The Most Popular Interview Q & A’s
Funny how we know we always get the same questions in interviews, but how many of us actually anticipate the questions and prepare stock answers? By anticipating these simple but very engaging questions you will not only come across and confident but professional and prepared.
What are your weaknesses?
This is not the time to be telling your future employer what’s wrong with you, but an opportunity to sell yourself.
By turning this potentially negative question into a positive you will protect yourself confidently and positively therefore making potential weakness into strengths.
How do you Handle Stress and Pressure?
This again is a typical interview question, asked to get a sense of how you handle work load and pressure in the job. Examples of good responses include:
Tell Me about Yourself
This is a great one, the most common question, often thrown in at the beginning of an interview and it never fails to un nerve the candidate. No one feels comfortable talking about themselves, but this is your golden opportunity to sell yourself. Here what they really want to see is how you articulate yourself. Interviewers use this moment in the interview to study your body language and posture, your level of eye contact. During this moment they can really get a sense of who you are so be prepared for this moment in the spot light. Do not “wing it’ prepare in advance, they do not want chapter and verse or your life story but a few confident examples that describe who you really are that will set the tone for the rest of the interview.
I have 100 applicants for this position -Why Should I hire you?
Bam! You know the question is coming but are you ready for it? If you cannot answer this question then exactly why are you even in the interview? “Because I am good” just won’t cut it I am afraid. Think about this question carefully and prepare the answer in advance. Think about your unique selling points, your strengths, all the skills that and experience that you have that will set you apart from the rest. Often recruiters try a different way to ask the same question such as “If I asked your previous employers or your previous staff what they thought of you what would they say about you?”
What motivates you?
Here there isn’t a right or a wrong answer for this one but what the recruiter is trying to understand here with this question is what would be key to you being successful in the job you are being interviewed for. Again anticipate this question and prepare for it. Consider what really does motivate you and give some examples during your interview. Emphasize your enthusiasm when answering this question:
What are your salary expectations?
Before you start talking about pay and negotiating salary with a prospective employer you need to find out what the industry standard for pay is for that role and consider also more importantly your worth and value to your prospective employer. In order to do this you will need to spend some time researching salaries so that you are prepared to get what you are worth, not to mention a job offer that is reasonable and realistic.
Sample Cover Letter - Career Change
Your Name
Your Address
Your City, State, Zip Code
Your Phone Number
Your Email
Company Name
Address
City, State, Zip Code
Dear XXXXXX:
This letter is to express my interest in the Senior Customer Service Manager position as seen on the XYZ Company web site. I believe that my experience and education will make me a competitive candidate for this opportunity.
The key strengths that I possess for success in this position include, but are not limited to, the following:
· Provide exceptional contributions to customer service for all customers.
· Strive for continued excellence.
· Strong communication skills.
· I am a self-starter.
· Eager to lea new things.
I am ready to add value to your company from day one with many transferable skills that I believe are exactly what you are looking for, with this new opportunity.
I have attached my resume for your consideration and trust that you'll find my experience of interest.
In the meantime, I look forward to hearing from you very soon.
Sincerely,
FirstName LastName
Example Investment Banking Cover Letter
Richard Anderson,
1234, West 67 Street,
Carlisle, MA 01741,
(123)-456 7890.
Date: 15th May, 2001.
Dear Mr. John Smith
With a proven track record of success in the management and marketing of investment services, I believe my experience would contribute greatly towards the continued success of the Example Investment Corporation.
My resume reflects a tenure in investment banking spanning X years and demonstrates proven track record and notable achievements including:-
In addition, I offer a comprehensive knowledge of numerous investment tools and the ability to deliver products and services seamlessly to customers. My professional experience, combined with my dedication and enthusiasm, will enable me to make an immediate and valuable impact on your organization.
I look forward to meeting with you and leaing more about the position, your objectives, and how I can contribute to the success of your department.
In the meantime, I have enclosed my resume for your consideration and look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
[Signature]
Richard Anderson.
Date: 15th May, 2001.
Dear Mr. John Smith
With a proven track record of success in the management and marketing of investment services, I believe my experience would contribute greatly towards the continued success of the Example Investment Corporation.
