It Pays to Be Prepared and Practice
In the personnel industry, the job interview is sometimes called "the last
barrier" between the applicant the desired job.
At the interview stage, the applicants already have been reviewed job
candidates face the moment of truth.
An applicant's responses to interview questions create a profile that will be
compared with the requirements of the position. If this profile fits - when
coupled with information from references and the resume - the candidate
remains in the running.
Personnel professionals suggest candidates prepare for a job interview by
identifying standard industry questions and formulating a response.
Recruiting the help of a spouse, family member, or friend to ask the
questions, in an interview role-play situation, also is suggested.
Job interview questions may be grouped according to subject including:
- Ambitions and motivations
- Personality
- Educational and social background
- Salary
Examples of questions about ambition and motivation are: "What position do
you want to hold in five years, and how will you go about reaching it?" "What
have been your most significant accomplishments?" "What has been a major
disappointment to you and how did you deal with it?" "What prompted you to
apply for this job?" or "Some people are interested in a high salary, while
others are more interested in security and company benefits. What motivates
you the most? Please elaborate."
By asking these questions, the employer can gauge the candidate's level of
self-insight and honesty. The employer also will learn how the candidate
deals with failure, and what the candidate considers important or valuable.
Preparing answers in advance to such questions will help the candidate
create structured information that will flow easily during the interview.
Questions about personality could include: "How would you describe your
major strengths?" and "What are you personal weaknesses or limitations?"
Other frequently used questions under this topic are: "What qualities do you
value in others?" "Why do you admire these qualities?" or "What irritates you
(makes you happy)?"
Interviewers also ask questions such as, "Describe the ideal boss for you"
and "What type of people do you like working with?" Again, the employer is
seeking the depth of the candidate's self-assessment and understanding, two important characteristics of a team player.
Under the topic heading of "educational and social background," candidates
should be prepared to discuss high school or college experiences,
extracurricular activities, offices held and jobs worked while going to school.
The candidate's grade point average also may come up. These questions
establish a framework for the applicant's interests, enthusiasm, energy level,
and commitment to personal growth.
A specific area of interview preparation is the topic of salary. Suppose the
interviewer said, "I noticed in the blank for 'desired salary', you wrote 'open'.
What salary are you looking for?" One answer to this question is to say, "I
would consider any reasonable offer." Another response would be to explain
the range of salaries offered by other jobs the candidate is considering.
The other critical portion of the job interview concerns questions asked by
the candidate. Most interviewers allow time for these questions. In some
cases, the interviewer actually will encourage the candidate to get any
information he may need to make a decision if the job is offered. The
candidate also should ask the interviewer how long he has been with the
company. Then the candidate could ask the interviewer why he works for the
company. Other questions a candidate may want to consider asking are:
"Where do you see yourself going within this company, and where do you see
the organization, itself, going?" "What portion of the market does this
company hold?" and "Does the company have plans to increase its portion of
the market? If so, how?"
Michael Lejeune, CPC, CTS, is the Vice President of Steverson & Company, Inc., a
Houston-based staffing service which focuses on administrative and accounting
personnel. Steverson & Company and Steverson Accounting Professionals have
clients ranging from international accounting firms and Fortune 500 corporations to
privately held emerging businesses. Mr. Lejeune is a Past President of the Houston
Area Association of Personnel Consultants and Director of the Texas Association of
Personnel Consultants.
Published in Houston Chronicle
by Mike Lejeune, CPC, CTS |
