Tag: job search

Lisa Thompson – Managing Director, Professional Services

Executive interview questions tend to cover seven main areas. Familiarizing yourself with these will help you understand what the interviewer is trying to learn about you with each question. The typical interview won’t likely get to a fraction of these questions, but if you practice answering these in a natural and comfortable style, you’ll be sure to leave a strong impression.

Your competence and ability – The interviewer is trying to figure out how well you can do the job.

• What led you to your present position?
• What was your position when you joined the company?
• What other positions have you held since then?
• What was your starting salary?
• What is your salary now?
• What are the three most important responsibilities in your present position?
• What special skills or knowledge do you need to perform your present position?
• What decisions or judgment calls have you made in your present position?
• Tell me how you reached those decisions. What achievements are you most proud of in your present position?
• Tell me about a problem you experienced, something you found difficult in your present position. What is the most important project you have worked on in your present position?
• How do you feel about your workload at your company?
• How do you divide your time among your major areas of responsibility?
• How important is communication and interaction with others on the job?
• What is more important on your job, written or oral communication?
• What has been the most complex report you have ever had to write?
• How many levels of management do you interact with?
• What levels of management are you most comfortable or uncomfortable with?
• Have you ever had to make unpopular decisions? Tell me about one.
• If you went to your manager for a raise, why would you be doing it?
• What will your manager say when you go in to resign?
• Why are you leaving your present position?
• Why were you fired?
• Why have you changed jobs so frequently?
• Why have you been out of work for so long?
• What have you learned from the jobs you have held?
• In what ways has your present job prepared you to take on greater responsibilities?
• How would you define the role of a manager?
• How many people have you fired?
• Have you ever trained other people?
• Have you ever had an employee suddenly start to act out of character?
• Have you ever had to meet tight deadlines?
• How do you maintain discipline in your department?
• Did you hold budgetary responsibility in your last position?
• What was your involvement in short/mid/long-term planning?
• How do you quantify the results of your activities as a manager?
• Describe a typical workday.

Your Management Style – The interviewer is trying to ascertain the way you manage teams, and how manageable you are. 

• How do you take directions?
• What are some of the things about which you and your manager disagreed?
• What are some of the things your manager did that you disliked?
• In what areas could your manager have done a better job?
• Tell me about an occasion when your work or an idea was criticized?
• How accurately do you feel your manager has rated your performance in the past?
• How has your manager gotten the best out of you?
• What do you think of your current manager?
• Describe the best manager you’ve ever had. Tell me about a situation when people were making an emotional decision about a project. What happened in that situation and how did you handle it?
• Tell me about an occasion when there were objections to your ideas. What did you do to convince management of your point of view?
• Have you ever been in a situation where people have overruled you or wouldn’t let you get a word in edgeways?
• For what have you been most frequently criticized?
• How do your work habits change when your manager is absent?
• Tell me about a time when there was a decision to be made and your manager was absent. What do you do when there is a decision to be made and no procedure exists?
• Give me an example of a time when you were told “no.” What did you do in response?
• Tell me about an idea that was rejected. What did you say and do subsequently?
• What was the outcome?
• Tell me about an occasion when you felt it necessary to convince your company to change a procedure. Recall a time when those around you were not being as honest or direct as they should have been. What did you do?
• Give me an example of a time when management had to change a plan or approach you were committed to. How did you feel and how did you explain the change to your people?
• When was the last time you really got angry?
• Tell me about a time when you felt adequately recognized for your contributions. What kinds of rewards are most satisfying to you?
• In what ways has your manager contributed to your decision to leave your current position?
• What can you do for us that someone else cannot do?
• Describe your management style. How long will it take for you to make a contribution?
• What special characteristics should I consider about you as a person?

Your Enthusiasm and Willingness – The interviewer wants to uncover how enthusiastic and ready you are to jump in and make a contribution.

