Interview Strategies (Part 4 of 5)

Edwin Miraflor - Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Samples of Planned Behavior Questions

Describe some situations where you wish you had acted differently with someone at work. What did you do? What happened?
What are some of the most difficult one-on-one meetings you have had with subordinates? Why were they difficult?
Describe an experience you had in which you were too persistent. What happened?
What were some occasions in which you consulted your superior before taking action?
Give me some examples of when your ideas were strongly opposed in a discussion. How did you react?
Tell me about the largest sale you made and how you did it.
How did your approach to finding suppliers differ from the approach used by others in the same job? (Strengths and Weaknesses)
Give me an example of a recent typical day, for example, last Monday, and tell me how you planned for it. (Organizational Skills)
What did you like most/least about working in __?
What was your biggest decision within the last year?
Why did you leave your job at the __ Company?
What did you do when you discovered a coworker was breaking the rules?
What motivated you to pursue this opportunity?
Under what conditions have you gone the extra mile?
What would your last supervisor say are your three best qualities? Why?
Given the list of job objectives, which are you happi8est to see? In what order?
Of all your projects, which were the most satisfying/least rewarding?

Behavior Based Interviewing - Follow-Up Questions

When the interviewer needs to know more, be prepared to elaborate. Here are some examples:

Planned question regarding Work Standards -- Describe the last time you missed a deadline. -- Situation/Task missing deadline? -- Under those conditions, exactly what did you do? -- What effect did that have on your supervisor's commitments? -- Can you give me another example?

Planned question regarding Tolerance for Stress -- Tell me about the last time your manager caused you to become upset. -- Describe the situation that created your reaction. -- Exactly how did you react in that situation? -- Were any problems created as a result of your action? -- Describe another time you were upset?

Planned question regarding Initiative -- What projects have you volunteered for in the last six months? -- What were your reasons for spending your spare time reorganizing the department? -- What exactly did you do to reorganize the department? -- In what ways did this benefit your work group? -- What other projects have you done in your spare time?

Behavior Based Interviewing - When the focus shifts from experience to attitude

Questions:

Are you generally aware of your emotional state?
Are you capable of using your feelings to make good decision? If so, give me some examples.
Can you negotiate your emotions when dealing with clients, co-workers, etc. and still keep a good working relationship? Give me some examples?
How do you keep yourself from going even when the circumstances seem to be against you? Be specific -- tell me more.

Handling Sensitive Questions

In a perfect world, interview questions should be related to the position and your willingness and ability to do the job. Occasionally, an interviewer asks questions that solicit information about you that could potentially be used in a discriminatory way. Practicing how you would handle these kinds of questions will help you respond professionally if the questions are asked in an interview situation or even on an application.

Remember:

Many interviewers are not trained in interviewing. They may not know which questions to avoid or which questions are illegal.
Inappropriate questions are often unintentional.
Often questions are based more on perceived relevance rather than legality, with no malice intended.
Use your common sense and react objectively, not defensively!!

If you are presented with potentially discriminatory questions:

Maintain eye contact. Remain cool, calm, and professional.
Be aware of your body language. Consciously manage your non-verbal reactions to remain as neutral as possible.
Ask for clarification on how the question might relate to the responsibilities of the job.
Evaluate what the interviewer is really seeking, i.e. questions about children may relate to potential absenteeism, or question regarding working with minorities may relate to customer base, work group, or how you evaluate people.
Answer in a neutral, positive way.
Stick to a discussion about business. Getting personal opens up those areas for scrutiny.
Express concrete facts and ideas. Avoid feelings.

Questions You Should Ask the Interviewer

The questions you ask regarding a position tell as much about you professionalism as the answers give to the interviewer's questions. By asking the right questions, you emphasize your desire to understand the organization's expectations and to be reasonably sure you will find the work challenging and appropriate to your strengths. Your questions build respect for you. Avoid a "What's in it for me" attitude.

When the interviewer says, "I'm finished with my questions. Do you have any questions for me?" It's a signal that it's time to wrap up and end the interview. Always have a few questions ready at this point.

Here are some questions you might ask at any time during the interview, if the interviewer has not yet provided the information.

What are the main responsibilities of this position? Who would be my key associates? To whom would I report? Whom would I supervise? What would be the extent of my authority in the carrying out these responsibilities?
What objectives or standards would I be expected to meet or exceed?
Six months from now, how will you know you hired the right person? One year? Two years?
What are the main problem areas that need attention in this new position?
What are you personally looking for in a successful candidate? What capabilities do you feel are more important?
What are the next steps? What is your time line for interviewing and making a hiring decision? When can I expect to hear from you, or would you prefer that I call you?
What are the resources (budget, staff, equipment, software) available to me to do the job?
How will my performance be measured? What is the performance management process?

The right questions will also help you evaluate the situation, assess it's "fit" for you and improve your negotiating position once an offer is made.

Behavioral Questions to Ask or Stories to Tell...

Management - How do you:

Inspire pride in your organization?
Personally support higher management's decision?
Express your beliefs in the values of the organization?
Discourage destructive comments about the organization or its management?
Communicative improvement that would benefit the organization?
Generate useful approaches to improve the way do things?
Strive to get the most out of organization resources available to you?
Strive to increase the organization's return on assets?

Direct Report and Colleagues - How do you:

Consistently show respect and concern for people as individuals?
Inspire pride in your work team?
Help people fee like "winners?"
Recognize top performance?
Listen to others' ideas?
Set challenging standards for co-workers?
Give constructive performance feedback in a timely manner?
Strive to improve co-workers' performance from acceptable to excellent?
Recognize and reinforce improvements in performance?
Deal effectively with performance problems?

Your Immediate Assignment - How do you:

Demonstrate commitment to excellence in task assignment?
Take action to get things done?
Focus others' efforts on achieving what is most important?
Inspire pride in work?
Communicate the belief that excellence will be achieved?
Try innovative strategies, rather than "play it safe?"
Act on ideas and suggestions from others in a timely manner?
Emphasize finding solutions rather than "placing blame?"
Show willingness to take risks in trying new ideas?

Your Personal Potential - How do you:

Practice integrity in dealing with others?
Take responsibility and ownership for your decisions?
Lead by example?
Show confidence in your actions and decisions?
Demonstrate honesty and ethics in your business transactions?
Encourage constructive criticism?
Work to improve your job-related performance?
Show willingness to admit your mistakes?
Avoid ego-dominated actions?
Act on constructive advice in a timely manner?

Interview Green Lights

The "Green Lights" you would look for during an interview take a slightly different turn than green lights in an Informational Meeting.

When the interviewer:

Personalizes the job with you in it. For example, he says: "When you compile the information every month..."
Describes an existing situation and asks how you would handle it.
Introduces you to someone else in the company, or schedules an impromptu interview with him or her.
Shows you where you will work (office, cubicle, etc.).
Asks questions about your salary requirements and other needs.
Asks you questions to determine your level of interest and commitment, such as: "So, do you like what you see?"
Asks you about any reservations you might have about the job or company.
Asks when you would be able to start.
"Sells" the company as a wonderful place to work.