well, from a very early age i've been a problem solver. I was that kid who would take apart anything so i could see how it worked, and then try to put it back together. as you can imagine, it drove my parents nuts. BUt even though i tortured my family at times, the tikering trait has served me well in my career. After graduating for Purdue i was recruited into a field techinician job and got paid to take apart broken packaging equipment. It was like living the dream. that job also made me realize that i'm really good with difficult customers and that's what helped me land my current account manager role. While i love my job and have been succesful in it,it's moved me away from the manufacturing floor. Now, the reason i'm so interested in this position is that it seems to provide a really great blend of one-on-one work with clients and hands-on problem solving.

well, the first thing that prompted me to apply is your commitment to service. I've been a customer for five years since i first bought a house. we had a big storm that damaged my roof last year. and i was impressed by how caring and prompt your custommer service representatives were as i worked through it. I'm also really excited about your upcoming merger. I can see how this is really going to set you apart in the insurance industry. i'd love to help you through the process of integrating the two companies. Having supported a merger three years ago, i know what an incredible intricate and stressfull preocess that can be. I have a few specigic ideas on how i might ease the transitioning.
Last, i applied because i see this as a great opportunity for me to broaden my financial services experience. THis seems to be a natural fit based on my understanding of regulated industries.

this job would allow me to blend your professional skills with my passion for animals

a few things come to mind. Number one, to be successful here is you want to bumble, you want to communicate an authentic story that shows that you're self aware. if't okay that you don't come off as perfect,. THat's authentic and that's really important. for someone to trust you in the role that they're hiring for.
NUmber two, don't select tbe weakness that disqualifies you from the job. Choose something that is not necessarily related to it. so for example, if you're applying for a project manager role, choose something that is more related to creativity, LIKE choose a weakness that doesn't disqualify you. from the job description of the things that would make someone successful in the role..
and then number three, have a fix-it strategy. It's okay to have a plan, plans are important. So just in case you're the tyoe of person that struggles with remembering product details, and you happen to also be that person that tracks them in their phone, and or in a side notebook, that's okay, share that with me. That shows that you've got commitment to solving that problem and addressing it. So as a quick recap, three things that you can do.:number one, be humble and authentic; number two, select the weakness that doesn't disqualify you from the role, and number three, have plan. it's okay to have a fix-it strategy

wow, that's a great question. THanks for asking it.vit get really excited when people on my team brainstorm about big new ideas. i sometimes get so caught up in the moment that i volunteer to do too much. i know this can be a distraction in ways that put me at risk. of not getting work done properly or missing deadlines. I've been reflecting on why this happens. As i've become more conscious of this pattern, i'm working on ways to contain the negative aspects of my eagerness. one way that i do this is to still attend the brainstorming meetings but to be more carefull about offering to do the next steps or limit it to one project that my boss supports. Fortunately, though, the job we're discussing seams well-suited for people like me, people that bring a lot of enthusiasm to the job and are ready to keep getting better and better at the follow-through.

okay, i've got one. the day before a major management review i was told we only had 10 minutes to present our project instead of the promised 15. Most of our team members agreed to shorten their remajrks.One person refused to make changes. i suggested that we sit down over coffee and talk about it. i started as the listening letting him explain,how hard he'd worked. and i realized the issue wasn't about the length of his speech, but more about him being recognized for really dong a really thorough job and getting his presentation together. i mean, he was really pround of his work. So, we talked about another way of recognizing his efforts. we acknowledged him in our team newsletter., when we wrapped up the part of the conversation, he actually volunteered to shorten his part of his speech. by treating his contributions with respect, i guided him to a better outcome

so the three tips i have for you, first know and own your leadership style. if you're a team builder, say so . if you'r tough, but fair, own it. Be very consice and clear on how you define your leadership, sho that you know very clearly what you're all about. THe most important thing is don't be vague and don't be ambivalent. Know who you are. Now, once you/ve established your leadership style, the second tip that i want you to think about is how do you give an example that highlights it. So typically you want to start with a situation, potentially a problem or an obstacle, and then walk through what did you actually do and more importantly, what was the result, what did it mean to your organization? what did it mean to the company? what did it mean to a customer? and be sure to include how you brought your team along, cause this isn't all about you. Remember, this is about being a leader and this is what you did to bring your team with you. And then third, most importantly, is you want to show situations where you've adapted. life's not going to be simple. People want to see how you've adapted, how you've grown, how you've changed given the situation. Just like you look for that in the people you're going to hire, the same thing with the hiring manager, who's looking to hire you. how do you adapt and grow? so, those three tips, if you follow them, will help you answer this question. But remember, most of all, be authentich, be youself.

