@360JobInterview.Com blog

I need not tell you that in this day and age, with such few jobs and so many candidates the need to ace the interview is an understatement. Yet, so many people go into the interview without a clear strategy and plan. They do not anticipate what questions are going to be asked and what their response would be. Thus when asked a question that they obviously have not prepared for they are thrown off course. They become anxious and are unable to focus on the questions the interviewer is asking and are not responding to the nonverbal cues which give insight to what the interviewer is responding to both positively and negatively. Therefore the candidates need to have a firm grasp of the company, who they are, and themselves, what they bring to the table and what they can do to help the organization meet its organizational objectives.

In this column I will focus on typical questions both traditional and behavioral that each candidate should be prepared to answer. If these questions are prepared for, it will take a significant amount of pressure off the interviewee and allow them to focus on the interviewer thus being more present.

Question # 1- Tell me about yourself.

This is the classic open ended question. This is the question that always throws people who do not prepare for it. It demonstrates how people organize their thoughts and also gives them the opportunity to control the flow of the discussion. Many people who do not prepare for this question and try to wing it, often ramble on and on with no focus. They end up forming a bad impression to the interviewer, which they can’t recover from in subsequent questions.

The best way that I know of to handle this question is through a functional presentation. Tie the functional presentation to the key duties and responsibilities highlighted in the job description. For example:
“I’m a financial professional with more than 20 years of experience in working in investment banking. My back ground includes:

1. Analyzing Financial Statements
2. Preparing Financial Reports utilizing spreadsheets
3. Reviewing various company performance information and making investment recommendations.
4. Creating budgets and forecasts for financial products.
5. Designing systems and procedures to improve departmental performance.

Which one of these areas would you like to discuss first?

The interviewer’s response will indicate what she values most in the position. Thus giving the opportunity to give further responses to demonstrate your competency to do the job.

Question # 2- What are your Strengths?

The strengths that you discuss should be related to the position you are being interviewed for. For that financial analyst position you should select as your primary strength, your analytical skills. That is the primary reason they would want to hire you. Your interpersonal and administrative skills are supportive skills. If you were going for a sales position, your interpersonal and communicative skills are of primary importance.
For all of your strengths, make sure that you have specific behavioral examples that demonstrate those competencies.

Question #3- What are your weaknesses?

This can be tricky, you don’t want to admit something as a weakness that is important to the job. On the flip side you don’t want to give a canned answer that most interviewers have heard a number of times before. There are several options here. One option would be an area that once was a weakness that now has been remedied. It should be in an area that is not essential to the position. This is an example for the financial analyst example. “I used to be uncomfortable with public speaking, yet I realized that it was an area where I wanted to master. I joined Toastmasters International whereby I have had the opportunity to learn how to make presentations and I am now very comfortable speaking in front of audiences and have received positive reviews from others.”

Another option is to say something like this, “I can’t think of any weakness that would keep me from doing this job effectively, but I do believe in self improvement.” Then give examples of what you do to further develop yourself, from reading, attending seminars, etc.

Question #4- Why did you choose the college you graduated from?

Your answer should reflect that your choice of school had to do with professional goals, not such things as location, social life and cost. Again with the example of the person applying for the financial analyst position. “I choose my school for several reasons. I wanted a school where I would have professors who had real world experience as well as academic knowledge. Also, this school was located in the financial district affording me the opportunity to have internships in financial institutions, gaining real word experience. That is what I bring to your organization. Excellent professional education with actual job experience.”

Question # 5- What are your career goals?

Your career goals should reflect reasonable expectations. You should aspire to a senior level position in your profession. Aspiring to be CEO could turn some employers off, in that most people will not be CEO. They may fear that if you did not progress to that level you may get frustrated and leave, thus they would loose any investment in you. By the same token, they want somebody who is interested in career progression. They don’t want somebody who is content to stay in the same position for an extended period of time, thus blocking another person’s progression. A response may be: “ I would hope to progress within the financial management profession moving to higher level positions based upon my performance and the opportunities that open up in the organization.

Question #6 Why are you interested in working for this company?

In the back of people’s mind might be, “because you were the only organization that was interested in interviewing me.” But obviously that is not what you are going to say. Also, you don’t want to give a patronizing response like “because you are a great company.” You want to demonstrate your match to the job and the company. For the financial analyst, “the job and career path with your organization is an excellent match to my skills and career goals. The job description is for a person who…. The career path in financial management leads to… That is what I am looking for.

Question #7- We are interviewing other candidates, why should we hire you?

Of course you cannot know how qualified the other candidates are, but you can certainly make the case for yourself. “The reasons you should hire me are as follows. “I have an excellent academic record as demonstrated by my high QPA. I have work experience having had several internships in this industry with excellent reviews. I have demonstrable analytical, organizational and interpersonal skills. Which one of these areas would you like to discuss first?”

Question #8 – What jobs did you like best? What jobs did you like least? Why?

You never want to be in a position where you are badmouthing other people. Do not say anything bad about a company or person. Say something like this: “I have learned a lot from every position I have had. What I preferred were supervisors who communicated to me what their expectations are and were open to asking questions. In a situation where that was not the case I managed to adapt and communicate what I was doing and get feedback via email.”

There are certainly many more questions that could come up and you cannot anticipate all of them. But if you prepare for these questions you should do very well on the interview and way better than people who are not prepared which is sadly more people than not.

You can improve your skills by practicing with a skilled professional, such as a 360 Job Interview coach. Be sure that you are familiar with the technical skills that are required for the job and have the answers prepared. In future columns I will cover what questions you should ask on an interview.