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

EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING

minutes per customer. We were able to increase sales during rush periods by 30 percent. As a result, my system was adopted for use companywide.

As a district manager for the same company, I instituted employee incentive programs for customer service. In a survey by our regional chamber of commerce, consumers in our area named us the friendliest fast-food chain.

From there, I took the position of director of marketing for _______________ (next employer). At the time, it was a start-up company with no name recognition facing formidable competition in the athletic shoe market. I recommended we target the children’s market, which was just beginning to boom.

My strategy used television advertising during children’s viewing hours. We offered premiums—kites, balls, and other sports equipment—with the purchase of shoes. Within one year, we were the fastest growing youth shoe manufacturer.

Looking back, all my major accomplishments resulted from doing something better. I developed fresh, creative approaches to old situations. I’ve had unique insight into the operations of companies I’ve worked for. I regard them as flashes of intuition centered around common sense. Others call them ingenious—I call them innovative.

(Now, your answer:)

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____________________________________________________

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___________________________________________________.

43.Did you change any of the job duties in your current job after you began it?

Yes. Initially, my strategy is to follow the job description until I’m sure of my responsibilities. Then I start to evaluate.

I look at all the work I’m doing and decide which tasks can be handled more efficiently by delegating them to lower salaried support personnel. Then I can concentrate on increasing the bottom line.

In a recent management consolidation, I found myself temporarily covering the assignments of three other managers. When I assessed their various duties, I found I could handle all the management decisions that involved getting new programs up and running— while a team of four clerks administered existing programs.

We eventually hired one new manager. (He/She) and I have divided the work once done by four highsalaried individuals. The company has saved more than $100,000 this year alone as a result of my restructuring improvements.

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44.In what areas have you received compliments from your superiors?

I have always had high marks in job effectiveness, initiative, and enthusiasm. Because I look at each assignment as a potentially exciting challenge, my managers say I create excitement in my department. That spirit is contagious. It results in a greater team effort, less absenteeism, and higher output.

45.Did your company increase its (sales/profits) this year?

(Even if your job is not related to sales, knowing the answer will demonstrate an awareness of the bottom line. Be optimistic. You always want to appear that you’re working for a winner. Two typical answers are given.)

Yes, sales were up 10 percent in the last quarter, and 18 percent over the last three quarters from the previous year. Net profit as a percentage of sales increased from 8 to 10 percent. We’ve had a very good year.

OR

As the customer service manager, I don’t have ultimate responsibility for sales. But my work is important to customer satisfaction and repeat business, so I’m included in all sales meetings. Our actual sales figures are not published, but we’re enjoying a recordbreaking year.

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46. Have you ever been fired?

(Be grateful if your answer to this is a simple “No.” If you have been fired, your explanation should be upbeat, carefully prepared, and thoroughly rehearsed to accentuate the positive, even if you can’t eliminate the negative. For example:)

Yes, I was terminated from the position of

_________________________ (title) at __________________

(name of company) in ______ (year). Although I didn’t take issue with it at the time, I was let go based on incorrect information.

I wasn’t given an opportunity to defend myself. I had other prospects and was able to locate a new position very quickly, so I let the matter drop. Looking back, I regret I didn’t make an effort to clear my record for the future.

Otherwise, my work record has been exemplary.

47. Have you ever been asked to resign?

(Now, really. How can someone be asked to resign? You either resign or you’re fired! That means you have a choice. And which do you choose? The big R. So the answer should honestly be “No.” But if you must answer “Yes,” here’s how to keep from committing screen-test suicide:)

Yes, from the position of ________________________

(title) at ______________________________ (name of company) in _______ (year). The request for my resignation

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arose because my job performance was consistently excellent. My entire department was ready to resign because it disagreed with the management changes taking place, and I had to convince all six employees not to do so at the same time.

_____________________________ (name of company) was constrained by the effects of an unsatisfactory merger and became unresponsive to the changing needs in the marketplace. That was the major cause of their filing for bankruptcy last year. In the meantime, my career has progressed very rapidly upward.

