1.Tell me about your seft?
- SHE succints, hones, engaging
- use the job description to prepare
- Showcase your strengths
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.
5.Why do you want to work here?
- make it about them frist
- then share what you want
- speak from the heart
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
overview interviewers want to understand what prompted you to apply for this job. They don’t want candidates who are indifferent to where they work. Instead, they want someone who offers very specific reasons for why they want this job.
3.What is your greatest weakness?
- be hunble and self-aware
- pick a safe weakness
- describe your fix-it strategy
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.
13.What are your salary expectations?
- resist using an exact number
- use neutral research
- Know the industry norms for similar jobs.
- Talk about ranges, rather than exact numbers
- Make the case that you offer premium value.
.
thank you for the question, i've been doing some research on the market for sales analysts. what i found from linkedin;s salary tool is that here in chicago, base pay for these jobs tends to run between 61.000 and 71.000. Half the companies pay bonuses as well. Given the global impact of your company and the fact that candidates with Master's degrees, like me, are being recruited most heavily. i think we should be looking toward the top end of that range.
20.Tell me about a time you had to persuade someone.
- decribe the situation
- decribe the steps you took
- describe the result.
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
17.Describe leadership style.
- know and own your leadersho style
2, bring your style to life with a lively example - SHow how you adapt
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.
6.Tell me about a time you showed leadership.
- Describe a situation where there was a lack of leadership.
- Use the word “lead” to help describe the actions you took.
- Give credit to your ‘leadership skills’ when explaining the positive results.
- tips like persuade above
- Recently there was a situation where my manager needed to take medical leave and was unable to come into work for a few weeks. This coincided with major deadline that he was leading. I knew that if this project wasn't completed on time, that we were at risk of losing a major client. i looked at my right and left, and there wasn't anyone else whoe could won the project, so i jumped in with both feet and took initiative.i went through the files and developed a shedule detailing exactly what needed to be completed, and worked closely with my coworkers to ensure the were onboard too. in the end, we were able to complete the project by the deadline. The client was pleased and stayed on as a loyal customer to the company. when my boss came back, he gave me an end of quarter bonus because he was really impressed that i was able to rally everyone to complete the project.
i'm interested to see how our candidate answers this question. Let's see whate they say and i'll give you insight on what worked after they're done.
This is strong response. i felt like i could visualize exactly what was happening from the details that you shared. i liked the way that you articulated the steady flow of events, you spoke in a compelling tone, and that helped me to stay engaged, and i really like that you described how you got your coworkes onboard and met the deadline to ultimately keep your loyal client. you story shows me that you have strong leadership potential
Employers want to understand your capacity to step up and handle tough situations that undoubtedly arise in the workplace. They want to know when you’ve seen an opening to lean in and lead with good judgment.
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10.Describe your most challenging project.
- Have a clear story with a specific challenge.
- Describe the negative impact if you hadn’t resolved the issue.
- Discuss action steps you took and talk about the positive impact.
In my current role, I was in charge of leading a major marketing campaign for a new product launching nationwide. The project was incredibly challenging both because of how large it was and because it involved constant communication with at least 7 teams inside my company. Even though I tried to share the same information with everyone, it was clear that not everyone was on the same page. Partway through, I discovered that some of the teams were not on schedule with their assigned tasks. The implications were significant and a delay to the campaign would negatively impact our revenue goals. I identified the root causes of the delays and set up a plan of action to address them. I planned in depth one-on-one meetings with the team leaders to help re-inspire them, we talked about the goals and set ambitious targets for getting these last items across the finish line. I then organized and led status update calls for the larger team, and implemented a public dashboard to keep everyone accountable.
In the end, we did meet the marketing campaign deadlines and the product launch was a hit. The company hit their revenue goals and everyone on the sales team received a well deserved bonus.
The candidate paints a vivid picture of a really challenging scenario at work. She describes the potential for serious negative consequences. Then she describes concrete action steps she took to overcome this challenge. She also shares positive results. It’s clear that her hard work yielded dividends for her company.
11.Tell me about something you’ve accomplished that you are proud of.
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.
14.What do you like to do outside of work?
- know that there's not one correct answer
- keep it succinct,
- avoid anything inappropriate
- Share something that paints a favorable picture.
- Keep it short and sweet.
