Entrance Interview Questions
Your adrenaline is flowing rapidly and you are so excited, but guess what? You have a few more steps to take. The job is not yours as yet! You have to contend with the other lucky leprechauns that the receptionist will call to schedule more interviews.
Interview Questions And Answers Click here
Nothing in life comes without preparation. For those of you who graduated from college, you prepared yourself for graduation day. You took a set of steps and series of classes that prepared you for your diploma. To pass those classes, you prepared for each examination. You may even have burnt the midnight oil to get those passing grades. In the same manner that you sold yourself on paper to win an interview, so you must sell yourself to beat the competition at the interview! The only way to do this is by preparation. Note, preparation does not mean you rehearse line by line what you are going to say during the interview. Preparation is very much different from a rehearsal. We rehearse poetry, memorizing line by line. Preparation is the set of steps you take for a specific event in order to present yourself in a confident manner. For example, become familiar with the job requirements by reading its Annual Report. Research the company you want to work at. An informed applicant will make a greater impression than those who aren’t.
The interviewer can quickly identify people who do not prepare for the interview. She asks you a question and you start babbling aimlessly. You begin giving more or less than what is required. Here are some frequently asked interview questions and suggestions for answering them:
QUESTION 1 Tell me about yourself.
WHAT THEY ARE REALLY ASKING
This question can either make you or break you. This is not your opportunity to talk about your personal life starting with your birth, your children and your home. Keep it short! The interviewer is looking for a brief, organized statement of your education, professional achievements and goals.
HOW YOU SHOULD ANSWER
This question is your opportunity to tell the interviewer about your job skills, job achievements, your performance on past job and what you hope to contribute to the organization. Did you notice that everything should relate to the job?
Another variation of this question is what can you do for us? Again here is the time to discuss your abilities and tell what you have done in the past and how you can make a difference.
QUESTION 2 Tell me your weaknesses…a tricky question.
WHAT THEY ARE REALLY ASKING
How can we eliminate you right here when you tell us what makes you a poor worker?
HOW YOU SHOULD ANSWER:
While it is good to be honest, you can be quite selective here. This is not time for confession. Instead, inform the interviewer of an attribute or characteristic that can be cast in a positive light. Consider the following example. I am a workaholic and often volunteer to take on extra work when asked. However, I need to realize that even though I like to keep busy, there are times when I should share the workload with others. Another example is this. Because I work better under pressure, I tend to procrastinate. Even though I produce better results this way, I need to give myself adequate time to work on projects.
Do you get the idea? Even though these answers seem negative, the interviewer will see the positives in it. Which boss would not like a workaholic? Use specific examples. Tell of a time in which you exhibited such behavior. You don’t want to sound like the person who the interviewer last spoke with. Your unique experience will set you apart from the others.
QUESTION 3 Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
WHAT THEY ARE REALLY ASKING – Are you a stable potential employee or a job hopper? Will you be job-hunting again six months from now?
HOW YOU SHOULD ANSWER- Do not tell the interviewer that you would like to be in his/her position. A good answer is you would hope to be still in the company making advancements in your career as well as contributing to the growth of the company.
Tell me of an instant in which you…… Think of experiences in the past. Slow down! It is ok to tell the interviewer that you need a little time to think. It shows that you did not memorize your answers. Think of projects you worked on, difficult situations you overcame, a crisis that you solved. Make sure that they are ones that ended successfully with you as the main character.
Questions the Interviewer Should not ask and how to Respond in such a Situation
There are questions that the interviewer should not be asking you. The following are a few examples of such illegal questions:
• What is your religious affiliation?
• How many children do you have?
• Are you married?
Despite the offensive nature of the job, usually the uninformed interviewer is really asking you if you will be able to do the job. Inquiring if you are married or have children maybe his or her way of asking if you will be calling out of work frequently. Instead of bluntly telling the interviewer that he or she is asking illegal questions and jeopardizing your chances, you may want to politely and tactfully state that you have no personal situations that will keep you from being a dependable worker. Keep calm and do not show you are ruffled.
Questions for the Interviewer
So you made it through the interview and it is time to wrap it up. The interviewer asks, “So, do you have any questions for us?” You smile and say, “No you have covered it all.” Wrong answer! Remember, the interview is a two-way process and you should be bursting with questions too. Find out about the position. Is it what you really want? Ask questions to determine this. You must show a curious mind.
Have at least two questions for the interviewer. For example, what would I have to do in order to be successful in this position? Another would be why did the last person in this position leave? Did they meet the department’s goals? As information is given to you about the position, throughout the interview, you should be forming questions in your head. The answers should give you more insight on the job.
Questions Not To Ask
Salary
Do not ask about salary until you have gone through the entire interview process and the interviewer has made it clear that you are the chosen candidate for the job. Always state that salary is negotiable. You want to avoid appearing as being money hungry. Salary is a way of weeding out over zealous and unambitious candidates. You should have researched salary before going to the interviewer.
Benefits
Do not ask about benefits. Most companies will volunteer this information to you at the appropriate time. The last thing you want to do is look like you are mostly concerned about what the company will do for you.
Overall, be you and show effort and enthusiasm. Sell yourself as much as you did on paper when you created the résumé. Most interviewers can see through a farce, so keep honest and maintain your professionalism to yield promising results in what can otherwise be an artificial and stressful process.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/interviews-articles/entrance-interview-questions-1565122.html
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