Interview Tips

HR Interview Question..

noreply@blogger.com (Mayur) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:45:00 -0700

HR Interview Questions and Tips

Introduction

Okay, so you are able to maintain control of their nerves and the courage to questions, that the High Representative. You are now at the end of his interview session. What's next? It is the answer, have a few more steps to go. For example, the HR person may ask you if you have something to ask of him. What is the answer? It is quite likely that you are stressed, and there is something on your mind. This article deals with this situation and will give you a couple of intelligent questions, you may ask.

Rationale

First of all, we are trying to understand why the HR person puts you in such a situation. Is he just a nice to you, or are there now? One possible reason is that the company wants to project an image of transparency. The company wants you to know that it encourages two-way communication, and leadership of subordinates, an atmosphere where anyone can ask relevant questions and expect to get answers. In other words, the company respects the employee needs to know the issues which concern him, regardless of where it has its own hierarchy.

Next, and more importantly, that this situation is the presence of mind and control of their ability to form intelligent questions. So far, you are simply responding to your questions. How to behave when you are able to ask questions? What questions do you ask? It also shows how serious you are and the company's work.

Let us get on some of the questions now.

Some Useful Questions

Before the questions set out in the above reasons in mind. It would be good to sincerely thank the HR person for this opportunity. You can start, for example, "I have really had a chance to meet and his team .. (company name). Yes, there are some things I would like to know, thanks for asking" But it is not reasonable to ask the HR issues and a volley to make it counter the interview. Consider the following questions and select one or two of them, to find the most helpful to you.

* What do you find most enjoyable part of working in this company?
* Can I ask you why and how this organization? / What brought you here?
* I would like to know the work atmosphere here ...
* Would it be possible to tell me about the company's vision / philosophy?
* How do you assess the organization's strengths and weaknesses?
* I would like to know a little of my day-to-day responsibilities.
* Is it immediately? How soon do you take people on board this position?
* I would like to know how their skills compared to other people who have applied for this position.
* I am very interested in this opportunity, and I have the necessary skills for this position. What do I need to do next?
* Now that our interview is coming near, whether it is something you want to know about my ability to work in this direction?
* Would it be possible to tell me a little of what the company expects of its employees? What is the most important assets and skills in this company?
* Does the company follow a structured way to promote employees? How does it go?
* If the company finds me a good job, how it is before me? What would be the next step in my career growth?
* If I do well through the current position, which is likely to further opportunities for me to this company?
* You are someone special areas in the company, the top leaders to leave? / Is the special areas, such as say, sales or engineering, who has more customers to the company for growth, or did they come from different regions of the cross-section?
* The company has decided to recruit for this position from the outside. How does the company choose between recruiting from inside or outside?
* How far this position to help the bottom line?
* What advice would you give to someone selected for this position?
* What are the current problems in this position / department the company?
* Before I leave, can I have a formal / written description of the situation? This would help me to review and evaluate the activities, which are expected to me.
* Is it the work, which can lead to other positions in the company? What is the usual route?
* Would it be possible for me to say few people I work?
* Before I take your leave, I would like to check my understanding of the position. Responsibility for the appointment is ...., ...., This is so ... .. Department, and I would be reporting to ... .... Please correct me if I am wrong anywhere.
* How does it promote equal opportunities for the company and the diversity?
* Would you be able to tell me who is the company of their stars? What have been their most important contributions?
* How to make them subject to the seniors this company?
* Can you tell me about the management style of this company?
* If you have chosen me to this position, what assignment I have a beginning?
* Does this company have a formal mission? Will I be able to see it?
* What is the most important parameters, which the company will evaluate its contribution to the employee?

Some Useful Question Answers

1. Tell me about yourself?

I am down-to-earth, sweet, smart, creative, hard-working and thorough.

2. How has your experience prepared you for your career?

Courses:

In addition to the discipline and engineering foundation learning that I have received from their courses, I think that the design, reports and presentations have prepared me most of my career.

Work experience:

Through the internships, I have been able to self-esteem, confidence, and problem solving skills. I also refined my technical writing, and I got to know in order to prepare the documents for professional customers.

Student Organizations:

Working in several projects in various student organizations in keeping my grades, I've built time management and efficiency skills. In addition, I have created a leadership, communication and teamwork abilities.

Life Experience:

In general, life has taught me determination and the importance of maintaining my ethical standards.

3. Describe your ideal job.

Ideally, I would like to work in a fun, warm environment of individuals working independently towards a team goal, or individual goals. I'm not worried about the smaller elements, such as dress codes, cubicles, and the level of formality. The most important thing is to me is an atmosphere that fosters attention to quality, honesty and integrity.

4. What type of supervisor for you have found the best?

I have been fortunate enough to work in an excellent supervisor, who has limited supervision, while answering thoughtful questions and guiding learning. In my experience, the best positive feedback from supervisors and tactful criticism.

5. What are you going to do after five years?

In the PE exam and serving in supervisory / managerial posts in both the work and professional / community organization (s).

6. What will you do, however, the organization that will help you stand out against the other candidates?

In previous internships, my industriousness and ability to teach has been a valuable asset to the company. In my own teaching abilities, minimize overhead costs, and is targeted at the needs of my diligence, without prompting puts me apart from others. In addition, the one thing that has always been to me than my scientific / technical peers are my broad interests and strong writing abilities. I'm not your typical "left-Braine 'engineer, and my broad talents, I am probably the different views.

7. What criteria are you to decide the organization you work in?

Most importantly, I am looking for a company that values quality, ethics and teamwork. I would like to work with a company that hires overachievers.

8. What made you choose a major?

My academic interests are broad, so I tried to achieve a great balance of mathematics, civil engineering, chemistry, biology, physics, and writing.

9. Does your university and major met your expectations?

College of Engineering at MSU has exceeded my expectations by providing group activities, career resources, individual attention, and professors with genuine interest in teaching.

My major has met their expectations, about 90%. I would have had more opportunities in environmental courses, and would have preferred more calculus-based learning.

10. What made you choose this college?

I chose this college the following reason: I have a limited budget for my country's schools, an area I was looking for a dog-friendly apartments, the MSU web site impressed me, I saw active student groups, and people were very friendly.

DEFENSIVE QUESTIONS

noreply@blogger.com (Mayur) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:35:00 -0700

Defensive questions to make sure that your job. This time, the organization has either offered you the job or expressed a strong interested in your qualifications. Relish is. You will never in a position of greater strength. Now is the time to the difficult questions that will give you the information you can make the best decision for your career.

Even if you are unemployed, the temptation to simply work because it is offered. You can pan, but the fire is certainly hotter if you accept a job that you do not fully understand. So ask away. While you never like to ask that spoil your report
the interviewer is that you can expect candid answers to your queries. There is a real advantage at this point. Most interviewers expect you to find your interests. If you can not speak for your own interests, they figure, how can you be expected to speak out for the best interests of the organization?

Here is where your research will protect your interests. You must know why the company loses money, why the incumbent stop and what are the plans for the relocation department. It is perfectly appropriate to ask to speak with potential subordinates and colleagues. They are excellent sources of information, they know what is going on and are most likely going to be straight with you. You may ask these people about the informal power structure, the unwritten priorities, what it really takes to be successful, and what they most want to change.

BEST DEFENSIVE QUESTIONS

If I were a spectacular success in this position after six months, what
would I have accomplished?

This is a very bold way to understand the “dream list” of accomplishments
you will, on some level, be expected to fulfill.

Do you foresee this job involving significant amounts of overtime or
work on weekends?

