Why Should We Hire You?

You describe in the job listing that you are looking for a special education assistant
teacher with an abundance of patience and compassion. Having served as a tutor at a
summer school for dyslexic children for the past two years, I have developed my ability
to be extremely patient while still achieving academic gains with my students. My
experience teaching phonics to children ages 6 to 18 has taught me strategies for working
with children of all ages and abilities, always with a smile. My previous employer often
placed me with the students with the most severe learning disabilities because of my
history of success. I will bring not only experience, but patience and creative problem-
solving, to this position.

Why Are You Leaving Your Job? Why did you leave your
previous job?
I've decided that my current work role is not the direction I want to go in my career and
my current employer has no opportunities in the direction I'd like to head

 I recently received my degree and I want to utilize my educational background in

my next position.

 I am interested in a job with more responsibility, and I am very ready for a new
challenge.
 I was commuting to the city and spending a significant amount of time each day
on travel. I would prefer to be closer to home.
 This position seemed like an excellent match for my skills and experience and I
am not able to fully utilize them in my present job.

Why Do You Want This JOB?

I want this job because it emphasizes TEACHING ANFF LEARNING. two of my

greatest skill sets.

 I understand that this is a company on the rise. As I’ve read on your website and in
various press releases, you are planning to launch several new products in the
coming months. I want be a part of this business as it grows, and I know my
experience in product development would help your company as you roll out these
products. (SCHOOL ACCREDITATION)
 I have admired this company’s successful strategies and mission for years. Your
emphasis on creating a relationship between your company and the surrounding
 community have brought you success everywhere you have opened an office.
There are values I greatly admire.

How Do You Handle Stress?

Pressure is very important to me. Good pressure, such as having a lot of

assignments to work on, or an upcoming deadline, helps me to stay motivated and
productive. Of course, there are times when too much pressure can lead to stress;
however, I am very skilled at balancing multiple projects and meeting deadlines,
which prevents me from feeling stressed often. For example, I once had three large
projects due in the same week, which was a lot of pressure. However, because I
created a schedule that detailed how I would break down each project into small
assignments, I completed all three projects ahead of time and avoided unnecessary
stress.

I react to situations, rather than to stress. That way, the situation is handled and
doesn't become stressful. For example, when I deal with an unsatisfied customer,
rather than feeling stressed, I focus on the task at hand. I believe my ability to
communicate effectively with customers during these moments helps reduce my
own stress in these situations and also reduces any stress the customer may feel.
(CSR EXPERIENCE/ RESOLVING CONCERNS)

What Are the Most Difficult Decisions to Make?

Also keep your answers positive ("Even though it was a difficult decision to lay
offthat particular employee, I did so in an extremely professional manner, and this
decision ultimately led to improvements in efficiency and productivity throughout
our department”).

 I find that the hardest decision I have to make is when I have to choose between
strong team members for a promotion. There have been occasions when, even
though I personally liked one person better than another, I nonetheless had to
choose the other person based on their potential to assume the responsibilities of
their new role. Sometimes I also had to promote younger employees over staff
with seniority, simply because they were more skilled in the use of technology and
more willing to work overtime. It’s never easy, but ultimately you have to think
about who will be the most effective and productive in the new position.

What are your goals for the future?

  My long-term goals involve growing with a company where I can continue to
learn, take on additional responsibilities, and contribute as much value as I can. I
love that your company emphasizes professional development opportunities. I
intend to take advantage of all of these.
 I see myself as a top-performing employee in a well-established organization, like
this one. I plan on enhancing my skills and continuing my involvement in related
professional associations.

What can you do better for us than the other applicants?

>Start With a Disclaimer

You might say, "Although I am not familiar with the others who you are interviewing, I
am sure there are lots of talented people applying for such a position. However, given my
unique background and experiences, I think I would be a strong candidate for this
position."

>Follow Up With Your Strengths

You should be prepared to reference 6 - 8 strengths in terms of skills, past

experiences, areas of knowledge and personal qualities that will help you to excel in
the job. 

Describe situations or challenges, actions you took, and results you generated by tapping
each asset. 

Review the description for your target job and identify the aspects of the position that
seem to be of high priority to the employer.  Try to share as many of your assets as
possible that will help you to carry out the core functions of the job

Remember that your presentation will be most convincing if you share concrete
examples of how you have applied your strengths to add value in jobs, internships,
school projects or volunteer work.

DO YOU WORK WELL WITH OTHER PEOPLE?

Sample Answers

 Working on a number of team projects has allowed me to develop my ability to

communicate clearly with others, and mediate conflicts between team members.
 For example, on a recent project, two of my teammates were having trouble
coming to an agreement about how to approach an element of the project. I
listened to each of their concerns, and got everyone to sit down and come up with
a solution that would make everyone happy. Because of my ability to listen to
others and mediate conflict, we were able to finish our project ahead of schedule,
and even received commendation from our employer for the high quality of our
work.
 

 I am a patient listener and clear communicator, which is essential to being a sales

representative. Customers often call me with complaints and concerns, and my
ability to patiently listen and empathize makes them feel appreciated. I then work
with them to come up with creative solutions to their problems. I believe my
people skills are the reason I won best sales representative three years in a row at
my previous company.
 
 My ability to communicate effectively with others has been critical to my success
as a manager. For example, my willingness to listen to my employees has helped
me motivate my staff and improve performance. When the quality of one
employee’s work began to falter, I met with the employee to discuss the issue. I
listened to her own concerns about her work, and we discussed ways to resolve her
issues while improving her performance. I firmly believe that being able to clearly
communicate with and actively listen to employees is essential to improving their
performance.