• What personal qualities do you think are necessary to make a success of this job?
• How do you feel about your professional progress to date?
• Do you consider yourself successful?
• How do you rank among your peers?
• What have you done that you are proud of?
• What do you consider your greatest strength[s]?
• Tell me about a responsibility you have enjoyed. Tell me about a project that really got you excited. Have you worked for a group like us before?
• Do you work alone in your present position?
• Tell me about a time when you needed to get an understanding of another’s situation before you could get your job done. How did you get that understanding and what problems did you encounter?
• In working with new people, how do you go about getting an understanding of them?
• What is your role as a group member?
• What type of person do you get along with best?
• What difficulties do you have in tolerating people with different backgrounds and interests from yourself?
• When you joined your last company and met the group for the first time, how did you feel?
• How did get on with them?
• Define cooperation. How would you define a satisfying work atmosphere?
• Tell me about an occasion when, in difficult circumstances, you pulled the team together. Tell me about a time when your team fell apart. Why did it happen?
• What did you do?
• Have you ever had to build motivation or team spirit with coworkers?
• What are some of the things you find difficult to do?
• What kind of decisions are most difficult for you?
• Recall for me a major project you worked on. How did you organize and plan for it?
• Do you set goals for yourself?
• What did you like/dislike about your last job?
• Describe a typical workday. What problems do you normally experience in getting things done?
• Describe a project that required a high amount of energy over an extended period of time. What was the most difficult situation you have faced?
• What stress did you feel and how did you react?
• Tell me about a situation when your performance didn’t live up to your expectations. Why aren’t you earning more at your age?
• How long will it take for you to make a contribution?
• What have you done to become more effective in your position?
• How do you define a successful career?
• Are you willing to go where the company sends you?

Your Flexibility – The interviewer wants to know how adaptable you are change.

• In what kind of situation will you cling to your point-of-view no matter what?
• How do you handle changing priorities?
• Describe several situations. Tell me about a specific project you led that had an impact on changing the overall process or procedures of how things had been done prior. How do you communicate change to others?
• Cite a specific example.
• Results:
• How have you gotten around obstacles that prevented you from completing a project?
• Describe the project and obstacles and what you did. What was your most significant accomplishment in your immediate role?
• To what do you attribute your success?
• What were your key objectives for this past year?
• How were they decided upon and measured?
• How well did you perform against them?
• What decisions do you usually make quickly?
• What decisions do you spend more time on?
• Why?

Your Communication – The interviewer wants to learn about your verbal and nonverbal communication skills.

• What approaches have you used in presenting to different audiences?
• Give a specific example. How did you know you were getting your ideas across?
• Describe a situation in which you had to turn away a customer / supplier / vendor. How did you communicate that difficult information?
• Describe a situation in which you had some difficulty establishing rapport with another individual or group of individuals. What did you do?

Your Cross-Functional Experience – The interviewer wants to know about your ability (and desire) to juggle multiple responsibilities and take on new tasks, departments and/or roles.

• How do you stay current on issues impacting your industry?
• Describe a major project that you were responsible for that involved other areas of your organization. What actions have you taken to gain a broader understanding of the business process outside of your immediate role?
• What cross-functional experiences have you gained within your current organization?

Your Project Management – The interviewer wants to understand your process for managing projects – whether formalized or otherwise.

• What tools do you utilize to manage projects?
• Has your schedule ever been upset by unforeseen circumstances?
• What did you do then?
• Give examples. Have you changed any processes or methods of setting work priorities in your current role?
• Give examples. What is your procedure for keeping track of items that require attention?
• Tell me about a time when you used this procedure?
• Tell me about the time when your workload was heaviest. How did you complete all your work?
• Have you ever set up a course of action to accomplish a long-range goal/vision?
• What was it and how did you set it up?
• What types of project planning or administration did you do in your job?
• Tell me about some of these projects. Tell me about a time when you missed a deadline on a project. What were the causes?
• What did you do?
• What procedures do you use to organize information in your work area?
• Tell me about a time when the procedures worked. When they didn’t work. Tell me about some challenging situations in which you had to arrange work schedules.

