As we discussed in our previous blog post, you must focus on the needs and wants of the company at the beginning of the interview. Of course, the hiring authority will be exploring the company’s needs and wants by asking a variety of questions.
Now, there are entire books devoted to listing hundreds of interview questions. However, here are some questions that you should absolutely be prepared to answer:
- Why should I hire you? Why do you want to change jobs?
- What training or qualifications do you have for this job?
- What kind of experience do you have for this job?
- How many and what type of people have you supervised?
- How have you helped the company’s bottom line?
This is very important: you must know and be prepared to discuss why you want to change employers. This includes providing reasonably detailed explanations for each past job change and your accomplishments for every employer, ideally in dollar values.
Let’s face it—the interview process is usually characterized by suspicion on all sides. Both sides fear mistakes.
The result? Not giving enough specific information about your career, accomplishments, and motivating factors for changing jobs can lead to negative inferences on the part of the interviewers.
When it comes to interview preparation, being ready to answer the above questions is one of the most important parts of the entire process.
(For more information about successfully preparing for YOUR next interview, download a copy of Dan Simmons’s e-Book, Put Your Best You Forward: Simple Steps to a Successful Interview.)
