Select language: 20 questions to get the job you want
Some keywords to remember:
radiate enthusiasm
Match your qualifications and experience with the requirements of the prospective job. Make it clear why you are the right person for the job.
Never speak ill of your current boss.
Emphasize your ability to work with others.
Keep your answers job related and give examples that illustrate how you have grown on the job in a quantifiable way.
Talk about your achievements modestly and discuss your career dispassionately and objectively.
If you are asked an inappropriate question, avoid it with a graceful response.
Ask final questions, and when the interview is over, repeat the eye contact, smile, and handshake.
The correct answers are listed under each question.
1. Why do you want to leave your current job?
I was originally interested in a position much like this, but didn’t know when an ideal job would become available, so I started working at another, smaller company that had many of the opportunities I was looking for. I have spent the last two years catching up in the industry and now I am confident that I have the skills and experience to work for you.
2. This job involves some travel and experience abroad. So tell me, how did you come to speak Mandarin?
I have always been interested in China. I see it as one of the most important markets in the emerging global economy. So in college, I majored in Chinese studies and was an exchange student for a year in Taipei.
3. Describe a difficult problem you have had to deal with.
One Friday night I had to airmail a package out and our printer froze in the office. I didn’t know how I was going to do it. But two of my colleagues in another department found out about my situation and offered to take the files to a quick copy place to print. I had helped them out of a similar bind the month before, and they wanted to return the favor.
4. What is your typical work day like?
I have several goals that I try to achieve every day. One is to clean my inbox. The second is to return all my phone calls from the day before. The third is to move forward on at least two of the five projects we have pending, even if it’s just having a meeting to decide our next step. And when I’m ready to leave for the night, I make sure to answer two more emails and make one last phone call before I’m done.
5. What types of decisions are most difficult for you?
It’s hard for me to decide how to divide my workday so that I give equal attention to all my projects. But I signed up for a time management program that our company offers and it helped me organize my day.
6. Tell me about yourself.
I am goal-oriented and flexible, traits that were instilled in me from a very young age. These qualities have helped me succeed in difficult circumstances, especially after my father died while I was in college and I had to work to support myself and my younger siblings.
7. Do you prefer to work with others or alone?
In my previous jobs, I’ve always had to consult with a co-worker to some degree, and I’ve really enjoyed sharing tasks with others and combining our efforts.
8. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
When an employee I was supervising had personal problems that affected his work, I helped him find help for the problem and improved his job performance.
9. Would you be willing to move?
Yes, my husband and I have already discussed that possibility and agree that we are willing to move, as long as we can find affordable housing and good schools in the new locations.
10. Why were you fired from your last job?
My department was reduced and I had little seniority.
11. What is your favorite, of all the jobs you’ve had?
Two years ago, I spent a year designing an interactive video game for a company on the East Coast. I worked on a team with other creative types, marketing managers, accountants and lawyers absorbing all aspects of the business. I have since developed those skills, so I believe my combination of experience and talent will work well with your company.
12. Why do you want to work here?
In my last job, I spent two years developing my experience as a telecommunications engineer with applications in Latin America. I have read a lot about your company and I am aware of this field that you are expanding into. I believe my combination of skills and experience would fit with your overall growth plans and I would like to be a part of your future.
13. How have you developed in your current job?
When I researched our company’s employee training and development programs, I learned that I could receive 80% funding for college classes. So, in the last three years, I’ve gotten an MBA, attended school at night, and taken internet classes.
14. How do you feel about the progress you are making in your current job?
I’ve been promoted since coming on board two years ago, which has challenged my skills for about a year, but I feel like it’s time to move on. I am no longer learning, and feel my personality and skill mix would be a much better fit for a large company like yours, which is a leader in the industry.
15. Why aren’t you married?
I haven’t found the right person.
16. In what traits do you think you can improve?
I have been a workaholic for several years, ever since my marriage broke up. I realize that’s not healthy, but it’s just a pattern I slipped into with all that extra time on my hands. However, I recently joined a softball team and am taking a marketing class one night a week. I think I’m on the path to a more balanced life.
17. What are some of the things that motivate you?
I am motivated by the challenge of a new assignment, the realization that I will be pushed together with a team of like-minded individuals who will bring different talents to the task, and the opportunity to contribute what I know and to learn new skills along the way while we assemble the best new product on the market.
18. How do you feel about overtime?
For me, the most important thing is to make sure the job is done right. If that means working overtime, and I know it’s unavoidable in most jobs, I’m willing to work some evenings or weekends.
19. What kind of people do you like to work with?
I’m an administrator, and that’s what I get paid to do, but whenever I can I like to work with members of our creative team, because I find that I always learn something from the artists. Their input broadens my knowledge and I find myself thinking in ways I’ve never considered before, which helps me in my work overall.
20. Do you have more questions?
Yes, in fact, can you tell me more about your employee training and development opportunities? Also, I would like to know what else I can do to prepare for this position while I await your response. Is there a book or article that I should be looking at?
