Make the Most of the First 20 Seconds of an Interview

When you go into an interview, you have 20 seconds to give an employer a reason to consider hiring you. First impressions count for a lot; learn how to use them to your advantage. The parts of a successful first impression are an almost choreographed ritual of getting down to the serious business of interviewing. You can make an interviewer think, "This is a good candidate" by following several seemingly simple rules:

Look Confident

No matter how you may feel that day, smile. A smile is not just another facial expression. It's a signal to that primitive part of the interviewer's brain that you are friendly and not a threat. It also sends a message to your own brain of being happy and at ease. Linguists and psychologists have said that anywhere from 93 to 97 percent of communication is nonverbal, and the smile is a very important part of that communication.

10 General Questions:

1. Tell me about yourself.
* Keep your answer to one or two minutes; don't ramble.
* Use a ''positioning statement'' as a base to start. Your positioning statement is the boiled-down story of your resume -- general goals, skills and background.

2. What do you know about our company?
* Know products, size, income, reputation, image, goals, problems, management talent, management style, people, skills, history and philosophy.
* Project an informed interest. Ask several open-ended questions about the company's course and the department's goals so the interviewer can tell you about the company. Let her define the business in her terms.

3. Why do you want to work for us?
* Don't talk about what you want; first talk about their needs.
* You wish to be part of a company project.
* You would like to solve a company problem.
* You can make a definite contribution to specific company goals: identify its management talent, increase sales in the Northeast region, and so on.

4. What would you do for us? What can you do for us that someone else can't?
* Relate past successes in solving previous employer problems, which may be similar to those of the prospective employer.

5. What about our position do you find the most attractive? Least attractive?
* List three or more attractive factors and only one minor unattractive factor.

6. Why should we hire you?
* Because of knowledge, experience, abilities and skills. Tell what these are.

7. What do you look for in a job?
* An opportunity to use skills, perform and be recognized.

8. Please give me your definition of a ... (the job for which you are being interviewed).
* Keep it brief and action- and results-oriented

9. How long would it take you to make a meaningful contribution to our firm?
* Very quickly after a little orientation and a brief period of adjustment on the learning curve.

10. How long would you stay with us?
* As long as we both feel I'm contributing, achieving, growing and so on.

8 Experience and Management Questions:

1. You may be overqualified or too experienced for the position we have to offer. * Strong companies need strong people.
* Experienced executives are at a premium today.
* Emphasize your interest in a long-term association.
* The employer will get a faster return on investment because you have more experience than required.
* A growing, energetic company is rarely unable to use its people talents.

2. What is your management style?
* If you've never thought about this, it's high time you did. Open door is best, but you get the job done on time or inform your management.

3. Are you a good manager? Give an example. Why do you feel you have top managerial potential?
* Keep your answer achievement- and task-oriented and emphasize management skills -- planning, organizing, controlling, interpersonal and so on.

5. What did you look for when you hired people?
* Skills, initiative, adaptability.

6. Have you ever fired anyone? If so, what were the reasons and how did you handle it?
*You have had experience with this and it worked out well since it wasn't a good fit, or you've focused on having a great team that works well together so have never been presented with this problem.

7. What do you see as the most difficult task in being a manager?
* Getting things planned and done on time within the budget.

8. What do your subordinates think of you?
* Be honest and positive; they can check your responses easily.

9. What is your biggest weakness as a manager?
* Be honest and end on a positive note: "I have a problem reprimanding people so I always begin with something positive first."
Industry Trends Question:
10. What important trends do you see in our industry?
* Keep your answer to two or three trends.

4 Questions If You Are Leaving a Job:·

1. Why are you leaving your present job?
* Refine your answer based on your comfort level and honesty.
* Give a "group" answer if possible; for instance, "Our department was consolidated or eliminated."

2. How do you feel about leaving all of your benefits?
* Concerned but not panicked.

3. Describe what you feel to be an ideal working environment.
* Where people are treated as fairly as possible.

4. How would you evaluate your present firm?
* An excellent company that afforded me many fine experiences.

12 Questions Quantifying Your Experience and Accomplishments:
1. Have you helped increase sales? Profits? How?
* Describe in some detail.

2. Have you helped reduce costs? How?
* Same as above.

3.How much money did you ever account for?
* Be specific.
4. How many people did you supervise on your last job?
* Be specific.

5. Do you like working with figures more than words?
* Be honest but positive.

6. In your present or last job, what features did you like the most? Least?
* Same as above

7.In your present or last job, what are or were your five most significant accomplishments?
* You could refer to the key accomplishments already identified on resume.