48.What kind of supervisors get the most work from you?

The kind who trust themselves and me—supervi- sors who are secure in their ability to train people and trust their employees to carry out their responsibilities without exceptions, excuses, or explosions.

By the time we reach the workplace, we should be ready to perform our jobs as mature adults. Most companies have systems for rewarding employees who meet expectations or for reprimanding those who don’t. Therefore, a supervisor shouldn’t be spending precious management time baby-sitting.

A supervisor’s greatest strengths are in the ability to motivate, encourage, and lead others. If the right employees are there, they will respond favorably. The result is a mature relationship of mutual respect where everyone succeeds and the company prospers.

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49. Name five reasons for your success.

One, I have high energy and skill levels. As a result, I have a high work output.

Two, I place a strong emphasis on quality, so my work is consistently exceptional.

Three, I continue to improve and polish my skills and abilities. This allows me to increase my contribution to my employer’s operations, while at the same time making me feel challenged and fulfilled.

Four, I try to look at old problems from new perspectives and to come up with a creative approach that leads to a workable solution.

Finally, I take responsibility seriously and make it my priority to give an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay—every day.

50. Have you ever owned your own business?

(Your own business might have been a T-shirt silkscreening operation run from your dorm in college. Even this seemingly insignificant pursuit is worth mentioning for the points you can score about your organizational, management, and marketing skills.)

Yes, although it wouldn’t have made the Fortune 500, I’m proud of it. The summer between my sophomore and junior years in college was the summer of 1976—the nation’s bicentennial celebration. I had a friend at a design school who asked me to share ex-

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penses for an apartment for the summer. The only problem was, neither of us had a job. Because we wanted to be outdoors, we didn’t want to spend our summer waiting tables or working behind a counter.

So we teamed up—my friend’s art skills with my emerging business skills. She designed and produced beautiful silk-screened T-shirts of tall ships. I handled raw materials, inventory, sales, and bookkeeping. We got a street vendor’s license and sold 3,000 shirts in just 10 weeks. Each of us banked almost $4,000 toward the next year’s tuition, after we had paid our rent and other living expenses. We were outdoors, meeting people and having fun by day, then up till the wee hours making more shirts each night. That was fun, too. It was with mixed emotions that we shut down operations two weeks before the semester began so we could lie on the beach and reflect on our success. All in all, it was my favorite summer.

51. How would you rate me as an interviewer?

First, I’d give you high marks for your people skills. You helped me feel at ease right away, which made it easier for me to answer all the questions, even the more difficult ones.

I’d also rate you highly on the creativity of the questions and their thoroughness. Matching the right person to the right job in the right company should be the highest priority. I don’t want to be here if it won’t re-

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sult in a successful, long-term relationship. By probing as carefully as you have, you’re giving me a better opportunity to secure the most suitable position.

You’ve given me a complete picture of what to expect at _____________________________________ (name of employer), and it confirms my belief that this is where I’d like to work.

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DELIVERY

In the past, only people working in very specific fields, such as computer programming, information systems, or engineering, required in-depth knowledge of technology. By the end of the 1980s, however, employers began requiring all job applicants to have some computer skills and training, the level depending on the specific job. Today, all applicants, from cashiers at discount retailers to CEOs at multibillion-dollar firms, are expected to be familiar—if not highly proficient— with many of the technological tools now in widespread use throughout the business world.

Note The questions in this chapter are aimed at helping to prepare job applicants whose work does not primarily involve technological know-how. Applicants who work in high-tech areas will need to ensure that they are up-to- date on their area of expertise, to anticipate the kinds of questions they will be asked.

This chapter cannot begin to address the innumerable questions an individual might be asked during an interview regarding technology. The details of such questions will depend entirely on the particular business area and job requirements. What this chapter does do is to establish a baseline, by posing questions that candidates typically will have to field during a job interview. Most employers today will ex-

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