Once you are in the interview process, you can expect a series of open-ended questions. Below are a few general, sample questions. I have taken the liberty to provide a framework for the answers hiring managers are seeking.
- Tell me about yourself?
- Focus on personal and professional values
- Why you chose your career path
- Highlight experiences (life, career, education etc..) you are proud of
- What is your greatest accomplishment?
- Choose an example that was helpful to an employer or project
- Discuss how you achieved the success, not just that you achieved success
- What is your greatest strength?
- Focus on top 3 (1 may not be enough however more than 3 may give a negative impression
- leadership skills
- team-building skills
- organizational skills
- What is your weakness (improvement area)?
- DO NOT SAY: I tend to expect others to work as hard as I do,” or “I’m a bit of a perfectionist” or “I work to hard”
- State your true improvement areas and how you are working or have worked on them.
- Employers want to know that you are aware of your shortcomings and willing to do what it takes to improve
- DO NOT SAY: I tend to expect others to work as hard as I do,” or “I’m a bit of a perfectionist” or “I work to hard”
- How do you handle stressful information?
- Tell how you use time management, problem-solving or decision-making skills to reduce stress.
- It is fine to discuss your work-out regiment
- Don’t make a “poor taste joke” such as “I kick the dog”…yes someone really told me this, they did not get the job.
- What is the toughest problem you’ve had to face, and how did you overcome it?
- Tell a story here, 2 minutes should be enough time (discuss projects that were off schedule, job search in 2009 etc…)
- Answer from a professional standpoint (one example may be overcoming the transition from manager to individual contributor, etc…)
- Do not discuss personal issues such as bad relationships, divorce, TMI…
- Personal problems that are acceptable include; putting yourself through school, overcoming an obstacle to reach a personal goal etc…
- Why do you want this position?
- Here’s where your research about the company will help you stand out among the other candidates
- Discuss the pros of the job and how your skills match
- Openly discuss any shortcomings you may have and present how you will overcome
- Why are you the best person for this job?
- Emphasize several reasons why you should be hired (skills match, behavioral match, company cultural match).
- Do Not provide “canned” answers such as;
- “Due to my extensive experience in (insert job function)”.
- “ I’m a fast learner”.
- “Due to my extensive experience in (insert job function)”.
- Provide detailed answer such as;
- Due to my extensive experience in (insert title) and skills in (key items they are seeking from the job interview)
- Provide an example of times you had to learn something quickly, how you came up to speed and the final results.
I am sure there are tons of other general questions. Please feel free to comment with some general interview questions and how you think people should respond.
