Page 86 - 101 Dynamite Answers to Interview Questions

Get Prepared 79

Speaking the employer’s language includes aclu-towledging a commit-
ment to common goals, which may include producing a high-quality
product, maintaining an efficiently run department, achieving cost-cutting
targets, increasing sales, or improving profits. Your knowledge of the
industry, the company, and even the interviewer - which you have
already researched - should help you identify the goals appropriate to this
employer’s situation.
You need to anticipate and prepare for the kinds of questions you are
most likely to be asked. You do not need to be a mindreader or have
powers of clairvoyance to do this. Just as the president of the United
States can anticipate the likely areas of questioning he will encounter at
a press conference and prepare accordingly, you, too, can identify the
kinds of questions you are most likely to be asked.
The most common areas of questioning for job interviews tend to deal
with your education, work experience, interpersonal skulls - ability to
work with others, follow directions given by others, as well as tale a
leadership role when the situation warrants. Personality considerations,
including questions dealing with how well you work under pressure,
whether you tale initiative, or assume responsibility, are important for
many positions. Your answers to questions relating to your career goals
- whether you will be happy in a position that may not allow for rapid
advancement, your level of dedication to your work (will you put in long
hours when necessary?) , and how loyal you will be to your employer - are
of concern to many employers. You can expect questions - direct or
indirect - to be posed in an attempt to assess how you would fit into the
job as well as the organization.
Some organizations prize individualism and a sense of entrepre-
neurship in their employees. They want individuals who are willing to
take initiative and a certain amount of calculated risk. However, in other
organizations such personal characteristics would likely lead to dismissal.
Both you and the employer should be attempting to assess the fit between
your goals and skulls and the organization’s goals and needs. If the fit is
there, fine. You need to focus on the areas of fit. However, if it doesn’t
seem to be a good match, it may be to both your and the employer’s
benefit to find that out now. It will save you both a lot of headaches and
probably expense later.
If there is anything that stands out on your resume or application -
anything that sets you apart, whether potentially a positive or negative -