Hard Interview Questions

Re: Hard Interview Questions


Honestly, being a manager for 7 years, this answer sounds like a scorned vengeful employee..
Lemme explain.
When you are asked why you want to leave and you answer a textbook " values , cultures etc... " then follow up with MUTUAL resepect, HONESTY..and other things that are specific aspects of a SINGLE person, most people can see right through that. Mututal respect isnt an attribute of a COMPANY.. it is a quality of a single person.
When asked why you want to leave say something along the lines of " Thier retirement plan is changing and it is going to harm me in the long run" Something that is about the COMPANY , not a person. Yeah, that answer is a lie, but they can not check that. Honestly, when they call to check your referrances, they can only ask 2 things. Did you work there? Are you still working there? Anything beyond that is illegal. Some employers will go beyond that.. >sigh< that cant be controled. But the basics are simple. They can not ask about your work ethics, your attendance etc. I do believe they can ask if you would be re-hired also. I think that is allowed.
What people are looking for in an interview is someone who makes THEM feel good. Youre referrances help, your experience helps, but if you dont leave the interviewer confident in thier job, thier ability to pick you , and your personality, no matter HOW long you have been doing something or how WELL you do it, they wont hire you.
It is a mind game unfortunatly.
Ask THEM questions about THEM. How long have they worked for the company? Follow up with statements like " WOW. that is a long time. Needless to say you are happy here. That is great to hear. You sound like a great person to work under/with/around etc."

First of all, I think you'll do well in any interview linkat,
so don't agonize over it too much, however, I would answer
the questions slightly different.

Why do you want to leave? Your answer is good in conveying what you're looking for in another company but doesn't answer the question why you want to leave the present employment.
Having exhausted your career opportunities with the present
employer would be an answer why you're looking for a company that reflects these opportunities and values. I wouldn't touch culture as this can be a difficult subject to explain.

What are your weaknesses? This is a good weakness to
have what your'e describing as being focused on the task
and being tenacious until the project is finished, however,
admitting to a slight neglect towards staff can be a red flag
as everyone needs a teamplayer. I'd choose something
more trivial.

I can tell you right now, why they ask "what are your weaknesses" question. This is from what I've read on interview tips:

They're not necessarily looking for what you're bad at, they're looking to see HOW you answer the question, and HOW you came to resolve or work on that weakness. People who respond with things like "I work too hard" are missing the point of the question, and don't gain any points with the prospective employer.

So if you say "I realized at my last job sometimes I'm not always as organized as I'd like," you'd follow up with "so I got together with my manager, and together we did XYZ to help me overcome it. The RESULTS were XYZ." They want to see how you think things through and resolve problems.

"Why do you want to leave?" In my opinion, there's nothing wrong with stating you're proactive in searching for a better opportunity. Obviously you don't want to badmouth your last employer. When I got my current job, I just told the truth: I felt like I hit a wall as far as growth, and since I'm always looking to improve my skills and my career growth, I needed a better opportunity, and this role fits that because(fill in the blanks).

Good luck...and there's some good tips on monster.com, too, from what I remember.

As Queen of NO real interviews I have thought many a time about how id answer those questions.

My answer to why are you leaving would be because the job is sh*t.
Im paid to sit on my behind from 8.30am-5.30pm and do nothing much other than answer the phone.I can go for amybe an hour with no calls.
The level of inconsistensy in how Im treated in comparison to others is ridiculous.
If i ask a question it may take weeks to get an answer.

What are your weaknesses?
Im too quick to assume that i know what people are asking.
Like you when there is a job to do Im focused on the jop and I HATE being interupted.
I dont retain information if the subject matter bores me senseless.

I dont think id get any job so ignore the above answers,they wont help you.

I agree with the superb advice already given.
Dont go for textbook answers.They can see by your cv that you are qualified to do the job,thats why they have called you to an interview.They just need to see what you are like as a person.
Being focused and dedicated to a job is surely a good thing.

All I can say is that hopefully in the future Il be going for a interview for a job I love and due to that Id like to think that will show in me during the interview.
You sound very competant and its good that you are planning ahead, so I have no doubt your abilities will shine during the interview.
GOOD LUCK and let us know how it goes.

Just don't ask them what their policy is on internet porn.

Trust me.

Haha, internet porn - typical slappy!
Your first response makes a lot of sense slappy. I agree!

i second that,
great answers slappy
i would hire you. only for 2 hours though...

Shewolfnm – actually this answer came from a professional recruiter who has experience in the industry for over 10 years.

These values I listed are actual values that my company used to have as part of the review process. These were supposed to be values that the company and employees have and support. So honestly, I don’t understand why these would be a single person value and not a corporate value. I also typically see similar values posted on company websites saying they support, blah and blah values. In our industry these sorts of values are even more important today as with all the uproar with Martha Stewart, Enron and new regulations and scrutiny in our industry. Not only are these values important, but if you don’t have them you could find yourself in jail.

