PREPARING FOR A JOB INTERVIEW This document will help you prepare for your job interview and give you an idea of what to expect. It will provide you general information as well as information pertaining to specific experience levels and fields. This document is best used in conjunction with the document Responding to Commonly Asked Interview Questions, found in your document bundle. GENERAL INTERVIEW PREP Describe Yourself page 2 Phone Interview page 3 Second Interview page 4-5 SPECIFIC INTERVIEW PREP Entry Level Interview page 5-6 Teens/First Job Interview page 7 Sales Position Interview page 7 Management Level Interview page 8 1
GENERAL INTERVIEW PREP Describe Yourself You walk into the room, shake hands with your interviewer and sit down with your best smile on. Guess what their first question is? "Tell me about yourself." Do you "wing it" and actually tell all manner of things about yourself? Will you spend the next 5 minutes rambling on about what an easy-going, loyal, dedicated, hard working employee you've been? If this is the case, you stand a good chance of having bored your interviewer to death thus, creating a negative first impression. Because it's such a common interview question, it's strange that more candidates don't spend the time to prepare for exactly how to answer it. Perhaps because the question seems so disarming and informal, we drop our guard and shift into ramble mode. Resist all temptation to do so. Your interviewer is not looking for a 10-minute dissertation here. Instead, offer a razor sharp sentence or two that sets the stage for further discussion and sets you apart from your competitors. Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) Give them "your synopsis about you" answer, specifically your Unique Selling Proposition. Known as a personal branding or a value-added statement, the USP is a succinct, one-sentence description of who you are, your biggest strength and the major benefit that a company will derive from this strength. Here is an example of a Unique Selling Proposition: "I'm a seasoned Retail Manager strong in developing training programs and loss prevention techniques that have resulted in revenue savings of over $2.3Million for (employer's name) during the past 11 years." What a difference you've made with this statement. Your interviewer is now sitting forward in her chair giving you her full attention. At this point, you might add the following sentence: "I'd like to discuss how I might be able to do something like that for you." The ball is now back in her court and you have the beginnings of a real discussion and not an interrogation process. Be Specific The key is that you must lead with your strongest benefit to the employer. Be specific and don't wander about with some laundry list of skills or talents. Be sure to put a monetary value on your work if at all possible and be ready with details when you're called upon. Give an estimated value to the $$ you've either helped to make or saved for your employer. 2
Phone Interview Phone interviews are conducted just like in-person interviews. They are used by hiring managers and recruiters as a tool for screening candidates for employment. It's important to take time to review the typical phone interview questions you'll be asked and to prepare answers. In addition, plan on being prepared for a phone conversation about your background and skills. Phone Interview Questions About Your Background Name of company, job title and job description, dates of employment. What were your starting and final levels of compensation? What were your responsibilities? What major challenges and problems did you face? How did you handle them? Why are you leaving your job? What are your salary expectations? Phone Interview Questions About the New Job and the Company What interests you about this job? Why do you want this job? What applicable attributes / experience do you have? Are you overqualified for this job? What can you do for this company? What do you know about this company? Why do you want to work here? What challenges are you looking for in a position? What can you contribute to this company? Are you willing to travel? Is there anything I haven't told you about the job or company that you would like to know? Phone Interview Questions About You What are you looking for in your next job? What is important to you? What is your greatest weakness? What is your greatest strength? Describe a typical work week. How would you describe the pace at which you work? How do you handle stress and pressure? What motivates you? Tell me about yourself. Questions about your career goals. What type of work environment do you prefer? How do you evaluate success? 3
Second Interview You've made it through your first interview with flying colors and you've been invited to a second round interview. What will you be asked during a second interview? Some of the interview questions may be the same as the questions you were asked at the first interview. During a second interview, you will be asked more specific questions about the job, the company, your ability to perform in the job and how your skills and abilities translate into what the company is seeking. Company and Job Specific Interview Questions Depending on the type of position you're interviewing for, you'll be asked questions that will require detailed responses. For example, if you are interviewing for a sales job, you'll be asked questions about your sales achievements. It's important to be clear about how you can help the company and how you will grow sales and market share. For these types of questions, you'll need to tailor your responses to reflect the company's products, services, and goals. The best way to prepare to answer questions about how you will perform is to learn as much as you can about the job and the company. The more you know, the easier it will be to relate your skills to the company's needs. Check out the company's website, Facebook page, Twitter feed, and LinkedIn page. Check Google News for the latest information about the company. Talk to your connections, if you have them at the company, to get as much insider information as possible. Make a Match Review the job posting you applied for and other company job listings. You will get a good idea of what the company wants from the people they hire by reviewing the job descriptions. Make a list of how you match what the company is looking for and use that information when you respond to interview questions. You goal is to convince the company that you are the candidate who can help them reach their goals. If you provide actionable information in your responses, you'll be well positioned. In addition, review behavioral interview questions because they are designed to elicit responses that include specific examples of how you achieved results. Give Consistent Responses Remember to be consistent. Your interviewers are going to compare notes, so it is important that what you tell one interviewer matches what you tell the others. Make the time to review your resume before the interview. Take notes after your first interview (and each interview after that) so you remember what you said. Second Interview Questions to Ask the Employer It's important to have questions ready to ask the interviewer and since you don't want to repeat what you asked in the first interview, have a different set of interview questions ready to ask during your second interview. job interview. 4
