Help answering difficult interview questions

You should be specific about what you particularly like about the company/industry. Try to throw in some facts so they know you have done your research.

Hi all
I never had any question from an employment agency. Just looking at my resume and asking me about my qualification ,experience ,and if I can stand the interview with hiring my manager.

In the flied of IT

I did help a lot of IT firms  doing some technical interviews, I just ask if he can do the job, starting asking them technical questions, try to figure out your true and fake  "Experience".
Most of these question above are HR. Most of HR poeple  cannot  even make decision to hire you.

For thank letter, you also can send it to Hiring Manager to figure out the resultant for the interview if you cannot wait for an answer.

Things are little different on other fields
Kal...
Kal




 

I have a job interview on Friday (along with one of my exams!) and am trying to think of something good to say for my weakness.

I was thinking of saying that I am sometimes apprehensive of change, but DH says its a bad idea.

Any thoughts?

I agree with your husband, you want to be flexible and able to do what they need of an employee.  Something along the lines of being a workaholic.  You have a passion for what you do generally works but also throw in that you know how to manage your time and balance your dedication with your social life.  I thoroughly recommend the book 101 Great Answers To The Toughest Interview Questions by Ron Fry.

edit to add Good luck!

I know it's too late for this particular interview, Yael, but for others and in the future...  When I have interviewed (from both sides of the table, interviewer and interviewee) I prefer to refer to strengths as "overdone weaknesses." So you can say you're a workaholic, but explain that your strength is that you are very dedicated to your job, you just sometimes overdo it. That way you get the opportunity to say something good about yourself, and also acknowledge that you can scale it back because you're aware that sometimes to give too much. It's all about accepting that you aren't perfect but knowing how to address those issues.

-Angela

Is this really the best approach?  I would think that someone who said this was a bit of a ars* kisser.

Vicky

I've been in HR for 8+ years, and I'll tell you what I like to hear when I ask what someone's weakness is: an area that they'd like to learn more about.

For example, if I ask a Software Engineering candidate what his/her biggest weakness is, I'd like to hear them say, "You know, I just started learning about Linux.  I'd really like to become proficient in the next few years because..."

That is a good answer.  I've onterview many people over the years and would be happy to hear that..  I think in my last interview my response was that I don't know enough about nationality law, so a similar approach.

Vicky

I'm with Vicky and Dionsyia.

I want to hear that somebody recognises that they aren't perfect, but are willing to do what they can to try to improve themselves. Because in a job you are going to be faced with things that are difficult for you, and I want to know how you will handle that type of situation.

I don't want to know how well you think you can bullshit me. I don't want to work with someone who thinks that they will succeed in their career by bullshitting.

I don't want to know how well you think you can bullshit me. I don't want to work with someone who thinks that they will succeed in their career by bullshitting.

I think this extends to the canned answers that you get from careers sites and interview guide books.  People can spot these quite easily.

Another thing, if the interviewer asks a question it's probably because they want to know the answer.  It drives me mad when I phone interviews, one of the questions I ask is what salary range are they looking for and the amount of people that give me some nonsense about it not being important and they just want the opportunity etc. Answer the question! 

I've actually always used AngelaK's approach - recently I told someone (who is now my new boss  ) that a weakness of mine is not wanting to let things go (in customer care) which means that I sometimes leave cases open a bit longer than absolutely necessary because I want to be sure that they are completely resolved. And I honestly wasn't bullshiting even a little bit - my last boss encouraged me to close cases as fast as possible which meant that I couldn't do that little bit extra. My new boss appreciates that I would prefer the case stay open an extra day if it means better customer care. I think it depends on how you present it - if someone is bullshitting I personally think it comes across in the way they present things....

It drives me mad when I phone interviews, one of the questions I ask is what salary range are they looking for and the amount of people that give me some nonsense about it not being important and they just want the opportunity etc. Answer the question! 

That's one of my HR pet peeves.  (One of many, I'm afraid!)

I know people don't want to sell themselves short, but frankly, I need to know if your requirements are over our budget for the position.  I work at a not-for-profit healthcare organization and the budget is very tight.

This is really useful thanks!!! My least favorite question is the strength/weakness question. I have learned the most from recently having been on the other side of the interview table!

my first interview, I didnt know how to answer the salary question. I didnt know how much to expect in pounds for a job since Ive never worked for that currency.  So I just explained that bit and told them how much I made in my last (US) job (it was the same job field)

I find it remarkable that this conversation hit upon my 2 least favorite interview questions; salary range and strengths/weakness.

I love the tip on answering the weaknesses question by identifying an area in which I know I need to learn more. I'm in corporate training & development, and there is always some new best practice out there for me to learn.

I don't ever feel comfortable with the salary question, though. And, I really appreciate seeing a recruiter's advice on this topic. When I'm asked, I usually state a figure $10K or so higher than what I currently make since I am tend to look for a position with more responsibility and a larger role than the position I currently hold. However, to relocate to the UK I would actually be happy to "take a step back" in career if needed so as to gain the global exposure and experience.

How can I research current compensation in the UK for specific roles? In the US I use salary.com. Is there a comparable site for the UK? It seems that you're advising I be informed on what the market supports and ensure my reply to the salary question is within those boundaries.

Thanks for any help!