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Be prepared for these questions!
December 23, 2005 by eric gAfter 15 months of the interview process, these 10 questions appeared in almost every job interview I attended. If anyone could post their creative answers to these questions, it would be most helpful and much appreciated.
What are your weaknesses?
Why should we hire you?
Why do you want to work here?
What are your goals?
Why did you leave (Are you leaving) your job?
When were you most satisfied in your job?
What can you do for us that other candidates can’t? What makes you unique?
What are three positive things your last boss would say about you?
What salary are you seeking?
If you were an animal, which one would you want to be?
I would also like any comments on questions that have stumped you in the past. -
What is your weakness?
December 19, 2005 by eric gWhat is the one question that most interviewees loathe and most employers love? The answer: What is your weakness.
While job hunters lament this question, employers are determined to continue asking it because the responses typically are so illuminating.
Every successful executive has weaknesses as well as strengths. The key is ensuring that your weaknesses don’t become career-enders. Potential employers will try to discern your shortcomings to ensure they don’t hamstring their company. Your challenge is to convince them that you don’t bring lethal liabilities.
To make sure this question doesn’t trip you up, here are possible strategies that you — as an interviewee — can use to frame an effective response. Remember that context is as important as content. Whenever you cite a weakness, be sure to remind employers of your strengths. Be honest about your shortcomings, but never cite anything that might genuinely interfere with your ability to do the available job — and do it well. The key is to present your weaknesses in a way that demonstrates your real strengths and character.
Strategy 1: Cite a weakness that, under the right circumstances, can prove to be an asset.
I used to cite how I am a perfectionist. It can be a bad personality trait in some ways, while it can be good in many more ways. I quickly changed the weakness into a strength.
Strategy 2: Cite a corrected weakness.
Another strategy is to cite a weakness that you’re working to correct. Always provide concrete examples of what you’re doing to fix the problem, the progress that you’ve made, and how these improvements will help an employer.
I always was, and continue to be a big fan of professional development. I am always going to different seminars to learn new tactics and gain new knowledge. I used to tell interviewers, these are my strong abilities, and that I am attending these different seminars to improve my weaknesses.
Strategy 3: Cite a lesson learned.
Similar to the corrected-weakness strategy, the lesson-learned approach acknowledges real missteps and mistakes within the context of a lesson learned. If you can demonstrate what you learned from your mistake, potential employers will be reassured of two things: first, that you can learn from your mistakes; and two, that you won’t make this kind of mistake again. It’s also smart to link how this newfound understanding will benefit a new employer.
Strategy 4: Cite a learning objective.
After reviewing the job description, you may discover that part of the job requires more skill and experience than you now have. Rather than assuming the potential employer won’t notice this weakness, develop a strategy to compensate for it.
Strategy 5: Cite an unrelated skill deficit.
You may know of professional weaknesses or deficits that, while troubling, don’t interfere with your ability to perform well in a specific job. The fact that you aren’t a great public speaker won’t hurt you much in an administrative role. Your less-than-perfect writing skills may not be a deal-killer if the job requires mostly telephone communication. Obviously, the key is knowing the job description and career path well enough to understand what’s necessary to be successful. Clearly, you don’t want to identify a weakness that would genuinely affect your ability to do the work.
Strategy 6: Deflect.
If you don’t feel comfortable answering the question, you can try to deflect it by saying that, while you obviously have weaknesses, you aren’t aware of anything that would interfere with your ability to do the job. If the interviewer persists, you can turn this into an opportunity to discuss what’s important to you. You might say, for example, that you work best with managers who trust and give you a lot of feedback. Or you might say that you tend to perform best in a fast-paced environment with clear deadlines. Although you aren’t specifically citing a weakness, you are implying that you work better under certain conditions.
Strategy 7: Address the unspoken question.
Interviewers who ask the weakness question may be more interested in how you approach the question than in the specific weakness you cite. If you want to have a more honest and direct conversation, you can begin by acknowledging the concern and asking if the interviewer is wondering if you’re hiding a fatal flaw that should be uncovered. You also can review your qualifications and ask if there’s a specific concern that you could address in greater depth. This allows you to tailor your responses to any potential reservations or resistance. It also levels the playing field by changing the dynamics of the interview.
Before using this strategy, assess whether you think the interviewer will respond well to your directness. While some might find it refreshing, being this direct may be intimidating to someone who prefers to hide behind an interviewing script.
Although there’s a performance element to interviewing, you aren’t an actor who needs to perform for an audience. You’re engaged in a conversation designed to determine whether you can work together effectively. Towards that end, you can do your part to make the interviewer more of an active participant than a passive observer and critic of your performance.
