Acing the Interview¶

Metadata¶

Author: Tony Beshara
ASIN: B009RQGW64
ISBN: 0814401619
Reference: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009RQGW64
Kindle link

Highlights¶

They care about what they need and only what you need to an extent that you could help them get what they want. This mindset also will empower you to ask better questions. — location: 457 ^ref-34790

The idea is to call a hiring authority with “pain” … the personal need to hire someone. — location: 568 ^ref-55671

Close to 33% of the people whom we find jobs for are interviewed by hiring authority when they don’t have an opening. — location: 721 ^ref-22503

pick up the phone and simply ask the name of the manager of the department you would normally work for. If you’re in sales, call the sales manager. If you’re in marketing, call the VP of marketing. Get the picture? Here is what you say. — location: 728 ^ref-34116

If you simply call and ask for an interview without giving specific features, advantages, and benefits to the prospective employer, you won’t get to first base. — location: 788 ^ref-54787

briefly and succinctly tell a hiring authority your personal features and advantages so that they can be perceived as benefits to the hiring authority’s company. The question is, and always will be, on the part of that a hiring authority, “Why should I hire you?” — location: 800 ^ref-506

the purpose of this statement is to intrigue a hiring authority enough to want to interview you. — location: 809 ^ref-30772

“Could I see you tomorrow morning or would tomorrow afternoon be better?” — location: 812 ^ref-774

state, “Based on what we’ve talked about here, I am a great match for this job. What do I need to do to get it? “ Never leave an interview without asking for the support of the person you have just interviewed with. — location: 924 ^ref-46897

asking the cold, aggressive question of “What do I need to do to get the job?” or “When can I go to work?” — location: 939 ^ref-43767

confident. So, no matter how laid back and relaxed a hiring authority might seem, you have to be energetic and enthusiastic in the initial part of the interview. — location: 953 ^ref-23495

The initial moments of the interview have to be performed on your part, with energy, aggressiveness, and confidence. — location: 959 ^ref-36355

Have stories about yourself. They need to be relevant and specific to issues about your being a good employee. Keep them short and relative to the topic. — location: 972 ^ref-62026

be sure that your personality and style is compatible with the person and/or the company that you are interviewing with. — location: 1025 ^ref-34823

If the hiring authority communicates that “the company prides itself in retaining employees who work together as a family,” you will want to communicate a cooperative, consultative, and collaborative style about yourself. If the hiring authority communicates that “life is a bitch and then you die,” you might want to communicate that you are a “survivor” — location: 1034 ^ref-1156

If you bring up why you left in positive terms—even if it wasn’t under the most positive circumstances, i.e., you were fired—the whole scenario has a tendency to be more palatable to a hiring authority. — location: 1136 ^ref-30244

you have to put your present or previous employers in a positive light. Even if they laid you off or fired you, you have to say something along the line of, “although I’m disappointed by not being there (… or having to leave), — location: 1153 ^ref-65012

you need to ask, “What do I need to do to get the job?” — location: 1199 ^ref-38938

I stack up with your ideal candidate or the others that you have interviewed. Please tell me what you think.” — location: 1265 ^ref-11690

where you think your strengths are and where you think your weaknesses are relative to the interview. — location: 1276 ^ref-14905

things that seemed the most important to the hiring authority, and make sure that you understand them clearly. — location: 1277 ^ref-65076

reinforce the high points of what the interviewing or hiring authority said he wanted and restate where or how you address those issues better than anyone else. — location: 1302 ^ref-11744

“I’m looking for a position that is going to help make a company better and challenge me based on my experience and background.” — location: 1555 ^ref-6797

“Even though that was the most difficult part of the job, I met the challenge every time. — location: 1567 ^ref-42725

“I’m looking for a position that’s going to help make a company better and challenge me.” — location: 1572 ^ref-29685

people love stories, and they remember them long after they remember most everything else. — location: 1583 ^ref-44741