- Don’t bore them with long stories.
- Steer clear of the inappropriate zone.
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
15.Tell me about a time you had to manage conflicting priorities.
Talk about the most important priority and then share additional priorities and how they conflicted.
Describe the steps you took to get the top priority done.
+Discuss the impact this had on the company or team.
I was asked at the last minute to assist with a major project. The deadline was just a few days away and the project had gotten majorly derailed. As I was working on this first urgent project, I was approached by two different clients with pressing requests as well. These conflicting priorities overwhelmed me at first.
Then, I devised a plan to prioritize the tasks I was given based on their level of importance. I prioritized based on which clients were the most critical to our business and who needed deliverables with the quickest turnaround timeline. I ranked the assignments and figured out exactly how long it would take me to finish these various projects. After that, I checked-in with my coworkers, clients, and manager to see if the timeline made sense to them. We added an additional team member and stayed in the office late for a few nights. The key was communicating to and aligning with the clients on the new timeline.
In the end, I was able to successfully complete all assignments and projects on time. Each client, manager and co-worker was satisfied with my work. More importantly, they were happy that I communicated my revised timeline, so that there weren’t any surprises at the end of the project.
This was a good response for a few reasons. First, the candidate clearly explained the myriad of conflicts in this particular week at work. She then went on to describe how she tackled the process and delineated what steps she took to invest the various stakeholders in the revised timeline. She ranked the assignments based on who the clients were and what they expected. The outcome was positive and the clients were content.
4.Why should we hire you?
- match your strengths with the job description
- Share a success story
- show wwhy you're a great fit
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.
- Start with the three or four best reasons you’ve got.
- Cite results, credentials, and other people’s praise so you don’t seem self-absorbed.
- Be concise, and invite follow-up questions at the end.
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.
2. What is your greatest strength?
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Thanks for asking about my strengths. What i bring to the team is a strong record in realationship building. At the heart of it, i'm happiest when i'm engaging with people learning with my ... and then trategizing about how we can help one another. I find that in sales some people can be overly transactional. I think my superpower is in establishing more meaningful connections. I've gotten strong feedback in the past. one client said i was best bussiness development person he'd ever met. And these sort of connections have turned into big sales wins. Last year, i doubled my client base and outperformed my peers by 40%. And it's probably relevant to share that i started in that role without any contacts in the field. Today, there is'nt a fortune 100 company that doesn't know about the product i sold last.
i'm really impressed. And as a hiring manager, i'm super confident in adding this person to my team. Let me tell you the three things that i heard. Number one, she was specific. She shared real numbers. Number two, she was authentic. Her authenticity came through in her interactions with the customer. And then number three, it was relevant. The experience and the story all came together and she supported that with numbers. This is someone i would want to add to my team.
Employers want to see if you can strike the right balance between confidence and humility. Hiring managers also want to get a sense for how self-aware and honest you are and align your strengths to the role at hand.
7. Tell me about a time you were successful on a team.
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.
- decribe the situation
- decribe the steps you took
- describe the result.
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
8.What would your co-workers say about you?
Interviewers want to know if you’ll fit in with the team. This question can also help you highlight your strengths without feeling like you’re bragging.
Share something that relates to the job description and back it with an example.
Look to your recommendations and reviews for ideas.
Look to your recommendations and reviews for ideas.
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i think my coworkers would tell you that i'm the one you turn to when it's time to make sure everyone stays motivated, and on track to pull off big, high profile projects. In fact, in one of my likedin recommendations, my supervisor refres to me as the human glue, which is something i'm pretty proud of. She gave me that recommendation after we went through an incredible complex ERP implementation. It was one of those stressful time critical projects that required the team to come together and make things happen in s short amount of time. I not only kept the crew going sometimes through long evening and weekend hours, but inspired to bring their absolute best to the project everyday. i think that they also appreciated the pizza and donuts i brought in too.
This is a solid answer, especially if your're interviewing for ra job with strong focus on project coordination and teamwork. You shared something specifically related to the job, and you also pointed the interviewer to a supervisor's favorable linkedn recommendation. Finally, i like that you shared a bit of humor. It is not only okay to show the human site when you're interviewing, it's a smart strategy
9.Why do you want to leave your current role?
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.
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.