It’s a fair question, so ask it straight.

I understand the company has experienced layoffs within the last two
years. Can you review the reasons why they were necessary?

It will make the interviewer uncomfortable, but the interviewer expects
questions about layoffs.

How were the layoffs handled in terms of notification, severance, outplacement services, etc.?

You want to know how your termination, should you be downsized, will
likely be handled.

Are there formal metrics in place for measuring and rewarding performance
over time?

The impression you want to leave is that you are good and you want the
metrics to recognize it.

How effectively has the company communicated its top three business
goals?

If the interviewer cannot articulate them, you have your answer.

I am a hard worker. I expect to be around other hard-working people.Am
I going to be comfortable with the level of effort I find here?

You are asking the interviewer if you will find the kind of hard-working
environment in which you thrive at this position. If the interviewer
hedges at all, you have your answer.

Is the company’s training strategy linked to the company’s core business
objectives?

The most sophisticated companies do link their training and education
investments to core business objectives.

How does your firm handle recognition for a job well done?

The way an organization rewards achievement tells you a lot about its
culture.

When was the last time you rewarded a subordinate for his or her efforts?
What token of appreciation did you offer?

This question goes from the general to the specific. You are now asking
about the manager’s practices in rewarding subordinates.

How does the firm recognize and learn from a brave attempt that didn’t
turn out quite as expected?

Many companies say they have a nonpunitive attitude toward managers who
make mistakes, but few live up to the attitude. Ask about a time when the
lessons from a mistake were widely disseminated across the organization.

How much freedom would I have in determining my objectives and
deadlines?

This question goes to how much authority you will have to do your job
in the manner you see fit versus working to someone else’s preferences.

How long has this position existed in the organization? Has its scope
changed recently?

Information about the history of the position and its recent evolution can
influence your decision.

WHAT ABOUT HUMOR? Interviewtips

noreply@blogger.com (Mayur) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 08:21:00 -0700

WHAT ABOUT HUMOR?

Charles Handler, today the head of Rocket-hire.com, recounts this object

lesson. Interviewing for a recruiting job with the company’s CEO, Handler

was trying to make a point about the most reliable methods of selecting

employees. In an attempt to be lighthearted, Handler said that he

supported every way of selecting employees except graphology. Graphology

is the study of handwriting as a means of analyzing character.

You can guess what happened next. The CEO looked up with a tight

smile and slowly informed Handler that graphology was his hobby and

that he thought the practice had substantial merit.

The good news is at the end of the day, the wisecrack didn’t hurt Handler.

He still received a job offer. But it did teach him a lesson. “Think

twice about making a joke or a wisecrack,” he says. “Any subject you

choose, no matter how seemingly innocuous, has the potential for alienating

the interviewer.”

On the other hand, humor elegantly framed and sharply focused can

be effective and advantageous. But it must come naturally to you. Nothing

is as risky as forced humor. Amateurs shouldn’t try this at the office.

A half-baked attempt at humor can seriously backfire on you, and if you

offend the interviewer—a possibility less and less discountable in these

politically correct times—you will never recover. For that reason many

job coaches advise against any attempt at humor, sarcasm, or teasing.

Just play it straight, they say, and you can’t go wrong.

Some hiring managers welcome humor because it demonstrates you

can keep work in a proper perspective. “The ability to laugh at yourself is a great attribute,” says Susan Trainer. “It means you don’t take yourself

too seriously, which is a very attractive trait.”

Other recruiters are skeptical. “I want my questions taken seriously,”

warns Bryan Debenport, corporate recruiter at Alcon Laboratories, a

3000-employee manufacturer of ophthalmic products in Fort Worth,

Texas. “Humor may be appropriate at the start and finish of interviews,

but use it sparingly.”

The goal of using humor is to bond with the interviewer, to use your

shared senses of humor as a way to underscore the prospect that you will

fit into the organization. Of course, if your perspective and that of the

hiring manager seriously differ, then your attempt at humor will only underscore

the disconnect.

At the same time, when people laugh, certain physiological changes take

place that make people more flexible, relaxed, and—this is what you most

want—agreeable. Humor is also synonymous with wit—and wit is born of

intelligence. No wonder recruiters look for candidates with this quality. Let

the interviewer set the tone. If the interviewer starts with a joke and seems

to be in good humor, you can try for a little self-deprecating humor.

MAKE FUN ONLY OF YOURSELF

The only thing you can make fun of is yourself. Everything else, without

exception, is off limits. You may think you and the recruiter share a

perspective on politics, gender relations, and certain ethnic groups.

Don’t go there. No laugh is worth insulting someone. There’s always a

risk of humor backfiring. If you think there’s the slightest chance of offending

someone, keep the humor to yourself.

So what kinds of self-deprecating joking can pass the humor test? Dialect

is too risky. Leave it at home. Sarcasm may be misinterpreted.

Deep-six it. Personal anecdotes can sometimes work. But make them

personal, short, and to the point. One candidate reports that the following

line, delivered tongue in cheek with a broad smile, sometimes led

to a laugh and real feedback:

How do you like me so far?

A line like this can work, concedes Nancy Levine, VP of client services

at San Francisco–based Pacific Firm, but the risks are too high because it is so obviously a line. “If I happen to feel that the candidate and I have created a close rapport, that our senses of humor are on the same wavelength, then it’s great. But there is nothing more irritating to me

than someone trying to be funny whom I don’t find funny. Proceed with

caution if you want to use humor. And then, use it sparingly, just to add

spice, like pepper on the finest filet mignon.”

Another candidate got some mileage out of a similar expression, by

finding just the right time in the interview to say, in a dead-on New York

City accent:

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QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD NEVER INITIATED

noreply@blogger.com (Mayur) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 08:10:00 -0700

COMPENSATION

With few exception, it is never in your interest to initiate questions

about salary and related compensation issues such as benefits, vacation,and holidays. No matter how you frame the questions, you come off

looking greedy and fixated on what the company can do for you instead

of what you can do for the company. Any discussion about these issues

will distract the interviewer from your qualifications and how you can

help the company.

Yes, money and benefits are important. I guarantee you will have this

conversation after the company expresses an interest in you. Your bargaining

position will be much stronger then, so just resist asking about

money and concentrate on showing that you understand the company’s

challenges and can help solve them.

On the other hand, let’s be real. Money is critical, so why should it be

so awkward to acknowledge that fact? True, most career counselors and

job-hunting experts suggest it is taboo for you to ask about pay before

the interviewer does, but I think it’s possible to be too rigid on this point.

Occasionally it may make sense for the candidate to initiate a relaxed conversation

about pay issues at an early point in the interview. Any reasonable

person would expect rate of pay, health benefits, and what constitutes

the workweek to be important topics. To pointedly ignore them diminishes

the honesty of the relationship between the candidate and the interviewer,

surely not an auspicious way to start a relationship with someone who

may become your immediate supervisor and mentor.

There is one exception when issues of pay should come first, not last.

That exception refers to salespeople who are paid by commission, not

salary. With salespeople, the acknowledged desire to earn a high income

is considered an unalloyed virtue. Companies actually like to see a reasonable

level of greediness in their salespeople. The system is set up so

that salespeople make money only if they earn the company a lot more

money. Thus if you are interviewing for a sales job, it can be appropriate

for you to raise the issue of commissions, royalties, quotas, and other

compensation issues early on in the interview.

