How To Avoid Job Interview Brain Freeze

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

- Take inventory of your accomplishments.

What processes have I improved?
How have I made work easier for others?
What did I do to save my company money?
When did I find a solution to a departmental problem.
How did I save time?
When did I go beyond the call of duty to solve a customer problem?

- Study the job description.

Study the requirements to determine the all possible challenges involved with the job. If the actual job description is skimpy in details, look to other similar positions listed to help fill in the blanks.

- Create a list behavioral questions.

Turn your list of challenges of the position into a list of questions that start with:
Tell me a time when you …
Describe a situation when …

- Use your list of accomplishments to answer your behavioral questions.

Ask a friend to help you role play your interview answers. You should feel very comfortable communicating your success stories. The more time you practice actually talking about your accomplishments the faster you’ll be able to recall your stories in your next interview.

http://www.net-temps.com/careerdev/crossroads/index.htm?op=view&id=5066&newsletter_id=1184&archive=1#axzz2U1sOJxy1

[Scuba]

1. Good advice. May I please add ...

... when hiring professionals I always asked:

What's the asset you bring to the table that distinguishes you from other candidates?

after that discussion I followed up with:

In what area do you percieve yourself to be weak and how will you seek to accomodate and strengthen that weakness?



Being prepared for such questions and having pre-considered (and non-trite) answers can really help your candidacy.

To all seeking work, good luck!!

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

2. Of course you can and, indeed, should. :)

By way of comment and opinion:

In what area do you percieve yourself to be weak and how will you seek to accomodate and strengthen that weakness?

I view this as a trick question, however popular it may be. I also consider it as a bit unfair depending on the position. It might be fair for management, marketing or service positions. IMHO, the answer for many people is that their weakness is in being specialized. It is an over used cliche to say, "Think outside the box." Those who have dedicated from a few years to decades in training and specializing in a field may not recognize that the same experience, which qualifies them might, in some ways, be a weakness.

Thanks for mentioning this common and sometimes problematic question.

[Scuba]

3. There is of course, no "right answer". What I was looking for was ....

.... evidence of previous self-reflection.

A trite "I'm a perfectionist" didn't do much for me, but "I've been known to over-engineer something because it's interesting. By managing my time and regularly reassessing my priorities I avoid this" really works for me.

Bottom line is to be prepared for questions that are about you and your flaws (we all have them). Having a thought-out answer will help the candidate avoid an uncomfortable situation.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

4. Absolutely

As someone who has been out of work and interviewing I've been tempted to answer that by saying, "My biggest weakness right now is being unemployed because interviewers sometimes perceive an employed person as desperate and may doubt their credibility due to the perceived desperation."

It's an excellent idea to consider these questions.