8. Why haven't you found a new position before now?
* Finding a job is easy but finding the right job is more difficult. You are being "selective."

9.Had you thought of leaving your present position before? If yes, what do you think held you there?
* Challenge, but it's gone now.

10. What do you think of your boss?
* Be as positive as you can.

11. Describe a situation in which your work was criticized?
* Pick an example that emphasizes how you grew from the experience.

12. What other types of jobs or companies are you considering?
* Keep your answer related to this company's field.

8 Questions on Your Work Habits and Style:

1. If I spoke with your previous boss, what would he say are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
* Emphasize skills -- don't be overly negative about your weaknesses; it's always safe to identify a lack of a skill or experience as a shortcoming rather than a personal characteristic.

2. an you work under pressures and deadlines?
* Yes. Quite simply, it is a way of life in business.....Give example

3. How have you changed the nature of your job?
* Improved it, of course. Example

4. Do you prefer staff or line work? Why?
* It depends on the job and its challenges.

5. In your present position, what problems have you identified that had previously been overlooked?
* Keep it brief and don't brag -- that is, stick to the facts.

6. Don't you feel you might be better off in a different size company? Different type company?
* Depends on the job -- elaborate slightly.

7. How do you resolve conflict on a project team?
* First discuss issues privately....

8. What was the most difficult decision you ever had to make?
* Attempt to relate your response to the prospective employment situation.

3 Salary Questions:

1. How much are you looking for?
* Answer with a question: ''What is the salary range for similar jobs in your company?''
* If they don't answer, then give a range of what you understand you are worth in the marketplace.

2. How much do you expect, if we offer this position to you?
* Be careful; the market value of the job may be the key answer -- ''My understanding is that a job like the one you're describing may be in the range of $______.''

3. What kind of salary are you worth?
* Have a specific figure in mind, but don't necessarily volunteer it.

4 Personality Questions:
1. What was the last book you read? Movie you saw? Sporting event you attended?
* Talk about books, sports or films to represent balance in you life.

2. How would you describe your own personality?
* Balanced.

3. What are your strong points?
* Present at least three and relate them to the interviewing company and job opening.

4.What are your weak points?
* Don't say you have none.
* Try not to cite personal characteristics as weaknesses, but be ready to have one if interviewer presses.
* Turn a negative into a positive answer: "I am sometimes intent on completing an assignment and get too deeply involved when we are late."

Interviewing: Practice Interview Questions I


Job interviewing is like dating. You arrive at the agreed-upon location, on time, neatly dressed, determined to make a good impression and ready to answer a ton of questions. The key to a successful interviewing, however, lies in anticipating and preparing for those questions and knowing just how to handle them. We talked to five people who spend every day interviewing people, and they gave us the lowdown on how to best answer five common interview questions.

1. Tell me about yourself.
This open-ended question has no ''right'' or ''wrong'' answer, says Ken Ramberg, co-founder of Jobtrak.com in Los Angeles: ''It is merely the interviewer's way of getting you to talk, to open up, to say something that isn't canned, or not right in front of them on your resume.''
It doesn't matter exactly what you say so much as how you say it: with enthusiasm and passion. Because this question is open-ended, Ramberg says, be careful not to babble. Have a point. Perhaps talk about your excitement at having the opportunity to interview with this organization and explain how it meshes with your career goals. Or use this time to say what your resume doesn't and impress upon your interviewer why you're an asset to any company.

2. Why are you leaving your current job?
Many interviewers will ask this, and although they may be curious as to why you're job hunting, keep your comments diplomatic. ''Never say anything directly negative about your present job,'' said Laurence Stybel, founder of Lincolnshire, Stybel, Peabody, a recruitment firm in Boston. ''Instead, focus on things such as growth potential and skill development and your goals in those regards.'' Be honest about what you are looking for. But don't disclose everything (how your boss is a tyrant and your coworkers incompetent, for example) that has led to look around.

3. What would you say is your greatest weakness?
This is one of those slippery interview questions that, if you haven't given it a little thought beforehand, can catch you off guard. While it may be tempting, don't simply boast you're flawless.

Instead, answer the question with a real weakness, albeit many experts advise it be a watered-down one. ''I generally tell people to answer this question by giving a quality that is not that bad,'' said Rachel Cohen, a talent advocate at Muses, Inc., a San Francisco recruiting company. Stybel suggests naming a flaw and the steps you've taken to overcome it. For example: ''In the past I've been impatient to tackle many big projects at once. I'm still ambitious, but I prioritize so everything gets done in the right order.'' Other suggested not-so-flawed flaws -- being excessively organized and deadline-driven.