“The people I have worked for in the last two jobs thought I was underqualified before they hired me. But I performed very well on both. I am an overachiever and have always been able to perform well beyond my apparent capabilities.” — location: 1629 ^ref-614

“All of the organizations that I am talking to are quality firms with quality people just like this one. All of the positions that I am interviewing for have their strengths and weaknesses. A job is pretty much what you make it once you show up and start working. — location: 1668 ^ref-62841

one or two “important” lessons that you learned from each job that you held and relate them briefly. — location: 1677 ^ref-8500

Answer this question with things that have nothing to do with your performance or your abilities. — location: 1724 ^ref-39872

Whatever you “didn’t like” make it a values thing or something you could do nothing about. — location: 1729 ^ref-35381

Emphasize that you have grown as much as you can in your current position and maybe cite one or two stories about how you could have contributed more but it just wasn’t necessary because there were plenty of people who were doing so. — location: 1743 ^ref-50464

“I will certainly do anything that is good for my company and my career. Relocation would certainly be included.” — location: 1748 ^ref-2817

If you are an accountant, engineer, a technical person, or anybody who is analytical or kinesthetic, then the answer has to center around something along the lines of what your personality is not. — location: 1782 ^ref-16187

you will never get hired unless you are liked. — location: 1963 ^ref-23031

“Well, I’m very impatient with myself. — location: 1982 ^ref-48235

Badmouthing your present or previous bosses or company is the kiss of death. — location: 1993 ^ref-13731

getting mad or angry doesn’t help solve the immediate problem. I don’t think any of us perform well under the emotional stress of anger.” — location: 2015 ^ref-24683

Don’t ever badmouth a previous employer! — location: 2041 ^ref-31954

overcoming the death of a parent at a very young age, etc., will answer the question to your benefit. — location: 2066 ^ref-57983

If you describe a professional failure, make sure you don’t blame other people. Take responsibility in the right way. — location: 2083 ^ref-30461

mention a couple of stories that demonstrate as many of these basic attributes as you can. Remember: Stories sell! — location: 2114 ^ref-22326

why you chose to lead or follow. — location: 2119 ^ref-10413

What have you done to implement improvements in your work group organization? You’d better have a real good answer for this one. — location: 2124 ^ref-10368

You better have a memorized methodology that you can explain to a prospective employer. — location: 2127 ^ref-5859

“Getting external recognition isn’t as important to me as me knowing that I have done at a good job.” — location: 2132 ^ref-6859

A “high level of commitment” means something that is well beyond the call of duty. Have a good story ready and make sure that it communicates how you really went the extra mile. — location: 2137 ^ref-9996

one or two applications of your own personal “creative idea.” — location: 2147 ^ref-20523

you might want to admit to enjoy watching a particular social endeavor, but never claim to be really good at it. — location: 2166 ^ref-39399

• Why do you want to leave where you are? Or, why did you leave your last position? This — location: 2234 ^ref-30837

saying anything negative or disparaging about the company that you are presently with, or are leaving, is not going to do you well. Saying anything negative about the people you were working for or have worked for won’t reflect well on you. — location: 2249 ^ref-18049

you have to communicate that you like your present job, the present organization that you work with, etc., and that you are leaving simply because you are capable of doing more for an organization — location: 2263 ^ref-14695

“I really love the company that I work for, and I have done well by them. They have been very good to me and I really appreciate that. But in the position I am in now, I am not as challenged, nor can I contribute as much as I could in the position we’re discussing here at your firm. — location: 2267 ^ref-26354