Don’t forget to prepare the questions you will ask the interviewer:

• Why is the position open?
• Are there internal candidates?
• What are the formal/informal responsibilities of the position?
• Are there key on-going responsibilities of the position?
• What factors have hindered performance of these responsibilities?
• What needs to be accomplished within the first x months on the job?
• What changes would you like to see brought about?
• What barriers stand in the way of realizing these improvements?
• What are the strengths/weaknesses of the department?
• Who would be the ideal candidate for this position?
• What are the resources available to successfully complete the department’s objectives?
• What are the limits of my authority?
• To whom would I report?
• Whom would I be supervising?
• Tell me about initial and future training?
• What is the career path of this job?
• How will I be evaluated or what performance criteria would I be rated against?
• Do you have any concerns about my qualifications?
• What are the most critical components of this job?
• What is the most important credential a candidate needs for this job?
• Can you tell me about the most successful person doing this job?
• What is the next step in the process?
• When will I hear from you?

Lisa Thompson – Managing Director, Professional Services

Preparing for Interviews

Securing an interview requires hard work and persistence. Once you’ve garnered an interview, excellence in communication skills is absolutely critical for success.

Understanding the basic concepts of effective communication in job interviews will help you present yourself as the best person for the job. Practicing your communication skills will prepare you to come across confidently and professionally in your interviews.

In your past positions, you may have conducted dozens or hundreds of interviews. However, even if you consider yourself experienced as an interviewer, there are special considerations with interviewing as the job seeker.

Basics of Communication

Studies have ranked communication skills as the number one key to success in business. While hard work and superior performance are key, they alone are not enough to ensure success.

The communication process can be summarized as who (the communicator) says what (the message) in what way (the medium) to whom (the receiver) with what effect (the feedback). How the communicator translates the message (encoding) and how the receiver understands the message (decoding) are also important. Further, “noise” pervades the process and often distorts the intended meaning of the message.

Communication Medium

Verbal communication is the most common medium for conveying messages. However, how the receiver understands the message has as much to do with image and body language as words. In fact, a research study by U.C.L.A. scholar Alber Mehribian concluded that message interpretations are determined 55% by the communicator’s body language, 38% by the communicator’s image, and only 7% by the communicator’s words themselves.¹

Body Language

Think of the familiar saying “actions speak louder than words.” Actions or body language must be consistent with the words you use. For example, saying that you are enthusiastic will be believable if you don’t show it.

10 Most Common—And Potentially Deadly—Interview Questions

Sometimes what seem to be the simplest of interview questions are potentially the most dangerous. It’s not that the interviewer is out to trick you, but these are opportunities for you to inadvertently shoot yourself in the foot. While you may be asked as many as 40 or 50 different questions during the course of a lengthy interview, the following are some of the questions that can be the most deadly—and preparing for these questions can help ensure your success. 

Tell me about yourself.

Caution: An applicant who stumbles over this question immediately raises a red flag to the interviewer and signals that this is a person who is not well prepared. Answers that go on too long (more than three minutes) or are too personal also indicate an individual who is not focused on a job search marketing campaign.

Recommendation: Here is the best place to use your “infomercial” about yourself. Some people prefer to begin with a brief personal history, while others opt to go straight to a professional sketch and then bring in a few personal details. Keep to broad-brush statements and save the details for follow-up questions. Close with a broad statement, such as “I have strong accomplishments in all areas” that invites the interviewer to follow up with “Can you describe some of your accomplishments?” Be Prepared with relevant accomplishments to introduce during the “two minute infomercial”.

Why did you leave your last position?

Caution: Watch out for words, tone of voice, or body language that convey emotional “baggage” such as anger, bitterness, embarrassment, etc. Don’t dwell on the details. Potential employers probably care a lot less about this than you think—unless your answer gives them cause to focus on it.

Recommendation: As long as you were not released for cause (poor performance, substance abuse, criminal activity, etc.) this question should lead into a positive statement. “The company was going through a downsizing or a reorganization. Many good people were adversely affected. I realize the company was making a conscious business decision, so I look at this as an opportunity to explore other situations where I can make a contribution with the skills I possess. I’m looking for a good match, and I think this opportunity may be it.” If you were released for cause, discuss appropriate answers with your consultant and plan extra rehearsal time to become comfortable with possible follow-up questions and responses.

What are your goals?

Caution: Don’t get too specific, such as a certain amount of salary or a job title. Don’t be too self-centered or ambitious.

Recommendation: Give one or two sentences to long-range career goals where you want to be in 10 years.

What are your strengths/weaknesses?

