The job interview phrase book the things to say to get you the job you want

THEJOB
Interview
PHRASEBOOK
The
ThingstoSay
toGetthe
JobYouWant
NANCYSCHUMAN,
CSP,VICEPRESIDENTLLOYDSTAFFING


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Contents
Introduction
1PreparingfortheInterview
PreparingtoAnswerQuestions
TheFirstDefiningMoments
StartingOffontheRightFoot
SetaTone
2DiscussingYourSkillsandExperience
KeySkillsandAbilities
InterpersonalSkills
CreativityandLeadershipSkills
ProblemSolvingAbility
PersonalQuestions
3DescribingYourAchievements
ProfessionalandPersonalAccomplishments
ContributionsYou'veMade
ChallengesYou'veOvercome
RecognitionandRewardsYou'veReceived

4ExplainingYourGoalsandInterests
Long-andShort-TermGoals


InterestinYourChosenCareer
PersonalInterests,Hobbies,andActivities
5ShowcasingWhyYou'reaGoodFit
BusinessSenseandPersonalCharacter
WhyYouWanttheJob
WhatYou'dBringtotheCompany
YourPastWorkExperiences
6HighlightingYourAmbitionandKnowledge
WhyYouChoseThisIndustry
WhatYouKnowabouttheCompany
WhyYouWanttoWorkHere
WhatYourCareerPlansAre
HowYouWouldContribute
7ProvidingDetailsaboutYourEducation
WhyYouChoseYourMajor
WhyYouChoseYourSchool
CoursesYouTookandGrades
ExtracurricularActivitiesandInternships
WhatYouGainedfromYourCollegeExperience
8NavigatingHard-to-AnswerQuestions


DiscussingFrustrationsandFailures
SpecialSituations
IllegalQuestions
9AskingYourOwnQuestions

WhytheJobIsOpen
JobResponsibilities
OpportunitiesforAdvancement
WhoYourSupervisorIs
CompanyHistoryandGrowth
QuestionsNottoAsk
10Industry-SpecificBuzzWordsandPhrases
AccountingandFinance
Administrative
BiotechnologicalandPharmaceuticals
Communications
ComputersandMathematics
Engineering
ExecutiveandManagerial
Government
HealthandMedical


Insurance
LegalandProtectiveServices
Retail
Science
Technical
TransportationandTravel
AppendixA:Thank-YouLetters
AppendixB:Resources
AppendixC:Glossary


Introduction

Ifyou'vepickedupthisbook,you'vemostlikelylandedaninterview.
Congratulations!Nowcomestheworkofpreparingforwhatever
questionsyoumightbeasked.Everyinterviewisdifferent—mostly
becauseeveryinterviewerhasadifferentideaofthetypesofquestions
they'llaskyou.Somemayfocusonyourpastworkexperiencewithout
gettingintopersonaldetails,andothersmayrelyonpersonalquestions
tohelpthemfigureoutifyou'reagoodfitforthecompany.Youneedto
bereadyforanytypeofquestionthatcomesyourway.That'swhereThe
JobInterviewPhraseBookcomesinhandy.
Dividedintotenchapters,TheJobInterviewPhraseBookisaconcise
guidesuitablefornewandseasonedjobseekersalike.Chapter1
reviewsbasicetiquetteandhowtogetaninterviewofftoagoodstart.
Thefollowingchapterswalkyouthroughpairsofquestionsandanswers
ontopicsrangingfromyourskills,accomplishments,andcareergoalsto
yourbusinesssense,interestinthecompany,andeducation.You'lllearn
howtohandletoughquestionsaboutyourcareer.Notsurewhattosay
whenaskedaboutabadboss?Wonderinghowtoexplaintoapotential
employerthatyouwerefired?Whetheryou'vebeenunemployedfor
monthsoryears,heldnumerousjobsinashortperiodoftime,orare
applyingforajoboutsideofyourindustry,thisbookwillsteeryouinthe
rightdirectionwithclearanswersthatyoucandeliverwithconfidence.
Eachquestionandanswerisfollowedbyabriefsynopsisthatexplains
whythegivenanswerisappropriateandhowitwillhelpyoustandoutto
yourinterviewer.Tohelppreventyoufromgettingtongue-tiedwhen
askedaboutyourage,religion,orpoliticalviews,asectiononillegal
questionshelpsyourespondappropriatelywithoutgivingaway
informationthatisnoone'sbusinessbutyourown.Afinalchapterlists
popularbuzzwordsandphrasesaccordingtoindustry.Youcanusethe
languageinthissectionduringinterviewsorevenapplyittoyourresume.
Ajobinterviewisachancetotalkaboutwhatyou'veaccomplishedin

