JOB INTERVIEW

1. Can you tell me a little about yourself?

- Focus on the “Well, I’m currently an account executive at Smith, where I handle
experiences and our top performing client. Before that, I worked at an agency where I
skills that are was on three different major national healthcare brands. And while I
going to be most really enjoyed the work that I did, I’d love the chance to dig in much
relevant for the
hiring manager deeper with one specific healthcare company, which is why I’m so
when they’re excited about this opportunity with Metro Health Center.”
thinking about this
particular position “I am a graphic designer with five years of experience in the fashion
and this
company. 
industry. I am a team leader and coordinate the work of small groups
of graphic designers and copywriters (between 3-5 people). I am
- Tell me about diligent about keeping up with the latest technology and design trends.
your That’s why my boss chose me to spearhead our global re-branding
professional self initiative. While I enjoyed my previous work, it’s a dream of mine to
and how you work for your company. I admire the work you do, especially the XYZ
would fit in with project and the ABC project. I would like to be a part of projects like
the company. these.”

2. How did you hear about the position?

- Stand out and “I was excited to find out about the job from my friend who
show your works in [department]”
passion for and
connection to I found it on [wherever you found the job], and since I’ve been
the company. hoping to work for the company for a long time, I was excited
to see the opening had become available.”
- Share what,
specifically, I found this position on an online listing. There were several similar
caught your eye positions available- but this one really seemed to stand out as a golden
about the role. career opportunity. After doing a little research on the company and
the requirements of this position- I decided it would be a place which
- Be excited could benefit from my unique set of skills and which would provide
me with a great atmosphere in which to grow professionally- so I
decided to apply. I’m very excited about the potential to obtain this job.

3. What do you know about the company?

-Start with one

line that shows
you understand
the mission,
"I’m an Amazon customer and have been for many years. But I know that Amazon is
much more than the consumer retail side and the focus on price, selection and
convenience. The company also includes Amazon Web Services for Cloud Computing,
products such as Kindle, Fire and Echo, and many of the Prime-related activities in
entertainment. There are many different parts of Amazon that I find to be fascinating
and would love the opportunity to be part of the organization…"
"Goldman Sachs is the leading investment bank and provides a wide variety of financial
services to corporations, financial institutions, governments and individuals. Your
Institutional Client Services group, where this position is based, works in equity, fixed
income, currency and commodity markets. My experience in fixed income is well
aligned with this role in your fixed income group, which is what generated my interest
in speaking with your firm…"

“I’m personally drawn to this mission because…”

4. Why do you want this job?

-Be specific “I want this job because it emphasizes sales and marketing, two of
about what my greatest skill sets. In my previous job, I increased sales by 15%
makes you a in what was at the time considered a flat industry. I know I could
good fit for this bring my ten years of sales and marketing experience to this
role. company, and help you continue your years of growth.”

- Mention any “I understand that this is a company on the rise. As I’ve read on
skills or work your website and in various press releases, you are planning to
experience that launch several new products in the coming months. I want be a part
makes you a of this business as it grows, and I know my experience in product
unique, strong development would help your company as you roll out these
candidate for the products.”
job.

5. Why should we hire you?

-“What makes “I think that my experience in the (widget) industry and my ability to
you the best fit work autonomously make me a good match for this position.”
for this
position?” “Your company provides many services that I have had experience
with, in a variety of capacities. [Offer a few specific examples.] I
- Explain what
you have to offer
the employer.
believe that my familiarity with the industry would make me a good fit for this
position.”

“You have explained that you are looking for a sales executive who is able to
effectively manage over a dozen employees. In my 15 years of experience as a sales
manager, I have developed strong motivational and team-building skills. I was twice
awarded manager-of-the-year for my innovative strategies for motivating employees to
meet and surpass quarterly deadlines. If hired, I will bring my leadership abilities and
strategies for achieving profit gains to this position.

6. What are your greatest professional strengths?

- Focus on I have an extremely strong work ethic. When I'm working on a

strengths you project, I don't want just to meet deadlines. Rather, I prefer to
have that are complete the project well ahead of schedule. Last year, I even earned
required for the a bonus for completing my three most recent reports one week ahead
job. of time.

