10 Interview Questions Decoded:
Anyone who's ever spent time in a job search has probably walked away from at least one interview knowing right away that he botched it. Quite often, people who do feel confident about their last interview know they still could have answered one or two questions much better than they did.
The problem behind such scenarios is that too often, job seekers misunderstand or underestimate what they're being asked during an interview, according to Jack Warner and Clyde Bryan, co-authors of "Inside Secrets of Finding a Teaching Job." A question such as, "Do you have any more questions for me?" may seem innocent and simple enough to answer, but candidates who give a weak response are usually the ones screened out of consideration for the job.
Job seekers should be aware that every question an interviewer asks is an opportunity to sell themselves as the most outstanding, must-have candidate for the job. In their book, Warner and Bryan identify some of the most popular interview questions, reveal what interviewers really want to know when asking them and offer tips to help job seekers develop a savvy response.
These questions include:
Tell us about yourself.
What they're really asking: What makes you special? Why should we hire you?
Tips: Prepare several selling points about yourself. Give a quick "elevator speech" that overviews your experience and achievements.
What are your greatest strengths?
What they're really asking: How do you perceive your talents and abilities as a professional? Will you be an asset to our organization?
Tips: Sell yourself. If you don't promote your strengths, nobody else will. Prepare six or seven responses. Be "confidently humble."
What are your greatest weaknesses?
What they're really asking: How honest are you being about yourself with us? How realistic are you?
Tips: Present your weakness as a positive. Don't talk too long or emphasize your downfalls.
Why are you interested in working here?
What they're really asking: How dedicated are you? Do you have a passion for this type of work?
Tips: Keep your answer simple and to the point. Stay away from such responses as, "Many of my friends have worked here." This response isn't very impressive.
Why should we hire you?
What they're really asking: Can you convince us you're "the one?" Can you sell your "product?"
Tips: Make a powerful statement about the value you'll bring to their organization. Toot your own horn, but be wary of sounding arrogant.
Where do you see yourself five years from now?
What they're really asking: Will you be here for only year a before moving on, or are you committed to staying here for a while? Are you a stable person? Can you set goals for yourself?
Tips: Be aware that they might not want to hire someone who will be around for only a year or two. Feel free to say that you have one goal at the moment: to be the very best employee for that particular job.
What are some of your hobbies?
What they're really asking: How well-rounded are you? What do you do outside of work that might transfer positively into the workplace?
Tips: Emphasize any hobbies or activities that may relate to the job. Help the interviewer learn more about you and perceive you as a person, rather than a job candidate. Therefore, don't just answer questions, respond to them.
Would you be willing to pursue an extra certificate or credential?
What they're really asking: How is your attitude? How flexible are you?
Tips: Tell the interviewer how important professional growth is to you. Understand that the person who will impress the interviewer the most is the one willing to do the extra work.
What were you hoping we'd ask today, but didn't?
What they're really asking: Is there anything special about yourself that you want us to know?
Tips: Consider this a "show and tell" opportunity. Use materials from your portfolio to convince them how valuable you'll be to their organization.
Do you have any questions for us?
What they're really asking: Are you prepared to ask questions? How interested are you in this position?
Tips: List five or six questions on an index card. Ask at least one question, even if all of your prepared questions have been answered. Never say, "No, you've answered all of my questions."
Warner and Clyde remind job seekers that it's important to sound natural and thoughtful when replying to such questions, saying, "Don't let your responses sound 'canned' or rehearsed. It's important to make the interviewer feel as though you've given serious thought to their question and are genuinely interested in the job."
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Body Language and the Interview
The job market has tightened, the economy is down and you've got to find a job, now. You have a job interview coming up and you need every possible advantage to win that job. What do you do?
Recent studies have shown that employers will form an opinion of you within the first 10 minutes of the interview.
But here's the kicker: It's not always based on what you actually say, but on something we term "body language." For instance, 85 percent of what you communicate is not with words. It's through the tone of your voice, the way you sit and a wealth of other messages that your body involuntarily sends. This is according to Greg Hartley, a body language expert who earned his chops with 20 years as an interrogator in the Army.
With this in mind, here are six dos and don'ts on the art of non-verbal communication to give you a winning advantage in a job interview.
Body Language and the Interview:
1. Be real from the start
When you greet your interviewer, smile a real smile that engages your eyes, and offer a firm handshake. Say something like, "I'm pleased to meet you" to provide a positive anchor.
