Simply Hired Blog

How to ace the world's toughest job interview question

By Martin Yate CPC

I've been writing about job interviews, from both sides of the desk, for twenty-five years and without a doubt, the toughest interview question going the rounds in 2012 is, "Your job exists to help your employer achieve and maintain profitability. How do your efforts support these goals?" It's a question that can only be answered when you really understand the guts of the job you are pursuing.

The question actually has two parts. The first part, your job exists to help your employer achieve and maintain profitability, shouldn't be too difficult because it is a statement of fact: all jobs exist to support profitability.

You need to think through whether your job is chiefly concerned with generating revenue, protecting assets, improving productivity in some way, or is perhaps a combination of these imperatives. Once you have determined this you have also outlined the correct framework for your answer.

The second part, how do your efforts support these goals, is much tougher to deal with. To answer effectively you need to grasp that the true guts of every job is essentially the same: to identify, prevent and solve problems that occur within your area of expertise, and in the process help your employer achieve and maintain profitability.

You answer by identifying for the interviewer, the ways that you make your small but important contributions towards achieving and maintaining profitability. You do this with these specific strategies:

a) You anticipate the ways that problems can arise in your areas of responsibility and explain how you execute your work with conscious concern for preventing many of the problems typical to your job from arising in the first place. You have an example or two ready.

b) You tackle and solve problems that do occur, because they cannot be prevented, in a timely, effective and professional manner. You'll have an example ready to illustrate how you do this.

c) Do so in a way that is courteous to customers, vendors, and considerate to those co-workers who in their jobs must deal with the results of your work. Again, you'll have recalled an example or two.

If you catch a break next time out and you aren't asked such a tough question, you can make major points with any hiring manager or recruiter by using this understanding to color the way you answer other questions.

Martin Yate takes readers through over two hundred perceptive answers to tough interview questions in Knock em Dead 2012, The Ultimate Job Search Guide, in ways, like this one, that not only help you answer the question, but also help you grow professionally in the process.

How To Handle The Five Killer Telephone Interview Questions

By Martin Yate CPC

A telephone interview is usually short, just enough time to rule you in or out, so the focus is on questions that help evaluate you quickly. Your goal is to turn it into a face-to-face meeting, so your answers need to be concise. As a rule of thumb, keep your answers to less than two minutes, if an interviewer wants to know more s/he will ask.

"Tell me a little about yourself," is often the first question. Interviewers don't want your life story; they want to know if meeting you would be a good use of their time. Answer with a brief work history showing how each project and job helped prepare you for this job; then give a profile of the "professional you" addressing your skills as they relate to doing this job well.

"What experience do you have in…?" Make any discussion of your experience relevant to this job, and the specific skills you bring to executing it well. At its core, everything you do professionally is concerned with the identification, prevention and solution of problems within your area of responsibility. Your answers can show this awareness by saying that this is always part of your thinking and by giving examples of preventing or solving problems common to your area of responsibility.

"What are your strengths?" Slant your answer toward the specific skill requirements of the job, your problem prevention and solution headset, and your possession of the transferable professional skills such as Multi-tasking, Critical Thinking, and the eight Communication skills (see any Knock em Dead book) that underlie success in every job.

"What are your weaknesses?" You can safely, and honestly, say that your greatest weakness is finding time to stay current with all the new technologies/skills required in your work, because it’s a challenge everyone experiences. Then you give an example(s) of how you have made time to develop an in-demand new skill.

"How much do you want?" If the interviewer asks about money, say that at this point you don't know enough about the company or the job to answer accurately, "I have no real understanding of the job, your company or the different benefits that could come from joining your team, so obviously my discussion of salary without this knowledge can't be entirely accurate. However, after analysis of employment sites, salary calculators and talking with colleagues, I would be looking at something in the range of $XX,000 - $YYY,000."

The telephone interview comes to an end when you are asked whether you have any questions. If you have not already been invited to meet the interviewer, now is the time to take the initiative, "The most pressing question I have is when can we meet?"

In closing your conversation, take care to ascertain the correct spelling and pronunciation of the interviewer's name, for your follow-up email.

 

Martin Yate CPC, is the NY Times bestselling author of Knock em Dead The Ultimate Job Search Guide, and Secrets & Strategies For Success. As Dun & Bradstreet says, "He's really just about the best in the business." www.knockemdead.com

How To Turn Job Interviews Into Job Offers

By Martin Yate CPC

"I can do the job, so why don't I get the job offer?" Being confident in your professional skills and being able to transfer that confidence in your competence to recruiters and hiring managers are two very different but equally important skills. 

Who gets the job offers? The people who turn job interviews into job offers with the greatest ease are the people who are able to identify and discuss the recurrent problems that lurk at the heart of their work, these people are seen to "get" the job in ways that other candidates don't.

Take the problems that plague every Accounts Receivable job: if the ongoing challenges associated with getting customers to pay their bills aren't addressed effectively, then ultimately the employer isn’t able to make payroll and everyone gets laid off. Consequently, an Accounts Receivable professional (or anyone else) who talks about and asks questions about the problems that are at the everyday heart of his or her job, will always be seen as superior to other candidates.

