What are your outstanding qualities?
Same as above question.
What interests you most about this job? “Before answering, could I ask you to tell me a little more about the role this job plays in the departmental goals?”
The additional information you gather with those questions provides the appropriate slant to your answer.
“I’m looking for a challenge and an opportunity to make a contribution, so if you feel the biggest challenge in the department is…, I’m the one for the job.”
What are you looking for in your next job?
You must say what you want in terms of what you can give to your employer.
“My experience at the XXX Corporation has shown me I have a talent for motivation people. That is demonstrated by my team’s absenteeism dropping 20 percent, turnover steadying at 10 percent, and production increasing 12 percent. I am looking for an opportunity to continue that kind of contribution, and a company and supervisor who will help me develop in a professional manner.”
Why should I hire you?
Short and to the point, highlight area.
“I have the qualifications you need[itemize them], I’m a team player, I take direction, and I have the desire to make a thorough success.”
What can you do for us that someone else cannot do?
Recap the interviewer’s job description.
“I can bring to this job a determination to see project through to a proper conclusion. I listen and take direction well. I am analytical and don’t jump to conclusions. And finally, I understand we are in business to make a profit, so I keep an eye on cost and return. What else are you looking for?”
Describe a difficult problem you’ve had to deal with.
It’s the approach you take to solving problems in general. It is designed to probe your professional profile; specifically, your analytical skills.
“Well, I always follow a five-step format with a difficult problem. One, I stand back and examine the problem. Two, I recognize the problem as the symptom of other, perhaps hidden, factors. Three, I makes a list of possible solution to the problem. Four, I weight both the consequences and cost of each solution, and determine the best solution. And five, I go to my boss, outline the problem, make my recommendation, and ask for my superior’s advice and approval.”
Then give an example of a problem and your solution.
What would your references say?
Ask past employers to give a letter of recommendation.
Can we check your references?
“Yes, of course you can check my references.”
What type of decisions did you make on your last job?
Searching to define your responsibilities, show your achievement profile.
“Being in change of the mailroom, my job is to make sure people get information in a timely manner. The job is well defined, and my decisions aren’t that difficult. I noticed a year or two ago that when I took the mail around at 10 am, everything stopped for twenty minutes. I had an idea and gave it to my boss. She got it cleared by the president, and ever since, we take the mail around just before lunch. Mr. Gray, the president, told me my idea improved productivity, saved time, and that he wished everyone was as conscientious.”
What was the last book you read(or movie you saw)? How did it affect you?
You should name something less faddish.
How do you handle tension?
It asks how you handle it.
“Tension is caused when you let things pile up. It is usually caused by letting other areas of responsibility slip by for an extended period. For instance, if you have a difficult presentation coming up, you may procrastinate in your preparations for it. I’ve seen lots of people do things like that―a task seems so overwhelming they don’t know where to begin. I find that if you break those overwhelming tasks into little pieces, they aren’t so overwhelming any more. So I suppose I don’t so much handle tension as handle the cause of it, by not letting things slip in other areas that can give rise to it.”
How long have been looking for another position?
“Well, I’ve been looking for about a year now. I’ve had a number of offers in that time, but I have determined that as I spend most of my waking hours at work, the job I take and the people I work with have got to be people with values I can identify with. I made the decision that I just wasn’t going to suffer clock-watchers and work-to-rule specialists anymore.”
Have you ever been fired?
“No”
Why were you fired?
“I’m sorry to say, but I deserved it. I was having some personal problems at the time, and I let them affect my work. I was late to work and lost my motivation. My supervisor had directions to trim the work force anyway, and as I was hired only a couple of years ago, I was one of the first to go.”
Have you ever been asked to resign?
“No”
Were you ever dismissed from your job for a reason that seemed unjustified?
“No”