Janine Driver, a body language expert also known on the Internet as the "Lyin' Tamer," states that maintaining good eye contact shows respect and interest. She advises that in the U.S., 60% eye contact is ideal. She suggests focusing on the upper triangle of the face from the left eyebrow across the bridge of the nose to the right eyebrow. Avoid staring at the other person's forehead, lips and mouth.
2. Watch the excess energy
The more energy you have, the more will need to be vented. This often results in mannerisms Hartley terms "adapters." What this means is that excess energy gets dissipated into fidgeting, a definite sign that you're nervous or ill at ease. While it's easy to say, "Watch the fidgeting," Driver suggests you never touch your face, throat, mouth or ears during an interview. The interviewer may think that you're holding something back, typically, the truth. Although this is a false assumption, to try to establish credibility, it's necessary to avoid touching your face.
3. What to do with those hands and arms
Driver says that clasped hands are a signal that you are closed off. A palm-to-palm gesture with one thumb over the other thumb sends the signal that you need the interviewer's reassurance.
To come across as confident, receptive and unguarded, have your hands open and relaxed on the table. When your body is open, you project trustworthiness.
Avoid crossing your arms over your chest. When you do, you signal that you are close-minded, defensive or bored and disinterested.
4. Crossing those legs
Don't cross your legs. According to Driver, this posture creates a wall between you and your interviewer. It can also become a distraction when you keep crossing your legs back and forth. Crossed ankles are a "no-no" because you are signaling that you want to be elsewhere.
5. Posture
A straight posture is imperative during an interview. Pull your shoulders back and sit up straight. You'll give yourself a burst of confidence and allow for good breathing. This can help you to avoid, or at least reduce, feelings of nervousness and discomfort.
6. Finger gestures
Bet you never thought you had to worry about your fingers during an interview. Driver suggests that steepling your fingers makes you look arrogant. She also says to never point your index fingers like gun barrels. These are the types of aggressive messages you want to avoid sending.
Monday, November 24, 2008
How Work is Like Peanut Butter
How Work is Like Peanut Butter
Feel like you always fall out of love with your jobs? Does this sound familiar?
"In the beginning, I couldn't wait to get to the office. I loved the company, my boss, my peers and my job. Then, the excitement started to go away and I realized that it was all in my mind. The job I fell in love with is just like every other job I've had: It's repetitive, tedious and long. I end up feeling like a failure because I can't find a job that makes me happy."
If you can relate to this scenario, let me share a secret: Work is like peanut butter.
Phase one: The introduction
Think back to when you were first introduced to peanut butter. You were most likely a kid, who had tasted only healthy foods that were dull but good for you, like fruits, veggies, toast and crackers.
One day, someone put a sandwich in front of you and said, "Try this." You took a bite and your taste buds went nuts for the sweet candylike treat that was easy to chew and full of yummy flavor. Your little brain probably said, "Is this a mistake? Do they know what I'm eating?" At which point, you immediately thought, "I better show them I like this," and you wolfed it down.
The same thing happens when you go on an interview and like what you see and hear. Your brain gets really excited with the possibility of something new and delicious entering your life on a regular basis. You do whatever it takes to land the job, and then you celebrate like a 4-year-old when you get the offer letter. But let's return to our story.
The grown-up who gave you the sandwich is so impressed with the way you devoured it, you're told you can have it again. You opt to have it every day. If you could, you'd eat it for breakfast, lunch AND dinner.
Phase two: Boredom sets in
One day, you realize that peanut butter is a bit boring. It doesn't have the same appeal it did when you first tasted it, but now, it's been added to the "healthy foods" list and you're told you HAVE to eat it. The very thing that you were craving just a few weeks earlier is now something you loathe. You're given some new variations -- jelly, Fluff, no-crust, on celery with raisins. The presentation is altered, but it doesn't change the fact that you are really tired of peanut butter.
The same thing happens when you realize that your job is actually work; it's something you must do. You've agreed to do the job, so you need to show up and complete the work, whether you feel like it or not.
You try to liven up the job by taking on different assignments or learning a new skill, but it still doesn't change the fact that you must do this job. Perhaps you call in sick for a mental health day or plan a vacation. Yet, you still have to return to the job at some point. So how do you fix your aversion to work? Let's see how the peanut butter story turns out.
