How to Answer 7 of the Most Common Interview Questions

Good tips found at:

By ZipRecruiter

Interview questions are not as straightforward as they seem, and answering just one question incorrectly may put you out of the running for a job.
The moral of the story? Be ready to read between the lines.
Here are seven of the most common interview questions, what the hiring manager is really asking, and how you should respond:
1. “Tell me about yourself.”
What the hiring manager is really asking…

“How do your education, work history, and professional aspirations relate to the open job?”

How to respond: Select key work and education information that shows the hiring manager why you are a perfect fit for the job and for the company.
For example, a recent grad might say something like, “I went to X University where I majored in Y and completed an internship at Z Company. During my internship, I did this and that (name achievements that match the job description), which really solidified my passion for this line of work.”
2. “Where do you see yourself in five years?”
What the hiring manager is really asking…

“Does this position fit into your long-term career goals? Do you even have long-term career goals?”

How to respond: Do NOT say you don’t know (even if you don’t) and do not focus on your personal life (it’s nice that you want to get married, but it’s not relevant). Show the employer you’ve thought about your career path and that your professional goals align with the job.
3. “What is your greatest weakness?”
What the hiring manager is really asking…

“Are you self-aware? Do you know where you could stand to improve and are you proactive about getting better?”

How to respond: A good way to answer this is with real-life feedback that you received in the past. For instance, maybe a former boss told you that you needed to work on your presentation skills.
Note that fact, then tell the employer how you’ve been proactively improving. Avoid any deal breakers (“I don’t like working with other people.”) or cliché answers (“I’m a perfectionist and I work too hard.”).
4. “What motivates you to perform?”
What the hiring manager is really asking…

“Are you a hard worker? Am I going to have to force you to produce quality work?”

How to respond: Ideal employees are motivated internally, so tell the hiring manager that you find motivation when working toward a goal, contributing to a team effort, and/or developing your skills. Provide a specific example that supports your response.
Finally, even if it’s true, do not tell an employer that you’re motivated by bragging rights, material things, or the fear of being disciplined.
5. “Tell me about a time that you failed.”
What the hiring manager is really asking…

“How do you respond to failure? Do you learn from your mistakes? Are you resilient?”

How to respond: Similar to the “greatest weakness” question, you need to demonstrate how you’ve turned a negative experience into a learning experience.
To do this, acknowledge one of your failures, take responsibility for it, and explain how you improved as a result. Don’t say you’ve never failed (Delusional, much?), don’t play the blame game, and don’t bring up something that’s a deal breaker (“I failed a drug test once…”)
6. “Why do you want to work here?”
What the hiring manager is really asking…

“Are you genuinely interested in the job? Are you a good fit for the company?”

How to respond: Your goal for this response is to demonstrate why you and the company are a great match in terms of philosophy and skill. Discuss what you’ve learned about them, noting how you align with their mission, company culture, and reputation.
Next, highlight how you would benefit professionally from the job and how the company would benefit professionally from you.
7. “How many couches are there in America?”
What the hiring manager is really asking…

“Can you think on your feet? Can you handle pressure? Can you think critically?”

How to respond: When faced with a seemingly absurd question like this (there are many variations — just ask anyone who interviewed at Google before December), it’s important you not be caught off guard.
Resist your urge to tell the interviewer the question is stupid and irrelevant, and instead walk him through your problem-solving thought process. For this particular question, you would talk about how many people are in the U.S., where couches are found (homes, hotels, furniture stores), etc.
As with other parts of the job application process, it’s a good idea to solicit feedback from family, friends, and former colleagues. Try out your answers to each of these questions on at least two people, then revise based on their feedback.

Your Turn

What are your tips for responding to these and other common interview questions?
Image Credit: Shutterstock

6 Reasons You Should Say ‘Yes’ To Any Job Interview

Excellent post found at:
http://www.careerealism.com/reasons-say-yes-job-interview/

You applied for a job and were just called in for a job interview.
The only problem?
You’re having second thoughts about the position.
Maybe the pay is low or the job function isn’t quite what you’re looking for. Or maybe the company culture is a bit dry for your taste. Whatever the cause of your cold feet, you should think twice before turning down any job interview.
Here’s why…

1. Sharpen Your Interview Skills

Google “interview tips.” Guess how many results turn up?
9,300,000.
Why so many? Because interviews aren’t easy. They’re awkward, pressure-filled situations that demand your A-game. No number of advice articles or practice interviews will prepare you as much as the real thing, so suit up and take advantage of the opportunity.