Caution: There should be no danger to answering the “strengths” part of the question since you have spent so much time in identifying them. Describing “weaknesses,” however, can be tricky since you don’t really want to go into detail about why you are not the perfect person for this job.

Recommendation: There are four safe ways to handle a question about your weaknesses:

• One is to present as a “weakness” a characteristic that many employers might consider a strength. For example, “I am very cost conscious and some people misconstrue this as being cheap.” Or, “I am impatient with people who do not do what they say they will do.”
• The second method is to pick a weakness that reflects your work style. For example, “When assigned a project, I concentrate on the big picture. There are times when details fall between the cracks. That’s why I always try to get people on my team who are detail oriented. I know my weakness and how to deal with it.”
• The third way to handle a question on weakness is to give a safe, generic answer. For instance, “I can use more training in the latest, most current technical areas.” Everyone can use more training, but be careful that you do not imply you cannot meet the challenges of this job due to a lack of training. Yes, you can do it now, but you would like to take your skills to “cutting-edge” status.
• Finally, you can feel relatively safe in talking about a mistake or faux pas early in your career when you were young, inexperienced, and lacked business savvy. Emphasize the lessons you learned from this experience and how you later used what you learned in similar experiences.

What do you know about this company?

Caution: Can you imagine what goes through the interviewer’s mind when an applicant answers this with “Nothing” or “Not too much?”

Recommendation: Research, research, research! Know more than you think you’ll need to know. Now is the time to pull out your mental notes and dazzle the interviewer with your familiarity with the company, industry trends, and “inside information.” If for some reason, the interviewer does not ask this question, look for opportunities to show that you have done your homework. Always know more about the organization and the interviewer than they do about you.

Why do you feel qualified for this job?

Caution: No hesitancy and no shyness allowed. You would not be in this interview at all if you were not qualified for this position. Interviewers do not waste their time—and neither do you. Even if you are feeling overwhelmed by the new information you have gathered in this interview, remember the achievements you have identified.

Recommendation: Frame your response so that it satisfies the organization’s needs, and then fill it in with a meaty description of your skills, characteristics, and achievements. Make specific reference to the information the interviewer gave in the job overview at the beginning of your conversation, and draw on facts you gathered when you asked about the organization’s current problems and needs.

What was your most significant achievement? 

Caution: Most applicants can answer this question, but fall into one of two traps—selecting an example that clearly doesn’t relate to this organization, or going into far too much detail. Keep your anecdote brief and allow the interviewer to ask for the long version of the story.

Recommendation: By this time, you know your achievements as well as your phone number. Select the most appropriate example and use them strategically to make it meaningful to the interviewer. You and your ECC Coach have worked extensively on these – so use them

How would your boss describe your job performance?

Caution: The danger in this question comes from a less than ideal relationship with your past boss. Don’t try to paint a glowing picture if, in fact, the two of you were archenemies. Instead, talk about how you did not always agree on how to handle a situation. Describe how your work styles differed. Confide that you were not a “yes” person, but that you always got the job done.

Recommendation: This is the time to produce a letter of recommendation if you have one. The question is really asking what type of employee you are, as seen through someone else’s eyes. “My former boss would say that I have many fine skills and qualities, such as… Or, she would probably tell you about the times that I accomplished some great results, such as…”

Why should we hire you?

Caution: This is no time to be humble or coy. Be clear that you can do the job and that you want the job.

Recommendation: Talk about how you can handle the responsibilities of the job and how you can make a fine contribution to the organization. Describe your potential to do wondrous things at the organization and how you have the experience to back it up. Ask for the order—repeat that you want the job, even if you are not 100% sure at this point that you do.

What are your salary expectations?

Caution: Don’t blurt out a number without knowing what the organization expects to pay this position. You can easily categorize yourself as under or overqualified before you have even gotten into the heart of the interview. Avoid giving an exact salary history and instead provide an answer of what salary range you are looking for.

