How was your working relationship with your previous supervisor?
How was your working relationship with your last boss? This is an attitude question for sure. They don’t really care about your last boss, they care about you. Hiring managers know that past behavior predicts future ... Views:1432
How much did / do you make?
Here’s a question guaranteed to make you uncomfortable in the job interview process. It’s one of the big hot-potato questions. No one wants to say a number first. But you don’t have to feel pressured or stressed. There are some great ways to handle this ... Views:1433
How long would you plan to stay with us?
Asking about your future plans in this way is really not asking you about your future plans. You don’t have to go into your 5-year life plan or your career goals. It’s a brief question that requires only a brief answer.
Personally, my response to ... Views:1388
How long will it take for you to make a significant contribution?
I love, love, love this question. This is a ‘roll out the red carpet, here’s your golden ticket’ opening to introducing your 30-60-90-day plan.
If you’ve never heard of a 30 60 90 day plan, it’s very simple: it’s a ... Views:1355
How have you responded to a colleague who is putting you down at work?
This is a pretty specific question, but it’s basically just another version of “How do you react in difficult situations?” This type of question is often asked in one version or another in behavioral interview situations. ... Views:1327
How does this position fit in with the career path you envision for yourself?
I think a lot of people shoot themselves in the foot with this career path question.
To be fair, it is a hard question to answer, like “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” or “What are your long-term goals?” ... Views:5764
How do you rate yourself as a professional?
There are people who will tell you that your automatic response to rating yourself (on a scale of 1 to 10) should be “11”. They say that anything less would be admitting a weakness. I don’t agree. An over-the-top answer like that is bragging, ... Views:1578
How do you handle stress and pressure on the job?
Hmmm….how DO you handle on-the-job pressure?
I cry, yell, or complain.
I hide in the bathroom.
I love stress! It’s so motivating!
I don’t get stressed.
Obviously, they want your answer to be (c) or (d)…either one works. Either ... Views:1350
How do you evaluate success?
I think the answer to this question has to be related directly to your work. Don’t wax philosophical about what success really is, or what a successful life is all about.
If you go into a philosophical explanation, you’ll knock yourself out of a job. They ... Views:1310
How do you deal with stressful situations?
If I got asked about how I deal with stressful situations, the first thing that would pop into my head is, “You mean like this one?” (Job interviews are very, very stressful. The way you deal with that stress is recognizing that it’s going to be ... Views:1396
How do you deal with difficult customers?
Dealing with difficult customers is a fact of life for a TON of jobs: sales reps, customer service reps, retail store clerks, receptionists, restaurant waitstaff, and a hundred other service-industry jobs.
The people in those roles are in the ... Views:1446
How do I know you still have the ‘fire in the belly’ to do this job?
If you’re of a ‘certain age’ in the job search, you already know that age is a big issue. It’s a very real obstacle to getting a job. Older workers have a reputation of not being up on the latest technology, not being ... Views:1350
How did you deal with the situation the last time your boss chastised you or strongly disagreed with a statement, a plan or a decision you made?
There are a lot of potential landmines lurking in this behavioral interview question.
Maybe your knee-jerk reaction would be to say, “Why, I ... Views:1559
How can you apply your specific skills to help the organization achieve sustainable growth and generate revenue?
To answer this question, it’s very important that you understand the role you’re applying to fill.
If they ask you in the interview how you can apply your skills in “X, Y, and ... Views:1694
Have you ever had difficulty working with a supervisor/manager?
When your interviewer asks, “Have you ever had difficulty working with a supervisor or manager?” they’re not really asking about your past supervisors. They’re asking about you. They want to know how you are to work with. The ... Views:1556
Have you ever been on a team where someone was not pulling their own weight? How did you handle it?
Asking about any difficulties with team projects in the past is a great behavioral interview question, and interviewers love to ask it. At some point, everybody’s been on a team where someone ... Views:4435
Give me an example of a time that you felt you went above and beyond the call of duty at work.
