Hello colleagues: 

There seem to be a number of young professionals looking for jobs on this list, although none of us are immune! In the spirit of sharing, I have attached some thoughts and tips to think about when preparing for job interviews.  I've gleaned some of the information from my participation in the Human Resource Management Association of Chicago and from discussing human resource issues when teaching business administration management at the university level.

I have included some examples of legal and illegal interview questions, examples of interview questions I (as the applicant) ask during interviews (after all, it is a two way process!), and examples of interview questions interviewers often ask (with sample responses). Hope some of it is useful!

Interview Tips
When I teach business administration management, I tell my students that an interview is a two-way street - they are interviewing you while you are also interviewing them!  I always prepare questions for each individual or groups of individuals with whom I'll be interviewing.  Asking the same question of different individuals gives some cross validation (or lack thereof). Asking people questions according to what your potential working relationship will be can help give you an idea of where they're coming from.  Remember, there are legal and illegal pre-employment questions. Some examples include but are not limited to the following (taken from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Managing People by Arthur Pell, 1999):

Age  (lawful)   Are you 18 years or older?            

Age (unlawful) How old are you?   What's your date of birth?  What year did you         graduate?

 Arrest record  (Lawful) Have you ever been convicted of a crime?  (give details)

 Birth control  (Lawful) None 

 Birth control (Unlawful)  Inquiry into family planning

Birthdate  (lawful)  None  (after employed, proof of age for insurance or                                 other purposes may be requested)                                         

Birthdate (unlawful) Requirement that applicant submit birth certificate,      naturalization, or baptismal record

Birthplace (lawful)  None          

Birthplace (unlawful) Birthplace of applicant, spouse, relatives

Citizenship (lawful) Are you a citizen of the United States?  If not a ciizen of the US, do you intend to become a citizen of the US?  If not a citizen of hte US, have you the legal right to remain permanently in the US?

Citizenship (unlawful)  Of what country are you a citizen? (whether applicant is naturalized or native born citizen).....On what date did you acquire citizenship? (requirement that applicant produce naturalization papers of first papers).....Are your parents or spouse naturalized or native-born citizens of hte US?  On what date did your prarents or spouse acquire citizenship?

Disability  (lawful) Do you have any impairments (physical, mental or medical) that would interere with your ability to perform the job for which you have applied?

Disability (unlawful) Do you have a disability?  Have you ever been treated for any of the following diseases (followed by a list of choices)?

Driver's license  (lawful) Do you possess a valid driver's license?

Driver's license (unlawful) requirement that applicant produce a dirver's license prior to employment

Gender (lawful)  None

Gender (unlawful) Any inquiry about gender on application form or interview

Marital status  (lawful)  None  

Marital status (unlawful) Are you married, single,divorced, separated?  Name or other information about spouse, where spouse works, number/ages of children, arrangements you made for your children when you are at work..

National origin (lawful)  None

National origin (unlawful) Inquiry into applic lineage                            ancestry, national origin, descent, parentage or nationality

Notify in case.. (lawful) None. This information may only be asked after someone is employed.

Race / Color (lawful) None                                                   

Race / Color (unlawful) Complexion, color of skin

Religion or creed (lawful) None  

Religion or creed (unlawful) Inquiry into applicant's religious             denomination, church, religious holidays observed. Applicants may not be told  "this is a "Protestant (Catholic, Jewish,e tc)" organization"

Thoughts on Interviewing: (random order!)

 Prepare, prepare, prepare

research the organization, the people, talk with people who've worked there, who've done business there (or visited) -- what were their experiences and impressions?  Go early, stay late, look around!

Put some bullet points down on paper or flash cards to take into the interview - such as a list of your strengths, special projects that relate to this job interview - either things that you've already done for would like to do in this job!  This shows foresight and planning, and gives you information at your fingertips during the interview.

An interviewer might ask you to tell him/her about yourself

  a.. common friends, if any
  b.. special interests, those that are job-related and not
  c.. personal stability, responsibility, trustworthiness
(e.g., own a home, have kids, want to stay in area and why)

  a.. parents / family / spouse
Things to touch on during the interview:

  a.. your interest and experiences related to the job
  b.. your past work experiences
  c.. your education and any other relevant training
  d.. your strong interest and enjoyment of your work
"Have you ever done this kind of work before?"

Never say "no", but remember that all jobs are different and that many skills, details and rules must be learned!  Discuss all experiences you have had that make it likely you can learn quickly for that job. Include your past work experiences, education and training, nonpaid experience related to the job, how quickly you learned in the past.

"Why do you want to work here?"

Mention as many positive features about the company's reputation, positive things you've heard about the company, the company has the job you love and are proficient in, you like this work and will do well.