yourcareerandwhyyou'rereadytomoveontoanewopportunity.No


oneknowsyoubetterthanyourself,somakesureyou'reabletopresent
yourselfinthebestlightpossible.UseTheJobInterviewPhraseBookto
prepareandpractice—andultimatelygetthejob!


1
PreparingfortheInterview
H
T employerhasyourresume.Can't
shejustlookatittoseewhetheryouhavethenecessaryskillsand
experience?Allsheshouldneedtodoismakeaphonecallortwoto
verifythatinformation,right?Whileitismadeupofinformationabout
yourpastexperience,yourresumedoesn'tgivetheemployerafull
pictureofwhoyouare.Yourresumeisonlyasummaryofyourskills,
workexperience,andeducationalbackground.Withonlyyourresumeto
relyon,thepersoninterviewingyouwon'thaveanyideaofthespecific
thingsaboutyouthatwillsetyouapartfromtheothercandidates.
AVEYOUEVERWONDEREDWHATTHEPOINTOFAJOBINTERVIEWIS?

HE

Afterall,aresumeismerelyapieceofpaper,andyouaresomuchmore
thanthat.Aninterviewercan'tlearnaboutsomeone'spersonalityby
lookingataresume.Shecan'tdiscoverhowacandidatedeveloped
someofhisskillsorwhichaccomplishmentsmeantthemosttohim.The
interviewercan'tfindouthowthecandidatereactstochangeoradversity
byreadinghisresume.

Theonlywayaninterviewercanlearnanyofthosethingsaboutajob
candidateisbytalkingtohimandaskingquestions.Thiswillallowthe
candidatetopaintapictureofhimselfthatismuchmoreelaboratethan
whatcanfitononesheetofpaper.

PreparingtoAnswerQuestions
Youwillbeaskedavarietyofquestionsonajobinterview.These
questionswillpertaintoyourskillsandabilities,accomplishments,
education,andworkhistory.Youwillalsobeaskedquestionsaboutyour
strengthsandweaknesses,yourinterestsandhobbies,andyourlikes
anddislikes,allofwhichwillallowtheemployertolearnaboutyour
personaltraitsorcharacteristics.
Inthechaptersthatfollow,youwillfindanswersandkeyphrasestouse
whenrespondingtoquestionsyoumightencounteronajobinterview.


whenrespondingtoquestionsyoumightencounteronajobinterview.
Usethemasaguideline.Whileyoushouldnotgointoajobinterview
withamemorizedscript,youshouldhaveanideaofhowyouwillanswer
mostquestionsthatwillcomeyourway.Chapter9givesyouideasfor
thetypesofquestionsyoushouldasktheinterviewer.Usethese
questionsinthesameway—asaguidelinetobeadaptedtoyour
particularsituationandthecompanyandindustryyouareinterviewing
with.

BeSpecific
Onajobinterview,youwillbeaskedquestionsaboutyourskills,for
example.Ofcourse,youknowwhatskillsyouhave,butcanyoudiscuss
howyouacquiredthem?Whatifyou'reaskedaboutyour
accomplishments?You'venodoubtaccomplishedalotatwork,butcan

yourecallspecifics?Youneedanecdotesthatclearlybackupyour
claims,soitisimperativethatyouprepareinadvanceandhavesome
goodexamplesofyourstrengthsreadywhenthesubjectcomesup.

