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Interviewing With
Success
by Stephanie Legatos
Interviewing tends to raise almost everyone’s
anxiety level. If you are a recent graduate, haven’t
interviewed in a number of years, or think that you could use
a little help to feel more competent and confident during an
interview process, read on! This article provides tips and
information, focusing on commonly asked questions as well as
types of interview questions asked.
We all know that preparation is the key to a
successful interview. But, at times, over-preparation gets in
the way. I’ve seen this happen when candidates are too eager
to respond to questions. In other words, the interviewer has
barely finished his or her sentence, and the candidate has
begun a response. Now, don’t get me wrong: part of preparation
is to practice your answers to commonly asked questions, and
to anticipate specific questions you are likely to be asked
given the industry and the position. However, you also need to
convey that you have fully listened to the question and
perhaps given it a moment of thought.
Here’s an activity, along with some examples,
that might help. The question that an interviewer asks is the
“explicit question.” Now consider, that for each question
asked, there are a number of questions behind the question; in
other words, “implicit questions.”
For example, let’s take the (explicit)
question, “How would your former supervisor/manager describe
you?” Implicit questions include:
- How self-aware are you? To what extent do
you have insights about yourself?
- How well will you fit into our culture?
Your response needs to take these implicit
questions into account. Through research or networking, you
want to make sure that you know something about the culture of
the organization – and fashion your response to be both an
honest description of your qualities and characteristics and a
strong statement of specific qualities that match the culture.
Here are two effective – yet different –
possible responses:
- I am a well-respected team leader – and a
team player. For example, I was asked to support a staff
training program on new regulations. I helped to design the
training, co-facilitated sessions, and assisted my staff in
completing documentation accurately, helping them to fully
understand the changes.
- She would say two key things about me: I am
a supportive counselor who motivates people toward positive
change, and I thrive in fast-paced environments.
Let’s take another question:
Explicit Question: Where do you want to be in
five years?
Implicit Questions:
- Do you have a thoughtful career plan?
- What are your long-term career goals?
- What is your commitment to this
organization?
- Are you serious about this position?
- What do you know about our organization?
Possible responses include:
- I see a career as a continuing and evolving
growth opportunity. Given the diversity of skills and
experience I can bring, I believe I can play a critical role
in helping you to solve your present problems and ensure
that the organization is poised to meet future challenges.
- I see several possibilities in a five-year
time frame. I could continue in a counseling capacity. I
could move into a supervisory role, managing staff at one or
more of your residential facilities. Or, I could transfer to
a job development/employer services position. I want to
maintain client contact in whatever role I play in this
organization.
Both of these questions are commonly asked
questions. They are also “traditional” style questions,
meaning that they are direct. There are two other types of
interview questions that you should be aware of:
- Situational (or hypothetical)
questions. For example, “What would you do if on
the night of our donor reception party 3 out of 10
volunteers called to say they would be unable to be there?”
- This type of question probes your
analysis, perspective and problem solving skills. Your
response tells the interviewer a lot about how you think
about and approach problems.
- Behavioral questions. For
example, “Tell me about a time when you were under enormous
stress and yet were still able to bring a project to a
successful conclusion?"
- This type of question exposes your actual
behavior – how you handled a specific situation in the
past. The underlying theory is that past performance is
the best indicator of future performance.
- Your response gives the interviewer
information about your beliefs regarding the best way to
handle these (and similar) situations, the skills that you
have, as well as how you are likely to approach this or a
similar situation in the future.
- Your response helps the interviewer to
answer the question, “To what extent is this person’s way
of doing things compatible with the way we do things
here?”
Lastly, here’s an example of how a traditional
question can be re-worded into a situational or behavioral
question:
Traditional: Do you consider yourself an
organized person?
Situational: If your supervisor delegated five
projects to you, how would you go about organizing your work?
Behavioral: Give me an example of a typical
workweek in your last position and how you went about planning
it .
Stephanie Legatos, career
counselor/coach, and trainer and instructional designer, with
a M.S. in Human Resources and Counseling Psychology. In my
career counseling work, I balance the practical and concrete
aspects of the job search process with the expression of
passion, soul and spirit in your work/life. I am a Certified
Professional Resume Writer, qualified to use the Myers-Briggs
Type Indicator, and have more than 12 years of experience
using a variety of career assessment tools and presenting
workshops on job search strategies.
I can also help
contribute to your organization’s staff development needs by
designing and presenting training workshops on a variety of
topics. Most of my career history has been in nonprofit
organizations. Please contact me for a list of topics,
including outlines and learning objectives.
Stephanie Legatos is
a career and job search coach, and a Certified Professional
Resume Writer (CPRW) who works with people in diverse
occupations to create compelling marketing tools and a
comprehensive job search strategy. Contact her at bewellpartners@verizon.net,
bewellpartners.com,
or 978-887-0070. |
