HR Interview Questions

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q7 Q! Q1# Q11 Q12 Q1) Q17 Q1* Q1! Q2# Q21 Q22 Q24 Q2) Q27 Q2* Q31 Q33 Q3) Tell me about yourself. What are your greatest strengths? What are your greatest weaknesses? Tell me about something you did or failed to do that you now feel a little ashamed of Why should hire you? Where do you see yourself fi"e years from now? $es%ribe your ideal %om&any' lo%ation and (ob. Why do you want to work at our %om&any? What are your %areer o&tions right now? What good books ha"e you read lately? What are your outside interest? The +,atal ,law- .uestion /ow do you feel about re&orting to a younger &erson 0minority' woman' et%1? 2n %onfidential matters Would you lie for the %om&any? 3ooking ba%k' what would you do differently in your life? 4an you work under &ressure? What makes you angry? Who has ins&ired you in your life and why? What was the toughest de%ision you e"er had to make? What %hanges would you make if you %ame on board? /ow do you feel about working nights and weekends? $o you ha"e the stoma%h to fire &eo&le?

Q37 What do you see as the &ro&er role5mission of a good 0(ob title you6re seeking17 a good manager7 an e8e%uti"e in ser"ing the %ommunity7 a leading %om&any in our industry7 et% Q3* What would you say to your boss if he6s %ra9y about an idea' but you think it stinks? Q3! /ow %ould you ha"e im&ro"ed your %areer &rogress? Q4# What would you do if a fellow e8e%uti"e on your own %or&orate le"el wasn6t &ulling his5her weight and this was hurting your de&artment? Q43 :i"e me an e8am&le of your %reati"ity 0analyti%al skill;managing ability' et%.1 Q44 Where %ould you use some im&ro"ement? Q4) What do you worry about? Q4< /ow many hours a week do you normally work? Q47 What6s the most diffi%ult &art of being a 0(ob title1? Q4* The +/y&otheti%al =roblemQ4! What was the toughest %hallenge you6"e e"er fa%ed? Q)# /a"e you %onsider starting your own business? Q)1 What are your goals? Q)3 >ell me this sta&ler;0this &en%il;this %lo%k;or some other ob(e%t on inter"iewer6s desk1. Q)* /ow do you define su%%ess;and how do you measure u& to your own definition? Q)! +The 2&inion Question- What do you think about? @bortion' The =resident' The $eath =enalty 0or any other %ontro"ersial sub(e%t1?

Q<# Q<2 Q<4

f you won A1# million lottery' would you still work? Why should hire you from the outside when %ould &romote someone from within? 2n a s%ale of one to ten' rate me as an inter"iewer

General Guidelines in Answering Interview Questions

B"eryone is ner"ous on inter"iews. f you sim&ly allow yourself to feel ner"ous' youCll do mu%h better. Demember also that itCs diffi%ult for the inter"iewer as well. n general' be u&beat and &ositi"e. Ee"er be negati"e. Dehearse your answers and time them. Ee"er talk for more than 2 minutes straight. $onCt try to memori9e answers word for word. Fse the answers shown here as a guide only' and donCt be afraid to in%lude your own thoughts and words. To hel& you remember key %on%e&ts' (ot down and re"iew a few key words for ea%h answer. Dehearse your answers fre.uently' and they will %ome to you naturally in inter"iews. @s you will read in the a%%om&anying re&ort' the single most im&ortant strategy in inter"iewing' as in all &hases of your (ob sear%h' is what we %allG "The Greatest Executive Job Finding Secret." @nd that is... Find out what people want, than show them how you can help them get it. ,ind out what an em&loyer wants most in his or her ideal %andidate' and then show how you meet those .ualifi%ations. n other words' you must mat%h your abilities' with the needs of the em&loyer. You must sell what the buyer is buying. To do that' before you know what to em&hasi9e in your answers' you must find out what the buyer is buying... what he is looking for. @nd the best way to do that is to ask a few .uestions yourself. Hou will see how to bring this off skillfully as you read the first two .uestions of this re&ort. Iut regardless of how you a%%om&lish it' you must remember this strategy abo"e allG before blurting out your ualifications! you must get some idea of what the em"loyer wants most . 2n%e you know what he wants' you %an then &resent your .ualifi%ations as the &erfe%t +key- that fits the +lo%k- of that &osition. J J J 2ther im&ortant inter"iew strategiesG Turn weaknesses into strengths 0HouCll see how to do this in a few moments.1 Think before you answer. @ &ause to %olle%t your thoughts is a hallmark of a thoughtful &erson.

@s a daily e8er%ise' &ra%ti%e being more o&timisti%. ,or e8am&le' try &utting a &ositi"e s&in on e"ents and situations you would normally regard as negati"e. This is not meant to turn you into a =ollyanna' but to shar&en your selling skills. The best sales&eo&le' as well as the best liked inter"iew %andidates' %ome off as being naturally o&timisti%' K%an doK &eo&le. Hou will dramati%ally raise your le"el of attra%ti"eness by daily &ra%ti%ing to be more o&timisti%.

Ie honest...ne"er lie. Lee& an inter"iew diary. Dight after ea%h inter"iew note what you did right' what %ould ha"e gone a little better' and what ste&s you should take ne8t with this %onta%t. Then take those ste&s. $onCt be like the !)M of humanity who say they will follow u& on something' but ne"er do. About The ! Questions Hou might feel that the answers to the following .uestions are +%anned-' and that they will seldom mat%h u& with the e8a%t way you are asked the .uestions in a%tual inter"iews. The .uestions and answers are designed to be as s&e%ifi% and realisti% as &ossible. Iut no &re&aration %an anti%i&ate thousands of &ossible "ariations on these .uestions. WhatCs im&ortant is that you thoroughly familiari9e yourself with the main strategies behind ea%h answer. @nd it will be in"aluable to you if you %ommit to memory a few key words that let you instantly %all to mind your best answer to the "arious .uestions. f you do this' and follow the &rin%i&les of su%%essful inter"iewing &resented here' youCre going to do "ery well. :ood lu%k...and good (ob?huntingN Question ". Tell me about yoursel#.

TRA$%G Ieware' about *#M of all inter"iews begin with this +inno%ent- .uestion. Oany %andidates' un&re&ared for the .uestion' skewer themsel"es by rambling' re%a&&ing their life story' del"ing into an%ient work history or &ersonal matters. &'%T A(%)'R* >tart with the &resent and tell why you are well .ualified for the &osition. Demember that the key to all su%%essful inter"iewing is to mat%h your .ualifi%ations to what the inter"iewer is looking for. n other words you must sell what the buyer is buying. This is the single most im"ortant strategy in #ob hunting. >o' before you answer this or any .uestion itCs im&erati"e that you try to un%o"er your inter"iewerCs greatest need' want' &roblem or goal. To do so' make you take these two ste&sG 1. $o all the homework you %an before the inter"iew to un%o"er this "erson$s wants and needs 0not the generali9ed needs of the industry or %om&any1 2. @s early as you %an in the inter"iew' ask for a more %om&lete des%ri&tion of what the &osition entails. Hou might sayG + ha"e a number of a%%om&lishments Cd like to tell you about' but want to make the best use of our time together and talk dire%tly to your needs. To hel& me do' that' %ould you tell me more about the most im&ortant &riorities of this &osition? @ll know is what 0heard from the re%ruiter' read in the %lassified ad' et%.1-

Then' %&'%YS follow(u" with a second and "ossibly! third uestion ' to draw out his needs e"en more. >ur&risingly' itCs usually this second or third .uestion that unearths what the inter"iewer is most looking for. Hou might ask sim&ly' K@nd in addition to that?...K or' K s there anything else you see as essential to su%%ess in this &osition?G This &ro%ess will not feel easy or natural at first' be%ause it is easier sim&ly to answer .uestions' but only if you un%o"er the em&loyerCs wants and needs will your answers make the most sense. =ra%ti%e asking these key .uestions before gi"ing your answers' the &ro%ess will feel more natural and you will be light years ahead of the other #ob candidates you$re com"eting with. @fter un%o"ering what the em&loyer is looking for' des%ribe why the needs of this (ob bear striking &arallels to tasks youC"e su%%eeded at before. Ie sure to illustrate with s&e%ifi% e8am&les of your res&onsibilities and es&e%ially your a%hie"ements' all of whi%h are geared to &resent yourself as a &erfe%t mat%h for the needs he has (ust des%ribed. Question +. )hat are your greatest strengths, TRA$%* This .uestion seems like a softball lob' but be &re&ared. Hou donCt want to %ome a%ross as egotisti%al or arrogant. Eeither is this a time to be humble.

&'%T A(%)'R* Hou know that your key strategy is to first un%o"er your inter"iewerCs greatest wants and needs before you answer .uestions. @nd from Question 1' you know how to do this. =rior to any inter"iew' you should ha"e a list mentally &re&ared of your greatest strengths. Hou should also ha"e' a s&e%ifi% e8am&le or two' whi%h illustrates ea%h strength' an e8am&le %hosen from your most re%ent and most im&ressi"e a%hie"ements. Hou should' ha"e this list of your greatest strengths and %orres&onding e8am&les from your a%hie"ements so well %ommitted to memory that you %an re%ite them %old after being shaken awake at 2G3#@O. Then' on%e you un%o"er your inter"iewerCs greatest wants and needs' you %an %hoose those a%hie"ements from your list that best mat%h u&. @s a general guideline' the 1# most desirable traits that all em&loyers lo"e to see in their em&loyees areG 1. @ &ro"en tra%k re%ord as an a%hie"er... es"ecially if your achievements match u" with the em"loyer$s greatest wants and needs. 2. ntelligen%e...management Ksa""yK. 3. /onesty...integrity...a de%ent human being.

4. :ood fit with %or&orate %ulture...someone to feel %omfortable with...a team &layer who meshes well with inter"iewerCs team. ). 3ikeability...&ositi"e attitude...sense of humor. <. :ood %ommuni%ation skills. 7. $edi%ation...willingness to walk the e8tra mile to a%hie"e e8%ellen%e. *. $efiniteness of &ur&ose...%lear goals. !. Bnthusiasm...high le"el of moti"ation. 1#. 4onfident...healthy...a leader. Question -. )hat are your greatest wea.nesses, TRA$%G Ieware ? this is an eliminator .uestion' designed to shorten the %andidate list. @ny admission of a weakness or fault will earn you an +@- for honesty' but an +,- for the inter"iew. $A%%A&/' A(%)'R* $isguise strength as a weakness. Exam"le) + sometimes &ush my &eo&le too hard. not always on the same wa"elength.like to work with a sense of urgen%y and e"eryone is

*rawbac+) This strategy is better than admitting a flaw' but itCs so widely used' it is trans&arent to any e8&erien%ed inter"iewer. &'%T A(%)'RG 0and another reason itCs so im&ortant to get a thorough des%ri&tion of your inter"iewerCs needs before you answer .uestions1G @ssure the inter"iewer that you %an think of nothing that would stand in the way of your &erforming in this &osition with e8%ellen%e. Then' .ui%kly re"iew you strongest .ualifi%ations. Exam"le) +EobodyCs &erfe%t' but based on what youC"e told me about this &osition' belie"e C d make an outstanding mat%h. know that when hire &eo&le' look for two things most of all. $o they ha"e the ualifications to do the (ob well' and the motivation to do it well? B"erything in my ba%kground shows ha"e both the .ualifi%ations and a strong desire to a%hie"e e8%ellen%e in whate"er take on. >o %an say in all honesty that see nothing that would %ause you e"en a small %on%ern about my ability or my strong desire to &erform this (ob with e8%ellen%e.%lternate strategy 0if you donCt yet know enough about the &osition to talk about su%h a &erfe%t fit1G nstead of %onfessing a weakness' des%ribe what you li+e most and li+e least' making sure that what you like most mat%hes u& with the most im&ortant .ualifi%ation for su%%ess in the &osition' and what you like least is not essential.