SELF-LIMITING QUESTIONS

These are questions that appear to put your needs before those of the

employer. You may have legitimate issues around matters of hours,

transportation, medical requirements, education, and accommodations

of all sorts. But it is rarely to your advantage to initiate these issues before the employer has expressed an interest in you. Rather, wait until you

have indications of real interest from the employer. The interviewer will

eventually ask you a question such as, “Are there any other issues we

should know about before taking the next step?” It’s at that point you can

more safely bring up the issues you have in mind.

In other words, be sure that the question you ask doesn’t raise barriers

or objections.

For e.g:

Is relocation a necessary part of the job?

The very question raises doubts about your willingness to relocate. Even

if the person selected for the position is not tracked for relocation, the

negativity of the question makes the hiring manager wonder whether

you are resistant in other areas as well.

If the issue of relocation is important to you, by all means ask, but

go with a phrasing that reinforces your flexibility, not challenges it:

I’m aware that relocation is often required in a career and I am

prepared to relocate for the good of the company as necessary. Could you

tell me how often I might be asked to relocate in a five- or ten-year period?

I’m aware that relocation is often required in a career and I am

prepared to relocate for the good of the company as necessary. Could you

tell me how often I might be asked to relocate in a five- or ten-year period?

Here are a few more examples of self-limiting questions and the comments

of recruiters who fielded them:

Is job-sharing a possibility for me?

Possibly, but does this mean you can’t give us a commitment for fulltime

work?

Can you tell me whether you have considered the incredible benefits of

telecommuting for this position?

Why do you want to get out of the office before you have even seen it?

I understand that employee paychecks are electronically deposited. Can

I get my paycheck in the old-fashioned way?

You are already asking for exceptions. What’s next? And are you afraid

of technology?

I won’t have to work for someone with less education than I have,

will I?

You clearly have a chip on your shoulder. Why should we take a chance

that you don’t have other interpersonal issues?

The job description mentions weekend work.Are you serious or not?

We’re serious about the job description. We’re suddenly less serious

about you.

You get the picture. Don’t raise red flags. Once the interviewers has decided

that you are the right person for the job, you will find the employer

to be much more accommodating about issues like these. Wait

until after you have the offer in hand before you raise these questions.

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START WITH THE COMPANY’S WEB SITE interviewtips

noreply@blogger.com (Mayur) — Mon, 9 Mar 2009 21:43:00 -0700

START WITH THE COMPANY’S WEB SITE

In the age of the Internet, there is absolutely no excuse for you not to

have excellent information about a company. All public companies and

most private companies have Web sites. The Web sites are free and available

24 hours a day. You can access the Web sites from any computer

connected to the Internet. If you don’t have a computer, go to the library

or an Internet café. Log onto the company’s Web site. It has all the information

you could want to frame thoughtful and impressive questions.

“If a candidate can’t spend 15 minutes on my company’s Web site,” Conlin

notes, “it immediately tells me that they are, at best, not serious and,

at worst, just plain lazy.”

A company’s Web site also gives you good clues about whether the

organization is growing or struggling.

The Web site addresses of most companies are obvious. At the place

in the browser where it says “address,” just type in “www” (for World

Wide Web), the name of the company, and the extension “.com.” Most

Web addresses are obvious.

For example,

Cisco Systems is www.cisco.com.

General Motors is www.gm.com.

General Electric is www.ge.com.

Another way to find a Web site is to use a search engine. I prefer

Google, although there are dozens of general and specialized search engines

that will do the job. Simply type in www.google.com and the lean

page of the Google Web site will appear. In the blank box, type in the

name of the company you want to research and click on “I’m feeling

lucky.” Google will almost always take you straight to the Web site you

want. It’s unlikely that Google will fail you, but if it does, click “Back”

and then click on the “Search Google” button. Now you will get a list

of possible destinations. The company you want to research will usually

be near the top of the list. Click on that item and you will go straight

to the Web site you want.

And if a company does not have a Web site, that tells you that the

company prefers to be invisible. Why would you want to work for an

invisible company? If you still want to be interviewed, a question like

this probably needs to be at the top of your list:

In my research on the company, I tried to find a Web site. I did not see

any reference to a Web site on the company materials, nor could I find

one using any of the search engines I tried. Is this intentional, and what

is the logic behind not having exposure on the Web?

Every company’s Web site is different, but they are all organized in standard

ways. The first thing is to look for a tab or button that says “About.”

Most companies put basic background information about themselves

in this area. Another area to look for is the “pressroom” or “newsroom.”

Many companies collect news releases and articles about themselves

under this designation.

Some corporate Web sites are pretty complicated affairs, with literally

tens of thousands of places to hide information. So if you are lost,

most Web sites have a feature called “Site Map.” This feature gives Web

site visitors a high-level look at where information may be found on the

site. It’s like the store directory you find in a shopping mall. Finally,

most Web sites have a search function. Click on the search function and

type in a term such as “about” or “news releases” and let the search engine

take you where you need to go.

For public companies, the annual report is almost always available at

the Web site. This document is an invaluable source of information about

the company and its challenges. Pay careful attention to the letter from the

management. In that letter, the organization’s CEO lays out the company’s

accomplishments and challenges. It will give you important clues for

questions you can ask. In some cases, there is a Q&A format, so many of

the questions you might want to ask in your interview are already there.

“The best questions to ask interviewers are those that demonstrate a

knowledge of the company and its market,” says Incentive Systems’

Bob Conlin. “I’m always impressed by good questions about specific

competitors, where the market is going in terms of trends, and how the

company is adapting to those trends.”

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DO YOUR HOMEWORK Interviewtips

noreply@blogger.com (Mayur) — Mon, 9 Mar 2009 21:39:00 -0700

When Sonja Parker interviews a candidate, she expects that the job

seeker will have done a reasonable amount of research into the company.

Before you interview with Parker, VP of Integrated Design in Ann

Arbor, Michigan, you will receive a folder with general information on

the company, a detailed job overview, and an application. During the

preliminary telephone interview, Parker always asks:

What do you know about us? Have you reviewed the packet I sent, or

have you poked around on our Web site?

If the candidate hedges, Parker questions whether she should invite

the candidate in for a job interview. If the candidate answers yes,

Parker asks:

What is your impression of what we do?

“I want to see if the candidate can articulate the information about our

company and the job,” she says. Her reasons for asking are twofold.

First, she wants some feedback on how effectively the company’s recruiting

materials are working. But even more importantly, she believes

that a candidate who has taken the time to thoroughly study the recruiting

materials demonstrates real interest in the job, while one who has

not is a poor risk.

“If you want to work at Integrated Design, I insist that you demonstrate

at least a basic understanding of what the company does,” she says. The best way to demonstrate that is to ask Parker informed questions

I’ve scanned your Web site and the materials you sent me. I understand

that Integrated Design specializes in employee data integration. As a

service business, has the recent economic downturn changed the weight

of the build-versus-buy calculation that every customer must evaluate?

Such a question tells Parker that the candidate not only researched the

company’s mission but has a mature understanding of the challenges of

a service company. On the other hand, Parker experiences a visceral

turn-off for applicants who show no evidence they looked at the recruitment

information packet she sent about the company. She also has

no use for applicants who expect her to repeat all the information contained

in the information packet. Such applicants—they hardly rise to

the status of candidates—are too unmotivated to get Parker’s attention.

“If candidates ask no questions at all, especially after I sent them an information

packet of recruitment materials, I know they are cruising,” agrees

Bob Conlin, VP of marketing at Incentive Systems in Bedford, Massachusetts.

“If a candidate tells me she is considering committing the next phase

of her career to Incentive Systems, I want to know she is thinking hard

about the opportunity. I expect to hear some very probing questions.”

