CVs and Interviews

Interview Coaching – Difficult interview questions

I regularly work with jobseekers preparing them for interviews. The most common request is about interview questions and what questions will be asked at interview. Unfortunately it is impossible to predict what questions you will be asked at interview. If you want possible questions then Google “interview questions” and you will find page after page full of possible questions. With a focused approach to preparation you should be able to answer all questions posed. This aside I have outlined some questions that do arise more frequently at interview. I have also outlined an approach to answer these questions.

What salary do you want?
Money is important but more often than not often it is not the key motivation for most jobseekers. I recommend evasion tactics when answering the above questions. Avoid answering it or answer the question with a question. Responses may include; “What would a role like this pay within your organisation?” or “My current salary is 30k and I am negotiable depending on the role and the location”. Answering the he salary question like poker and you should try to make the employer make the first move. Answering the above question may price you out of the job but worse still you could do yourself out of a few thousand euros by pitching yourself below the employers figure.

Why should we employ you?
This is not an opportunity to waffle but instead it is the client asking you to summarise how you meet the requirements of the job. The secret to successfully navigating this question requires an understanding of what the employer is looking for and how you match these requirements. Let’s not complicate this – job descriptions tell you what the employer wants. All you have to do is summarise how you meet these needs BUT add some meat to the answer by providing examples and quantitative data to back up your points.

Why do you want to work for us?
The interviewer is investigating if you have put any thought into the job hunt and if you have done any research on the organisation. Another way to look at this question is does you know what they want and does our role and company meet those needs. This is an important question and it is the interviewer trying to identify if you have a scattergun approach to job hunting. Again, proper preparation ensuring that you understanding yourself and how the client meets your needs will help master this question.

What are your weaknesses?
Possibly the most feared interview question and it stops most interviewees in their tracks. The key to answering this question is not to focus on your personal traits. The interviewer is seeking to find out if you have self awareness but more importantly if you act on potential development needs. Answering “no” to this question will not impress. A suggested reply would be something like “I continually strive to improve my presentation skills and recently joined toastmasters and volunteer to present at our monthly sales meetings”

What are your career goals?
This is often an interview filler question with no real purpose for interviewers except maybe make them look more skilled that they actually are. This aside you should answer effectively. Focus on short to medium term goals. These will vary from one jobseeker to another but a short term goal common to any jobseeker would be to secure a challenging job. I guess that is why you are at the interview.

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Interviews

Have you messed up at interview recently? Answered a question liked Homer Simpson or asked a question that filed your application under ”rejection & exit door”.

Interviews are tough BUT you can improve confidence, performance and results through proper preparation. I guess interviews are no different to most things in life. The harder you work at them the luckier you get.

If you are feeling down about a recent interview I have collected some examples of how other people opened their mouth at interview to change feet. Here are some interview disasters that will give you a laugh before the weekend and prove you were not that bad.

Interviews – Funny Interview Mistakes

* At interview an applicant was asked what their greatest job-skill. The applicant replied “I am proud of my computer illiteracy”


* At the end of the interview the interviewer asks the applicant if they had any questions about the position. The jobseeker replied – “What happens if I wake up in the morning and don’t feel like coming to work?”


* After a jobseeker arrived for an early morning interview, the jobseeker asked to use the interviewer’s phone. The jobseeker then faked a coughing fit as they phoned in sick to work.


* An employer called the jobseeker and asked them to bring several copies of their CV and 3 referees. The candidate called back an hour before the interview requesting a rescheduled interview. The jobseekers gave the excuse that their referees couldn’t were unavailable to attend the interview.


* Towards the end of the interview the interviewer asked a jobseeker to describe their dream job. “I don’t know…I haven’t had it yet.” was the reply.

If you have any good examples we would love to hear them ….

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Interview Coaching – Another Interview MISTAKE!!

If you google interview mistakes the popular mistakes will all surface including poor preparation, lack of focus during interview, lack of industry knowledge, arriving late to interview, poor interview fashion advice, bringing your mother to interview and not asking questions at interview. There is many articles on this site to help you with the above areas. One area I do not see mentioned that often in inappropriate language.