4. I see you have a gap on your resume. What did you do during this year/month/decade that you weren't working in this industry?
Be as honest as possible when you answer, says Sarah Jelley, a strategy recruiter at Luminant Worldwide Corporation in New York City. While you needn't give every detail of what you did during that ''gap,'' don't be evasive. The interviewer just wants to get a better idea of who you are, what makes you tick, and how your experiences make you a good fit for the job. ''Tell the interviewer what you did, and emphasize what you got out of it, or what you learned,'' Jelley said. You may have been washing dishes in Tijuana for a year, but you also were learning another language and culture.

5. Where do you see yourself in 5/10/fill-in-the-blank years?
You dread this question from your mother, not to mention your interviewer, and yet it comes up time and time again. But you needn't have your whole life lined up to answer this well. ''I'm looking for a person with self-insight, someone who will be open with me,'' said Tom DiDonato, senior vice president of human resources at Merck & Company in Franklin Lakes, N.J. ''I want to hear about your ambitions and your goals. I want to hear you get energized when you speak.'' Demonstrate your ambition by talking about the skills you hope to develop or projects you want to undertake. Whenever possible, says Cohen, give a concrete goal, focusing on the responsibilities, not the title. For example, you could say you'd like to work on certain kinds of projects, achieve a creative goal or manage a team because you think you have good leadership skills.

Practice Interview Questions II

The key to polished interviewing lies in anticipating and preparing for likely questions and knowing just how to handle them. We talked to five experts who spend every day interviewing people, and they gave us and how you should respond. But more is better, and five wasn't nearly enough. So here are five more to help you ace the interview.

1. I see you don't have ____ skill/experience. How would you handle that?
This is your time to convince the interviewer that, despite your inexperience with a certain computer program or procedure, you're up for the challenge. ''Your best bet here is to give an example,'' said Laurence Stybel, founder of Lincolnshire, Stybel, Peabody. ''Tell about another time you encountered this kind of situation and how you dealt with it.'' If you're short on I'm-a-quick-learner stories, impress your interviewer with the steps you're already taking to learn the skill -- a class you've enrolled in or a how-to book you're reading.

2. What kind of work environment are you looking for?
When an interviewer asks this, they exploring whether you will fit with their office, says Rachel Cohen, a talent advocate at Muses Inc. If they have a laid-back, laissez-faire approach and you like hand-holding and firm oversight, then perhaps it isn't the right place for you. That said, if you really want the job, and you're not lying to yourself in the process, you'd be wise to look around you and describe your ideal workplace as the one you see laid out in front of you. A little legwork before your interview should give you a good understanding of the corporate climate. If you can, talk to others at the company or in the same field. If you don't have these contacts, ask pointed questions of the receptionist, assistant and anyone else you talk to during the interview process.

3. What are your favorite magazines and/or what books are you currently reading?
Absolutely no right answers here, says recruiter Sarah Jelley, who always asks this question. ''I just want to hear you talk, to get an idea of who you are. I don't care what it is -- I'm not there to judge your reading selection -- I just want to see that you aren't a one-dimensional person; I want a person with interests."

4. Tell me about the best boss you've ever had.
Although this question can give valuable insight into whether you and your boss (often your interviewer) will get along, it also gives insight into how you would lead, says Tom DiDonato, a senior vice president of human resources: ''When someone tells me about the person they most enjoyed working with and learned the most from, it automatically tells me a lot about how they would be as a leader.'' There is no right answer, DiDonato stresses. Insightful and honest is what he's looking for. For example, discuss the attributes you liked in your hands-on supervisor and how they meshed with your close-knit team approach.

5. Do you have any questions for me?
Oftentimes this last question is the biggest stumper of all. Questions? Me? Yikes. But don't hit mute and make for the door just yet. Always come armed with a few more questions, whether they're about the business itself or about your specific role within it. Doing your homework on the company will make a big difference, says Ken Ramberg, co-founder of Jobtrak.com. Perhaps a new competitor has recently burst on the scene. Inquire about the company's plans to go head-to-head. Or, says Stybel, ask about how the company is meeting technological challenges or expanding. Just don't fall silent at this moment.
"The questions you ask are just as important as the ones they ask you,'' and they demonstrate your level of sophistication, Stybel said. Ask the interviewer why she works there or to describe a recent good hire. You can also highlight any qualifications that haven't been discussed yet and your enthusiasm. Use your voice and make yourself memorable.