Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Job Interview Questions and Answers

By Ray James

Your hard work of sending all those attractive cover letters and resume has finally been successful and you have been invited to attend a face to face job interview. This is where the hard work really begins? you must prepare yourself extremely well to better your chances to leave the interview room with a smile on your face.

There are dozens of other similarly qualified candidates trying out for this job so it is essential that you prove yourself better than the competition. The only thing that will help you achieve this is to keep practicing giving answers to these questions. This will give you the edge during the decisive first meeting.

* Tell me about yourself. The answer to this typical opening question should be short and specific. Remember that you will have to cover four vital topics: early years, education, work history and recent career experience. Don?t waste time here.

* Why did you leave your last job? Present a positive answer to this question and never discuss any major problem with the previous organization. Do not speak against the supervisors, your colleagues or the organization as it shows a negative attitude. Talk about positive aspects such as that you decided to leave to improve yourself.

* Do you consider yourself a successful person? You should always answer this positively and give a brief supporting explanation. One explanation may be that you have achieved a number of the goals you have set for yourself, but that you are always looking to improve.

* What do your colleagues think about you? Be prepared with a quote or two from your previous colleagues to the effect that they consider you to be a hard worker dedicated to the job. Remember to include the names of these people.

* What do you know about our company? This is related to how knowledgeable you are about the company, and your willingness to work there. Investigate all the things related to the company since its foundation to any recent projects or recent news about its services, products, branches across the world etc.

* Are you applying somewhere else? Be honest but don't waste your valuable time in explaining why. Remain focused on your goal.

* What attracted you towards our organization? Such questions can play a very significant role in your selection but only if you give the right answers. These will be totally dependent upon your research for example, what are the growth areas of the organization - research and development, finance, or management, so you should provide an answer related to the company requirement.

* What outstanding things you can do for us that someone else can not? You can answer this question through an explanation of your previous achievements and previous records of successful completion of projects on target. Provide details about your abilities and interests as stated in your resume and make yourself appear invaluable to the interviewer.

* What kind of salary you are expecting? This can be a problematic question if you fail to answer it with care. Try to avoid a direct answer, instead asking your interviewer a clarifying question such as, "Can you give me the salary range for this position?

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