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Cafetalk Tutor's Column

Rubrica di Mark Roy

Ace your job or university interview!! Part 22

Sep 9, 2020

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

 

·       Do you consider yourself to be successful?

 

In answering this question, remember that being successful does not necessarily go hand-in-hand with being materially wealthy, i.e.: living in a large house, driving a luxury car, wearing expensive clothes and jewelry and holidaying in expensive destinations. Some view being ‘successful’ as enjoying one’s job, no stress in their daily life, or achieving the perfect work-life balance that is all too important nowadays. Focus on the positive achievements and aspects in your life and try to embrace the success of others, do not appear to have a life-long ‘chip on your shoulder’ and a ‘that could have been me’ attitude.

 

·       What inspires you in a job?

 

When you answer this question, carefully consider the type of job you are applying for. If it is a job in sales then you should state that you are motivated by targets being set and striving to achieve them (for example). If the job is in some kind of customer-facing role, state that you are inspired by receiving positive customer feedback or that you enjoy problem solving etc…

 

Questions About Your Career Goals

 

·       Start with your graduation from college and explain the rationale behind each of your career moves.

 

The interviewer will want to know the reasoning behind some of your job/career moves. The interviewer may be especially interested in your answer if the list of jobs on your CV is very diverse and not particularly focused on one area. In addition, if you have had many jobs within a short period of time then this may cause alarm to a potential new employer as it shows a potential lack of commitment or tenacity. Be careful how you explain your career moves and do not mention any negative behaviour on your side that may have led to any job changes. Focus on the experience that you have picked up along the way and explain how this can be of benefit in your new role.

 

·       How many hours a day/week do you need to work to get the job done?

 

The interviewer will want to test your level of commitment to the job. Saying that you will ‘stay until the job gets done’ sounds impressive but does not say anything about your pace of work or efficiency. You cannot give a quantitative answer to a question like this because every job or task is different but try to explain how you go about planning and executing your work schedule. An example answer is as follows:

I use my time efficiently at work and, for the most part, it's not the number of hours I work; but how effective my time has been to accomplish the job. I'm sure my references will tell you I was more than willing to put in the time to be sure the job was completed as quickly and as professionally as possible”.

·       If you stayed with your current company, what would be your next move?

The interviewer will want to know that you will not ‘go to pieces’ if you are not offered the job and will have a plan in your current job. Most of the time, people switch jobs because they have gone as far as they can go in their current one, however, there are many reasons for wanting to leave. Giving a positive answer is probably best and just say that you will be patient and wait for another opportunity to arise but will carry on working in your normal motivated manner until that day.

This column was published by the author in their personal capacity.
The opinions expressed in this column are the author's own and do not reflect the view of Cafetalk.

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