Interview Questions

Most people will do some basic research on a company where they are going to interview. Checking out the company’s website is a must. Reviewing the profile on the management team and maybe reading the annual report are all sensible things to do. You probably could guess as to who the hiring manager reports to on the management team. Usually the management team is listed on the website with a small bio for each team member.

One of the things that I also have observed is that people tend to “wing it” on the interview. They do basic research, but they don’t have a strategy or an agenda for the interview. People simply don’t have enough questions ready to ask the interviewers during the interview. They don’t use the interview as an opportunity to learn about the organization and what it is like to work at the company.

It starts with having questions that you develop as you are doing your primary research. Start taking notes and write down as many questions as you can think of while researching. Reduce the questions down to your top 5 to use at the meeting. You want to learn as much as you can at the interview, this is where you do the real research. You can only find out the real inside story by talking to people who work in the organization.

Many times you will find that you have some personal time with the person that greets you in the lobby, even the receptionist is an opportunity for learning some basic facts. Like how long she has worked at the company, how she got the job and if she likes working there. This is the kind of small talk that is valuable for the job seeker – and you will never know when they volunteer some good advice. The receptionist typically knows most of the people in the company; become her friend. Your task is to develop relationships that will help you in you job search process. You might want to send her a note thanking her for helping you relax before the interview and she may be able to give you some inside information such as the hiring manager always comes in early. That little tidbit will help you to get the hiring manager on the phone with a well placed early morning call.

Ask as many questions informally before you get into the interview. It will help you while interviewing. Make sure that you take notes and form additional questions during the interview. Treat the whole process as research and try to make as many useful connections as possible. What happens to many people is that they don’t do much research and they don’t have many questions and the result is that they feel victimized by the process. If this is you, I want you to pin a note on your mirror that you will see in the morning that says “What questions should I ask”

The questions that you form during the interview make great raw material for follow up letters. The typical “thank you note” is worthless and is not an appropriate follow up to an interview. You need to send a note that engages and influences the interviewer, enhances a potential relationship, and separates you from your competitors. The worst thing that could happen in an interview is that you get nothing from the effort. You are going to have lots of competitors for every open position, so it is reasonable to think that you might lose out. But you are shooting yourself in the foot, if you don’t try to stand out from the crowd by your preparation and your professionalism. “Good grief, Charlie Brown,” make an impression and then leverage it to establish relationships with these people.

One of my clients recently landed a job with an organization nine months after her initial interview. She stayed in touch with the hiring manager with an occasional polite email. Then this past winter, just before Christmas, she got the call for the job. And she answered the phone in a very upbeat and positive manner.

“Are you calling me to tell me that you are now ready to hire me?” And the caller, surprised by the question, said “Yes, I am.”

Let me change gears here to give you some questions that you must be prepared to answer:

1. “Tell me about yourself?”
2. “What are your major weaknesses?”
3. “Where do you want to be in 5 years?”

Your reply should not be shorter than 20 seconds and no longer than two minutes. Always try to end your response on a positive note and with a question of your own.

One of the questions that you want to ask toward the end of the interview is “What do you like about me for this job position?” And more importantly “What would prevent you from hiring me?”

Basically, with these two questions you are asking for the job. It is very important to smoke out any show stoppers, because the interviewers may have formed an incorrect impression of you that you need to know about.

Now, I want you to start taking copious notes on the organizations that you are researching and writing down questions that you want answered during the interview. This is a skill that you develop through practice. Put on the demeanor of a consultant and be determined to find out if this organization is worth having you as an employee.