Exam"le) 3etCs say youCre a&&lying for a tea%hing &osition. + f gi"en a %hoi%e' like to s&end as mu%h time as &ossible in front of my &ros&e%ts selling' as o&&osed to shuffling &a&erwork ba%k at the offi%e. 2f %ourse' long ago learned the im&ortan%e of filing &a&erwork &ro&erly' and do it %ons%ientiously. Iut what really lo"e to do is sell 0if your inter"iewer were a sales manager' this should be musi% to his ears.1 Question !. Tell me about something you did 0 or #ailed to do 0 that you now #eel a little ashamed o#. TRA$%* There are some .uestions your inter"iewer has no business asking' and this is one. Iut while you may feel like answering' +none of your business!, naturally you %an6t. >ome inter"iewers ask this .uestion on the %han%e you admit to something' but if not' at least they6ll see how you think on your feet. >ome un&re&ared %andidates' flustered by this .uestion' unburden themsel"es of guilt from their &ersonal life or %areer' &erha&s e8&ressing regrets regarding a &arent' s&ouse' %hild' et%. @ll su%h answers %an be disastrous. &'%T A(%)'R* @s with faults and weaknesses' never confess a regret. Iut don6t seem as if you6re stonewalling either. -est strategy) >ay you harbor no regrets' then add a &rin%i&le or habit you &ra%ti%e regularly for healthy human relations. Exam"le) =ause for refle%tion' as if the .uestion ne"er o%%urred to you. Then say' +Hou know' really %an6t think of anything.- 0=ause again' then add1G + would add that as a general management &rin%i&le' 6"e found that the best way to a"oid regrets is to a"oid %ausing them in the first &la%e. &ra%ti%e one habit that hel&s me a great deal in this regard. @t the end of ea%h day' mentally re"iew the day6s e"ents and %on"ersations to take a se%ond look at the &eo&le and de"elo&ments 6m in"ol"ed with and do a double?%he%k of what they6re likely to be feeling. >ometimes 6ll see things that do need more follow?u&' whether a &at on the ba%k' or maybe a fi"e minute %hat in someone6s offi%e to make sure we6re %lear on things;whate"er.+ also like to make ea%h &erson feel like a member of an elite team' like the Ioston 4elti%s or 3@ 3akers in their &rime. 6"e found that if you let ea%h team member know you e8&e%t e8%ellen%e in their &erforman%e;if you work hard to set an e8am&le yourself;and if you let &eo&le know you a&&re%iate and res&e%t their feelings' you wind u& with a highly moti"ated grou&' a team that6s ha"ing fun at work be%ause they6re stri"ing for e8%ellen%e rather than brooding o"er slights or regrets.Question 1. )hy are you leaving 2or did you leave3 this position, TRA$%* Ee"er badmouth your &re"ious industry' %om&any' board' boss' staff' em&loyees or %ustomers. This rule is in"iolableG never be negative. @ny mud you hurl will only soil your suit. Bs&e%ially a"oid words like +&ersonality %lash-' +didn6t get along-' or others whi%h %ast a shadow on your %om&eten%e' integrity' or tem&erament. &'%T A(%)'R*

./f you have a #ob "resently0 f you6re not yet 1##M %ommitted to lea"ing your &resent &ost' don6t be afraid to say so. >in%e you ha"e a (ob' you are in a stronger &osition than someone who does not. Iut don6t be %oy either. >tate honestly what you6d be ho&ing to find in a new s&ot. 2f %ourse' as stated often before' you answer will all the stronger if you ha"e already un%o"ered what this &osition is all about and you mat%h your desires to it. ./f you do not "resently have a #ob.0 Ee"er lie about ha"ing been fired. t6s unethi%al and too easily %he%ked. Iut do try to defle%t the reason from you &ersonally. f your firing was the result of a takeo"er' merger' di"ision wide layoff' et%.' so mu%h the better. Iut you should also do something totally unnatural that will demonstrate %onsummate &rofessionalism. B"en if it hurts ' des%ribe your own firing %andidly' su%%in%tly and without a tra%e of bitterness from the com"any1s &oint?of?"iew' indi%ating that you %ould understand why it ha&&ened and you might ha"e made the same de%ision yourself. Hour stature will rise immensely and' most im&ortant of all' you will show you are healed from the wounds infli%ted by the firing. Hou will enhan%e your image as first?%lass management material and stand head and shoulders abo"e the legions of firing "i%tims who' at the slightest &ro"o%ation' 9i& o&en their shirts to e8&ose their battle s%ars and de%ry the unfairness of it all. For all "rior "ositions) Oake sure you6"e &re&ared a brief reason for lea"ing. -est reasons) more money' o&&ortunity' res&onsibility or growth.

Question . The 4%ilent Treatment5 TRA$%* -eware if you are un&re&ared for this .uestion' you will &robably not handle it right and &ossibly blow the inter"iew. Thank goodness most inter"iewers don6t em&loy it. t6s normally used by those determined to see how you res&ond under stress. /ere6s how it worksG Hou answer an inter"iewer6s .uestion and then' instead of asking another' he (ust stares at you in a deafening silen%e. Hou wait' growing a bit uneasy' and there he sits' silent as Ot. Dushmore' as if he doesn6t belie"e what you6"e (ust said' or &erha&s making you feel that you6"e unwittingly "iolated some %ardinal rule of inter"iew eti.uette. When you get this silent treatment after answering a &arti%ularly diffi%ult .uestion ' su%h as +tell me about your weaknesses-' its intimidating effe%t %an be most dis.uieting' e"en to &olished (ob hunters. Oost un&re&ared %andidates rush in to fill the "oid of silen%e' "iewing &rolonged' un%omfortable silen%es as an in"itation to %lear u& the &re"ious answer whi%h has ob"iously %aused some &roblem. @nd that6s what they do ramble on' s&uttering more and more information' sometimes irrele"ant and often damaging' be%ause they are suddenly &laying the role of someone who6s goofed and is now trying to

re%ou&. Iut sin%e the %andidate doesn6t know where or how he goofed' he (ust kee&s talking' showing how flustered and %onfused he is by the inter"iewer6s unmo"able silen%e. &'%T A(%)'R* 3ike a &rimiti"e tribal mask' the >ilent Treatment loses all it &ower to frighten you on%e you refuse to be intimidated. f your inter"iewer &ulls it' kee& .uiet yourself for a while and then ask' with sin%ere &oliteness and not a tra%e of sar%asm' 2/s there anything else / can fill in on that "oint3, That6s all there is to it. Whate"er you do' don6t let the >ilent Treatment intimidate you into talking a blue streak' be%ause you %ould easily talk yourself out of the &osition. Question 6. )hy should I hire you, TRA$%* Ielie"e it or not' this is a killer .uestion be%ause so many %andidates are un&re&ared for it. f you stammer or adlib you6"e blown it. &'%T A(%)'R* Iy now you %an see how %riti%al it is to a&&ly the o"erall strategy of un%o"ering the em&loyer6s needs before you answer .uestions. f you know the em&loyer6s greatest needs and desires' this .uestion will gi"e you a big leg u& o"er other %andidates be%ause you will gi"e him better reasons for hiring you than anyone else is likely to;reasons tied dire%tly to his needs. Whether your inter"iewer asks you this .uestion ex"licitly or not' this is the most im&ortant .uestion of your inter"iew be%ause he must answer this .uestion fa"orably in is own mind before you will be hired. So hel" him out4 Walk through ea%h of the &osition6s re.uirements as you understand them' and follow ea%h with a reason why you meet that re.uirement so well. Exam"le) +@s understand your needs' you are first and foremost looking for someone who %an manage the sales and marketing of your book &ublishing di"ision. @s you6"e said you need someone with a strong ba%kground in trade book sales. This is where 6"e s&ent almost all of my %areer' so 6"e %halked u& 1* years of e8&erien%e e8a%tly in this area. belie"e that know the right %onta%ts' methods' &rin%i&les' and su%%essful management te%hni.ues as well as any &erson %an in our industry.+Hou also need someone who %an e8&and your book distribution %hannels. n my &rior &ost' my inno"ati"e &romotional ideas doubled' then tri&led' the number of outlets selling our books. 6m %onfident %an do the same for you.+Hou need someone to gi"e a new shot in the arm to your mail order sales' someone who knows how to sell in s&a%e and dire%t mail media. /ere' too' belie"e ha"e e8a%tly the e8&erien%e you need. n the last fi"e years' 6"e in%reased our mail order book sales from A<##'### to A2'*##'###' and now we6re the %ountry6s se%ond leading marketer of s%ientifi% and medi%al books by mail.- Etc.! etc.! etc.! B"ery one of these selling +%ou&lets- 0his need mat%hed by your .ualifi%ations1 is a tou%hdown that runs u& your s%ore. T is your best o&&ortunity to outsell your %om&etition. Question 7. Aren8t you over9uali#ied #or this position,

TRA$%* The em&loyer may be %on%erned that you6ll grow dissatisfied and lea"e. &'%T A(%)'R* @s with any ob(e%tion' don6t "iew this as a sign of imminent defeat. t6s an in"itation to tea%h the inter"iewer a new way to think about this situation' seeing ad"antages instead of drawba%ks. Exam"le) + re%ogni9e the (ob market for what it is a market&la%e. 3ike any market&la%e' it6s sub(e%t to the laws of su&&ly and demand. >o Po"er.ualified6 %an be a relati"e term' de&ending on how tight the (ob market is. @nd right now' it6s "ery tight. understand and a%%e&t that.+ also belie"e that there %ould be "ery &ositi"e benefits for both of us in this mat%h.+Ie%ause of my unusually strong e8&erien%e in QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ ' %ould start to %ontribute right away' &erha&s mu%h faster than someone who6d ha"e to be brought along more slowly.+There6s also the "alue of all the training and years of e8&erien%e that other %om&anies ha"e in"ested tens of thousands of dollars to gi"e me. Hou6d be getting all the "alue of that without ha"ing to &ay an e8tra dime for it. With someone who has yet to a%.uire that e8&erien%e' he6d ha"e to gain it on your nic+el.+ %ould also hel& you in many things they don6t tea%h at the /ar"ard Iusiness >%hool. ,or e8am&le; 0how to hire' train' moti"ate' et%.1 When it %omes to knowing how to work well with &eo&le and getting the most out of them' there6s (ust no substitute for what you learn o"er many years of front?line e8&erien%e. Hou %om&any would gain all this' too.+,rom my side' there are strong benefits' as well. Dight now' am unem&loyed. want to work' very much' and the &osition you ha"e here is e8a%tly what lo"e to do and am best at. 6ll be ha&&y doing this work and that6s what matters most to me' a lot more that money or title.+Oost im&ortant' 6m looking to make a long term %ommitment in my %areer now. 6"e had enough of (ob? hunting and want a &ermanent s&ot at this &oint in my %areer. also know that if &erform this (ob with e8%ellen%e' other o&&ortunities %annot hel& but o&en u& for me right here. n time' 6ll find many other ways to hel& this %om&any and in so doing' hel& myself. really am looking to make a long?term %ommitment.E2TBG The main %on%ern behind the +o"er.ualified- .uestion is that you will lea"e your new em&loyer as soon as something better %omes your way. @nything you %an say to demonstrate the sin%erity of your %ommitment to the em&loyer and reassure him that you6re looking to stay for the long?term will hel& you o"er%ome this ob(e%tion. Question :. )here do you see yoursel# #ive years #rom now, TRA$%* 2ne reason inter"iewers ask this .uestion is to see if you6re settling for this &osition' using it merely as a sto&o"er until something better %omes along. 2r they %ould be trying to gauge your le"el of ambition. f you6re too s&e%ifi%' i.e.' naming the &romotions you someday ho&e to win' you6ll sound &resum&tuous. f you6re too "ague' you6ll seem rudderless.

