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ABOUT REPEATING YOUR SELF.

BELOW WE HAVE SUGGESTIONS FOR QUESTIONS 2

1. Why should this company consider you for this position?
2. What is your worst character trait, in your opinion?
3. Why would you choose this field of employment?
4. Why would you pick this company?
5. What salary do you expect?
6. What can you do for my company if I hire you?
7. What are your work goals for the future?
8. How can you prove to me that you can do the job?
9. Has your education prepared you for the job?
10. What position in the company do you want?
GUIDANCE FOR QUESTION 2

‘What is your worst character trait, in your opinion?’


This is a trick question to see whether you can think quickly.
The interviewer does not need you to volunteer negative information.
To answer this question you take one of your BEST HABITS CHARACTER
TRAITS or HOBBIES and extend it so that it appears to be bad.


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Example Answer 1 (the interviewer knows this answer so try something different)

One of my worst traits is that once I get involved with a job or project I tend to
lose sense of time. I know how inconsiderate and annoying this is to my
spouse/family/partner/friend (you choose) and I have been working on forcing
myself to take a break to telephone them. This seems to be working so far.

Example Answer 2 (a variation on #1)

One of my worst traits is that I like things to be tidy. I prefer to work in a tidy
environment and in the past have attempted to make co-workers conform to my
ideas. I know how inconsiderate and annoying this habit is. After all I know that
people are different and I have been working on myself to be more considerate
with those whose ideas of tidiness differ from mine. This seems to be working so
far.

Example Answer 2 (a variation on #1)

One of my worst traits is that I like to be on time. I prefer meetings to start on
time and to end on time. In the past I have attempted to make co-workers conform
to my ideas of punctuality. I know how inconsiderate and annoying this habit is.
After all I know that people are different and I have been working on myself to be
more considerate with those whose ideas of punctuality differ from mine. This
seems to be working so far.

Example Answer 3 (a variation on #1)

One of my worst traits is that I am a Blue Jays Fan/ Sports fan/ reading fan/ (you
choose one of your hobbies). I tend to run on when talking about my hobby and
this can be annoying to my fellow workers around the lunch table. I know how
inconsiderate and annoying this habit is. After all I know that people have are
different interests and I have been working on myself to be more considerate and I
am limiting my enthusiasm. This seems to be working so far.

Make sure you have answers for all ten questions. During the interview mentally
tick off the questions as they are asked. BE PREPARED.

Put Your Skills Triangle Together for the Interviewer

This practicum is to be completed
before every interview

Interviewer's Question:: "Tell me about yourself" (Killer Question!)

Your high quality answer: "WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO START?

You immediately continue with

MY EDUCATION—MY WORK EXPERIENCE—OR MY SKILLS THAT
WOULD BE USEFUL FOR THE JOB?


You immediately continue with

LET ME START FIRST WITH MY EDUCATION.

Your preparation will ensure that your presentation relates your education to the job

You immediately continue with

NEXT LET US LOOK AT MY WORK EXPERIENCE

Your preparation will ensure that your presentation relates your work experience to
the requirements of the job.

You immediately continue with

FINALLY WE WILL COVER MY SKILLS THAT WOULD BE USEFUL ON
THE JOB

Using the Triangle you will talk about
Job Content
Your adaptive Skills
Your functional Transferable skills

You immediately continue with

DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTION REGARDING MY EDUCATION, WORK
EXPERIENCE OR OTHER SKILL THAT WILL BE USEFUL ON THE JOB?

THE SKILLS TRIANGLE

Interview Success = Employment


Your Total Experience



YOUR

YOUR

FUNCTIONAL

“ADAPTIVE”


Transferable

SKILLS

SKILLS


JOB
CONTENT



Meets Your “Next” Employer’s Needs

You’ll remember the techniques of structuring your presentation better, when you keep in
mind the "Skills Triangle”.


Linking your past training and experience to the NEEDS of the employer: That's the key.
You want to shuttle easily back and forth between your TOTAL Experience and your
"NEXT" Employer.
You do it by singling out and structuring your skills, in light of what is wanted by this

Expectations of the Employer

Expect that the employing company, and its interviewer, have these expectations of
you:

1. APPEARANCE: The way you dress and groom; your behavior and manners; the
care with which you speak; and also the way you handle paper work (resume, job
application).
2. ABILITY TO ADAPT The employer wants to know that you will be reliable,
punctual, and trustworthy. Examples from past performance need to be
introduced to reassure the interviewer.
3. EXPERIENCED. Few employers enjoy “taking a chance”: They would rather have you
simply transfer demonstrated abilities to a new scene, their company. They'll measure
you for the seeming guarantee that you'll be a profitable choice.
You can provide proofs of 2 and 3 by referring, as you talk, to these areas of your
background:

a. Training in skills
b. Work experience
c. Military experience
d. Volunteer activities
e. Self taught skills
f. Hobbies.
Structure your talking around your proofs. Keep leading the questions asked of you back
to the major evidence of your ability to make money for the employer. Example:

