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I. The Purpose of Interviewing
What is your biggest weakness? - Need we say it: clients generally aren't looking to hire candidates with a plethora of weaknesses. Nor are they looking to hire arrogant or self-delusional people who think they are perfect. What to do about this dilemma? 1) Redefine terminology (creating a middle ground) between
weaknesses and strengths, e.g., opportunities to improve, and EXAMPLE: "I give this question regular thought. You see, I am reasonably ambitious, and want to get to general management. I don't see any way to get there if I have serious flaws as a business person. So, I discipline myself to inventory my own skill set quarterly -- and to be ruthlessly objective about it: what do I need to learn to be ready for promotion to the next level? Then, I set up an action plan to get there. At P&G, our personnel reviews had three categories: strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement. Procter defined weaknesses as significant deficiencies which, if not fixed, would prevent the person from performing the job at the next higher level. (Of course, P&G management is infallible -- "I never would have been promoted to this level if I had any weaknesses at the previous level"!) Opportunities for improvement were defined as skills that were adequate to do the job, but which, with attention, could be improved to strengths. At the risk of sounding arrogant, because I regularly look at what I need to do to improve my ability to contribute, I think I catch myself in the "opportunity to improve" area and do something about it, before a "weakness," a "fatal flaw," can develop. As an example, when I first began my marketing career, I wasn't comfortable standing up in front of management and making a presentation. So I invested some of my personal time in joining Toastmasters International. I am now comfortable describing my group presentation skills as a real strength. I want to assure you -- all it would take is a hint from management that I could be doing a better job in any given area and I would do something about it." Give an example of something where you succeeded when others didn't. Follow-up: Why did you succeed? - An excellent opportunity to showcase ingenuity, innovative thinking, superior analytical or creative skills, good strategic thinking, excellent project management skills, perseverance, or any number of other skills or personality characteristics indicative of success. How long do you expect it will take you to make a contribution to our firm? - Beware of the specific time frame response. If you say "one month" or any other specific time, your answer is subject to interpretation by the listener. One might say "That sounds about right." Another might think "That long! I want someone who is really aggressive and would tell me immediately." And yet another might think "Oh, really? There's no way you can make a significant impact that fast." - Try something that shows your energy, enthusiasm and commitment, but tempered with good judgment, such as: "Just as soon as I can get on board, get a handle on the key issues on the business, figure out what the most important issues are that need attention, and develop some high impact solutions." If you could start over again, what would you do differently? - Nothing with regard to the major decisions you made in your life with the information available to you at the time you made those decisions. After all, you do make good decisions. With the perfect information of 20/20 hindsight, you may be in a position to say you would have made other decisions if you knew then what you know now. What new goals or objectives have you set recently? - Feel free to speak to either personal or professional goals. The objective of this question is to see if you are a goal-driven person. Anticipate the likely follow-up question (tell me about some goals you set that you reached) by prefacing your answer with a goal you reached that triggered setting a new goal. How would you/have you changed the nature of your job? - A great opportunity to showcase initiative, vision, and results orientation. Stay positive and talk about expanded role, greater effectiveness, organization wide application, etc. Where do you expect to be in five years? - Again, beware the specific time frame to title/level trap. No matter what you say, a specific answer, such as the Brand Manager who says he'd expect to be a Marketing Director in five years, is open to subjective assessment as either too aggressive, just right, or not aggressive enough. - Take into account in your answer such factors as your ambition, your recognition that you have to earn your way, the fact that each company has norms for career development, you are competing with others, etc. - EXAMPLE: "I am confident of my ability to make a significant contribution to your business. I am looking for an environment in which people who make a contribution can expect to advance to increasing levels of responsibility. I intend to demonstrate that I have that ability to perform at successfully greater levels of responsibility and hope to be able to do so on timing consistent with the needs of the business, recognizing that you have other good people on the team who are also trying to earn their advancement. My personal goal is to set the pace for making contributions, and I trust that will be appropriately recognized." What do you think of your boss? - No bad mouthing. Even if you are working for Saddam Hussein, people don't want to hear about how bad your boss is. Find the good and focus on that. We learn from everyone. Sometimes by their positive example, other times from their poor example. We can always choose to present