&'%T A(%)'R* Deassure your inter"iewer that you6re looking to make a long?term %ommitment; that this &osition entails e8a%tly what you6re looking to do and what you do e8tremely well. @s for your future' you belie"e that if you &erform ea%h (ob at hand with e8%ellen%e' future o&&ortunities will take %are of themsel"es. Exam"le) + am definitely interested in making a long?term %ommitment to my ne8t &osition. Rudging by what you6"e told me about this &osition' it6s e8a%tly what 6m looking for and what am "ery well .ualified to do. n terms of my future %areer &ath' 6m %onfident that if do my work with e8%ellen%e' o&&ortunities will ine"itable o&en u& for me. t6s always been that way in my %areer' and 6m %onfident 6ll ha"e similar o&&ortunities here.Question ";. <escribe your ideal company, location and =ob. TRA$%* This is often asked by an e8&erien%ed inter"iewer who thinks you may be o"er.ualified' but knows better than to show his hand by &osing his ob(e%tion dire%tly. >o he6ll use this .uestion instead' whi%h often gets a %andidate to re"eal that' indeed' he or she is looking for something other than the &osition at hand. &'%T A(%)'R* The only right answer is to des%ribe what this %om&any is offering' being sure to make your answer belie"able with s&e%ifi% reasons' stated with sin%erity' why ea%h .uality re&resented by this o&&ortunity is attra%ti"e to you. Demember that if you6re %oming from a %om&any that6s the leader in its field or from a glamorous or mu%h admired %om&any' industry' %ity or &osition' your inter"iewer and his %om&any may well ha"e an +@"is- %om&le8. That is' they may feel a bit defensi"e about being +se%ond best- to the &la%e you6re %oming from' worried that you may %onsider them bush league. This an8iety %ould well be there e"en though you6"e done nothing to ins&ire it. Hou must go out of your way to assuage su%h an8iety' e"en if it6s not e8&ressed' by &utting their "irtues high on the list of e8a%tly what you6re looking for' &ro"iding %redible reason for wanting these .ualities. f you do not e8&ress genuine enthusiasm for the firm' its %ulture' lo%ation' industry' et%.' you may fail to answer this +@"is- %om&le8 ob(e%tion and' as a result' lea"e the inter"iewer sus&e%ting that a hot shot like you' %oming from a ,ortune )## %om&any in Eew Hork' (ust wouldn6t be ha&&y at an unknown manufa%turer based in To&eka' Lansas. Question "". )hy do you want to wor. at our company, TRA$%* This .uestion tests whether you6"e done any homework about the firm. lose. f you ha"e' you win big. f you ha"en6t' you

&'%T A(%)'R* This .uestion is your o&&ortunity to hit the ball out of the &ark' thanks to the in?de&th resear%h you should do before any inter"iew. Iest sour%es for resear%hing your target %om&anyG annual re&orts' the %or&orate newsletter' %onta%ts you know at the %om&any or its su&&liers' ad"ertisements' arti%les about the %om&any in the trade &ress.

Question "+. )hat are your career options right now, TRA$%* The inter"iewer is trying to find out' 25ow des"erate are you3, &'%T A(%)'R* =re&are for this .uestion by thinking of how you %an &osition yourself as a desired %ommodity. f you are still working' des%ribe the &ossibilities at your &resent firm and why' though you6re greatly a&&re%iated there' you6re looking for something more 0%hallenge' money' res&onsibility' et%.1. @lso mention that you6re seriously e8&loring o&&ortunities with one or two other firms. f you6re not working' you %an talk about other em&loyment &ossibilities you6re a%tually e8&loring. Iut do this with a light tou%h' s&eaking only in general terms. Hou don6t want to seem mani&ulati"e or %oy. Question "-. )hy have you been out o# wor. so long, TRA$%* @ tough .uestion if you6"e been on the bea%h a long time. Hou don6t want to seem like damaged goods. &'%T A(%)'R* Hou want to em&hasi9e fa%tors whi%h ha"e &rolonged your (ob sear%h by your own %hoi%e. Exam"le) +@fter my (ob was terminated' made a %ons%ious de%ision not to (um& on the first o&&ortunities to %ome along. n my life' 6"e found out that you %an always turn a negati"e into a &ositi"e , you try hard enough. This is what determined to do. de%ided to take whate"er time needed to think through what do best' what most want to do' where 6d like to do it;and then identify those %om&anies that %ould offer su%h an o&&ortunity.+@lso' in all honesty' you ha"e to fa%tor in the re%ession 0%onsolidation' stabili9ation' et%.1 in the 0banking' finan%ial ser"i%es' manufa%turing' ad"ertising' et%.1 industry.+>o between my being sele%ti"e and the %om&anies in our industry downsi9ing' the &ro%ess has taken time. Iut in the end' 6m %on"in%ed that when do find the right mat%h' all that %areful e"aluation from both sides of the desk will ha"e been well worthwhile for both the %om&any that hires me and myself. Question "!. Tell me honestly about the strong points and wea. points o# your boss 2company, management team, etc.3> TRA$%* >killful inter"iewers sometimes make it almost irresistible to o&en u& and air a little dirty laundry from your &re"ious &osition. $2E6T &'%T A(%)'R* Demember the ruleG Ee"er be negati"e. >tress only the good &oints' no matter how %harmingly you6re in"ited to be %riti%al. Hour inter"iewer doesn6t %are a whit about your &re"ious boss. /e wants to find out how loyal and &ositi"e you are' and whether you6ll %riti%i9e him behind his ba%k if &ressed to do so by someone in this own %om&any. This .uestion is your o&&ortunity to demonstrate your loyalty to those you work with.

Question "1. )hat good boo.s have you read lately, TRA$%* @s in all matters of your inter"iew' ne"er fake familiarity you don6t ha"e. Het you don6t want to seem like a dullard who hasn6t read a book sin%e Tom Sawyer. &'%T A(%)'R* Fnless you6re u& for a &osition in a%ademia or as book %riti% for The 6ew Yor+ Times' you6re not e8&e%ted to be a literary lion. Iut it wouldn6t hurt to ha"e read a handful of the most re%ent and influential books in your &rofession and on management. 4onsider it &art of the work of your (ob sear%h to read u& on a few of these leading books. Iut make sure they are uality books that refle%t fa"orably u&on you' nothing that %ould e"en remotely be %onsidered su&erfi%ial. ,inally' add a re%ently &ublished bestselling work of fi%tion by a world?%lass author and you6ll &ass this .uestion with flying %olors. Question" . Tell me about a situation when your wor. was critici?ed. TRA$%* This is a tough .uestion be%ause it6s a more %le"er and subtle way to get you to admit to a weakness. Hou %an6t dodge it by &retending you6"e ne"er been %riti%i9ed. B"erybody has been. Het it %an be .uite damaging to start admitting &otential faults and failures that you6d (ust as soon lea"e buried. This .uestion is also intended to &robe how well you a%%e&t %riti%ism and dire%tion. &'%T A(%)'R%* Iegin by em&hasi9ing the e8tremely &ositi"e feedba%k you6"e gotten throughout your %areer and 0if it6s true1 that your &erforman%e re"iews ha"e been uniformly e8%ellent. 2f %ourse' no one is &erfe%t and you always wel%ome suggestions on how to im&ro"e your &erforman%e. Then' gi"e an e8am&le of a not?too?damaging learning e8&erien%e from early in your %areer and relate the ways this lesson has sin%e hel&ed you. This demonstrates that you learned from the e8&erien%e and the lesson is now one of the strongest breast&lates in your suit of armor. f you are &ressed for a %riti%ism from a recent &osition' %hoose something fairly tri"ial that in no way is essential to your su%%essful &erforman%e. @dd that you6"e learned from this' too' and o"er the &ast se"eral years5months' it6s no longer an area of %on%ern be%ause you now make it a regular &ra%ti%e to;et%. @nother way to answer this .uestion would be to des%ribe your intention to broaden your master of an area of growing im&ortan%e in your field. ,or e8am&le' this might be a %om&uter &rogram you6"e been meaning to sit down and learn; a new management te%hni.ue you6"e read about;or &erha&s attending a seminar on some %utting?edge bran%h of your &rofession. @gain' the key is to fo%us on something not essential to your brilliant &erforman%e but whi%h adds yet another dimension to your already im&ressi"e knowledge base. Question "6. )hat are your outside interests,

