What is a job interview?

“A date is a job interview that lasts all night. The only difference between a date and a job interview is that there are not many job interviews where there's a chance you'll end up naked at the end of it.”                                                -Jerry Seinfeld

A job interview is a sweaty palms event where you will be asked questions by your potential employer to determine if you are a fit. There are really only four questions you will be asked:

1. Can you do the job?
2. Who are you?
3. Will you fit in my company?
4. How much will you cost me?

Simple, huh? Well not exactly. What you should expect are about 20 tricky questions to get the answers to only those 4.

For example, you might be asked, “Tell me about yourself”. A maddening question after all the work you’ve done on your resume and cover letter. Or, “What makes you angry?” Or, “What are your weak points and limitations?” Or, “What is your biggest failure?” Another heart-stopper is, “How do you react when you realize you made a mistake?” How about, “At your age, why don’t you earn a higher salary?”

The good news is that there are many ways you can respond correctly to sticky questions – including silence.

More good news is that you get to ask your 20 questions about whether they are a fit for you. Before making the biggest investment you’ll ever make (yourself), you need to make sure you will get a healthy return instead of a devastating loss. Some questions you can ask (some are classic down-the-line career busters people hire me as a life coach to fix):

·         Why is this position open?

·         How often has it been filled in the past 2 to 5 years?

·         What have been the primary reasons for persons leaving?

·         Why did the person who held this position most recently leave?

·         What would you like done differently by the next person who fills this job?

·         What are some of the objectives that you would like accomplished in this job?

·         What is the most pressing? What would you like to have done within the next 2 or 3 months?

·         What do you consider to be the ideal background for the position?

·         What are some of the longer-term objectives that you would like completed?

·         What freedom would I have in determining my work objectives, and the methods of measurement?

·         What kind of support does this position receive in terms of people, finances, etc.?

·         What are some of the more difficult problems facing someone in this position? How do you think these could best be handled?

·         What significant changes do you foresee in the near future?

·         How is one judged? What accounts for success?

·         What are the most critical factors for success in your business?

·         What are the most important traits you look for in a subordinate or team member?

·         How do you like your people to communicate with you? Orally, in writing, email, informally, in meetings, only when necessary?

·         Do you have any concerns that I need to clear up in order to be the top candidate?

(Thank you, Daniel Porot and Frances Bolles Haynes, you’re the best!)

Contact me if you need help with your job interview answers or want to learn how to be better at the interview than your interviewer.

Comments

[resume writing]

Wow Impressive!
Your blog is very informative. However, it is pretty hard task but your
post and experience serve and teach me how to handle and make it more
simple and manageable.
Thanks for the tips… Best regards.