- education or I have extremely strong writing skills. Having worked as a copy

training, soft editor for five years, I have a strong attention to detail when it comes
skills, hard skills, to my writing. I have also written for a variety of publications, so I
or past work know how to shape my writing style to fit the task and audience.
experiences.
I pride myself on my customer service skills and my ability to
resolve what could be difficult situations. With five years of
experience as a customer service associate, I have learned to effectively understand and
resolve customer issues. On a related note, I also have strong communication skills,
which help me work well with customers, team members, and executives. I am known
for being an effective team member with a talent for giving presentations.

7. What do you consider to be your weaknesses?

- No matter what “Being organized wasn't my strongest point, but I implemented a

weakness you time management system that helped my organization skills.”
select, try to put
a positive spin
on your answer.
“I like to make sure that my work is perfect, so I tend to perhaps
spend a little too much time checking it. However, “I've learned to
- You can
make my perfectionism work to my advantage. I have become
mention skills
that aren't
critical for the
job, discuss
skills you have
improved on, or
turn a negative
proficient at meeting deadlines, and with my attention to detail, I know my work is
accurate.”

“I used to like to work on a project to its completion before starting on another, but I've
learned to work on many projects at the same time, and I think it allows me to be more
creative and effective in each one”.

8. Tell me about a challenge or conflict you've faced at work, and how you dealt
with it.
- Situation
– Action When resolving a problem between employees, I serve as a neutral
- Result. third party. When needed, I establish rules of conduct. For an
organization to operate efficiently, employees must be on the same
page. At most organizations, bad feelings may exist among some
employees, so a manager is responsible for ensuring that employees are placed in
situations where they're comfortable to focus on their job responsibilities. In other
words, employees must be situated around others they can work with so productivity is
not affected.

9. Where do you see yourself in five years?

- The interviewer “My goal right now is to find a position at a company where I can
wants to grow and take on new challenges over time. Ultimately, I’d like to
understand
assume more management responsibilities and get involved in
more about your
career goals and
product strategy. But most importantly, I want to work for an
how this position organization where I can build a career.”
would fit into
your grand plan. “Well I’m really excited by this position at Midnight Consulting
They want to because in five years, I’d like to be seen as someone with deep
hire someone expertise in the energy sector, and I know that’s something that I’ll
who is have an opportunity to do here. I’m also really excited to take on
motivated, more managerial responsibilities in the next few years and
proactive, and potentially even take the lead on some projects. I’ve been lucky
likely to stick
enough to work with some amazing managers, and so developing
around and work
hard if hired.
into a great manager myself is something I’m really excited about.”

10. What's your dream job?

- The interviewer “What I look for in a job, and what I love about this customer
wants to service representative position, is the ability to utilize my
understand about communication and customer service skills. I love interacting with
your career goals customers and quickly and effectively problem solving with them.
and how this Down the road, after becoming an expert in your product line and
position would fit developing strong relationships with your customers, I would love
into your grand
to work in sales.”
plan. They want
to hire someone
who is motivated,
proactive, and
likely to stick
around and work
hard if hired.
“My dream job involves an extensive amount of teamwork, such as regular staff
meetings and group projects. I love that this job emphasizes communication among
colleagues and between management and staff. My previous job was 50% team projects,
and I am excited to continue that kind of teamwork and open communication here.”

11. Why are you leaving your current job?

- Do not say I found myself bored with the work and looking for more
negative challenges. I am an excellent employee, and I didn't want my
comments about unhappiness to have any impact on the job I was doing for my
your boss or employer.
company.
There isn't room for growth with my current employer, and I'm
ready to move on to a new challenge.

After several years in my last position, I'm looking for a company where I can
contribute and grow in a team-oriented environment.

I am interested in a new challenge and an opportunity to use my technical skills and

experience in a different capacity than I have in the past.

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

next position.

