A Job-Hunter's Guide To Handling Any Job Interview Questions And Answers Naturally & Professionally
Most of us dread the job interview because we fear the questions and answers and because it’s so critical. A few people are born great interviewees, but most of us are not. But preparation and practice can go a long way toward alleviating the dread and allaying the fear. And, as with any marketing endeavor, you’ve got to stress benefits. Two Case Studies I remember well one of the last jobs I interviewed for. The woman who was hired instead of me, after the interviews, was utterly unqualified. But she had the gift of the gab and a knack for saying just the right thing at the right time, so she was able to make the panel think she was qualified—or so it seemed. I learned later, though, that she had been well coached by a veteran colleague, and she had practiced and prepared extensively. At the other pole is my long-time friend who decided he wanted a career change. He owned a successful business, but he had always wanted to be a firefighter, so he decided to go for it. He had all the requisite skills and abilities, but he was an abysmal interviewee. So we practiced . . . for a long time. And, even though he was almost over the age limit, he got the job. Open-ended Questions At my last interview, I was asked this question: “What would you say your weaknesses are?” And my answer went something like this: “Well . . . uh . . . I—I can’t think of any real weaknesses. But wait . . . uh . . . maybe I do have a few.” And so forth. I wasn’t prepared for this kind of open-ended question—for which there really is no right or wrong answer, just some answers better than others. Most of the job-hunting literature says that you should give some weakness, but use that as a springboard to go on and stress your strengths. That is, you need to turn these disconcerting open-ended questions around and use them to your benefit. This is the area where preparation and practice pay off the most. Concrete Examples During the course of the job interview questions and answers, you’ll be asked to provide examples of accomplishments in previous jobs. Make sure your examples are genuine, concrete examples, not vague generalities. For example, don’t say, “At my last job, I took the company to a new level in sales”; instead, say, “In my last position as Sales Manager at XYZ Corp., in the first six months of 2002 I had total sales of $2.3 million and boosted company revenues by 11%.” And don’t wait to be asked for an example. Back up and illustrate everything you assert with concrete examples. It gives you credibility and authority. Benefits, Benefits, Benefits One last thing to keep in mind for job interview questions and answers: always stress the benefits to your potential employer. Don’t simply answer a question and leave it at that. No, make sure you lead the interviewer to the conclusion that you are absolutely the best candidate for the position. And you do that by stressing the benefits to the organization every time you provide an answer. When you tell the interviewer about your record sales at XYZ, go further and emphasize how this skilled accomplishment will benefit the interviewer’s organization, how it will help them succeed. Remember, this is sales, and it’s not about you. It’s about the buyer—the interviewer. A winning job interview, then, is mostly the result of preparation and practice. You’ll be at ease, and you’ll have most of the answers ready at hand. And an experienced coach can be an immense help and well worth the money. To your career success, Martin Allen
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Copyright 2009 SwanAllen
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