2. Discover What Others In Your Industry Are Up To

Job interviews are an excellent learning opportunity. Once you’re done practicing your responses to common interview questions, take the time to quiz the employer. Inquire about position requirements, departmental strategies, and company goals. Take what you learn and use it to your advantage into future interviews.

3. Build Your Network

The fact you applied to this job and were offered an interview suggests you’ll be doing business with similar people (perhaps even these people) in the future. Why not use the interview as a networking opportunity? As long as you conduct yourself with professionalism, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t leave with a few new LinkedIn connections. Maybe they’ll even know of an opportunity that’s a better fit for you down the road.

4. Learn What’s Out There

Every organization is unique. By visiting a company’s campus and talking to its employees, you’ll get an insider’s look at what it’s like to work there. Remember what you like and what you don’t, then use these insights as you move forward with picking a new job.

5. Gain Bargaining Power

It’s not uncommon for hiring managers to ask if you’re interviewing elsewhere. If you’re not, then you won’t be seen as a hot commodity. If you can say yes, however, it might give the hiring manager a sense of urgency to scoop you up before someone else does. What’s more, having multiple job offers is an excellent bargaining chip when it comes time for salary negotiations.

6. Realize You Never Know What Will Happen

A million different things can happen to change your perspective of the company or the job. Maybe the salary is low, but the opportunity for advancement (including raises) is through the roof. Or maybe what you’ve read and heard up to this point doesn’t do the company culture justice. There might even be another position open at the company that you’re better suited for.
The point?
You’ll never know if you don’t go to the interview.
As with any business engagement, it is of utmost importance that you act like the professional you are. Don’t flake, don’t convey your indifference, and don’t treat the interview lightly – word gets around.
And besides, the hiring manager is taking time out of his day to meet with you because he believes in your qualifications and cultural fit; why treat him with anything less than the respect he deserves?
Are there any reasons you can think of to say no to a job interview?
Photo Credit: Shutterstock

What Your Interview Body Language Reveals About You

Helpful post found at:

http://www.careerealism.com/interview-body-language/

Poor body language can derail an interview regardless of how confident and well-spoken you are.
Body language is as much a part of your communication style as what you say verbally – it’s really about how you say it. Impressions are made within seconds of reviewing body language.
Consider the first step to entering an interview – the handshake. While it may take less than 10 seconds to complete a handshake, in that time, the interviewer has already developed an impression of your character based on eye contact and the firmness of your shake.
A weak handshake and lack of eye contact can leave the impression you are timid and insecure. A sincere and firm handshake with eye contact expresses professionalism and confidence. An overpowering handshake with a fixed gaze may come across as overconfident and arrogant. So, be cautious with your next handshake and start the interview off with a positive impression.
Body language is present from head to toe. Consider the following:

Posture

Whether you are sitting or standing, your posture projects a level of confidence and engagement in the conversation. When one slumps, it implies to the interviewer a lack of confidence and interest. Sitting stiff as a rock implies nervousness and it creates an uncomfortable situation for building rapport. Sitting at the tip of the chair implies you don’t want to be there.
Lying back on the chair with your ankle on top of your other knee may come off appearing unprofessional and too relaxed. In general, crossing your arms and legs may be interpreted as building a barrier.
To project professionalism, confidence and engagement, consider sitting on the chair with your lower back touching or close to the back panel while leaning 10 degrees forward. Keep your hands relaxed in your lap and feet grounded on the floor. When standing, avoid crossing your arms or placing them in your pockets. The point is to project a balanced posture that is not limp or overly stiff.

