THE CAREER DOCTOR PREPARE TO MEET THINE EMPLOYER

First you have to successfully negotiate the interview and there are a couple of crucial questions where many candidates fail to get the measure of the task, writes ROWAN MANAHAN

THESE days, one could be forgiven for thinking that interviewers lack a certain degree of imagination. They are still asking the standard old interview questions:

and interview candidates everywhere dread these chestnuts. If you have decided that you definitely don't want to work for the company you are being interviewed by, then I can recommend the following answers:

My biggest weakness? 'I have a huge weakness for chocolate.' or 'I have a big mouth and people constantly misunderstand me.' My questions for you? 'What are the working hours like here? - because I have to be at the club for training by six o'clock every evening.' or 'How big will my company car be?'

These are all answers that I have heard while sitting (usually open-mouthed with disbelief) on interview panels. If, on the other hand, you actually do want the job that you are being interviewed for, your answers to these standard questions will need to be just a tad better than these.

Questions for them
Most candidates hate this part of the interview, regard it as being very difficult to do at the end of a tiring, stressful process and just trot out one or two trite little questions which utterly fail to impress the interviewer(s). And that last point is the key - if you have intelligent, well-researched questions to ask at the conclusion of the interview, you have yet another chance to impress and to distinguish yourself from the herd. The most common mistakes made at this juncture are:

	Having no questions to ask at all (either due to memory loss, tiredness or lack of preparation).
	Asking self-serving questions about salary, benefits, training and holidays.
	Asking clichéd questions.

It is inappropriate to bring up remuneration at a preliminary interview unless the interviewer does so first. If you are not supposed to bring up salary, then asking how big your car is going to be is not a good idea. Likewise training. If you are coming out of education into an entry-level position, your research should have answered any basic questions you have about training. If you are going for a more senior role and start harping on about training, you will position yourself as (at best) self-serving or (at worst) needy.

So, how do you play this one? In interview practice and preparation, it is vital to put on the recruiter's hat on and look at it from their perspective. Why do they ask this question of all candidates? Clearly, your questions tell the interviewer(s) more about you which can help them in the weeding-out/selection process. What does this question reveal?

	It allows them to cross-check against your answers as to why you want to work for the organisation.
	It helps to identify (or confirm) self-serving candidates who are looking to join an organisation, extract the maximum training and good experience and then quickly jump ship.
	Likewise ill-prepared candidates. This question helps the interviewer to assess the depth and quality of your preparation for the interview. Very important these days. If you won't work hard in preparing on your own behalf, what chance is there that you will prepare well for an important element of the job on their behalf?
	If you are being interviewed for a senior position, it allows the interviewer(s) to assess your mindset. Are you a general or a foot-soldier? Do you have management potential? In other words, are you a player?

Your research in preparation for asking your questions should, as always, be comprehensive.

	Company literature, websites, advertising and annual reports are all easily obtainable.
	Promotional material, articles about the organisation, broad-based industry articles, anything relating to competitors and finally, legislation affecting the sector and organisation.
	Someone you know knows someone who is useful. Ex-employees, competitors, suppliers, industry figures, journalists. Ferret them out and get the inside track.

Talking about your weaknesses
Once again, look at why they ask the question in the first place. Rest assured that they do not expect you to bare your soul or reveal sordid details from your private life. On the other hand they do expect you to:

	Know what your weaknesses are, demonstrating self-knowledge and insight.
	Be sufficiently confident to admit to a weakness.
	Have listened to criticism of your failings in the past.
	Have corrected, or be in the process of correcting, your weaknesses.

Candidates rarely approach this question with confidence and most regurgitate the same tired old clichés:

Interviewers hear these answers about as often as the police hear, 'Is this really a 30mph zone Officer? I didn't realise ...' Any trained interviewer will take a very dim view indeed if you have the temerity to come out with this sort of rubbish.

If you will be attending an interview in the near future and you don't have a ready and honest answer to the weakness question, you need to do a little soul-searching. Failing that, ask your spouse/partner. Spouses are always ready to point out your failings and need very little encouragement to do so.

Talk to friends and family. Ask them to tell you three strong points and one weakness about yourself. Tell them to do you the favour of being brutally honest. Do the same with colleagues from past jobs, or better yet, an old boss of yours. Mental health professionals charge a fortune to help you along this sort of voyage of self-discovery. The information is there for free, if you have the courage to ask for it.

The business of hiring people is as much a process of elimination as it is of selection. Getting onto the short list for interview is, in many instances, the biggest hurdle. Once you are at the interview, do not give a recruiter a reason to reject you merely because of inadequate preparation. The questions above, clichéd though they may be, are pivotal. Frequently, they are the 'eliminators.' Fail to answer them to the interviewer's satisfaction, and you will almost certainly have blown your chance.

Rowan Manahan is Managing Director of Fortify Services, a Dublin-based outplacement and career management firm.

Original article here.