| "Tell
me about yourself."
Sounds simple, doesn't it? On the other hand, where do
you start? The interviewer is looking for a quick overview
of your career and your academics. What the interviewer
doesn't want to hear is about your family, pets, hobbies,
boyfriend/girlfriend, or the funny thing that happened
to you yesterday. What they're really asking is, "Tell
me about your professional self." The best
way to answer this is to give a brief summary of your
career so far, focusing on specific accomplishments. Try
something like this: "My first job was as a receptionist
at XYZ Corporation, but I was promoted after just three
months. I worked my way up to sales manager for the Northeast.
I doubled sales in the Northeast, and brought in ten new
clients in my first quarter."
Finally, explain why you're looking
for a job. But don't bad-mouth your current job
or your boss; it will reflect poorly on you. Say something
like: "Now I'm looking for a new challenge."
This is also a good time to throw in some of the information
you've learned in your research about the company: "I'm
looking for a company with a dedication to preserving
the environment and I believe your company offers that."
"Why
do you want to work at this company?"
This is where you get to show that you have researched
the company and you are more than just an average applicant.
Relate something you learned about the company and explain
why this attracted you to them. If the company has a commitment
to the community, you might say you appreciate their commitment
and that is what draws you to them. Or you understand
that they are in a competitive battle with another major
company and you relish the challenge of helping them carve
out a bigger market share. If you heard about the job
from a friend of family member, you could mention that
person. But don't forget to include something that shows
that they should want to hire you. "My friend has
worked here for years and says it's a great company to
work for with great people to work with. I think I could
really contribute to your team."
"What
did you like/dislike about your last job?"
This is a tricky one, because you don't want to come off
as overly critical, petty, or a problem employee. If you
say you hated dealing with the general public, you can
be assured you won't be hired in retail sales or customer
service. If you say you hated your boss, the interviewer
will worry about you hating them someday. Keep
your answer positive. If you mention something you disliked
about the company, pair it with something you liked. Let's
say that you worked as a receptionist, and your boss was
condescending to you and never gave you anything interesting
to do. You could say, "I enjoyed greeting the public,
and I liked knowing that I could make a difference by
giving people a great first impression of the company,
but I felt that there wasn't room for me to contribute
my organizational and teamwork skills. I'm ready for a
position that offers more responsibility and more challenge."
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"What
is your biggest accomplishment?"
Be specific. Tell about one thing that you did really
well. Preferably, talk about something that was recognized
and rewarded by your boss. You could say something like,
"I created a system to organize my boss's projects
and deadlines, which often overlapped. He was so impressed,
he told other managers in the group, and I ended up training
the other secretaries to create similar systems for their
bosses." If you are applying for a position that
involves being part of a team, recount something you did
as a member of a team, and talk about the teamwork and
cooperation that was required.
"What
is your greatest strength?"
Even if your greatest strength isn't business-related,
find a way to relate it to work. Your greatest strength
may be your ability to memorize lyrics to pop songs, but
if you're applying for a job as a sales trainee, they
won't really care. They will care that you have a great
memory and are good at keeping information organized.
If you're a great basketball player, talk about how well
you deal with pressure and work as part of a team.
"What
is your greatest weakness?"
The interviewer who asks this question is looking to see
how honest you are with yourself, and how well you deal
with your own shortcomings. Don't pretend you don't have
weaknesses, and don't avoid answering the question. This
is your chance to show that you are honest and take responsibility
for your actions. A good way to answer this question is
to mention your weakness, then tell what you have done
to overcome that weakness. If you have been disorganized
in the past, you could say, "I used to be very disorganized,
always forgetting assignments and birthdays. But I managed
to work out a computerized system of to-do lists and reminders
that keeps me on top of everything."
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"Do
you prefer to work with others or on your own?"
This is a question you should have asked yourself before
you applied for the job. The interviewer wants to make
sure that you are appropriate for the job for which you
are applying. If you're going to be part of a team, you
should enjoy working with others. On the other hand, if
you're going to be doing data entry, it might be a good
idea if you enjoy working on your own. Remember, however,
that companies don't want to hire workers who need constant
handholding. A good answer might be, "I enjoy being
part of a team and cooperating with others, but I also
enjoy working on my own. At my last job, our team would
meet to discuss our goals, then each work on our part
of the project individually. There was a lot of communication
and cooperation among the group, but I was responsible
for completing part of the project on my own."
"What
are your career goals?" or "Where do you see
yourself in five years?"
The interviewer is wondering how dedicated you will be
to the job and the company. If they are going to train
you, they want to know that you aren't going to take the
next job that comes along. On the other hand, most companies
don't want to hire people who have no ambition at all.
Even if you have no idea where you want to be in five
years, don't say, "I don't know." Be positive.
Say something like, "I hope to be in a position that
continues to challenge me, and that allows me to use my
skills and abilities to help the company reach its goals."
Ideally, the job you're applying for is a step on your
career ladder, so you can talk about the career ladder
you've envisioned for yourself. Employers like to hear
that you are interested in staying and growing with their
company.
"Tell
me about a time that you had a lot of work to do in
a short time. How did you manage the situation?"
Here, the interviewer is looking for specific strategies
that you use to manage pressure situations. Talk about
prioritizing your work, cooperating with others, making
to-do lists, breaking large projects into small batches,
and taking care of your health so you could maintain your
concentration.
"Have
you ever had to work closely with a person you didn't
get along with? How did you handle the situation?"
The interviewer wants to hear that you were able to put
aside your differences and get the work done. They also
want to hear that you are flexible, and can be sensitive
to the needs and feelings of others. If you don't have
a work-related example, talk about a school project, or
about being part of a club and learning to get along with
the various people in the club.
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