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How
To Answer Those Tough
Interview Questions.
Your
resume is well-organized and
well-written.
It got you noticed and
now it is time to really
impress them in the interview!
You have covered the
basics — following our
advice, you have reviewed the
company’s web site, you are
on time and looking sharp.
Still, you are nervous
because you know the
interviewer is going to ask
those open-ended, ‘I don’t
quite know how to respond’
questions.
Avoid this scenario by
remembering the keys to
successful interviewing:
Preparation before the
interview and effective
communication during the
interview.
When
preparing for the interview,
first determine which common
questions you find most
difficult to answer.
Then, prepare your
answers and rehearse them
several times out loud.
Your answers should be
concise, specific, and should
only take a minute or so.
Here are a few very
common questions and some
ideas on how you may want to
approach them.
Tell me about yourself…
Could there be a more
open-ended question?
In response to this
question, the interviewer
doesn’t want to hear your life
story – he/she wants a
concise, well-thought out
summary of your resume.
Link together your
skills, experience and
strengths in a two or three
minute response.
Get their attention and
make sure you keep the
position for which you are
interviewing in mind.
Why
are you looking…
If your
reason for leaving your
current position is that you
don’t get along with the
boss, it won’t go over well
with the interviewer.
Layoffs, downsizing,
management shifts, relocation
or growth opportunities are
all acceptable answers.
Make a good effort to
put a positive spin on your
answer to this question.
For instance, “I’ve
generally been happy, but I
want to see if I can be more
successful in a different
environment”.
Never speak ill of a
prior employer.
What
is your greatest weakness…
A
humorous answer is ok…
“Well, I’m a bit of a
klutz, so getting coffee is
beyond my abilities” is
fine.
But it is preferable to
answer honestly in a way that
highlights your skills and
strengths.
For instance, “I have
great Solidworks background,
but I haven’t done a lot of
FEA. I would love to develop
in that area if the
opportunity presents itself”
would work, especially if FEA
skills aren’t needed for the
position.
Remember,
you will encounter these and
other standard interview
questions over and over again.
To avoid rambling or
hesitant answers, be sure to
prepare adequately and
practice your answers to
whichever interview questions
make you uncomfortable..
Recommended
reading: “60 Seconds and
You’re Hired”, by Robin
Ryan
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Have
You Looked At Your Resume
Lately?
(part
eleven)
Throughout
this series, we have discussed
information that should (and
shouldn’t!) be included on a
resume, as well as the
formatting that works best
when working with agencies.
First impressions are
very important, so here are
a few more pointers when
preparing your resume:
·
Word processing
programs have spell checks
built in (as does Email).
Please...use them even
if you are a good speller!
·
All word
processing packages have
various fonts and font sizes
available to you.
Changing font size for
section headings (E.g.
Education, Skills, Experience)
is a great way to break up a
resume and make it more
visually appealing.
·
Consistent and limited
use of bold text will also
improve the look of your
resume.
We recommend bolding
main section headings and
company names, and then
following through with this
pattern throughout the resume.
·
Table formats don’t
scan well and are difficult to
manipulate should you want to
update information or change
the order of information
within the resume at a later
time.
· Excessive decorative
lines detract from your
resume. One or two can be a
nice touch, but only if your
resume looks like it has too
much white space.
·
Pictures and graphics
are generally distracting and
use up valuable space.
· Consider changing the
margins on your resume if you
need more space or if your
resume is more than a couple
of pages.
Most word processing
packages contain a default of
1 inch margins, which can
comfortably be cut to .5 inch
as needed.
Next
time: Accents and additions to
set it apart...
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