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Posted by Carolyn Thompson on Jul 20, 2010 in
Interviewing Skills Interviewing Questions Series: 1-2 of 29
Answers to popular (and sometimes tricky) questions you might hear in your next interview. Suggestions and requests are welcome in the comments. If you are currently a job seeker, a great way to help you prepare for the interview is to prepare a brief answer to all of the questions here. Download all of the questions here: Interview Prep Guide.
“Tell me about yourself.”
This is a very common ice breaker. An interviewer that starts off with this question is trying to buy time and get focused. This is your time to shine and help them feel comfortable with you. Smile, and ask politely, “Where would you like me to start?” They might ask why you chose your college, or why you want to leave your current role. Move into your best 2 or 3 sentence summary going forwards or backwards from where they asked you to begin. Think TVGUIDE version…only give the basics so you can get more detailed in your next answers after they are ready to focus on YOU.
You SHOULD NOT launch into a 5 minute discussion about your entire life’s story. Keep it professional, focused and thank them for inviting you in should it be appropriate. Avoid personal topics like family, religion, personal beliefs, and hobbies. Also avoid topics that might be negative like why you want to leave your current job. It’s more important why you’re there and where you’re trying to go, not what you want to avoid and/or what you’re trying to escape. Keep the conversation moving forward, you are trying to swim up to the job offer, not let your self fall back with the current.
“What are you looking for in your next position?”
If you are interviewing for a specific job, make sure you talk about things that are obviously included in the position you are interviewing for and the company. Be honest, but don’t make it all about you, and don’t focus on only soft skills (i.e. reliability, personable, flexibility, etc.). Discuss measurable, content related work (i.e. software, how many people you have managed, money you have saved the company, projects you’ve worked on and the monetary outcome, etc.)
AVOID talking about things that have gone awry in the past or that may obviously not involve the type of job you are interviewing for. Boasting about skills that you probably don’t even need in the position won’t make you sound more qualified. Keep your conversation focused on the work, the opportunity at the company, and what you will do for them; not what they will do for you. You should never ask about benefits in the interview or demand them as part of your compensation before you have been offered the job. (such as fully paid health insurance or work from home flexibility, etc).
Tags: advice, avoid, Career Path, communication, expectations, first impressions, interviewing, Interviewing Skills, Job Search, success, ten steps to finding the perfect job, tips
In the summer months, the centers of continents heat up, drawing moist air from the cooler ocean leading to the most significant rainfall on the planet. In the spirit of the symbiotic relationship between the ocean and the jungle – this summer I am taking a huge leap (and hopefully a splash) into unfamiliar territory – television.
I know there is a truly interested audience out there for a show that can follow average and not-so-average Americans in their search for work. One of the hottest topics since 2008, resume building techniques and job searching tips are some of the most talked-about items in the news and on the internet.
Imagine a talk show that focuses on this very theme including: job search, negotiation skills, promotion techniques, improving communication issues in the workplace, and exposing corporate hiring practices to the world so that Joe/Jane Job Seeker can better understand what happens behind the scenes to get his or her resume to the right person and not in another incoming email pile. A potential one stop forum for people needing assistance with any and all workplace conflict resolution, career advice, interview preparation, resume writing…anything and everything relating to career development. A place where successful celebrities and business personalities from chefs, to creative entrepreneurs, to CEO’s could share their stories of success and maybe even uncover some of the things they might have done differently. A completely different category in the talk show world where you can learn how to get any job or move up in the one you have and access a personal career coach right on your computer or television.
On the heels of the release of my third book, TEN SECRETS TO GETTING PROMOTED, I put on my life jacket, fins and oxygen tank (no pun intended) and have entered the Oprah / Mark Burnett contest for my OWN show on her new network. CAREER CONFIDENTIAL
If you share my vision, please, take time to vote…as many times as you can! …and share this link with your friends and family that could benefit from a show like this making it to a regular time slot.