If you get asked to describe a time you went above and beyond the call of duty on the job, be thrilled because this is a great behavioral interview question that has the potential to make you look ... Views:1804
Give me a specific example of a time when you had to conform to a policy with which you did not agree.
Even though a good STAR story is the backbone of answering Behavioral Interview questions, here’s one interview question where it’s actually a good thing NOT to have a great story for. ... Views:7228
Do you prefer working in a team or alone?
Even though asking if you prefer working independently or as part of a team is a standard job interview question, it’s also a bit of a tricky one. I can’t think of any job that doesn’t at some point require both work styles. So even though you ... Views:2226
Describe yourself to me in one word.
Sometimes job interviewers try to get inside your head. Why? Hiring you feels like a gamble to them and they don’t like it. The person who hires you has a big stake in you doing well on the job.
Remember the 4 unasked questions of every hiring ... Views:1663
Describe your work style.
Do you know what your work style is? This is a popular interview question, but a lot of people go wrong in their answers because they don’t understand what that employer really wants to know. They’re not interested in your personality or your likes and dislikes ... Views:1809
Describe how you would handle a situation if you were required to finish multiple tasks by the end of the day, and there was no conceivable way that you could finish them.
Job interviews are like very intense speed dating. They’ve got to get to know you well in a very short time. For many ... Views:2664
Describe a time when your workload was heavy and how you handled it.
Asking you to describe difficult situations (and your reactions to them) is a favorite tactic of interviewers.
It’s called behavioral interviewing. Behavioral interview questions get way past your basic skills and ... Views:2225
Describe a time when your work was criticized and how you handled it.
Have you ever been asked this question? I know…to you, it feels like oral surgery without the Novocain…but interviewers love behavioral interview questions because they tell them so much about you—in the story you choose ... Views:2167
Are you willing to relocate?
Are you willing to move for your job? In many companies, this is a typical job interview question. Sometimes it's a deal-breaker, sometimes it isn't. Even if this particular job doesn't require it, many companies Will you relocate for the job?want that ... Views:1720
Are you overqualified for this job?
If you get asked this question in your job interview, you may jump straight to frustrated-especially if you're an older worker and assume they're telling you you're just too old. But companies really don't want to make a mistake. They don't want to go to ... Views:2065
Here’s a tip that you should always keep in mind. Never leave all the question asking up to the interviewer. You always want to ask questions during your job interview.
There are three reasons for this:
- It helps you uncover information you can’t get anywhere else…who’s a better source ... Views:1522
Having survived the interview, you would be dead wrong to think your mission is now to just sit and wait. While it can be said that good things come to those that wait, when it comes to job searches, being bold has even greater rewards.
The most common mistake job candidates make is not ... Views:1668
Many people have heard that they should send a thank-you email to an interviewer, but a surprisingly large number of job seekers don’t bother. And they’re wasting the perfect opportunity to show that they respect the interviewer’s time, that they’re enthusiastic about and highly interested in ... Views:3043
Before you get to go to the face-to-face interview, you’ll probably have to go through a cheaper, easier (for them) phone interview to prove you are worth the time, trouble and expense of a longer conversation. Here are the top phone interview tips to make sure you get your chance to prove your ... Views:1995
To get the job you want you need to do more than sit in the interview answering questions fired at you by the hiring manager.
In order to be more effective in selling yourself for the job, don’t be afraid to ask questions yourself.
Why? Because the job search is a sales process in which ... Views:2355
Do you know that most people develop a lasting impression of you and what you’re like based on the first few seconds of meeting you? That’s way before you’ve said anything important…you’ve barely said “hello.” Some of that impression is based off your body language and handshake, true, but the ... Views:1867
You might be thinking: “I have to ask questions? I thought I was supposed to ANSWER questions at an interview.” You do have to ask questions if you want the job. But which questions?
While there are many questions you want to ask, there are two questions you must ask at every interview, ... Views:1722
Are you asking the right question in your job interview?
