Job Interview Tips, Questions and Answers

A Job Interview





Every once in a while something happens and our lives are shaken up. Sometimes we shake them up deliberately and sometimes outside forces come along and throw our world into a bit of a tailspin.

How do People Get Jobs?

There are six ways to get a job:

• Internal promotion
• Applying for an advertised job
• Word of mouth
• Nepotism (a form of word of mouth, with a familial twist)
• Going through an agency or using head hunters
• Identifying a company you want to work for, a career you want to pursue or a fantasy job you’d like to have and being pro-active about getting through the door.
  

Your CV has about seven seconds to make a visual impression. You can dramatically boost your chances of getting an interview by making your CV look and ’sound’ special.

• Use good paper
  
• Design a personal logo
  
• Fiddle with the layout to make it easy on the eye
  
• Edit it ruthlessly (everyone always puts in too much detail)
  
• Highlight the bits that relate to the job you’re going for
  
• They don’t need to know you went to St Mary’s School when you were 12!
  
• Put "Who you are now" at the beginning of your CV
  
• Leave education and qualifications for the end.

Personal appearance:

• Be well groomed.
• Dress appropriately.
• Do not chew gum or smoke.

Interview Rules

• People decide about you in the first 10 seconds
• You have to make a good first impression
• Always ask insightful questions
• Learn as much as you can about the company
• They’ll probably ask questions designed to trip you up
• Have some quick answers to interview questions at the ready

Finding career placement post graduation is realistic, but with the right attitude and strategy. There are plenty of ways to bump your resume to the top of the stack. The simplest things can make you stand out to an employer and I am here to fill you in on them.

Have something to say in answer to an open question. They will ask open questions.

Classic open interview questions are:

• Tell me about yourself
• What have you been doing lately?
• What made you apply for this job?
• Why should we pick you?

Prepare an answer that allows you to talk about something you’ve been involved in recently. Preferably something that has got you feeling really enthusiastic.

Question regarding “Personal Weakness”

More often than not, you will be asked about your weaknesses in an interview. If this seems daunting, follow the interview tips below;

Sample Question: "Looking at your own resume, what do you think your weaknesses are regarding this job?"

Answer: “I believe that my skills and abilities are a good fit for this position. Do you have any specific concerns?"

Tough questions regarding your past

There may be times an interviewer may ask a question regarding your past that can be hard to dodge. You should answer these carefully and try to come up with answers that can turn a potentially negative experience into a positive response.

Sample Question: I see that you didn’t finish school.

Answer: "I decided to leave school because I was working 30 hours a week waiting tables to support myself. I felt that I did not have enough time to devote to my schoolwork. When I do anything, I always give 150%."

Questions about how you can “Contribute to the company”

Before an employer makes his/her decision to hire you, they will need to know how you have performed in the past and any other special contributions that you can bring to the company

Sample Question: "Tell me about a special contribution you have made to your employer."

Answer: "In my last job, I ran the fund raiser campaign for three consecutive years. I believed it was an important cause, and I knew it was difficult for the company to find volunteers."

Questions regarding “Salary Expectations”

Everyone wants to make a lot of money working the job they love. You should be honest here. Saying that you will be ok working for $30,000 when you think you are worth $40,000 is not a very smart idea. Experience will show that you will lose interest in the job pretty quickly.

Sample Question: "Tell me about your salary expectations."

Answer: "Current salary information published by our State Association indicates a range of $30,000 to $40,000 a year. While I’m not certain how your salaries compare to this industry, my feeling is that my value would certainly be in the upper half of this national range."

Question regarding “Previous Bosses”

There will be times in an interview where questions about past co-workers and old bosses will pop up. Telling them how pathetic and bad they were is generally a bad career move.

Sample Question: "Tell me about your relationship with your previous bosses."

Answer: "My bosses would tell you that I’ve often been a sounding board for them. With all of my bosses, I developed a close rapport."

Information to bring to an interview:

• Social Security card.
• Government-issued identification (driver’s license).
• Resume or application. Although not all employers require a resume, you should be able to furnish the interviewer information about your education, training, and previous employment.
• References. Employers typically require three references. Get permission before using anyone as a reference. Make sure that they will give you a good reference. Try to avoid using relatives as references.
• Transcrip ts. Employers may require an official copy of transcrip ts to verify grades, coursework, dates of attendance, and highest grade completed or degree awarded.

Happy job hunting!