The below is a guide to preparing for an interview. It is intended as a good helping point and well worth the read.
Make sure you:
Don’t answer questions by simply saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Explain whenever possible and tell them things about yourself which relates to the position. Don’t ramble. If you are a person who likes to talk a lot, stick to the point and be sincere. Don’t ever make derogatory remarks about your former or present employers or companies. Don’t give away confidential information about previous companies. Don’t talk salary, holidays, etc. on your first interview unless you are directly asked. Don’t leave your mobile phone on. Always turn it OFF.
Prepare two to three questions to ask the interviewer. The question should seek some specific information about the responsibilities of the job, future projects, and organizational structure.
Behavioral Base Questions Below are some questions that are often encountered. The answers we have given are a guide on what the question is actually looking for. Remember to always be honest in your answers. ABILITY TO MEET RESPONSIBLITIES INDEPENDENTLY Q: What are some of the biggest responsibilities you’ve had in the past? A: This question is used to find out how much responsibilities you have taken on in the past. The interviewer will then probe you on specific types of responsibilities in which you were entrusted. You may also be asked whom you reported to and how frequently. Responsibilities you have held in previous roles will be compared with those you will have in the position being applied for. How similar is the reporting structure in this company to the one that you are used to? Recently at my previous employer I have been promoted to be a Team leader of the call centre, so that position definitely was a big responsibility. Responsibilities from confirming shifts right through to meeting job quotas and of course collating info and reporting to senior management. Q: Describe a time when you had to figure out a difficult problem on your own. How did you go about it? A: This question assists the interviewer in assessing your ability to work independently on unfamiliar projects. A good response will show that you have used available resources to deliver the best solutions possible. Focus on the end result, and if you were happy with it. Top candidates will show that they are able to create something out of nothing and are good at keeping a project moving forward even when supervision is lacking.
Q: How did you keep yourself motivated? A: Top candidates will be able to identify several internal motivating factors that help them through difficult times. Good examples include competitiveness, pride and general desire to do things well. Be prepared to identify instances when the motivating factors you describe led to success. I have a natural tendency and urge to perform in any given environment. I stay proactive with the rest of the team and keep myself motivated that way i.e. talk to them about the job how it’s going? What’s a better angle to approach certain aspects of each project? Basically communicate. Q: What type of balance do you strive for between your work and your life? A: This question is used to see if your time expectations for the position match the company’s. If they need an employee to work extreme hours in the position they’re looking to fill, they will want someone who is willing to make some sacrifices for the job. They will question your commitment and ask for examples of times when you did more than required on the job in the past. To learn more about your willingness to work hard, they may ask what motivated you to do more than was required. Of course naturally you try to balance it all but work is part of my life, if the job requires certain things i.e. extended shifts to complete certain aspects of the project and that’s part of who I am and how I’m work focused when necessary Q: What skills would you like to learn to improve on in the next year? A: This question is used to gauge your ambition and interests. Top-performing candidates will have a general idea of what their short-term goals are. These might include learning specific technical skills or gaining exposure to a specific aspect of your business. Your responses will give the company an idea of your possible long-term impact on their business, and whether their company will hold your interest. The way I look at things is that everyday is another opportunity to learn and advance and I have some short term goals; immediate one being is to crack this interview and be a part of the company, like to be that person that does great in the workplace! LEADERSHIP Q: Have you ever had difficulty getting others to agree with your decisions? How did you handle it? A: This question is used to assess your openness to input and feedback from those below you. The interviewer will look at how you prefer to receive feedback from the people you work with. They may also want to gauge how you synthesize information, and ask how you have incorporated others’ feedback into a specific decision. Thus far I honestly haven’t had any issues with people disagreeing my decisions at work, as I try to work with the team not against, but in the instance I would communicate and empathize.