Describe the problem that existed before you took action.
Talk about how you took initiative to solve the problem.
Explain why you are proud of the outcome and what would have happened if you hadn’t stepped in.

When I first joined the company, I noticed that the existing monthly budgeting process was quite time consuming and inefficient, because it was highly manual. There were errors and inaccuracies.

I took the initiative to implement a new budgeting template to automate the process and make it simpler. I developed automated calculations using Excel and fill-in-the-blank lines for departments to submit their numbers. Then I designed and led a training for all relevant staff. The new system made it easier for the departments to provide their budgets in an error-free way.

Overall, we had 25% less errors in the next cycle of budgets and my team became 30% more efficient. My manager gave me a very strong review for the quarter and noted that she appreciated my initiative to automate and make the process a lot less cumbersome.

This was a great way to answer this question because the candidate starts off by discussing the situation and then described the difficulties involved with the previous manual budgeting processes. The candidate went on to describe the action steps she took to streamline the budgeting process. From there, she quantified the positive results and relayed how impactful this was for her and her team.

or mayby you're taking night classes to help you accelerate your skills. That's also an execellent thing to mention. In general, you just want to share something that's true and that'll paint you as an interesting, healthy, tenacious, or genuinely good human being/
Next, remember to keep it succinct. if you're a bird watcher in your free time, no one needs to hear some 22-minute account of every species you've ever documented. Share and share enthusiastically so that your passion shines through. just don't ramble on endlessly. Doing so might give the people that you're trying to make a good impression on the feeling that you're nervous or that brevity just isn't your strong suit.

And finally, steer clear of the inappropriate zone. You would think that this wwould be obvious, but inappropriate can mean something much more subtle than divulging how miuch you like internet gambling or drag racing down i5 with your buddies every weekend. you've got a great opportunity here to show them that you're the complete package. take full advantage

well i've got both the experience and target audience rapport that you're looking for. i've built two corporate training programs from scratch and developed the kind of interactive video programs that you're looking to create. When employees fill out feedback forms, they speak highly of my professionalism and clarity that they've encountered.
Lastly, a close friend of mine who works on the marketing team here, says that this company is a great cultural fit give my background and values. I have an insatiable level of curiosity and tend to do lots of research on any topic that i'm less than an expert in. And i know your values included constant learning and that really resonates with my passion. I'm just eager to become part of a fast-growing, mission-oriented organization like yours.

I think our candidate hit all the right notes when he was talking about his core strengths. Also using feedback from some of his colleagues in the past on what he had done well or their possitive observations was really helpful. Kept it very engaging and personable, which is important. But he also talked about why he was a cultural fit for the organization, as well. well done on this response.

I really feel if you take this in three steps, that you'll do really well in answering this question. step one, why do i qualify for this job? Be prepared to pick three to four qualifications, parts of your experiences that hels these interviewers or this interviewer understand why you're a fit for this job.

Step two, start to paint a picture on why you would do so well in this job. Things that you would accomplish. that competitively differentiate you.

Number three, in addition to why you qualify for this job, being a part of a team is also really important things as well. So why are you a cultural fit for this company? wwhat do you know about their mission and their vision, and how do they operate and why you would fit so well into that? Lastly, and i think is a very underrated one, i believe that how you say something is just as important as what you say. so when you're sharing your successes and you're answering these questions, make sure that you're doing it in an authentic way that allows the interviewers to connect to you.

Member, you;re going to be part of a team, thay want to make sure that you fit in. so, as long as you're yourself, but the best version of that self. I think you'll do really well.

This question tests how persuasive you are. Interviewers want to see if you can make a calm, confident case for yourself, even if they’re acting skeptical. They’re looking for factual and compelling answers.

well, from a very early age i've been a problem solver. I was that kid who would take apart anything so i could see how it worked, and then try to put it back together. BUt even though i tortured my family at times, the tikering trait has served me well in my career. After graduating from Foreign Trade University, i was recruited into a field finacial and banking job. It was like living the dream. that job also made me realize that i'm really good with difficult customers, dificult problems and that's what helped me land my current interal auditor role. While i love my job and have been succesful in it, it's moved me away from the basic customer service floor. Now, the reason i'm so interested in this position is that it seems to provide a really great blend of one-on-one work with clients and hands-on problem solving.

If you can show that you’ve helped a team move through a challenge, you probably have strong communication and interpersonal skills. These kinds of “soft” skills are in high demand and make people successful in their jobs.

Describe a problem that arose with a team.
Outline your key actions with the team.
Explain the positive result based on the work you did.
Give credit to your teamwork skills.