My resume reflects tenure in investment banking spanning X years and demonstrates proven track record and notable achievements including:-
In addition, I offer a comprehensive knowledge of numerous investment tools and the ability to deliver products and services seamlessly to customers. My professional experience, combined with my dedication and enthusiasm, will enable me to make an immediate and valuable impact on your organization.
I look forward to meeting with you and learning more about the position, your objectives, and how I can contribute to the success of your department.
In the meantime, I have enclosed my resume for your consideration and look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
[Signature]
Richard Anderson.
It is often very little that separates successful people from the average. But nothing comes free.
If you do your job well and fulfill your responsibilities, this is often the best way to start a new career.
Talk to your supervisor about things you can do. Suggest improvements. Offer your help when help is needed. In retu ask for help to build a better career. It is often possible - right inside your own organization - especially if you have proved to be a valued employee.
Tomorrow your dream job may show up right before your nose. Prepare for it with a professional CV and be ready to describe yourself as a valuable object to anyone that will try to recruit you.
If you don't know how to write a CV, or how to describe yourself, start learning it now.
4 most popular types of resume format
The academic education, qualifications and experience appear in inverse chronological order, beginning by the present or last work and later the previous ones, and finishing with the studies:
Disadvantages of this format: it shows the periods of inactivity (months, years) and/or the very frequent changes of work. This often makes the candidate cover these spaces with irrelevant information for the position.
However It does emphasize your progression in work: promotion and increase of responsibilities are reflected, which has the disadvantage of showing if a person, although very effective in his or her work and satisfied with their role, has not ascended or taken more responsibilities.
When to use the chronological resume
Advantages:
The Functional resume
The functional resume avoids the disadvantages of the chronological resume type and facilitates the clear demonstration of your abilities and achievements. Dates in your work experience are not continuous, helping to disguise any periods of inactivity or successive similar jobs without promotion. The functional resume type is used when you want to highlight the professional career or enter a totally different activity in which the type of company and or studies is not relevant but the abilities; capacities and type of work are thus demonstrating that you have transferable skills.
You can use the functional resume:
Advantages
The Combined resume
Combined resume format mixes the previous formats (chronological resume and functional resume). The resume begins with the functional format resume and finishes with the chronological format resume. The combined resume format is more difficult to write and more complex but it has the advantage of emphasising the experience and abilities that the candidates have towards the new position they are applying for, as well as to reflect in a dynamic format their experience and training.
Advantages
Full name, date of birth, address and telephone (landline and/or mobile) and email if you have are essential information to include.
Civil status, children, age, race, religious beliefs. is not essential to be displayed in this form of resume, however you may be asked for such information before the short listing stage
ID or passport info is not necessary to include, however there are companies whose computerized database requires this information and it’s a good idea to check in advance before sending. Particularly if you are applying for work overseas, in many cases the duration of your passport can be very relevant, and information on whether you are eligible to work in that country for example. If you have no objection certificate and transferable visas for example it is relevant to include this information as is also driving license for the country you are applying to work in.
Photograph: it is not necessary to send it, except at the request of the company making the selection.
Vital Interview Feedback – Allows you to become Interview savvy
Job seekers often don’t even think about evaluating their job interview performance! And if you don’t do this crucial part of the process you will find yourself attending interviews and more interviews without capturing that job. Most importantly you will fail without ever knowing why.
For that reason, and for your own sanity, be kind to yourself and get the competitive edge by taking an honest look at your interview performance before the interview follow up takes place. Think about where you went wrong or on areas where you feel you could have been better prepared for answers etc. This will help you to picture how really present yourself at interview and how you perform, enabling you to fine tune your interview skills and more importantly helping you to become more confident and much more interview savvy
How can you analyze your Interview Performance?
Scared to follow up? Or just scared of rejection?
Make sure that you use relevant referees at all times, and bear in mind that your interviewer could already be contacting them for references so remember to always update your referee that there is potential for them to be contacted. This allows for them to be prepared and to be able to respond favorably and quickly.
When do I stop searching for a job?
