Hi, over the next few weeks I will be publishing regular advice on how to ace your job / university / MBA, or PhD interview. If you would like to book a lesson with me, I will provide you with a 28 page document that I have written with some sample questions and advice on how to answer them. In these articles that I am publishing, you will find a group of questions and the appropriate advice on how to answer them, and in some cases you will even find some sample answers. During a lesson, I will go through the questions with you, let you answer as if you were in an interview environment and then I will check, and if necessary, correct the content of your answer. I hope you find the following information useful and I really look forward to seeing you online if you choose a class with me! I am also offering a 20% discount for any new students for ANY of my lessons. 

Lesson link:

https://cafetalk.com/lessons/detail/?id=11273&key=ec0e3f840eb8c5a75b04f6306f25dd66

·       What was the biggest accomplishment / failure in the position?

Focus on particular achievements that were unusual for your position or where you feel you added unique value to a project. Explain the results of your achievement and the effect they had on your team or company. It is ok to mention a failure, but only talk about a personal failure, not a business failure, for example: “I am very ambitious and so I hoped to become the top salesperson within one year of joining the company, but after 12 months, I realised that this was not possible as I had to undergo a steep learning curve and there were others far more experienced than myself that deserved the title of ‘top salesperson’”.

·       Why have you stayed with the same employer for so long?

Just as moving from job to job too frequently can harm you, so can staying with the same employer for too long- particularly if you have never been promoted and your resume indicates you have not been intellectually challenged in years. Your answer should state something about you having worked successfully with many people both inside and outside of the organisation, including different bosses and co-workers, as well as interacting regularly with various types of organizations and customers.

Questions About Your Previous / Current Manager

·       What is/was it like working for your supervisor?

The interviewer will want to know if you have good relationships with people of authority. Try to describe the relationship with your pervious/current boss in a positive way and describe your interactions with him/her. If your relationship was not good, be careful how you explain the reasons and try to make it sound like all of his/her employees felt the same way. Explain things that you would like him/her to do differently or actions that you have taken to improve your relationship.

·       What general qualities or attributes do you expect from a supervisor?

Try to imagine your perfect boss… what would he or she be like? Try to indicate qualities in a manger you expect, for example: fairness, integrity, being approachable, friendly, helpful, knowledgeable in your area(s) of work, or strictness (with weaker team members).

·       Have you ever encountered problems at work with a manager?

Again, be careful in how you approach any negative issues. Only mention problems that the majority of employees would have a problem with ie: harassment, verbal abuse etc. Do not indicate personal differences or issues, and whatever you do, do not mention anything that your boss had the right to make an issue out of ie: a grave error that you made, or something you did wrong that cost the company money.