One of the strongest candidates in Conlin’s experience was prepared

not only with great questions, but with a portfolio of materials the candidate

could point to during the interview. The candidate for a senior

marketing position had copies of Incentive Systems’ company’s data

sheets and full-page ads and those of its competitors. Using these materials,

the candidate asked informed questions about the merits of specific

marketing campaigns on behalf of specific products. “As soon as

he pulled out the portfolio, I said to myself, ‘This is my guy!’” Conlin

recalls.

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What Recruiters think about interviewtips

noreply@blogger.com (Mayur) — Mon, 9 Mar 2009 21:32:00 -0700

WHAT RECRUITERS THINK ABOUT

Asking for the job directly is tricky, and there’s some disagreement from

recruiters and job coaches. Some consider asking for the job assertive;

others think it cheeky or smacking of desperation. My personal preference

is to err on the side of being assertive. The meek may, as the Bible

says, inherit the earth, but they don’t necessarily get jobs. As always, you

have to use your radar and trust your instincts.

It’s good to be direct when asking for the job, says Tony Stanic, resource

manager at CNC Global, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. “I think it

is good to come across as enthusiastic and direct as possible. The person

that appears to want the job the most will get the offer. Try to find out

their level of interest in you by asking them directly.” Stanic has been

impressed with candidates who could deliver lines such as:

• Do you feel that I am suitable for the position?

• Do you have any reservations about my ability to do this job?

“Don’t be afraid to ask these questions,” Stanic continues. “You may be

able to overcome any objections that they may have. It may feel a bit uncomfortable

but it’s better to find out what their concerns are than it is to

find out that you did not get the job. Asking for the job can be a crucial

factor in the interviewer’s decision-making process.”

“There’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance,” says KnowledgePoint’s

HR director, Rich Franklin. To be successful in some jobs,

you need to be pushy and demonstrate in the job interview how aggressively

you can sell. For example, Franklin recruited stockbrokers for

Dean Witter for 10 years before he joined KnowledgePoint. Stockbrokers,

of course, are salespeople who sell securities. One question from

a sales candidate that that impressed him was:

• I’m the person for the job! Can you tell me when you can make me

an offer?

“In the software industry where things are more laid back,” Franklin

continues, “I’d be a little less comfortable with a guy coming on that

strong.”

The Pacific Firm’s Nancy Levine also urges caution. For her, such

direct questions are indications of too much thinking inside the box.

What Levin likes to hear from candidates are more subtle probes for

objections:

• I am very interested in this position. Do you have any questions or

concerns I can address?

• It has been a pleasure meeting you. I really want this job. Can you

tell me where you are in your process?

“Then, hopefully, the interviewer will cough up objections that the

job-seeker can address and overcome,” Levine says.

The important thing, she says, is not to appear like you’re trying

too hard. For example, Levine criticizes a formulation such as

this:

As I understand it, the successful candidate will be someone with x education,

y qualifications, and z experience. Do I understand the opportunity

correctly?

“For me this formulation is too cookie cutterish, too car salesman-y, a

bit transparent in terms of trying to close,” she says. “It may work as a

line of questioning in a first phone call, but not to close in an interview.

I would expect that our discussion would pinpoint what we’re

looking for.”

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Question For Company Founder And Owner

noreply@blogger.com (Mayur) — Sun, 1 Mar 2009 23:59:00 -0800

If your interview is with the founder or owner of the company, especially
if your position proposes to take on activities currently handled by
the founder or owner, you have a special challenging.

All the other question in this books are fair game, and will give you

good information. But the main challenge of working with a company

founder or owner is not in getting the job offer, but in succeess at

the job. If it does not work out, often it won’t be because of performance

but because of the inability of the company founder or owner to

let go of the reins. Thus, the questions you ask in this circumstance

need to give you sharp information about fit.

Business histories shows that few companies founders have the skills to

manage the company when it gets past a certain size. Few such managers,

however, acknowledge this reality. One of your main goals in the

interview, then, is to try to determine how you will be able to work with

this individual and, by extension, his or her heirs, all of which have a

stake in the business. To satisfy yourself of the viability of the situation,

you are entitled to a much greater degree of latitude.

Company founders and owners have tremendous proude in the success

of the organizations they built. They will generally resist sharing their

organizations with anyone else. The big issue, then, is how willingly the

company founder or owner is prepared to adjust the company’s balance

of power and, perhaps, ownership. The question which follow are designed

to give you a clue about how flexible the company founder or

owner might be. The questions assume the candidate is interviewing for

a senior executive position, perhaps the COO to the founder’s CEO.

Use these wordings as the basis for customizing questions to your

unique situation:

What are the success factors that will tell you that the decision to bring

me on board was the right one?

This question starts the conversations off on the successive factors that you

will bring to the organization.

How would you describe the company you’d like to leave your heirs

in terms of sale, size, number of employees, and position in the

industry?

This opens the conversation about heirs and what impact they may have

on the negotiations.

Have you considered the degree to which you want your heirs to have

strategic or operational influence in the company until one of them is

ready to assume the role of COO or CEO?

If there is an heir waiting in the wings, this is a good way to start a conversation

about it.

If for any reason you were unable to function as CEO, how would you

like to see the company managed? Is this known, understood, and agreed

to by your heirs? Is it in writing?

Transition strategies, or more frequently the lacking of them, derail many

organizations. If a transition strategy exists in writing, you can have

some confidence that the organization is relatively mature in its governance.

To make our working relationships successful—something we both

want—we’ll need to be sure we have good chemistry together.How might

we determine this, and then what action would you see us engage in to

build that relationship?

This question alerts the CEO that one of your success factors is the relationship

between the two of you.

If you and I were developing some sort of philosophical difference, how

would you want to go about resolving it?

Here is a refreshingly candid question that goes to how inevitable differences

will be resolved.

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QUESTIONS FOR Hire The Manager

noreply@blogger.com (Mayur) — Sun, 1 Mar 2009 23:52:00 -0800

What specific skills from the person you hire would make your

life easier?

This question focuses the conversation squarely on the proposition that

the employer has a problem. As the potential new hire, you want the employer

to tell you that you can make his or her life easier because your

skills are just the ticket.

What are some of the problems that keep you up at night?

This is another way to uncover the employer’s hot buttons, subtly suggesting

that hiring you will bring immediate relief to the interviewer’s

insomnia.

What would be a surprising but positive thing the new person could do in

the first 90 days?

The wording here is designed to reveal the interviewer’s “wish list” for

what the new hire can offer.

How does upper management perceive this part of the organization?

The response to this question will give the job seeker a feel for how

valuable the department is to upper management, because if and when

the organization goes through a financial crisis, you want to know that

your department will not be the first department cut.

What do you see as the most important opportunities for improvement

in the area I hope to join?

This is another way to get some clues about what specific improvements

the hiring manager desires.

What are the organization’s three most important goals?

This answer will provide an important clue for you if you take the job,

because you’ll be evaluated on your contribution to those three goals.

How do you see this position impacting on the achievement of those goals?

This answer will give an important clue about whether the job is important.

If the answer is essentially “not much,” you are being considered

for a nonessential position.

What attracted you to working for this organization?

Get the hiring manager to tell you a story. Listen carefully for clues

about what makes for success.

What have you liked most about working here?

Shared stories are what create community. Here’s another way to bond

with the interviewer around a story.

In what ways has the experience surprised or disappointed you?

Follow-up is good. If the interviewer feels safe, he or she may actually

share a disappointment.

What are the day-to-day responsibilities I’ll be assigned?

