1. Tell me about yourself.

My background to date has been centered around preparing myself to become the very best _____ I can become. Let me tell you specifically how I've prepared myself ... 2. Why should I hire you? Because I sincerely believe that I'm the best person for the job. I realize that there are many other college students who have the ability to do this job. I also have that ability. But I also bring an additional quality that makes me the very best person for the job--my attitude for excellence. Not just giving lip service to excellence, but putting every part of myself into achieving it. In _____ and _____ I have consistently reached for becoming the very best I can become by doing the following . . . 3. What is your long-range objective? Where do you want to be 10 or 15 years from now? Although it's certainly difficult to predict things far into the future, I know what direction I want to develop toward. Within five years, I would like to become the very best _____ your company has. In fact, my personal career mission statement is to become a world-class _____ in the _____ industry. I will work toward becoming the expert that others rely upon. And in doing so, I feel I will be fully prepared to take on any greater responsibilities that might be presented in the long term. 4. How has your education prepared you for your career? As you will note on my resume, I've taken not only the required core classes in the _____ field, I've also gone above and beyond. I've taken every class the college has to offer in the field and also completed an independent study project specifically in this area. But it's not just taking the classes to gain academic knowledge--I've taken each class, both inside and outside of my major, with this profession in mind. So when we're studying _____ in _____, I've viewed it from the perspective of _____. In addition, I've always tried to keep a practical view of how the information would apply to my job. Not just theory, but how it would actually apply. My capstone course project in my final semester involved developing a real-world model of _____, which is very similar to what might be used within your company. Let me tell you more about it . . . 5. Are you a team player? Very much so. In fact, I've had opportunities in both athletics and academics to develop my skills as a team player. I was involved in _____ at the intramural level, including leading my team in assists during the past year--I always try to help others achieve their best. In academics, I've worked on several team projects, serving as both a member and team leader. I've seen the value of working together as a team to achieve a greater goal than any one of us could have achieved individually. As an example . . . 6. Have you ever had a conflict with a boss or professor? How was it resolved? Yes, I have had conflicts in the past. Never major ones, but certainly there have been situations where there was a disagreement that needed to be resolved. I've found that when conflict occurs, it's because of a failure to see both sides of the situation. Therefore, I ask the other person to give me their perspective and at the same time ask that they allow me to fully explain my perspective. At that point, I would work with the person to find out if a compromise could be reached. If not, I would submit to their decision because they are my superior. In the end, you have to be willing to submit yourself to the directives of your superior, whether you're in full agreement or not. An example of this was when . . . 7. What is your greatest weakness? I would say my greatest weakness has been my lack of proper planning in the past. I

would overcommit myself with too many variant tasks, then not be able to fully accomplish each as I would like. However, since I've come to recognize that weakness, I've taken steps to correct it. For example, I now carry a planning calendar in my pocket so that I can plan all of my appointments and "to do" items. Here, let me show you how I have this week planned out . . . 8. If I were to ask your professors to describe you, what would they say? I believe they would say I'm a very energetic person, that I put my mind to the task at hand and see to it that it's accomplished. They would say that if they ever had something that needed to be done, I was the person who they could always depend on to see that it was accomplished. They would say that I always took a keen interest in the subjects I was studying and always sought ways to apply the knowledge in real world settings. Am I just guessing that they would say these things? No, in fact, I'm quite certain they would say those things because I have with me several letters of recommendation from my professors, and those are their very words. Let me show you . . . 9. What qualities do you feel a successful manager should have? The key quality should be leadership--the ability to be the visionary for the people who are working under them. The person who can set the course and direction for subordinates. A manager should also be a positive role model for others to follow. The highest calling of a true leader is inspiring others to reach the highest of their abilities. I'd like to tell you about a person who I consider to be a true leader . . . 10. If you had to live your life over again, what would you change? That's a good question. I realize that it can be very easy to continually look back and wish that things had been different in the past. But I also realize that things in the past cannot be changed, that only things in the future can be changed. That's why I continually strive to improve myself each and every day and that's why I'm working hard to continually increase my knowledge in the _____ field. That's also the reason why I want to become the very best _____ your company has ever had. To make positive change. And all of that is still in the future. So in answer to your question, there isn't anything in my past that I would change. I look only to the future to make changes in my life.

"Some people call me impatient. That's because I have drive and enthusiasm to get the job done, but I still make sure I plan and don't miss anything."

Job Interview Preparation Strategies

12 essential questions that make job interview preparation easy
Job interview preparation strategies need to prepare you for any question thrown at you. Few of us are used to thinking about our strengths. Yet, when we're in a job interview, we're suddenly supposed to be able to "market" ourselves. The following 12 questions are a highly effective job interview preparation strategy. Spend time thinking about your responses, because you will find they form a fundamental part of your interview preparation. By knowing the answers to these, you will find yourself easily able to identify key achievements for your CV and being able to give quick, compelling answers in an interview.

