Why do you want to work here?
Question: Why do you want to work here?
Don't say: "I've maxed out three credit cards and need a paycheck ASAP."
Instead: Articulate why you want the job and why you're a good fit for the company.
Why: A chief mistake job seekers make is focusing on selling themselves to the company and failing to prove why the job is right for them. It sounds narcissistic, but it's not. Dattner suggests asking yourself: "Why is the job right for you and why are you right for the job?" The question helps you give the right answer because you prove that you're in this for more than the paycheck.
Question: How would others describe you?
Don't say: "They would say I'm the best you'll meet and you'd be stupid not to hire me."
Instead: Answer honestly.
Why: "With regard to what others say about you, this gives a lens for the interviewer to use to see characteristics and attributes that the individual being interviewed may not be aware of," Flagg says.
Question: What is your greatest weakness?
Don't say: "I'm such a perfectionist" or "I work too hard."
Instead: Think about areas where you can improve and figure out how they can be assets.
Why: If you try to conceal your past and refuse to admit to a mistake, you're sending a red flag to the interviewer that you're stubborn or that you don't have the capacity to recognize your own flaws. "Be balanced; be human," says Ben Dattner, an industrial and organizational psychologist at New York University.
Dattner suggests picking some areas where you have room for improvement and make them reasons you should be hired. If you didn't have the opportunity to develop certain skills at your previous job, explain how eager you are to gain that skill at the new job. Also, point out how you've dealt with a past weakness. For example, if speaking in front of large groups once terrified you, mention the public speaking course you took to help you through it. This answer demonstrates your problem-solving skills and your willingness to learn.
Toughest Interview Questions
Q: "What are your weaknesses?" "Don't take this literally and go into a detailed explanation of your weaknesses," says John Challenger, CEO of global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. He advises taking a potential weakness and putting a positive spin on it.
A: "I am very detail-oriented and in some industries that may not be a good fit. But for this accounting position, I think this trait truly will help me excel."
Q: "How would you solve this problem?" Challenger says that these kinds of hypothetical questions can be risky. First of all, they may not like your answer; if they do like it, there's a chance they will steal it. That's what happened to June Sullivan when she interviewed for an activity director's position at a long-term care facility. When asked about marketing ideas, June laid out her entire plan. Well, she didn't get the job, but later recognized some of her strategies being used by the facility.
A: "I think you can increase product awareness by enacting some marketing strategies that could employ advertising, direct mail or media placements."
Q: "Why did you leave your last job?" Again, Challenger suggests presenting everything in a positive light. An interview is not the time to dish the dirt on your previous employer.
3 Ways to Negotiate a Better Job Offer
1. Get a potential employer to "fall in love" with you before you talk about money.
The time to be asking for things is after an employer has decided to hire you. Focus on what is important to the employer and what you can do for them. In tough times, making or saving money is always important. So is your ability to make your prospective boss look good.
Employers want to hire people who bring value, and they are willing to pay what is necessary to hire them. Once the employer has decided to make you an offer, then, and only then, should you start discussing the terms of employment. Until that time, whenever the subject of money comes up, talk about the job. Be enthusiastic about wanting the job. Show that you really want to work there. Ask for the job. No one wants to hire a person who is only looking for a paycheck.
If asked what you are looking for in terms of compensation, say something like "I am sure that if I am the right person for the job and the job is right for me, something that is fair will be readily worked out." Then ask some questions about the job. You will look good to the employer and defer the conversation until a time that is more appropriate.
2. The only difference between being employed and being unemployed is your self-confidence.
You are same person when you are unemployed as you were when you were working. You have the same skills and same experience. The value you can bring to an employer doesn't change just because you don't have a job. The only difference is your confidence. If you exhibit confidence you not only can negotiate effectively, you probably can land the job you want.
Competition for your services will also make you seem more valuable in the eyes of a prospective employer. Talking with several prospective employers at the same time will not only increase your confidence but will enhance your bargaining leverage.
3. Don't act like you are negotiating.
While you want to arrange the best possible deal, you should do so in a way that doesn't look like you are negotiating. Remember, once the employer has decided to offer you a job, they are trying to recruit you. Let them. Tell them what your concerns are. Ask for the things you want without ever suggesting that you won't accept the job if you don't get them. "Would it be possible..." or "Could you..." or 'Other companies I have been talking to have offered, is it possible...." are non-threatening ways for you to ask. Don't make "demands." Throughout the process, and especially when you are asking for something, let the employer know how excited you are about the opportunity and how much you want the job.
Lie in an Interview? Right or Wrong? Part 2
Continue my last post, http://tipsinterview.com/2010/03/22/lie-in-an-interview-right-or-wrong-part-1/
4. I don't have any experience in the field or industry?
It will be clear in the interview that the experience you have from one position may not be in line with your needs working in a new position, Guinn says. "There is nothing in that which is inappropriate or in which any fact is being misrepresented." Stress your interest and what you can provide in the position and discuss what specific training you will be offered to create competency in your role.
