Behind every interview question
If you’ve written your resume well, you’re already off to a head start because you should have already thought about a lot of these interview questions and answers in your own mind. If you’re looking for a job that pays more than $100k check out Beyond.com and get free career advise at Vault.com
Q#1 – How long have you been looking for a job? (Concern – is there something wrong with you that other employers have picked up?)
A#1 – “After I was laid off from my last job, I took the opportunity to take some time out to examine my career goals and where I was going with my life. I have just begun my search in the last few weeks. I have a definite goal in mind and have been selective about the positions I consider. Your company and this position are of great interest to me.”
Q#2 – How did you prepare for this interview? (Concern – are you interested enough to do some research, or are you going to “wing it”?)
A#2 – “When I found this position posted on the internet (monster.com) I was immediately interested. I checked out the company website and mission statement, looked at the bios of company founders and executives, and was impressed. Once I had the interview appointment, I talked with friends and acquaintances in the industry. And, I’m sure I’ll find out a lot more in today’s meetings.”
Q#3 – What is your salary expectation for this job? (Concern – Can we afford you? Can we get you for less than budgeted?)
A#3 - “I’ll need more information about the job and the responsibilities involved before we can begin to discuss salary. Can you give me an idea of the range budgeted for this position?”
Q#4 - How do you keep current and informed about your job and the industries that you have worked in? (Concern – Once you get the job do you continue to learn and grow – stay challenged and motivated?)
A#4 - “I pride myself on my ability to stay on top of what is happening in my industry. I do a lot of reading – the business section of the newspapers and magazines. I belong to a couple of professional organizations and network with colleagues at the meetings. I take classes and seminars whenever they are of interest, or offer new information or technology.”
Q#5 - Tell me about a time when you had to plan and coordinate a project from start to finish. (Concern – behavioral questions – seeking an example of specific past behavior)
A#5 - ” I headed up a project which involved customer service personnel and technicians. I organized a meeting to get everyone together to brainstorm and get his or her input. From this meeting I drew up a plan, taking the best of the ideas. I organized teams, balancing the mixture of technical and non-technical people. We had a deadline to meet, so I did periodic checks with the teams. After three weeks, we were exceeding expectations, and were able to begin implementation of the plan. It was a great team effort, and a big success. I was commended by management for my leadership, but I was most proud of the team spirit and cooperation which it took to pull it off.”
Q#6 - What kinds of people do you have difficulties working with? (Concern – ability to be flexible and work in a diverse environment?)
A#6 - “In my last three jobs I have worked with men and women from very diverse backgrounds and cultures. The only time I had difficulty was with people who were dishonest about work issues. I worked with one woman who was taking credit for work that her team accomplished. I had an opportunity to talk with her one day and explained how she was affecting the morale. She became very upset that others saw her that way, and said she was unaware of her behavior or the reactions of others. Her behavior changed after our talk. What I learned from that experience is that sometimes what we perceive about others is not always the case if we check it out.”
Q#7 - We expect managers to work more than 8 hours a day. Do you have a problem with that? (Concern – are you a work-aholic or a person who requires balance?)
A#7 - “I have no problem working long hours. I have worked 12 or 14 hour days. What I have found works for me is to work smarter, not necessarily longer. My goal is to get the job done, whatever that takes, in the most efficient manner.”
Q#8 - When have you been most satisfied in your career? (Concern – what motivates you? Or demotivates you?)
A#8 - “The job before the one I am currently at, was my most rewarding experience for me. I worked in a wonderful team environment. There was a lot of camaraderie. I worked with a team of four people and we did some really original thinking. It is that kind of environment I want to be involved in again.”
Q#9 - Why do you want this job? (Concern – are you using the shot-gun approach to job search or do you really know what you want?)
