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Useful Interview Tips
Researching Prospective Employers
By Laurie Raiber
Knowledge is king when you are considering a career move or being considered for a new position. Knowing the score about the industry and the companies you are targeting will help you make critical career decisions. Using this knowledge in networking and in marketing your talents to a company will give you a terrific advantage in securing your desired position. Print and/or bookmark helpful documents as you move through your web search. It is faster and easier to delete a bookmark than to retrace your steps through a search. Stay focused, but look out for other useful information as you do your research. Keep in mind that the more you know about a potential employer the better armed you will be in an interview.
Doing Due Diligence
The decision to join a new company is a significant life choice, yet people jump into a company without a second thought. Collect as much information as you can on the company, its industry, the team and the company's backers. Cull through all available public relations materials such as the annual report, press releases, marketing materials and executive bios listed on a company's Web site. Don't be shy about asking for this material and letting the recruiter and the company know that you are conducting due diligence before making a decision. It's important that you also talk to competitors and customers. Questions should include: Who or what is the biggest threat to the company? Does it have the capital to grow? Who are its backers and what are their track records? What are the reputations and skills of the company's leaders? There is no way to predict the future, but the answers to your questions will at least provide insight about who you're jumping in the boat with and what kind of voyage you're about to embark on. So do your homework, assess the risks, weigh your options and move forward with confidence.
Notes On Interviewing And Interview Questions
Possible Interview Questions:
- How and why are you qualified for this job?
- What are the personal characteristics and qualities that you would bring to this position that would be particularly helpful in fulfilling the responsibilities of this position?
- What do you feel from a business and creative standpoint to be the most challenging issues for this job, and what challenging issues have you faced in the past?
- What types of pressures do you experience in your current job and how do you cope with these pressures.
- What have been your experiences dealing with the general public?
- What do you think we should hire you?
- What are you best at doing and what things give you the greatest satisfaction?
- If you were hiring someone for this job what qualities would you look for?
- What are your staff expectations? Have you been in a position in the past where you evaluated staff, managed people and made hiring and firing decisions?
Behavioral or Competency Questions:
The above questions are all part of the traditional interview. Recently a type of interview has evolved known as the behavioral screening interview or competency interview. At this type of interview the interviewer will ask questions directed toward actual past experiences in relation to a situation. One such question might be: " give me an example of a time when you needed to adjust quickly. What did you do and how did it turn out?"
Some examples of characteristics you might want to question about are: teamwork, ability to deal with stress, initiative, tenacity, attention to detail, follow-through, customer service orientation, technical skills, and communication skills.
What do you consider to be your greatest professional accomplishments and strengths?
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