by Tony Beshara
Q. Describe a difficult business problem that you had to deal with and how you handled it?
In my last (one, two, . . .) jobs, I had to either fire for cause (or lay people off). It was hard. I was successful in doing it gracefully, benefitting my company, and with little rancor on the part of the employees I had to let go.
Q. Describe the situation in your last one or two jobs where you made a mistake. What was the mistake and how did you rectify it? (Be ready to provide a hindsight type of answer. Give the example, but highlight what you learned from it. Have one or two of these kinds of stories available for this question when you get it.)
In my present position, we lost a very good employee. Looking back on it, she left for reasons I might have been able to fix if I had realized the situation before it was too late.
If I had to do it again, I would’ve been more aware of the situation before she left.
Whatever you do, don’t say that you haven’t made any mistakes that you can recall. That sounds disingenuous. Talk about a challenge and what you learned from it.
Q. Where have you made difficult decisions before and what were they about? (In the last economic downturn, there were probably some difficult financial or personnel decisions you had to make. Think of one and put it into a one- or two-sentence phrase.)
I had to cut $152,000 from my budget and lay off two people. Everyone on the team had been a good employee. It was a difficult decision.
Q. Have you ever had to fire someone? Describe the circumstances?
Firing people is one of the most difficult tasks that a manager has. But I found that if one does it in a very careful, well-documented, reasonable, businesslike manner, although uncomfortable for both parties, it can be done gracefully.
You then might add a short story of a circumstance where you had to fire someone. Basically, you should communicate that it was unfortunate, but it had to be done and you did it in a very graceful manner.
Q. What kind of people have you hired and what do you look for in those people?
I have been fortunate to have available to me wonderful people whom I have added to my teams in the past. I look for committed, passionate performers. Fortunately, I can and have been able to attract them and, just as importantly, keep them!
Q. In your present or last jobs were there any problems that you discovered that had been previously overlooked? How did you deal with them?
When I came into my job, the department really didn’t want to recognize the problem we had with inventory and delivery. We had a supply-chain software module that no one was using. It cost us nothing but a little time to implement and now everyone knows where everything is in the product delivery cycle.
Q. Describe a major project that you have worked on and how it contributed to the overall good of your employer?
If you have been involved in doing a major project, the perfect phrase would be to simply describe that project in relative detail.
I have been involved in two major long-term, five-year projects . . .
This is a place to tell a short story of your and your team’s success.
Q. Have you ever been involved in long-range planning?
I chaired a committee for a long-range building (or product launch or company reorganization or . . .).
Don’t claim that you were involved in long-range planning unless you really were, because you may very well be asked about your contribution. Your credibility will be questioned if you can’t speak about what you did.
Q. Give me an example of your past job experience that highlights your ability to build action plans or create programs that support management’s strategic goals and direction. (You need to have three or four stories that could be used interchangeably with questions like this. If in a previous answer you tell a story that could be an answer to this question, you don’t want to tell the same story.)
My department was downsized and our workload was doubled. Rather than react to whatever project came our way, I convinced the team that we should outline a process . . . a more efficient process than simply reacting.
It’s working. We are getting more done with fewer folks, and the rest of the company knows they can’t just come to us and say, “Hey, we need this right now!” We aren’t just reacting.
Q. What were the most important/difficult decisions that you made in your present job, last job, or even your job before that? (If you have to think about the answer to this question for more than a few moments, you appear as somebody who doesn’t know what they’re doing. It’s best to have at least two or three ideas about what the most important or difficult decision was in all of the jobs that you have had.)
In the last two jobs I had to lay off 35 percent and 25 percent of my staff, respectively, in each position. It was difficult to decide who would stay and who would go. I did it with as much compassion and decisiveness as possible. It was hard, but it worked out very smoothly.
Q. What are one or two things you wished you had accomplished in your present or last job and the job before that?
The economics of the company were such that we had to shut down the development of two very good programs (or products and so on) because the return on investment (ROI) was too far in the future.
Q. Why have you not been promoted sooner? If you’re so good, why haven’t you been promoted? (Don’t let a question like this get under your skin.)
The organization I am with has a bottleneck of very tenured people available for the few promotions when they come up. That is one of the reasons that I’m interviewing with you.
Q. You really don’t have as much experience as we would like, why should we hire you?
With every job I’ve ever had, I never went into the job having all of the experience that the employers wanted. In fact, I went into three of them where I was hired simply because I had more potential than any other candidate.