TRA$%* Hou want to be a well?rounded' not a drone. Iut your &otential em&loyer would be e"en more turned off if he sus&e%ts that your hea"y e8tra%urri%ular load will interfere with your %ommitment to your work duties. &'%T A(%)'R%* Try to gauge how this %om&any6s %ulture would look u&on your fa"orite outside a%ti"ities and be guided a%%ordingly. Hou %an also use this .uestion to shatter any stereoty&es that %ould limit your %han%es. f you6re o"er )#' for e8am&le' des%ribe your a%ti"ities that demonstrate &hysi%al stamina. f you6re young' mention an a%ti"ity that %onnotes wisdom and institutional trust' su%h as ser"ing on the board of a &o&ular %harity. Iut abo"e all' remember that your em&loyer is hiring your for what you %an do for him' not your family' yourself or outside organi9ations' no matter how admirable those a%ti"ities may be. Question "7. The 4Fatal Flaw5 9uestion TRA$%* f an inter"iewer has read your resume %arefully' he may try to 9ero in on a +fatal flaw- of your %andida%y' &erha&s that you don6t ha"e a %ollege degree;you6"e been out of the (ob market for some time;you ne"er earned your 4=@' et%. @ fatal flaw .uestion %an be deadly' but usually only if you res&ond by being o"erly defensi"e. &'%T A(%)'R%* @s e"ery master sales&erson knows' you will en%ounter ob(e%tions 0whether stated or merely thought1 in every sale. They6re &art and &ar%el of the buyer6s an8iety. The key is not to exacerbate the buyer6s an8iety but diminish it. /ere6s how; Whene"er you %ome u& against a fatal flaw .uestionG 1. Ie %om&letely honest' o&en and straightforward about admitting the short%oming. 0>howing you ha"e nothing to hide diminishes the buyer6s an8iety.1 2. $o not a&ologi9e or try to e8&lain it away. Hou know that this su&&osed flaw is nothing to be %on%erned about' and this is the attitude you want your inter"iewer to ado&t as well. 3. @dd that as desirable as su%h a .ualifi%ation might be' its la%k has made you work all the harder throughout your %areer and has not &re"ented you from %om&iling an outstanding ta%k re%ord of a%hie"ements. Hou might e"en gi"e e8am&les of how' through a relentless %ommitment to e8%ellen%e' you ha"e %onsistently out&erformed those who do ha"e this .ualifi%ation. 2f %ourse' the ultimate way to handle +fatal flaw- .uestions is to "revent them from arising in the first &la%e. Hou will do that by following the master strategy des%ribed in Question 1' i.e.' un%o"ering the em&loyers needs and them mat%hing your .ualifi%ations to those needs. 2n%e you6"e gotten the em&loyer to start talking about his most urgently?felt wants and goals for the &osition' and then hel& him see in ste&?by?ste& fashion how &erfe%tly your ba%kground and a%hie"ements

mat%h u& with those needs' you6re going to ha"e one "ery enthusiasti% inter"iewer on your hands' one who is no longer looking for +fatal flaws-. Question ":. How do you #eel about reporting to a younger person 2minority, woman, etc3, TRA$%* t6s a shame that some inter"iewers feel the need to ask this .uestion' but many understand the reality that &re(udi%es still e8ist among some (ob %andidates' and it6s better to try to flush them out beforehand. The tra& here is that in today6s &oliti%ally sensiti9ed en"ironment' e"en a well(intentioned answer %an result in &lanting your foot neatly in your mouth. @"oid anything whi%h sma%ks of a &atroni9ing or an insensiti"e attitude' su%h as + think they make terrifi% bosses- or +/ey' some of my best friends are;2f %ourse' sin%e almost anyone with an Q abo"e room tem&erature will at least try to steadfastly affirm the right answer here' your inter"iewer will be (udging your sincerity most of all. 2*o you really feel that way3, is what he or she will be wondering. >o you must make your answer belie"able and not (ust automati%. f the firm is wise enough to ha"e &romoted &eo&led on the basis of ability alone' they6re likely .uite &roud of it' and &refer to hire others who will wholeheartedly share their strong sense of fair &lay. &'%T A(%)'R* Hou greatly admire a %om&any that hires and &romotes on merit alone and you %ouldn6t agree more with that &hiloso&hy. The age 0gender' ra%e' et%.1 of the &erson you re&ort to would certainly make no differen%e to you. Whoe"er has that &osition has ob"iously earned it and knows their (ob well. Ioth the &erson and the &osition are fully deser"ing of res&e%t. Hou belie"e that all &eo&le in a %om&any' from the re%e&tionist to the 4hairman' work best when their abilities' efforts and feelings are res&e%ted and rewarded fairly' and that in%ludes you. That6s the best ty&e of work en"ironment you %an ho&e to find. Question +;. @n con#idential matters> TRA$%* When an inter"iewer &resses you to re"eal %onfidential information about a &resent or former em&loyer' you may feel it6s a no?win situation. f you %oo&erate' you %ould be (udged untrustworthy. f you don6t' you may irritate the inter"iewer and seem obstinate' un%oo&erati"e or o"erly sus&i%ious. &'%T A(%)'R* Hour inter"iewer may &ress you for this information for two reasons. ,irst' many %om&anies use inter"iews to resear%h the %om&etition. t6s a &erfe%t set?u&. /ere in their own lair' is an insider from the enemy %am& who %an re"eal &ri9ed information on the %om&etition6s &lans' resear%h' finan%ial %ondition' et%. >e%ond' the %om&any may be testing your integrity to see if you %an be %a(oled or bullied into re"ealing %onfidential data.

What to do? The answer here is easy. 6ever re"eal anything truly %onfidential about a &resent or former em&loyer. Iy all means' e8&lain your reti%en%e di"lomatically. ,or e8am&le' + %ertainly want to be as o&en as %an about that. Iut also wish to res&e%t the rights of those who ha"e trusted me with their most sensiti"e information' (ust as you would ho&e to be able to trust any of your key &eo&le when talking with a %om&etitor;@nd %ertainly you %an allude to your finest a%hie"ements in s&e%ifi% ways that don6t re"eal the %ombination to the %om&any safe. Iut be guided by the golden rule. f you were the owner of your &resent %om&any' would you feel it ethi%ally wrong for the information to be gi"en to your %om&etitors? f so' steadfastly refuse to re"eal it. Demember that this .uestion &its your desire to be %oo&erati"e against your integrity. ,a%ed with any su%h %hoi%e' always choose integrity. t is a far more "aluable %ommodity than whate"er information the %om&any may &ry from you. Ooreo"er' on%e you surrender the information' your sto%k goes down. They will surely lose res&e%t for you. 2ne =resident we know always &resses %andidates unmer%ifully for %onfidential information. f he doesn6t get it' he grows "isibly annoyed' relentlessly in.uisiti"e' /t1s all an act. /e %ouldn6t %are less about the information. This is his way of testing the %andidate6s moral fiber. 2nly those who hold fast are hired. Question +". )ould you lie #or the company, TRA$%* This another .uestion that &its two "alues against one another' in this %ase loyalty against integrity. &'%T A(%)'R* Try to a"oid %hoosing between two "alues' gi"ing a &ositi"e statement whi%h %o"ers all bases instead. Exam"le) + would ne"er do anything to hurt the %om&any..f aggressi"ely &ressed to %hoose between two %om&eting "alues' always choose "ersonal integrity. t is the most &ri9ed of all "alues. Question ++. /oo.ing bac., what would you do di##erently in your li#e, TRA$%* This .uestion is usually asked to un%o"er any life?influen%ing mistakes' regrets' disa&&ointments or &roblems that may %ontinue to affe%t your &ersonality and &erforman%e. Hou do not want to gi"e the inter"iewer anything negati"e to remember you by' su%h as some great &ersonal or %areer disa&&ointment' e"en long ago' that you wish %ould ha"e been a"oided. Eor do you wish to gi"e any answer whi%h may hint that your whole heart and soul will not be in your work.

&'%T A(%)'R* ndi%ate that you are a ha&&y' fulfilled' o&timisti% &erson and that' in general' you wouldn6t %hange a thing. Exam"le) + t6s been a good life' ri%h in learning and e8&erien%e' and the best it yet to %ome. B"ery e8&erien%e in life is a lesson it its own way. wouldn6t %hange a thing.Question +-. Aould you have done better in your last =ob, TRA$%* This is no time for true %onfessions of ma(or or e"en minor &roblems. &'%T A(%)'R* @gain never be negative. Exam"le) + su&&ose with the benefit of hindsight you %an always find things to do better' of %ourse' but off the to& of my head' %an6t think of anything of ma(or %onse.uen%e../f more ex"lanation seems necessary0 $es%riber a situation that didn6t suffer be%ause of you but from e8ternal %onditions beyond your %ontrol. ,or e8am&le' des%ribe the disa&&ointment you felt with a test %am&aign' new &rodu%t laun%h' merger' et%.' whi%h looked &romising at first' but led to underwhelming results. + wish we %ould ha"e known at the start what we later found out 0about the e%onomy turning' the market&la%e %hanging' et%.1' but sin%e we %ouldn6t' we (ust had to go for it. @nd we did learn from it;Question +!. Aan you wor. under pressure, TRA$%* @n easy .uestion' but you want to make your answer believable. &'%T A(%)'R* @bsolutely;0then &ro"e it with a "i"id e8am&le or two of a goal or &ro(e%t a%%om&lished under se"ere &ressure.1

Question +1. )hat ma.es you angry, TRA$%* Hou don6t want to %ome a%ross either as a hothead or a wim&. &'%T A(%)'R* :i"e an answer that6s suited to both your &ersonality and the management style of the firm. /ere' the homework you6"e done about the %om&any and its style %an hel& in your %hoi%e of words. Exam"les) /f you are a reserved "erson and7or the cor"orate culture is coolly "rofessional) + 6m an e"en?tem&ered and &ositi"e &erson by nature' and belie"e this hel&s me a great deal in kee&ing my de&artment running smoothly' harmoniously and with a genuine es"rit de cor"s. belie"e in %ommuni%ating %learly what6s e8&e%ted' getting &eo&le6s %ommitment to those goals' and then following u& %ontinuously to %he%k &rogress.-

+ f anyone or anything is going off tra%k' want to know about it early. f' after that kind of o&en %ommuni%ation and follow u&' someone isn6t getting the (ob done' 6ll want to know why. f there6s no good reason' then 6ll get im&atient and angry;and take a&&ro&riate ste&s from there. Iut if you hire good &eo&le' moti"ate them to stri"e for e8%ellen%e and then follow u& %onstantly' it almost ne"er gets to that state./f you are feisty by nature and7or the "osition calls for a tough straw boss. +Hou know what makes me angry? =eo&le who 0the fill in the blanks with the most ob(e%tionable traits for this ty&e of &osition1;&eo&le who don6t &ull their own weight' who are negati"e' &eo&le who lie; et%.Question + . )hy aren8t you earning more money at this stage o# your career, TRA$%* Hou don6t want to gi"e the im&ression that money is not im&ortant to you' yet you want to e8&lain why your salary may be a little below industry standards. &'%T A(%)'R* Hou like to make money' but other fa%tors are e"en more im&ortant. Exam"le) +Oaking money is "ery im&ortant to me' and one reason 6m here is be%ause 6m looking to make more. Throughout my %areer' what6s been e"en more im&ortant to me is doing work really like to do at the kind of %om&any like and res&e%t. 0Then be &re&ared to be s&e%ifi% about what your ideal &osition and %om&any would be like' mat%hing them as %losely as &ossible to the o&&ortunity at hand. Question +6. )ho has inspired you in your li#e and why,

TRA$%* The two tra&s here are un&re&aredness and irrele"an%e. f you gro&e for an answer' it seems you6"e ne"er been ins&ired. f you ramble about your high s%hool basketball %oa%h' you6"e wasted an o&&ortunity to &resent .ualities of great "alue to the %om&any. &'%T A(%)'R* /a"e a few heroes in mind' from your mental +Ioard of $ire%tors- 3eaders in your industry' from history or anyone else who has been your mentor. Ie &re&ared to gi"e e8am&les of how their words' a%tions or tea%hings ha"e hel&ed ins&ire your a%hie"ements. @s always' &re&are an answer whi%h highlights .ualities that would be highly "aluable in the &osition you are seeking. Question +7. )hat was the toughest decision you ever had to ma.e, TRA$%* :i"ing an un&re&ared or irrele"ant answer.

