A. Yes. I don't know too many capable, ambitious people who don't aspire to the highest management level within their companies. I aspire but I perspire, too. It gets better results. I also realize there are many other steps along the way where I can learn, contribute, and be rewarded in my work. I want to do the best job I can, moving on to the next challenge when I'm ready. If I continue to do that, I'll automatically rise to the top.
Q. When do you expect a promotion?
A. I would like my career to continue progressing as well as it has in the past. But I'm a realist. I know promotions aren't "given," they're earned. When I've mastered my present position, improved it with my ideas, prepared myself to take on new responsibilities, and trained someone to take over my job, I'll be ready for a promotion.
Questions about the target job: You suit it to a "t"!
If you've done your "phone work," it's just a matter of matching your background to the requirements and duties of the target job.
"Suitability" for a job is really just specialized use of certain learned information and practiced skills. Almost everything we do on the job (even a highly technical one) is common sense. Ask any supervisor and you'll find out how few employees specialize in that!
To match your skills to the target job and sell the interviewer on your suitability for it, do your job search research. Then, combine your unique background, experience, and qualifications with the interviewing skills you're learning here, and the job offers will follow. (Just don't flub your lines.)
Q. If we offer you a position and you accept it, how soon thereafter can you begin work?
A. After giving my present employer two weeks' notice. As long as I know what's expected of me, there's no reason I can't plunge right into the new job. Procrastinating has a way of draining energy, which I could channel into my new job. I have the enthusiasm and energy to get started. I'd also enjoy meeting the people I'll be working with so that we can develop a positive working relationship right away. Some people like to take a vacation between jobs, but a vacation should be earned. I may have earned a vacation on my last job, but I intend to prove myself here at the earliest opportunity.
Q. Would you be in a position to work overtime if required?
A. Absolutely. A job is a lot more than a paycheck it's a responsibility. I can understand that some people like to leave their work at the office and finish it the next day. But when I'm given a task to complete, I do so as soon as possible, even if it requires that I work overtime.
When I've been given the responsibility for a job, I take it seriously. I make sure what needs to get done, gets done. Whether I'm compensated for overtime or not, I derive personal satisfaction from the extra effort that results in success. Extra effort makes the difference between a good job and a better one.
Q. What do you know about our company?
(Do your job search research, and single out two or three positive facts about the company, like growth in recent years, increasing market share, and innovative breakthroughs. Print these facts neatly on "cue cards" 3 by 5 inch index cards for rehearsing your script. Just don't take your cue cards into the interview. You might also want to include any other information you picked up during your research, such as:)
A. Most important, I've heard that _ (name of company) offers a challenging work environment that expects a great deal from people and gives them the opportunity to realize their potential. That's what I look for in an employer an active, creative environment where I am limited only by my capability, and where positive results are acknowledged.
Q. What do you know about the position we have open?
(Again, demonstrate your initiative by offering a few facts about the position you couldn't have learned from the advertisement.)
Q. Do they have any advantages over our company?
(While you want to show you are aware of competitors and their products, be careful to balance any complimentary remarks about them with equally complimentary remarks about the employer. For example:)
A. I understand that _ has a higher market share in the _ line, but _ 's recent introduction of _ is already being received favorably and should surpass the competitive products within the next 12 months.
(Or:)
_ is well established, large, and has a higher sales volume, but _ has the advantage of being more aggressive, innovative, and it appears more efficiently managed. You've already made impressive inroads into their customer base. In the market place, _ has the giants worried.
Q. What three trends do you see in the future for our industry?
(Take the time to prepare yourself for such a question, and be sure you can name three trends. Try to choose favorable ones. The following example would be suited to an employer in the communications industry.)
A. First, as our economy has developed away from manufacturing and toward service jobs, the urgent need for better communication between people has become obvious. While the volume of paper increased steadily, communication meaningful interaction decreased.
Second, communication companies provide an indispensable service to people everywhere, helping them understand each other better. In the business environment, increased communication results in a better understanding among associates, employees, and customers. There's a definite trend toward more use of the services of companies such as _ by all kinds of businesses to help them identify their needs and enhance their ability to meet them. There's a great potential for growth.
