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I. The Purpose of Interviewing
E. THE QUESTIONS Interviewers get questions from two main sources: your resume, and all the questions they've ever been asked when they were interviewed. 1) RESUME -- Questions are of two types -- "headline copy" and "body copy": a. Headline questions are those which address the major decisions reflected on your resume; i.e., what schools you attended, jobs you've had, and why you made those decisions. - Interviewers ask "Headline" questions to learn if you have made good choices when you have made major decisions in your life and if you are goal oriented. Of the options available to you at the time you made the choice, did you select the best one for you? b. Body Copy questions probe for additional amplification on detail sentences on the resume; e.g., "I see you were responsible for new advertising copy on brand "X," can you tell me more about...."? - Accomplishments -- Remembering to review the accomplishments on your resume is important. When you answer the question "what are your biggest accomplishments...." with something that isn't on your resume, it legitimately allows the interviewer to question your judgment (by not putting your biggest accomplishment on your resume), or your integrity (is this a real accomplishment I'm hearing about?). - Responses to "Body Copy" questions allow the interviewer to infer or deduce your skills and strengths. Your amplification of the topic should be concise, but complete, covering what you did, why you did what you did, what the results were, and which of your skills or strengths enabled you to accomplish this. 2) ALL THE QUESTIONS.... The following list of questions is not in any particular order. But, based on debriefing lots of interviewees, we think you should take the time to think through your answers to these questions as a good way to focus on selling yourself effectively. The principle to follow in answering questions in an interview is simple: TELL THE TRUTH. You owe it to yourself and the client to present yourself accurately. That is the only way you can be sure of a good fit from your perspective should the company make an offer and you decide to accept it. Tell me about yourself. We suggest you pre-think a two minute or so response to this question to accomplish several things: - Establish rapport with the interviewer, by sharing with them a brief personal background, including information not on your resume which would help them understand a little of who you are and where you came from. This sets a tone with the interviewer that you are open and friendly, and reassures them that they are likely getting to know the real you, not an interviewing persona. - Briefly go over your pre-marketing history, allowing you to get the interview from the past to the present -- to focus more time talking about who and what you are as a marketer and business person and less on why you went to XYZ College. - Set up or go through any explanations of potential "problem" areas on your resume (e.g., an "off-the-beaten-path" career choice, leaving a company prior to being promoted, etc.) - If you know from prior experience that you are "style challenged" in interviewing, address it right up front here. (E.g., a very quiet person might explain "One of my greatest strengths is that I am quiet. People sometimes underestimate me because of my quiet demeanor, but I have learned to use my style to my advantage in developing excellent working relationships. In fact, my references will tell you, I am silent, but deadly"! Alternatively, a very intense person may want to address their ability to tone it down in order to be effective, etc.) - Include the key one or two reasons you made the major choices you made, making it clear you made the best choice from the options available to you at the time EXAMPLE: "I grew up on Long Island in a middle class family. My father was a construction worker who went to school at night, eventually becoming a stockbroker and founding his own successful investment banking firm specializing in start-up company IPO's. My mom was a then typical stay at home and care for the family role model. I have an older brother and two younger sisters. When I was growing up, my folks couldn't afford to send us to college. I was determined to go anyway. Since I had to pay for college with my own money earned while working full time after school, from 11th grade on, I chose to go to Hofstra -- the best university within commutable distance. I paid for the freshman year with my own earnings, then competed for and won an Army ROTC Scholarship to pay for the final three years of school. Since I was working full time all through college, and since my ROTC scholarship guaranteed me a job after graduation as an Army officer, I have to confess I wasn't particularly concerned about grades. I had a very successful five years on active duty, as an Airborne Ranger, ultimately commanding a nuclear capable Field Artillery Battery -- over 100 soldiers. I was awarded the Army Commendation Medal and two Meritorious Service Medals. During this time, I was married, my wife and I had two children, and I earned my Masters Degree from USC at night. As much as I really enjoyed my role as an officer, my wife and I concluded that a career in the Army was not the best choice for our family. I was very fortunate to be able to join Procter & Gamble in marketing...and now here we are, ready to talk about how I can make a contribution to your marketing department." What are your short-range goals/objectives? - Three to five year time horizon, personal and/or professional. Keep in mind the career track of the position for which you are interviewing. What are your long-range goals/objectives? - Ten years or longer time horizon. Again, keep in mind the logical career outcomes of a talented and dedicated marketer who makes a commitment to the organization with which you are interviewing. Most marketing tracks lead to general management, not your own business. What do you look for in an opportunity? - Take what you have now that you like, and add what you want to have, to develop your answer. Explain why you chose to go to . (college, grad school, military, current company, marketing profession) - Remember to demonstrate that you make good decisions -- i.e., of the choices available to you at the time you made this choice, you made the best choice for you, for the following three reasons. Talk about the positive outcome flowing from the choice -- the learning, growth, development, accomplishments, etc. Explain why you chose to leave . (last company, current company) - No bad mouthing or complaining. Don't diminish your value by criticizing the experience you have. If you are moving from a lesser credential, talk about how fortunate you are/were to have had a much better individual experience than typical at this company. Talk more about what you went for at the next opportunity than what you left from. For example: "I went to P&G to get the learning about marketing that they are justly known for. My decision to leave was more personal than professional. My wife and I both grew up on the East Coast, and with our young family, we decided it was important to return home at that time."
These are wonderful questions to highlight your strengths and skills.
Remember, asserting you have a skill is only a start. Citing a specific
example of how you used this skill to deliver an accomplishment provides
the persuasiveness. - Remember, answer in-depth. That is, what is the accomplishment, why you did what you did, why were you successful (which of your skills enabled this success), and how did you make the difference? |
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