“While you are correct that I’ve had three very short stints in my employment, there are two things that are very important. First of all, I realize that someone like you is going to look at this as a liability. I don’t like it any better than anyone else; in fact, it has really concerned me. I made a couple of mistakes in taking several of those positions, and if knew then what I know now, I would never have done that. The truth is, however, that I really learned from the mistake. The fact that I’ve had three relatively short positions is one of the very reasons I can guarantee stability. I cannot very well afford another short stint at a job, so I am being very careful about the job I take. Whoever hires me is going to get a passionate and committed employee for at least seven years. — location: 2275 ^ref-13708

to address it, make it to be as much of a positive as you possibly can, ask for understanding and empathy, then shut up. — location: 2286 ^ref-19721

When the employment economy is more difficult and there are many candidates to choose from, most hiring authorities are more concerned about the reasons you might have left your last employer or why you’re looking to leave your present one. No — location: 2365 ^ref-16493

first, don’t mention how much they appreciate the job they had or presently have and then, second, talk about selfish, or self-centered, “me” reasons for either leaving or changing jobs. — location: 2369 ^ref-5312

anything related to your needs, before the needs of the company you were with, will destroy you. — location: 2371 ^ref-5224

“You know, I really loved that job for ___ and really appreciated all of the people who I was working with. Unfortunately, the company had to downsize because of the economy and since I was one of the last hired, I was one of the first to go.” — location: 2374 ^ref-1245

Unfortunately, I have reached a point with my position that the opportunity for me to grow both personally and professionally just isn’t there. — location: 2376 ^ref-28080

If the answer to this question makes you look like a dedicated, committed, reasonably well-performing employee, who for very good business reasons is looking for a job, you’ll be fine. If your answer does anything less than that, you’re dead in the water. — location: 2385 ^ref-33463

Hopefully, if you were in a position to be fired, you got your most recent organization to lay you off rather than fire you. — location: 2464 ^ref-57455

say, “I really love that company and I was there for a reasonably long time. I performed well, but there came a time for us (the company and me) to make a change.” — location: 2487 ^ref-43183

the presentation of yourself and the job you had (how you performed and why you left) this question may never come up. — location: 2490 ^ref-11600

If there’s no way of avoiding having to say that you were fired, simply acknowledge that you were: that you really enjoyed the time you were at that particular organization; that you learned from that organization and appreciated all that they did for you; and that it was simply time to make a change. — location: 2493 ^ref-10663

pretty sure that a prospective employer is going to find out that you were fired rather than laid off, the best thing to do is to explain exactly what happened in your opinion. — location: 2502 ^ref-57045

Communicate the idea that although you don’t agree with the decision, you do respect it. In order to overcome the situation where you were fired with cause (and there is no way around having to talk about it in the interview), you are going to have to “counter” being fired with excellent references. — location: 2504 ^ref-2493

Simply state, “That’s very interesting, I’m going to do more research on it myself.” — location: 2547 ^ref-35197

“Well, from what I know so far about it there might be some things that I may not like as well as others, but I haven’t found anything that I would dislike.” — location: 2567 ^ref-4181

hard work, determination, passion, and willingness to go the extra mile will do. — location: 2580 ^ref-26451

you must always communicate a high energy level. — location: 2582 ^ref-53263

you always want to communicate a high energy level. You do that by sitting up and leaning forward with relaxed intensity. — location: 2584 ^ref-62204

Describe your day by making sure you are up and at your job very early, getting a lot of work done, i.e., undertaking lots of activity, and going home later than most people. You have to communicate doing a lot of work and doing it quickly. — location: 2586 ^ref-36202

here? If you were early in the interviewing process, you would want to say something like, “Based on what I know, there seems to be a very good opportunity here for both this company and myself” — location: 2588 ^ref-53103

Make sure your answer focuses more on what you can do for them rather than what they can do for you. If — location: 2592 ^ref-12633

“Based on the experience that I have had, I was doing the best work that I was capable of doing. The more experience that I have, the better my work gets.” — location: 2602 ^ref-43106

You should be able to relate a good story here. One or two situations where you performed well under extreme pressure will do. — location: 2607 ^ref-37052