This was a great way to answer this question. You started off discussing a specific situation and the issues involved with having to work on a global team. And then you talked about the specific action steps you took such as implementing a new work process. And then you concluded with the positive results and the teamwork skills that you demonstrated along the way. it's clear that you're able to see the bigger picture, you seem optimistic, and i'm sure that was what led to your success.

I was asked to work on a high profile project that included collaborating with a new team and tons of people across a larger organization . we were spread out across the globe which meant timezones were tricky and we could never meet face-to-face. Communication was starting to get confusing and people were losing important details/ It became apparent that this project was going to fail. So, i met with various team members and engaged them in a process to design a communication system that would work a lot better. We used an asynchronous project management tool called ASANA to help streamline who enjoyed web and when it was getting done. And we could all update it in real time. We then did weekly check-in and designed a protocol to share relevant updates so that we didn't get bogged down with details that took us off track. I also developed a detailed outline of mini goals and milestones and the meeting were led by us. checking again said document. In the end, the team made massive progress. We completed the project on time and it was praised extensively by the client. The team thanked me for helping to course correct. We also continue to use these tools and they are what make our team so much more efficient at what we do.

Employers say they want to hire people who are running “to” a role as opposed to running “away.” However, they are also interested in your honesty when things haven’t worked out and will give people second chances when they demonstrate hunger.

and I've helped hundreds of job candidates land their dream job offers. Now when it comes to answering the where do you see yourself in five years interview question, I've seen a lot of people struggle with answering this question, and that's completely natural because some of us don't even know what we're doing tomorrow let alone in the next five years, but the key that you want to remember to answering this question successfully is to focus on what you can give to the employers, or the role. So let's talk about it through three specific tips. The first one is to break your answer down into two to three year chunks. This helps the interviewer to visualize and see exactly what you're describing. What do you plan to do in the first two to three years, and how do you plan to take it up a notch in the two to three years after that? The second tip is to make sure that you focus on the high level intentions that you have for the role, and the value that you plan to deliver within each of those two to three year chunks that you describe. And finally the third tip is to stay away from talking about job titles that you want to get in the next two to three, or five years, because that can come off as overly presumptuous. So to recap, make sure that you break your answer down into two to three year chunks, talk about your high level intentions, and value that you plan to offer in the role, and then finally, stay away from job titles. Using these tips you'll be able to answer this where do you see yourself in the next five years interview question successfully.

• In the first two or three years I plan to immerse myself in the position, by leveraging my strong Excel knowledge to develop automated reports and processes. The goal would be to improve efficiencies and reduce time spent on manual tasks. Within two to three years after that I see myself using that experience to help other departments develop similar efficiencies. - The way you answered this was great. You broke it down into two to three year chunks, explaining what you could give related to your Excel skills rather than what you plan to get from the company. And you also didn't mention any job titles that you hope for in the future. What I really liked was that you genuinely looked and sounded excited when talking about your five year vision. I was convinced that you're committed to the role.

Employers want to determine how serious you are about your career and whether your goals match the goals for this job. Employers don’t expect you to offer up a specific title you want. Instead, they want to know what you hope to accomplish.

Good leaders can explain their values and priorities in a few words. This is a test to see if you can explain yourself. It also helps to determine whether your approach meshes with the company’s own culture.

For me, good leadership is about finding the best analytical approach while still caring about the people on the team. Last year, I took charge of a digital marketing campaign that wasn't getting any traction. I realized our team members didn't know what was expected. We worked together to build new metrics. I gave more responsibilities to our most engaged team member and helped another one find a different job where he could be more effective. Within three months, we were hitting our numbers and morale was vastly better. When we were ready to expand, five internal candidates asked if they could join our team. I love building productive, successful teams, and it sounds as if there would be great opportunities to do that in the job we're talking about.

and so to start your story, just like in any good movie. you want to describe the situation, the initial events that occured. what were the problems that you were experiencing? this is a really key part of the story. And then from there you want to get into the actions steps. So talk about the key milestones that you went through. Don't go into too much detail. it should only be about to three sentences, but try to use active verbs, things like i implemented or i persuaded, things like that. and then from there, you want to get into the results. Try to include a clincher at the end talking about dollars saved or improved profitability. That will help to really solidify you results and that you did a great thing. so if you want to remember how to answer this past experience type of interview question, you just have to remember the framework S-A-R, and that stands for Situation, action, and result. And if you use this framework, you'll able to answer any type of past experience interview question