Q: Have you ever had to discipline or counsel another employee? What was the nature of the situation and how did you go about it? A: The interviewer will be looking for concrete examples of how you have disciplined or counseled employees in the past. They will compare your responses to the company’s methods of discipline and assess whether you would manage their current employees well. Yes, one of the interviewers wasn’t following verbatim, I recorded when they had faulted and brought the individual aside before diving into the deep end I asked them how they’re day was etc. then lead into the issue at hand, explained everything and asked if he had any disagreements and would he like some further coaching re the situation. Q: Can you recall a work experience where a problem arose and your manger or boss was unavailable? How did you handle the situation, and how did things turn out? A: This question is used to assess your willingness to take on leadership roles that may not be clearly defined in the job description. Prepare to be asked for instances when you filled a leadership vacuum on a project or team. Good responses will reveal that you have shown a willingness to take on leadership roles and feel comfortable doing so. Majority of the time since we work as a team with multiple TL, Supervisors and managers at once we rarely have an instance like that but I did have one whereby there was a disgruntled lady on the phone questioning what the call was about. Took appropriate steps introduced, explained etc. Q: Describe a time when you had to build a team to accomplish a task. How did you go about building a team, and was it successful in attaining its goals? A: This question will help the interviewer understand your management style. Did you assign strict roles to team participants, or instead allow team members’ strengths to come to the fore as they worked together? Does your team-building style fit in with the company’s culture? Did you do a good job of building consensus among team members? With assistance of other management we select certain individuals to work on a particular job which is from the strengths and their experience on other work. ATTENTION TO DETAIL Q: Describe a project you worked on that required close attention to detail. A: Interviewers are looking for hard evidence of your ability to keep track of details. A good response will detail the different information that you were required to stay on top of and how you managed to keep track of it all. All work and projects require close attention to detail whether its from managing breaks right through to meeting specifics quotas of the project. Work is broken up between management and executed from there. Q: How did you stay organized? A: Someone who pays attention to details generally has an established way of keeping track of things. A good response will show that you have a system for staying on top of things, to ensure staying organized is a major part of your work. Work is broken up between management and executed from there. i.e task template
Q: Can you provide some examples of instances when you’ve discovered errors in your work or someone else’s? How have you managed this? A: Prepare a concrete example of you noticing things that slipped by others. A good response will show that you have a tendency to check and double-check things. Q: How do you know if a project you are working on is going well? A: A good response will show that you don’t rely on your own gut feelings of how things are going. Rather, you should demonstrate specific, measurable milestones that have allowed you to track your own progress and that of the entire project. Constantly checking the status of quotas and managing interviewers via talking to them about it i.e. if anything needs to be changed etc. CREATIVITY/ INNOVATION Q: What type of working environment makes you creative? A: This question is used to find out if you will be comfortable working in a creative position in the prospective employer’s company. They will be looking to see if the environment you describe matches their own company environment. They will also look for the type of people that bring out the creativity in you and compare those people to their present team. An environment that’s active whether it be simple communication to each other and meetings with everyone to outline how we are going? etc Q: What is the most innovative thing you have done in your previous job? A: This question is used to assess how innovative you are, based on the example(s) you provide. Your answers will be compared to the level of innovation required for the position you have applied for. Q: What types of changes did you implement at your last job? A: This is used to assess how much of an impact you had on the last company (or division) you worked in. You will need to site examples of the kinds of changes you implemented. The interviewer may also be looking to assess how such changes would go over in their company/ division you are applying to. Alongside with our classical management approach I took a behavioral managements style towards the work place whereby I would engage more with the staff asking how they’re going? How the jobs is? Any feedback? Encouragement both verbally and incentive wise. Q: How do you encourage creativity in co-workers? A: A good response will detail several methods you have used in the past to generate good ideas or creative thinking within a group, and how successful your methods were. They will also be considering how well your methods would work in their company. Encouragement both verbally and incentive wise.
CUSTOMER – SERVICE ORIENTATION Q: Tell me about the last time you received really great customer service. A: The interviewer is looking for what you consider to be great customer service. A good response will show that this experience left you with a very good feeling about the company you were dealing with. You will need to identify specific details about what made the experience so great. Be prepared to be asked how that experience influenced your own approach to customer service. Q: What was the most difficult customer service situation you have ever had to deal with? How did you handle the situation? A: This question is used to assess your ability to handle stressful customer service situations. A good response will show you were considerate and willing to try different approaches. Prepare to be asked how this situation was resolved. Did you bring in a supervisor to deal with the customer? If so, at what point? What did you learn from the experience? Q: Describe a time when the customer was wrong. How did you handle it? A: This type of customer is perhaps the most difficult to deal with. You will be assessed on how you went about explaining the situation to the customer. A good response will show that you never lost your temper and remained courteous throughout the experience. Prepare to be asked what you learned from the experience, and if you would do anything differently today. DECISION- MAKING ABILITY Q: Provide an example of a time when you have to come to a decision even though you did not have enough information. How did you go about it? A: This question is used to assess your ability to think independently. A good response will show your resourcefulness in arriving at a decision despite lack of information. You should focus more on how you arrived at the decision, than the decision itself. Q: Tell me about a good and a bad decision you’ve made in the last year. A: The interviewer will look closely at the circumstances under which your good and bad decisions were made and what the end results of each decision were. Good responses will show that you have learned from your good and bad decisions, and that those lessons affect the way you approach decisions today. Q: What kinds of decisions take you the longest to make? A: This question is used to get an idea of the kind of decisions you have trouble making. Follow up by asking why such decisions take him or her so long to make. A good response will detail important decisions that require input from several different sources. Q: Describe a situation in which you had to get information from a number of different sources before making a decision. How did you go about it?