Eye Contact

Eye contact allows you and the interviewer to connect beyond words alone. However, there is a fine balance between good eye contact and when eye contact becomes a weird gaze or stare that can make the other person feel uncomfortable. When you stare without having breaks in between, a casual conversation can come across as a lecture.
Whether you are listening or speaking, maintain eye contact with your interviewer for a couple of seconds at a time (no more than 7 to 10 seconds) and then glance away before returning eye contact again. If you are looking down to take notes, look up occasionally, especially when it appears a special point is being made or when you are asked a question.

Voice

Speed, tone and pitch combined presents an impression. Talking too fast can be hard to understand and appear as nervousness. When your tone projects apology or defense, you can come across as unconfident and insecure. When you don’t make changes between your tone and pitch, you can sound monotone, making it more difficult for the other person to stay engaged.
Learn to take control of your voice. If you are nervous, it can come across in your pitch so take a breath to help you relax before speaking. Be conscious of your tone and pitch to offer variation and to help emphasize certain points.

Bobble Head

Some people have a tendency to bobble their head as a gesture of agreement, but when you nod in excess during a conversation, it becomes a distraction and can be interpreted as though you are agreeing on everything for the sake of wanting to please. You can lose credibility in such instances.
To avoid appearing like a bobble head, nod occasionally to show you are still engaged and have control over how you nod. You can also tilt your head slightly to the side as though you are trying to listen more carefully as another way to show you are engaged.

Extremities

There are people who do certain things out of habit, such as flaring arms while talking, twirling hair, playing with a pen in hand, rocking back and forth on a chair and shaking or thumping their feet. Many of these actions occur unconsciously, however, these are distractions to the person you are speaking to and may be perceived as signs you are bored or have trouble focusing. Some people also touch their nose or face frequently when they are nervous. An interviewer may perceive this as a sign you are not being totally honest.
Be conscious of what you do with your hands, legs and feet and that will help you take control of your movements.
Be aware of your own body language and also read your interviewer’s body language to give you hints about how she is responding to you. The interview may start off very formal, but as you both become acquainted with one another, the mood may relax and you may adapt your body language to reflect what you sense from the interviewer.
There is no absolute rule around body language, but it would be wise to avoid any chance of being misinterpreted. You can properly prepare your body language before heading into an interview by watching yourself in the mirror act out how you introduce yourself and speak. Another helpful way is to have someone interview you and video record the entire session. Review how you present yourself and become aware of problem areas to adjust before your interview.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock

About Don Goodman

Don Goodman, president of Resume Writing Service - About Jobs is a nationally recognized career expert. Get a free career assessment from Don here.

The most important interview question of all time

Good thoughts on preparing for an interview found at:

http://www.adlerconcepts.com/resources/column/newsletter/the_most_important_interview_q.php

Over the past 30+ years as a recruiter, I can confirm that at least two-thirds of my hiring manager clients weren’t very good at interviewing. Yet, over 90% thought they were. To overcome this situation, it was critical that I became a better interviewer than them, to prove with evidence that the candidate was competent and motivated to do the work required. This led me on a quest for the single best interview question that would allow me to overcome any incorrect assessment with actual evidence.

It took about 10 years of trial and error. Then I finally hit upon one question that did it all.

Here’s it is:

What single project or task would you consider your most significant accomplishment in your career so far?

To see why this simple question is so powerful, imagine you’re the candidate and I’ve just asked you this question. What accomplishment would you select? Then imagine over the course of the next 15-20 minutes I dug deeper and asked you about the following. How would you respond?

• Can you give me a detailed overview of the accomplishment?
• Tell me about the company, your title, your position, your role, and the team involved.
• What were the actual results achieved?
• When did it take place and how long did the project take.
• Why you were chosen?
• What were the 3-4 biggest challenges you faced and how did you deal with them?
• Where did you go the extra mile or take the initiative?
• Walk me through the plan, how you managed to it, and if it was successful.
• Describe the environment and resources.
• Describe your manager’s style and whether you liked it or not.
• Describe the technical skills needed to accomplish the objective and how they were used.
• Some of the biggest mistakes you made.
• Aspects of the project you truly enjoyed.
• Aspects you didn’t especially care about and how you handled them.
• How you managed and influenced other, with lots of examples.
• How you changed and grew as a person.
• What you would do differently if you could do it again.
• What type of formal recognition did your receive?