A#9 – “I’ve been very careful about the companies where I have applied. When I saw the ad for this position, I knew I found what I was looking for. What I can bring to this job is my seven years of experience, and knowledge of the industry, plus my ability to communicate and build customer relationships. That, along with my flexibility and organizational skills, makes me a perfect match for this position. I see some challenges ahead of me here, and that’s what I thrive on. I have what you need, and you have what I want.”
Q#10 - We are ready to make an offer. Are you ready to accept today? (Concern – we don’t want you to go away and think about it and change your mind – we want you.)
A#10 - “Based on my research and the information I have gathered during the interview process, I feel I am in a position to consider an offer. I do, however, have a personal policy that I give myself at least 24 hours to make major life decisions. I could let you know by tomorrow.”
There is no way you can accurately predict the questions that will be asked in an interview, but you can be ready and prepared by thinking about the factors that might concern an interviewer or employer before the interview.
Practice Job Interview Questions and Answers for Success
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Carole Martin, America’s #1 Interview Coach, is a celebrated author, trainer, and mentor. Carole can give you interviewing tips like no one else can. Get a copy of her FREE 9-part “Interview Success Tips” report by visiting Carole on the web at The Interview Coach http://www.interviewcoach.com
{ 23 comments }
sure, your points help, am currently looking for another job myself
You know how you can tell a good potential employee from a bad one? When they start speaking in an indirect, artificial manner and give these wattered-down, ingenuine, responses such as the one in this article. What do you have to hide from telling the truth? Afraid they might find out your dangerously unqualified, or have huge character deficiencies?
There is no real reason to be indirect in an interview. If you’re right for the job given your character and skill set, you’ll be hired. If not, then you probably need to improve your skill set or change your attitude. Certainly, there is nothing to gain from being thrust into a position that isn’t suited for you. A good employer is one that accepts you for what you are.
quite inspiring and helping me !! Thx
Nice article, i am currently interviewing for a new position myself at the moment so this info is very handy. Especially the response for salary expectations i have always hated that question with a passion.
its helpful, thanks
How do tackle questions where u have to tell the expected salary? and u have to give some figure
- range between x to y or
- % rise or
- figure + kind of reply
how can u tell the folks jusdege based on what i have ot offer rather than % of earlier salary?
@AM: You missed the important keyword in Question #7, “manager.”
Direct talk is for employees; managers use rhetoric, misdirection, disambiguation, and abstraction in their conversations with other Management types.
Its how you can tell the real bullshitters from the fake bullshitters, ya know? :)
Nice post…
I don’t quite agree that those are all the best answers to the questions, a good interviewer could easily play the game and turn tables on a person using some of these answers.
Like for example the one on salary expectations; the answer provided leaves enough space for the interviewer to get out of answering it, and turn the question around again to the interviewee, only the second time around there’ll be much less room for leverage as the interviewee supposedly doesn’t know enough about the job to ask for a high salary.
Anyway, job interviews are a tricky game, and a lot of it is played psychologically and through reading the person in front of you and asserting control over the process.
Great list. Q#3′s answer about salary expectation is rather contradictory, though:
“I’ll need more information about the job and the
responsibilities involved BEFORE we can begin to discuss
salary. Can you give me an idea of the range budgeted for
this position?” (emphasis added)
It implies that we only want to focus on the job and responsibilities but yet still talk about figures (range). Or did I miss something?
The job interview is really about figuring whether you two match (the job and you, the employer and you) and I feel it’s best to be as honest and straightforward as possible to ensure the best result. You don’t want to trick your way into a job.
The salary thing is always tricky. I’ve asked around to get some idea and then made sure I’m asking enough to be happy with and leave some room to negotiate it down, based on bonuses and benefits.
Of course YMMV; I haven’t ever been to carbon copy interviews. With the places I’ve got, the interviewer has made up his mind within minutes, relying on the chemistry. If you’re getting as far as the interview, you’re already basically qualified. Just be confident and honest.
You forgot the major question they all ask: Where would you like to be in 5 years?