Be gracious when things haven’t worked out in the past.
Share some of the ways you’re working on improving.
18.Tell me about a time you failed or made a mistake.
In my first job, my manager asked me to develop several forms of tracking projects. I immediately said yes! Because I wanted to do everything my manager asked me to do. But as I started working on the project, I realized that I didn't fully understand the overall goal. And the project ended up creating templates that didn't meet my manager's expectations. My manager was disappointed in me. And she told me that if I had asked some clarifying questions, I would've gotten to a better work product. I admit it, that I had made a mistake to my manager. and learned that it doesn't make you look stupid if you ask clarifying questions. I learned that it's better to speak up quickly. And that's how I've handled those situations ever since
The way you answered this was great! You went straight to the point and described a situation with just the right level of detail. A big part of what employers are looking for is that you own your mistakes. You reflected on what you did wrong, specifically, not asking clarifying questions, and how that negatively impacted your work. And finally, you talked about what you learned You sounded really genuine and I appreciated that.
19.Tell me about a time you worked with a difficult person.
I'm curious to see what this job candidate says. I'll be sure to share my feedback at the end of their answer. - My boss assigned a big project to me that entailed working across multiple teams to collect and analyze data that would help her help make an informed decision about a new service we were introducing to our customers. One of these individuals I needed to collect data from had a bit of difficult personality. He was late to provide the data and when he did provide it, it was incomplete or inaccurate. Without receiving the right information from him, I knew I wouldn't be able to complete my assignment. After I asked a few times, he agreed to have coffee with me so we could talk about the situation and I could get a better sense of what his challenges were. I asked what I could do to help make the request easier for him. He shared that he was overwhelmed, as he had multiple competing deadlines, that were errors and delays with all the data. We brainstormed ways the I could breakdown my request into more bite-size chunks, so that he could squeeze in the request I then customized each of my requests in a way that would work with his schedule. He appreciated how much I was able to tailor my request to meet his needs. And ultimately, he helped me complete my assignments on time. - I liked your approach to this question. It was detailed and crisp. You explained a tough situation and the difficulties that you experienced with this person. And from there, you explained action steps that you took and the positive outcome that occurred as a result. Crisis averted. I could see that you took the time to really understand this individual's issues. And these kinds of people skills are exactly what you need when working with others.
Employers know that difficult people are everywhere and situations come up frequently. Explaining how you’ve been able to handle a challenging person in a mature way demonstrates your ability to manage difficult moments successfully.
Describe how the person was ‘difficult’.
Explain the negative potential impact this could have caused.
Talk about how you approached the situation.
Be sure to highlight the positive result your efforts created.
16.Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
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.
Break the answer down in two to three year chunks.
Focus on what you can give, rather than what you can get.
Don’t bring up a specific job title that you want to move into one day.
Make it specific to this particular company and position.
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.
- That was a great answer. There's a lot I liked about it. So first, what I really liked is how you talked about what your overall philosophy was, how you were an effective leader, and then you brought us into a live example. You shared an example of something that was a challenge, what you did, the results that you captured from it, and you talked about how you brought the team along. So this wasn't just about you. This was about how you brought people with you on this journey, and you just wrapped it up really cleanly, too, with how it connected back to the organization. So great job.
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 is all about sizing up your emotional intelligence. Interviewers are looking for problem solvers, not shouters. Strong answers showcase your listening skills and your ability to guide people to better choices.
12.Can you explain your employment gap?
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.
Let's see how someone might address this question and then I'll share some feedback. - Yes, so, in 2014, (uplifting music) I was working in Seattle as a global finance manager. I loved my job and got to travel all over the world. My dad who lives in Michigan was diagnosed with dementia that same year, and my mom was having a hard time giving him the level of care he needed. I decided to put my career on pause, and go help them. I not only go to spend quality time with my parents and sister, I was able to get their finances in order so that when it was time for him to enter a care home, they were in a great spot to afford it. He's doing really well at the facility, so now I can refocus on my career. - Great job! (upbeat music) You covered all the key points here. First, it's honest. You left work to care for a family member. Your delivery is strong, it's confident, and you're unapologetic about the gap. And finally, you showcased the positive by explaining your action plan to keep your finance skills sharp. Great job!