TakeTimetoRehearse
Inpreparingforjobinterviewsitisimportantthatyoudosomepractice
interviewing,bothaloneandwithothers.Rehearsingforinterviewswill
allowyoutoworkonanyproblemsthatmaybeviewedasnegativesby
theinterviewer.Rehearsingwillalsoallowyoutobecomemore
comfortablewiththeinterviewprocess.Bythetimeyougoonan
interview,youwillhavenoproblemconfidentlyansweringquestions.

TheFirstDefiningMoments
Thefirstminuteortwoofanyinterviewisthemostcrucial.Asthesaying
goes,youonlygetonechancetomakeagreatfirstimpression,andthis
iswhenyouwanttodojustthat.Yourgoalistowowtheinterviewerand
makeafavorableimpressionthatwillgiveyouanedgeoversomeof
yourrivalsandopenthedoortoanofferofemployment.

IntroducingYourself


Whentheinterviewerarrives,it'sshowtime.Ifyouappearshyor
intimidated,aninterviewermaynotwanttodigtoodeepandembarrass
you;thatsaid,shewillnotaskyouthereallydifficultquestions—the
questionsthatgetyouthejob.It'shumannaturetojudgeapersonby
theirfirstimpression;it'sthatfirstimpressionthathooksmanyofuswhen
wefallinlove.Youandyourinterviewerdonotneedtofallinlove,but
youdoneedtofall“inlike.”Itshouldn'tbedifficulttodothis,aslongas
youknowwhattheinterviewerislookingfor.

MaintainingEyeContact
Whenthetimeforyourinterviewarrivesandyougetthechancetomeet
thepersonwhowillbegrillingyouforthenexthourorso,standupand
greethimwithawarmsmileandmaintainconstanteyecontactduring
yourarticulateintroduction.Establishingeyecontactisprobablyoneof
themostimportantpartsofyourintroduction.Youwanttomakesurethat
youlooktheinterviewerdirectlyintheeyeasyouarebeingintroduced
and/orshakehands.Atthesametime,youdon'twanttomakehim
uncomfortable,sobesurenottostare.

HaveaFirmHandshake
Similarlimitationsareplacedonthehandshake;whileyoudon'twant
yourhandshaketobesolightthattheinterviewerisforcedtocheckfora
pulse,youalsodon'twanttobesoenthusiasticthatshewindsupinthe
emergencyroomwithafracture.Inyourpre-interviewsessionswitha
friend,practiceyourhandshakesothatyouwillbeabletoofferupafirm
gripwithaquickshakeortwoofthehand.Then,don'tholdonfordear
life;letgo.

StartingOffontheRightFoot
Beforegettingdowntotheimportantstuff—likewhyyouwoulddowell
withthiscompany—itislikelythattheinterviewerwillengageyouina
bitofsmalltalktogettheconversationflowing.Prepareforthese
questionsaswell.Don'tmistake,forexample,“Howwasyourridein?”or
“Didyouhaveanyproblemfindingus?”foranythingotherthansmalltalk.


“Didyouhaveanyproblemfindingus?”foranythingotherthansmalltalk.
Theinterviewerreallyisnotinterestedinwhetherornotyouhitanytraffic

