Seven Proven Rules for Interviewing Success Pt. 4

Answer Questions Seamlessly and With Confidence Part 1

If You Want to be at Your Best, be Sure to Have Answers Prepared to These Common Questions

*         Why did you join your present firm?

*         Why are you leaving?

*         Why have you stayed so long?

*          What’s wrong with your present firm?

*          Have you managed people before?

*          What are your capabilities that will help us?

*          What major challenges have you faced?

*          Have you fired people before?

*          What references can you give us?

*          Does your employer know you are looking?

*         Describe a typical day in your job.

*         What areas of your job do you enjoy the most?

*         Which jobs have you enjoyed the most? Why?

*         How well do you handle pressure?

*         What do you look for when you hire people?

*         How does the firm view your performance?

*         Which areas of your work have been criticized?

*         What do you think of your ex‑boss?

*         Why haven’t you found a job so far?

*         Can you fit into an unstructured environment?

*         Why do you want to work for us?

*         What are your greatest accomplishments?

*         Describe your management style.

*         How effective are you as a motivator?

*         What decisions do you delegate?

*         What types of controls do you use?

*         What is your biggest strength? Weakness?

(Originally published on Robert J. Gerberg‘s site)

Use These Seven Proven Rules for Interviewing Success Pt. 3

Surface and Deal With Any Objections That Arise

Your next key to interviewing is to be able to overcome objections in a smooth and seamless way. With today’s competition, if you stumble, there are too many others the employer can turn to. So, why play this by ear? Here is a simple method for handling objections, the “ARTS method.” The letters stand for the following:

A = Acknowledge the objection.

R = Redirect the person’s concern.

T = Test to be sure you’ve removed the concern.

S = Use a story to make your point.

Whenever someone raises an objection, the tension level rises. In step A reduce the tension level.

A = Acknowledge the objection

“I can understand your concern, and I would like to address it for you.” Or “You’ve raised an interesting point. It deserves some frank discussion.” The phrases are not so important—it’s the feeling you impart. You have acted in a reassuring way; it’s clear that you feel secure about your abilities.

R = Redirect their concern

Let’s say the interviewer raised the fact that your experience was in a different industry. “What qualities are you looking for in an ideal candidate that prompted this concern?” Now, you can’t change your past, but you can show that you are someone who contributes quickly (e.g., “When you raise that question, I understand that you want to be sure the person you put in this job is someone who will contribute quickly. Isn’t that it?”) The interviewer will reaffirm that you are indeed correct. With just a little thought, it is easy to refocus the conversation toward the positive qualities that are really on the interviewer’s mind.

T = Use a testing question

The idea is to see if you removed their concern. Here is an example of asking a testing question: “If I could show that I could contribute quickly, even when learning new information, would that help?”

After you get a positive response, you can go directly to your answer, or you can introduce one of your key strengths. You might say: “If I could show you that I work well under pressure, might that ease your concern somewhat?”

S = Use a supporting story to confirm

The final thing is to use a supporting story. Remember, what really counts is the fact that you did not get flustered. If you’ve done it right, interviewers won’t be that concerned about your exact answer. They’ll be thinking, “This person handled that situation very well.” Note: An objection is really a sign of interest. If employers were not interested, they would not bother asking you to overcome the objection.

(Originally published on Robert J. Gerberg‘s site)

Use These Seven Proven Rules for Interviewing Success Pt. 2

Tell Stories That Make People Remember You

In these stories indicate positive things you did to help organizations. The idea is to show how you demonstrated a particular skill or a personal quality.

Develop SOAR stories that cover situations where you can demonstrate the value of fresh thinking as a means to improve productivity or solve problems. Employers need to feel that you are the answer to one of their problems. If you can show them how you met or exceeded the needs in other places, they may conclude that you can do the same for them.

The idea is to create stories that demonstrate the benefits you bring. Remember, your “tickets” alone (degrees, titles, etc.) will not necessarily motivate another employer to hire you. You must use action words and phrases that add interest beyond your credentials. In the final analysis, employers hire people for what those phrases imply.

(Originally published on Robert J. Gerberg‘s site)

Use These Seven Proven Rules for Interviewing Success Pt. 1

1— Find Out What’s Most Important to the Interviewer

Ask questions that will get interviewers to articulate what’s most important. Of course, you’ll need to find out what happened to the last person in the job. Ask about his experiences and those of his superiors.

Find out to whom the position reports and how long that person was in the job. Ask… “What would be the biggest challenge I would face?”

Find out how the interviewer sees the problem, what the expectations are and what progress has been made. Of course, once you find out what’s most important to the firm… you need to tell them that you have what they want.

Too many people let their resume be the basis for the whole discussion.

(Originally published on Robert J. Gerberg‘s site)