As you can see, I was successful in every position.
QUESTIONS ON YOUR WORK ETHIC
Employers want to know what kind of person they’re hiring. The interviewer will often ask questions to try to get a sense of your attitude toward your work. Your personal work ethic may include being reliable, having initiative, and pursuing new skills.
Q. What kind of job are you looking for?
I’m looking for a position that is going to help make a company better and challenge me based on my experience and background. I’ve had that in every job before.
Q. What motivates you?
I’m intrinsically motivated to live up to my potential by challenging myself to do the best I can every day.
Q. How do you define success?
When I contribute to a successful organization, I am successful. We both grow.
or
Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal for both the company I work for and myself.
Remember. People love stories, and they remember them long after they remember most everything else, so tell a story that shows a time you contributed to a successful organization.
Q. Are you a good employee (or manager or engineer or accountant or salesperson or administrative support person or . . .)? How do you know?
I really love what I do. I am very good at it because I get a lot of positive feedback for the job that I do. My performance reviews and salary reviews have always been excellent. My track record reflects my success.
Q. What made you choose to become a___________________?
Fortunately, I have a great gift for communicating with people (or “for numbers” or “for java development” or “for financial concepts”), and I have honed that skill for a number of years. It has served me well and been a tremendous advantage for the people I have worked for.
Q. How do you approach doing things that you really don’t like to do?
Well, attitude is everything. I have found that no matter how much I don’t like any particular aspect of my job, if I take the right attitude toward it, I’ve been very successful.
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br /> I try to break the particular job down into smaller steps and accomplish them one at a time. I find that, along with my attitude, to be the major reasons I’m successful in taking on parts of my job that I really don’t like.
Q. Have you ever failed in a job?
I’m like a ballplayer who never really lost . . . he just ran out of time. Even the very few things that I look back on and others might see as failures, I really see as setbacks. But even when something didn’t work out, I’ve learned from it.
Q. When faced with a difficult business decision, what do you do? (Make sure you communicate that you do go through a number of processes that communicate wisdom.)
Experience has taught me to think long and hard about the decisions I make. I think on paper by writing out all of the issues, then seeing how they appear to me over a period of time.
I seek the opinions of others who are both close to the situation as well as removed from it. I have two or three mentors whom I have developed over the years whose opinions I respect, and I seek their counsel.
When I have exhausted all of the processes that I might go through, I then follow my gut instinct. Once I have made the decision, I become committed to it 110 percent and throw myself behind it. Unless there is a drastic change in the facts, I am unwavering about the decision.
Q. How do you keep updated and informed in a professional sense?
I subscribe to two professional publications: _______________ and _______________. I’m an avid reader and always trying to hone my skills. Lately, I have been reading __________________ by ________________, and have found it very interesting.
Q. What is the most recent business lesson you have learned and how did you learn it?
I try to be a lifelong learner. Recently, I learned ______________________________________.
Be ready with a recent lesson, like “how quickly the market can change.” Tell a story to reinforce your response.
Q. Can you work overtime or on weekends?
I’ll do whatever it takes to get the work done. I have found over my career that since I am a diligent worker, focused on the task at hand, and avoid wasting time with unproductive cohorts, I get more work done in a lot less time than most.
I’ll work evenings and weekends if I have to, but that hasn’t been necessary in the past.
Q. How many hours in your previous jobs did you have to work each week to get the job done? (Don’t fall prey to this loaded question.)
Gee whiz, I’m not on a clock. I really don’t know.
If you had a job where you were paid overtime, the hiring authority may be concerned about having to pay a lot of overtime. So, in a situation like this, you would answer by saying:
I was always very careful to be sure that I didn’t work overtime unless I absolutely had to. I’m a fast worker and usually get my work done in the allotted time. Of course, my references would substantiate this.
Q. Can you relocate either now or in the future?
I will do anything that is good for my company and my career. Relocation would certainly be included.
Q. What are some of the things in your last job that you didn’t like?
I was frustrated because most everybody was so negative about the poor situation of the company. It’s true that the company was eventually sold, but the negativity was hard to deal with on an everyday basis.
Whatever you didn’t like, make it a values thing or something you could do nothing about.
Q. What was the last thing you disagreed with your company about?
I really can’t recall anything of any importance that I minded or disagreed with my company on. If there was something, whatever it might have been, I certainly don’t remember.
