For my interview tomorrow, should I expect the usual questions such as:
“Why should we hire you?”
“What are your greatest strengths? Weaknesses?”
I have not had an interview in nearly 20 years, so I may be rusty at it.
Terrible questions and questionable answers accepted!
Look up the specific firm on glassdoor.com and other candidates may have reports.
Thanks for the link. They got 4 out of 5 stars and 3 comments.
Well, they want to talk to you so they must think you are a qualified candidate, which means you have experience in whatever position they are trying to fill. They’ll want to know how your experience matches what they are looking for. So be prepared to speak directly to that. Also be prepared to talk about the lessons you learned while doing the things you were doing and what challenges you faced and how you dealt with those challenges effectively.
If they ask you about what weaknesses you have (which is always a dumb question) tell them you’re a problem solver or tend to take on more responsibility than time permits. Or anything that doesn’t actually point out your real weaknesses.
When asked how you would solve problem X, the answer is always: a) gather and evaluate all available information, b) gather list of options/solutions and associate risks, c) communicate to management/customer/team, d) get consesus/agreement/decision and move forward accordingly while being prepared to change course when new information becomes available.
Good luck.
I think this a bad approach to take with an intelligent employer; they will see it as obvious BS at best, and arrogance at worst.
IMO, a better approach is to acknowledge a real, actual weakness (though not your worst one), but then explain what you have done/are doing to compensate/improve it. Bonus points if you can say you’re making these changes in reponse to feedback from bosses/co-workers. Extra bonus points if it’s a thing that is in fact clearly fixable (i.e. "I really need to improve my skills with [specific software the employer wants you to learn], not “I’m a kleptomaniac.”)
Be ready for behavioral questions – “tell me about a time when you changed someone’s mind,” or “when have you shown leadership?”
Basically, pick 3-5 stories where you did a good job at something, then think about every positive trait you can link them to. When they ask for that trait, give them that story.
One thing they’re going to ask you is if you have any questions about the job.
Have some questions; just saying “Nope, I’m good, hire me!” isn’t going to pique their interest.
The main question I usually ask, which they usually dodge the hell out of: “What’s a day in the life? What will I actually be doing on a daily basis?”
This is good advice. Pick a mild flaw and spin it into a positive. “I sometime have issues with X so I tend to do Y & Z to compensate for this.” Like “By nature, I’m not the most organized person in the world, so I tend to take detailed notes utilizing Outlook and Evernote. I find that this not only improves my organization skills, but also helps me be more productive overall.” (Note-do not use Organization as an example if the job description says you must be organized).
Depends on whether you are applying for a job as a bank manager or a pole dancer.
How will I/you know I’m doing a good job? What are my “success metrics?”
What have others who have had success in this role had in common?
As a hiring manager, that type answer will get an internal eye roll from me every single time. I’m asking you about your weakness for 3 reasons:
^This. And be ready with an example of when something you did went haywire and how you handled it. I am going to ask.
I guess some people still ask “Where do you see yourself in five years?” “Doing your job” is probably not a great answer.
Was the job advertised? Look at the ad and be prepared to address the skills and competencies specified in the ad. For each skill/competency listed be prepared with a case from a previous job that demonstrates that you have what they’re looking for.
I have some recent experience with this issue. These articles helped me out.
I have never had any single person ask me all of those questions, but chances are very high that you’ll get asked at least a couple.
The stupid thing timed out on me. Here’s an “edit.”
On rare occasions, you’ll get asked a question that you’ve never thought about before. In my experience, frankness seems to be the best choice in such a case. If you let the interviewer know that it’s a spur-of-the-moment answer, that seems to help.
Also, I second the advice on telling stories. Humans are sociable creatures, and stories tend to be more memorable than a lot of things. Try to answer most questions with a very short story.
I had a Director tell me once, “we can teach someone how to do the job, but we can’t teach them to fit in”. Chances are, if you have made it through the process to get to interview with the Dept Manager, you have been identified as having the requisite skill sets.
Often, particularly if you are talking to the Dept. Manager you will be working for (not so much if you are talking to HR folks), the guy is trying to find out if you will “fit” in with his group. If he has been managing for any length of time, he has probably had employees who are technically fine, but don’t work out because they are not part of the group.
You might think that knowing this does not help if you don’t know anything about the group. The interviewer knows what he is looking for, but you don’t know what it is. However, just understanding what he is after will help you immensely since it will help you give answers that tells him what he wants to know, not just giving him fluff.