No better way to know what you’ll be doing. Notice how the question

gently assumes you are already on the team.

Could you explain the company’s organizational structure?

Ask this question if there is something you don’t understand about the

organization.

What is the organization’s plan for the next five years, and how does this

department or division fit in?

Any question that implies you have the long term in mind is great. The

hiring manager is thinking, “This guy aims to stick around for the long

term.”

Will we be expanding or bringing on new products or new services that

I should be aware of?

Notice the use of the word “we.” This is another question that allows

the hiring manager to discuss future plans and prospects.

What are some of the skills and abilities you see as necessary for someone

to succeed in this job?

This is another way to uncover possible objections or conflicts. Again,

you can’t address an objection unless it’s articulated.

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Asking Questions That Focus on What the Company Can?

noreply@blogger.com (Mayur) — Sun, 1 Mar 2009 23:44:00 -0800

The hiring manager is less interested in how much you want to better
yourself than what you can do to ease his or her problem. “What about
me?” questions like this are a turnoff.

I’m very committed to developing my intellectual property by learning

new technologies. What kinds of tuition benefits and other educational

support can I expect?

It’s nice that you want to improve yourself, but the hiring manager is

not interested in your commitment to education on his time. He has a

problem to solve and wants to know if you can help solve it. If you can,

maybe then the company can invest in your skills so you can solve even

more of its problems. Compare the above question to:

I want to put all my experience and everything I know in the service of

solving the challenges you have outlined. At the same time, I hope to increase

my value to the company by learning new skills and technologies.

Does the company have any programs that help me add value by learning

new skills?

Don’t Ask Questions That Are Irrelevant to the Job or

Organization

Another awkward moment comes when the interviewer challenges your

question with something like, “Now, why on earth would you want to

know that?”

In the same way that you can respond to interviewer’s illegal questions

with, “I fail to see what that question has to do with my ability to

do the job,” don’t give the interviewer an excuse to apply a similar

phrase to your question. To be safe, make sure that every question can

pass this test: Does the answer the question elicits shed light on the job,

the company, and its desirability as a workplace? If not, the question is

irrelevant.

Also, stay away from marginal queries about competitors, other positions

that don’t relate to the position you’re interviewing for, or current

trends that have no bearing on the organization.

While asking about the interviewer’s individual experience at the

company is okay. try not to interrogate the interviewer

about his or her career history. It’s okay, for example, to ask specific

questions about what the interviewer likes best and least about working

at the organization, but don’t go beyond that. If the interviewer chooses

to share some in-depth information about his or her career path or experiences

at the organization, then feel free to ask follow-up questions.

Just keep them open-ended and don’t push it.

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Avoid Leading or Loaded Question

noreply@blogger.com (Mayur) — Sun, 1 Mar 2009 23:32:00 -0800

Avoid Leading or Loaded Question

Leading questions signal the interviewer that you are looking for a specific

answer. They also signal that you are, at best, an awkward communicator

and, at worst, manipulative. In any case, skewing questions

is not in your interest. Be on guard that your questions are phrased to

be impartial. For example, this is a leading question:

Isn’t it true that your company is regarded as paying slightly better than

average?

This attempt to box in the interviewer is so transparent it will backfire.

Keep the question straight:

How do your company’s compensation schedules compare with the industry

average?

The wording of this next question is arrogant and makes you look

foolish.

I’m sure you agree with the policy that the customer is always right.

How are employees rewarded for going out of their way to put the customer

first?

What gives you the right to assume what the interviewer agrees with?

Ask it straight. There’s no harm in reporting a part of a company’s positive

reputation, if it’s true.

The company has a reputation for excellent customer service. How do

you motivate and empower employees to make exceptional customer

service a priority?

Loaded questions also make you look bad. Loaded questions reveal your

prejudices and biases. Besides being out of place in a job interview, such

questions convey a sense of arrogance or even contempt. They make you

look like a bully. They always backfire on you, no matter how much you

think your interviewer shares your biases. Typical loaded questions

might be:

How can the company justify locating manufacturing plants in the

People’s Republic of China with its miserable record of human rights

violations?

With all the set-aside programs for minorities and people who weren’t

even born in this country,what progress can a white American man hope

to have in your company?

Questions like these reveal your biases, often unintentionally, and cannot

advance your candidacy.

Avoid Veiled Threats

Interviewers hate to be bullied, and they will send you packing at the

first hint of a threat. That means if you have another job offer from

company A, keep it to yourself until after company B has expressed an

interest in making you an offer as well. Unfortunately, candidates have

abused the tactic of pitting employers against each other by brandishing

genuine or, as is more likely the case, fictitious job offers. A few

years ago, this tactic created an unreasonable and unsustainable climate

for hiring. Don’t test it with today’s crop of interviewers;

will wish you luck with the other company and never look back. For

example:

I’m considering a number of other offers, including a very attractive one

from your main competitor, and need to make a decision by Friday. Can

I have your best offer by then?

This question smacks of bullying and desperation. It’s hard to come up

with alternative wording, but this is more effective:

Everything I know about your company and the opportunity you described

leads me to believe that I can immediately start adding value.

I would very much welcome receiving an offer.Another company has

made me an attractive offer to join them, and I said I would give them

my decision by Friday. If my application is receiving serious consideration

here, I would very much like to consider it before then. Is that

possible?

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noreply@blogger.com (Mayur) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 19:31:00 -0800

Preparation The Interview

Interview is an opportunity for both the employer and the applicant to gather information. The employer wants to know if you, the applicant, have the skills, knowledge, self-confidence, and motivation necessary for the job. At this point you can be confident that the employer saw something of interest in your resume. He or she also wants to determine whether or not you will fit in with the organization's current employees and philosophy. Similarly, you will want to evaluate the position and the organization, and determine if they will fit into your career plans. The interview is a two-way exchange of information. It is an opportunity for both parties to market themselves. The employer is selling the organization to you, and you are marketing your skills, knowledge, and personality to the employer.

Interview Preparation

Research is a critical part of preparing for an interview. If you haven't done your homework, it is going to be obvious. Spend time researching and thinking about yourself, the occupation, the organization, and questions you might ask at the end of the interview.

Step 1: Know Yourself

The first step in preparing for an interview is to do a thorough self-assessment so that you will know what you have to offer an employer. It is very important to develop a complete inventory of skills, experience, and personal attributes that you can use to market yourself to employers at any time during the interview process. In developing this inventory, it is easiest to start with experience. Once you have a detailed list of activities that you have done (past jobs, extra-curricular involvements, volunteer work, school projects, etc.), it is fairly easy to identify your skills.

Simply go through the list, and for each item ask yourself "What could I have learned by doing this?" "What skills did I develop?" "What issues/circumstances have I learned to deal with?" Keep in mind that skills fall into two categories - technical and generic. Technical skills are the skills required to do a specific job. For a laboratory assistant, technical skills might include knowledge of sterilization procedures, slide preparation, and scientific report writing. For an outreach worker, technical skills might include counselling skills, case management skills, or program design and evaluation skills

Generic skills are those which are transferable to many work settings.

Following is a list of the ten most marketable skills. You will notice that they are all generic.

• Analytical/Problem Solving

• Flexibility/Versatility

• Interpersonal

• Oral/Written Communication

• Organization/Planning

• Time Management

• Motivation

• Leadership

• Self-Starter/Initiative

• Team Player

Often when people think of skills, they tend to think of those they have developed in the workplace. However, skills are developed in a variety of settings. If you have ever researched and written a paper for a course, you probably have written communication skills. Team sports or group projects are a good way to develop the skills required of a team player and leader. Don't overlook any abilities you may have

When doing the research on yourself, identifying your experience and skills is important, but it is not all that you need to know.