Phase three: Hatred is evident
You became so sick of peanut butter that you announce, "I hate peanut butter." You are given some other foods to try. First, you get liverwurst. You gag and ask for carrots. The next day, you get tuna; you won't even try it. On the third day, you are offered egg salad. You immediately ask to go to your room and skip eating altogether.
Phase four: Pleased to see you again
On the fourth day, peanut butter is set down in front of you, and you are actually pleased. There is your trusted friend, the food you can count on to appease your hunger without making you nauseous. You eat it and think, "Ahh, peanut butter, you are not so bad." You go on to develop a strong bond with a food that you know is not ideal, but reliable. You accept it for what it is and what it can do for you. You are satisfied.
Work is no different. You could go to your boss and let her know you are looking to feel more challenged but, if you can't be specific as to what you need and what you want to do, you'll most likely be given more work that you don't love.
Meanwhile, your boss may get upset that you aren't grateful for the efforts to help you and could resent your attitude -- especially if you say you don't want the extra work anymore and will just stick with the job you said wasn't working for you in the first place. I guarantee she'll assume you are looking to leave and will no longer want to invest time and energy into your professional development.
If you can work through the phase where you loathe the repetitive, unexciting nature of your job and recognize that the skills and experience you are acquiring are enabling you to do a good job without a lot of pressure or stress, perhaps you'll finally give your job a break and stop expecting so much from it. Your work is not always going to make you feel amazing and wonderful.
In times when you aren't "feeling the love," try to appreciate your job for what it does give you: a steady paycheck, benefits, a place to learn and build your skill sets so you'll always be employable, or the opportunity to build professional friendships that could help in the future. You could end up feeling a lot better about work in general.
Now that you understand how work is like peanut butter, why not take a peanut butter sandwich to your job tomorrow and be grateful for what they both provide -- sustenance
Feel like you always fall out of love with your jobs? Does this sound familiar?
"In the beginning, I couldn't wait to get to the office. I loved the company, my boss, my peers and my job. Then, the excitement started to go away and I realized that it was all in my mind. The job I fell in love with is just like every other job I've had: It's repetitive, tedious and long. I end up feeling like a failure because I can't find a job that makes me happy."
If you can relate to this scenario, let me share a secret: Work is like peanut butter.
Phase one: The introduction
Think back to when you were first introduced to peanut butter. You were most likely a kid, who had tasted only healthy foods that were dull but good for you, like fruits, veggies, toast and crackers.
One day, someone put a sandwich in front of you and said, "Try this." You took a bite and your taste buds went nuts for the sweet candylike treat that was easy to chew and full of yummy flavor. Your little brain probably said, "Is this a mistake? Do they know what I'm eating?" At which point, you immediately thought, "I better show them I like this," and you wolfed it down.
The same thing happens when you go on an interview and like what you see and hear. Your brain gets really excited with the possibility of something new and delicious entering your life on a regular basis. You do whatever it takes to land the job, and then you celebrate like a 4-year-old when you get the offer letter. But let's return to our story.
The grown-up who gave you the sandwich is so impressed with the way you devoured it, you're told you can have it again. You opt to have it every day. If you could, you'd eat it for breakfast, lunch AND dinner.
Phase two: Boredom sets in
One day, you realize that peanut butter is a bit boring. It doesn't have the same appeal it did when you first tasted it, but now, it's been added to the "healthy foods" list and you're told you HAVE to eat it. The very thing that you were craving just a few weeks earlier is now something you loathe. You're given some new variations -- jelly, Fluff, no-crust, on celery with raisins. The presentation is altered, but it doesn't change the fact that you are really tired of peanut butter.
The same thing happens when you realize that your job is actually work; it's something you must do. You've agreed to do the job, so you need to show up and complete the work, whether you feel like it or not.
You try to liven up the job by taking on different assignments or learning a new skill, but it still doesn't change the fact that you must do this job. Perhaps you call in sick for a mental health day or plan a vacation. Yet, you still have to return to the job at some point. So how do you fix your aversion to work? Let's see how the peanut butter story turns out.
Phase three: Hatred is evident
You became so sick of peanut butter that you announce, "I hate peanut butter." You are given some other foods to try. First, you get liverwurst. You gag and ask for carrots. The next day, you get tuna; you won't even try it. On the third day, you are offered egg salad. You immediately ask to go to your room and skip eating altogether.