the lesson learned in a positive way. If I called your boss (or peers/subordinates), what would he/they say about you? - Another excellent opportunity to showcase your positive skills and abilities, especially your positive people skills. Wouldn't they say anything negative about you? - Surely, you weren't going to tell them any negatives in the prior question. When they follow up, use a little humor: My boss hears the hoof beats of the cavalry coming up quickly. My peers gave up in total despair at the very thought of competing with me. My subordinates wonder if they'll ever get out in front of me. What about your previous/current position do you dislike? Evaluate your present firm. - Remember that all organizations have systems and structures. If you complain too vociferously about the frustrations where you are today, it's entirely possible the listener could conclude you may be a malcontent, or that you'll be frustrated at their company as well. - Don't diminish the value of your credential by putting it down. Focus on the positives of your individual experience. No matter where you are coming from, speak to the better than expected learning, growth, or developmental opportunities you personally have enjoyed. Describe a situation in which your work was criticized, and what you did to correct it. - Looking for the maturity to accept advice and learn from it. Show your self-discipline to improve your own performance. In your current position, what problems have you identified that were previously overlooked? - Seeking evidence of the analytical ability to identify
problems/opportunities; and - Evidence of initiative; and What interests you most about the position we have? - Did you do your homework? Are you creative? Give me an example. - These are the "fill-in-the-blank" questions. If you have properly prepared for your interview, reviewing your resume and your 3x5 cards, you will have no problem effectively communicating excellent examples, in concise and complete form, tying each trait to your accomplishments. How would you describe your personality? - Be accurate. This is a very important opportunity for both you and the client to discover a mutual style fit. - This is also an excellent opportunity to help the interviewer appreciate how your particular style helps you be effective. For example, a quiet person may choose to point out that while they are quiet, they are also persistent and tenacious, and their "silent but deadly" ability to focus on results allows them to get things done without alienating those with whom they work. What have you done to help increase sales and/or
profits? - This is, of course, where all good marketers shine -- demonstrating their focus on results with specific accomplishments and achievements. What is your current salary? - Answer promptly, forthrightly, and accurately. This is a legitimate question that potential employers are entitled to take into consideration. Don't give in to the temptation to include an anticipated raise. Many companies now verify salary information provided on employment applications, and if they discover the applicant misrepresented the information, often terminate employment. What are your salary expectations? - This is an entirely different question from the previous one. There is no "right answer" if you put a specific number on the table. You are likely to be reluctant to put the lowest salary you would consider on the table for fear it would become the highest offer the client would consider -- after all, you just said you'd accept it. Yet, if you put the high side "the don't I wish in my dreams I get this offer," on the table to "anchor the upside in negotiations," you jeopardize even getting the offer. One person may think it is unreasonably high. Another may think you would be disappointed when they offer you less than you desire, etc. - The truth is, every candidate we work with makes such an important decision as changing employers based on a lot of factors, many of which are more important that the compensation package. We usually hear that career growth, professional development, scope and level of responsibility, quality of company and people working with, fit/style/culture, geography or other personal considerations, etc. are frequently much more important than the compensation package. - Answer this question by explaining that money is only one of many factors you will take into consideration in making your decision, and that, until you have sufficient information to weigh and evaluate the other factors, you can't really say what you would find as an acceptable salary offer. This is a reasonable and prudent response. - If you are concerned about "preserving your negotiating leverage," you can always point out that you have every expectation that should this company find you to be the most qualified candidate, you believe they would be fair and reasonable in the offer they would make to you, and they can trust you to be equally fair and reasonable in evaluating their offer in the context of all the other reasons why this would be the right move for you to make. There is also the "hypothetical question." That is, a problem is proposed, and you are asked to describe how you would solve this problem. - Because you couldn't have all of the pertinent data, you may or may not arrive at the "right" or "best" solution. But the real point here is to ensure the interviewer clearly hears the logical, analytical approach to problem solving you use: defining the problem, gathering data, analyzing it to develop findings, drawing conclusions, developing alternative solutions, evaluating the alternatives, and selecting and implementing the best alternative. |
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