You have applied for the job of your dreams, and success they have finally called you back to schedule a face to face interview. You know however, that you are not good when it comes to answering those hard questions they ask during interviews, the ones that most companies ask to get a feel of who you are.
If you are like everyone else you are more worried about making the answers out to be what the manager is wanting to hear from a soon to be employee more than telling about yourself.
The first question that is asked at most any job interview is usually, tell me about yourself. You might think that by sitting in this chair with these people looking at you this is where the employer will decide if they are interested in hearing what your answers to any of the following questions might be. However this is not true, you might think this equivalent to what is the meaning of life, but they are just wanting to get you warmed up for the rest of the driving questions that will follow. On this question be sure to make your answers quick and not off topic, keeping this answer to about a minute or two at most. You should cover four basic topics: the early years, your education, your work history, and the your recent career experience.
Question two, why do you want to work for us? Just off the top of your head what would you say? I might say something like because I like people, and then go on from there. However, unless you live in a whole in the ground of course you like people. You are applying for a job that has other people working there not monkeys right?
Question three and four tie together quiet a bit they are almost a like but you need to be aware of what you can and can not say. What can you do for us that someone else can’t, and why should we hire you. In both of these answers you have every right, to toot your own horn and be a bit egotistical, make them know that you are great at talking or are a successful manager if you think so. Say something about your skills and interests, combined with this history of getting results, make you valuable and perfect for the position. Mention your ability to set priorities, identify problems, and use your experience and energy to solve them. Then you can say talk about your ability, your drive to get things done in a timely manner, your experience, energy and so forth.
At the end of an interview they always ask do you have any questions for us. This is your time to shine, ask about when they will contact you, be open and outgoing, when would I start if you hired me, you did see that I can start tomorrow, next week, next month. Make sure they know that you are ready to help them and their company ask them what the next step is, this is the point where they will tell you about how many more interviews they are doing and when they might be making a decision. At that point you can start sending letters, making phone calls, and bugging the bijous out of them in some people opinion but also making them know that you are not just applying for any position that are you sincerely interested in this particular one. Your goal is to make them want to hire you on the spot, which will usually not happen but you do not want them to forget your interview with them either, you need to say something that will stick in their minds.
Hopefully you hear back and get offered a job, in a great world all interviews would end this way. However if you did not you can always ask the company why did you not hire me, is there any suggestions on what I could do when I interview next time. And they can give you this information, it’s hard to get up the courage to do but in the end interviews are about learning, learning to get a job and learning to better yourself.