&'%T A(%)'R* Ie &re&ared with a good e8am&le' e8&laining why the de%ision was diffi%ult;the &ro%ess you followed in rea%hing it;the %ourageous or effe%ti"e way you %arried it out;and the benefi%ial results. Question +:. Tell me about the most boring =ob you8ve ever had. TRA$%* Hou gi"e a "ery memorable des%ri&tion of a "ery boring (ob. Desult? Hou be%ome asso%iated with this boring (ob in the inter"iewer6s mind. &'%T A(%)'R* Hou ha"e ne"er allowed yourself to grow bored with a (ob and you %an6t understand it when others let themsel"es fall into that rut. Exam"le) 2=erha&s 6"e been fortunate' but that 6"e ne"er found myself bored with any (ob ha"e e"er held. 6"e always en(oyed hard work. @s with a%tors who feel there are no small &arts' also belie"e that in e"ery %om&any or de&artment there are e8%iting %hallenges and intriguing &roblems %rying out for energeti% and enthusiasti% solutions. f you6re bored' it6s &robably be%ause you6re not %hallenging yourself to ta%kle those &roblems right under your nose.Question -;. Have you been absent #rom wor. more than a #ew days in any previous position, TRA$%* f you6"e had a &roblem' you %an6t lie. Hou %ould easily be found out. Het admitting an attendan%e &roblem %ould raise many flags. &'%T A(%)'R* f you ha"e had no &roblem' em&hasi9e your e8%ellent and %onsistent attendan%e re%ord throughout your %areer. @lso des%ribe how im&ortant you belie"e su%h %onsistent attendan%e is for a key e8e%uti"e;why it6s u& to you to set an e8am&le of dedi%ation;and why there6s (ust no substitute for being there with your &eo&le to kee& the o&eration running smoothly' answer .uestions and handle &roblems and %rises as they arise. f you do ha"e a &ast attendan%e &roblem' you want to minimi9e it' making it %lear that it was an e8%e&tional %ir%umstan%e and that it6s %ause has been %orre%ted. To do this' gi"e the same answer as abo"e but &refa%e it with something like' +2ther that being out last year 0or whene"er1 be%ause of 0your reason' whi%h is now in the &ast1' ha"e ne"er had a &roblem and ha"e en(oyed an e8%ellent attendan%e re%ord throughout my %areer. ,urthermore' belie"e' %onsistent attendan%e is im&ortant be%ause;- 0=i%k u& the rest of the answer as outlined abo"e.1. Question -". )hat changes would you ma.e i# you came on board, TRA$%* Wat%h outN This .uestion %an derail your %andida%y faster than a bomb on the tra%ks and #ust as you are about to be hired. 8eason) Eo matter how bright you are' you %annot know the right a%tions to take in a &osition before you settle in and get to know the o&eration6s strengths' weaknesses key &eo&le' finan%ial %ondition' methods of

o&eration' et%. f you lunge at this tem&tingly baited .uestion' you will &robably be seen as someone who shoots from the hi&. Ooreo"er' no matter how %omfortable you may feel with your inter"iewer' you are still an outsider. Eo one' in%luding your inter"iewer' likes to think that a know?it?all outsider is going to %ome in' turn the &la%e u&side down and with swee&ing' grand gestures' &rom&tly demonstrate what (erks e"erybody6s been for years. &'%T A(%)'R* Hou' of %ourse' will want to take a good hard look at e"erything the %om&any is doing before making any re%ommendations. Exam"le) +Well' wouldn6t be a "ery good do%tor if ga"e my diagnosis before the e8amination. >hould you hire me' as ho&e you will' 6d want to take a good hard look at e"erything you6re doing and understand why it6s being done that way. 6d like to ha"e in?de&th meetings with you and the other key &eo&le to get a dee&er gras& of what you feel you6re doing right and what %ould be im&ro"ed. +,rom what you6"e told me so far' the areas of greatest %on%ern to you are;- 0name them. Then do two things. ,irst' ask if these are in fa%t his ma(or %on%erns. f so then reaffirm how your e8&erien%e in meeting similar needs elsewhere might &ro"e "ery hel&ful1. Question -+. I8m concerned that you don8t have as much eBperience as we8d li.e in> TRA$%* This %ould be a make?or?break .uestion. The inter"iewer mostly likes what he sees' but has doubts o"er one key area. f you %an assure him on this &oint' the (ob may be yours. &'%T A(%)'R* This .uestion is related to +The ,atal ,law- 0Question 1*1' but here the %on%ern is not that you are totally missing some .ualifi%ations' su%h as 4=@ %ertifi%ation' but rather that your e8&erien%e is light in one area. Iefore going into any inter"iew' try to identify the weakest as&e%ts of your %andida%y from this %om&any6s &oint of "iew. Then &re&are the best answer you &ossible %an to shore u& your defenses. To get &ast this .uestion with flying %olors' you are going to rely on your master strategy of uncovering the em"loyer1s greatest wants and needs and then matching them with your strengths. >in%e you already know how to do this from Question 1' you are in a mu%h stronger &osition. Oore s&e%ifi%ally' when the inter"iewer &oses as ob(e%tion like this' you should; 1. @gree on the im&ortan%e of this .ualifi%ation. 2. B8&lain that your strength may be indeed be greater than your resume indi%ates be%ause; 3. When this strength is added to your other strengths' it6s really your combination of .ualifi%ations that6s most im&ortant.

Then re"iew the areas of your greatest strengths that mat%h u& most fa"orably with the %om&any6s most urgently?felt wants and needs. This is &owerful way to handle this .uestion for two reasons. ,irst' you6re gi"ing your inter"iewer more ammunition in the area of his %on%ern. Iut more im&ortantly' you6re shifting his fo%us away from this one' isolated area and &utting it on the uni ue combination of strengths you offer' strengths whi%h tie in &erfe%tly with his greatest wants. Question --. How do you #eel about wor.ing nights and wee.ends, TRA$%* Ilurt out +no way' Rose- and you %an kiss the (ob offer goodbye. Iut what if you ha"e a family and want to work a reasonably normal s%hedule? s there a way to get both the (ob and the s%hedule you want? &'%T A(%)'R* ,irst' if you6re a %onfirmed workaholi%' this .uestion is a softball lob. Wha%k it out of the &ark on the first swing by saying this kind of s%hedule is (ust your style. @dd that your family understands it. ndeed' they6re ha&&y for you' as they know you get your greatest satisfa%tion from your work. f howe"er' you &refer a more balan%ed lifestyle' answer this .uestion with anotherG +'hat1s the norm for your best "eo"le here3f the hours still sound unrealisti% for you' ask' +$o you ha"e any to& &eo&le who &erform e8%e&tionally for you' but who also ha"e families and like to get home in time to see them at night?- 4han%es are this %om&any does' and this asso%iates you with this other +to&?&erformers?who?lea"e?not?later?than?si8grou&. $e&ending on the answer' be honest about how you would fit into the &i%ture. make you un%omfortable' say so' but &hrase your res&onse &ositi"ely. f all those e8tra hours

Exam"le) + lo"e my work and do it e8%e&tionally well. think the results s&eak for themsel"es' es&e%ially in ;0mention your two or three .ualifi%ations of greater interest to the em&loyer. Demember' this is what he wants most' not a workaholi% with wea+ %redentials1. Eot only would bring these .ualities' but 6"e built my whole %areer on working not (ust hard' but smart. think you6ll find me one of the most "roductive &eo&le here. do ha"e a family who likes to see me after work and on weekends. They add balan%e and ri%hness to my life' whi%h in turn hel&s me be ha&&y and &rodu%ti"e at work. f %ould handle some of the e8tra work at home in the e"enings or on weekends' that would be ideal. Hou6d be getting a &erson of e8%e&tional &rodu%ti"ity who meets your needs with strong %redentials. @nd 6d be able to handle some of the hea"y workload at home where %an be under the same roof as my family. B"erybody would win.Question-!. Are you willing to relocate or travel, TRA$%* @nswer with a flat +no- and you may slam the door shut on this o&&ortunity. Iut what if you6d really &refer not to relo%ate or tra"el' yet wouldn6t want to lose the (ob offer o"er it?

&'%T A(%)'R* ,irst find out where you may ha"e to relo%ate and how mu%h tra"el may be in"ol"ed. Then res&ond to the .uestion. f there6s no &roblem' say so enthusiasti%ally. f you do ha"e a reser"ation' there are two s%hools of thought on how to handle it. 2ne ad"ises you to kee& your o&tions o&en and your reser"ations to yourself in the early going' by saying' +no &roblem-. Hou strategy here is to get the best offer you %an' then make a (udgment whether it6s worth it to you to relo%ate or tra"el. @lso' by the time the offer %omes through' you may ha"e other offers and %an make a more informed de%ision. Why kill of this o&&ortunity before it has %han%e to blossom into something really s&e%ial? @nd if you6re a little more des&erate three months from now' you might wish you hadn6t slammed the door on relo%ating or tra"eling. The se%ond way to handle this .uestion is to "oi%e a reser"ation' but assert that you6d be o&en to relo%ating 0or tra"eling1 for the right o&&ortunity. The answering strategy you %hoose de&ends on how eager you are for the (ob. %han%es' %hoose the first a&&roa%h. f you want to take no

f you want to &lay a little harder?to?get in ho&es of generating a more enti%ing offer' %hoose the se%ond. Question -1. <o you have the stomach to #ire people, Have you had eBperience #iring many people, TRA$%* This +inno%ent- .uestion %ould be a tra& door whi%h sends you down a %hute and lands you in a hea& of dust outside the front door. Why? Ie%ause its real intent is not (ust to see if you6"e got the stoma%h to fire' but also to un%o"er "oor #udgment in hiring whi%h has %aused you to fire so many. @lso' if you fire so often' you %ould be a tyrant. >o don6t rise to the bait by boasting how many you6"e fired' unless you6"e &re&ared to e8&lain why it was beyond your %ontrol' and not the result of your &oor hiring &ro%edures or foul tem&erament. &'%T A(%)'R* firing. $es%ribe the rational and sensible management &ro%ess you follow in both hiring and

Exam"le) +Oy whole management a&&roa%h is to hire the best &eo&le %an find' train them thoroughly and well' get them e8%ited and &roud to be &art of our team' and then work with them to a%hie"e our goals together. f you do all of that right' es&e%ially hiring the right &eo&le' 6"e found you don6t ha"e to fire "ery often. +>o with me' firing is a last resort. Iut when it6s got to be done' it6s got to be done' and the faster and %leaner' the better. @ &oor em&loyee %an wreak terrible damage in undermining the morale of an entire team of good &eo&le. When there6s no other way' 6"e found it6s better for all %on%erned to a%t de%isi"ely in getting rid of offenders who won6t %hange their ways.-

Question - . )hy have you had so many =obs, TRA$%* Hour inter"iewer fears you may lea"e this &osition .ui%kly' as you ha"e others. /e6s %on%erned you may be unstable' or a +&roblem &erson- who %an6t get along with others. &'%T A(%)'R* ,irst' before you e"en get to the inter"iew stage' you should try to minimi9e your image as (ob ho&&er. f there are se"eral entries on your resume of less than one year' %onsider eliminating the less im&ortant ones. =erha&s you %an s&e%ify the time you s&ent at &re"ious &ositions in rounded years not in months and years. Exam"le) nstead of showing three &ositions this wayG

<51!*2 351!*3' =osition @7 451!*3 1251!*3' =osition I7 151!*4 *51!*7' =osition 47 ;it would be better to show sim&lyG 1!*2 1!*3' =osition @7 1!*4 1!*7 =osition 4. n other words' you would dro& =osition I altogether. Eoti%e what a differen%e this makes in redu%ing your image as a (ob ho&&er. 2n%e in front of the inter"iewer and this .uestion %omes u&' you must try to reassure him. $es%ribe ea%h &osition as &art of an o"erall &attern of growth and %areer destination. Ie %areful not to blame other &eo&le for your fre.uent %hanges. Iut you %an and should attribute %ertain %hanges to %onditions beyond your %ontrol. Exam"le) Thanks to an u&%oming merger' you wanted to a"oid an ensuing bloodbath' so you made a good' u&ward %areer mo"e before your de&artment %ame under the a8e of the new owners. f &ossible' also show that your (ob %hanges were more fre.uent in your younger days' while you were establishing yourself' rounding out your skills and looking for the right %areer &ath. @t this stage in your %areer' you6re %ertainly mu%h more interested in the best long(term o&&ortunity. Hou might also %ite the (ob0s1 where you stayed the longest and des%ribe that this ty&e of situation is what you6re looking for now. Question -6. )hat do you see as the proper roleCmission o# a good 2=ob title you8re see.ing3D a good managerD an eBecutive in serving the communityD a leading company in our industryD etc. TRA$%* These and other +&ro&er role- .uestions are designed to test your understanding of your &la%e in the bigger &i%ture of your de&artment' %om&any' %ommunity and &rofession;.as well as the &ro&er role ea%h of these entities should &lay in its bigger &i%ture.