If the accomplishment was comparable to a real job requirement, and if the answer was detailed enough to take 15-20 minutes to complete, consider how much an interviewer would know about your ability to handle the job. The insight gained from this type of question would be remarkable. But the real issue is not the question, this is just a setup. The details underlying the accomplishment are what's most important. This is what real interviewing is about – getting into the details and comparing what the candidate has accomplished in comparison to what needs to be accomplished. Don’t waste time asking a lot of clever questions during the interview, or box checking their skills and experiences: spend time learning to get the answer to just this one question.

As you’ll discover you’ll then have all of the information to prove to other interviewers that their assessments were biased, superficial, emotional, too technical, intuitive or based on whether they liked the candidate or not. Getting the answer to this one question is all it takes.

_____________________________________________________

Lou Adler is the Amazon best-selling author of Hire With Your Head (Wiley, 2007) and the award-winning Nightingale-Conant audio program, Talent Rules! His new book, The Essential Guide for Hiring and Getting Hired, will be published in January 2013.

A very good and quite exhaustive video on "How to pass telephone interviews" by Richard McMunn found at : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNhJA69-uHI&feature=em-subs_digest-vrecs

How To Pass Telephone Interviews

5 Steps To An Excellent Interview

Taken from:  http://www.careerealism.com/5-steps-excellent-interview/

By Lee Gibson

As an interview preparation expert and career coach I leverage my skills and experience as a recruiter, human resource professional, and Student of Life to guide clients in their interview preparation.

I have a day job as a corporate recruiter and I conducted around 3,000 phone interviews for a number of different and diverse companies in 2010. Each day, I witness job seekers make serious errors in how they market their skills and present themselves as individuals during phone interviews–errors which knock them out of the recruitment process! Sadly for them, with proper preparation these errors could have been easily avoided. This is good news for you!

I attribute the short comings I see in job seekers as a Corporate Recruiter to a fundamental misunderstanding of: the value of a phone interview; hiring manager expectations in increasingly crowded talent pools; and the skills needed to identify and market individual, unique skills and experience.

That’s where I can help. I help my clients understand what a Phone Interview truly is and how valuable it could be if approached correctly. After spending well over 700 hours (and counting) conducting phone interviews, it is clear: A huge gap exist between the effort candidates put into preparing for their Phone Interview in relation to the career goal being sought–a job!  Interview preparation isn’t difficult and, with the right tools, doesn’t have to take too much time.

My unique position as a Recruiter, interacting with both candidates and hiring managers, has positioned me as a leader in the area of interview preparation. From my experience and observation, I have developed the REACH method of preparation for phone and face-to-face interviews. REACH is the key to closing the gap between you and the job you want!

REACH is so simple and easy to follow and it takes very little time to work through the five steps:

1. Research the Position
2. Evaluate Your Skills
3. Align with the Position
4. Channel the Positive
5. Hone Your Pitch

That’s it! No need to worry about where to start or what you’ll be asked during your interview. Just start using REACH to prepare for your interview and you’ll be covered.

Use the links below to hop over to the Intravance Blog and read on to better understand how simple it is for you to REACH for a better interview.

Explore REACH:

Research the Position,
Evaluate Your Skills,
Align with the Position,
Channel the Positive,
and Hone Your Pitch

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

About Lee Gibson

Lee Gibson leverages his skills 

Best Interview Preparation Tool

About to go on an interview... the following preparation post found at http://www.careerealism.com/interview-preparation-tool-confirmation/
is excellent to make sure YOU get the information from the interviewer
that you need to make the decision on your end...not just answer the hiring
manager's question to you.

The Four "C"s with suggested questions under each "C" are presented:

• Connect 
• Culture 
• Challenges
• Close including asking permission to follow up after the interview

• About
• Policy
• Advertising
• Contact

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By CAREEREALISM Founder, J.T. O’Donnell

Watch the following video before reviewing my interview preparation questions. I made it a couple years ago but it’s still extremely relevant.

