Job Interview Questions and Answers

Tag: job interview question

  • Tell me about a time where you had to deal with conflict on the job?

    A worker’s success, no matter the job, is measured in two scales – behavior and results. The results are the amount of work done and the quality of that work. Behavior is how the results are accomplished. Keep in mind that interviewers want to measure a candidate on both scales, and you want to score highly on both. A good candidate has the skills to accomplish the job, but must also go about obtaining results in a positive manner.

    Here’s an example:

    As a manager you can push people who work for you hard, keep on top of them, look over their shoulders, yell and punish bad behavior. On a single project basis that works well to get results, but over a long period of time people won’t be happy, and the quality of their work will diminish.

    So interviewers spend a lot of time on behavioral questions that reveal how you’ve handled or will handle common work situations. These questions don’t require expression of a great deal of experience, but they do require expressing positive behaviors from either work or private life.

    One way to answer this question, and other behavioral questions, well is to use the STAR (SAR) method. This method describes, and helps you remember, the elements of an excellent answer.

    • Situation – Recall and describe, in accurate detail, the situation, including the task that had to be accomplished.
    • Action – Don’t talk about what could have been done, describe the actions you took in the specific situation. If it was a group effort, describe exactly what you contributed to the group.
    • Result – Describe how the situation ended, either by describing the success or what you, personally, learned from the situation.

    “Our new boss didn’t understand the work we did, and as a result demanded procedures that were outdated. Everyone in the department complained about the problem, so one day I suggested we explain things to the new boss. We did it as a group, but I drew up flow charts of the outdated procedures as well as the new ones, showing how those saved time and gave better results. Our boss thanked us for the explanation but still insisted we do things his way – he said the new procedures missed some important reporting that could come in handy in the future. I still think we were right, but I understood his point of view – those reports could come in handy.”

    Some answers can be too honest. “A co-worker kept butting in front of me in line in the cafeteria, so I threw the dessert in her face.”

  • Why should we hire you?

    This question is asked to find your opinion, or to verify the interviewer’s opinion, on why you’re a fit for the job. It’s a good question to ask yourself. If you don’t know the answer, a company can’t be expected to know it, much less to give you the job. This is a question that you can easily prepare to answer by taking some time to compare the job description to your abilities.

    Avoid stereotypical answers such as “I will become a valuable asset to the company in a short time on the job.” Everyone will say that, it’s not unique. It doesn’t answer the question – why should you be hired instead of someone else who will also claim to become a valuable asset in a short time? Interviewers will see through it in a heart beat. Try to find your own unique way to express:

    * You hit the ground running
    * You’re a valuable asset
    * You’re a team player
    * You can handle stress and pressure
    * You think quickly on your feet

    Here’s a good answer. “No matter how much preparation is made, sometimes things go wrong. I keep my head when the world around me is crumbling. All problems can’t be avoided, but the most important thing is to deal with them quickly and calmly when they arise.”

    Another good answer is to give an example from your life or work experience that directly relates to the job. “When my last company wanted to market a new product they were prepared to spend a million dollars on a well known marketing firm. I found we could accomplish all the goals using a local firm for about $100,000.”

    You can even end this with a joke. “I asked them to split the savings with a $450K bonus – no dice.”

    You can work some personality into the answer. After all, you’re an individual not just a set of skills. “A lot of people probably have a similar skill set, but I have a great sense of humor and handle conflict well. So not only can I do the job, but I contribute to a positive work environment. That’s important.”

    A truly unique answer we’ve heard was taken from the old Get Smart television series. “In this job I’ll be facing tight deadlines, pressure, and a lot of hard work to complete nearly impossible tasks – and loving it!”

  • What Are Your Goals?

    When answering this job interview question it’s important to refer to the position and the company. For example if the company sells clothing and the job is on the line making clothes, it’s best not to mention a goal of becoming a top salesman. That is, unless it’s an entry level position to learn the business. “I’m going to start on the line, learn the business, then I want to move into sales so I can help the company from that end. What I learn on the line will really come in handy.”

    Avoid mentioning goals that refer to non-career related issues. Talking about family is fine, as long as you relate career and job success to family success such as “I want to raise a family, which means a successful career to support that family. I intend to work hard so I grow with the company in order to provide stability for my family.”

    One of the worst answers to this question is “My goal is to be in your job in a few years.” Worded that way it sounds like you’ll undermine the interviewer to steal their position. This same sentiment can be worded in a positive manner “I want to work hard to help your group become successful, so after you get a promotion I can sit in that chair asking the questions to the person who might fill my old position.”

    Preparation helps for this question, as well as for others. Know your goals before the interview, write them as a list, then compare that list to the job description and to information about the company you’ve learned through research. An answer that includes methods for reaching the goals is even stronger. Preparation leads to a number of excellent answers.

    Learn and grow with the company:
    “This is an excellent place to learn more about the profession and grow as I work with the team to make the company a success.”

    Become management:
    “When I’ve gained enough experience I’d like to move into a management position.”

    Competitive:
    “I envision myself as a top performing employee in a company like this. To achieve this I will work hard, listen to the experience of others, and keep involved in professional organizations such as X (related to the business of the company.)

    The following answer, given to one interviewer, probably won’t help land the job. “I’m writing a novel that will make me rich. Since this job is at night, I’ll have plenty of unsupervised time to write.”

  • What Wage Are You Seeking?

    This is a tricky job interview question. Go too low and you’ll have a job with low pay, go too high and you might price yourself out of the job. Keep in mind at this point it’s an interview question, not a salary negotiation. But be aware that this answer may influence the later salary negotiation stage.

    Research the market, both for the job and for a person of your skills and experience, to determine a reasonable salary expectation. A great way to answer the question is to provide a salary range based on the research you’ve done, and on the range given for the job or of other employees at the company.

    Another tack to take is to wait for a job offer and salary negotiation to discuss salary. At this point, the interview, put off the question:

    “My salary expectations are open based on the position, responsibilities, and total compensation package.”

    Or even the direct route. “I expect when we discuss salary it will be within the range of salaries for this type of position in the industry. But that’s really all I want to say about it right now.”

    Once salary negotiations do begin, that research you’ve done will come in handy. If you’re desperate for a job, take the first offer. But if you have some time and flexibility, and money in the bank, don’t jump at the first offer. It’s not the highest they’re willing to go.

    “That’s a good offer, let me take some time to consider it.”

    Consider too that sometimes a flat no can result in a higher compensation offer. A tried and true negotiation tactic is to feign disinterest. “Well, at that salary at this point, I’ll just have to say no.” The best time to look for a job can be when you don’t really need one. Without trying you’ll be saying no, looking for excuses not to take the new job. Some people have received their highest salary when they didn’t even want the job. Eventually the company made the offer too good to refuse.

    The bottom line is the interview is not the best time to discuss salary. The interviewer knows that, and won’t push for more information. Answer this interview question wisely. Wisdom in this case is no direct answer.

    One job seeker came up with a clever answer to this question. “How much have you got?”