Q. In what areas could your boss do a better job?
I have a lot of respect for my present boss. He (or she) does his (her) job extremely well. There might be some little things that he (she) might be able to do a little better because of experience, but they must be minor.
Whatever you say, don’t criticize your boss, no matter what you think of him (or her).
Q. How well did you feel your boss rated your performance?
All of the supervisors or bosses I’ve had have given me good reviews.
If you have copies of any of these, either with you or that you can send to the interviewing authority, doing so would reinforce your claim.
Q. How did your boss or previous bosses get the best out of you? (This is a little bit of a trick question. Just be ready for a question like this and realize that there is a simple answer.)
By telling me exactly what the objectives are and then leaving me alone. My motivation is intrinsic.
Q. Highlight your experience in dealing with interpersonal conflict and disagreements by recalling a difficult situation that you were involved in. (Again, you need to have a story.)
One of my peers was promoted over me to become my boss. We never got along very well. It has been interesting. I have realized that I shouldn’t compete with him. I sat down with him right when he first got promoted, and we came to an agreement of our mutual expectations. We aren’t the best of friends, but we get along in our environment.
Q. Give me an example of when you were refused or told “no” by your company or supervisors.
Two years ago, I asked for a software upgrade from management. I asked in a very gracious way and was told “no” in a very gracious way, because of budget constraints.
I presented my case again every six months with a demonstration in long-term savings the company would realize. Three months ago, I was given the budget to do the upgrade. I was persistent, but nice.
Q. What is the most recent skill you have learned?
I’ve recently taken a course on negotiation as well as an online course with one of my company’s proprietary IT applications.
Show that you are honing your skills all of the time.
Q. What is the most important professional lesson that you have learned from the jobs that you have had?
To be ready for the unexpected . . . unexpected consequences . . . unexpected resignations . . . people being people. Since we are going to make mistakes, be prepared. Making the mistakes isn’t the issue; it is knowing how to react to the mistakes, minimize the damage, and rectify them quickly.
Q. If you could start your career over again, what would you do differently? (Answer this question very carefully.)
Looking back, I would have found mentors in the companies I worked for a little faster. I realize now that they can make your life a whole lot easier. I should’ve done it sooner.
Q. Do you want to move into management?
I do believe I have management potential, but I know that good leaders are also good followers. If I prove myself in my role, if there are opportunities to advance, I’m sure that I will be considered. I will try to do those jobs equally well. If I do the task at hand, future positions will take care of themselves.
QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR WORK STYLE
You should be prepared to answer a variety of questions about your preferred work style. Above all, your answers should show that you are flexible.
Q. What would be your ideal work group?
I’ve worked in both large groups as well as small groups. Either one can be ideal.
Q. How would you define a “good-fit” work environment?
Where people respect each other and support each other’s work.
Q. Do you work well with other people?
Absolutely. In fact, I’m often told how well I work in groups.
Have a story ready to demonstrate this point.
Q. Do you prefer to work alone or with other people?
Either way works well. I’m effective with either situation.
Q. Do you require lots of supervision?
Not at all. My references can attest to that.
Q. Do you communicate best with written or oral communications?
I seem to do well with either one.
Q. Ar
e you creative?
Yes. I came up with a very unique solution to the __________ problem in my present position.
Simply cite one or two instances where you were creative. Keep all stories short and to the point.
Q. What are the things that you find most difficult to do? (The answer here has to center around something you would not be expected to know well. For instance, if you are an accountant or an engineer in an organization, you would use the answer that follows.)
The most difficult challenge I have is to operate in a sales function.
If you are a salesperson, then you would say:
The most difficult challenge I have is operating in an accounting or technical function.
This seems rather obvious, but the answer is very safe.
Q. And how did you deal with those tasks?
I found someone in that department whose task was difficult for me to understand (define the department—accounting, engineering, sales, and so on) and asked for their help.
I often solicit the administrative people in those departments. Those people sometimes aren’t given enough appreciation for what they do and when someone from a different department asks for their help, they are generally more than happy to oblige.
Q. Has there ever been a situation where your work was criticized?
There have been situations where I learned from the mistakes I made in some of the work I did. I take criticism well and have learned something from every time I’ve experienced it.
Q. What do you look for in a job?
I’d like the work to be challenging. I enjoy being challenged every day. By being challenged, I’m going to grow personally and professionally. If that happens, everything else takes care of itself.
