the interview

difficult questions answered

Part of Reed Specialist Recruitment

impress from the beginning... the real you...
Why do you want to work here? Tell me about yourself? What is your greatest strength?
To answer this question you must have This is not an invitation to ramble on. If the Isolate high points from your background and
researched the company. Reply with the context isn’t clear, you need to know more about build in a couple of your key personal qualities,
company’s attributes as you see them. Cap the question before giving an answer. Whichever such as pride in your work, reliability and the
your answer with reference to your belief that direction your answer ultimately takes be sure ability to stick with a difficult task, yet change
the company can provide you with a stable and that it has some relevance to your professional course rapidly when required.
happy work environment – and that such an endeavours. You should also refer to one or more
atmosphere would encourage your best work. of your key personal qualities, such as honesty, What is your greatest weakness?
integrity, being a team player, or determination. This is a direct invitation to put your head in a
How do you feel about your progress to date? For example, if you choose ‘team player’, you noose. Decline the invitation. If there is a minor
This question is not geared solely to rate your can tell a story about yourself outside work part of the job at hand where you lack knowledge
progress; it also rates your self-esteem. Be – perhaps as a member of a sports team – that – but knowledge you will obviously pick up quickly
positive, yet do not give the impression you also speaks volumes about you at work. – use that. For instance: “I haven’t worked with
have already done your best work. Make the this type of spreadsheet before but, given my
interviewer believe you see each day as an How well do you feel other people rate your job experience with six other types, I should be able
opportunity to learn and contribute, and that performance? to pick it up in a few days.” Another option is to
you see the environment at this company as This is one very sound reason to ask for written design the answer so your weakness is ultimately
conducive to your best efforts. evaluations of your work before leaving a company. a positive characteristic. For example: “I always
You should also ask for a letter of recommendation give each project my best shot, so if I sometimes
What are your biggest accomplishments? whenever you leave a job. Don’t thrust these under feel others aren’t pulling their weight, I find it a
your interviewer’s nose, but when you are asked little frustrating. I try to overcome it with a positive
Keep your answers job-related. If you exaggerate the question, you can produce them with a flourish. attitude that I hope will catch on.” Also consider
contributions to major projects, you will be If you don’t have written evaluations, try to quote the technique of describing a problem in the past
accused of ‘coffee-machine syndrome’; the verbal appraisals, such as “My boss said only a and showing how you overcame it.
affliction of a clerk who claimed success for an month ago that I was the most valuable engineer in
Apollo space mission based on his relationships the work group, because…”
with certain scientists, at the coffee machine.
You might begin your reply with: “Although I feel
my biggest achievements are still ahead of me,
I am proud of my involvement with… I made a
contribution as part of that team and learned a lot
in the process.”
under the spotlight...
What are you looking for in your next job? Challenge: you weren’t able to grow figure but the twist is that it also asks you to justify
You want a company where your talents and professionally. that figure. It requires that you demonstrate careful
experience will allow you to contribute to their Location: the journey to work was analysis of your worth, industry norms, and job
business. Avoid saying what you want the company unreasonably long. requirements. You are recommended to try for a
to give you; you must say what you want in terms of higher figure rather than a lower one.
Advancement: there was nowhere for If their immediate response is to say that’s too
what you can give to your employer. The key word you to go.
is ‘contribution’. much, accept it as no more than a negotiating
Money: you were underpaid for your gambit, and come back with your own calm rebuttal:
Why do you want to leave your current job? or skills and contribution. “What did you have in mind?”
Why did you leave your last job? Pride or prestige: you wanted to be with a better
company. Doing your research beforehand into how much
You should have an acceptable reason for leaving similar roles are paying will help you answer this
every job you have held but if you don’t, pick one Security: the company was not stable.
question more confidently.
of the six acceptable reasons from this employment
industry CLAMPS formula: What kind of salary are you worth?
This question is asking you to name a desired
 Almost always, this is a sign the interview is drawing to a What type of training is required and how long is it? Reed Scientific has created this career sheet from
close, and that you have one more chance to make an information taken from ‘Great Answers to Tough
What would your first assignment be?
impression. Remember the adage: people respect what Interview Questions’ by Martin John Yate, the best-
you inspect, not what you expect. Create questions What are the realistic chances for growth in the job? selling job-hunting book of all time that no serious job
from any of the following: seeker should be without. The book is published by
Where are the opportunities for greatest growth within Kogan Page and is available from all good bookshops
Find out why the job is open, who had it last and what the company? What are the skills and attributes most for £8.99.
happened to him or her? needed to get ahead in the company?
Always bear in mind that every interviewer is trying to
How many people have held this position in the last Who will be the company’s main competitor over the evaluate you on three criteria:
couple of years? next few years? How does the interviewer feel the
company stacks up against them? 1. Are you able to do the job?
To whom would you report? Will you get the opportunity
What has been the growth pattern of the company in 2. Are you willing to put in the effort to make the job
to meet that person?
the last five years? Is it profitable? How profitable? a success?
Where is the job located? What are the travel 3. Are you manageable?
If there is a written job description, can you see it?
requirements, if any?
How regularly do performance evaluations occur?
What model do they follow?
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