Consider the answers to other questions such as:

• How have I demonstrated the skills required in this position?

• What are my strong points and weak points?

• What are my short term and long term goals?

• What can I offer this particular employer?

• What kind of environment do I like? (i.e. How do I like to be supervised? Do I like a fast pace?)

• What do I like doing?

• Apart from my skills and experience, what can I bring to this job?

Step 2: Know the Occupation

The second step in preparing for an interview is to research the occupation. This is necessary because in order to present a convincing argument that you have the experience and skills required for that occupation, you must first know what those requirements and duties are. With this information uncovered, you can then match the skills you have (using the complete skills/experience inventory you have just prepared) with the skills you know people in that occupational field need. The resulting "shortlist" will be the one that you need to emphasize during the interview.

It is also in your best interest to identify the approximate starting salary for that position, or those similar.

There are several ways to find out about an occupation:

• Acquire a copy of the job description from the employer (Human

• Resources/Personnel) or check with Student Employment Services. If you are responding to an advertisement, this may also supply some details.

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noreply@blogger.com (Mayur) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 19:24:00 -0800

General Tips To Overcome An Interview

So what if you are not a mountaineer. Or a keen hiker. You still cannot treat your interview like a careless morning trot along a jogger's path. Your jaw-jaw at the interview table is nothing less than a cautious climb up a mountain trail--which begins around your early childhood and meanders through the years at the academia before reaching a new summit in your career.And as you retrace your steps down memory lane make sure that you post flags at important landmarks of your life and career, so that you can pop them before the interview panel scoops them out of you. You don't want to be at the receiving end, do you?

Face the panel, but don't fall of the chair in a headlong rush-and-skid attempt to tell your story. Take one step at a time. If you place your foot on slippery ground, you could be ejecting out on a free fall.

So prepare, fortify your thoughts, re-jig your memory, and script and design your story (without frills and falsity). Without the right preparation and storyboard, you could be a loser at the interview. Here are a few preparation tips that books on interviews sometimes overlook.

Before the interview

1. Chronological Outline of Career and Education Divide your life into "segments" defining your university, first job, second job. For each stage, jot down :

The reason for opting certain course or profession; Your job responsibilities in your previous/current job; Reason of leaving your earlier/current job. You should be clear in your mind where you want to be in the short and long term and ask yourself the reason why you would be appropriate for the job you are being interviewed for and how it will give shape to your future course.

2. Strengths and Weaknesses

You should keep a regular check on your strengths and weaknesses. Write down three (3) technical and three (3) non-technical personal strengths. Most importantly, show examples of your skills. This proves more effective than simply talking about them. So if you're asked about a general skill, provide a specific example to help you fulfil the interviewer's expectations. It isn't enough to say you've got "excellent leadership skills". Instead, try saying:

"I think I have excellent leaderships skills which I have acquired through a combination of effective communication, delegation and personal interaction. This has helped my team achieve its goals."

As compared to strengths, the area of weaknesses is difficult to handle. Put across your weakness in such a way that it at leaset seems to be a positive virtue to the interviewer. Describe a weakness or area for development that you have worked on and have now overcome.

3. Questions you should be prepared for

Tell us about yourself.

What do you know about our company?

Why do you want to join our company?

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

How have you improved the nature of your job in the past years of your working? Why should we hire you?

What contributions to profits have you made in your present or former company? Why are you looking for a change?

Answers to some difficult questions :

Tell me about yourself ?

Start from your education and give a brief coverage of previous experiences. Emphasise more on your recent experience explaining your job profile.

What do you think of your boss?

Put across a positive image, but don't exaggerate.

Why should we hire you? Or why are you interested in this job?

Sum up your work experiences with your abilities and emphasise your strongest qualities and achievements. Let your interviewer know that you will prove to be an asset to the company.

How much money do you want?

Indicate your present salary and emphasise that the opportunity is the most important consideration.

Do you prefer to work in a group?

Be honest and give examples how you've worked by yourself and also with others. Prove your flexibility.

4. Questions to As

At the end of the interview, most interviewers generally ask if you have any questions. Therefore, you should be prepared beforehand with 2-3 technical and 2-3 non-technical questions and commit them to your memory before the interview.

Do not ask queries related to your salary, vacation, bonuses, or other benefits. This information should be discussed at the time of getting your joining letter. Here we are giving few sample questions that you can ask at the time of your interview.

Sample Questions

Could you tell me the growth plans and goals for the company?

What skills are important to be successful in this position?

Why did you join this company? (optional)

What's the criteria your company uses for performance appraisal?

With whom will I be interacting most frequently and what are their responsibilities and the nature of our interaction?

What is the time frame for making a decision at this position?

What made the previous persons in this position successful/unsuccessful?

5. Do your homework

Before going for an interview, find out as much information on the company (go to JobsAhead Company Q and A) as possible. The best sources are the public library, the Internet (you can check out the company's site), and can even call the company and get the required information. The information gives you a one-up in the interview besides proving your content company or position.

Clearing the interview isn't necessarily a solitary attempt. Seek assistance from individuals who are in the profession and whose counsel you value most. Be confident in your approach and attitude; let the panel feel it through your demeanour, body language and dressing.

Getting prepared for your interview is the best way to dig deep and know yourself. You will be surprised that it would breed a new familiarity become more familiar with your own qualifications that will be make you present yourself better. All the best and get ready to give a treat.

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noreply@blogger.com (Mayur) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 19:53:00 -0800

WRITE YOUR QUESTIONS DOWN

You’ve secured a job interview. Great. The first thing you do is homework.
The
second thing you do is write down the questions you will ask.

Some job seekers are uncertain about whether they should write
down their questions. If they do, should they bring them to the interview?
The answer to both questions is yes. Doesn’t that look, well, premeditated?
Of course it does. That’s the effect you want.

“I’ve always found that the most important thing at a job interview
is to have a list of questions prepared before going in,” says Kate Brothers,
director of grants administration at Keuka College in Keuka Park,
New York. “It accomplishes two things: It makes you look like you’ve
done your homework, and it fills the awkward silences when the interviewer
runs out of things to ask you. Also, it puts at least a portion of the
interview in your control.”

Writing down your questions accomplishes a number of useful
objectives.

It helps articulate your thoughts. Your questions should be as crisp
as your shirt or blouse. Write them down, practice reading them
aloud, and edit until the questions sing.

It helps prioritize your issues. Not every question carries equal
weight. But only when you write them all down can you decide which
question to ask first. Some candidates write questions on index cards
so they can easily order and reorder them until they have the flow
they want.

It helps you remember. In the anxiety of the interview, you can easily
forget a question you meant to ask. Or worse, your brain can
vapor-lock and spill out something really dumb. If you have been interviewing
with a number of companies, it is easy to forget where
you are and ask a totally inappropriate question, such as asking
about manufacturing facilities at an insurance company. Protect
yourself and make yourself look professional by preparing questions
in advance.

It improves your performance. Knowing which questions you will
ask generally makes the interview go better. It breeds confidence. You
will be able to guide the interview to highlight your qualifications in
a way that your questions will underscore.

It makes you look prepared. That’s a good thing as far as interviewers
are concerned.

KNOW YOUR KILLER QUESTION

Depending on how the interview goes, you may have time to ask only
one question. If that’s the case, make it a killer question.

