Impressing at job interviews
By Kristie Kellahan | smh.com.au | 29 March
Your palms are sweating, your pulse is racing and it feels as if your mouth is stuffed with cotton wool. No, you're not having a heart attack, you're just going through the anxiety-ridden experience of a job interview.
Designed to give managers an insight into your strengths and weaknesses, tricky interview questions can trip up the unprepared. To present yourself in the best possible light and land that sought-after gig, follow the advice of the experts on commonly asked questions.
What's your biggest weakness?
Never be afraid to show that you are aware of your shortcomings as well as your strengths, says Julia Hampshire, general manager Asia- Pacific for recruitment company Alexander Mann Solutions.
Pointing out that you have perfectionist tendencies or that your knowledge of digital media isn't up to scratch is not a liability so long as you show an awareness and an ability to evolve your working style to cater for the weakness. No one trusts a candidate who presents with no chinks in the armour.
"Prospective employers will be impressed by candidates who can discuss a self-development plan to work at addressing the weakness," Hampshire says.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Recruiters are trying to gauge how much you have considered the future and how goal-focused you are with this question, says Carol McGowan, accredited coach with askacoach.com. "They want to know if you're looking ahead or just passing through and using this job as a stepping stone," she says. "You want to demonstrate that you are motivated and work towards goals but also that you are flexible and open to change."
You could say something generic such as, "I'm looking for opportunities to learn and broaden my skill set and my goal for the next five years is to develop a niche level of expertise in this field."
Do your research, McGowan says, so that you can integrate key values and areas of focus of the company into your five-year plan.
Why are you leaving your current job?
Discretion is key with this one. "Be honest and open regarding the reasons for leaving but ensure you never directly criticise your current employer," Hampshire says. A diplomatic description of "seeking new opportunities for growth" is more elegant than slamming the company currently paying your bills as "a dead-end street".
Hampshire says you also need to have adequately analysed why you are making the move and demonstrate an understanding of how the role you are applying for would be a positive move in both your career and personal life.
What do you have that other applicants don't? This question provides an excellent opportunity for candidates to present their strengths to the prospective employer, says psychotherapist Fiona Chatterton. "By pointing out your strengths you demonstrate self-awareness and self-esteem," she says. "Past performance reviews can provide some points here. It's an opportunity to let the interviewer know all the reasons they should employ you."
McGowan says recruiters are always looking at candidates and their qualities.
"They want to know you have technical competency, of course, but if it comes down to Candidate A and Candidate B they will consider the things you can't teach and you can't learn: the very essence of you."
She suggests candidates reflect on their personal values - the things that are truly important and integral to them such as teamwork or continual learning - and then highlight these.
It's important to ensure your values and those of the company are a good fit or the relationship is doomed from the start.
What would you like to change about the way we do things?
This is an interesting question and a potentially tricky one, Chatterton says. "The candidate may not know how the prospective employer does things if he or she doesn't already work for the company and assumptions can be dangerous."
If you're applying for an internal position, Chatterton says, you have the opportunity to demonstrate your motivation, tenacity and openness to change by pointing out your perception of areas within the company that could improve. Be sure to point out what is working well first.
You could say: "This company's strength has always been its strong focus on dynamic growth. In the future we could benefit from additional training for staff to ensure they perform at their maximum potential."
First published by Smh.com.au on March 29 2008
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