Why is it that Interview Advice rarely mentions poor language?

I guess it is because it is assumed that interviewees will have the cope on the watch their P’s and Q’s and F’s. I wonder would Gorgon Ramsey struggle at interview. My advice (everytime) is to keep control of your language as I have many examples of this derailing job hunting efforts.

What if the interviewer uses the F word during the interview?

This is not a signal for you to relax your language. In fact it could be a ploy by the interviewer to trick you into using inappropriate language. Anyway you should not be using that sort of language - what would your mother say?

So my advice is to leave the F word to Mr Ramsey!!

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The Civil Service or HSE recruitment process a relatively similar for professional, executive and clerical roles. Largely they consist of a mix of all or some of the following stages – A detailed application form, ability tests and a competency based interview. On the surface this seems a difficult path to navigate BUT with the right knowledge and preparation it is possible.

Application Form – To be honest this would put me off applying in the first place BUT I think that is one of its functions. These forms are long and often include competency based questions. It is important to focus on the job you are applying for when outlining your duties and responsibilities. It is equally important to select and outline your competency based examples in the proper format. Correct spelling and grammar is also essential.

Ability Tests – Normally these can be completed in exam format by paper and pencil BUT some organisations are moving towards the online option. Normally most will face Numerical and Verbal Reasoning but other tests like Clerical Checking can be used for admin roles. It is important to get practice leaflets and questions before hand. Normally these will be provided but you can access them free on many sites on the net.

Competency Based Interviews – There is a proper structure to follow for competency based interviews. Competency Interviewing is story telling with a start, a middle and a happy ending. Many follow the STAR technique to answer these type of questions. Like all good story-tellers it is important to paint a complete picture of the scenario for the interviewer and make an impact with the outcome or result.

Do you require professional help with Interview Coaching or CV Writing? 

You can also find many articles on ability tests and competency based interviews on this site.

We have posted previously about how to answer difficult interview questions and answers.  Below is another popular question that is regularly asked during interview.

What are your career goals?

This is a popular interview question but my view is that it is often used as an “interview filler” with no real purpose for interviewers except maybe make them look more skilled that they actually are. This aside you should answer effectively as the interview may be trying to assess your career goals and plans. The question can also be used to assess if you have a structured approach to job hunting rather than a ad-hoc approach applying for a wide variety of different jobs. Focus on short to medium term goals. Goals will vary from one jobseeker to next but a short term goal common to any jobseeker would be to secure a challenging job. I guess that is why you are at the interview. If you are career focused and have clearly defined goals then outline these to the interviewer.

Read about another difficult interview question and how to approach your response.

CVSANDINTERVIEWS is a career website dedicated to jobseekers and it provides free INTERVIEW & CV advice to help jobseekers succeed in the job market. You will find information and articles relevant for all levels of the organisation and all industry sectors.

The Happy job hunting!!

A crystal ball is the only possible way to predict what questions you will be asked during interview. Unfortunately most jobseekers don’t have access to a crystal ball. You can still play a percentage game and the percentages are high that an interviewer will ask about your reasons for leaving previous employment. This provides them with valuable information about a number of areas including motivation and career planning. Like the other interview question topics there can be a number of variations of this interview question. I have outlined a popular version below.

Why did you leave (are you leaving) your current role?

If you currently employed then provide an answer putting your response into a positive context. Many job seekers relate negative information about previous work and employers but this is not advisable. Yes we can all make a mistake and a wrong career choice but be careful how you tell this story. If you are unemployed again try to put a positive spin on it. For example if you were made redundant tell the interviewer how you escaped the initial redundancy round or how the whole plant closed.

CVSANDINTERVIEWS is a website dedicated to helping jobseekers and it offers INTERVIEW & CV advice to help jobseekers succeed. We have information for all jobseekers especially jobseekers in Ireland – Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Galway, Sligo, Meath, Kildare, Louth and all other counties.The Happy job hunting!!