Think about being able to impress the interviewer, as you clearly stay relaxed under pressure, where other candidates would be fighting for answers. 1. What have I enjoyed most about my career so far? 2. What are my transferable strengths and skills (i.e. useful to a new employer) 3. What are my weaknesses / development areas? 4. Which key things have I learned (either concrete skills or about my personal attributes)? 5. What have been my biggest achievements? 6. What wouldn't have happened, if I hadn't worked in my current / previous roles? 7. What do I have to offer my next employer? 8. What evidence can I provide to back up my claims? 9. What will my current boss miss about me when I leave? 10. What will my colleagues say about me when I leave? 11. What will my direct reports say about me? 12. Why do I want to change jobs? Types of Job Interview Structured Interview Competencies The employer identifies the competencies (skills, abilities and experience) required for the role. They design the questions to test whether the candidate has these competencies. The questions are often

How To Handle Them

Review the job description / advert. Identify the types of skills, abilities and experience required for the role. (This may need lateral thinking). Think of examples in your career where you have demonstrated these. It may help to make notes. This means you'll be well-prepared for any competency-style question they ask.

phrased, "tell us about a time when." Behavioural job interview (situational job interview) Behavioural interviews are trying to suss out how you would act in certain situations. The interviewer wants to be able to predict how you would behave in the role, if they recruited you. So they ask hypothetical questions. These might be about a time in your past, or asking you to imagine yourself in a future situation. Telephone Interview This type of remote job interview can be a first point of employment screening. Although this may seem

It's difficult to second-guess which questions might come up. So the best advice is to: 1. Prepare as for Structured Competency Interviews 2. Listen to the question. Make sure you have understood it. Take a moment to think about what they're looking for. Give an honest answer, but make sure you remain positive. If possible, back up your answer with an example.

Prepare as you would for a face-to-face interview. Dress smartly and arrange a time for the call when you're not at work and can finish the interview without interruptions. Be able to clearly explain why you think you're a suitable candidate. Pay special attention to the interviewer's tone of voice.

daunting, it's Make sure actually a good thing. It means your CV or resume impressed the recruiter enough to want to find out more. If you're called to a face-to-face interview, it means they're serious about you and not wasting your time. Find out more about telephone job interviews. Panel Job Interview

you focus your attention on the interviewer and don't get distracted by other things in the room.

Sometimes employers Focus on the person who asked you the question, but make good eye contact with all of them. want candidates to be seen by a Don't be put off if one of them seems grumpy. But don't be lulled into a false sense of security if number of very friendly. managers or peer-workers. A panel interview simply means a candidate meets multiple interviewers at once. They may play the "Good cop / Bad cop" routine, where one of them is

Prepare as for a normal interview. Don't let the thought of multiple interviewers stress you out.

one seems

aggressive and another sympathetic, to see how you perform under stress. Technical Job Interview This usually refers to a "hands-on" interview. For example, an engineer might be expected to do some analysis of an engineering problem; a market researcher might be asked to analyse some data; a sales person might be expected to make a mock sales call. This type of interview is designed to predict how you would perform in the role.
Cleverly Designed Greatest Weakness Questions We all have aspects of our job we prefer not to do. What aspect of your day-to-day responsibilities do you dislike? In hopes of making you feel comfortable, interviewers may ask questions that start with we. The psychology behind this is to make you feel as though you are with a friend, which can cause you to let your guard down. Think back to your last review. What suggestions did your supervisor have for improvement?

As long as you have the relevant experience, you should be fine with this type of job interview. Make sure you've fully understood the brief and keep your cool. If in doubt, ask them to clarify what they're looking

The chances are extremely high that your supervisor offered suggestions for improvement. Interviewers are aware of this and anticipate that you will disclose the details of your most recent evaluation. Describe a project you worked on that didnt turn out as well as you expected. Interviewers find that job seekers reveal more when they are asked to tell a story. The assumption is made that the more you talk, the more likely youll disclose your weaknesses. In what area of your work do you think you can be more effective? This question is very similar to greatest weakness question. However, interviewers believe the way the question is phrased will make you feel less threatened, and therefore more likely to answer freely.

Going Beyond Interview Questions

Answering job interview questions effectively during an interview is only part of the process. Our interview coaching program integrates all aspects of the interview process. Whether you are new to interviewing or want to improve your interview skills, our coaching program will help you:

Manage the three types of interviewers (The Straight Shooter, The Chatterbox, and The Just the Facts, Maam) and build rapport with them all Learn practical strategies and techniques to manage all types of job interview questions Overcome common interview challenges (nervousness, shyness, extreme talkativeness, etc.) Distinguish between what the interviewer asks and what he is really trying to find out Respond to the interviewers needs without compromising your own

Ben Dattner, Ph.D., a psychologist who heads Dattner Consulting (http://www.dattnerconsulting.com) in New York City, frequently advises both hiring managers and executive job seekers on how to get the most out of the interviewing process. He discourages his corporate clients from asking the "greatest weakness" question at all, but alas - as you've discovered - many interviewers ask it nonetheless. 6 salary secrets and myths Job interviews are stressful enough without being required to run ourselves down, but it isn't only job hunters who have to deal with this: The same issues arise when people are asked to evaluate their own performance in a job they already have. Dattner suggests three possible ways to answer: 1. Focus the discussion on how you've improved over time. Instead of hashing over a current weakness (assuming you can think of one), talk about a past shortcoming and how you resolved it. Maybe you used to have trouble meeting deadlines, for instance, until you took a timemanagement course that helped you get your schedule under control. "The idea is to show that you are interested in getting better and better at what you do," says Dattner. 2. Talk about how the job you're applying for will help you stretch and build your skills . Again, no matter how good you already are, you can always improve - and you may see specific

ways in which this particular job will help you do that. If so, the interview is a good time to mention it. 3. Describe a valuable piece of advice someone gave you, and how it has helped your career. "This could be, for example, a boss who once told you not to give people the answers but to let them figure things out on their own," says Dattner. "Or maybe a mentor once pointed out to you that not everyone is motivated by the same things you are, and that insight helped you become a better manager." Whatever the pearl of wisdom you received, a willingness to talk about its effect on you "shows that you want to learn and grow," Dattner notes. "And that's really what hiring managers are trying to find out." What if you're not job hunting but rather have been asked to rate your own performance as part of a job evaluation, and you can't think of anything less-than-stellar to say about yourself? Dattner has a little mental exercise he sometimes recommends to clients: Imagine that today is November 14, 2007 (or one year from whatever day you're reading this), and you have just been fired. Now answer the question: Why?