We had an Engineering Graduate from a Prominent University (PU) who was very personable, very technically oriented, and carried himself well. He washed-out at the interview because his answers didn’t tell us anything.
Me: Why are you looking for a job in this industry? This is a very cyclic business and while things are good now, they often will go sour very quickly and when that happens, the pay raises and bonuses often suffer.
PU Grad: Well, this is a great industry and I know I can make it better.
Me: Why do you want to work for This Company (TC)
PU Grad: Because TC is a great company and has a great reputation
Me: I see you have impressive accomplishments in your school activities, how will use these skills to help with the job I’ve described?
PU Grad: Well, I like working for a great company and I think these skills will just make TC better.
My boss sat in on this interview and I told him, afterward, “I think this guy needs to make someone else great, I don’t think he is going to do anything great here”.
On the other hand, if his responses had been
(1) I’ve always been fascinated by this industry and have always tried to find out all I can about it. I find I can do even unpleasant tasks well in situations I find interesting.
(2) Well, like I said before, I have always been fascinated with the industry; the TC logo is prominent throughout the industry. I figure you guys know how to do it and I want to learn.
(3) Well, the work I did for the Student Union gave me a good understanding of how an organization is structured and what allows it to work. My Senior Project really taught me how I can use what I have learned in my classes for a practical result. As a team member, I found could help the Team Leader by not only making sure my stuff was done, but also checking with the other members to see how they were getting along and offering help, if needed.
These could have gotten the guy a job. Not because they are what I was wanting to hear, but because they told me things about the interviewee that his answers did not and our group works because the people like the industry, like the work, and understand that, while some of the group do some things better, there are no stars in the group and the group does well only if everyone does their job well.
The last interview I did was over Skype. I had some resources handy–mainly, a notepad file containing anecdotes I could draw on, depending on what was asked. I over-prepared, but it was worth it. I got the job and know I came off as really well-spoken.
If your interview is in-person, you can’t necessarily have a cheat sheet ready. But prepare yourself with anecdotes about past work experiences. I prepared one that I planned to tell no matter what, the instant I got a remotely relevant question (it was about doing a bunch of OT during Hurricane Sandy, to showcase my empathy and willingness to take one for the team). I would have found a way to shoehorn that in before ending the interview, even if they didn’t ask me about it.
I had other stories ready as well. One to showcase my technical skills. One for my greatest weakness. One for the biggest mistake I made and how I fixed it. And a few others that I’ve forgotten. I didn’t use them all, in fact I was never even asked about my greatest weakness. But being prepared, even over-prepared, for the worst made me feel more confident about the interview as a whole.
Good luck!
Oh! Also, make sure to do some cursory research on the company and prepare to show it off. I found a few things that I really liked about the company on their website. Their longevity, the CEO was local, their stock price–find something admirable and take your pick. When they ask you why you want to work for them, let 'er rip.
Be aware that some people are humorless. Attempts at humor with such a person will fall flat and be off-putting. In fact, I would suggest not attempting to be funny, as someone could construe that as your not being serious about the job. Take your cues on this from the interviewer. Most of the time, a few small jokes before the interview takes place are designed to break the ice, but once things start, keep it professional but conversational.
Also, do NOT bring a cup of coffee (or food) to the interview; it’s presumptuous and a bit rude. I would also not accept a cup of coffee, because an accident makes a mess to clean up and is embarrassing. The most I ever accepted from an interviewer was a cup of water just in case dry-mouth set in.
Lot of things have been mentioned, here is what has worked for me (I interview well, it’s just getting the interview that is difficult):
Narratives, stories are very useful and make you more of a “person” than somebody giving the usual canned answers.
Smile!
Pay attention to your posture - don’t look intimidated, nor intimidating. Mirroring works, but for God’s sake don’t sit with your hands folded in your lap like you’re about to get lectured. For that matter, bring a small note pad and a pen and take notes - at least write down the names of everybody you talk to, especially those in the interview. Last thing you want to do is say
“That’s a good question, Kathy, I…”
“Karen. My name is Karen.”
“Oh, sorry…”
(Also write down the name of the company - don’t want to brain freeze and forget that!)
Have some questions to ask and make sure at least one of your questions gets across the point that you’ve prepared for this interview. For example, “I was reading your latest 10-k report and I’ve noticed that product/division X has grown from 8% of revenues to 19% of revenues over the past three years. Is this due to market changes or is the company actively promoting division X?”
