Being prepared is half the battle.
If you are one of those executive types unhappy at your
present post and embarking on a New Year's resolution to find a new one, here's
a helping hand. The job interview is considered to be the most critical aspect
of every expedition that brings you face-to- face with the future boss. One
must prepare for it with the same tenacity and quickness as one does for a
fencing tournament or a chess match.
This article has been excerpted from "PARTING
COMPANY: How to Survive the Loss of a Job and Find Another Successfully"
by William J. Morin and James C. Cabrera. Copyright by Drake Beam Morin, inc.
Publised by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
Morin is chairman and Cabrera is president of New
York-based Drake Beam Morin, nation's major outplacement firm, which has opened
offices in Philadelphia.
1. Tell me about yourself.
Since this is often the opening question in an interview, be
extracareful that you don't run off at the mouth. Keep your answer to a minute
or two at most. Cover four topics: early years, education, work history, and
recent career experience. Emphasize this last subject. Remember that this is
likely to be a warm-up question. Don't waste your best points on it.
2. What do you know about our organization?
You should be able to discuss products or services, revenues,
reputation, image, goals, problems, management style, people, history and
philosophy. But don't act as if you know everything about the place. Let your
answer show that you have taken the time to do some research, but don't
overwhelm the interviewer, and make it clear that you wish to learn more.
You might start your answer in this manner: "In my job
search, I've investigated a number of companies.
Yours is one of the few that interests me, for these
reasons..."
Give your answer a positive tone. Don't say, "Well,
everyone tells me that you're in all sorts of trouble, and that's why I'm
here", even if that is why you're there.
3. Why do you want to work for us?
The deadliest answer you can give is "Because I like
people." What else would you like-animals?
Here, and throughout the interview, a good answer comes from
having done your homework so that you can speak in terms of the company's
needs. You might say that your research has shown that the company is doing
things you would like to be involved with, and that it's doing them in ways
that greatly interest you. For example, if the organization is known for strong
management, your answer should mention that fact and show that you would like
to be a part of that team. If the company places a great deal of emphasis on
research and development, emphasize the fact that you want to create new things
and that you know this is a place in which such activity is encouraged. If the
organization stresses financial controls, your answer should mention a reverence
for numbers.
If you feel that you have to concoct an answer to this
question - if, for example, the company stresses research, and you feel that
you should mention it even though it really doesn't interest you- then you
probably should not be taking that interview, because you probably shouldn't be
considering a job with that organization.
Your homework should include learning enough about the
company to avoid approaching places where you wouldn't be able -or wouldn't
want- to function. Since most of us are poor liars, it's difficult to con
anyone in an interview. But even if you should succeed at it, your prize is a
job you don't really want.
4. What can you do for us that someone else can't?
Here you have every right, and perhaps an obligation, to
toot your own horn and be a bit egotistical. Talk about your record of getting
things done, and mention specifics from your resume or list of career
accomplishments. Say that your skills and interests, combined with this history
of getting results, make you valuable. Mention your ability to set priorities,
identify problems, and use your experience and energy to solve them.
5. What do you find most attractive about this position?
What seems least attractive about it?
List three or four attractive factors of the job, and
mention a single, minor, unattractive item.
6. Why should we hire you?
Create your answer by thinking in terms of your ability,
your experience, and your energy. (See question 4.)
7. What do you look for in a job?
Keep your answer oriented to opportunities at this
organization. Talk about your desire to perform and be recognized for your
contributions. Make your answer oriented toward opportunity rather than
personal security.
8. Please give me your defintion of [the position for
which you are being interviewed].
Keep your answer brief and taskoriented. Think in in terms
of responsibilities and accountability. Make sure that you really do understand
what the position involves before you attempt an answer. If you are not
certain. ask the interviewer; he or she may answer the question for you.
9. How long would it take you to make a meaningful
contribution to our firm?
Be realistic. Say that, while you would expect to meet
pressing demands and pull your own weight from the first day, it might take six
months to a year before you could expect to know the organization and its needs
well enough to make a major contribution.
10. How long would you stay with us?
Say that you are interested in a career with the
organization, but admit that you would have to continue to feel challenged to
remain with any organization. Think in terms of, "As long as we both feel
achievement-oriented."
11. Your resume suggests that you may be over-qualified
or too experienced for this position. What's Your opinion?
Emphasize your interest in establishing a long-term
association with the organization, and say that you assume that if you perform
well in his job, new opportunities will open up for you. Mention that a strong
company needs a strong staff. Observe that experienced executives are always at
a premium. Suggest that since you are so wellqualified, the employer will get a
fast return on his investment. Say that a growing, energetic company can never
have too much talent.
12. What is your management style?
You should know enough about the company's style to know
that your management style will complement it. Possible styles include: task
oriented (I'll enjoy problem-solving identifying what's wrong, choosing a
solution and implementing it"), results-oriented ("Every management
decision I make is determined by how it will affect the bottom line"), or
even paternalistic ("I'm committed to taking care of my subordinates and
pointing them in the right direction").
A participative style is currently quite popular: an
open-door method of managing in which you get things done by motivating people
and delegating responsibility.
