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Career Learning
Archives Troy Behrens' previously published columns |
Troy Behrens, Ed.D.,
is executive director of SMU's Hegi
Family Career Development Center. He writes "Career Learning"
for SMU Parents online. |
 |
Interview Questions: Do’s and Don’ts
Coming UpPart II: Questions about your job needs, career plans and interpersonal
skills |
April and May combined are the zenith of interview season for college
students – and in the spirit of this season, Troy Behrens, executive
director of the Hegi Family Career Development Center, thinks it’s
a great idea to spend the next four weeks practicing.
We’re kicking off a series on common interview questions, compiled during
10 years of interviewing research, and will offer no-nonsense advice on how to
answer them (the way hiring managers want to hear them).
Do trick questions make you nervous? We have strategies! Do you ever stumble
when you’re asked whether you have questions? We’ll help with
that, too!
We’ll close with practice questions you can answer, and we hope
you’ll share your results – along with
interview success stories, nightmares and lessons learned – so
we can post them online (e-mail tbehrens@smu.edu).
Remember the five P’s when it comes to successful interviewing:
Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.
Part I: Questions on Your Qualifications and Experience
1. Tell me about yourself.
Keep it relevant to the job you’re applying for. Nobody cares where
you grew up or how many cats you have.
Don’t rehash your résumé (interviewers can read).
Do present two or three of your most valuable skills and make the employer think the company won’t make it without you. Give PAS answers:
- P means describe a problem you had to tackle.
- A means the Action you took.
- S means describe the Solution and positive outcome.
Your answer should take less than 90 seconds.
2. What are your qualifications?
Don’t rehash too much, unless the interviewer doesn’t have your résumé or background information. Most people shoot off a laundry list of meaningless adjectives: “I have a bachelor’s in accounting. I was on the intercollegiate accounting team. I'm a fast learner, dedicated, motivated and punctual.” Add cheerful, thrifty and brave, and you may qualify as a Boy Scout. Those adjectives are hollow and meaningless.
Do elaborate. If you say you are motivated, give
a specific example.
3. Why should we hire you?
The million-dollar
question! If you answer this correctly, the
interviewer might consider hiring you! You should be able to answer
it before you leave your home for the interview. This is the foundation
of your entire sales pitch. So,
how do you do it?
Don’t say:
- “I need money.”
- “I really like your company; my mom buys all of your products.”
- “I have a bachelor’s in business, and I am a team player who is dedicated to doing a great job. If you give me a chance, I know I can prove myself in any department.”
Do convince the interviewer that you can solve problems on the job. First, do your research and learn all you can about the company. Find where your skills can be utilized. Talk to people who work or have worked with this company and find out what your future department’s objectives are. Then tie it all together with your abilities. It might sound something like this:
“Your annual report indicates your department’s objective is to increase employee productivity by 45 percent within the next fiscal year. It is my understanding that one of the most effective means of reaching this goal is by implementing a method that I used to help my previous employer see productivity jump nearly 60 percent in only three months.”
There’s more than one way to answer this crucial question; what’s
yours?
4. What interests you about our company?
Again, do your research and base your answer on how well your skills
fit their problem-solving needs.
Don’t answer in a “self-serving” manner:
- “Well, this is IBM, and everyone I know who has ever worked here said it was a great opportunity to grow professionally.”
- “I hear you have a great benefits package.”
- “I've always wanted to help people, and your programs have been beneficial to everyone.”
Do refer to research figures you found, or mention
that you interviewed employees to learn about the company (but don't
mention names; it isn’t cool to name-drop). Only mention what
truly interests you.
5. Why did you apply for this job?
Do or don’t? “Procter & Gamble
seems like an interesting place to work, and I think this would
be a great opportunity to use my people skills.”
Answer: Yuck! (See No. 3: Why should we hire you?)
E-mail your interview successes, nightmares and lessons learned to Troy at tbehrens@smu.edu.
>> Learn more at the Hegi Family Career Development Center online.
