What Interview Questions You need to Know

Professor Manie Spoelstra - Being interviewed is negotiation

Behind the closed doors of the interview room, the process that follows will have a significant bearing on the likelihood of your landing a potential job or contract. There are often times when the brightest stars fizzle and the underdog rules the day.

What do you need to know to take full advantage of your chance to succeed? Even though the interview provides you the opportunity to collect information and scope out your potential employers, your primary purpose is to impress upon them the merit of your proposal and your superior talents and skills.

The interview isn't just simply about what you plan to do if you are chosen for the position. The interview is also a means to ethically persuade and influence people. The interview should be a concise and conscious means to triumph over barriers with a specific audience, and with a specific goal in mind.

Regrettably, the job interview is usually akin to a sales meeting between two parties, one who has a small notion of what they are selling and the other has only a vague understanding of what they need to purchase. It takes no great stretch to understand that such a communication often ends in disaster because neither party is able to effectively listen, understand and evaluate.

The euphoria you might experience at having been chosen for an interview should be restrained by asking yourself: “What's missing?” Those who hesitate will lose. There are two questions you should ask:

1. What are they saying to me?
2. What are they not saying to me?

All you initially have are a place, a date, a starting time and a name. This is the bare bones of information you possess before attending an interview. What else do you need to know?

Never make assumptions. You could be facing a group, or one or two people. Since you don't know any of these individuals, you could find yourself in great distress.

They will provide you with an appointment time for the interview but seldom will they indicate the scheduled duration, and how many other potential candidates will be interviewed, unless you ask. Should you learn you will be allotted thirty minutes and that you are number three on a list of six, then you will be psychologically prepared. You might also ask to be interviewed earlier, e.g. second, because research has revealed that you will have a better chance than number four or six.

It is a good idea to learn more about this particular personnel 'problem'. Ask if they have any written info about the position or 'Job Description'. Remember though, these 'job descriptions' are usually vague and generalised. Regardless, if one exists and you can obtain it from the interviewer prior to the meeting then you will be more informed than your competitors, and this will be advantageous.

Ask yourself questions about the buyer's organisation? Getting information from and the web is okay, but why not get them to send you something such as their last annual report for example? Prepare yourself as much as possible.

Communication during the interview

The ability to sell yourself is really about practicing your communications skills. Since you received an invitation to an interview, it is simple professional courtesy to return it by advising them that you would be happy to attend. Lazy people seldom get to this stage. This provides you with an opportunity to make a few points and "make a friend at court".

You can accomplish this with a simple telephone call, e.g. " I am calling to verify that I will be pleased to attend at 1:30 p.m. on 10 June, and there are several items I would like to clarify , but if it's not convenient, I can ring back later." Should you perceive that you are really hitting it off with the other person you might take the opportunity to engage in some small talk. "I suppose you've received a lot of applications for the position?" The critical questions are those that pertain to whom you will be seeing and the timing of the meeting - anything else is a bonus.

Don't get too comfortable just yet. Respond in writing to confirm that you will be pleased to attend. For example: "Further to your letter dated 12 March and my subsequent discussion with your assistant, I am writing to confirm that I will indeed be pleased to meet both yourself and Mr. Jones at 1:30 pm on 10 June. Thank you for agreeing to send me a copy of the Job Description and an Annual Report in the meantime, which I look forward to receiving.”

Although writing letters has become dated, you should not under estimate the value of the letter as a means of communication when selling yourself. The written letter allows you to be more personal, intimate and classy. This might appear irksome, but it could assist you to climb the ladder compared to those who couldn't be bothered.

Four important Tips:

Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.

To make certain that your mental attitude is a positive one, here is a four-point plan based on the following.

1. Never forget your objective and keep your integrity and confidence about it. Do not ever assume that interviewers know what they are looking for.

2. Be warned of the well-meaning advice to "be yourself".

   This is the most terrible advice anyone can give you before the meeting. People wear different "hats" to suit the occasion. In spite of how you might otherwise view the situation, you are going into a sales meeting and you will say whatever it takes to reach your goal.

3. At the first meeting all sellers are equal.

   In theory, someone may have a higher credibility rating. During the interview this could crumple within the first thirty seconds.

   Do not allow yourself to experience any vulnerability about your lack of qualifications or experience. Individuals who are offered the position or contract are not necessarily the best equipped for the undertaking - but they are always the individuals who have sold themselves best.

4. You should feel a little 'anxious' before the interview, but do so about the right things.

   Let your competitors be too busy being overly nervous so that you can focus on success.

After Care

Should not be offered the position, this doesn't necessarily mean the end of the interview. Think about following up the interview with a letter such as:

“It is regrettable to have been unsuccessful on this occasion. However, I appreciate your courtesy in seeing me. I thoroughly enjoyed our discussions and as I am still very interested in working with your company, so please do not hesitate to contact me in the event that the opportunity presents itself for us to further explore common interests.”

Tell me about yourself?

This is very good question to be asked, but only so far if you are prepared for it! This question sets the tone for the remainder of the meeting. If you reply in an able manner, then you have laid a solid foundation upon which to build. This question will also set the standard for your competitors, because it is very likely they will be asked the same question.

When you haven' prepared, you will likely be nervous and might start talking for minutes on end, without knowing when to stop. Make sure that you think about this question beforehand. A useful guide here is to draw up some notes on the points that you would like to position in answering this and other anticipated questions.

Questions regarding your Vision

This is a golden opportunity so use it wisely! Think carefully about their need. Ask yourself. "Well - why should they hire me? Consider what added value and vision that you can bring to their team?"

Two minutes is just about the right amount of time to spend on your reply. You can sell a lot of good things in two minutes if you are focused and display enthusiasm. Follow this up by asking yourself, "If I say these things, what additional questions might they come up with?" If you prepare carefully you can actually make the buyer ask you the questions you would rather get.

What is your greatest strength?

This is a prize question, so run with it. Interpret the question as: "Give me one reason why I should hire you?" To prepare for this question you may want to ask yourself, "Given their need, what would they want my greatest strength to be?" Be certain that you have at least two examples to back it up.

What is your greatest weakness?

This could be a job killer because what they're really asking: "Tell my why I shouldn't hire you." Be practical and only admit to a weakness that will not be damaging, e.g. “Sometimes I have been accused of not getting the balance right between work and play. I suppose I should build more leisure time into my schedule but I enjoy my work."

Or:

"If you had asked me that question only a year ago I would likely have said that my presentational skills weren't solid. It was an essential part of the role and I was very fortunate because my boss was good at giving presentations and he gave me a lot of guidance. Now I really enjoy it. I don't think weaknesses are a problem if we know what they are and do something about it."

Questions for you to ask:

Now, what questions might you legitimately pose to them? You probably can think of several of your own but you might want to add some of the following to your list:

Having studied your web site and your latest available annual report

Why is this position open?

How would you describe my main priority in this role?

If I'm offered this position, and after six months my performance review reads, “this candidate has excelled in this position and has met or exceeded all requirements of the job” - what exactly would I have accomplished to achieve this performance?

I'm pleased with this meeting and am very confident that I can perform well, but do you have any reservations about my suitability to this role?

When will I hear back from you?

• Training
• Clients
• Resources
• Consultants
• Approach
• Contact us

Negotiation Newsletter

HQ Address: Level 31, ABN AMRO Tower, 88 Phillip Street, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia

© Copyright 2008 Training Home | E-mail us
Training Guarantee | Your Privacy | Site Map | Terms