Come join me for a swim into the vast ocean of career development. YOU have the ability to help me help them (and you!), so please…link, listen, VOTE and SHARE!
http://myown.oprah.com/audition/index.html?request=video_details&response_id=2386&promo_id=1
Oceanic facts from: http://oceanmotion.org/html/background/climate.htm
Carolyn Thompson
Tags: Career Confidential, career development, careers, coaching, communication, conflict resolution, internet, interviewing, Job Search, jobs, negotiation, news, Oprah, OWN, promotion, resume preparation, resume writing, show, skills, success, talk-show, techniques, television, unemployment, work
Climbing out of the jungle and into the spotlight! Vote for Carolyn Thompson to have her OWN show on the Oprah Network. See these topics in action! Follow the link!
Carolyn’s Auditionhttp://myown.oprah.com/audition/index.html?request=video_details&response_id=2386&promo_id=1
No matter your walk of life, career development is a major part of everyone’s personal path. My OWN show would focus on all aspects of career development from resume prep, to job search, to negotiation skills, to promotion techniques, to company hiring practices. Improving communication issues in the workplace, one-on-one interviews with notable successful business people and celebrities, getting behind the scenes at the major US employers including the federal government. Anything and everything related to careers, job search, employment, and getting promoted. Take a listen and please vote!
Tags: advice, Career Confidential, careers, coaching, interviewing, Job Search, Oprah, OWN, resumes, skills
Posted by Carolyn Thompson on Oct 19, 2009 in
Interviewing Skills 
In the jungle, the mating ritual is simple. It’s an animal’s most basic survival instinct: to mate, procreate, and continue its species.
For much of the human species, mating starts with dating.
In the workplace, the mating ritual is translated into succession planning, and dating starts with the interview.
Just like dating, interviewing has a few “rules” that both the interviewer and the interviewee should adhere to for best success in the relationship. Etiquette applies for all parties, so take heed of these ideas to be a good interviewer/interviewee.
FOR COMPANIES – The interviewer
The new economy does not mean you should wait weeks to call people back! Just as in dating, the three day rule applies. If you want a candidate to remain interested in working for you, whether they are unemployed or not, you should give them feedback and/or second interviews within 72 hours of their first interview. In the past few months companies have been dragging out the interview process for weeks and many of the people they started with a month or two ago have moved on…they are already dating someone else seriously and your inability to move your process along often means they don’t want to see you again.
Think long and hard about how many people should be involved in the interview process. You need time before introducing your new love interest to all your friends. Adding even a single person to the interview process empowers them to give you their opinions, which will encourage them to offer their opinions when you may not want them, thus adding to the length of time. Keep the process tight, and only involve those people who are in direct reporting line and decision makers who are in good standing with the company. One disgruntled person in the mix can ruin the recruiting process.
If you were dating someone, you wouldn’t call all of the person’s former boyfriends and girlfriends for their opinions as they have already broken up and moved on. Similarly, you shouldn’t check references “off list”. Many people are searching confidentially and by asking questions of people they currently work with you breach that professional courtesy making you and your company less trustworthy in the marketplace. Besides, let’s face it, work is work and we often have professional disagreements with people in the workplace. Reference checks should be limited to the former supervisors, peers, and subordinates the candidate has provided to you as their references. These are people with whom they have developed working relationships and the former co-worker you may know from church, LinkedIn, or other civic groups may not be able to speak to the true skills and abilities of the person interviewing. Besides, who’s to say they weren’t in the race for the same promotion in the past or something, even worse, what if they dated outside the office in the past? Many people look for open avenues to gossip about others so don’t fall victim to some people’s need to focus on negatives when we can all find something positive about everyone when push comes to shove.
FOR CANDIDATES – The interviewee
Many companies do phone interviews first, something they are placing increasing emphasis on as in many cases they save time and money. Answer your phone professionally and in a positive manner at all times. If you are busy and can’t speak, DON’T ANSWER THE PHONE. You only get one chance to make a first impression and if you don’t impress someone on the first call, you’re unlikely to get a call back. You need to be equally prepared for these interviews as if you were sitting in front of the CEO of the company him- or herself.
Express interest and enthusiasm, even if the topic may not be at the top of your list. Just as when you’re out on a first date and the conversation veers to something more mundane, you maintain interest if you’re attracted to the person physically. If you’re attracted to a company financially, you should be astute in all conversations with any parties involved.
Don’t expect a proposal on the second, or even third date. A recent article in the NY Times reiterated what we are seeing in the market, longer, more complex interview processes leading to protracted job searches. Don’t get discouraged! Just make sure you have that fabulous interview outfit for the next meeting ready to go.