Interview Preparation Questions

Review the following questions. In as much objective detail as possible, create a unique response for each one.

Hint: Don’t oversell yourself – stick to the facts and tell the story.

Share insights gained and professional lessons learned when possible. Try to quantify your statements. (i.e. “As a result of our efforts, we increased sales by XX%.”)

1. Tell me about your greatest accomplishment on the job.
2. Tell me about a difficult situation you encountered at work and how you overcame it.
3. Give me three adjectives you would use to describe yourself and examples of your work style to support them.
4. Give me three adjectives you would use to describe your weaknesses/areas for improvement and the reasons why you feel you need to work on these.
5. If I was to ask a co-worker about you, how would they describe you on-the-job?
6. Tell me about a time where you were required to work with a difficult person (i.e. client, co-worker, manager, etc.). How did you handle the situation? What was the outcome?
7. If you were given a task to complete in an unrealistic time frame, what would you do?
8. If someone came to you with an enthusiastic, yet unrealistic request, how would you handle it?
9. Why are you looking to leave your current position?
10. What do you want to get out of your next job?
11. Tell me about the best manager you ever had? Now tell me about the worst?
12. What are the three most valuable things you’ve learned while working in your current position?
13. What was the biggest mistake you’ve made on a job? How did you handle the failure?
14. What do you feel makes you successful in your current role? Give an example to support your success.
15. What do you think makes a company good to work for? What do you like about your current company? What could be better?
16. Do you prefer working alone or in teams? Give examples of how you have worked successfully both alone and in a team? What do you attribute your success to?
17. What are your own business philosophies – what do you feel must be present in a successful business?
18. What skills are you looking to develop in your next job? Why?

Bonus: Questions to Ask

Take a moment to look at the questions below. Re-write them in your own words so you can ask them in interviews.

Hint: Never, ever ask about money or benefits in the initial interview. It’s important to focus questions on the interviewer, then the company, and finally on you.

Step 1: Connect With The Interviewer

• How did you join the company? What makes you stay?
• What has this company taught you?

Step 2: Learn About The Work Environment

• What makes the department I’d be working in successful?
• I’ve done my homework on the company, but I’d love to hear you describe the corporate culture here in your own words?
• What makes this a great place to work? And since no company is perfect, what could be improved upon?
• What traits do you feel a person needs to be successful at this company?
• Can you give me an example of a recent hire that has been successful?
• How does the company measure its success? What evaluation criterion do they use?
• What are the three greatest strengths of this company? What are the three greatest strengths of the department I’d be working in?
• What are the three biggest challenges the company faces this year? And for the department I’d be working for?

Step 3: Ask For Feedback

• If I could add/change anything about myself and my experience to make me a better fit for the position and the company, what would it be?
• What are the next steps in the hiring process?

Good luck!

3 Sure-fire Ways to get the Job Interviews you Really Want

An excellent post taken in it's entirety from:

http://www.steamfeed.com/3-sure-fire-ways-to-get-the-job-interviews-you-really-want/

I just came off a 6-month job hunt in October, when I got employed by InNetwork Inc. as an Influencer Relationship Manager. After a lot of researching, networking, and sending out tons of job applications over the summer, I finally landed my dream job. It wasn’t an easy task, but the hard work definitely paid off.

photo credit: lumaxart via photopin cc

It was also a great learning experience in the process. Some tactics brought in more interviews than others did though. I’ll share with you some of the tactics that worked best for me.