Related sites to help you with Interviews and CV’s. Careersandjobs – CV4jobs – Measurability

Employee motivation is a critical ingredient for job performance and job success. Organisation use many tools and techniques to increase employee motivation through initiative like training, development, rewards, benefits and much more. Organisations focus on this area when hiring staff too so you can be sure that an interview question around motivation will arise at interview. I have highlighted a popular interview question about motivation below.

Describe when are you most motivated in your current job?

With this question the interviewer wants to know what motivates you or what makes you tick in a working environment. Ideally you will relate an example of a task or project when you were at your most enthusiastic or excited. This will provide the interviewer with information about your preferences. An example of this would be – “I was most satisfied in my previous job when I worked with large customers resolving financial problems; this area of my job offered great fulfillment.”  Remember to focus on what the interview is seeking for in a new recruit and what will be the key roles and responsibilities in the job. For example if working with numbers and data is a big part of the job this might be a good area to focus. I do stress to candidates that you can lie and tell fibs BUT remember that they may work and you could land a job that you hate or are not suited to.

More interview questions – article 1 and article 2

CVSANDINTERVIEWS is a website dedicated to jobseekers and offers free INTERVIEW & CV advice to help you succeed in the job market. We have information for all jobseekers across all industries with some focused article for jobseekers in Ireland – Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Galway, Sligo, Meath, Kildare, Louth and all other counties.

P.S – Need an interview coach?

The Happy job hunting!!

I always point out to jobseekers that it is difficult to predict what interview questions will arise at interview. Addressing the most common interview questions will provide a good foundation helping your confidence and performance at interview. One topic that keeps coming up at interview is the area of previous employers. A number of possible interview questions can arise and I have highlighted the most popular of these questions below.

How would your last boss describe you?

It would not be appropriate to use any of the following descriptions; lazy, uninterested and stupid. Instead focus on the positive comments. Many jobseekers find it difficult to answer this question as they struggle to talk themselves up. If this is you, then hunt out your previous performance appraisals and quote them at interview. For example “During my last performance appraisal my boss said that I was a dedicated worker with innovative ideas”.

It is quite easy to fabricate and make stuff up for this question BUT remember one thing – the interviewer may have the opportunity to talk to your old boss during the reference process. When answering this question it is important to focus on what the client is looking for in an individual. For example if they are seeking someone innovative or with a good attention to detail they may like to hear that your previous boss saw these traits in you.

CVSANDINTERVIEWS is a site dedicated to jobseekers and provides free INTERVIEW & CURRICULUM VITAE advice to help you. We have information for all levels of jobseekers across all industries in Ireland (Dublin, Limerick, Cork, Waterford, Sligo, Galway, Meath, Kildare, Louth and other counties).

The Happy job hunting!!

During interview it is important that jobseekers stand out in the crowd and get noticed. This can be the difference between getting the job and not. There are many opportunities for the interviewee to stand out at interview but often interviewers will provide you with the opportunity by asking a related question. At interview employers want to know why you are different and what makes you special. This patenting interview question can come in many forms and I have outlined one of the more popular versions.

What can you do for us that other candidates can’t?

This is a popular question at interview and it is basically asking you to outline your unique selling points (USP) or outline what makes you stand out from other applicants. You will have identified this information during your interview preparation and self assessment and your USP’s could be skills, personality traits, qualifications, previous work experience that will help you stand out from other applications? Answer this question in a structured summary format. Many jobseekers tend to ramble more in the hope that they say something relevant that strikes a cord with the interviewer. They blurb the usual stuff like hardworking, energetic with the ability to work in a team or on own initiative. Judging from most CV’s I read this is not unique!!

CVSANDINTERVIEWS is a website dedicated to jobseekers and offers free Interview & CV advice to help you succeed in the job market. We have information for all jobseekers across all industries with some focused article for jobseekers in Ireland – Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Galway, Sligo, Meath, Kildare, Louth and all other counties.

The Happy job hunting!!