Everyone has a different killer question. Ask yourself, if you could
present just one question, what would it be? Think about the brand you
want to present. You are that brand. Take some time to think of the question
that allows you to differentiate yourself from the crowd.

In many cases, the killer question has three elements:
• A statement that you appreciate the company’s challenges or problem
• An assertion that you can solve the problem
• A request that you be given the opportunity to do so

The thoroughness with which you prepare for this question goes
a long way in deciding whether you will be successful in getting a
job offer.

Formulating open-ended, penetrating questions gives you a leg up
on the competition. The right questions give the hiring manager a better
picture of your value proposition to the company, the only basis
on which you will be offered a position. The 15 rules that follow provide
guidance to help you strategize about the questions you will take
into your job interviews. Now is the time to be intentional about the
interview, to take control, and to put your best foot forward.

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noreply@blogger.com (Mayur) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 19:41:00 -0800

A QUESTIONING ATTITUDE

Asking just the right questions is your chance to demonstrate that you
are the best candidate for the job by communicating five different impressions:

• Interest. You have taken the trouble to investigate the job.
• Intelligence. You really understand the requirements of the job.
• Confidence. You have everything it takes to do to the job.
• Personal appeal. You are the type of person who will fit in well.
• Assertiveness. You ask for the job.

Of course, there is a sixth objective for your asking critical questions:
to help you assess whether or not you really want the job. The job interview
is a two-way street. You get to estimate the quality of the organization
as much as the organizations gets to estimate your credentials.

The other important point is to avoid “What about me?” questions
until after you get a job offer or a very strong expression of interest.
“What about me?” questions are anything that goes to what the candidate
receives as opposed to what the candidate offers. Remember, you
have two roles in the interview: buyer and seller. For the first part of
the interview, you are a seller. The only time you are buying is when
they make you an offer.

Listen to Susan Trainer, senior information systems recruiter with
RJS Associates in Hartford, Connecticut. She interviews hundreds of
candidates to determine if they represent a good fit for her client companies. “It makes me crazy when I ask a candidate if they have any questions
and they respond with either ‘No, you have answered them already’
or ‘How many vacation days does your client give?’

“There are so many things you can screw up in a job interview, and
not asking thoughtful questions when you have the opportunity is probably
the biggest one. Interviewers want to know how candidates collect
information, and the easiest way to know that is by listening to candidates
ask questions,” Trainer says.

“This is a real chance for a candidate to shine and set themselves
apart from all the other job seekers. When I am prepping a candidate to
go on an interview, I usually give them two or three very pointed questions
to ask in the interview, and then we talk about another three for
them to formulate,” she adds. Her two favorites:

In what area could your team use a little polishing?
Why did you come to XZY Company?

“The questions you ask, and how you ask them, do as much to differentiate
you from the competition as the questions asked by the interviewer,”
Trainer insists. As you prepare for the job interview, your
questions have to be as carefully coordinated as your suit and shoes. If
you miss the opportunity to leave your interviewer with any one of these
impressions, you risk losing the main prize.

Thoughtful questions emphasize that you are taking an active role in
the job selection process, not leaving the interviewer to do all the work.
Active is good. Great questions demonstrate that, far from being a passive
participant, you are action-oriented and engaged, reinforcing your
interest in the job.

Asking questions is an excellent way to demonstrate your sophistication
and qualifications. The questions you choose indicate your depth
of knowledge of your field as well as your general level of intelligence.
Asking questions also enables you to break down the formal interviewer-
candidate relationship, establish an easy flow of conversation,
and build trust and rapport. The matter of rapport is critical. Remember,
most finalists for a job are more or less evenly matched in terms of
qualifications. What gives the winning candidate the nod is rapport.

Your questions steer the interview the way you want it to go. Questions
are a form of control. You can also use questions to divert an interviewer’s
line of questioning. If you sense the interviewer is leading up
to a subject that you’d rather avoid—your job hopping, for example—
ask a question about another topic. After a lengthy exchange, the interviewer
might not return to her original line of questioning.

The more senior the position you are seeking, the more important it is
to ask sophisticated and tough questions. Such questions demonstrate your
understanding of the subtext and context of the position, as well as your
confidence in challenging the interviewer. Hiring managers will judge you
as much on the inquiries you make as on the responses you provide. If
you don’t ask sufficiently detailed questions, it will demonstrate lack of
initiative and leadership qualities that a senior-level position demands.

CAN’T I JUST WING IT?

Imagine that tomorrow you are giving the senior decision makers in your
organization the most important presentation of your career. Your future at
the company literally depends on the outcome. Would you wing it?
Well, the situation I’ve just described is your next job interview. It’s
a presentation. The agenda: your future at the company. In the audience:
the senior decision makers required to authorize offering you a position.
Everyone is looking at you to shine. Now, given the stakes, are you willing
to wing it? If you’re comfortable with working like that, there’s little
need to read further.

Some applicants believe that spontaneity can make up for lack of
strategic planning. But spontaneity, in cases such as this, can be indistinguishable
from laziness and lack of preparation. Interviewers, professionals
themselves, really want you to prepare for the interview as
they did. Preparation is professionalism in action. It’s common sense.
It’s courtesy. It works.

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Ask Open Ended Question

noreply@blogger.com (Mayur) — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 07:19:00 -0800

1. Ask Open-Ended Questions??

Closed-ended questions can be answered yes or no, and begin with

words such as “does,” “did,” “has,” “would,” and “is.” Open-ended questions—which usually begin with “how,” “when,” and “who”—create opportunities

for a conversation and a much richer exchange of information.

This is a closed-ended question:

For Example:

Employee: Does the company have a child-care center on-site?

INTERVIEWER: Yes.

Here is an open-ended question:

Employee: How does the company support working parents?

INTERVIEWER: Let me show you a brochure about our award-winning

day-care center located right here in the building. Working Woman recently

rated it one of the top ten corporate day-care centers in the

United States . . .

“Why” questions also start open-ended questions, but they often

come off as too challenging in a job interview.

2. Keep It Short

Nothing is as disconcerting as a candidate spewing out a long, complicated

question only to have the interviewer look confused and say, “I’m

sorry. I don’t understand your question.” Restrict every question to one

point. Resist mouthfuls like this:

I know that international sales are important, so how much of the company’s

revenues are derived from overseas, is that percentage growing,

declining, or stable, do international tariffs present difficulties, and how

will currency fluctuations impact the mix?

No interviewer should be expected to take on such a complicated question.

If you really think a conversation about these points is in your interest,

indicate your interest in the issue and then break the question into

separate queries.

3. Don’t Interrupt

Wait for the interviewer to finish the question. In other words, listen.

Many candidates get anxious or impatient and jump in before the interviewer is finished asking the question. Sometimes they want to show off

and demonstrate that they “get it.”

Don’t do it. The risks of flubbing outweigh any points you may get

for appearing swift. To combat the tendency to interrupt, make sure

the interviewer is really finished with each question. It’s a good idea

to pause three seconds before answering. If you can, use the time to

think about what you want to say. In your mind’s eye, repeat the question

to yourself. Consider repeating it to the interviewer. See if you really

have it. If not, ask the interviewer to repeat the question. Even if

you can’t make productive use of the three seconds, the pause will

make you look thoughtful. The pause will also protect you from answering

an incomplete question. For example, one candidate reported

the following exchange:

For Example:

HIRING MANAGER: I see by your résumé that you’ve had six systems

analyst jobs in six years . . .

CANDIDATE [interrupting]: . . . And you want me to explain the job hopping,

right?

