| |
"Why
have you applied for this job in this
company?" |
| What
They Really Mean: |
Why
should we consider you for this position? (ie: Have
you wandered in here off the street or have you
actually given your next career move some serious
thought?) |
| YOUR
ANSWER: |
Do
your homework! You wouldn't get married without
knowing a great deal about your prospective husband,
why would you show up to an interview knowing nothing
about your prospective employer? Mention some of
the company's strengths/wins, or previous projects/clients
that have interested you. Prove that you
really want to work for them and that you haven't
just applied on a whim. |
| |
|
| What
They Ask: |
"What
are your weaknesses?" (Yes,
many employers will still ask you this
old one. They may dress it up differently - talking
about failures, disappointments, references or training
needs - but at its heart, it's still the old weakness
question.) |
| What
They Really Mean: |
Could
you be a threat (or a chink in the armour)
to our company? Do you really know who you are?
Do you understand how you are perceived by others?
Are you open to criticism? Have you taken remedial
action on weak points in the past? |
| YOUR
ANSWER: |
Avoid
clichés such as "I'm a perfectionist."
Instead, get some pointers on what your current
weaknesses are from colleagues, friends and family
(an old boss can be useful for this too!) and use
that feedback as the basis of your answer - as long
as it isn't too harsh. Most importantly, say what
you are doing to improve on any little failings
that you may have. You're not perfect, but you are
working on it ... |
| |
|
| What
They Ask: |
What
can you bring to this company? |
| What
They Really Mean: |
What
are your strongest points? More importantly, have
you considered how you might apply them on the job
here? Bottom line: do you really think you
deserve this job? (Because if you do, you will have
already found out what you will need to succeed
on the job and thought about how you are going to
do that). |
| YOUR
ANSWER: |
On
an ongoing basis (start today!) take note of your
skills, experience, positive feedback, and things
you love about your career. When you have an interview
coming up, cherry-pick
3-5 'nuggets' from this list that are relevant
to the new job and be ready to sell them as the
interview unfolds. |
| |
|
| What
They Ask: |
Where
do you see yourself in 5 years' time? (Ger-o-oan!
Yes I know it's a jaded cliché,
but they still ask it, in many shapes and forms) |
| What
They Really Mean: |
Are
you working to a plan for your career? (They want
to know this because studies consistently show that
people who work to a plan succeed to a much greater
extent that those who don't - and if you succeed,
your employer succeeds ...) |
| YOUR
ANSWER: |
You
need to be careful on this one - you don't want
to seem either ruthlessly ambitious or lacking in
drive. Look at the organisation chart - what role
would you really like in the future? What do you
need to graft on (experience, skills, training,
qualifications) in order to fulfil that job? Then
you can talk about making a meaningful contribution
at your current level, proving your worth, garnering
more experience, skills etc. and hopefully getting
the opportunity to contribute at a more senior level
going forward ... And please, please, do
not say "I hope to be in your chair in
5 years' time" |
For
more interview question material see this extract
from Where's My Oasis?
|