A: This question is used to assess your ability to gather information from multiple sources and combine it to make an intelligent decision. A good response will detail how you went about gathering information and how you justified each decision based on the available information FLEXIBILITY Q: How would you describe the amount of structure and feedback that you need to be successful? A: Most people respond to this question by saying they would like an equal mix of direction and independence. Be prepared to be asked to describe two opposing working situations- one in which you are left alone to fulfill your responsibilities, and another in which you were closely managed. In this scenario you will be asked which one you prefer. Your preference should be in line with your company’s culture. Q: Do you prefer stability and continuity or frequent change in your daily work environment? A: This question is used to learn what you are used to in terms of daily routine, and to find out if you like to have projects clearly laid out or prefer to be challenged to define projects yourself. Prepare to be asked what you would do if you are given incomplete instructions for a project. Q: How do you determine priorities in scheduling your time? Can you give examples of times when you were assigned a number of tasks and had to prioritize what needed to be done? A: This question is used to assess your ability to multitask and handle a heavy workload. Good responses will detail the method you use to figure out how to prioritize tasks. You will also be pressed to see on how comfortable you are working on multiple assignments at once. Q: Have you ever had to reinvent your job to meet your company’s changing needs? A: This question is used to find out how open you are to taking on tasks that are not part of your job description. The interviewer will be looking to see if you are uncomfortable venturing outside of your area of expertise. If this question is difficult to respond to, then explain how a previous job evolved over time. INTIATIVE Q: Can you describe any projects or tasks that were primarily undertaken because of your efforts? How successful were they? A: A good response will detail a project that you owned from its inception all the way to its completion. Prepare to reveal any difficulties or obstacles that you faced during the project, how you went about explaining the project to others, and how you went about getting others involved.
Q: Have you ever come up with any ways to make a job you were doing or a project you were working on easier or more enjoyable? A: This question is used to judge your ability to innovate and come up with creative solutions to difficult problems. A good response will demonstrate concrete examples of instances when your work made a difference through creating revenue, saving money, or saving time, NEGOTIATION SKILLS Q: Describe your methods of influencing people. Give three examples. A: This question lets the interviewer know what you view as your negotiating strengths, and whether your negotiating tactics would work in their company’s business environment. You may be asked about a scenario that you might face in the position you are applying for, the interviewer will assess your approach to see if you are a good fit with their company culture and resources. Q: Describe a negotiating experience that you are particularly proud of. A: A good response will reveal some of the negotiating strengths and tactics that you use. It should also show that you enjoy the negotiation process and are excited by the challenges of negotiation. Q: Describe a project that you had to sell to your superiors. How did you go about it? A: This question is used to assess your persuasiveness in dealing with fellow workers. How do you go about justifying the project? Did you face initial resistance to the project? If so, how did you overcome it? A good response will show you did solid research and developed a quantifiable argument about why the project should be undertaken. Q: Describe your worst negotiating experience. A: This question is used to see how well you have learned from previous mistakes. Prepare to be asked why you think things went poorly in the instance you have described, and how you have avoided getting into similar negotiating situations since then, a good response will show that you have learned from your experience. ORAL/WRITTEN COMMUNICATION SKILLS Q: What is your experience in terms of presenting to large or small groups? Can you describe a time when you were particularly successful making a speech or presentation? A: The interviewer is looking for evidence that you are comfortable and skilled at presenting arguments to others. They may also ask about your preparation before presentations and the general response that those presentations received. What have you learned from past presentations? Are there any aspects of presenting that you think needs improvement? A good candidate will always be striving to improve his or her communication skills.