orencounteredanyaccidentsonyourwaytotheoffice.Ifyouanticipate
simplequestionslikethese,youcanbebetterpreparedtoanswerthem
withoutboggingdowntheflowofconversation.
Alltoooften,jobseekersmakethemistakeoflaunchingintoahuge
dialogueabouthowlongittookthemtogettotheoffice,howtheyfound
agreatshortcut,andsoon.Thelastthinganinterviewerwants—or
needs—inresponsetotheseinitialquestionsisanythinglongerthan
“Great,”“Fine,”or“Noproblem!”Don'tbeverbose;itcancausethe
interviewertoquestionyoursuitabilitytothecompanyimmediately.Also,
regardlessofhownervousyoumaybe,don'tletsmall-talkquestionslike
thesedumbfoundyou.Afterall,ifyouhavetroubleansweringasimple
questionabouttheweather,howareyougoingtohelpthiscompany
comeupwithawinningmarketingstrategy?
Uponarrivingattheinterviewer'sofficeorareaofyourdestination,wait
untiltheinterviewertellsyoutobeseatedbeforesitting,thensit(don't
plunk)onthedesignatedchairorsofa.Stickwiththatchairorsofaevenif
itprovestobeuncomfortable.Infact,youdon'twanttobetoo
comfortable.Youwanttokeepalert,notdozeoff!
Beonyourbestbehavior.Thetraditionalrulesofetiquetteshouldbe
observedatalltimesduringajobinterview.Don'tyawn,chewgum,or
fidget.Afewmorethingscouldbeaddedtothislist:
Don'tmimicthebodylanguageormannerismsoftheinterviewer.(This
canhappenwhenyougetnervous.)
Don'tkeeplookingatyourwatch.
Don'tbenegative.
Don'ttalktoomuch.
Don'taskaboutmoney,perks,orthingsthatareunrelatedtothejobor
companyathand.

Don'tmoveortouchanythingontheinterviewer'sdesk.Thisofficeis
his“home,”andyouwouldn'twantastrangertotouchthingsinyour
home.
Ifyourinterviewisgoingwellandyouaresurethisisajobyouwant,
don'tbeafraidtosayso.Sometimescandidateswhoseemtobeperfect
forthejobarepassedoversimplybecausetheyneverlettheinterviewer
knowtheywantedit.
Don'tletthishappentoyou.Don'tbeafraidtobeproactive,anddon'tbe
bashful.Wrapupyourinterviewbygivingsomeofthereasonsyoulike
thecompanybeforeaskingaboutyourprospects.Makeitclearthatyou
thinkthisjobwasmadeforyouandviceversa.

SetaTone
Thetoneofthemeetingdependsonthepersonalityoftheinterviewer.
Hemayaskastraightlineofprofessionalquestions,orhemaybemore
lightheartedandlaidback.Regardlessofthemanneroftheinterviewer,
youshouldalwaysprepareyouranswersinaveryprofessionalway.
Onemistakethatcandidatesoftenmakeistoprepareforeachquestion
bybrainstormingthe“perfect”answer.Theythinkaboutthekindof
answertheperfectcandidatewouldgiveandusethat.Inmostofthese
instances,thejobseekeriswastingthecompany'stime.Tryingtoproject
theperfectimagecanonlyresultindisasterbecauseoftenthe
interviewerseesrightthroughit.Ontheotherhand,iftheinterviewer
buysintothecandidate'sperfectpersona,shemaybesurprisedwhen—
oncehired—thecandidatedoesnotperformasperfectlyasexpected.
Thoughyoushouldn'thighlightyourfaultstotheemployer,neithershould
youpretendtobesomeoneorsomethingyouarenot.Manycareer
expertsthinkthatthebestwaytosetandmaintainaprofessionaltone
throughoutaninterviewistocreateasortofjobinterviewpersona.Think
aboutthemanypersonaltraitsajobinterviewerwouldbeinterestedin

andbesuretoprojectthosecharacteristics.Whichofyourtraitswould
makeyouastrongcandidateandsetyouapartfromtherestofthe
candidates?Thinkaboutthemanysuccessfulpeopleyouknoworhave
heardaboutandthepersonalitytraitsthatmakethemgoodleaders.How


heardaboutandthepersonalitytraitsthatmakethemgoodleaders.How
canyouconveytotheinterviewerthatthesequalificationsarepartof
yourownprofessionalnature?
Thinkofyourselfasacalm,cool,andcollectedindividual;berelaxed
enoughtoallowabitofyourpersonalityintotheconversation.Withany
luck,yourresearchhasprovidedyouwithanunderstandingofthe
company'svision.Ifyoucanlinkthisvisiontoyourownpersonalvision
foryourcareer,youshouldmakeastrongimpressiononyour
interviewer.
Remember,however,thatintheendyouhavenocontroloverthe
outcomeofaninterview;youdonotdecidewhetherornotyougetthe
job.Inmanycases,youcouldconductyourselfperfectlythroughoutthe
interviewandstillnotgetthejob.Ontheotherhand,youcouldfeellike
you'vebotchedtheentireinterviewandstillreceiveanoffer.
Theonlythingyoudohavecontroloverduringtheinterviewiswhatyou
doandsaywhileyou'rethere.Alwayskeepthefollowingkeyqualitiesan
interviewerislookingforinthebackofyourmindandbesuretoconvey
youraptitudeineachofthem:
Adaptability
Competence
Confidence
Creativity
Dedication
Dependability