The .uestion is most fre.uently asked by the most thoughtful indi"iduals and %om&anies;or by those %on%erned that you6re %oming from a &la%e with a radi%ally different %or&orate %ulture 0su%h as from a big go"ernment bureau%ra%y to an aggressi"e small %om&any1. The most fre.uent mistake e8e%uti"es make in answering is sim&ly not being &re&ared 0seeming as if they6"e ne"er gi"ing any of this a though.1;or in &hrasing an answer best suited to their "rior organi9ation6s %ulture instead of the hiring %om&any6s. &'%T A(%)'R* Think of the most essential ingredients of su%%ess for ea%h %ategory abo"e your (ob title' your role as manager' your firm6s role' et%. dentify at least three but no more than si8 .ualities you feel are most im&ortant to su%%ess in ea%h role. Then %ommit your res&onse to memory. /ere' again' the more information you6"e already drawn out about the greatest wants and needs of the inter"iewer' and the more homework you6"e done to identify the %ulture of the firm' the more on?target your answer will be. Question -7. )hat would you say to your boss i# he8s cra?y about an idea, but you thin. it stin.s, TRA$%* This is another .uestion that &its two "alues' in this %ase loyalty and honesty' against one another. &'%T A(%)'R* Demember the rule stated earlierG integrity. n any %onfli%t between "alues' always choose

Exam"le) belie"e that when e"aluating anything' it6s im&ortant to em&hasi9e the &ositi"e. What do like about this idea?+Then' if you ha"e reser"ations' fa%tually as %an.%ertainly want to &oint them out' as s&e%ifi%ally' ob(e%ti"ely and

+@fter all' the most im&ortant thing owe my boss is honesty. f he %an6t %ount on me for that' then e"erything else may do or say %ould be .uestionable in his eyes.+Iut also want to e8&ress my thoughts in a %onstru%ti"e way. >o my goal in this %ase would be to see if my boss and %ould make his idea e"en stronger and more a&&ealing' so that it effe%ti"ely o"er%omes any initial reser"ation or others may ha"e about it.+2f %ourse' if he o"errules me and says' Pno' let6s do it my way'6 then owe him my full and enthusiasti% su&&ort to make it work as best it %an.Question -:. How could you have improved your career progress,

TRA$%* This is another "ariation on the .uestion' + f you %ould' how would you li"e your life o"er?Demember' you6re not going to fall for any su%h in"itations to rewrite &erson history. Hou %an6t win if you do. &'%T A(%)'R* Hou6re generally .uite ha&&y with your %areer &rogress. Oaybe' if you had known something earlier in life 0im&ossible to know at the time' su%h as the booming growth in a bran%h in your industry;or the %or&orate downsi9ing that would &hase out your last (ob1' you might ha"e mo"ed in a %ertain dire%tion sooner. Iut all things %onsidered' you take res&onsibility for where you are' how you6"e gotten there' where you are going;and you harbor no regrets. Question !;. )hat would you do i# a #ellow eBecutive on your own corporate level wasn8t pulling hisCher weight>and this was hurting your department, TRA$%* This .uestion and other hy&otheti%al ones test your sense of human relations and how you might handle offi%e &oliti%s. &'%T A(%)'R* Try to gauge the &oliti%al style of the firm and be guided a%%ordingly. n general' fall ba%k on uni"ersal &rin%i&les of effe%ti"e human relations whi%h in the end' embody the way you would like to be treated in a similar %ir%umstan%e. Exam"le) +:ood human relations would %all for me to go dire%tly to the &erson and e8&lain the situation' to try to enlist his hel& in a %onstru%ti"e' &ositi"e solution. f sensed resistan%e' would be as &ersuasi"e as know how to e8&lain the benefits we %an all gain from working together' and the &roblems we' the %om&any and our %ustomers will e8&erien%e if we don6t.$@%%I&/' F@//@)EF$ QF'%TI@(* @nd what would you do if he still did not %hange his ways?

A(%)'R* +2ne thing wouldn6t do is let the &roblem slide' be%ause it would only get worse and o"erlooking it would set a bad &re%edent. would try again and again and again' in whate"er way %ould' to sol"e the &roblem' in"ol"ing wider and wider %ir%les of &eo&le' both abo"e and below the offending e8e%uti"e and in%luding my own boss if ne%essary' so that e"eryone in"ol"ed %an see the rewards for teamwork and the drawba%ks of non?%oo&eration.+ might add that 6"e ne"er yet %ome a%ross a situation that %ouldn6t be resol"ed by harnessing others in a determined' %onstru%ti"e effort.Question !". Gou8ve been with your #irm a long time. )on8t it be hard switching to a new company, TRA$%* Hour inter"iewer is worried that this old dog will find it hard to learn new tri%ks.

&'%T A(%)'R* To o"er%ome this ob(e%tion' you must &oint to the many ways you ha"e grown and ada&ted to %hanging %onditions at your &resent firm. t has not been a stati% situation. /ighlight the different res&onsibilities you6"e held' the wide array of new situations you6"e fa%ed and %on.uered. @s a result' you6"e learned to ada&t .ui%kly to whate"er is thrown at you' and you thri"e on the stimulation of new %hallenges. To further assure the inter"iewer' des%ribe the similarities between the new &osition and your &rior one. B8&lain that you should be .uite %omfortable working there' sin%e their needs and your skills make a &erfe%t mat%h. Question !+. Hay I contact your present employer #or a re#erence, TRA$%* f you6re trying to kee& your (ob sear%h &ri"ate' this is the last thing you want. Iut if you don6t %oo&erate' won6t you seem as if you6re trying to hide something? &'%T A(%)'R* B8&ress your %on%ern that you6d like to kee& your (ob sear%h &ri"ate' but that in time' it will be &erfe%tly okay. Exam"le) +Oy &resent em&loyer is not aware of my (ob sear%h and' for ob"ious reasons7 6d &refer to kee& it that way. 6d be most a&&re%iati"e if we ke&t our dis%ussion %onfidential right now. 2f %ourse' when we both agree the time is right' then by all means you should %onta%t them. 6m "ery &roud of my re%ord there. Question !-. Give me an eBample o# your creativity 2analytical s.ill>managing ability, etc.3 TRA$%* The worst offense here is sim&ly being un&re&ared. Hour hesitation may seem as if you6re ha"ing a hard time remembering the last time you were %reati"e' analyti%al' et%.

&'%T A(%)'R* Demember from Question 2 that you should %ommit to memory a list of your greatest and most re%ent a%hie"ements' e"er ready on the ti& of your tongue. f you ha"e su%h a list' it6s easy to &resent any of your a%hie"ements in light of the .uality the inter"iewer is asking about. ,or e8am&le' the smashing su%%ess you or%hestrated at last year6s trade show %ould be used as an e8am&le of %reati"ity' or analyti%al ability' or your ability to manage. Question !!. )here could you use some improvement, TRA$%* @nother tri%ky way to get you to admit weaknesses. $on6t fall for it. &'%T A(%)'R* Lee& this answer' like all your answers' &ositi"e. @ good way to answer this .uestion is to identify a %utting?edge bran%h of your &rofession 0one that6s not essential to your em&loyer6s needs1 as an area you6re "ery e8%ited about and want to e8&lore more fully o"er the ne8t si8 months.

Question !1. )hat do you worry about, TRA$%* @dmit to worrying and you %ould sound like a loser. >aying you ne"er worry doesn6t sound %redible. &'%T A(%)'R* Dedefine the word Pworry6 so that it does not refle%t negati"ely on you. Exam"le) + wouldn6t %all it worry' but am a strongly goal?oriented &erson. >o kee& turning o"er in my mind anything that seems to be kee&ing me from a%hie"ing those goals' until find a solution. That6s &art of my tena%ity' su&&ose.Question ! . How many hours a wee. do you normally wor., TRA$%* Hou don6t want to gi"e a s&e%ifi% number. Oake it to low' and you may not measure u&. Too high' and you6ll fore"er feel guilty about sneaking out the door at )G1). &'%T A(%)'R* /f you are in fact a wor+aholic and you sense this com"any would li+e that) >ay you are a %onfirmed workaholi%' that you often work nights and weekends. Hour family a%%e&ts this be%ause it makes you fulfilled. /f you are not a wor+aholic) >ay you ha"e always worked hard and &ut in long hours. t goes with the territory. t one sense' it6s hard to kee& tra%k of the hours be%ause your work is a labor of lo"e' you en(oy nothing more than sol"ing &roblems. >o you6re almost always thinking about your work' in%luding times when you6re home' while sha"ing in the morning' while %ommuting' et%. Question !6. )hat8s the most di##icult part o# being a 2=ob title3, TRA$%* Fnless you &hrase your answer &ro&erly' your inter"iewer may %on%lude that whate"er you identify as +diffi%ult- is where you are weak.