12. What type of work environment do you prefer?

- It’s a good idea When you don't have a preference: I have worked in many
to maintain that types of work environments, and enjoyed learning new things
you are flexible from each. I would say that while I don’t have a preference for
and adapt
a particular environment, I really like working with people who
happily in any
environment. are committed to getting things done and who are passionate
about their work.

Working with a strong team: I enjoy working in an

environment where the members of the team have a strong sense of comradery,
and a good work ethic.

13. How would your boss and co-workers describe you?

- Talk about My colleagues have told me that I am extremely organized and

qualities that fit excellent at time management. During one team project, my team
with the ones members praised me for developing and sticking to a timeline for all
they are looking the phases of our project. We ended up successfully completing the
for the position. project ahead of time.
My co-workers would say that I am very optimistic, and always look for creative
solutions to problems. When many people at my former job were upset about budget
cuts to our department, I found a few clever ways to maintain some of our resources on
this limited budget.

I’ve been told that I am both a strong leader and a team player. One colleague offered to
write me a personal letter of reference once because of my strong team leadership. He
was impressed by my ability to effectively lead a group of colleagues while
simultaneously listening to and considering everyone’s input.

14. How would you describe yourself?

- Highlight I'm a social person. I really enjoy meeting and working with a lot of
positive skills that different people, and am known for being a great listener and clear
match with the communicator, whether I’m engaging with colleagues or employers.
job requirements
I'm the kind of person who knows how to execute difficult tasks
with precision. I pay attention to all the details of a project. I make sure that every task
is just right, but is also completed in a timely manner.

I'm a creative thinker. I like to explore alternative solutions to problems and have an
open mind about what will work best. My creativity has made me an effective team
leader because I can anticipate problems and innovate solutions.

I'm an extremely organized person who is focused on producing results. While I am

always realistic when setting goals, I consistently develop ways to efficiently achieve,
and often exceed, those goals.

15. If you were an animal, which one would you want to be?

 A horse is really strong, able to function alone well or as part of a team.

 Ants are hard workers, and the ultimate team player.
 Monkeys are quick learners.
 An elephant is strong, intelligent, loyal to the group, and unstoppable.
 A dolphin is also intelligent, and actually considered one of the smartest animals.
 Dogs are seen as Man’s Best Friend, so might be good for someone in a support
role.  With a dog, you get loyalty and friendliness.  Also protectiveness, but
that’s probably only required for bodyguards.

16. What are you looking for in terms of salary?

- Try to avoid “My salary expectations are in line with my experience and
giving specific qualifications.”
amounts.
- In case the “If this is the right job for me, I am sure we can come to an
interviewer
agreement on salary.”
persists in getting
an answer, be
prepared with a
prior research of
the salaries for
similar positions
I understand that positions similar to this one pay in the range of $X to $Z in our region.
With my experience, I would like to receive something in the range of $Y to $Z.

I would like to be compensated fairly for my experience.

The research I've done indicates that positions like this one pay $X to $Z and something
in that range would be acceptable to me as a starting salary.

My salary requirements are flexible, but I do have significant experience in the field that
I believe adds value to my candidacy.

17. Is There Anything Else We Should Know About You?

- Make a quick "You have done a very thorough job of getting at my strengths. We
summary of your have discussed my writing, presentation, and computer skills, but I
skills and add haven't had the opportunity to tell you about my persuasive abilities.
what you think is I was able to convince seven local businesses to sponsor the charity
missing.
run which I organized for my fraternity, and I successfully placed
several stories in the local media about a client during my public
- Otherwise,
express you are relations internship."
excited for the "I think that you have been incredibly thorough and we have
opportunity and
your willing to be discussed my key strengths like my writing, presentation, computer,
part of the and persuasive skills. I would just like to assure you that I am very
company. excited by the opportunity here. I am extremely motivated to pursue
this job and will devote maximum energy to succeeding if I am
hired.”

18. Do you have any questions for us?

 What's the company organization and management style like?

 How long have you been at the company?
 Can you talk about the company culture a bit?
 What are the company's goals for the upcoming year?