Recommendation: First try answering the question with a question. “May I ask what is the salary range for this position?” or “How much do you normally pay someone with my skills, background, and experience?” If the interviewer asks you straight out what you were earning, counter with “I am looking for an opportunity with earnings in the range of ______. For example, give a number that is the base of an acceptable range and add a 10% swing, e.g. $150-165K. Then ask, “How much were you considering for this position?” Be prepared to hear anything from $130,000 to $150,000. If your stated range is under or over the interviewer’s answer, you must deal with the discrepancy immediately or you may be eliminated as being overqualified or under qualified.

If the presumption is you are overqualified, assure the interviewer that “Money is only part of what I seek in my next position. I am looking for the right opportunity where I can contribute, be challenged and grow. This looks like that kind of situation. Money will follow a job well done. I am interested in pursuing this.”

If the presumption is that you are under-qualified, assert that this job has certain requirements that you fulfill. “I have the experience and ability to do this job. As I understand it, you need someone who can _______. I have a proven track record in that when I ________, and I can produce the results you need.”

Why are employers afraid of “overqualified” applicants?

If your career objective is leading you to apply for jobs where you appear overqualified, you may not be getting the kind of reception you expected. Shouldn’t these employers feel thrilled and grateful to be able to access your wealth of talents and experiences? Why are they so skeptical or downright negative about your over qualifications?

Think about the situation from the employer’s point of view. Here are some concerns they may have:

• “I’m never going to be able to pay the salary she expects. Why am I wasting my time with this interview?”
• “Even if I hire this person, he is going to be gone in a flash as soon as a better offer comes along.”
• “This job may under utilize her knowledge, skills and talents. We don’t have a bigger job for her in the foreseeable future; she may be frustrated in this role.”
• “I have less experience than this person. How can I manage him effectively? Won’t he be undermining my confidence?”
• “If this person is as good as she looks, why is she interested in this job? What’s the real story?”

Being aware the behind-the-scenes thinking of an employer will help you develop phrases and answers that reassure employers of your value. You are fighting the old adage “If it’s too good to be true, something must be wrong.” If you prepare for the interview and rehearse your responses ahead of time, you will prove to them that you’re the right candidate for the job.

Companies use a variety of interview types, and in the process of hiring an executive, they may use any or all. Understanding the various types of interviews will help you know what to expect so you can prepare to present your best self.

One-to-One

The most common interview format is one interviewer interviewing one candidate. This is sometimes the first of several interviews. Second and third interviews will usually have a number of interviewers.

Team / Board Interview With Two or More People

While it is important to have good eye contact with the person who asks you the question, also look at the other persons present periodically in order to include them in your answer. Try to remember each individual’s name and use his or her name at some point during the interview.

General (Group) Interview

This approach is intended to provide applicants with a large amount of information about the organization and the role. The format is used in order to save time and ensure everyone understands the basic facts. This process is usually followed by an individual interview.

Competitive Group Interview

Many candidates are interviewed at the same time, by one or more interviewers. This type of interview is sometimes utilized when a position being applied for involves team work. In this case, the interviewers want to see how you interact in a group setting, and a competitive group interview is used most often to determine who rises as a leader within the group and/or when they have large numbers of people interviewing for several similar roles within the company. It is important to thoughtfully and intelligently contribute, but not monopolize the conversation.

Structured Interview

The goal of this approach is to eliminate bias and assist the employer in making an objective decision. All candidates are asked the same questions for the employer’s ease in evaluating applicants. If there is important information that you have not conveyed by the end of the interview, when asked if you have any questions or anything to add, present your additional qualifications. Usually the interviewer will make written notes of your answers.

Semi-structured Interview

In a semi-structured interview you have a better opportunity to convey information, as there are fewer pre-determined questions. However, you need to be well prepared and know the points you want to make. You will also be expected to participate in carrying the conversation.

Telephone Interview

Because of the high cost of paying travel expenses for candidates, some first interviews are conducted by telephone. If the call surprises you and you are not ready for an interview, ask the person to call back in 15 minutes, or arrange another mutually convenient time. This will give you time to refresh your memory on the organization and what points you want to make. All advice about interview skills still applies, except dressing for the occasion. However, you may find that dressing professionally helps you perform better. Keep your resume and your list of questions in front of you. Have a pen and paper available to note any comments or questions you may have during the interview. It is important to pay attention to the voice tone and tempo. Be sure to change your tone and tempo to demonstrate your interest.