Lots of job seekers don't even realize they should be asking questions in the interview. If they do, they limit themselves to information-gathering about the job. Information-gathering is great (as long as you don't ask about salary!), ... Views:1714
Some questions will get asked in every job interview. But just because they're standard questions doesn't mean you have to give a standard answer. You can give a standout response with just a little coaching. I'm going to tell you how to answer 3 typical job interview questions:
Why do you ... Views:2235
You won't find the best way to answer job interview questions from a Google search of 'best answers to interview questions'. Mostly what you'll find are answers that make you sound just like everyone else.
The best way to answer interview questions is to do it with a strategy of your own. ... Views:1839
Getting a job in this competitive market requires that you up your game. You have to come at the most basic interview elements, the questions and answers, with a thoughtful strategy for success. With that in mind, I have for you two things you should always ask to have a job-winning ... Views:1594
The questions you should ask in your job interviews might surprise you.
In general, you always want to ask questions during your interview because
(1) it shows that you researched the company,
(2) it helps you have a more relaxed and productive conversation, and
(3) it helps you ... Views:1519
What does your interviewer really think about what you wear to the interview? Not dressing appropriately for your interview is high on the list of top 10 interview mistakes.
I did my own survey of hiring managers to find out what they expect you to wear in a job interview. Do they expect to ... Views:3090
If the only thing your job interview thank you note says is "Thanks for the interview. I'm looking forward to working with you!", you have already stood out from the crowd, but you have still wasted a prime opportunity to boost your chance to get the job by nudging that hiring manager farther ... Views:2382
Fast follow up emails after the interview are better than handwritten notes.
Lots of job seekers underestimate just how important it is to say "thank you"....for the time, for the conversation, for the opportunity to meet. And it's also important that you get it to your interviewer fast: ... Views:1914
Never underestimate how important thank you notes are to the impression you make on the company in your job interview process. But the most critical factor of all is speed. For that reason, every thank you note should be a thank you email...sent within 24 hours of your interview.
Why? ... Views:1769
Always send a thank you email after your job interview, instead of a handwritten note. Some think that putting pen to paper for your note is more personal. But there are factors that are more important...like speed, adaptability, and the possibility of keeping the communication going.
So why ... Views:1988
Phone interviews used to be a practice only appropriate for out-of-state candidates, but now everyone does them. A lot. So chances are, you've either had some experience with them, or you will soon. You can get through them successfully every time if you know why companies rely on them and learn ... Views:2075
If you've been in the job search for even half a second, you've heard of the hidden job market. But what is it? Does it even exist? And if it does, how are you supposed to apply for, and win a job you can't even find?
The hidden job market does exist.
It is made up of those jobs that are ... Views:1672
Are you in a sales role? Or trying to get a better sales job? If so, what's your sales style?
Do you even know what I mean by that? And if you do, can you communicate that to a recruiter or a hiring manager who's considering you for a new position?
In my role as a medical sales recruiter, ... Views:4524
Being laid off can feel so awkward to a job seeker that it paralyzes them in an interview situation and undermines their candidacy--but it doesn't have to. I'm going to show you how to change the language you use and the perspective you have about your layoff to boost your confidence and calm ... Views:1734
In our currently sketchy economy, many job seekers have given up on the idea of asking for more money during their salary negotiations. But it is possible to negotiate a great salary for yourself, even during a recession. What I have seen in my interviewing (as a recruiter) and in my coaching ... Views:2535
Job shadowing is common among students, less so among adults who have been out in the work force for a while. But if you're transitioning to a new job or career field, it can be a huge boost to your credibility and your performance in the interview. But you've got to ask the right questions to ... Views:1693
What's the most hated question in sales job interviews? Probably it's "Sell me this pen." And yet, it's the quintessential question. It's a role-playing exercise that's hugely popular with interviewers. Hiring managers can learn so much about you by how you answer it.
There are a lot of ... Views:4492