I was actually told by several recruiters to NEVER say something negative about the company you are leaving. You only sound like a little whiny complainer and no one will want to hire you.

I always approach an interview as me interviewing the company as well – as I do want to find a good match so asking questions is never an issue on my side.

Slappy the one issue with growth is that I am already considered at a pretty high level. Opportunities for growth start slowing down as the highest level positions are so few and far between. My concern on stating I am looking for growth is that the company may feel I will keep moving on if there is no opportunity in x number of years and this could very well happen at my level.

As much as I would like to answer as you material girl, if I did I would never get hired.

I was just using growth as an example with my experience...

Shewolfnm: you couldn't afford me.

slappy-
i got a dollar, so long as you have change, you have a job.
;-)

what do you do linkat?
( if you can say so with out getting in trouble that is )

Shewlf – I am a manager in the mutual fund industry – very regulated. Here is a new thought.

O-K, I just talked with the recruiter who is prepping me for tomorrow’s interview. He suggested I say the following: “When I first started at ABC Co., I planned on staying there until retirement. However, there have been a series of mergers and the company is not what it used to be. I had this opportunity at DEF Co presented to me. I am not looking at every company in the industry to move, but this is the no. company in the industry (this part is true), combined with a wonderful reputation and a complete great package, it is definitely a company I would love to work for.” Basically putting the focus on the positive things this company has to offer.

Hmm.. ok.
Now I see why your answers have to be a certain way.
sorry, I didnt know what you did for a living.
I think that answer you just gave ( from the recruit,) sounds great. it focuses on things that are a bonus to YOU and it makes you sound like yo uhave done alot of ' homework' about the company wich they always want to hear.
good question - does this answer sit well enough with you that it will roll off your tongue naturally? and sound genuine?

Definitely. That's my number one-piece of advice, to tailor it to the company you're applying to, rather than make it about the one you want to leave. Research the company, get info you can use (looks like you have) and put the emphasis on why you think it would be great to work for them.

Slappy has good advice, too. I'd add that one of the things they're looking for is just plain how you handle a tough question. Do you get flustered? Do you look like a deer in the headlights? Do you answer smoothly and professionally?

Just plain being prepared, no matter what your answer is, (within reason), goes a long way. But the fact that you're doing this kind of research is even better.

Yes – shewolfn it does sit well and should roll naturally. I would never say something that is false. I may butter things up a little to make it sound better, however, I wouldn’t say ABC Co is number 1 in the industry, if it is isn’t considered one of the top companies and well respected – which all is true.

As we speak I am writing up answers to potential questions so I can be prepared. The research part of the company is pretty easy as it is one of the most well known in the industry (if not the most well known) and I already have investments with them so I do know the company, but in addition, I have read their website to just get as much info as possible.

When I had my 'interview' here(I call it an interview but I basically already had the job as the previous girl was leaving and they probably knew they couldnt get anyone else to do this sh*tty job anyway)and breeeath....my friend who was waiting outside the interview room heard laughing(me and the lady boss were having a joke about something).When I came out she said she had never experienced anyone having a laugh in an interview.
That made me feel great.

Good luck,let us know how it goes.

Thank you all for your advice and support. The interviews went amazing well. I had four in total and it ran from about 9:45 am until about 1:00 pm. I guess I really enjoy talking about myself. The weakness question never came up and only one person asked about why I am leaving. I pretty much said that once I heard there was a position with ABC Co. I was definitely interested. This company is the top mutual fund company and is a great place to work. Blah Blah … pretty much the fact that I am impressed with the company and that is why I am interviewing there today.

The first interview was a director and we got along great – it felt more an exchange of information rather than an interview – the second another director and though it was a little more of an interview feel – seemed to go smoothly, then I met with some one who would be a peer and again – it felt more an exchange of information. Lastly was the HR person who basically just gave me some information about the process and did not even interview me. The bonus – a former boss of mine now works there and they did ask if she knew me. Now seeing that it is not really acceptable to ask for a reference from some one unless it is first cleared with the candidate (although we all do it unofficially), I figured it had to be good. The director did say that she had lots of positive things to say about me.

I anticipate knowing more details in about 2 weeks as this is the beginning of the process.

Well done, good luck, keep us posted.

O-K here is the news. I was offered a position with just below a 3% increase in base salary. The bonus pool is also about 8% higher than my current company with 10% profit sharing. Health care costs are also lower and they subsidize parking costs or public transportation costs. So all in all money wise it seems I will get a good increase considering all the benefits in total. I will lose a weeks vacation – that is the only downside.

But overall it is a much stronger company, the employees seem happy there – most have been there a significant amount of time and they have low employee turnover. They want me to start the beginning of April that will also fit in nicely as I have relatives visiting the last week of the month and currently have this off as vacation.

I am very nervous, excited and happy and cannot wait to see their faces when I hand in my resignation.

Congratulations!

When I got my last job, the part that felt the best was telling my former employer I was leaving. I'm actually still friends with them, but it felt great knowing I was finally moving on, and up.