In the end, it isn’t your mistakes and weaknesses that matter most, it’s whether you’re aware of your weakness, understand its potential impact on others and are willing to work to improve yourself. Your ability to handle this question confidently and effectively can send a powerful message to potential employers about your real strengths. -
Want a job? Think like an Employer
December 18, 2005 by eric gWant some tips for your next job fair? Think like an employer thinks. Spend a little time thinking what traits and characteristics an employer may be hunting for and promote yourself with those characteristics. For those new to a job fair, I recommend having a well-written resume,being prepared to talk and dressing appropriately–this means wearing a suit, not jeans like many I have seen in my jobhunting days.
Recruiters, nowadays look for people who communicate well, are good listeners, are comfortable with technology – using a computer and telephone – and can interpret what customers are saying. As far as goals for the job fair, I say you should ask a lot of questions. For an employer, it shows that the candidate is seriously interested.
As far as questions, I recommends starting with asking about the company, the job opportunities available, job responsibilities, and the job recruiters own personal experiences with the company. Job fairs offers plenty of opportunities for applicants to speak to someone that day and hand over a summary of previous employment. And don’t fail to call the company a few days after the event. Make sure you get business cards or write down the names of the people you talk with. I always took the initiative to call them, and most of the time, they called me in for an interview because of that follow up call. -
Finding a Job In Today’s Market
December 13, 2005 by eric gA couple years ago, candidates would send out 10 resumes hoping to get 2 or 3 responses, but they would instead get 20 responses, many from headhunters, whose business was booming like never before. Back then it was almost impossible to find a company that wasn’t hiring.
NASDAQ had broken the 5,000-point barrier, and thousands of 20-somethings fresh out of college had option packages that made them millionaires on paper.
That was just a couple years ago. So close, yet, so far, far away. Today the job market appears the very antithesis of those glory days. Seemingly endless layoffs, missed forecasts, a major NASDAQ correction and events abroad have led us to an uncomfortable phase of economic unrest.
Jobs, of course, are no longer easy to come by; and many of the unemployed have found themselves “on the bench” for weeks, then months.
But the cyclical nature of the US economy is a known fact; and a downturn was not only expected, but it was inevitable. Instead of stressing and worrying at such times, we should rise to the occasion and meet the new challenges. In this job race, the only survivors are those who fit themselves with a stellar resume and a die-hard attitude.
Following are some tips on accelerating your search for a new job:
· Get a Positive Attitude:
· Be Aware of Job Security
· Search Online
· Be Proactive
· Totally Revamp Your Resume
· Polish Your Interviewing Skills: -
Is There A Perfect Resume?
December 12, 2005 by eric gSeniors, do you fear graduating from your university and entering the real world? Have you completed your resumes and cover letter templates? Like most seniors, I began to have doubts, fear and anxieties, especially when it came time to create and develop my resume and cover letter.
I researched different professional writers, and paid $250 to Objective Resumes to ensure a perfect resume that all employers will love. Well, I have news for you. There is no such thing as a perfect resume that will match the needs and wants of each employer!
Like anything in business, you must test your resume including its wording and its format, to see which works best for you. Resumes are too expensive to not continually change, update and reformat your professionally written resumes in order to attract and retain your prospective employer’s interest.
Since paying $250, I must have changed my resume and its format a thousand times, in order to make it stand out from the crowd. When employers sift through hundreds of emailed and faxed resumes each day, unless your resumes and cover letters stand out, and say “Hire me, I’m different from the crowd” then chances are your resume is still in their so-called candidate files. After reading many books, and tips online, I have learned that I must customize my resumes and cover letters to the likings of each employer and temp agency account manager.
I’m not saying, don’t pay a professional resume writer for their services. I’m not saying, do the writing yourself. What I am saying is take the foundation they provide you with, and build from there. -
Be a Storyteller and Unlock a Job Offer!
December 11, 2005 by eric g“Before I had my surgery last year, I was having sinus problems, getting tremendously bad headaches, and would become very lightheaded and dizzy due to a deviated sepsis. There was one night at karate class that I could not perform well at all, but I would still not quit. I kept pushing myself harder and harder, until I became so dizzy, that I lost balance and instead of punching the pad, my fist went through the wall.” That was one of my favorite anecdotes to tell on a job interview when they asked me what my weaknesses are. It helped me break the ice, make them laugh and allowed me to relax and become more comfortable. It also led to a great transition, on how my weakness, which was a lack of patience for myself, is also a great strength as it has helped me persevere to become successful in my many walks of life.