Q: What different approaches do you take in talking to different people? A: This question is directed at how observant and flexible you are in communicating with different types of people. You may be asked to explain how you might approach people differently depending on different people’s personalities. PROBLEM-SOLVING ABILITY Q: Describe some recent decisions you’ve made which carried more than the usual element of risk. A: People vary in their comfort level with different levels of risk. This question is used to understand how averse to risk you are. You may be given a scenario of a risky business decision and asked what your approach would be in solving the problem. A good response will show that you would take the time to consider carefully all possible actions before making a decision. Q: Tell me about a time when a problem was not solved the way you would have liked. A: This question will assist the interviewer in gauging your ability to deal with problems. You will be probed about the method in which the problem was solved and why you were dissatisfied with the result. A good response will show that you learned from the experience and will apply what you have learned to future problems encountered. Q: Give me three examples of the types of problems you like to solve. A: Your answers will be compared to the type of problems you will face in the position for which you are applying for. You may also be set a sample problem that you would be likely to face on the job. The interviewer will gauge whether your approach would make sense in the position for which you are applying. Q: How do you approach solving a problem? A: The aim of this question is to get an understanding of your thought processes. How do you like to attack problems? The interviewer may also take note of the resources and time involved in your approach. Your problem-solving method will be assessed to see if you make a good fit with their culture and resources. PROJECT MANAGEMENT SKILLS Q: How do you organize and plan for projects? A: This question is used to assess your approach to project management. Do you use a structured approach or a more informal process? Your style will be compared to that of their company and whether you would get along with their other employees. Q: Tell me about a time when a project you were in charge of fell behind schedule. What did you do about it? A: The best project managers identify potential problems before they occur and build time into their schedules to deal with unexpected obstacles. The aim of this question is to
see how you responded to problems in the past and how effective your actions were in keeping the project on schedule. Q: Tell me about a new process or idea you implemented that was difficult to bring to completion. What approach did you take to get others to go along with the process or idea? A: This question is used to assess your team-building capabilities and what methods you used to get everyone involved and excited about the project. The company will compare how effective those methods would be in their business. Good responses will detail how your efforts helped drive the project to completion. Q: Tell me about a time you prioritized a number of tasks for a project. How did you go about it? A: This question is used to get an idea of how you break up a large amount of work. Your thought process in prioritizing tasks will be analyzed. How did you decide which tasks needed immediate attention and which could be put off until later? A good response will demonstrate your “big picture” understanding of a project, as well as your ability to make knowledgeable decisions about what needs to get done on a smaller scale. STRATEGIC THINKING Q: Describe a time when you helped your company identify a new revenue opportunity. A: The interviewer is looking for hard evidence of your strategic thinking abilities that produced results. Describe how you came to identify this opportunity and how successful your efforts ended up being. Q: How would you describe this company’s strategic position in the industry? A: This question is aimed at assessing how much you know about their company strategy in relation to their industry as whole – and will be looking at how accurate your assessment is. A good response will show you understand the strategic maneuvering presently occurring in the industry, and that you have some intelligent opinions about which strategy is likely to be most successful. Q: How do you keep up to date on the latest happenings in the industry? A: Top candidates will be well informed about what is happening in the business world. The interviewer is looking to find out how you keep your knowledge current. You may be asked which magazines, websites, electronic newsletters, or other sources you read regularly. They will also be reviewing how your sources compare to the sources their company uses to stay on top on industry news. Q: Tell me about a company that you admire because of its superior business strategy. A: This question is used to assess how good you are at analyzing business issues from a strategic point of view. A good response will show that you understand the strategy used by the company you describe, and why it has been successful.
TEAMWORK/INTERPERSONAL SKILLS Q: Describe a time when you had to arrive at a compromise or had to help others arrive at a compromise. A: This question is used to assess how you view your role within a team. Do you view yourself as a consensus builder? The interviewer will assess how your teamwork skills would work in the department/company for which you are interviewing. Q: Give an example of an instance when you worked with someone who you found difficult to get along with. How did you handle the situation? A: This situation is used to assess how you have handled difficult interpersonal relationships in the past. Good responses will show that you have had experience dealing with various personality types and are comfortable with your ability to handle such situations. Your attitude towards dealing with difficult people will be closely looked at. Are you open and understanding, or easily annoyed? Looking back, how do you feel today about “difficult” people from your past? Q: Tell me about a time when you worked with a colleague who was not completing his or her share of work. What did you do? A: This question is used to see how you deal with an under-performing co worker. You may be probed to name specific actions you took to try to improve an employee’s performance and how successful these actions were. Q: Describe a favorite work experience and tell me why it was satisfying. A: The interviewer will be comparing the experience you describe with that of their own work environment. They will be looking at how you interacted with your co workers in the example provided and whether you would have similar interactions within their company.
