How would you interview?

Dec 29th

Posted by Ethan Pang in Job-hunting Tips

1 comment

I have been discussing interviewing from the perspective of the interviewee (i.e. the job-hunter) so far. While preparing from this side of the interview equation is useful, it, alone, will not be complete.
 
To interview flawlessly, consider what issues the interviewer in the particular company has when hiring and seek to address them. To do this, look at the job description and job requirements for a particular job you are applying to and put  yourself in the position of the hiring manager (i.e. the decision-maker).
 
As the hiring manager, wow would you interview the candidates?
 
What would you want to know about the candidate?
 
How would you decide which candidate is the right one?
 
These are key issues that an interviewer will be concerned with:
 
1. Can you do the work that I want done well?
2. Can you fit into my team and company culture?
3. Do I like you?
4. Can I afford you?
5. How can I motivate you?
6. Are you truly interested in this work in my company or are you simply trying your luck (and thus, wasting my time)?
 
With these in mind, there are a whole lot of questions that the interviewer can ask or situations to put you through. For example:
 
1. If you are a fresh-graduate, what activities did you participate in during your internship and/or summer? (this will show whether you are proactive or passive in personal development and community engagement)
 
2. Do you have prior experience doing the work I want done? If so, how well did you do them? (Further questions may be asked to check and verify this)
 
3. What accomplishments do you have in your previous job(s)? (Remember that employers will always look at past performance to predict future performance)
 
4. What are your problem-solving and decision-making strategies? (these can be asked through situational questions or case studies)
 
5. What questions do you have about the job and our business? (The questions that you ask will show your level of interest, your initiative and your understanding of the business. Many people claim to have initiative – but these same people usually don’t even know enough to ask the interviewer good questions!)
 
6. You may be interviewed in several time in different locations.
 
7. You may be interviewed several times by different people in the company (and they may vote on you).
 
8. Why do you want to work in this company instead of the others? (Again, how sure are you? Or are you simply trying your luck?)
 
I recently ran an job ad looking for Marketing Associates. I went to the extent of specifying that I’m looking for someone who is creative and thus would apply to the job in a creative way. I also took the trouble to say that I want resumes with a maximum of 2 pages. Still, I was disappointed and guess what? The most creative application I received was one with a very colourful resume.
 
Think about it. How much does it take to standout from the crowd? 
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Interview like a Champion

Sep 30th

Posted by Ethan Pang in Job-hunting Tips

1 comment

Having conducted training over the years, I have noticed a trend in the attendance of two particular workshops – Resume-writing and Interview.
 
Guess which workshop will often be better attended?
 
Answer: The resume-writing workshop.
 
The general approach to making decisions for most students I know is often focused on the short-term. This means that they make decisions in order to fulfill a need that is visible within the next 2 weeks to 3 months.
 
I call this SHORT-SIGHTEDNESS.
 
The resume-writing workshop is well attended mostly because of internship or job application deadlines that are looming on the horizon. Participants just want to learn the necessary tips and tricks quickly, doll up their resume and send off their applications as fast as possible.
 
This seems typical of our current “microwave” mindset – what we want we want it fast, we want it now if not yesterday.
 
Let me ask you this question: Which gets you the job: The resume or the interview?
 
Answer: The interview.
 
NOBODY gets hired based on their resume.
 
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that you don’t need to develop your resume-writing skills. You must write an attractive resume AND, at the same time, excel in your interviews. But most people don’t think about preparing for interview until they are called for one. For too many people, it is too late.
 
You see, understanding what an interview involves will actually allow you to craft your resume better. If you are well prepared for any interview, you will most definitely write an attractive  resume because you will then know how to sell from the very first word in your resume.
 
So, how well do you interview? Do you interview like a champion who already has the job? Or do you interview like a job beggar?
 
Interviewing like a champion demands that you know what to say, what to ask, and how to act during the session. An interview is a meeting to discuss a business problem and so, you must know how to behave in a professional manner which helps solve THE problem.
 
I’ve structured several issues of Jobscope to explore specific important interview questions, the first of which is here:
 
“Why did you apply for this job?”
 
How would you answer this question?

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