&'%T A(%)'R* ,irst' redefine +diffi%ult- to be +%hallenging- whi%h is more &ositi"e. Then' identify an area e"eryone in your &rofession %onsiders %hallenging and in whi%h you e8%el. $es%ribe the &ro%ess you follow that enables you to get s&lendid results;and be s&e%ifi% about those results. Exam"le) + think e"ery sales manager finds it %hallenging to moti"ate the troo&s in a re%ession. Iut that6s &robably the strongest test of a to& sales manager. feel this is one area where e8%el.+When see the first sign that sales may sli& or that sales for%e moti"ation is flagging be%ause of a downturn in the e%onomy' here6s the &lan &ut into a%tion immediately;- 0followed by a des%ri&tion of ea%h ste& in the &ro%ess;and most im"ortantly! the e8%e&tional results you6"e a%hie"ed.1. Question !7. The 4Hypothetical $roblem5

TRA$%* >ometimes an inter"iewer will des%ribe a diffi%ult situation and ask' 25ow would you handle this3, >in%e it is "irtually im&ossible to ha"e all the fa%ts in front of you from su%h a short &resentation' don6t fall into the tra& of trying to sol"e this &roblem and gi"ing your "erdi%t on the s&ot. t will make your de%ision?making &ro%ess seem woefully inade.uate. &'%T A(%)'R* nstead' des%ribe the rational' methodi%al &ro%ess you would follow in analy9ing this &roblem' who you would %onsult with' generating &ossible solutions' %hoosing the best %ourse of a%tion' and monitoring the results. Demember' in all su%h' 2'hat would you do3, .uestions' always des%ribe your "rocess or wor+ing methods! and you6ll ne"er go wrong. Question !:. )hat was the toughest challenge you8ve ever #aced, TRA$%* Ieing un&re&ared or %iting an e8am&le from so early in your life that it doesn6t s%ore many &oints for you at this stage of your %areer. &'%T A(%)'R* This is an easy .uestion if you6re &re&ared. /a"e a re%ent e8am&le ready that demonstrates eitherG 1. @ .uality most im&ortant to the (ob at hand7 or 2. @ .uality that is always in demand' su%h as leadershi&' initiati"e' managerial skill' &ersuasi"eness' %ourage' &ersisten%e' intelligen%e' et%. Question 1;. Have you consider starting your own business, TRA$%* f you say +yes- and elaborate enthusiasti%ally' you %ould be &er%ei"ed as a loose %annon in a larger %om&any' too entre&reneurial to make a good team &layer;or someone who had to settle for the %or&orate life be%ause you %ouldn6t make a go of your own business. @lso too mu%h enthusiasm in answering +yes- %ould rouse the &aranoia of a small %om&any indi%ating that you may &lan to go out on your own soon' &erha&s taking some key a%%ounts or trade se%rets with you. 2n the other hand' if you answer +no' ne"er- you %ould be &er%ei"ed as a se%urity?minded drone who ne"er dreamed a big dream. &'%T A(%)'R* @gain it6s best toG 1. :auge this %om&any6s %or&orate %ulture before answering and; 2. Ie honest 0whi%h doesn6t mean you ha"e to "i"idly share your fantasy of the fran%hise or bed?and? breakfast you someday &lan to o&en1. n general' if the %or&orate %ulture is that of a large' formal' military?style stru%ture' minimi9e any indi%ation that you6d lo"e to ha"e your own business. Hou might say' +2h' may ha"e gi"en it a thought

on%e or twi%e' but my whole %areer has been in larger organi9ations. That6s where where want to be.-

ha"e e8%elled and

f the %or&orate %ulture is %loser to the free?wheeling' e"erybody6s?a?deal?maker "ariety' then em&hasi9e that in a firm like this' you %an "irtually get the best of all worlds' the e8%itement of seeing your own ideas and &lans take sha&e;%ombined with the resour%es and stability of a well?established organi9ation. >ounds like the &erfe%t en"ironment to you. n any %ase' no matter what the %or&orate %ulture' be sure to indi%ate that any desires about running your own show are &art of your "ast' not your &resent or future. The last thing you want to &ro(e%t is an image of either a dreamer who failed and is now settling for the %or&orate %o%oon;or the restless ma"eri%k who will fly out the door with key a%%ounts' %onta%ts and trade se%rets under his arms (ust as soon as his bankroll has gotten rebuilt. @lways rememberG Oat%h what you want with what the &osition offers. The more information you6"e un%o"ered about the &osition' the more belie"able you %an make your %ase. Question 1". )hat are your goals, TRA$%* Eot ha"ing any;or ha"ing only "ague generalities' not highly s"ecific goals. &'%T A(%)'R* Oany e8e%uti"es in a &osition to hire you are strong belie"ers in goal?setting. 0 t6s one of the reason they6"e a%hie"ed so mu%h1. They like to hire in kind. f you6re "ague about your %areer and &ersonal goals' it %ould be a big turnoff to may &eo&le you will en%ounter in your (ob sear%h. Ie ready to dis%uss your goals for ea%h ma(or area of your lifeG %areer' &ersonal de"elo&ment and learning' family' &hysi%al 0health1' %ommunity ser"i%e and 0if your inter"iewer is %learly a religious &erson1 you %ould briefly and generally allude to your s&iritual goals 0showing you are a well?rounded indi"idual with your "alues in the right order1. Ie &re&ared to des%ribe ea%h goal in terms of s&e%ifi% milestones you wish to a%%om&lish along the way' time &eriods you6re allotting for a%%om&lishment' why the goal is im&ortant to you' and the s&e%ifi% ste&s you6re taking to bring it about. Iut do this %on%isely' as you ne"er want to talk more than two minutes straight before letting your inter"iewer ba%k into the %on"ersation. Question 1+. )hat do you #or when you hire people, TRA$%* Ieing un&re&ared for the .uestion. &'%T A(%)'R* >&eak your own thoughts here' but for the best answer wea"e them around the three most im&ortant .ualifi%ations for any &osition. 1. 4an the &erson do the work 0.ualifi%ations1?

2. Will the &erson do the work 0moti"ation1? 3. Will the &erson fit in 0+our kind of team &layer-1?To& Question 1-. %ell me this stapler 2this pencil, this cloc., or some other ob=ect on interviewer8s des.3. TRA$%* >ome inter"iewers' es&e%ially business owners and hard?%hanging e8e%uti"es in marketing? dri"en %om&anies' feel that good salesmanshi& is essential for any key &osition and ask for an instant demonstration of your skill. Ie ready. &'%T A(%)'R* 2f %ourse' you already know the most im&ortant se%ret of all great salesmanshi& +find out what "eo"le want! then show them how to get it., f your inter"iewer &i%ks u& his sta&ler and asks' +sell this to me'- you are going to demonstrate this &ro"en master &rin%i&le. 5ere1s how) +Well' a good salesman must know both his &rodu%t and his &ros&e%t before he sells anything. f were selling this' 6d first get to know e"erything %ould about it' all its features and benefits.+Then' if my goal were to sell it you' would do some resear%h on how you might use a fine sta&ler like this. The best way to do that is by asking some .uestions. Oay ask you a few .uestions?Then ask a few .uestions su%h as' +Rust out of %uriosity' if you didn6t already ha"e a sta&ler like this' why would you want one? @nd in addition to that? @ny other reason? @nything else?+@nd would you want su%h a sta&ler to be reliable?.../old a good su&&ly of sta&les?- 0@sk more .uestions that &oint to the features this sta&ler has.1 2n%e you6"e asked these .uestions' make your &resentation %iting all the features and benefits of this sta&ler and why it6s e8a%tly what the inter"iewer (ust told you he6s looking for. Then %lose with' +Rust out of %uriosity' what would you %onsider a reasonable &ri%e for a .uality sta&ler like this;a sta&ler you %ould ha"e right now and would 0then re&eat all the &roblems the sta&ler would sol"e for him1? Whate"er he says' 0unless it6s 9ero1' say' +2kay' we6"e got a deal.E2TBG f your inter"iewer tests you by fighting e"ery ste& of the way' denying that he e"en wants su%h an item' don1t fight him. Take the &rodu%t away from him by saying' +Or. =ros&e%t' 6m delighted you6"e told me right u&front that there6s no way you6d e"er want this sta&ler. @s you well know' the first rule of the most &rodu%ti"e sales&eo&le in any field is to meet the needs of &eo&le who really need and want our &rodu%ts' and it (ust wastes e"eryone6s time if we try to for%e it on those who don6t. @nd %ertainly wouldn6t want to waste your time. Iut we sell many items. s there any &rodu%t on this desk you would "ery mu%h like to own;(ust one item?- When he &oints something out' re&eat the &ro%ess abo"e. f he knows anything about selling' he may gi"e you a standing o"ation. Question 1!. 4The %alary Question5 0 How much money do you want,

TRA$%* Oay also be &hrases as' 2'hat salary are you worth3,;or' 25ow much are you ma+ing now3, This is your most im&ortant negotiation. /andle it wrong and you %an blow the (ob offer or go to work at far less than you might ha"e gotten. &'%T A(%)'R* ,or ma8imum salary negotiating &ower' remember these fi"e guidelinesG 1. Ee"er bring u& salary. 3et the inter"iewer do it first. :ood sales&eo&le sell their &rodu%ts thoroughly before talking &ri%e. So should you. Oake the inter"iewer want you first' and your bargaining &osition will be mu%h stronger. 2. f your inter"iewer raises the salary .uestion too early' before you6"e had a %han%e to %reate desire for your .ualifi%ations' "ost"one the .uestion' saying something like' +Ooney is im&ortant to me' but is not my main %on%ern. 2&&ortunity and growth are far more im&ortant. What 6d rather do' if you don6t mind' is e8&lore if 6m right for the &osition' and then talk about money. Would that be okay?3. The S1 rule of any negotiation isG the side with more information wins. @fter you6"e done a thorough (ob of selling the inter"iewer and it6s time to talk salary' the se%ret is to get the em&loyer talking about what he6s willing to &ay before you re"eal what you1re willing to a%%e&t. >o' when asked about salary' res&ond by asking' + 6m sure the %om&any has already established a salary range for this &osition. 4ould you tell me what that is?- 2r' + want an in%ome %ommensurate with my ability and .ualifi%ations. trust you6ll be fair with me. What does the &osition &ay?- 2r' more sim&ly' +What does this &osition &ay?4. Lnow beforehand what you6d a%%e&t. To know what6s reasonable' resear%h the (ob market and this &osition for any rele"ant salary information. Demember that most e8e%uti"es look for a 2#?2)MA &ay boost when they swit%h (obs. f you6re grossly under&aid' you may want more. ). Ee"er lie about what you %urrently make' but feel free to in%lude the estimated %ost of all your fringes' whi%h %ould well ta%k on 2)?)#M more to your &resent +%ash?only- salary.

Question 11. The Illegal Question TRA$%* llegal .uestions in%lude any regarding your age;number and ages of your %hildren or other de&endents;marital status;maiden name;religion;&oliti%al affiliation;an%estry;national origin; birth&la%e;naturali9ation of your &arents' s&ouse or %hildren;diseases;disabilities;%lubs;or s&ouse6s o%%u&ation;unless any of the above are directly related to your "erformance of the #ob. Hou %an6t e"en be asked about arrests' though you %an be asked about convictions. &'%T A(%)'R* Fnder the e"er?&resent threat of lawsuits' most inter"iewers are well aware of these taboos. Het you may en%ounter' usually on a se%ond or third inter"iew' a senior e8e%uti"e who doesn6t inter"iew mu%h and forgets he %an6t ask su%h .uestions. Hou %an handle an illegal .uestion in se"eral ways. ,irst' you %an assert your legal right not to answer. Iut this will frighten or embarrass your inter"iewer and destroy any ra&&ort you had.

