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Interviews: 10 Common Questions

June 27th, 2010

And What You Should Not Say

By Fernando M. Tarnogol

Fernando M. Tarnogol

Every manager has employed them at some point in their lives. Either because they are  beginners and don’t know better, because they’ve used this questions for so long that it’s become second nature to them or for simple laziness. Expect to hear some of them in 95% of your job interviews.

A job interview is like a first date. The impression you make during the first 10 minutes will determine the rest of the night. The same thing happens when you get interviewed. This is the analogy made by Professor Allen Huffcutt, who has studied job interviews for more than 20 years, when he was interviewed by Ori Brafman for his book “Sway: the irresistible pull of irrational behavior”.

First impressions are what matters. If you fit a specific physical profile (more on this soon), if you can establish a good rapport, if the interviewer hears what we wants or expects to hear; then the interview is considered a success and you are hired.

Malcolm Gladwell gives a perfect example of how people are hired for reasons that have nothing to do with logic or reason in his bestseller book “Blink: the power of thinking without thinking”: Fortune » Read more: Interviews: 10 Common Questions

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Interviews: Seven Ways to Flunk

March 24th, 2010

By Jackie Simmonds, NEJS Blog Editor

Jackie Simmonds I ran across this article written by Adriana Gardella that reminds all of us that our interviewing skills need to be polished.  Let’s face it; none of us has enough interview experience to have the entire process down pat.  More often than not we interview sporadically and in the time between interviews we are not practicing.  Anyone who has ever tried to learn golf or any other sport for that matter knows that you can never become great at something you only do once in a while.

What can you do to make the process as smooth as possible?  Prepare.  Understand the questions that are most likely to be asked.  Practice your answers.  Practice in front of others.  And try not to make the common mistakes that Adriana points out in her article.

Mistake #1: Drop your guard in front of “the help.”

Interviewing is stressful. Sometimes you just want to explode. But don’t. At least not in front of anyone who could influence the hiring decision.

Employers know that job seekers interact with receptionists and other support staffers — often with their guards down. “They don’t see those people as decision makers, so they tend to be more genuine in their interactions with them,” says Ron Panaggio. But employers routinely ask these employees for feedback. “We like to see whether the interview persona matches the unscripted » Read more: Interviews: Seven Ways to Flunk

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Interviews: 7 questions you will be asked

March 7th, 2010

By Jackie Simmonds, NEJS Blog Editor

Jackie SimmondsAs I attend networking and volunteer meetings sooner or later interviewing comes up.  Did you get one?  How did it go?  What did they ask you?  How do you think you did?

And then there is the second-guessing after the interview.  Did I do a good enough job? Why did I say that?  Did I sound intelligent enough?  Do they like me?

So much uncertainty!  How can we get back in control of this situation?

To get that control feeling back in place I began searching for the questions that industry experts are recommending interviewers ask job applicants.  I found an article that was written by Brian Libby that talked about how the person interviewing candidates should structure an interview.  I think this can be very helpful information as you are preparing to walk into that office and wow your potential next employer.

Here are the top 7 interview questions and the reasons interviewers ask them.

Question #1: “How about those Yankees?”

Purpose: Develop the rapport needed to get the interview off the ground.

Every interview should begin with an icebreaker. It helps nervous applicants calm down and builds a sense of trust.

Question #2: “Talk about a time when you had to overcome major obstacles.”

Purpose: Get a clear picture of the candidate’s past performance.

Variations on this question should actually comprise your next several questions. Don’t hesitate to guide the candidate through the variety of tasks (both tangible and theoretical) necessary to perform the job, and listen carefully to how he or she has handled such challenges. Pay attention to intangibles: some people are better at performing in interviews than on the job.

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