Just finished up on this audio presentation:
How To Handle The Toughest Job Interview Questions You’ll Ever Get by David R. Portney Publisher: David Portney & Associates (June 8, 2007) ISBN: 978-0976987888
Rating: 7.5/14.0
Pros: Good, solid interview / research tips.
Cons: The data is a little dated and I disagree with some philosophies behind some of the questions, but these are just suggestions: take what you want and leave the rest.
Assessment: The audio download for ~$10 is probably worth it… though most of the tips could be found on the internet. The $20 CD is NOT worth it.
My notes are below. Here is the link to the Amazon listing for this product.
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General Ideas:
- write down your answers for practice, not memorization
- list of questions: gethiredquick.com
- short, to the point, and actually answer the question they actually ask
- always be positive, never be negative
- in a group interview, your answers AND behavior will probably be monitored. Pay attention, be respectful, and professional.
- your interview task is to NOT provide a reason to be dumped
- be natural in the interview… don’t sounds rehearsed… pause when necessary
- all ‘bizarre’ questions answered professionally – tailor answer to how qualities apply to company
General Guidelines:
- Keep answers brief – if they want to know more, then they will ask
- Always be positive with your answer no matter the question
- Keep answers focused on what you can do for the company
Questions / Answers:
- Q: Have you ever been fired? –> be truthful, focus on what you’ve learned since then
- Q: Tell me about yourself. –> keep things professional, how you can benefit the company, stories that extoll such benefits
- Q: Tell me about the worst boss you ever had. –> pick out a positive and talk about you wanted more
- Q: Why should I hire you? –> extol qualities that benefit the company
- Q: Tell me why I should hire you instead of more experienced? –> flexibility in me being green / not set in ways
- Q: Tell me some strengths. –> apply strengths VERY specifically to the position your are applying for
- Q: Tell me some weaknesses. –> turn it into a strength (this is played out) or tell about an actual weakness, but make sure it has nothing to do with the position you are applying for
- Q: Tell me about best job experience. –> Talk about position / task that provided great opportunity / challenge
- Q: Tell me about worst job experience. –> Talk about position / task that did NOT give opportunity / learning / growth
- Q: If you could be any animal, what would it be? –> Pick an animal that captures the qualities relevant to the job
- Q: How come you haven’t found a position, yet? –> You’re selective / picky. Don’t want to waste employer/your time. Want to make a good fit.
- Q: What would your previous boss/coworkers would say about you? –> say a few good qualities and apply to applying position
- Q: Why do you want to work here? –> extol company based on your research on the company – talk about their needs / your solution