This question isn’t designed to rule you out - it’s a good sign if you get the interview. Interviewers want to get more context about the gap and whether you’re still going to be a great fit for the role, despite the gap.
+Expect that they will ask about the gap - prepare for it.
+Answer honestly and strategically.
+Be confident and succinct.
+Shine a light on the good that came out of that time.

and I don't recall anyone ever saying, "Oh yeah, my employment gap, no big deal, right?" Most people are super nervous about how a gap will be perceived even if there's a perfectly good explanation. and wondering how to handle this question, here's the good news. They've invited you in. So the gap hasn't ruled you out but you should definitely be ready to discuss it. What's the best way to answer this question? First, be honest. The truth will set you free. Definitely put the situation into the best light but don't lie. It's bound to come back and haunt you. So if your job was eliminated through a merger, just say so. Next, be confident and unapologetic. This is a big one. If you act like you're embarrassed or ashamed that you've dared to take some time away, the interviewer is going to pick up on that. It's kind of like when you have a toddler. If they trip and fall, do you run screaming, "Oh my gosh, are you okay?" No because then they'll pick up on your panic and start crying their heads off. Instead you pause and you see how they respond. And most often, everything is okay. Same principle here. The more calm, succinct and confident you are, the more at ease the interviewer will be with your response and with you. And last, bring up the good that came out of that time whether you were laid off, stepped away to be with family, or even got fired. Share them. It's a great way to reframe the situation and potentially an opportunity to showcase some skills that you gained across that time, skills that'll come in handy when they hire you for that role.

Interviewers want to know you’re going to be enjoyable to have around and not just that you have the hard skills for the job. Use this question to set yourself up as interesting, fun, curious, or a go-getter.

well, a lot of my spare time lately has been dedicated to teaching myself how to shoot and edit instructional videos. i've been a farage sale shopper for several years and i sell my finds on ebay to pay down my student loan debt. So far i've raised $11.000. People who find out that i do this, often have a lot of questions about how to get started, how to find best stuff, how to market items on ebay. So i've decided to put a few tutorials up on youtube. That way people can learn through the videos and i gain a new creative skill.

Strong answers reassure interviewers about your ambition and your determination to press ahead. Pick a trivial goal, and you’re at risk of being tagged as a slacker.

• Pick an ambitious goal that’s part of a bigger life journey.
• Highlight obstacles and show how you overcame them.
• Finish with an insight about the way your accomplishment has paid off.
  

Employers want to know they are hiring high quality people. If you have a story about surpassing an expectation, you’ve probably gone above and beyond the call of duty and that’s a great thing!

• Describe a situation where you thought you weren’t going to be successful.
• Talk about what you did to compensate for a bad situation.
• Talk about the outcomes of your successful efforts.
  

Some jobs are high-stress and interviewers will test you to see if you can handle the heat. You’ll get partial credit for talking about your heroic efforts to get everything done, but you’ll get more points if you’ve enlisted allies.

• Be clear about the project goal.
• Establish that you’re a strong person who doesn’t get flustered easily.
• Show your ingenious side, too, especially if your path to success involved redefining the task or enlisting colleagues.
  

This question isn’t just designed to make sure you leave with all of your questions answered; it’s intended to see if you’re prepared and to assess how curious and thoughtful you are.
Come prepared with 3-5 thoughtful questions.
Ask questions that show you’re engaged, intelligent and interested.
Avoid no-brainer questions or ones related to salary / benefits.

after one of my top candidates had just been interviewed. To my extreme surprise, I learned that he wasn't moving forward because he'd seemed uninterested at the end of the conversation. I'm Jenny Foss. I'm a recruiter, a career coach, and founder of JobJenny.com. Turns out that candidate had replied no to the critical end of interview question, do you have any questions for me? It's essential that you respond with a yes and be ready to ask a few. This question is your test. They want to see if you're engaged, intelligent and interested and it gives you an opportunity to end on a strong note. So what types of questions should you ask? Here are a few to consider. Number one, questions that show you've been paying attention. Jot down a few notes as the interview unfolds and then loop back to something that you'd like to delve further into like an aspect of the job, the team, or the challenges that lie ahead. Two, questions that show you're genuinely excited. Certainly you can demonstrate that you're qualified, but you might clinch this by showing that you've got passion for their products, the brand or this industry. So maybe you asked a question about one of your favorite products or see how they're responding to an industry trend. And three, questions that get them talking about their careers. I cannot emphasize this enough. People appreciate when you notice the interesting things that they're doing and they love talking about themselves. So maybe you're wondering how they got from job x to job y or if they find that their first job as a violinist helps them in the job that they have today. Now don't get too personal, but do show genuine curiosity. People hire people that they like and people who seem genuinely interested in the role.