Allen J.G. - The Complete Q&A Job Interview Book (2004)(4th ed.)(en)

MANAGEMENT ABILITY

jected or expected. However, my work has required me to keep an eye on methods that would produce efficiency and would improve the overall financial picture of the company, and I have accomplished that with success. I would welcome both the responsibility for bottomline results and the authority to make decisions that would improve the P & L.

17. How well do you manage people?

I have experienced good results from the peoplemanagement side of my work. I can communicate company goals and motivate people to produce. More than that, I’ve seen and tapped potential in my subordinates that even they didn’t realize existed. I’m pleased that (many/several) of those I initially trained and supervised eventually moved on to positions of greater responsibility in other departments and areas. This is a private legacy, and I’m proud of it.

18. What makes a good department head?

Good communication skills are an important part of department management because the department manager acts as a communications conduit both from management down and from the people in the department up.

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A good department head must be able to internalize corporate goals. Then he or she should apply them to the work in his or her department, using those goals as a guideline for making decisions, assigning priorities, and developing new projects.

Effective management of any department—large or small—requires the same management skills used in directing a larger segment of the organization—an entire division or facility. These skills are difficult to acquire, but they’re highly transferable from one situation to another.

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DELIVERY

Your career objective should vary, depending on the target job. For this reason, you shouldn’t indicate one on your resume, and you should be careful about what you write down on an application form. Don’t write the real one down either (“getting this job”), even though that’s what it is.

The key to determining your objective is to find out as much as you can about the job and the employer before the interview. Do your phonework: Making a few anonymous phone calls to the personnel or hiring department is the best way. The usual telephobia subsides once you start.

Don’t speak to the person who will be interviewing. Just find out general information, such as the job title, the supervisor’s title, how the position relates to other jobs in the company, and so forth.

If you’re responding to an ad, use it, too. But be careful about taking it too literally. The employer is paying for responses. The ad might hire only quality, but it advertises for quantity. The result is a wish list—a construct of an ideal candidate, who could be developed only by a genetic engineer.

Call first. Listen carefully, and develop an objective that is ambitious, but realistic. Then you can throw the objective dart right at the bull’s-eye. Most other candidates won’t even hit the target.

If the interviewer is nursing a wound when you walk in, one of those aimless candidates probably just skipped past you in the hall.

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CAREER OBJECTIVES

SCRIPT

1.How important to you is the opportunity to reach the top?

It’s more of a general goal than a constant ambition of mine. I know that, if I’m the best employee I can be, career advancement will take care of itself. Having a goal without hard work is like aiming at a target without ammunition. Working hard and enthusiastically is the best method for reaching the top.

I complete my work to the best of my ability and trust that, if I prove myself to be an asset to my employer, I’ll be rewarded. So although the opportunity to reach the top is important to me, I know that opportunity presents itself only to those who earn it.

2. Why do you want this job?

Because of the challenge and the opportunities at

_________. I’m well qualified for it, and this is exactly the kind of _________________________ (competitive/creative/ progressive/technically oriented—use an adjective appropriate to the company and type of work) atmosphere I’ve been looking for. My career goal is _____________, and this job would allow me to develop my potential further while actively participating in that kind of work.

I’ve been offered a number of other opportunities; but, after evaluating those jobs and companies, I decided not to make a move. Making a job change is a ma-

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jor decision, a long-term commitment that I take very seriously.

After researching the history and future plans of

___________________, meeting people who work here, and seeing the kinds of jobs there are to be done, it seems like a perfect fit!

3. How long will you stay with the company?

As long as I continue to learn and develop my capabilities. As with any partnership, I intend to fulfill my commitment and meet challenges as they come.

It’s my hope that, as long as I perform well on the job and make contributions, I’ll be considered a valuable employee. And as long as I’m making a contribution that is valued, I’ll have no reason to leave. However, if for any reason I don’t meet the company’s expectations, I don’t expect to remain on the payroll. So I look forward to staying as long as I’m productive.

4.What do you picture yourself doing (five/ten) years from now?

Five years from now, I see myself working for this company. My job will have increased at least one, probably two levels in responsibility and scope. I’ll have made a significant contribution to the ________________

______________ department and will be working on new

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CAREER OBJECTIVES

ways to ____________________________________________

___________________________.

Ten years from now, I will have progressed up the ladder into general management. I’ll have gotten there by proving I’m a producer, a problem solver, and someone who can grasp the scope of a program while not losing sight of the details.

5. What are your long-term career objectives?

(Give specific details about the field or profession first and then about the level you hope to attain within it.)

Essentially, I have given my career and opportunities a great deal of thought, and from that process I’ve developed a plan for achieving my long-term objective. This position is an important step in that long-term plan.

6.Are your present career objectives different from your original goals?

Slightly. I made my plans at an early age. However, I modified them as I progressed and learned more about my capabilities and the work.

For a career plan to be useful—like any business plan—it must be flexible enough to respond to changes in the world of work. Career planning is an ongoing process,

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and several times throughout the years I have revised and have updated my goals in response to new developments and opportunities.

7.Would you consider a switch in careers at this point in your life?

Possibly. I’m very happy with my chosen field, have done well in it, and think there are things I can do even better as I progress upward.

However, I believe in being flexible and open to new opportunities. If you have a position in mind for me in the company that is different from the work I’ve been doing, I’d like to explore it. I’m always interested in seeing how my background and skills can contribute to my success at a particular job.

8. Would you be willing to relocate in the future?

(If the answer is an unqualified “Yes”:)

Definitely, yes. When I have moved or relocated in the past, new worlds of opportunity opened for me. Any major change, while always containing some risk, is a chance to grow, learn, and advance. All I need is a few days’ notice, and I’ll be ready.

(If the answer is a qualified “Yes”:)

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Yes, if that relocation provided opportunity for advancement or for making a greater contribution to the company. My family is very supportive of my career. They know I would base such a decision on whether the move would be advantageous for them, too. I would evaluate the opportunity carefully; and, if it were good, I’d need a little time to complete my commitments—both on the job and at home—before getting settled somewhere else.

(If you would rather not:)

My family and I have established our roots here. It’s a great place to live, and we’ve made many friends in our community. Stability and continuity are important for raising a family.

I’d never reject a transfer without considering it seriously, however. I’d base my decision on whether the result would be a net gain—for the company, for my family, and for me.

9. Do you want to be president of this company?

Yes. I don’t know too many capable, ambitious people who don’t aspire to the highest management level within their companies. I aspire but I perspire, too. It gets better results.

I also realize that there are many other steps along the way through which I can learn, contribute, and be rewarded in my work. I want to do the best job I can, moving

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on to the next challenge when I’m ready. If I continue to do that, I’ll automatically rise to the top.

10.Did you want to be president of your (current/previous) company?

Yes. Whenever I think about my goals and plan how I will achieve them, I aim high. However, I’m also a realist and know there can be only one president.

Being president of my (current/previous) company would have given me the opportunity to carry out plans and ideas for improving and enhancing the company, its operations, and its products. But wherever I’ve worked, whatever the scope of my position, I’ve done that to some extent.

11.Would you like to have your (current/previous) boss’s job?

Yes. I think a major part of any good employee’s job is to contribute to the department’s work and efforts in a way that reflects on the department manager’s skills and abilities. When that happens, the manager often is targeted for promotion.

Helping my boss get promoted might result in my being considered for his or her job. In that sense, I guess you could say I’m interested in my boss’s job.

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