This question assesses how you define a professional success. If the story resonates, the employer will want you to do similar things at his or her company. You should focus on the impact and outcomes.
Employers want to get a sense of what ‘challenging’ means to you. They also want to know how you handled the situation in a calm way. They’re looking for a storyline to prove that you can turn a bad story into a good story.
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.
I'm getting the picture that you're resourceful, financially responsible, willing to share your talents with others, and focused on self-inprovement.
If this question arises early, odds are that the interviewer is really asking: “Can we afford you?” If it arises much later, the interviewer may be hoping that your salary requirements are aligned to what they have budgeted for this role.
it's very tempting to give a number. instead, you want to provide a range. you don't want to low ball, because that's going to obvious work against you. At the same token, if you go too high, you may freeze youself out of this opportunity. So the second tip come in and do some neutral research and with that research, you want to come in and share that range. Provide information such as this role, based on the research i've done, based on between 18 - 19 thousand. By putting that range on the table, it does a couple things: one, the employer then will have to base their comp at least on those numbers because you've established.what the competitive benchmarks are. Now, the next thing i want to advise you on is how do you actually get those ranges. where do you go? THere's multiple places to go on the internet. once that't very good is linkedln salary tool because with all the data that linkedin has, we can provide very good information on a whole array of roles. As a matter of fact, we have information of over 1000 roles. And last but not least, don't forget ro bring up signing bonuses. THat's often a way to bridge the gap at the end of a negotiation. So if you follow these three tips, you're going to be well on your ways to mastering the question what are your salary expectations
Employers want to see how you handle competing priorities, understand the implications of missing deadlines, and can stay cool under pressure.
Occasional conflicts are a fact of life. Interviewers want to see if you can work through those tensions in a respectful way. If you helped steer things toward a good compromise, that’s a big plus. Signs of anger or bitterness will count against you.
- Pick an example involving business practices - avoid personal quarrels.
Calmly explain both sides’ point of view.
Show how a compromise or a fuller understanding led to a good outcome.
My team was given a new goal: to sell our product to a new customer segment that we hadn’t served in the past.
The group had strong opinions about the approach we should take. In spite of their voices, I had concerns about their strategy; I thought it may fail as it didn't align with the client’s core needs. But I was in the minority and when I spoke up I wasn't heard. I needed to find another way to make the case to my teammates.
I set up a focus group with a potential client so my team could understand the challenges and priorities of the people we aimed to serve. The great news was they saw that our planned product wouldn't meet these needs, but if we made some slight adjustments to the service, we could deliver something of real value. The team rallied behind this and got on board.
We were ultimately successful in bringing this client onboard—and ten more!
Why this answer worked well:
She shared a succinct example of a time when her opinion was in the minority.
She came up with a creative way to change her team’s perspective.
She used this new strategy and described how well it worked.
22.Tell me about a time you created a goal and achieved it.
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.
Let's see how a candidate might answer this question. I'll be back shortly with some feedback. - In my line of work, most top performers have MBAs. I couldn't afford to step out of the workforce for two years to earn one. But I promised myself to do everything possible to earn an MBA within three years while working full-time. So I found a top-rated online program and started setting my alarm clock for 5:30 a.m. I set goals of two hours of study time in the morning and evening, and made detailed to-do lists to manage both my study schedule and my other work responsibilities. It was incredibly hard! of my day and achieved my goal. - Nice work! Your goal is clear, ambitious, and totally relevant to your career. The phrase you use, do everything possible, conveys the depth of your motivation. And I really appreciated the clear and specific actions you took to get to your goal, like starting your day very early. Most importantly, you accomplished your goal. You also conveyed your thoughts with a friendly tone, looking directly at me, and making eye contact, and having a warm smile throughout.
23.Tell me about a time you surpassed people’s expectations.
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.
