As we approach the holiday season, there are more jobs openings popping up. As most of you can imagine, getting the job isn’t always the easiest thing to accomplish. I believe the interview process should be a main focus in obtaining a job. There is a proper way to interview. You can’t, always, just go in and “wing-it” these days. There is more competition even for the most menial position.
I thought it’d be a good idea to post some common interview questions and come up with some thought-provoking answers that will leave your future employer in awe and set yourself apart from the crowd… Interviewers commonly ask questions that take some thinking. Be prepared.
Here’s some basic ones:
1. Tell me about yourself.
2. What is your greatest strength?
3. What is your greatest weakness?
4. How do you handle stress and pressure?
5. Describe a difficult work situation / project and how you overcame it.
HAHA This is right in my wheelhouse!! I work in HR and interviewing is something I do a ton. I have to say those are some great questions you listed as well!!
One of the best ways to gage a potential applicant is really ask them questions that make them think… We call these “open ended questions” geared two have them provide a more thought out answer. They say you want the applicant to talk 80% of the time… So those of you going for a new job be ready to share!!
A few other things that help are too do your research on the company. See if they have a website. Look them up. Get familiar with the job you are applying for. And NEVER EVER EVER talk bad about your former employer… As much as you may want too. Any negativity brought to the interview process is seen as a negative against the applicant…
^^^ Thanks for chiming in with some info from the other side! Those are definitely great tips for the interview process.
There was an interview I had some years back where two managers, I guess, interviewed me at the same time. They both talked a lot and I could barely get a word in until they asked a specific question. Threw me off guard. That was actually the only time two people interviewed me but, I understand, it happens often.
I think we should talk attire as well. In different professions would you say different types of clothing are acceptable? Say, would wearing a collared shirt with a nice pair of shorts suffice for a retail position? What about a warehouse position? I wouldn’t think interviewing for a warehouse position a suit and tie would be necessary… I thought about being an iron worker at one point, after I became proficient in welding, and noticed, pretty much everyone there, wore ragged jeans and boots all the time. Of course, they didn’t need to look presentable.
For me clothing is not as important then how they look. I.E. are they clean and tidy, do they wear clothes that fit, are they clean??
Depending on the position I feel that the applicant must dress up “some”
we have what we call “entry” level positions (positions that require little to no experience or relevant skill to the position) these positions would be housekeeping, laundry and food service. I would expect pants and maybe say a polo shirt. As long as they are wearing “nice” clothes and they are not ripped up or not the right size. Many a time I have seen applicants dress in very inapropriate clothing. Especially teen agers and people in their early 20’s.
For a “skilled” position (something that requires either extensive education or experience at a 2-3 year level) I would expect more of a dress pant, button down shirt type of thing…
For a “management position” always dress pants, button down shirt and a tie.
For an “executive level” position I would expect a full on suit.
I also think that one must not dress for the job they are going for but for the one they want… I.E. dress for success.
I am shopping around my resume, and applying to entry level positions. What makes a applicant pop to you when you are hiring somebody on for an entry level position.
A resume helps a ton!!! When you apply make sure you fill out the application in full and make sure it’s legible as well.
Dress nice to apply (people notice that) if you speak to someone offer a handshake and look them in the eye. Be confident and let them know what job you are interested in (do your research before hand to make sure the company is in fact hiring)
A few things to NOT do.
Do NOT ask them how much you would be making if hired.
Do NOT ask them who you can call to check on the status (they will call you if they are interested)
Do NOT use your phone AT ALL while filling out the application (have your references with you or on your resume)
If you don’t get the job, don’t beat yourself up. Reflect on the interview and focus on becoming better at interviewing. Interviewing itself is a skill that needs to be developed.
Keep plugging away. Something will fall into place. The job market is competitive. It may not be something you did or didn’t do. Another candidate just fit the company better.
I’ve found that making a list of possible interview questions, and how you would answer them, is very helpful so they don’t catch you off guard. You sound more confident if you can answer without fumbling words.
I kind of disagree with the “Don’t ask for a number to call to check on the status”.
A lot of jobs look for desire. When you call and say “Hi, I’m calling to speak to a manager about an application I placed last week” they know you’re interested in the job.
When I’ve been on the hiring end, I don’t mind applicants following up. It shows desire for the position.
Regarding the original post, those are some GREAT questions. I’ve asked all of them at some time or another; certainly multiples of those in every interview I’ve ever conducted.
I guess part of that is me being jaded on all the calls I get on a daily basis… But yea it is ok to call and check on things… Just not every day for a week or two…
Part of what I meant was that after filling out the application a lot of people ask who they should call and when… To me that is a bit much (just calling and asking is ok) again I see this so much every day that it can get old after a while…
It’s always good to know someone from the inside, as well. I work two jobs [while juggling my main duty as a fulltime college student] and I wouldn’t have gotten those if I didn’t know someone from the inside.
At my job at the restaurant, a friend who was a former employee referred me. I got the job the same day - but then it’s nothing to be proud about 'cause I work as a dishwasher.
And here’s one thing. No matter what kind of work you’ll be doing, it will become monotonous and you will get to the point that you’ll hate it. But at the end of the day you’re making money and you have a job. A crappy job is better than no job at all.
If you’re in the programming field, be ready for at least one in-depth technical interview, if not two or more. So if you list a skill set on your resume be prepared to answer questions from a lead developer or project manager on how you would handle multiple coding issues in that language and any language that may be related to it for the job you are applying for. Samples of your code and work or a portfolio are also requested many times.
If you’re in coding and design always have a portfolio ready of your past and current work.
True story ^^^. We always ask programmer candidates to solve a programming problem for their second interview. Sometimes we require running code; other times just flowcharting some logic and/or pseudo-code. Depends on the scenario.
Front-end web development is a bit different, especially if JavaScript is NOT a requirement. No real programming (though there is indeed logic) for HTML/CSS. But we’d ask questions like, “given these two sets of rules in a cascading style sheet, what will the target element look like?” or something similar.
Funny, I called about my job with learning express yesterday (I’m a kendama and YoYo demonstrator) we gave me a month to see how my job would work out. I got paid, i put it in the bank, and now they’re looking to see how I did. If I did a good job, I keep the job. If I didn’t, they wave me off. I think I did what a good demonstrator was supposed to do, I greeted the customers, introduced myself, answered questions, did tricks that they asked me to do, answered questions (most common one: where did the YoYo come from?) I corrected the person from wrong info (such as: the YoYo originated from the Philippines, the YoYo used to be a weapon, “is that a cheater YoYo?” Etc.) I also carried myself different on social media, so overall the only reason I see for them not giving me the job, is that I’m not 16. I hope I get the job back, I really like it. Getting paid for what I love to do is just awesome, not to mention I get store credit ^.^
Sadly I haven’t been in the market for a job for 8 years (I got hurt really badly and have been disabled since), but his thread is awesome thanks for posting up Miami Buddha and those that responded. There is a gold mine of advice and things to do and not to do here.
First impressions last longer then the memory of why you were there to make that impression in the fort place, & its nearly impossible to change someone’s first impression of you even if they were completely wrong about you.
That was actually the only time two people interviewed me but, I understand, it happens often.