"Why did you leave your last job?"  (i.e., were there difficulties?!)

Only mention reasons that are favorable to you!  The fact that one may not do well with one company doesn't mean one won't do well with another company..many factors involved here.

            Common reasons for leaving include:  layoff, seasonal or temporary job,             part time, ok job when in school, required too much travel, relocated,                 need more money, refocusing career / career move, company                             restructured and eliminated jobs.

Whatever the reason, point out that the job you're now interviewing for does not have that same issue - this job is in the part of the country I want to live or uses skills more in line with training.

In describing last job - be positive about! do not say anything negative about the place or the people.  The world is too small!  Only say that your needs did not fit with the place or the job, if need be.  If you are critical of the last place, the interviewer has no reason to believe you will be the same to him/her once hired.

Salary?

Avoid discussion of salary until the job has been offered.  That's the time to negotiate.  If interviewer presses before then, might want to respond with something like "I will work for what you feel is fair based on my qualifications and the company's standard salary level for that position".

"Why should we choose you over someone else?"

Be prepared for this question and sell yourself.  Quickly list your skills and positive characteristics (e.g., work well with others, conscientious, team player, work well independently, timely, effective communicator, responsible, knowledgeable, think outside the box, I do what it takes to get the job done).

"How often were you absent from work in your last job?"

If you were absent a lot, identify the reason and explain why that is no longer a problem.  Give assurance of your future reliability!

If you have a disability, may want to mention it before someone else does - reassuring that it will not make you unreliable or incapable of doing the job.  Give an example or two of how effectively you work in spite of the disability.  Depending on the situation, you may or may not want to talk about any special accommodations needed for you to be safe and productive on the job.

"What are your greatest strengths?"  (list, as appropriate)

            "What is your single greatest strength?"  

(list "xxx" and add that you have several major strengths and add them quickly to the conversation!)

"What five words describe you best?"

        Again, strive to be positive!  (e.g., reliable, energetic, skilled, experienced,             take pride in work, respectful, likeable, hardworking, respected, integrity,             enthusiastic, leader)

"What are your weaknesses?"

Do not describe anything that is not an existing weakness. If some weaknesses exist --  mention how you have worked to overcome them and reiterate your strengths.

"What are your long range goals?"

May want to assure the interviewer that you hope to stay with the company and grow within the company, as appropriate.  Don't be over eager for advancement, or they'll think you're dissatisfied with the job being interviewed for before you've even begun!  (re-iterate that you like the company, like the work you'll e doing, like the area)



"What kinds of machines or equipment have you worked with?"

Be very specific with exact names of equipment.but also give general machines to show versatility.  If asked about something you're not familiar with, reiterate your willingness to learn!

"Give an example of _________" (e.g., working under pressure, setting limits, working with a difficult co-worker)

Give an example from either paid or unpaid work - briefly describe the scenario and explain how you handled the situation - capitalizing on your strengths

"Do you have any questions?"

Do not attempt to obtain complete information about the job at this point but DO ask a question or two, even if only to clarify something already discussed.

Relax, enjoy and be personable!   

 Examples of questions I ask during interviews!

 To my potential boss:

1. How would you describe the best/worst employee who ever worked for you?

2.  Why recruiting for this position?  How long been looking?

3.  Are there any internal candidates for this position?

4.  What's the organization's mission and how does this position impact that?

5.  What type of administrative (or other) support is available?

6.  What are characteristics of effective employees here?

7.  How is employee effectiveness measured?

8.  Is there a continuous quality improvement initiative here?

9.  Describe what you like most (least) about the organization.

10.  What is in the strategic plan for the next three years?

11.  What have been most significant changes in the past five years?

12.  What kind of working relationship might I anticpate?

13.  Budget, advocacy, etc.

 

Questions for potential colleagues
1.  Why choose to work here?

2.  Describe your most /least interesting experience..

3.  What resources would you like to have that you don't have?

4.  How are new employees socialized (oriented) into the system?

5.  What limits what I might do here?

 

General organization questions:

1.  Fundraising issues - who does it?  when? with whom? what types?

2.  What is mission?

3.  Size of Board - working relationship to senior staff/staff?

4.  Size of staff organizationally, in specific department

5.  Type of funding to support position / department (grant, operating)

6.  What is the culture of the organization? (e.g., how are decisions made? how do things get done?)

Hope this is useful! 

Kind regards,
Terrie

Terrie Nolinske, Ph.D.


Email:    [log in to unmask]
Web:    www.tniconsultants.com


TNI Consultants in Professional Development
930 North Boulevard
Oak Park, IL 60301

Phone:  708. 386. 1331
Fax:       503. 212. 6303



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