Job Interviews: Get Prepared

job interviews 

Previously on  NAIL THAT JOB INTERVIEW
 I tried to gather everything related to creating great first impressions and mastering interviews in a list to make it easy for you to master your job interview so make sure to go through this list before you carry on because you will find it very useful.

 " Don't get trapped by repeating millions of possible better scenarios for all of your failure job interviews, Just Get Prepared before your next one.

 Master answering common interview questions, step by step guide

We will try to simulate the interview like some sort of virtual reality and take you in that which journey starts with Tell me about yourself and ends with Do you have any further questions? So get ready and fasten your seat belts.

Using STAR Method to answer questions has been highly recommended since a long time ago and you can blame that on interviewers because all they need is to hear a Compelling Story about
1- A challenging SITUATION you have been facing in a project
2- Your responsibilities and assigned Tasks for the situation
3-The implemented ACTIONS  taken to overcome the situation
4- A successful RESULT of actions taken.

So you should learn how to tackle behavioral-based interview questions using the STAR method in order to have the interviewers' full attention and impress them.
It is just perfect for all aspects of the job hunt.

Sometimes it is healthy to talk about the future so Instead of giving the interviewer an actual event and how you handled it from your past work experience, it is better to consider how you might act in a situation that might happen in the company’s future.

 COMMON INTERVIEWING QUESTIONS

1. Tell me more about yourself?
2. Tell me about your Strengths?
3. Tell me about a time when you performed well under enormous pressure?
4. Tell me about your points of weaknesses?
5. Why did you leave your previous company?
6. When have you gone above and beyond at work?
7. How do you manage to handle a difficult situation?
8. Why are you interested to join our company?
9. What would you wish to accomplish in the next 3 months?
   
10. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
11. Are you willing to travel or relocate?
12.  How would you handle a disagreement with your boss?
13.  What makes you an interesting candidate for this organization? 
14.   How do you describe yourself in 3 words?
15. How do you manage conflict at work?
16.  How you would handle an irate phone call from a demanding client?
17.  Mention a mistake you made and explain how you reacted to it?
18.  What is your expected salary?
19. How does the position fit in with your long term career plans?
20.  Do you have any questions? 

 Let's use Questions No.2 and No.3as examples of How to answer an interview question using the STAR approach.

Tell me about your Strengths?
1- Think about your skills and prioritize the best 3 based on the top 3 required skills for the position

2-Mention an example of using these 3 Skills in the form of a compelling story using the STAR Method and then develop an answer.

3-Make sure to make it short and impressive, you don't want them to lose their attention.

EX.

Given my experience and strong connections, you can consider me a reliable committed coworker who will always be there for you and come out with an actionable solution in time of pressure or whenever we are dealing with demanding clients along with tight deadlines. the thing is i always put myself in your shoes and act accordingly to be one step ahead of the client so whenever they ask for feedback,they will find it ready. I never say no as a first answer, on the other hand i always have a backup or a plan B to overcome expected challenges then i negotiate with proofs and i think that following such evidence based approach helped in  defining me over the past 7 years.

Tell me about a time when you performed well under pressure?

 1- Start by describing a challenging Situation you have managed to go through successfully.
 " In my previous Company, an Important project left without a supervisor shortly before deadline due to an emergency" or " Last year, I was working on that project for a very demanding client who changed the deadline in such a short notice despite his contract"

 2- Refer to your roles and responsibilities,i.e tasks you have been assigned to by your managers.
 " So,i had to deliver a quality control report for 250 phone calls in 2 weeks instead of 4 weeks and merge it with previous reports as well as supervising a team of 5 members working on other projects during the process"

3- Mention any resources provided upon your request and the actions you successfully implemented to finalize your task.
"I had to delegate my current supervising tasks and ask some colleagues for help to be able to come up with an actionable plan, and the best solution was to increase the number of agents and to outsource some calls to be able to deliver all calls in time.


4-  Impress them with the successful result of your actions. Go Like....
" Delegating and outsourcing allowed me to dedicate more time for reporting and analysis and I was able to deliver 250 calls plus 10 calls as a buffer 2 days ahead of  deadline which was really appreciated by my manager"

It is not that hard and detailed specific responses form a compelling exciting story which the recruiter is looking for.

Now, Let's have a look at the best typical answers for some of the previously mentioned  Common Interviewing Questions

Tell me about your points of weaknesses?
" Choose one or two points absolutely irrelevant to the job requirements and mention that you have been working on them by attending courses or practicing"

Why did you leave your previous company?
" Don't mention any bad reasons and avoid speaking ill of your previous companies, just focus on your ambitious and career long term goals"

When have you gone above and beyond at work?
"Refer to traveling through the weekend to finalize a deal or maybe working on Fridays to meet a deadline, It always works like magic"

How do you manage to handle a difficult situation?
How do you manage conflict at work or a sticky situation involving another department?
How would you handle a disagreement with your boss?
How you would handle an irate phone call from a demanding client?
 "I follow some steps i developed through years of experience to overcome Conflicts, sticky situations as well as disagreements"

1-Having patience and giving communication a chance to solve the problem.

2-Being diplomatic & understanding by putting myself in other peoples' shoes

3-Take initiative of apologizing for my part in the whole mess


Why are you interested to join our company?
" Impress the recruiter by referring to your passion about being a part of this entity who sells the products of your dream or provides the most useful services anyone can wish for"

What would you wish to accomplish in the next 3 months? 
" Refer to fitting to the Work Environment and blending in with colleagues as well as deep diving in every detail related to the system and workflow to master your role"

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
" Skip talking about promotions or titles, just refer to development and learning as a part of your career goals"

Are you willing to travel or relocate?
 " Be 100 % honest, try to ask your recruiter for more details about the project to help you answer"
  Go like ........
" Can you please tell me more details about the nature of the project and for how long I am expected to stay at the site? "

What makes you an interesting candidate for this organization? 
" Given the job description and that fact that your experience and your interpersonal skills made you a good fit candidate fr the recruiter in the 1st place, you should develop an answer to show the recruiter that you can be an added value for the company with your resources and connections"

 How do you describe yourself in 3 words?
" Choose the top required skills according to the job description and mention them"
Go like..... Flexible, Workaholic & Committed

What is your expected salary?
Salary negotiation is a cornerstone in all interviews so you have to learn some tricks to answer such questions and then how to negotiate.
Go Like .....
 " I have been doing some research and i found out that Project managers salaries tend to range between 10 to 15 K per month, So given the Local/Global impact of your company and the fact that Project Managers with 6 years of experience like me  are highly demanded by recruiters I think that we should be considering the top end of that range."

 Do you have any questions? 
" Don't skip that questions, recruiter are waiting for professional and Specific Questions indicating your self-confidence So try to ask about the work environment, the relation between your direct managers & colleagues, more details about the job roles and responsibilities, vacations and bonus schemes as well as medical insurance and allowances"

Thank you for reading this and please subscribe for more posts if you enjoyed this one as well.

Data is collected from multiple references including different websites and courses for famous tutors.

References: inspired by the amazing work of Valerie Sutton and Linda Raynier.

Mastering common interview questions by Valerie Sutton

Expert Tips for Answering Common Interview Questions by Linda Raynier