Do not ask about salary, benefits, time-off, unless you know that is to be expected at this phase of the interview. If you are asked about salary, benefits, etc… “CA3799, the last person to have this position made $X/year… does that sound right?”, beg off the question with “Well, Tim, I can’t really say until I know more about the position, what skills it requires, and my role in (and career path within) the company. For example, tell me more about the travel required…”
Really, in an ideal situation, you shouldn’t talk about salary/benefits at all until the job has been offered (you should know going into the interview what the expected salary range is for the position.)
Lean forward a bit… you’re telling a story here…
"For starters, Tim and Karen, I appreciate the chance to talk with you today - thank you so much for this opportunity.
Even as a child I was fascinated with building things, even once getting a group of friends together to build a dam across a creek in our backyard. After graduating from Georgia Tech with a civil engineering degree, I worked for the City of Atlanta in their water development systems, getting my Master’s in this period. Atlanta was a fascinating place to work as the city grew from 2.5 million people to 5 million in the 20 years I worked there, and the need to grow and develop the city’s water supply was paramount to sustaining this growth. Integrating the city’s need for water with the Army Corps of Engineers work at Lake Lanier (one of the major sources of water for Atlanta) occupied a large portion of my work life and, in working with the different cultures of the two organizations (military and government), I found myself to be better than I expected at cross-team collaboration.
However, with our kids growing up and reaching school-age and the city getting far larger than I would have expected, my wife and I decided to move to a smaller environment, figuring a city the size of Knoxville, TN was more in line with our values and desires. Understanding that Knoxville, being at the intersection of two major interstates, with three large rivers providing unparalleled challenges and opportunities to the local and state economy is poised for the same growth curve that Atlanta found itself experiencing from 1975 to now, I was thrilled when I heard about this position and got in touch with James Regner, who assisted me in getting this interview."
Now lean back… end of story! They’ll read the body cues without you having to say “Well, I guess that’s it” or something equally lame. 
(Also, assuming you’re interviewing with multiple people from the company, don’t forget to look everybody in the eye while you’re talking to them - don’t focus in on one person, don’t look down at the ground, don’t look at a point above their heads… move your head and look at each of them separately, as individuals.)
In the above example, you were polite, gave a good background, threw in a skill set (cross-team collaboration), complimented the team sitting in front of you vicariously (the new place is more in tune with you and where you are now with your life), related how your past experience sets yourself up well to meet the new position, and, by mentioning “James” by name, indicated that you’re a team player willing to give credit where it is due.
Of course, your TMAY will be completely different from the above example, but if you can craft (and practice!) one, you’ll be ahead of the guy who says “Uh, I went to Georgia Tech and got a job with the city of Atlanta. I worked on the water supply, dealing with Lake Lanier and the Army Corps of Engineers. My wife got tired of the ‘Big City’ and we’re looking for someplace smaller, so when I heard about the position I applied. I have a Masters in Civil Engineering.”
That should go far in reinforcing our culture of incompetence.
That may be presumptuous. Your interviewer may actually have no experience interviewing people. Particularly if you are in a technical field. Often they are managers or even lower level employees who are pulled off their regular job and may have no formal training or even a list of questions to ask. In many cases, this is a more difficult interview than one with a more experience and prepared interviewer as the interviewer doesn’t know what he’s looking for (but he thinks he’ll know it when he sees it).
I’m not sure how you get that from his responses or what that even means. And to be honest, the responses you are looking for sound just as canned and abstract.
I try to dig deeper into the candidates responses. “OK, You say you want to make the industry better. What specifically do you want to change? What approach do you plan to take? What are some of the issues you think you might face?” I’m not so much looking for a “right” answer as I’m trying to determine if the candidate has thought through a response or if they are full of shit.
Don’t worry about “fit”. You won’t be able to anticipate whatever biases the interviewer has anyway. And you don’t really want to work at a place where you have to put on an act 8 hours a day to fit in.
[ul]
[li]Be yourself (unless you’re a jerk…then be someone who isn’t a jerk)[/li][li]Keep it professional[/li][li]Know the company, the position, your resume and the industry inside and out. There’s nothing worse than not having an answer to “why do you want this job”. Or worse, saying “your recruiter called me”. Yes, I get we may have called you out of the blue, but there is a reason you decided to take a follow-up call.[/li][li]Avoid topics of religion, politics, family situation, age, or anything else that may be controvertial (and illegal for the interviewer to ask) [/li][li]Don’t give 2 word responses but don’t prattle on for 20 minutes either.[/li][/ul]