Phase four: Pleased to see you again
On the fourth day, peanut butter is set down in front of you, and you are actually pleased. There is your trusted friend, the food you can count on to appease your hunger without making you nauseous. You eat it and think, "Ahh, peanut butter, you are not so bad." You go on to develop a strong bond with a food that you know is not ideal, but reliable. You accept it for what it is and what it can do for you. You are satisfied.
Work is no different. You could go to your boss and let her know you are looking to feel more challenged but, if you can't be specific as to what you need and what you want to do, you'll most likely be given more work that you don't love.
Meanwhile, your boss may get upset that you aren't grateful for the efforts to help you and could resent your attitude -- especially if you say you don't want the extra work anymore and will just stick with the job you said wasn't working for you in the first place. I guarantee she'll assume you are looking to leave and will no longer want to invest time and energy into your professional development.
If you can work through the phase where you loathe the repetitive, unexciting nature of your job and recognize that the skills and experience you are acquiring are enabling you to do a good job without a lot of pressure or stress, perhaps you'll finally give your job a break and stop expecting so much from it. Your work is not always going to make you feel amazing and wonderful.
In times when you aren't "feeling the love," try to appreciate your job for what it does give you: a steady paycheck, benefits, a place to learn and build your skill sets so you'll always be employable, or the opportunity to build professional friendships that could help in the future. You could end up feeling a lot better about work in general.
Now that you understand how work is like peanut butter, why not take a peanut butter sandwich to your job tomorrow and be grateful for what they both provide -- sustenance
Thursday, November 20, 2008
US carmakers bailout:
Q&A: US carmakers bailout:
But why should three giants of industry need help?
The three claim that the global financial crisis has left them in dire straits, with two of them warning that without help they could soon run out of cash.
The credit crunch means prospective buyers are hard to find, as it is harder for consumers to get loans and others are cutting back on big-ticket purchases to save money.
As a result, GM sales have fallen by more than 40%. Ford and Chrysler sales have fallen by a third.
Meanwhile, the financial crisis means it is also harder for the firms themselves to get credit.
But haven't they just restructured their businesses to save money?
Yes, they have. But the changes have coincided with a bad time for the global economy.
For example, to cut costs GM has closed factories and cut thousands of jobs, while Chrysler and Ford are in merger talks.
But the companies are all battling some continuing problems.
What problems?
First, what are known as "legacy costs". All three are paying for the healthcare and pension costs of hundreds of thousands of former workers.
Last year, GM agreed a deal with the United Auto Workers union to take $50bn of these costs off its books, but that doesn't kick in until 2010.
These historic costs, all linked to their past successes, are burdens their newer Asian rivals do not have to bear.
The three also appeared to have missed a trick in the 1980s and 90s and failed to take note of the threat posed by foreign rivals like Japan's Toyota.
While these Asian firms made great inroads into the US market with smaller, more fuel-efficient cars, the American firms responded by ramping up production of bigger vehicles like 4x4s and pick-up trucks.
Initially, these "gas guzzlers" proved to be popular, but in the long run they lost ground to smaller, more efficient vehicles as fuel prices surged.
What if they don't get the money?
GM, Ford and Chrysler all argue that without the cash they could face collapse, a development they warn could have wider implications.
In total, the three employ about 250,000 people in the US and say that they support a further four million jobs.
GM chief Rick Wagoner told the Senate that the government needs to act to "save the US economy from a catastrophic collapse". Without action, he believes millions of jobs and 4% of GDP could be lost.
In Detroit - or Motor City - the home of the Big Three, fallout from their current woes is already being felt.
Restaurants are empty or closed, stores have shut down and property prices have plummeted, while more than one in nine city residents now qualifies for food stamps.
Is the bail-out likely to be waved through?
There is a chance that Democrats and Republican politicians will hammer out a compromise, but it now depends on how the car companies themselves respond.
Democratic congressional leaders have told the carmakers they must first come up with their own viable recovery plan by 2 December, if they want a quick government rescue.
Critics claim the problems facing the carmakers are self-inflicted and so they should be left to deal with the crisis themselves.
They argue the firms failed to adapt and change their business models quickly enough, leaving them with higher labour costs than foreign rivals.