Job Interview Tips Just because you've been invited for a second interview, don't think it's a done deal and you're going to get the job. In this competitive job market, most employers conduct second interviews and sometimes even third and fourth interviews. Prepare carefully for each and every interview to increase your prospects of turning your interview into job offer. Second Interview Questions What challenges are you looking for in a position? Why do you want this job? Why are you the best person for the job? What applicable experience do you have? Why are you interested in working for this company? What can you do for this company if we hire you? What can you contribute to this company? What do you know about this company? Why do you want to work for this company? Why should we hire you? What are your salary requirements? SPECIFIC INTERVIEW PREP Entry Level Job The interview questions that hiring managers ask entry level candidates will typically be focused on why you are interested in the job and why the company should hire you. Review these entry-level interview questions and consider how you would answer, so you're ready to respond during the job interview. Questions About College Why did you select your college or university? If you could, how would you plan your academic study differently? Why? How would you prepare for important tests or exams? What college subjects did you like best? Why? What college subjects did you like least? Why? Describe your most rewarding college experience. Who was your best teacher, and why? If I were to ask your professors to describe you in three words, what would they be? What was your biggest challenge as a student, and how did you handle it? Do you think that your grades are a good indication of your academic achievement? Did you prefer working independently or in groups on school projects? Do you have plans for continued study? What extracurricular activities have you participated in? What was your greatest strength as a student? Why did you choose your major? How has your college experience prepared you for a career? 5
Questions About Your Work Experience Have you completed any internships? What did you gain from the experience? Tell me about your work experience? How has it prepared you for a career? Have you accomplished something you're proud of at work? What major problems have you encountered at work and how did you deal with them? What have you learned from your mistakes? Questions About You What is your greatest weakness? What is your greatest strength? How do you handle stress and pressure? How would you describe yourself? How do you think a friend or professor who knows you well would describe you? What motivates you? What accomplishments are you the most proud of? Why? Why should I hire you? What qualifications do you think will make you successful in your work? What things are most important to you in your job? Questions About the Future What are your short-term goals and long-range objectives? How do you plan to achieve your goals? What do you see yourself doing five years from now? What do you see yourself doing ten years from now? What are the most important rewards you expect in your career? Questions About the Company and the Job What do you know about our company? What interests you about this job? Why do you want to work here? If you were hiring a college graduate for this job, what qualities would you look for? What do you think it takes to be successful at this company? What can you contribute to our company? What new ideas do you think you can bring to this company? Describe the relationship that should exist between a manager and employees. In what kind of work environment are you most comfortable? Are you willing to travel? Are you willing to relocate? How do you feel about working evenings and weekends? Is there anything I haven't told you about the job or company that you would like to know? 6
Teens/First Job Interview It's important for teen job seekers to prepare for a job interview. One good way to do that is to review the typical interview questions you will most likely be asked. Also review sample answers to these typical interview questions teens are asked. Do take the time to personalize your responses so they reflect you, as a person and as a candidate for employment. Why are you looking for a job? Why are you interested in working for our company? How has school prepared you for working at our company? Why should we hire you? What do you think it takes to be successful in this position? How would you describe your ability to work as a team member? What has been your most rewarding accomplishment? What are your salary expectations? Tell me about a major problem that you have recently handled. Have you ever had difficulty with a supervisor or teacher? Sales Job Interview When you are interviewing for a sales position, your goal is to sell yourself to the hiring manager. A sales job interview is very challenging because candidates need to do more than just respond to questions. Every response you give to interview questions should include concrete examples of your sales achievements. It's important to be clear about how you can help the company and how you can grow sales. In addition, tailor your responses to reflect the company's products, services, and goals. Spend time on the company website and research the company online, so you are clear about the company's mission. Sales Interview Questions Are you comfortable making cold calls? Have you consistently met your sales goals? Do you prefer a long or short sales cycle? How did you land your most successful sale? How would your colleagues describe you? How would your (former) supervisor describe you? What are your long-term career goals? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What do you find most rewarding about being in sales? What do you know about this company? What do you least like about being in sales? What interests you most about this sales position? What is more important, a quality product or excellent customer service? What makes you a good sales person? What motivates you? 7
Management Level Interview When you are being interviewed for a management position, the interviewer will want to know about your experience, your management style, your past accomplishments and what your expectations are for the future. Management Level Interview Questions What were your responsibilities at your current (or last) positions? What was most / least rewarding? What was your biggest accomplishment / failure in this position? What major challenges and problems did you face? How did you handle them? What were your starting and final levels of compensation? Why are you leaving (did you leave) your job? What applicable attributes / experience do you have? What can you do for this company? How do you evaluate success? What is your greatest weakness? What is your greatest strength? What do you expect from a manager? What was it like working for your manager? Who was your best manager and who was the worst? If you knew a manager is 100% wrong about something how would you handle it? How do you handle stress and pressure? What motivates you? What do you find are the most difficult decisions to make? What do people most often criticize about you? If the people who know you were asked why you should be hired, what would they say? Do you prefer to work independently or on a team? Why should we hire you? What can you contribute to this company? Why are you the best person for the job? What are your salary expectations? What are you looking for in your next job? What is important to you? What are your goals for the next five years / ten years? How do you plan to achieve those goals? Tell me about yourself. V1_September 2012 / 2012 jobcoachvideo.com 8