Four Categories of Questions
Be prepared to answer questions about:
- your background
- your personality
- your motivation
- your salary requirements.
Talk in terms of your achievements. Use mini-stories and avoid overly detailed presentations. Whet their appetites instead.
Your personality: What kind of manager are you? Your response: Try to find out about their management style, corporate culture, etc. Then respond appropriately.
Your motivation: What is the ideal job for you? What did you like most about your last job? At least? What are your strengths? What are your weakness?. Your response: Emphasize challenge, growth, leadership opportunities, etc. Be specific. Mini-stories could be appropriate here.
Your salary requirements: Salary Rule: DO NOT discuss compensation until you have a firm job offer.
Any discussion of compensation at this stage is premature. Potential employers want to know what your salary expectations are so they can decide whether or not to consider you. If you're not in their ball park (too high or too low), they'll eliminate you. Before you have a firm job offer, explain that salary is not your major consideration and that you need to know more about the position before discussing compensation; "It's really the opportunity, not the salary, that's most important to me." Then ask a question about the job.
Whenever you're asked to indicate salary requirements, on an application, for example, just write "negotiable." (For more about salaries and negotiations)
What about Tough Questions?
Tough questions are the ones you wish they wouldn't ask. They usually deal with your reasons for leaving your last job and your past job performance.
Handling tough questions is, in some respects, like overcoming objections. They may even be the same issues. One difference, however, is that after you have answered an objection, you ask for a decision. After you've answered a tough question, you'll want to change the subject.
Your strategy for answering tough questions is to answer them briefly and honestly. Then, immediately change the subject. One way to do that is to ask a question about the job, the organization, their plans, etc. Rehearse that as part of your answer. You can mash tough questions into whipped cream if you:
Anticipate the question
Prepare by writing a brief, factual answer ahead of time. Ask a question to change the subject after you have answered the inquiry, Practice. Role-play, tape, and revise.
More Preparation about Them
Spend most of your pre-meeting time learning about them-the company, their competitors, the hiring authority, etc. Read every pertinent thing you can get hold of and talk with as many relevant people as possible to get the latest information.
Before you make any commitment to an organization, you'll want to know how solid it is. If you have a broker, call and ask for a financial report on the company. You can also get financial analysts' reports in Corporate Industry Research Reports, available on microfiche or CD-ROM at some major libraries.
Don't go to an interview unless you have at least the "basics" about the organization, their products, etc. For example:
- Is it privately held?
- Parent company or division?
- How many years has it been in business?
- What is their anticipated growth and direction in the next 5 years?
- Who are their major competitors?
- What are their major products?
- What is their major market(s)?
- Other questions that could be explored in advance:
- Who is the hiring authority and what does he need, want?
- What problem can I help them solve?
- How could I help solve it?
- What does this position lead to?
- Is there a training program? Where, how long?
- How urgently do they need someone?
- How many interviews can I expect?
- What is their time frame for the hiring process?
- Is he the sole decision maker? If not:
- Who else is involved in hiring process?
- Where are additional interviews, if any, held?
- Are there tests If so, what kind When?
