The Top 10 Questions Most Often Asked by Interviewers

To be prepared for an interview it is helpful to have an understanding of the questions you may be asked and to have prepared answers for them.

1. Which supervisors have you found easiest to work with and which have been most difficult?
   (This is to judge your adaptability)
2. What did you like best and least about your previous job?
   (For checking your administration and managerial skills)
3. Have you ever had to get a point across to different types of people? Give me an example and tell me what approach did you take?
   (Finding out about your communication skills)
4. Describe a work-related problem you had to face recently. What did you do to deal with it?
   (Decision making skills tested)
5. Give me an example of a time you did more than what was required in your job.
   (Seeking initiative)
6. Give me an example of a time you found it necessary to make an exception to the rules in order to get something done.
   (How is your integrity?)
7. What was the best decision you ever made? What were the alternatives? How did you go about making it?
   (Checking your judgment)
8. Tell me about a time you had to gain the cooperation of a group over which you had little or no authority. What did you do? How effective were you?
   (Your Leadership quality)
9. Have you ever had trouble learning a new method or procedure? How did you deal with that situation?
   (Investigating your learning ability)
10. Tell me about a problem you have had that would affect more than one department. How did you try to solve it?
    (For organizational cooperation)

5 Sure-fire Ways to NOT get the job

Everywhere you look, you can get advice on what you SHOULD do to get the best job. I want to tell you some things you should do if you DON'T want a company to hire you.

1. Send your resume with no cover letter. They get everything in their FAX machine anyway - and your name and phone number are right there on it. Of course your resume is so different; they will know right away that you are the ONE for them!
2. Call the company about an hour before your scheduled interview and tell them something came up and you need to reschedule. All companies take forever to make up their mind, right? What will it matter if you reschedule your interview a time or two?
3. Get to the interview a few minutes late, and don't have a spare copy of your resume with you. You can recite it off the top of your head, and if they lost their copy, you can send them one later.
4. Dress casually when you go in. You know that this is a laid-back company and everyone dresses in jeans there.
5. Ask right away how much the pay will be and what their benefits are. No sense in waiting till after you learn about the job and the potential it may have - get right to the "meat" of what's in it for you!

Of course, these are ways NOT to get a job. Don't use any of these ideas if you really want the job.
Becoming A Value-Adding Employee

We now find that job specialization is out, and multi-tasking is required of workers whether they like it or not. So if you’re wondering whether you will make it through the next round of cuts, it depends a great deal on your perceived "value" to your employer. Here are some tips on how to demonstrate your value:

• Set Goals. When you join a company, make sure you have goals and a plan for accomplishing them. If your manager doesn’t take an active role in setting those goals, the onus is on you to set them.
• Get your manager to buy into your plan. Let him/her know what your goals are, and if you can’t get approval to proceed, amend them in such a way that you can get full support.
• Develop a constituency. They may not necessarily be in your department but they are peers who are affected to some extent by what you do. Develop good relationships so you can support each other’s ideas, and alert each other to anything that affects your jobs. Don’t hesitate to praise the work of the peers in your constituency, especially to senior management, but do it only when praise is due.
• Keep abreast of how your organization is doing. If you work for a public company, scan the stock pages and read trade publications. Keep on top of who your competitors are, what issues are facing your industry, and how these things reflect on what’s happening at your organization.
• Expand and diversify your work experience. If you find yourself doing the same work over and over, look for something else you can learn to do. For example, volunteer for tasks outside your area of responsibility, take advantage of training opportunities, and don't wait for someone to suggest training for you. Be proactive. Make a list of activities that will make you a better, more valuable employee, and then get your supervisor’s approval to participate in those activities.
• Participate. Make yourself visible at company related events. Be a joiner. When committees need members to help support projects, sign up. Remember, there’s no room for complacency in today’s workplace. Individuals who want to progress in their careers must continually demonstrate their value to management. Those who think they can rest on their laurels are bound to end up as just another downsizing statistic.

IF YOU WANT TO GET AHEAD ON THE JOB - NEVER SAY……* There are many good ways to demonstrate value to your employer, but there are also some things you need to avoid:

• NEVER SAY, "They didn't get back to me” or “they are getting back to me.” Leaving the ball in someone else’s court, for all intents and purposes, stops the action. Take the initiative.
• NEVER SAY, "I thought someone else was taking care of that." An excuse like that is a roadblock to action. Instead, look into what is going on in order to keep things moving.
• NEVER SAY, "No one told me." When you let your manager hear you talk this way, you make a very clear statement about how you work. In other words, you are oblivious to what is going on around you.
• NEVER SAY, "I just assumed….” Making assumptions is the best way to make yourself obsolete.
• NEVER SAY, "I left her a message." This doesn’t absolve you of your responsibilities and doesn’t mean you have accomplished anything.
• NEVER SAY, "I didn't know you wanted me to do that." Statements such as this suggest that you are capable of doing only what you are told and not much more.
• NEVER SAY, "I didn't have time,” or "I was too busy."
• NEVER SAY, "But it wasn't due until….". Last minute performance is out. Managers know that what's done at the last minute doesn't leave enough time for proper evaluation, revision, and refinement. Second-rate performance just isn’t good enough.
• NEVER SAY, "It's scheduled for….." The schedule is only important if completion will be on time. Schedules must be actively verified as many times as necessary.
• NEVER SAY, "As I understand it….” Using words like this indicates that you're a spectator, not an active participant. Spectators don't play the game and they don't get to share in the rewards.
• NEVER SAY, "I'll do it as soon as I get it from….” This is not good enough. If you think you’re just a cog in the process, you’ll soon be out of a job. Even though it may not be your fault that it’s late, make it your goal to deliver on time.
• NEVER SAY, "I'm going to get on that right away." Sure you will, but only after someone had to remind you about it! You are sending the message that you are disorganized and deal with things only when someone else brings them to your attention.
• NEVER SAY, "I've been trying to get everyone together, but…” This just doesn't wash these days. Such a statement makes it appear that you can't handle responsibility, or that your associates and coworkers don't even respond to your requests.
• NEVER SAY, "I haven't been able to get through to him…” Sure, voice mail is a problem these days, and the communication barriers are higher than ever before. Get creative, and do what it takes to get the response you were looking for.