As you consider this question, think about whether your
style will let you work hatppily and effectively within the organization.
13. Are you a good manager? Can you give me some
examples? Do you feel that you have top managerial potential?
Keep your answer achievementand ask-oriented. Rely on
examples from your career to buttress your argument. Stress your experience and
your energy.
14. What do you look for when You hire people?
Think in terms of skills. initiative, and the adaptability
to be able to work comfortably and effectively with others. Mention that you
like to hire people who appear capable of moving up in the organization.
15. Have you ever had to fire people? What were the
reasons, and how did you handle the situation?
Admit that the situation was not easy, but say that it
worked out well, both for the company and, you think, for the individual. Show
that, like anyone else, you don't enjoy unpleasant tasks but that you can
resolve them efficiently and -in the case of firing someone- humanely.
16. What do you think is the most difficult thing about
being a manager or executive?
Mention planning, execution, and cost-control. The most
difficult task is to motivate and manage employess to get something planned and
completed on time and within the budget.
17. What important trends do you see in our industry?
Be prepared with two or three trends that illustrate how
well you understand your industry. You might consider technological challenges
or opportunities, economic conditions, or even regulatory demands as you
collect your thoughts about the direction in which your business is heading.
18. Why are you leaving (did you leave) your present
(last) job?
Be brief, to the point, and as honest as you can without
hurting yourself. Refer back to the planning phase of your job search. where
you considered this topic as you set your reference statements. If you were
laid off in an across-the-board cutback, say so; otherwise, indicate that the
move was your decision, the result of your action. Do not mention personality
conflicts.
The interviewer may spend some time probing you on this
issue, particularly if it is clear that you were terminated. The "We
agreed to disagree" approach may be useful. Remember hat your references
are likely to be checked, so don't concoct a story for an interview.
19. How do you feel about leaving all your benefits to
find a new job?
Mention that you are concerned, naturally, but not panicked.
You are willing to accept some risk to find the right job for yourself. Don't
suggest that security might interest you more than getting the job done
successfully.
20. In your current (last) position, what features do
(did) you like the most? The least?
Be careful and be positive. Describe more features that you
liked than disliked. Don't cite personality problems. If you make your last job
sound terrible, an interviewer may wonder why you remained there until now.
21. What do you think of your boss?
Be as positive as you can. A potential boss is likely to
wonder if you might talk about him in similar terms at some point in the
future.
22. Why aren't you earning more at your age?
Say that this is one reason that you are conducting this job
search. Don't be defensive.
23. What do you feel this position should pay?
Salary is a delicate topic. We suggest that you defer tying
yourself to a precise figure for as long as you can do so politely. You might
say, "I understand that the range for this job is between $______ and
$______. That seems appropriate for the job as I understand it." You might
answer the question with a question: "Perhaps you can help me on this one.
Can you tell me if there is a range for similar jobs in the organization?"
If you are asked the question during an initial screening
interview, you might say that you feel you need to know more about the
position's responsibilities before you could give a meaningful answer to that
question. Here, too, either by asking the interviewer or search executive (if
one is involved), or in research done as part of your homework, you can try to
find out whether there is a salary grade attached to the job. If there is, and
if you can live with it, say that the range seems right to you.
If the interviewer continues to probe, you might say,
"You know that I'm making $______ now. Like everyone else, I'd like to
improve on that figure, but my major interest is with the job itself."
Remember that the act of taking a new job does not, in and of itself, make you
worth more money.
If a search firm is involved, your contact there may be able
to help with the salary question. He or she may even be able to run
interference for you. If, for instance, he tells you what the position pays,
and you tell him that you are earning that amount now and would Like to do a
bit better, he might go back to the employer and propose that you be offered an
additional 10%.
If no price range is attached to the job, and the
interviewer continues to press the subject, then you will have to restpond with
a number. You cannot leave the impression that it does not really matter, that
you'll accept whatever is offered. If you've been making $80,000 a year, you
can't say that a $35,000 figure would be fine without sounding as if you've
given up on yourself. (If you are making a radical career change, however, this
kind of disparity may be more reasonable and understandable.)
Don't sell yourself short, but continue to stress the fact
that the job itself is the most important thing in your mind. The interviewer
may be trying to determine just how much you want the job. Don't leave the
impression that money is the only thing that is important to you. Link
questions of salary to the work itself.
But whenever possible, say as little as you can about salary
until you reach the "final" stage of the interview process. At that
point, you know that the company is genuinely interested in you and that it is
likely to be flexible in salary negotiations.
24. What are your long-range goals?
Refer back to the planning phase of your job search. Don't
answer, "I want the job you've advertised." Relate your goals to the
company you are interviewing: 'in a firm like yours, I would like to..."
25. How successful do you you've been so far?
Say that, all-in-all, you're happy with the way your career
has progressed so far. Given the normal ups and downs of life, you feel that
you've done quite well and have no complaints.
Present a positive and confident picture of yourself, but
don't overstate your case. An answer like, "Everything's wonderful! I
can't think of a time when things were going better! I'm overjoyed!" is
likely to make an interviewer wonder whether you're trying to fool him . . . or
yourself. The most convincing confidence is usually quiet confidence.