as it allows you to craft your responses in a thoughtful and concise manner.
Frequently, there are a series of fairly standard interview questions. Some of these include: What is it about this company that has you interested? What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses? Tell me about yourself.
More and more interviewees are asked behavioral questions as a way to test their critical thinking skills. These questions may prove challenging! They require you to provide specific examples or instances when you took an action, solved something, or made a decision. For example; Tell me about a time… Please describe a situation where… What was your specific approach to…
By using the mock interview questions and answers technique with a friend, loved one, neighbor, peer, or human resource professional, you will quiet your nerves, convey your confidence and demonstrate that you are able to capable and will perform positively when hired.
You have invested a lot in your sales tools just to earn the interview. Now, devote the time to increasing your chances of advancing through the process by practicing mock interview questions and answers with someone who can give you candid feedback. You may ask them to specifically listen for any employment gaps you need to address. They might also listen for clarity in why you are looking to make a considerable career change. Just like from a sports or life coach, feedback is a key part of any job interview preparation.
As an example, I had a client who was involuntarily discharged from his last job. Understandably still a sore spot for him, yet one he must overcome because previous positions will be discussed during upcoming interviews. In practicing mock interview questions and answers I helped him organize his responses to include what he enjoyed most and what he learned from the position that will benefit his future employer. By completing all three components (questions, answer, feedback) of this job interview preparation he is more equipped and will perform at an elevated level.
Good luck in your next interview!
By: Sean McCaffrey
About the Author:
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Filed under Interview Questions by on Dec 9th, 2009. Comment.
I’ve enjoyed more than one interview in my life, quite a few in fact. And some questions, no matter what the position, remain constant. Let’s analyze a few of these and figure out what it is that the interviewers are really asking.
1. Tell us a bit about yourself. Now is not the time to relate family history, extra-curricular activities or your secret ambition to become a novelist. What the interviewer really wants to hear is something to convince them that you are the right candidate. This question is sometimes asked “Why should we hire you?” Both are looking for you to spell out your relevant education, experience and skills.
2. Why do you want to work for us? This is a tricky question. It is not about what you want, really; it is asked to find out what you know about the company. The interviewers are looking for some indication that you have real interest in the company and have conducted a little research. Come prepared with information from the company’s website, from local newspaper coverage or from more in-depth research. Prove your interest.
3. Do you prefer working with others or by yourself? First of all, if you need to work with others, hopefully you haven’t applied for a one-person office job. Make sure you fit the needs of the job. Give an example of having contributed to a team effort, and give an example of having completed a project on your own. And then state that although you are fully capable of team work and individual contributions, you prefer – and then, knowing the needs of the position, and your own preference, be honest with your answer.
4. What are your weaknesses? My personal all-time least favourite. In fact, I once refused to answer this question. I couldn’t think of anything relative and declined. Mainly the interviewers want you to show self-knowledge and to show self-improvement. You might say that you used to procrastinate, and that upon realizing that this was impacting your work, you took a corporate training program (or conducted self-study etc.), and methodically applied what you learned. And now, you tackle projects with method, not scrambling madly at the last minute.
5. If you were a fruit/vegetable/animal/piece of furniture/famous person, etc.?
This question brings us to the point of all of the answers. You must put yourself in the interviewers’ shoes to determine what it is that they are really looking for. Strategize your answers. In this case, what you choose is not important. It is why you chose it, and how you explain your choice. For example, if I were interviewing for a senior management position, I may say that I would be an eagle. Why? Because the eagle commands respect, and has a bird’s eye view which would enhance my abilities to see “the big picture” with all its components. If I were interviewing for a lady’s wear retail sales position, I might choose to be magnolia blossom, so like fashion, admired for its beauty, fast fading, and leaving the stage for the next trendy bloom. Get creative! Strategize an answer to these sometimes unnerving odd-ball questions.
I mentioned that in the past I have declined to answer questions now and then. This is perfectly acceptable. Interviewers realize that you may be nervous, and reasonable interviewers won’t penalize you for declining. Besides, this would leave you with a wonderful opportunity to send a more meaningful “thank you” email or letter. You could reply to that skipped question, or add to a skimpy answer while sending that very important “thank you.”
Copyright©2008 New Leaf Resumes. Feel free to reprint this article, but please provide the author with full credit.
By: Stephanie Clark
About the Author:
An Award-winning and published Resume Strategist, dedicated to advancing your career goals. Please visit my website for more information on the services offered at New Leaf Resumes.
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Filed under Interview Questions by on Dec 3rd, 2009. Comment.
