Your resume can be sparkling and your new outfit stylish, but if you bomb the job interview, you can forget that position. Especially in a tight job market, the interview is now more important than ever. Yet applicants have actually given answers such as these:
“Why do I want this job? It’s because my parents won’t let me stay at home any longer unless I get a job.”
“I want this entry job to learn about the industry, now where’s my private office?”
These answers gave the interviewers a good laugh, but they didn’t secure the jobs. Before you dismiss those answers as clueless, think about any time that you’ve blurted out something that you didn’t intend to say because the question caught you off guard. Even knowledgeable job candidates can fail the interview unless they go in well prepared.
To prepare for a job interview, you need to rehearse responses to likely questions. If you know someone who works in that company, ask what type of questions to expect in the interview. Without that inside contact, stop and think about what you would ask a candidate if you were conducting the interview.
The big 5 interview questions for any job are:
Why are you interested in this job?
What do you know about our company?
Are you employed now? If not, how long have you been looking for a job?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
What is your salary expectation?
Let’s go back and answer these questions while thinking about what the interviewer actually wants to know.
Why are you interested in this job?
The Interviewer wants to know whether you’re sincerely interested and might become a long-term employee or if you’re just searching for a paycheck to get you through until you find a career you’ll really enjoy.
Real answer: I’m desperate for a paycheck.
Ideal Answer: I want to join a company with opportunities for training and advancement.
What do you know about our company?
The Interviewer wants to know if you bothered to research the company, products, services and mission statement. If it’s all online, you need to know this.
Real answer: I saw your website and I don’t care what you do if you’ll just hire me.
Ideal Answer: When I read the Company mission statement, I felt confident that my beliefs about customer service and ethics were in line with yours which is important to me
Are you employed now? If not, how long have you been looking for a job?
If you are employed, particularly by the competition, an Interviewer may be more suspicious about that then if you’re unemployed or changing industries. Being unemployed for a long period (a year or more) does cause the Interviewer to wonder if you’re too difficult to work with or too picky in your choices.
Real Answer: (employed) I hate my job and my co-workers are embezzling from clients.
Real Answer: (unemployed) So many people in my field are out of work that I can’t find anything and I don’t want to sling burgers in a fast food place.
Ideal Answer: (employed) I have achieved what I hoped to at this job and now I’m seeking a new challenge that will stretch my talents and further develop my skills.
Ideal Answer: (unemployed) I was laid off during a financially tough time for my employer. I took time to work with a business coach and develop my skills before searching for a new job.
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
The Interviewer doesn’t expect you to admit to all of your faults, but he or she does want to see that you can honestly evaluate yourself and your skills.
Real Answer: The last thing I want to do is give you a reason not to hire me.
Ideal Answer: My strengths are persistence in getting any job completed and enthusiasm about learning. My weakness is that I have less experience (training, etc.) in your industry - however, I am willing to do what’s needed to improve my skills.
What is your salary expectation?
Here’s where the Interviewer is fishing, to avoid paying more than needed. You need to do as much research as possible into the company/field/job type to know the typical salary range, and then place your answer in the middle. Like any negotiation, if you start too high, you’ll get taken down so much that the interviewer sees your desperation. If you start in the middle, there’s room either way.
Real Answer: As much as I can get!
Ideal Answer: From what I have learned about your industry (company/job, etc), the salary range for this job and my level of experience gives me an expectation of earning around X amount. Is that the range you’re offering?
You must know from the beginning that some interviewers are open minded to hear your answers and some simply expect what they want to hear. Since you don’t know which one you’ll get, be honest and positive in your presentation. Remember that what you don’t say sometimes speaks as loudly as what you do say in an interview.