>e%ond' you %ould swallow your %on%erns o"er &ri"a%y and answer the .uestion straight forwardly if you feel the answer %ould hel& you. ,or e8am&le' your inter"iewer' a de"out Ia&tist' re%ogni9es you from %hur%h and mentions it. /ere' you %ould gain by talking about your %hur%h. Third' if you don6t want your &ri"a%y in"aded' you %an di&lomati%ally answer the concern behind the .uestion without answering the .uestion itself. Exam"le) f you are o"er )# and are asked' +5ow old are you3, you %an answer with a friendly' smiling .uestion of your own on whether there6s a %on%ern that your age my affe%t your &erforman%e. ,ollow this u& by reassuring the inter"iewer that there6s nothing in this (ob you %an6t do and' in fa%t' your age and e8&erien%e are the most im&ortant advantages you offer the em&loyer for the following reasons; %nother exam"le) f asked' 2*o you "lan to have children3, you %ould answer' + am wholeheartedly dedi%ated to my %areer+' &erha&s adding' + ha"e no &lans regarding %hildren.- 0Hou needn6t fear you6"e &ledged eternal %hildlessness. Hou ha"e e"ery right to %hange your &lans later. :et the (ob first and then en(oy all your o&tions.1 Oost im&ortantly' remember that illegal .uestions arise from fear that you won6t &erform well. The best answer of all is to get the (ob and &erform brilliantly. @ll %on%erns and fears will then "arnish' re&la%ed by res&e%t and a&&re%iation for your work. Question 1 . The 4%ecret5 Illegal Question TRA$%* Ou%h more fre.uent than the llegal .uestion .see 9uestion ::0 is the secret illegal .uestion. t6s se%ret be%ause it6s asked only in the inter"iewer6s mind. >in%e it6s not e"en e8&ressed to you' you ha"e no way to res&ond to it' and it %an there be most damaging. Exam"le) Hou6re &hysi%ally %hallenged' or a single mother returning to your &rofessional %areer' or o"er )#' or a member of an ethni% minority' or fit any of a do9en other %ategories that do not stri%tly %onform to the ma(ority in a gi"en %om&any. Hour inter"iewer wonders' + s this &erson really able to handle the (ob?-;- s he or she a Pgood fit6 at a &la%e like ours?-;-Will the %hemistry e"er be right with someone like this?- Iut the inter"iewer ne"er raises su%h .uestions be%ause they6re illegal. >o what %an you do? &'%T A(%)'R* Demember that (ust be%ause the inter"iewer doesn6t ask an illegal .uestion doesn6t mean he doesn6t ha"e it. Oore than likely' he is going to %ome u& with his own answer. >o you might as well hel& him out. /ow? Well' you ob"iously %an6t res&ond to an illegal .uestion if he hasn6t e"en asked. This may well offend him. @nd there6s always the %han%e he wasn6t e"en %on%erned about the issue until you brought it u&' and only then begins to wonder. >o you %an6t address +se%ret- illegal .uestions head(on. Iut what you %an do is make sure there6s enough counterbalancing information to more than reassure him that there6s no &roblem in the area he may be doubtful about.

,or e8am&le' let6s say you6re a sales re& who had &olio as a %hild and you need a %ane to walk. Hou know your %ondition has ne"er im&eded your &erforman%e' yet you6re %on%erned that your inter"iewer may se%retly be wondering about your stamina or ability to tra"el. Well' make sure that you hit these abilities "ery hard' lea"ing no doubt about your %a&a%ity to handle them well. >o' too' if you6re in any different from what &asses for +normal-. Oake sure' without in any way seeming defensive about yourself that you mention strengths' a%%om&lishments' &referen%es and affiliations that strongly %ounterbalan%e any uns&oken %on%ern your inter"iewer may ha"e. Question 16. )hat was the toughest part o# your last =ob, TRA$%* This is slightly different from the .uestion raised earlier' 2'hat1s the most difficult "art of being a .#ob title;0, be%ause this asks what you "ersonally ha"e found most diffi%ult in your last &osition. This .uestion is more diffi%ult to redefine into something &ositi"e. Hour inter"iewer will assume that whate"er you found toughest may gi"e you a &roblem in your new &osition. &'%T A(%)'R* >tate that there was nothing in your &rior &osition that you found o"erly diffi%ult' and let your answer go at that. f &ressed to e8&and your answer' you %ould des%ribe the as&e%ts of the &osition you en#oyed more than others' making sure that you e8&ress ma8imum en(oyment for those tasks most im&ortant to the o&en &osition' and you en(oyed least those tasks that are unim&ortant to the &osition at hand. Question 17. How do you de#ine success>and how do you measure up to your own de#inition, TRA$%* >eems like an ob"ious enough .uestion. Het many e8e%uti"es' un&re&ared for it' fumble the ball.

&'%T A(%)'R* :i"e a well?a%%e&ted definition of su%%ess that leads right into your own stellar %olle%tion of a%hie"ements. Exam"le) +The best definition 6"e %ome a%ross is that su%%ess is the &rogressi"e reali9ation of a worthy goal.+@s to how would measure u& to that definition' would %onsider myself both su%%essful and fortunate;-0Then summari9e your %areer goals and how your a%hie"ements ha"e indeed re&resented a &rogressi"e &ath toward reali9ation of your goals.1To& Question 1:. +The 2&inion Question- What do you think about? @bortion;The =resident;The $eath =enalty; 0or any other %ontro"ersial sub(e%t1? TRA$%* 2b"iously' these and other +o&inion- .uestions should ne"er be asked. >ometimes they %ome u& o"er a %ombination dinner5inter"iew when the inter"iewer has had a drink or two' is feeling rela8ed' and is s&outing off about something that bugged him in today6s news. f you gi"e your o&inion and it6s the o&&osite of his' you won6t %hange his o&inions' but you %ould easily lose the (ob offer.

&'%T A(%)'R* n all of these instan%es' (ust remember the tale about student and the wise old rabbi. The s%ene is a seminary' where an o"erly serious student is &ressing the rabbi to answer the ultimate .uestions of suffering' life and death. Iut no matter how hard he &resses' the wise old rabbi will only answer ea%h diffi%ult .uestion with a .uestion of his own. n e8as&eration' the seminary student demands' 2'hy! rabbi! do you always answer a uestion with another uestion3, To whi%h the rabbi res&onds' 2%nd why not3, f you are e"er un%omfortable with any .uestion' asking a .uestion in return is the greatest es%a&e hat%h e"er in"ented. t throws the onus ba%k on the other &erson' sidetra%ks the dis%ussion from going into an area of risk to you' and gi"es you time to think of your answer or' e"en better' your next uestion4 n res&onse to any of the +o&inion- .uestions %ited abo"e' merely res&onding' 2'hy do you as+3, will usually be enough to dissi&ate any &ressure to gi"e your o&inion. Iut if your inter"iewer again &resses you for an o&inion' you %an ask another .uestion. 2r you %ould assert a generality that almost e"eryone would agree with. ,or e8am&le' if your inter"iewer is %om&laining about &oliti%ians then suddenly turns to you and asks if you6re a De&ubli%an or $emo%rat' you %ould res&ond by saying' +@%tually' 6m finding it hard to find any &oliti%ians like these days.02f %ourse' your best .uestion of all may be whether you want to work for someone o&inionated.1 Question ;. I# you won I"; million lottery, would you still wor., TRA$%* Hour totally honest res&onse might be' 25ell! no! are you serious3, That might be so' but any answer whi%h shows you as fleeing work if gi"en the %han%e %ould make you seem la9y. 2n the other hand' if you answer' 2<h! /1d want to +ee" doing exactly what / am doing! only doing it for your firm!, you %ould easily ins&ire your inter"iewer to silently mutter to himself' 2Yeah! sure. Gimme a brea+., &'%T A(%)'R* This ty&e of .uestion is aimed at getting at your bedro%k attitude about work and how you feel about what you do. Hour best answer will fo%us on your &ositi"e feelings. Exam"le) +@fter floated down from %loud nine' think would still hold my basi% belief that a%hie"ement and &ur&oseful work are essential to a ha&&y' &rodu%ti"e life. @fter all' if money alone bought ha&&iness' then all ri%h &eo&le would be all ha&&y' and that6s not true. + lo"e the work do' and think 6d always want to be in"ol"ed in my %areer in some fashion. Winning the lottery would make it more fun be%ause it would mean ha"ing more fle8ibility' more o&tions...who knows?+2f %ourse' sin%e %an6t %ount on winning' 6d (ust as soon %reate my own destiny by sti%king with what6s worked for me' meaning good old reliable hard work and a desire to a%hie"e. think those .ualities ha"e built many more fortunes that all the lotteries &ut together.Question ". /oo.ing bac. on your last position, have you done your best wor.,

TRA$%* Tri%ky .uestion. @nswer 2absolutely, and it %an seem like your best work is behind you. @nswer' 2no! my best wor+ is ahead of me!, and it %an seem as if you didn6t gi"e it your all. &'%T A(%)'R* To %o"er both &ossible &aths this .uestion %an take' your answer should state that you always try to do your best' and the best of your %areer is right now. 3ike an athlete at the to& of his game' you are (ust hitting your %areer stride thanks to se"eral fa%tors. Then' re%a& those fa%tors' highlighting your strongest .ualifi%ations. Question +. )hy should I hire you #rom the outside when I could promote someone #rom within, TRA$%* This .uestion isn6t as aggressi"e as it sounds. t re&resents the inter"iewer6s own dilemma o"er this %ommon &roblem. /e6s &robably leaning toward you already and for reassuran%e' wants to hear what you ha"e to say on the matter. &'%T A(%)'R* /el& him see the .ualifi%ations that only you %an offer. Exam"le) + n general' think it6s a good &oli%y to hire from within to look outside &robably means you6re not %om&letely %omfortable %hoosing someone from inside. +Eaturally' you want this de&artment to be as strong as it &ossibly %an be' so you want the strongest %andidate. feel that %an fill that bill be%ause;0then re%a& your strongest .ualifi%ations that mat%h u& with his greatest needs1.Question -. Tell me something negative you8ve heard about our company> TRA$%* This is a %ommon fishing e8&edition to see what the industry gra&e"ine may be saying about the %om&any. Iut it6s also a tra& be%ause as an outsider' you ne"er want to be the bearer of unflattering news or gossi& about the firm. t %an only hurt your %han%es and sidetra%k the inter"iewer from getting sold on you. &'%T A(%)'R* Rust remember the rule ne"er be negati"e and you6ll handle this one (ust fine. Question !. @n a scale o# one to ten, rate me as an interviewer. TRA$%* :i"e a &erfe%t +1#'- and you6ll seem too easy to &lease. :i"e anything less than a &erfe%t 1#' and he %ould &ress you as to where you6re being %riti%al' and that road leads downhill for you. &'%T A(%)'R* 2n%e again' never be negative. The inter"iewer will only resent %riti%ism %oming from you. This is the time to show your &ositi"ism. /owe"er' don6t gi"e a numeri%al rating. >im&ly &raise whate"er inter"iew style he6s been using. f he6s been tough' say +Hou ha"e been thorough and tough?minded' the "ery .ualities needed to %ondu%t a good inter"iew.-

f he6s been methodi%al' say' +Hou ha"e been "ery methodi%al and analyti%al' and 6m sure that a&&roa%h results in e8%ellent hires for your firm.n other words' &ay him a sin%ere %om&liment that he can believe be%ause it6s an%hored in the beha"ior you6"e (ust seen.