1. Get Email Access to the Hiring Manager

I quickly learned that sending in a job application through a job bank site simply doesn’t work. Your application ends up in a general jobs@company.com email, along with hundreds or thousands of similar applications. Recruiters scan quickly, and only pick the ones that really stand out. But what if you had access to the hiring manager? – You could completely skip the recruiters, and go straight to the person that makes the final decisions.
I decided to invest in LinkedIn Premium for Job Seekers so I could have that access to hiring managers. I did a quick search on the companies I wanted to work for, and found out who the manager was in the department I wanted to work in. I then proceeded to send an InMail to them, knowing it would go directly in their LinkedIn inbox. What’s nice with this approach – they can click on your LinkedIn profile, and pretty much get your résumé right there and then.
Another way you can get access to their email, without having to pay for a premium LinkedIn subscription, is to do a little Google search on what the company’s email structure looks like. Do some research on LinkedIn or the company’s website to find out who’s the manager you want to contact. Write down their name. Then do a Google search for “Their name @company.com email”. If they ever published a press release, their contact information will most likely appear in a Google search. If they haven’t, no worries, you can still figure it out. Do a Google search, and try to find an email address from someone at the company. Take a look at the structure of the email – it might be firstname.lastname@company.com or firstname@company.com. Just plug in the name of the hiring manager you want to contact in the same format, and chances are that’s their email address.

2. Get a Recruiter’s Attention from a Creative Campaign

In a busy world, where there are thousands of people searching for jobs, you need to stand out. I had a success story with getting the attention of recruiters at Radian6 back in February. The position didn’t work out because of timing, but I definitely left an impression on them.
Just remember a few simple rules before doing a creative job hunt campaign:

• DO YOUR RESEARCH! Find out everything that you can about the company you’re trying to reach before you start the campaign. This will help you guide your message, and even the channel you chose to use. If the company you’re contacting is not very active on Social Media, there’s no point in doing a social media campaign – they’re not listening! If the company you’re contacting is on social media, don’t send them something in the mail. Know your audience.
• Do a search on what has already been done – you don’t want to be viewed as a copycat. You can look at previously successful campaigns for inspiration, but don’t copy it! Be yourself.
• Fully plan your campaign before you launch – this includes which channels you will use, who will be involved, who you’re trying to get attention from, timing, etc. When you hit the go button on your campaign, you should have an idea how everything is going to map out. Be ready.
• Get other people involved. The more people who are promoting you message (both internally and external from the company), the more chances your message will be seen by recruiters.

3. Use a Combination of Online and Offline

The tactic that worked best for me was using a combination of online and offline. This strategy got me the most interviews, and ultimately landed me my dream job.

• Get a bunch of personal business cards. Make them as visually impressive as possible. I used MOO.com – they’re a bit more expensive, but the quality of the card is remarkable. Everyone I give a business card to tell me how great my cards look – and excellent conversation starter for sure.
• Do some research on who you want to contact. Get their name, mailing address at the company, and email (using the tactics in point #1). Write them a small, hand written note, wrap it around one of your business cards, and send it to them in an envelope (addressed by hand, not type-written). They’ll remember this later on.
• Follow up a couple days later with an email. Explain who you are, and why you’re contacting them. Tell them a bit about what you can offer them, but keep it short (no need to attach a résumé, they can look you up on LinkedIn, or ask you questions during the interview). At the end of the email, say you will follow up and call them in a couple days. They won’t view any of this as spam, because they remember your name from that hand written note and business card you sent them.
• Call them a couple days later, and ask them if they received your email. If they haven’t, tell them you’ll resend it, and call back. They’ll read it. When you call back, try to set up a meeting with them outside the office – they won’t be in interview mode if you’re having coffee at Starbucks (makes for a much more casual, friendly conversation).
• At the meeting, try to get a sense of when they’re hiring, and what their hiring budget is like. Get as much information as you want from them – remember, you have to make sure they’re a good fit for YOU as well, not just the other way around.
• At the end of the meeting, if they’re not interested in hiring, always ask for two things: 1. Ask if they know anyone that’s looking for someone with your skills, and 2. Ask if you can keep in touch through LinkedIn. This way, the meeting wasn’t a waste even if you’re not getting a job at the company. You’ll be expanding your network, and always have another meeting setup with someone else, until you find your dream job.

Well there you have it! It’s a bit of a long post, but I would have LOVED to get all of this information before I started job hunting – it might have saved some time. Remember, job hunting is like a full time job, and treat it like so! You need to be spending 8 hours a day researching and networking. If you’re working a part-time job, you won’t find your dream job – you always need to be ready for meetings and interviews.