Questions to ask the interviewer are almost as important as the ones you answer.
And should be prepared in advance with your STAR stories to serve the following purpose:
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To demonstrate you’ve done extensive research on the company and the role.
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To demonstrate that you’re clear and focused on what YOU WANT.
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And to determine IF there is a good FIT between all parties.
….Best Questions To Ask The Interviewer….
Note: You also need to confirm the interview process for hiring with each role. It’s vital you know where you are in the process and what the next step will be.
If this information has been given to you prior to your interview, by a recruiter or someone other than the interviewer, it’s right to confirm your understanding of the process.
You need to know this because at the end of each interview you should (if still interested in the role) confirm your interest and ask to progress to the next stage or ask for the job if at the final stage.
You must also follow up after interview, by phone, letter or email, or combination of.
You should take your time and prepare a list of questions you would like answered, and should take these with you to the interview.
DO NOT ask about salary and holiday at first interview, or possibly even second interview, that stuff should be covered after you have SOLD yourself thoroughly.
You should prepare questions starting at high level, market wide type questions such as how is the company affected by current economic pressures for example.
Questions about its position in the market.
Strategic level business questions.
….Best Questions To Ask The Interviewer….
Before moving into very ROLE / JOB specific type of questions.
Also don’t loose sight of the fact that your STAR story answers have been designed to demonstrate some of those 8 desirable people types or traits that all companies are looking for.
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The BOSS
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The EXPERT
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The JUGGLER
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The GOOD CITEZEN
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The STAR
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The TEAM PLAYER
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The PROBLEM SOLVER
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The SELF DEVELOPER
Note: For detailed explanation of the 8 most desirable people traits please download our free Interview Guide “Interview Sniper”.
So structure your questions around reinforcing these traits in your interviewers mind.
So to pick a less obvious example, you may want to show a softer side to your personality (a Good Citizen). And therefore may ask what the companies stand point is on mentoring, as you used to do a lot of mentoring in your last company and would very much like to do more.
Or
You may ask about charitable or social projects that the company may support, as you would like the opportunity “give something back”
This approach should give you no end of questions which will serve both purposes of helping your determine if this is the right company for you whilst also cementing YOUR valuable personality traits into the mind of your interviewer.
The next big tip concerns; at what point you ask your questions…
….Best Questions To Ask The Interviewer….
Many interviews run along the lines of the interviewer has first “go” and asks all their questions, which you answer, towards the end of the interview you get your “go” to ask your questions.
Now I’m not suggesting you trample all over conventional interview etiquette, but this can be quite a draining format for interviewers, so why not stand out from the crowd by asking questions from far earlier in the interview.
You can ask permission to ask a question, giving the interviewer the option to hold your questions back if they have to stick to a very structured questioning format.
But my advice is to let the interviewer start proceedings. Answer a few questions to build rapport, and get a feel for the interviewers style.
But once your comfortable follow some of your well answered questions with a question of your own.
If we use an example, Jane; going for a project management role, she may have just answered a question on her team leadership style with her prepared STAR story. But rather than waiting for the next question to be served at her.
Jane asks permission to ask a question. Given permission, Jane goes on to explain that her decision as covered in her previous STAR story answer to pay for additional training for key project team members, rather than take the conventional route of bringing in more expensive external consultants. Was fully her decision because in that role as project manager Jane had both responsibility and authority to make key decisions.
Jane’s question “as a new hire in the company would I be given authority to make key decisions I feel are necessary”?
This is a very important question to Jane, who does not want a role with responsibility but no authority, but is also a question that will highlight Jane’s, self confidence and leadership potential (Boss and Problem Solver personality traits) with the interviewer. And is therefore a very positive question to ask.
It’s a highly relevant question to the role and management style preferable to the company, and will help to subtly change the interview into being more of a shared business discussion around the business needs of the company with somebody who is clearly focused and capable of helping (Jane).
….Best Questions To Ask The Interviewer….
I hope the above example demonstrates the power of following up a good STAR story answer, with an immediate relevant question that both cements the benefits raised in your answer and demonstrates your focus and attention to solving the needs of the role.
This is a super powerful tactic.
Though be careful not to overdo it, by following up all your answers with further questions.
Also consider the use of a 30 60 90 day plan in your OFFER WINNING strategy – this is the Ultimate Job Interview Tip…
To learn more on how to ace the job interview and build a strategy that wins you offers download our FREE e Guide Interview Sniper
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Filed under Interview Questions by on Oct 17th, 2009. Comment.
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