Let's see how a candidate might answer this question, I'll be back momentarily with some detailed feedback. - As a young professional, I was given a small event to manage for my company's senior executives. We originally expected about 50 attendees but then the CEO decided to participate, too. Suddenly the event became much bigger with 400 people attending. buses, food, carefully scripted content, speeches and the program itself. I stepped up and designed carefully crafted messaging documents for each stakeholder. We had weekly check-ins with each group. I ran volunteer trainings to be sure that all the logistics run smoothly. I learned the importance of careful planning and constant practice. Two habits that paid off on many projects since then. The event is now considered the most successful of our division. My boss praised my work as going far beyond what she expected when the project was first assigned. - Great job. I really like that response for a number of reasons. First, your body language and all the tools that you used to convey and tell the story were spot on. You had inflections in your voice and you used other methods to help people be attached to the story that you were telling. Remember that your interviewer is sizing you up, for lack of a better term. So you want all your verbal and non-verbal cues to project confidence and poise. Second, I really love the way you told the story and painted a picture for me to help me understand all the different aspects of the project, where you were able to make adjustments, when things didn't go according to plan and bring me along for the journey in an authentic way. It's really important to project sincerity and real life examples of why you're a fit for this job and you did that in telling the story. Lastly, because you told a complete story from beginning to end, you were able to help me understand the outcome and the implications of a job. Which is really important as you think about someone that I would want to make an investment in to bring onto my team. So well done.
24.Tell me about a time you had to handle pressure.
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.
Lets see how a candidate might handle this question. I'll be back momentarily with some feedback. - Two months ago, I was working on my company's big quarterly project update. Two team members left unexpectedly, and we were short handed with three weeks to go. I convened an urgent strategies session where we identified all the said projects they were involved in and mapped out our action plan. We shared out the most important tasks within the team and got them all done in time. We canceled two optional features that could wait a quarter, and we reached out to a former intern who was able to deliver 15 hours of remote work in the last weekend sprint before the deadline. We were able to complete the project without a delay and delivered on all the essential deliverables by being creative, strategic, and very focused. - That's a well thought out answer. You engaged with passion as you explained the problem quickly and clearly. You positioned yourself as a friendly leader who got to work addressing the challenge for the entire team, instead of just yourself. You take us through a classic triage strategy where you focus on the most important elements and deprioritize the rest. And finally, you were super creative and resourceful because you found an unexpected ally with your former intern.
26. Do you have any questions for me?
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.
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25.Tell me about a time you had to learn something quickly.
Interviewers want more than a one-time success; they’re looking for signs of a well-tested strategy that helps you gather information and put it to use. They also want to know if you feel comfortable with rapid learning.
Pick a vivid example and show why it was challenging.
Break down your learning and mastery into three or four distinct steps(“First, I . . . .).
Share a tangible result and speak about it with pride.
When I started in my role, I thought I was quite good at Excel. I had told my employer that I knew how to calculate complex formulas, but I quickly discovered that my experience was well behind that of my peers.
I didn’t want my boss to know that I was trailing in my capabilities just as I stepped into the new role, so I came up with a plan to teach myself everything I was missing.
Every day after work, I watched at least an hour of Khan Academy videos. I also found practice worksheets online that allowed me to test myself and be sure I was mastering the content.
Within three weeks, I was nearly as fast and fluent as my colleagues at work, and my boss never knew I had come in behind.
Why this answer worked well:
She showed initiative by going above and beyond after work to catch up to her peers.
She showed initiative by going above and beyond after work to catch up to her peers.
She described how with focus and hard work she was able to catch up rather quickly.
A lot of jobs require someone who can think on their feet or present ideas with crispness and clarity. This question provides employers with an early preview of your core skills, your personality and your ability to respond to an unstructured question.
- Be authentic - don’t make up strengths that you think the employer wants to hear.
- Tell a story about a work experience.
- Be sure the strengths you share are aligned to the role you want.
The interviewer is assessing whether your weaknesses will get in the way of doing the job. Employers are looking for humility and whether you’re committed to learning and growing. This is a place you can showcase what you’re doing to improve.
- How might someone reply to that question? Let's look at an example, and I'll be right back with a few thoughts. - I do have a few questions, thanks for asking. We talked a bit about your plans to invest in training opportunities for your current employees, especially those who will be managing the company's transition to a centralized billing system. I think that this is a great plan, and I'd love to support the curriculum development. Now, will most of the training modules be designed by this team? And will they be delivered in person, via webinar, or a video format? Or will you be using a hybrid approach? - This is a great example of that first type of response that we discussed. It's the type of reply that shows to the conversation, and that you want to delve a bit further into a topic that you've just discussed. You're also using words and body language to convey a lot of enthusiasm about supporting what sounds like a priority project for that organization. Well done.