5. I know my boss will give me a bad reference?
"Many bosses today refuse to discuss past employees with potential ones and turn these questions over to the HR department," Guinn says. "If you know your boss will give you a bad reference, tell the interviewer that you have concerns your reputation may be tarnished by working for the past employer, and you'd appreciate knowing if there was anything improper said about you during the reference checks."
6. I made much less in my last job, but think I deserve a significant raise?
It's tempting to want to inflate your past salary to earn more in your next role, but with more employers doing credit checks, you'll probably get caught. You're better advised to share the range of salary you received and ask about opportunities for improvement of salary, Guinn says.
7. I intend only to stay for a few months and/or don't want this to be my career?
"Employers invest large sums [of money] in finding the right candidate for a position. What's to say this can't be a great, long-term job for you?" Guinn says. "Many of us started out in a role with no plans to stay, but found that the job we took was meaningful, satisfied our personal and professional needs and paid us a worthy salary. You don't know what is going to happen in six months; always leave your options open."
8. I already have a vacation, wedding or getaway planned?
If you're hired, the employer is obviously going to find out sooner or later that you need some time off. If you offer to follow the appropriate measures, most employers will find a way to work around any previously planned events
9. I am overqualified for the job and want to leave some credentials off my résumé?
You've worked hard for those credentials and you should be proud of them. Guinn suggests having multiple résumés that differ based on the level of position for which you are applying. "List the qualifications you truly hold that would be of benefit in securing the job you want to have," he says.
10. I have an injury or illness that prevents me from doing necessary work for the job?
Many applicants are hesitant to address an injury or illness for fear that the employer will see them as a potential insurance liability. But Guinn says most employers will make accommodations for great applicants with a handicap. He suggests asking if any accommodations can be made and if not, seeking out an employer that is willing to make the adjustment.
Why Should I Hire You? Thought it as an interviewer
In today's job market, where many seasoned workers have found themselves out of a job and plenty of young but inexperienced graduates are entering the work force, do you have the right answer to beat out the competition?
Here are three common scenarios job seekers find themselves in and how they might handle each one:
The employer thinks ... you don't have relevant experience.
So you ... explain how all experience is relevant.
Simpson's tips for workers whose experience is seemingly irrelevant are similar to her advice for seeming unqualified workers: Make your past an asset, not a drawback.
"Give specific examples of how your experience is relevant to the job," Simpson explains. "Customer service experience gained while waiting tables is often negated. Waiters deal with all kinds of people and situations while multitasking, working under pressure of short-term deadlines while keeping customers happy."
Don't expect employers to connect the dots -- they're busy and have a wealth of candidates from which to choose. Do the work for them. In this economy, plenty of laid-off workers are looking for jobs in new industries, which means you're not the only one experiencing this dilemma. Get an edge over other job seekers by turning your varied experience into proof that you're the right candidate.
To be continued……
Interview Tips: Negotiate a Job Offer in This Economy
About salary history and expectations often elicit feelings of anxiety, particularly when times are tough in the job market. Many who have been unemployed for several months worry their power to negotiate has diminished. Others know they are overqualified for the positions they seek and fear their salary history will screen them out of consideration. Here are some suggestions after a job offer:
· If the offer is more than you expected, congratulations! But you may get an even better one if you don't jump at the first offer. Pause long enough to give the employer the impression you may be expecting more. You may even ask for time to think over the offer.
· If another employer has made a better offer, that's the most powerful argument you can use.
· If you have no other offers, but your research tells you the going rate is higher than what the employer is offering, say so. Keep in mind that the employer probably has also researched the employment market, so be sure you have good sources to point to.
· If the employer won't raise the offer enough to suit your expectations, ask the employer to agree to review your salary sooner than normal.
· Employers who won't budge on salary offers sometimes are willing to make concessions on benefits or perks that you want. Maybe you can get stock options, extra vacation, use of a company car or the ability to work at home part of the week. Sometimes you can argue that you both will gain from the benefit; for example, if the company pays your tuition expenses for night classes, it will profit from your improved skills.
· You may also be able to get concessions on certain work responsibilities you either want or want to avoid. For example, you might ask to be given a managerial task that's not normally part of the job, and this eventually could lead to a higher-paying position. Any tasks you ask to avoid should be lower-level so that ruling them out would not interfere with your growth in the job.
· If possible, do all your negotiations face-to-face, rather than by telephone, because you can gauge people's reactions better in person. Sometimes, candidates will say and do everything right during the interview process and during negotiations and still won't achieve the job offer they were seeking. In these instances, Shatkin suggests telling the employer, "that the job is one you would like if the salary were appropriate, and thank them for their time and consideration. It is possible that they will not find someone else to fill the position and will reconsider hiring you at the salary you asked for."
