Job Interview Questions

Find Your Dream Job Podcast

May 23, 2017 By Marta Goertzen

There’s one question that is often used first in job interviews, “Tell me about yourself”.

It is THE one QUESTION that can really throw people into a panic too. You NEED to be prepared to answer this question. Fully prepared. That is why I often speak and share resources about this, like our free download that helps you get started to answering this very question.

Because I am so passionate about this “Always Asked Question”, I was very honored to be invited as a guest speaker on Mac’s List podcast and I’m thrilled to share it with you today!

If you have a solid answer to this question, YOU set the stage and tone for the entire interview. So in essence you get to create the overall ‘feel’ of the interview before it’s underway and take some control. This can help shape the rest of it, allowing you to shine through it all!

Listen to it here and get the 5 Step Approach to nailing this question.

A Better Way to Interview Job Candidates

October 7, 2016 By Marta Goertzen

Are you satisfied with your organization’s interview process?

Recently a coaching client, Tanya, shared how proud she was that she finally has gotten her team to the place where they function well and get along. She was concerned that adding new team members will disrupt the great team.

I asked what she planned to do to ensure she selected people who will fit in well. Tanya was not really sure. Last November Tanya’s boss, the company President, John, added a Manufacturing VP who so disrupts the team that Tanya does everything in her power to avoid this man.

This is the leaders’ dilemma at any level, isn’t it? How to select the right people who will fit in the team. Pick the right new team member and the business hums. Pick a clunker and BOOM, you hit the wall. The secret is asking the right questions in the interview.

Tanya described her go-to interview questions. “I ask about their strengths and weaknesses and about what they are looking for in a company.” Hmmm… How will those questions give Tanya insight into whether the candidate will fit with the team or do a good job? They won’t.

Let me share the process we used to create customized questions that will do a better job of identifying the right candidate:

First we have to understand the behavior that fits well with the team. Step away from the concept of “attitude” and dig deeper. Tanya said she wants outgoing people who are friendly and easy to talk to. People who are unafraid of talking to strangers. Shy quiet types or super bossy folks have been disruptive in the past. We can work with this.
Then we build questions that require the candidates to share a story related to the characteristics you seek. One question we built was, “Tell me about a time you had to join a group and quickly take a leadership role.” This kind of behavioral question calls for prior experiences, a good indicator of the way the candidate might behave in the future. Certainly better than asking for strengths and weaknesses.

Each position requires different behavioral questions. You can’t sit in the interview and make this stuff up on the spot. You have to think this through in advance. Write the questions when you do your prep work prior to posting the job.

Share the questions with everyone on the interview team before the interviews. Don’t let the candidates off the hook with vague generalizations. Persistently dig for specific examples. Then debrief after the interviews to capture interviewers’ different points of view.

Are you still using the Frequently Asked Questions so readily available on the Internet? Improve your interview process with customized interview questions so you can hire the right person to fit with your team.

To view this video, or to view other videos featuring other strategic job search tips and tools from The Interview Doctor click here.

The Game Changer Question in a Job Interview

July 19, 2016 By Marta Goertzen

Preparation is the key for Job Interviews!

How to interview is all about preparation, and one of the key questions for an interview is the game changer, ‘Tell me about yourself.’ Prepare your answers to this multi-faceted question, and you will be ready to change the game in your favor!

Watch the video below as Katherine Burik explains the importance of preparation and tips on how to answer the question “Tell me about yourself”.

If you would like more tips on a successful job search, check out a replay video of our recent job search training – it is free and is filled with job search tips for you.

Walking a Tight Rope: How to handle extended Job Interview Process

March 11, 2016 By Marta Goertzen

Imagine yourself on a tightrope stretched across the Grand Canyon. Your feet wobble a bit. Your breath catches if you glance down.

Job search is like that. One false move and POOF you hired the wrong person. Or POOF you said the wrong thing and you didn’t get the job. What a tough spot for either party!

A client, we will call him John, had been President of a medium sized company until he was suddenly a job seeker. He had hired plenty of people in his day. Now he was on the other side of the desk. Through networking he found an opportunity as a CFO in a larger company, a job that sounded perfect. Now the tightrope adventure begins!