Elsewhere, both Italy and Germany have objected to the plans saying it will give US carmakers an unfair advantage in what is already a very troubled market.
Republicans and the White House do not want to use any of the $700bn bank bail-out fund for the carmakers.
They say a $25bn cheap loans package agreed last month - to help pay for the development of less polluting cars - should be adapted.
But, the EU has already objected to the "green development" loan on anti-competition grounds.
So when will the US government decide on the loans?
Time is fast running out for any deal to be agreed before Congress breaks for Christmas, and some observers say if a compromise can be reached it might well actually be signed in January.
However, given public opposition in many quarters to a bail-out for the carmakers, Congress is likely to impose strict terms for any fresh aid.
Carmakers have said they need help now, and that they cannot wait until President-elect Barack Obama is sworn in on 20 January.
Commentators say that Mr Obama will not want a major carmaker to collapse during his first month in office.
But why should three giants of industry need help?
The three claim that the global financial crisis has left them in dire straits, with two of them warning that without help they could soon run out of cash.
The credit crunch means prospective buyers are hard to find, as it is harder for consumers to get loans and others are cutting back on big-ticket purchases to save money.
As a result, GM sales have fallen by more than 40%. Ford and Chrysler sales have fallen by a third.
Meanwhile, the financial crisis means it is also harder for the firms themselves to get credit.
But haven't they just restructured their businesses to save money?
Yes, they have. But the changes have coincided with a bad time for the global economy.
For example, to cut costs GM has closed factories and cut thousands of jobs, while Chrysler and Ford are in merger talks.
But the companies are all battling some continuing problems.
What problems?
First, what are known as "legacy costs". All three are paying for the healthcare and pension costs of hundreds of thousands of former workers.
Last year, GM agreed a deal with the United Auto Workers union to take $50bn of these costs off its books, but that doesn't kick in until 2010.
These historic costs, all linked to their past successes, are burdens their newer Asian rivals do not have to bear.
The three also appeared to have missed a trick in the 1980s and 90s and failed to take note of the threat posed by foreign rivals like Japan's Toyota.
While these Asian firms made great inroads into the US market with smaller, more fuel-efficient cars, the American firms responded by ramping up production of bigger vehicles like 4x4s and pick-up trucks.
Initially, these "gas guzzlers" proved to be popular, but in the long run they lost ground to smaller, more efficient vehicles as fuel prices surged.
What if they don't get the money?
GM, Ford and Chrysler all argue that without the cash they could face collapse, a development they warn could have wider implications.
In total, the three employ about 250,000 people in the US and say that they support a further four million jobs.
GM chief Rick Wagoner told the Senate that the government needs to act to "save the US economy from a catastrophic collapse". Without action, he believes millions of jobs and 4% of GDP could be lost.
In Detroit - or Motor City - the home of the Big Three, fallout from their current woes is already being felt.
Restaurants are empty or closed, stores have shut down and property prices have plummeted, while more than one in nine city residents now qualifies for food stamps.
Is the bail-out likely to be waved through?
There is a chance that Democrats and Republican politicians will hammer out a compromise, but it now depends on how the car companies themselves respond.
Democratic congressional leaders have told the carmakers they must first come up with their own viable recovery plan by 2 December, if they want a quick government rescue.
Critics claim the problems facing the carmakers are self-inflicted and so they should be left to deal with the crisis themselves.
They argue the firms failed to adapt and change their business models quickly enough, leaving them with higher labour costs than foreign rivals.
Elsewhere, both Italy and Germany have objected to the plans saying it will give US carmakers an unfair advantage in what is already a very troubled market.
Republicans and the White House do not want to use any of the $700bn bank bail-out fund for the carmakers.
They say a $25bn cheap loans package agreed last month - to help pay for the development of less polluting cars - should be adapted.
But, the EU has already objected to the "green development" loan on anti-competition grounds.
So when will the US government decide on the loans?
Time is fast running out for any deal to be agreed before Congress breaks for Christmas, and some observers say if a compromise can be reached it might well actually be signed in January.
However, given public opposition in many quarters to a bail-out for the carmakers, Congress is likely to impose strict terms for any fresh aid.
Carmakers have said they need help now, and that they cannot wait until President-elect Barack Obama is sworn in on 20 January.
Commentators say that Mr Obama will not want a major carmaker to collapse during his first month in office.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Saturday, December 29, 2007
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