Easygoingnature
Enthusiasm
Leadershipability


Motivation
Problem-solvingability
Resourcefulness
Thinkofthesequalitiesineveryansweryougiveandeverythingyousay,
andyoushouldhavenoproblemprojectingtheimageofaconfidentand
competentcandidate.


2
DiscussingYourSkillsandExperience
N
confidentlyinteractwithyour
interviewer,it'stimetothinkaboutwhatyou'llsaywhenyourinterviewer
startsaskingquestions.
OWTHATYOUUNDERSTANDHOWTOPRESENTAPROFESSIONALIMAGEAND

Thischapterfocusesonresponsesyoushouldgivewhenquestioned
aboutyourspecificskills,workexperience,andpersonalinterests.Skills
canbedividedintotwocategories:hardskillsandsoftskills.Hardskills,
ortechnicalskills,aretheonesthatdefineyourjob.Youwillberequired
tobeproficientintheseskills,andyourprospectiveemployerwillwant
youtoprovethistohimbydrawingonspecificexamplesofhowyou
haveusedyourskills.Softskills,alsoknownasfunctionalorpersonal
skills,arethoseskillsthatyouneedtohaveinordertoexcelatworkin
general.Theseareverywide-rangingskills.Theyaren'tspecifictoany

occupation,butinsteadtheyarethethingsthatenhanceyour
performanceregardlessofwhatyouractualjobis.Examplesofsoftskills
includedecision-making,timemanagement,delegating,multitasking,and
problemsolving.
Youmaybeaskedquestionsaboutyourworkstyleorstrengthsand
weaknesses.Theanswersyougivewillhelptheinterviewerdecide
whethertohireyou.Byrevealingaspectsofyourpersonality,yougivea
strongindicationofwhetheryouwillmakeagoodemployee.The
interviewerwantstoknowwhatmakesyouabetterchoicethananother
candidatewiththesameexperienceandskills.

KeySkillsandAbilities
Q:Whatareyourkeyskills?
Howtoanswerit:Afterspendingthepastsixyearsasaseniorsystems
analyst,I'vedevelopedanumberofimportantskills,includingbusiness
modeling,processre-engineering,software-packageevaluation,and


advancedprogrammingcapabilitiesinUNIXandCenvironments.Iwas
verypleasedtodiscoverthatthesearetheskillsyouareseeking.Would
youliketohearaboutspecificexamplesofmywork?
Talkaboutyourkeyskillsandhowyou'llusetheminthisjob.Avoidusing
clichésorgeneralities.Offerspecificevidence,drawingparallelsbetween
yourcurrentorpreviousjobandthejobyou'reinterviewingfor.Don'tbe
afraidtoaskaquestioninyouranswer.However,thelastthingyouwant
todoisseemgarrulous,sofindoutiftheinterviewerwouldliketohear
specificexamplesand,ifso,obligeher.
Q:Whatskillsdoyouthinkaremostcriticaltothisjob?
Howtoanswerit:Astechnologyiseverchanging,Ithinkthatitis
importanttokeepupwiththelatestmarketingtrends.Knowingwhat