“My experience has been that if companies can find equal candidates internally and externally, they should be hiring internally. But I have also found that hiring externally brings new blood, new ideas, and energy to the organization, and it usually works out very well,” — location: 2635 ^ref-11621

communicate the idea that you plan every day and you work your plan. — location: 2644 ^ref-32031

Whatever you say about your present or last boss, they will assume that you will say it about them. — location: 2665 ^ref-44478

Never, ever complain about your workload. Explain — location: 2683 ^ref-16783

I am a constant learner and if it helps along the way, it will be of value.” — location: 2713 ^ref-30028

The vast majority of candidates don’t recognize the risk they pose to the hiring authority. — location: 2730 ^ref-55763

Casual reasons for leaving your present or past jobs — location: 2748 ^ref-4555

Simply share with the hiring or interviewing authority exactly what you have been earning or presently are earning. — location: 2761 ^ref-39325

Just remember: Always discuss money in relationship to the job that needs to be done. — location: 2773 ^ref-10347

if the opportunity is right and I am able to perform at my best, the difference in the money isn’t as important as the quality of the job and the opportunity.” — location: 2779 ^ref-46649

combining earnings with job performance is the most important thing you can do. Something along the lines of, “Well, I have found that the better job I do, the harder I work, recognition, advancement, and, especially, money usually take care of themselves.” — location: 2793 ^ref-46553

that if you keep a few principles in mind, successful negotiations, when it comes to money, just aren’t that hard. Here is what you need to know. — location: 2805 ^ref-17458

The better you sell yourself in the interviewing process, the more a company likes you and wants to hire you, the more leverage you have in negotiation. — location: 2829 ^ref-3646

If you approach the negotiation as though it is just part of the other conversations, you are much more likely to do well. — location: 2836 ^ref-9706

when you go in to negotiate, if you don’t already have a crystal clear understanding of the job, get one! — location: 2841 ^ref-55412

You have to say, in the beginning of the conversation, “Mr. or Ms. Hiring Authority, I really want this job and I want to work for you. I would like to see if we can work the money out together.” — location: 2842 ^ref-38897

in the coming economy your job with any one firm is likely to last only 2.5 to 3 years. — location: 2859 ^ref-15527

don’t be too taken with the requirements that are posted with the job. These descriptions are usually written by people who have nothing to do with the job function. — location: 3074 ^ref-29416

if you are being interviewed by a person who does not have direct, personal responsibility for the job—i.e., the hiring authority—you are being interviewed by someone who is more concerned with how he or she appears as a screener than finding the best candidate. — location: 3124 ^ref-19105

Why did you come to work here? People love to talk about themselves. It is a great way to break the ice and get them to talk. — location: 3141 ^ref-52616

Why do you like working here? Notice the metaphors. This question gets people to talk again and tells you about them. It gets the spotlight off of you. — location: 3142 ^ref-65368

try to interject a question near the beginning of being questioned. Why? Because then you start asking questions, and when you ask the questions, you will begin to control the interview! — location: 3168 ^ref-56092

the overall question you want to ask in a telephone screen situation, is: When can we get together face to face? — location: 3174 ^ref-4559

old. So, about the time you sense it, say something like, “Based on what we have discussed, my experience and background fit well. When can we get together?” If the interviewer/screener says, “Well, we will get back to you if we are interested.” — location: 3183 ^ref-39355

If the telephone screener is the hiring authority, which happens 50% of the time, your questions can be a lot more professional and direct. — location: 3187 ^ref-50036

initial interview questions you can ask that make you look good when the interviewer is the hiring authority. — location: 3191 ^ref-58415

Questions to Ask When the Interviewer Is the Hiring Authority — location: 3195 ^ref-22130

