Job and Career Tips

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Careers!

Thursday, March 23, 2000

Interview Cheat Sheet

Dos and don'ts for job interviews

By Marie-Jeanne Juilland
From Women.com

Though no two job interviews ever go exactly the same way, it is certainly possible to anticipate questions you'll face — and to prepare smart answers beforehand. Whether you're looking to land a promotion or move to a new company, a little homework can go a long way.

Can you rate your skills on a scale of 1 to 10?

Don't:	Give yourself a specific number, especially not a 10; you'll come across as cocky. And a seven or eight might make you seem less than confident.
Do:	Talk about how you strive for a 10 rating in both your professional and personal life, stressing how important it is for you always to do your best.

What are your greatest strengths?

Don't: Limit your explanation to short answers like "I'm very hard working" or "I am a team player."

Do: Convince the interviewer. Tell her or him a personality trait, then immediately provide a one- or two-minute real-world example to demonstrate. Have two or three prepared.

What are you looking for in your next job?

Don't: Talk about what you want the company to give you.

Do: Discuss what you want in terms of what you can offer an employer. If you are looking for more project-management experience, then explain that you excelled in it before, and how you would like to further contribute this skill and work with a manager who could help make this happen.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Don't: Mention your plans about going back to school or starting your own scuba-lesson business on a desert island.

Do: Show that you have ambition and a structured way of setting goals. But you don't have to be specific. Instead, explain how at this point in time you look forward to advancing your career, and that you realize other opportunities may crop up as the company learns more about you and vice versa.

You've spent the last four years working as a full-time mother and homemaker. How will you balance work and children?

Don't: Talk about how undemanding and angelic your rugrats are. It won't be convincing.

Do: Say your children are now older and in preschool, and that you bring an eagerness and excitement about re-entering the workforce that may not be found in employees who haven't had the "at-home" experience.

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Don't:	Limit your explanation to short answers like "I'm very hard working" or "I am a team player."
Do:	Convince the interviewer. Tell her or him a personality trait, then immediately provide a one- or two-minute real-world example to demonstrate. Have two or three prepared.

Don't:	Talk about what you want the company to give you.
Do:	Discuss what you want in terms of what you can offer an employer. If you are looking for more project-management experience, then explain that you excelled in it before, and how you would like to further contribute this skill and work with a manager who could help make this happen.

Don't:	Mention your plans about going back to school or starting your own scuba-lesson business on a desert island.
Do:	Show that you have ambition and a structured way of setting goals. But you don't have to be specific. Instead, explain how at this point in time you look forward to advancing your career, and that you realize other opportunities may crop up as the company learns more about you and vice versa.

Don't:	Talk about how undemanding and angelic your rugrats are. It won't be convincing.
Do:	Say your children are now older and in preschool, and that you bring an eagerness and excitement about re-entering the workforce that may not be found in employees who haven't had the "at-home" experience.