There are two obvious answers they don’t want to hear – “I’d like to be on a tropical beach drinking margaritas” and “I’ve found in this industry it’s impossible to forecast that far ahead”.
I have yet to find a really good answer to this one…
Dana,
That’s a great question. A lot would be dependent on the size of the company. If there’s room for growth inside the company a good answer would be:
(if you’re interviewing for an entry level position)
“I see myself growing inside the company and there seems to be a lot of growth opportunities here. I see myself being a manager here and leading others to the company’s goals.
(if you’re interviewing for the management position)
“I see myself growing inside the company and there seems to be a lot of growth opportunities here. I see myself becoming a vice president and leading the company into new targeted areas through our strategy plan to gain market share”
These seem like pretty standard answers and questions to me. Nothing too impressive here.
Damon,
Yeah, I sort of tried that answer, that I wanted to be a team lead (I’ve been a developer for decades) and was told that there wouldn’t be any chance of advancement for at least the next two years. However, they did hire me, at something a bit more than the original budgeted range, and after one week on the job I can say it’s a totally awesome place to work. And they’re looking to hire another 100 people this year…
Not sure what your policy is on mentioning it, but their web site is http://www.imagenow.com.
Dana,
Congrats on the new job. It sounds like a great place to work and I checked out the website and it seems that they have locations all around the world.
I’m all about the link love and a big supporter of the “do follow” movement. So if you have other valuable websites that others would enjoy, I don’t mind.
What about the:
Where do you see yourself in 5 years ?
… to me that’s always the toughest question to not sound stupid answering
cheers mate!!
It helped finding myself the job I was looking for years but couldn’t do good in interviews. This time i made it.
Personally, I do think that these suggestions are absolutely great that Carole has given! People shouldn’t be so negative in life all the time. If you have not got the position you worked so hard for (face it everyone has had that) it’s just called luck. Having actual people that want to make a difference in helping a person get that “dream job” they have always wanted is wonderful! People shouldn’t nag at someones talent on the ability and drive to help someone in need. And yes, this response that Carole has posted up did HELP ME. If something went wrong per say in the interview that you went to, doesn’t necessarily mean that you should pin the blame on someone else.
Thank you Carole for this post. I truly believe that you are Americas #1 Interview Coach, and I thank you for wanting to help me and everyone else who has been searching for that long, desired job. Thanks to you, I GOT THE JOB!
Please answer me:
• Why did you leave your last job?
• Have you ever been fired or forced to resign?
• Why have you had so many jobs in such a short period of time?
• Can you explain this gap in your employment history? What have you been doing since you were last employed?
• Exactly why do you want to work here?
• Why should we hire YOU? What can you do for us that someone else can not?
• Have you ever had problems with a supervisor or a coworker? Describe the situation for me. How did you resolve the conflict?
• Describe some times when you were not very satisfied or pleased with your own performance. What did you do about it?
• Give me an example of a problem you faced on the job, and tell me how you solved it.
• Give me an example of an important goal you had to set and tell me about your progress in reaching that goal.
Good article, i am looking for another job myself
Dear friends
I nead some adviser for interview because my english understanding level good but talking level has some problem.
So who has free time sent to me mail, i will explain exactly what kind of problem i have.
thanks
BRILLIANT,,,,I HAVE AN INTERVIEW TOMORROW FOR THE FIRST TIME,,I WAS CONFUSED UNTILL I SAW YOUR WEB,,,THANK YOU SO MUCH,,,I WISH YOU CAN HAVE MORE QUES & ANSWERS,,,,,THANK YOU
Regarding #3: it’s a nice try, but you’ll be very, very lucky if a company is willing to divulge numbers as early as they ask you to do so. However, the first part of the answer is right but you can also add that you’re flexible and are certain that you can come to an agreement later. In other words- salary won’t be an issue. Of course, when ‘later’ arrives, you might change your mind if the numbers are too low for the responsibilities they ask of you.
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