kindsofnewtechnologiesexistandhowtogoaboutincorporatingthem
intomyownmarketingplansiswhatwillkeepmeaheadofthe
competition.Creativityisalsoofmajorimportancetothemarketing
industry;newideascanquicklybecomestaleandstagnant.Asuccessful
marketingassociatewillalwaysbelookingaheadtothenextbig
revolution.If,justafewyearsago,Ihadnotbeenawareoftheimportant
rolethatthewebwouldplayinourday-to-dayduties,mycurrent
companycouldhavebeenwipedoutbythecompetition.
Whendescribingtheskillsyoufeelaremostimportant,makesurethat
youknowhowtheseskillsrelatetothepositionathand.Illustratehowthe
citedskillshavehelpedyouinyourcurrentand/orpastpositions.
Q:Ifyouweretostayinyourcurrentjob,whatkindsoftaskswould
youspendmoretimeonandwhy?
Howtoanswerit:IfIweretostayatmycurrentjob,I'dliketogainmore
experienceinlabornegotiating.Inparticular,I'dliketohelpnegotiate
laborcontracts,resolvegrievancesatthestep-4level,andprepare
grievancesforarbitration.ThoughIhaveaverystrongbackgroundinall
areasofhumanresources,Ibelievethatastronggraspoflaborrelations
experiencewillroundoutmyskillssothatIcouldhavetheopportunityto
moveuptoapositionofdepartmentheadandpossiblyvicepresident.


Inansweringthisquestion,thinkabouttheaspectsofyourjobthat
interestyoumost.Whataretheareasyouwouldliketostrengthenand
advancein?Whataretheareasyouneedworkinsothatyoucould
advance?Talkaboutthecurrentresponsibilitiesthatgiveyouthemost
satisfaction.Anothersmartmove(andonethatwillscoreyoupointsin
themotivationdepartment)istotalkaboutthepossibilityof
advancement.Again,makesureyourgoalsarerealistic.Talkaboutthe
careerpathyouareheadingdownandhowthesharpeningofcertain

skillscanhelpyouattainyourgoals.
Q:Whatskillswouldyouliketodevelopinthisjob?
Howtoanswerit:I'dliketodevelopmynegotiatingskills.I'vehad
considerableexperienceinterpretingandimplementinglargecontracts,
butI'vebeenlimitedinnegotiatingtheactualconditions,costs,and
standardsforamajorcontract.Ibelievethisjobwilloffermethe
opportunitytobeamemberofanegotiatingteamsoIcanbegin
acquiringtheskillsnecessarytoleadtheteam.
Makesureyouarenotinhabitinganimaginaryworldinyouranswerto
thisquestion!First,youranswershouldcoincidewithskillsthatthisjob
willhelpyoudevelop.Second,youshouldhavealreadycoveredsomeof
theprerequisitestodevelopingtheskillsyoumention.Forexample,you
wouldn'twanttoapplyforajobasareceptionistwiththeJoffreyBallet
andsaythatyouhopetodevelopyourballetskills.
Answeringthisquestiongivesyouanopportunitytotalkalittlebitabout
allyourdifferentskills.Discussyourhard(technical)skills,suchasyour
computerknowledgeandcustomerserviceskills.It'salsoimportantto
focusonthesoftskillsyou'dliketodevelop.Describeyourfunctional
skills,suchasorganizing,problemsolving,writing,listening,and
communicating,aswellaspersonalskills,suchashowwellyouwork
withothers,whetherornotyouareabletoassertauthority,andhowwell
youmanageyourtime.
Q:Howwelldoyouwrite?
Howtoanswerit:Iwouldsaythatmywritingskillsareaboveaverage.I


madeaveryconsciousefforttodeveloptheseskillswhileIwasworking
towardmyMBA.Ieventookanentrepreneurialclassinwhichthechief
assignmentwastodevelop,write,andcontinuallyrewriteabusiness
plan.Ihavebroughtitalongifyouwouldliketoseeit.