Like most candidates, I went into interviews prepared. I identified my competencies and attributes, researched the industry, company and job description and rehearsed answers to typical questions. But still, I could not compete with the more experienced job seekers, until a close friend my family gave me this really helpful advice, ‚ÄúStop thinking about the interview from your perspective and view it through the interviewer’s eyes. Telling vivid and detailed stories can be the best way to unlock a job offer.‚Äù
I wouldn’t say that I am an expert in the job hunting process, but after 15 months of searching and interviewing, I have come to realize to get the offer, you have to stand out from the rest. The more you can make your experience vivid and memorable for the recruiter, the greater the odds are of advancing to the next stage of the interview process. -
No Experience, No Job!
December 10, 2005 by eric gWe’ve all heard it: “You can’t get a job if you don’t have experience, but how do you get experience if no-one will give you a job?” Doesn’t seem fair, does it?
While attending Rutgers University, I missed a golden opportunity to gain the experience I needed. I was offered an unpaid internship at a top public relations and marketing firm in Northern New Jersey, however I declined. At that time, I was working for International House of Pancakes as a waiter, making decent money and paying for my bills including Rutgers tuition. If I had accepted the offer, I would have no choice but to quit my part time job, and take out a student loan, something I was foolishly unwilling to do. I felt by having a 3.8 GPA in my English major, becoming an active member of the Public Relations Student Society of America, and establishing the right relationships would help me land my perfect iron clad job after graduation.
A month before graduation, I had 3 firms ready to hire me as an Assistant Account Executive. By the time I graduated, all 3 offers went down the drain, and I was told, “Our hiring objectives have changed.”
Instead of hiring entry-level college graduate positions, top-level management decided to give a heavier workload to their current employees and hire more unpaid interns.
For fifteen months, I walked into one personnel office after another, filling out job applications. They all said the same thing: “We’ll let you know.” Only they don’t and you never hear from them again. By the time I finished, I‚Äôve memorized my Social Security number for life. My point: Never turn down any opportunities to gain extra experience. It may not be your ideal job, but it is a foot in the door to bigger and better future opportunities. -
The Job Hunting Dumps!
December 08, 2005 by eric gAfter many years of studying (and partying!), you’ve finally graduated. Now, what do you do once the celebrations fade away? It’s time for all of your hard work to finally pay off, as you settle down to find a worthwhile career.
People say, “As long as you’re sending out cover letters and resumes, you’ll get interviews.” The truth is maybe in the tightest of job markets, or maybe if you are only applying to specific positions for which you are perfectly qualified, will this kind of passive job-search strategy produce any job interviews. Jobseekers today must be proactive in their job search. You must follow-up every job lead including calling employers and request an interview. If you are under-qualified for a position or changing careers, request an interview anyway. You may not be qualified for that specific position, but the employer may have other openings (or know of other openings).
Anyone who tells that job hunting is easy, and not frustrating at all is obviously lying to you. I spent 15 post-graduation months looking for a job in a practically closed marketing and public relations field. I tried every proactive strategy I can think of to get the interview and was fortunate to get at least 3-4 interviews per month, but still could not land that perfect job. Month after month, interview after interview I heard, “Sorry, our hiring objectives have changed”, or “ We hired someone with more experience.” I began to wonder, why am I even trying to go on these interviews.
My girlfriend at that time, was also having problems finding a job, but in the technology sector. As the months went by with both of us not having job, we became more and more depressed, and tensions rose. Instead of enjoying our moments together like we used to, we began to fight all the time over the littlest of things.
As tensions rose and feelings of depression emerged, my good performance on interviews began to dwindle away, and not so slightly. If it weren’t for my close relationships with my parents and my karate instructor who was my mentor, and my ability to talk to them about anything, I’d still be here today without a job. They helped me reverse my attitude and find the positive light again. They helped me realize that I have accomplished so much in my life, and I have no reason to doubt myself. It was a long, bumpy road, but I finally reached the point where I’m happy, and so will you. Learn from my mistakes, keep your head up high, and never doubt your abilities, your knowledge and your skills. You may not get the job you want right away, but don’t let that interfere with future opportunities. Remember, when one door closes, another door opens. -
Use Key Marketing Tools To Position Yourself In the Job Market
December 07, 2005 by eric gMarketing is the lifeblood that runs through the veins of all successful organizations. Without marketing, no matter how good the product or service, the organization will fail. It’s marketing that defines the distinctive features and benefits of the product or service, it’s marketing that sets the price, it’s marketing that communicates those features and benefits to the appropriate audience, and it’s marketing that delivers the goods to the consumer.
How does this little marketing lesson apply to you? In today’s job-hunting environment, the most successful jobseekers are those who understand the value of marketing and apply to themselves those principles that companies have used for years to successfully sell their products. If you learn and understand how you can apply key marketing principles and concepts to better position yourself in the job market, whether you are looking for a new job with a new company or a promotion within your current company, then you shall succeed.