Everyone gets hires to do the same job. Essentially, you are hired for your perceived ability to prevent problems arising within your area of expertise, and to solve problems expeditiously when they do arise. When you cut right to the heart of any job, we are all hired to be problem identifiers, problem preventers and problem solvers, within our specific areas of "technical" expertise.

To turn your job interviews into job offers, if think of your job in terms of the problems you are there to solve and the problems you are there to prevent, you have isolated the areas of concern that every interviewer really wants to talk about.

Interviewers hate to interview. Hiring managers hate to interview, they invariably see conducting job interviews as a distraction from their real work, this is something that can be used to your advantage. Whenever you walk into a job interview, that interviewer is secretly hoping that you are the one. All you have to do is make it easy for them, by showing that you "get" the job and that you relish dealing with the issues (problems and challenges) that lie at that job's heart.

Use questions to sell your capabilities. You transfer confidence in your competence to recruiters and hiring managers as much by the questions you ask, as the answers you give. Because when you ask questions that go to the very essence of your work, you demonstrate a degree of understanding most other candidates will never approach.

When you show yourself to be someone who "gets" the very core of that job and someone who recognizes and can handle the problems that it serves up everyday, you are much closer to turning job that interview into a job offer.

Good luck…btw, it’s something that happens when preparation meets opportunity

 

Martin Yate CPC, is the NY Times bestselling author of Knock em Dead The Ultimate Job Search Guide, and Secrets & Strategies For Success. As Dun & Bradstreet says, "He's really just about the best in the business." www.knockemdead.com

Common Speech Habits To Avoid In Interviews

By Tamryn Hennessy

Even if your resume is flawless, employers may not hire you if you botch the interview with speech habits that make you seem less intelligent and qualified than you really are. According to The Conference Board, 88 percent of employers value spoken language skills in their college graduates. Practice makes perfect, so follow these tips to combat those ever-so-common speech habits during an interview.

Verbal Pauses
These include filler words like "um," "ah," "uhh," and "you know," which many people use to occupy gaps in their phrases. Bridge words, such as "like," "but," and "so," are also common break points that give people more time to decide what to say next. Take a breath or pause before you speak instead.

Uptalk
A high-rise terminal, also known as uptalk, is the rising inflection at the end of a sentence, making it sound like a question even if it's a statement. Speaking in this manner may cause your interviewer to speculate whether you understand what you're talking about and if you lack confidence.

Weak Words
Avoid using discourse that suggests weak conviction. This includes "kind of," "sort of," "I feel like," and "maybe". Using these phrases will make you seem ambivalent. Instead, make strong statements that demonstrate you stand by your opinions.

Speeding
It's acceptable to be nervous during an interview, but don't show it by talking hastily. Your interviewer won't be able to grasp what you're saying, and you will appear anxious. Pause slightly between sentences to give your interviewer time to process your statement, but don't linger gawkily.

Grammatical Errors
You ain't gonna get the job talkin' like this. Speak in correct, complete sentences and make sure your tenses agree. Avoid local slang, informality, and regional expressions, otherwise you'll risk sounding uneducated.

Slurring
Talking too fast or dropping the ends of your words can cause you to slur them, making your speech difficult to understand. Pronounce every word carefully and leave space between each one. If you need time to think about what to say, kindly ask your interviewer to wait a few seconds. They'll appreciate that you're being deliberate.

 

Tamryn Hennessy is the National Director of Career Development at Rasmussen College. In her role, she oversees the residential and online career placement and development of degree seeking students. Her team assists students in making transformational changes in their lives.

How To Dress Appropriately For An Interview

By Allie Gray Freeland

It's tough to know what to wear on a job interview, especially since each company may have a unique dress code. During the interview stage, consider the industry's standard expectations and dress well enough to make a good impression. After you're hired, meet your employer's specific code of attire.

Know The Industry
If you're applying for a more conservative job, dress accordingly. If you have a Business degree or Sales degree, chances are you'll fit right in with a suit. Generally, you should dress one or two levels higher than what your job requires. If you have a Professional Nursing degree, for example, you're not going to wear scrubs to an interview even though that's what you'll likely be wearing every day on the job. It's okay to ask your interviewer beforehand about the company's dress policy. They can give you an idea of what's appropriate.

Use Your Best Judgment
You want to be memorable during job interviews, but not for your bad taste. Don't let your clothes speak for themselves. It's okay to show some of your fashion sense in subtle ways like tasteful accessories, otherwise think twice about being too liberal with your attire. Wearing a brighter color - like blue or red - can make you stand out for the right reasons as long as you pair them with neutral colors. For instance, a red collared shirt underneath a black jacket is more interesting than a white shirt.

Keep It Neat
Even if you wear a professional outfit, the rest of your appearance could ruin your first impression. Keep your nails clean cut in case you have to present them for a handshake and make sure your hair looks neat. Women should avoid anything other than neutral makeup and nail polish. Don't use heavy amounts of perfume or cologne, as strong scents could bother your interviewer and distract them from what's really important - you!

 

Allie Gray Freeland is the editor of the Rasmussen College Blog. Are you ready to take the plunge to position yourself for a new, successful future? If so, learn more about our degree programs at Rasmussen College today.