Agreatwaytoprepareforaninterviewistooverprepare.Ifyouanticipate
aquestionsuchasthisone,bringalongasampleofyourwork.Formore
creativepositions(photographer,copywriter,graphicartist,andsoon),
alwaysbesuretopackyourportfoliosothattheinterviewercanseeyour
workandassessyourtalentforhimself.Evenifthejobyouareapplying
forisnotcreativeinnature,theremaybesomewritinginvolved.Asharp
setofwritingskillsisalwaysagreatasset.
Q:Couldyoutellmealittlebitaboutyourcomputerskills?
Howtoanswerit:Iwouldconsidermyselfverywellversedwhenit
comestocomputers.Inmycurrentposition,ItypicallyuseMicrosoft
Word,PowerPoint,andExcel.Iamalsofamiliarwithvariousgraphic
designprograms,includingQuark,Photoshop,andAdobeIllustrator.I
havesomeexperiencewithMacintoshsystemsaswell.Iamaprowhen
itcomestonavigatingtheInternetandhaveevenpickedupabitof
knowledgeasfarasHTMLprogramminggoes.
Computerliteracyisamustintoday'sjobmarket,nomatterwhatthe
position.Aworkingknowledgeofawordprocessingprogramsuchas
MicrosoftWordisessential,andfamiliaritywithdatabasemanagementor
graphicsprogramsisvaluableaswell.Ifyourcomputerexperienceis
ratherlimited,haveafriendtutoryouinanMSOfficeSuiteapplication,or
visitthelocallibraryandtrytofindyourwayaroundsomeofthemost
basicwordprocessingprograms.Theseprogramsaresimpletolearn
andwillallowyoutoavoidhavingtosaythatyouhaveverylimitedorno
computerskills.Youmustbewebsavvyandhaveaknowledgeofe-mail.
Windowsremainsthedominantplatformintheworkforce,butMacintosh
environmentsareprevalentincreativefieldssuchasadvertising,
publishing,anddesign.
Q:Howareyourpresentationskills?Howdoyoupreparefor
presentations?

Howtoanswerit:Ididn'talwayslikemakingpresentations,butsinceI
hadtomakealotofthemonmylasttwojobs,I'vegottenverygoodatit.I
doalotofresearchbeforeanypresentation.Itrytofindoutasmuchas
possibleabouttheclient,themarkettheyaretryingtoreach,their
competitors,andtheindustry.Sometimes,ifthebudgetallowsforit,Ihire
anexperttohelpmewiththeresearch.
Thiscandidateansweredhonestly.Heknowsit'snotthatunusualto
dislikepresentations,sohe'snotafraidtoadmitthat.Italsogiveshimthe
opportunitytoshowoffhisexperienceandhowithasgottenhimoverhis
fear.Inaddition,heknowstheimportanceofhavinggoodinformation
andknowswhatresourcesheneedstousetogetit.
Q:Howdoyourskillsrelatetothisjob?
Howtoanswerit:Iamveryorganized,Iworkwellonateam,andIhave
verygoodcommunicationskills.AlthoughIhaven'tworkedinthisfield
before,Iknowtheseskillswillmakemeavaluableemployee.
Althoughthisapplicantisnewtothefield,shehassomeverydesirable
skills,whichshemakesapointoflettingtheinterviewerknow.
Q:Tellmeaboutacrisisyouencounteredatworkandhowyou
handledit.
Howtoanswerit:Lastyearaviruswascausingourcomputerstosend
outthousandsofe-mailmessagestoourclients.Wewerebeing
inundatedwithangryphonecallsbeforeweevenknewwhatwasgoing
on.Ourtechnicalsupportpersonwasonvacation,soImadeafew
phonecallsandfoundsomeonetofixtheproblem.ThenIdraftedan
apologythatwassentoutbye-mailtoourclients.
Thisanswerisgoodbecausethecandidateclearlydescribestheproblem
andgivesspecificsonhowshesolvedit.Inaddition,thecrisisisonethat
couldhavecausedherbosstoloseclients,somethingthatwouldstrike
fearintotheheartsofmostemployers,includingtheoneinterviewingher.

Q:Howdoyoumanageyourtime?