HIRING MANAGER: Actually, I was going to ask what’s one new skill

you took away from each job. But since you mentioned job hopping,

I am concerned about your ability to stick with one employer for

more than year.

Oops. Better to wait for the full question.

How much better it would have been for the above candidate if the exchange

had gone this way:

HIRING MANAGER: I see by your résumé that you’ve had six systems

analyst jobs in six years. Can you mention one specific skill you took

away from each experience?

CANDIDATE: You’re asking what’s one important skill I added to my

portfolio from each of the jobs I’ve held, is that right?

HIRING MANAGER: Exactly.

CANDIDATE: Fair question. Let’s take my jobs in order. At Netcom, I

learned how to implement an enterprise network management strategy.

Then at 4Com, I worked with client-side Java programming.

believe you mentioned Java as one of the hot buttons for this job.

After that, I finally got my hands on . . .

4. Getting to Yes

James Joyce, the author of Ulysses, went out of his way to end his epic

novel with a big “Yes,” the most affirming word in the English language.

He knew that ending the novel with “Yes” would let readers exit the

novel with a positive frame of mind.

Your goal in the job interview is also to end the interview on an affirmation.

In fact, the more yes’s and statements of agreement you can

generate, the better off you will be. Why? People, including job interviewers,

really prefer being agreeable. Few people enjoy saying no. Who

needs arguments? The best way to avoid arguments is to say yes.

If the job interview features wave after wave of yes’s, think how much

easier it will be for the interviewer to say yes to that last question,

whether it’s asked explicitly or implicitly:

I think I’ve demonstrated I’m qualified for this job. I’d very much like

to join the team. Can we come to an agreement?

In tactical terms, that means framing your interview questions so the answers

you want or expect will be positive. Here’s an example of an exchange

between a candidate and an interviewer to demonstrate the

power of yes.

For Example

CANDIDATE: I have long been impressed by Acme Widgets. It’s been the

leader in pneumatic widgets for over 50 years, right?

INTERVIEWER: (proudly) Yes!

CANDIDATE: I noticed in the current annual report that the company sets

aside $50 million, or 2.5 percent of revenues, for research and development.

That’s more than all of your competitors, isn’t it?

INTERVIEWER:Yes. We lead the industry in allocation of R&D by revenue.

CANDIDATE: As the market for widgets gets more commoditized, we

will have to differentiate the product, right? What specifically is the

company doing to preserve the market share it has gained over the

years?

As the interviewer answers the question, note the subtle messages the

candidate is sending. The candidate ends each question with “right?”

which invites the interviewer to answer with “yes.” Of course, the candidate

must be on sure ground. The candidate certainly wants to avoid

any possibility that the interview will answer, “No, that’s not quite

right.” Good research makes such questioning possible.

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Avoid Question that are easy to determine

noreply@blogger.com (Mayur) — Sun, 1 Feb 2009 09:41:00 -0800

Asking questions such as these will make you look uninformed or lazy:
What does IBM stand for?
Who is the company’s chief executive officer?
Where is the company located?
Does the company have a Web site?
Why? Because the answers are as close as the company’s Web site or
annual report. Don’t ask the interviewer to state the obvious or do your
job for you. At best it will raise questions about your ability to engage,
and at worst it will cost you the job offer.

2)Avoid “Why” Questions

“Why” questions—queries that start with “why”—often come off as
confrontational. Interviewers can get away with asking you “why” questions.
After all, they are interested in your thought processes and the
quality of your decisions. But when the situation is reversed, “why”
questions from the job seeker sometimes make the interviewer defensive.
Not good:
Why did you consolidate the Seattle and Dallas manufacturing facilities?
It comes off as a challenge. Better:
I am interested in the company’s recent decision to consolidate the Seattle
and Dallas manufacturing facilities. In a Wall Street Journal article,
your CEO stated the wisdom of keeping manufacturing facilities
close to customers whenever possible.Yet this move creates distance between the company and some of its customers. Can we talk about this decision
for a moment?

3.Avoid Asking Questions That Call for a Superlative

Questions that call for a superlative (“What is the best book of all
time?”) make people hesitate and also put them on the defensive. When
faced with a superlative, the interviewer’s mind gets vapor-locked and
he or she hesitates.
Poor: What is the biggest challenge for the company/team?
Better: What do you see as three important challenges for the
company/team?
Poor: What is the absolute best thing about this company?
Better: What are a couple of things you really like about the
company?
Avoiding superlatives gives the interviewer wiggle room to answer
questions more personally.

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Interview Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Mayur) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 20:19:00 -0800

Tell me about yourself.

TRAPS: Beware, about 80% of all interviews begin with this “innocent” question. Many candidates, unprepared for the question, skewer themselves by rambling, recapping their life story, delving into ancient work history or personal matters.

BEST ANSWER: Start with the present and tell why you are well qualified for the position. Remember that the key to all successful interviewing is to match your qualifications to what the interviewer is looking for. In other words you must sell what the buyer is buying. This is the single most important strategy in job hunting.

So, before you answer this or any question it's imperative that you try to uncover your interviewer's greatest need, want, problem or goal.

To do so, make you take these two steps:

1. Do all the homework you can before the interview to uncover this person's wants and needs (not the generalized needs of the industry or company)
2. As early as you can in the interview, ask for a more complete description of what the position entails. You might say: “I have a number of accomplishments I'd like to tell you about, but I want to make the best use of our time together and talk directly to your needs. To help me do, that, could you tell me more about the most important priorities of this position? All I know is what I (heard from the recruiter, read in the classified ad, etc.)”

Then, ALWAYS follow-up with a second and possibly, third question, to draw out his needs even more. Surprisingly, it's usually this second or third question that unearths what the interviewer is most looking for.

You might ask simply, "And in addition to that?..." or, "Is there anything else you see as essential to success in this position?

This process will not feel easy or natural at first, because it is easier simply to answer questions, but only if you uncover the employer's wants and needs will your answers make the most sense. Practice asking these key questions before giving your answers, the process will feel more natural and you will be light years ahead of the other job candidates you're competing with.

After uncovering what the employer is looking for, describe why the needs of this job bear striking parallels to tasks you've succeeded at before. Be sure to illustrate with specific examples of your responsibilities and especially your achievements, all of which are geared to present yourself as a perfect match for the needs he has just described

What are your greatest strengths?

TRAPS: This question seems like a softball lob, but be prepared. You don't want to come across as egotistical or arrogant. Neither is this a time to be humble.

BEST ANSWER: You know that your key strategy is to first uncover your interviewer's greatest wants and needs before you answer questions. And from Question 1, you know how to do this.

Prior to any interview, you should have a list mentally prepared of your greatest strengths. You should also have, a specific example or two, which illustrates each strength, an example chosen from your most recent and most impressive achievements.

You should, have this list of your greatest strengths and corresponding examples from your achievements so well committed to memory that you can recite them cold after being shaken awake at 2:30AM.

Then, once you uncover your interviewer's greatest wants and needs, you can choose those achievements from your list that best match up.

As a general guideline, the 10 most desirable traits that all employers love to see in their employees are:

1. A proven track record as an achiever...especially if your achievements match up with the employer's greatest wants and needs.
2. Intelligence...management "savvy".
3. Honesty...integrity...a decent human being.
4. Good fit with corporate culture...someone to feel comfortable with...a team player who meshes well with interviewer's team.
5. Likeability...positive attitude...sense of humor.
6. Good communication skills.
7. Dedication...willingness to walk the extra mile to achieve excellence.
8. Definiteness of purpose...clear goals.
9. Enthusiasm...high level of motivation.
10. Confident...healthy...a leader

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