How long have you been here? — location: 3202 ^ref-21286

• What makes this a good company to work for? — location: 3210 ^ref-34783

What was your background before you got here? — location: 3213 ^ref-57563

How many candidates have you interviewed? — location: 3224 ^ref-6056

This is one of the best questions you can ask. It could give you real ammunition to help you sell yourself. For instance, if you hear “We wanted the person in the job to take more graduate courses so we could promote him, but he just wasn’t motivated,” you can sell your desire to further your education. — location: 3243 ^ref-59687

your purpose for asking questions in an initial interview is to sell yourself to the next stage of the interviewing process. — location: 3263 ^ref-62436

You want to sell yourself to the top of the candidate stack. — location: 3268 ^ref-6407

The final question you need to ask in an initial interview is: “What do I need to do to get the job?” — location: 3276 ^ref-12869

“This is a great opportunity for both of us. I’m a great fit for your job. What do I need to do to get it?” — location: 3278 ^ref-64883

Unless the hiring authority says that you are his strongest candidate, then you need to ask a question along the lines of, “What do I need to do to become the strongest candidate?” — location: 3331 ^ref-554

What has been the most difficult challenge in finding the right candidate? — location: 3398 ^ref-9047

• Based on our interview, do you have any concerns about my ability to do the job? — location: 3422 ^ref-9525

Questions to Ask in Interviews with Potential Peers — location: 3448 ^ref-58066

be ready, this series of interviews is like all the rest: serious. — location: 3460 ^ref-8723

If these peer interviews are in a group, like a lunch or semisocial event, keep your questions light. — location: 3462 ^ref-40719

What are the major business issues that keep you awake at night? — location: 3510 ^ref-61871

The most important question that you have to ask every interviewing authority in the marathon is: Are you going to support my getting the job? You absolutely have to ask this as a final question of every interviewing authority you talk to. — location: 3539 ^ref-26766

you can listen to the offer over the phone. But 98% of the time, you want to say, “I’m excited about this opportunity. When can we get together face to face to discuss the details?” — location: 3580 ^ref-21919

What are your professional and personal expectations of me? — location: 3608 ^ref-23674

Please describe the working environment. — location: 3612 ^ref-3439

What is your management style? — location: 3613 ^ref-61559

I’d never recommend taking a job strictly because you like the boss and you want to work for him or her. — location: 3616 ^ref-33654

What is the management style of your boss and the company? — location: 3623 ^ref-36729

company? By throwing in some personal questions now and then, you create a conversational environment, rather than an interview environment. — location: 3627 ^ref-61711

How would you describe the philosophy of the company as well as your personal philosophy? — location: 3628 ^ref-17330

• How would you describe the culture and values of the company? — location: 3633 ^ref-21991

• How would you describe my potential peers? — location: 3644 ^ref-7713

If I were to accept this offer, what can I do when I start to be most effective and contribute to alleviating your biggest problem? — location: 3648 ^ref-1717

It states that you really are concerned about what you can do for them. — location: 3649 ^ref-58878

What are the traits you see in me that are good for this job and made you want to hire me? — location: 3665 ^ref-15855

Based on what you know of me, what might my weaknesses be in light of this job? — location: 3666 ^ref-11588

Why do you want to hire me? What did I demonstrate to you that the other candidates didn’t? — location: 3669 ^ref-34757

• How will my success be measured in this job? — location: 3689 ^ref-12865

Are there written goals for the department? Who sets them? — location: 3784 ^ref-48029

what they can do for a prospective employer. — location: 4138 ^ref-16730

benefits, they can’t articulate them specifically. In other words, “this is what I’ve done for others…. so, therefore, I will be successful for you.” — location: 4144 ^ref-11391

Candidates don’t solicit the help of the initial interviewing authority in “promoting” them to the next step. — location: 4190 ^ref-49795

The candidate should ask about how many interviews there will be and, more important, whom the interviews will be with. Knowing the background, interviewing style, and as much detail as possible about the people who will be conducting the subsequent interviews is essential. — location: 4193 ^ref-26132

This means asking every interviewing or hiring authority in subsequent interviews if they’re going to endorse your being hired. — location: 4210 ^ref-14610