Page 318 - Marky Stein - Get a Great Job When You Don't Have a Job-McGraw-Hill (2009)

Fearless Interviewing

“Well, I guess you could say I’m somewhat of a perfection-
ist. Details and accuracy have always been important to me. For
example, if I’m writing a report for my department head, I want
to make extra sure that I have exactly the right numbers before
passing it on. That saves her time, in the long run.”
Ms. Gross smiled at him. “Just for fun, what’s your favorite
song?”
He laughed. “Oh, let’s see . . . probably ‘Don’t Rain on My
Parade,’ by Barbra Streisand. It’s so optimistic!”
“Jerry, why did you leave your last company?”
“Well, as you can see, I am relocating from New York to
California. One reason for that is, obviously, this great weather
out here. Also, as I mentioned I’m finishing up my degree with
the University of Phoenix. Most of the classes are online, but we
go to one seminar a month in California. I figured it would be
more convenient and cost effective to finish the degree out here,
then settle down and buy a home in California.”
“You have some excellent qualifications, Jerry, but we’re also
considering a handful of other highly qualified candidates for
the position. Tell me, why should I hire you rather than one of
the other candidates?”
Jerry paused and took his time answering. “I think one of
the most important reasons is my excellent track record with
presentations. In particular, one of the recent presentations that
I designed and delivered to an audience of European executives
won my company a $4 billion contract. That’s exactly the kind of
contribution I’d like to make to your company.”
“What do you see yourself doing five years from now?” Ms.
Gross asked.
“Well, as I mentioned before, I am working on a master’s
degree. I don’t want to stop there. I’d like to take many more
professional development courses so that I stay abreast of devel-
opments in the field. I think in five years, I would just like to con-
tinue to grow and hone my skills as a marketing professional.”
“Do you have any questions about this company?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact I do. I noticed in my research that, in
the last two years, the company has moved from number 214 to
number 97 on the Fortune 500 list. What do you attribute that to?”
“We have an incredible executive team at the helm now. In
the last three or four years, we’ve really streamlined our product

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