Howtoanswerit:Iprioritizemywork.Ifigureoutwhatneedstogetdone
first,next,andsoon.ThenIcalculatehowmuchtimeIwillneedtospend
oneachactivityorproject.Isetascheduleformyselfandgetgoing.
Thisapplicanthasaplan.Heknowshowtoprioritizeandapportionthe
properamountoftimetoeachactivity.
Q:Haveyoueverhadtojuggletwoormoreprojectsatthesame
time?
Howtoanswerit:Thathappenedallthetimeonmylastjob.Several
monthsago,Iwasinthemidstofworkingononehugeprojectforoneof
mybosses,whenmyotherbosscametomewithanotherprojectthat
neededtobecompletedintwodays.Afterevaluatingthesecondproject,
IrealizedIcouldcompleteitinaday.SinceIstillhadaboutaweek
beforethedeadlineforthefirstproject,Idecidedtogetstartedonthe
secondone.Icompleteditbytheendofthenextdayandwentbackto
myfirstproject.
Theintervieweraskedforanexampleandthiscandidategaveone.He
demonstrateshowhisabilitytoprioritizehelpedhim.
Q:Howdoyoumanagestressinyourdailywork?
Howtoanswerit:UnlessIhaveatonofworktodothatIjustcan'tget
awayfrom,ImakesurethatwhenItakemylunchhour,Iactuallyleave
theoffice.Justthatsimplechangeofscenery,evenforafewminutes,is
enoughtokeepmeenergizedfortherestoftheday.
Thisisasimpleenoughquestiontoanswer.Theinterviewerisinterested
inwhetheryouhaveatendencytocrackunderpressure.Shewantsto
knowhowyoumanagehigh-pressuresituations.Ifyouhaveasimple
dailyritualthathelpsyoumaintainyourcomposure,eveninstressful
situations,tellheraboutit.Butbewareofhowthatstressbustermightbe

perceived.Apowernapritual—evenonyourlunchhour—could
mistakenlybeconstruedassleepingonthejob.Itmayalsobehelpfulto
describeastressfulprojectyou'veworkedonandthespecificactionsyou
tooktogetitdonewithoutlosingyourhead.Ifyouthinkthatyourwaysof
relievingstress—yellingatthosewhoholdlowerpositions,watchinga


relievingstress—yellingatthosewhoholdlowerpositions,watchinga
movieinthemiddleoftheworkday—wouldbefrowneduponbyyour
currentbossorafutureone,doyourselfafavorandkeepittoyourself.
Thekeyistotalkabouthowyoustayprofessionalwhenunderalotof
pressure.
Q:Asassistanttothedirectorofhumanresources,employeeswill
cometoyouiftheyfeeltheirsupervisorhasdiscriminatedagainst
theminsomeway.Howwillyouhandlethesecomplaints?
Howtoanswerit:AsanHRprofessionalIknowtheimportanceofbeing
wellversedinthelawsthataffecttheworkplace.First,Iwillinterviewthe
employee,askingforanexplanationofexactlywhathappened.Then,I'll
interviewthesupervisorandgethisorhersideofthestory.
Thiscandidatewilltakeabalancedlookatthesituation.Hewillevaluate
itusinghisknowledgeofemploymentlawandthentrytosolvethe
problem.
Q:Youhavemanyoftheskillswe'relookingfor.However,wealso
needsomeonewithverystrongsalesskills.Idon'tseeanythingon
yourresumethatindicatesthatyouhavethatkindofexperience.
Howtoanswerit:It'struethatIdon'thaveanyformalexperiencein
sales.Idohavesomeinformalexperience,however.Iranthebookfairat
myson'sschoolforthepastfewyears.Ialsosoldjewelrythatafriend
made.Werentedtablesatcraftfairsallovertheregion.
Whileacandidatecan'tmakeupexperience,sheshoulddrawonunpaid

orvolunteerexperiencethatdemonstratesherskills.
Q:Areyougoodatdoingresearch?
Howtoanswerit:Ihaven'tdoneagreatdealofresearchatwork,butI
doalotofitonmyown.BeforeImakeanymajorpurchases,takeany
medication,orgoonvacation,Idoalotofresearch.I'mverygoodatit.
Thelibrariansatmylocallibraryareagreatresource,soImakesureto
gotothemwhenIneedhelp.
Itwouldhavebeenniceifthisjobcandidatecouldhavedrawnonwork