Q. "Tell me about yourself: (Killer Question!)
A. "Where should I begin? Would you like to hear about my work experience? Where I got
my training? Or examples of my commitment to be dependable, trustworthy, and on
time for past employers?"
When you have thought out your examples and probable answers, you will be able to
structure your time in the interview to be certain that you get in, somewhere and
appropriately, every single proof that you have determined is valuable. Your structured way
of achieving a favorable impression will leave you little room, or reason, to experience fear.

Remember you must not lose control of the interview process.
If the interviewer drifts, you provide the material from your past in a framework that will
tell well for you. If your manner is light, helpful and businesslike, you'll score heavily.

What Do Interviewers Want Anyway?

There is in reality only one interview question. It underlies all others. The curiosity
about you that it expresses is the only source of the company's interest in you.
Don't be bothered by the complexity of the question. Don't let the position you think
you want get in the way. The sophistication or lack of it, in the interviewer is
secondary. Every question asked of you is based upon the company's concern that
you can

a. Do the Job
b. Help the company make more money
c. Help make the boss's life easier.
These things you must prove at all costs to the interviewer. You will be compared
with others who are taking similar interviews.
That means your proof must be offered in a framework of preparation. You will
want to guarantee yourself a high quality reply to the underlying question of the
interview.

Prove It! Skills Plus Proof = The Job

Having identified your skills and experience, structure your answers in the interview
so as to:

1. Keep a benefit for the employer in mind in all your answers.
2. Keep citing examples of your performance in specific situations
3. Put everything in a positive light
4. Use the "Skills Triangle" in answering.
Don't ramble in answers, get to the point. If the interviewer is not structuring the
interview, you structure it to reach your goal of proving you can do the job and
make money for the company.

An aimless, rambling interview may seem like—a relief—but the price often paid
is a poor communication of your facts and proof.

You may lose your chance to convince the company that you are a reliable choice
for the job.

What are the Hardest Interview Questions?

Most job seekers find these questions the hardest:

1. Why should this company consider you for this position?
2. What is your worst character trait, in your opinion?
3. Why would you choose this field of employment?
4. Why would you pick this company?
5. What salary do you expect?
6. What can you do for my company if I hire you?
7. What are your work goals for the future?
8. How can you prove to me that you can do the job?
9. Has your education prepared you for the job?
10. What position in the company do you want?
Are you afraid of these questions?

They're mild compared to these, the real "killer questions":

11. What previous experience do you have that qualifies you?
12. If you were in my position, why would I want to hire you?
13. Now, will you please just talk freely to me about yourself?
Now we are getting down to the real terror of the interview. It is to figure out in
advance just what it is that the interviewer wants to know.

INTERVIEW PREPARATION

Objective

On completion of this course you will be able to list the questions that you may be asked in
an interview. You will be able to prepare an answer to each question. You will also be
prepared to reply to the request ‘Tell me about yourself’. You will be able to use this
information to prepare for interviews and convince the interviewer that you should be
considered for the job.

Are you the type who gets sweaty palms and a weak stomach when thinking about an
employment interview?

Do you feel you'd like some help in preparing to answer the interviewer’s questions?
Have you wondered whether skill in being interviewed can make the difference and
win the job?

If you've answered "yes" to the above questions, you can gain confidence and
valuable interview skills from reading this Lesson.

Fear of Interviews Suggests a Lack of Being Prepared

Your fear is of the unknown—and preparation can cure the fear

There are thousands of possible interview questions. Each question can be asked in
many ways, depending on the interviewer. Any single question might spring the trap:
"Sorry! We have chosen someone else for the job. Don't call us. We'll call you if
something opens up for you! "But a way exists to reduce your fear and control it,
improving the effectiveness of the responses that you give in the interview. Your
ability to succeed in employment interviews depends, we have found, on first
identifying and clearly structuring the skills that you can bring to the employer; and
then offering documentation (when called for) that you have these skills and you
perform them well.

The process is identifying, structuring, and proving— and it is quite simple, actually.

But it does take some time, some practice and preparation—and this is the order in
which you get ready:

1. Identify the questions that provoke most fear
2. Grasp the underlying purpose of these questions
3. Identify the constant elements of effective interview responses
4. Learn to know when your response has been good, bad or neutral
5. Be certain that each response creates a word picture that lets an employer
estimate your future performance as favorably as possible. Employers evaluate
your word pictures in terms of quantification, results, and proofs.
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