Interviews went great. John established his credentials then rapport with the boss and the team. The equity partners loved him. Lots of psychological testing and structured interviews.

Final stage: a full day with an industrial psychologist, the HR leader and a representative from the equity partners.

Here is the tightrope.

Hiring mistakes are costly especially at the senior level so we understand the need for extra caution before bringing a key player on board. Yet this extra caution makes for a complicated candidate experience. It could scare away candidates. It is not a question of intimidation but hassle. How much hassle will candidates tolerate before the best candidates back out? The tightrope.

We needed a strategy to handle this tightrope, to respond to the barrage of psychological tests (at least 5 hours’ worth) then the full day psychological interview. We role played a little, talked through the possibilities and polished some stories for behavioral interview questions.

Finally we decided we couldn’t completely anticipate the day so we settled on this advice:

Be honest. If you are the right person then they will hire you. If not, no amount of faking it or guessing during psychological testing will make a difference.
Stay calm. Take a breath. That is what the best tightrope walkers do!
Be the best version of yourself. Everyone is clearly watching your every move. Be nice to the receptionist and the gardener. Don’t pick your nose or put your feet on the desk (real things candidates have done, honest!)
Be prepared. Take the pre-tests available online. Just Google the name of the assessment and you will find loads of consulting firms offering free, no obligation pre-tests. This way you will be aware of what the company will see. Not that it changes anything but preparation helps with confidence.
Get a good night sleep. You should be rested and clear headed prior to the intensity of a full day psychological interview.

John called me that evening on the way home from the full day session. He was exhausted but exhilarated. When he arrived they presented him with a case study. He had one hour to understand a complicated scenario and create a 30 minute PowerPoint presentation explaining potential solutions. One hour was not enough time.

The presentation triggered a two hour discussion about business options revealing how John approaches business problems, involves other people and utilizes business data. Afterwards they told John that he got further in the case study than most people, probably a nod to his previous financial experience and his overall experience running a business in his last position.

The afternoon was spent in a series of behavioral interviews. “Tell me about a time when…” and “We have this scenario. What would you do?” Our prior preparation helped here because John had stories ready. He felt most comfortable with this section.

Bottom line: John got the job! He walked carefully across the tightrope by being himself, being prepared and staying calm. I’d like to think I helped… maybe a little! He also brings to his new job a better appreciation for the candidate experience. Maybe he can help someone else walk the tightrope in the future!

Job Interview Tools Part 2: Create a Great Impression

December 15, 2015 By Katherine Burik

The tools you bring to a job interview reflect the impression you want to leave. Be sure the tools you carry are right for the job you want.

A kindergarten teacher can have portfolio with cute little apples on it. It is not ok for a vice president to carry a portfolio with cute little apples. I don’t care how nice and friendly you want to appear. It just looks goofy.

An advertising or marketing professional can have a more colorful portfolio, maybe something with an attitude.

TA supply chain specialist should carry a more subtle brown or black portfolio reflecting the more serious nature of the job.

An IT person is given a little more leeway than a finance person who should carry more straight laced props.

The writing instrument is another prop that should reflect the position. An executive should have a really nice pen. It doesn’t have to a Montblanc but avoid that golf pencil. A finance person might use a mechanical pencil. A safe bet for everyone is a nice plain ball point pen.

Remember, you are trying to create an impression. Leave the pens from the dentist or the landscape company at home. Skip the pens with the feathers on them or the glow in the dark fairy wand pens. You think I am kidding? I’ve seen it done!

The bottom line is a prepared candidate always brings paper and a writing instrument to a job interview. You want to take notes. In the hustle and bustle of the job interview you might forget something. Taking notes allows you to go back and refresh your memory later when you write thank you notes.

Here are some important documents to bring with you in your portfolio:

Two or three copies of your resume, printed on nice paper
The questions you want to ask about the company and the job – typed
Your typed responses to frequently asked questions so you can prepare immediately prior to the interview. Tuck these sheets in the back so the interviewer cannot see them.

Do not take this issue lightly! Hiring decisions have been made on seemingly unimportant issues like this. Preparing for a job interview? Sign up for our free download, “30 Most Frequently Asked Job Interview Questions“.