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Once your resume is written and you are ready to join others vying for the same job! If you want to land the job, prepare for the interview. According to our experts, the following questions are those that candidates indicate are the most difficult to answer. Preparation is the key. So, take a look at these questions and plan your answers. Keep positive.
Okay, this is the question that most candidates stumble answering. Research, research, research! Prior to any interview, from entry level to executive, you should get on the internet or go to the library and research the interviewing company. Candidates should not think for one minute that they can go to an interview and not know what the company is about. If you research and you know about the company, you can say:
"I read that you have a customer friendly philosophy. That is my customer service philosophy also. I think it would be a fit where I can continue to work with customers to their satisfaction."
We have found the best way to answer this question is to find out what goals the interviewer wants answered. Try . . .
"Are you asking me to give you my short-term goals or where I see myself in five years?"
It is important that you keep your answers job related and not personal.
If you're unemployed, state your reason for leaving in a positive context.
"I managed to survive two rounds of corporate downsizing, but the third round was a 20 percent reduction in the workforce, which included me."
If you are employed, focus on what you want in your next job.
"After two years, I made the decision to look for a company that is team-focused, where I can add my experience."
This is the most dreaded question of all. Handle it by minimizing your weakness and emphasizing your strengths. Stay away from personal qualities and concentrate on professional traits:
"I am a team player. I believe people work better being a part of a team rather than individually. My work is accurate and has always received good reviews. I am goal orientated and methodical. I have been told that I can be intense when there is a project that needs my full attention. But, I have learned to turn that intensity into a virtue by gaining the respect of my co-workers. So, when I am intense, they join me and the job gets done."
This is a great way to brag about your work efforts through someone else's words.
"My last supervisor told me that I am the best designer at the company. He knows he can rely on me, I am a team player and he likes my sense of humor."
It is to your advantage if the employer tells you the range first. Prepare by knowing the going rate in your area, and your bottom line or walk-away point. One possible answer that has worked in interviews is:
"I am sure when the time comes, we can agree on a reasonable amount. In what range do you typically pay someone with my background?"
Interviewers use this type of psychological question to see if you can think quickly. If you answer "a bunny," you will make a soft, passive impression. If you answer "a lion," you will be seen as aggressive. What type of personality would it take to get the job done? What impression do you want to make? When thinking up your answer be careful to consider the animal and what attributes are assigned to that animal.
1StopResume.com utilizes several sources to bring you revolutionary and fundamental job search wisdom. While we would like to acknowledge individually those websites, books and articles, authors, and masters, this list would be extensive. We thank these sources for their contributions.