Always send a thank you note! Common courtesy goes a long way.
For more job search tips, please visit http://www.carolynthompson.net/webinars.htm where you can find resources on interviewing, resume writing, and making a great first impression!
Carolyn Thompson
Author of TEN EASY STEPS TO A PERFECT RESUME…available on Amazon.com!
and TEN STEPS TO FINDING THE PERFECT JOB…available on Amazon.com!
Tags: economy, etiquette, first impression, interview, interviewee, interviewer, interviewing, Job Search, mating, phone interview, preparation, rules
Have you ever left an interview thinking that you could have done better? Or maybe it was the interviewer who prevented you from showing what you are worth? It seems that bad interviews happen more than good ones and we shouldn’t cling to the negative aspects. Companies interview more than one person for every available position; and it usually takes more than one interview to finally obtain the job. It is understandable that you can’t ace them every time.
“BAD INTERVIEWS” can fall into a couple of categories:
1 – An interview where you feel you performed poorly or
2 – An interview where the interviewer was not prepared or ill-equipped to perform the interview
1. There’s nothing worse than getting in the car, cab, or subway after an interview and remembering something you wish you would have said better. It’s the old “shoulda woulda coulda” game and it happens to everyone at some point. Knowing how to let go of the bad and cling to the good is how the Koala stays in the tree. Keeping a journal or jotting down your thoughts helps you to avoid the same mistakes twice and recognize and avoid the “weak branches”. If you are keeping a well organized job search folder, you can refer back to your previous notes as reminders before the next interview.
Then there’s the time where you realize you said something you shouldn’t have. Again, making notes of what went well or poorly will help you avoid repeating mistakes. Do your best to avoid negative topics like, what your boss does wrong, what you don’t like or (worse yet) who you don’t like. Even if you’re feeling comfortable with someone, don’t let them drag you into the gossip mill. Find something positive to say about all those people instead of the easy to point out flaws. The more positive or stronger the topics or branches, the higher you will climb in the interviewer’s regard. For example, working for a boss that is never available could be re-worded to something like “my boss was very active in many parts of the company which required me to make special effort to get on their calendar to get my questions answered which, ultimately, made me a better time manager.”
2. It is possible a bad interview stems from the interviewer themselves being not adequately prepared or in the proper frame of mind to focus on you at the appointed time. The interviewer seems distracted reading their emails, taking phone calls, or someone pops in. In today’s hectic business climate, interruptions are expected. Don’t take them personally! Arriving well prepared with a list of questions about the job, the company, and specific projects that have been going on the past six months or so help you to bring these frequently distracted interviewers’ focus on you, the job, and why you are the fittest for the climb.
There’s also the interview where you just don’t hit it off with the person with whom you are interviewing. There are certain techniques you can use to establish rapport quickly to ensure you navigate the sparse branches and make the best first impression every time. For instance, people like to talk about themselves, so attempt to draw them out!
Remember, interviewing is a subjective exercise. There’s no way you can predict the outcome so the best way to win is to listen carefully to the questions being asked, thinking about “what’s in it for them (the company)” not “what’s in it for you”. Focus on the company’s needs as they state them and offer specific examples of how you have performed those duties in the past or could contribute directly.
Be like the Koala and steer clear of the weak branches of conversation, look out for opportunities to climb high on positive topics, and be prepared to wade through a sparse tree and help the interviewer focus.
A few quick tips to keep in mind: Show good manners. Say please and thank you to everyone you meet, not just the decision maker. Dress professionally, even if it’s a casual environment Sit up straight, be engaged in the conversation, and DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Research the company so you know what they do and who their major competitors are so you can ask thoughtful questions. Show them you’re into them…and always send a thank you note!
For a webinar on this topic, please visit http://www.carolynthompson.net/interviewingskillswebinar.htm.
Carolyn Thompson
Author of TEN EASY STEPS TO A PERFECT RESUME…available on Amazon.com!
and TEN STEPS TO FINDING THE PERFECT JOB…available on Amazon.com!
Tags: advice, bad interview, conversation, interview, interviewer, interviewing, Job Search, mistakes, opportunity, preparation, regret, tips
