5 interview questions you must rehearse
Dear Job Nerd
I have been at the same company for ages now and considering a move. What are the trickiest interview questions being asked of potential employees right now and how can I prepare for them?
Frank, Open Source Programmer
Everyone’s heard that first impressions are very important; this can’t be truer than in a job interview. But before we go in to some of the trickiest questions you may encounter let’s review some basics.
Every prospective employer will be looking for an employee with confidence – even in IT. Remember to keep eye contact, give a firm handshake when you first meet the interviewer and try not to be too nervous. The real person you need to be afraid of is in HR who already cleared you to be interviewed, so just relax. That said don’t over do it, confident and cocky are two completely different things.
If you encounter a question that you are unsure of how to respond to don’t be afraid to just give an honest answer. There is a fair chance that looking like a great person could be just as compelling as a great candidate. Remember that when you are being interviewed by HR it’s likely that he or she is going to have to work with you every day, so be open and friendly.
Question #1: What is your greatest weakness?
This common question is one that everyone one day will run into. Before you break into your “sometimes I just work too hard” speech, there are a few other options that will definitely go over better. Use something that you actually struggle with in your working life. That said, leave out any major issues that you may have, pick problem number 3 or 4 down the list and work with that. Stay away from major problem words such as ‘lazy’ or ‘unreliable’. The trick to answering this well is after saying the minor thing you struggle with. Talk about how you have been working to improve this problem and have virtually eliminated the problem.
Questions #2 What do you know about our organisation?
This is another question that comes up more often than expected. No matter how great a candidate you seem to be, if you don’t know the company, then you appear uninterested which could be a deal-breaker for them. Always read the company’s website entirely before an interview and do a quick Google search to see if they have been in the news for anything. Not only will this prepare you for this question but give you a ton of great talking points to bring up with your interviewer. Remember to stay away from any negative press they may have received.
Question #3 Why did you leave your previous job?
This can be a difficult question but it is important to stay honest in your response. If you were laid off because of cut backs to the company say just that – there is no shame in it. If you were fired, be as honest as you can bring yourself to be but try not to dig your self into any holes and avoid mentioning any personality conflicts. It’s important to remember they will likely check your references so explain honestly what happened, but from your perspective. Remain positive even when explaining possibly negative aspects. Put emphasis on your excitement to explore a new opportunity in the future in a different type of company.
Question 4# Where do you see yourself in five years?
While it’s important to show that you are motivated and looking to succeed, stability is very important to companies who will need to rely on you long term. Always mention that you see yourself in a similar company or industry as the one you interviewing for. You can say that the company can provide great opportunities for you long term and you see your self as a loyal team player. As long as you don’t go over the top, this question could be a good opportunity to mention your strengths, for example, “Well I’d ideally like to use my leadership skills and step up to a management position. But, of course, I’d be keen to prove myself as a team player first!”
Question 5# Why should we hire you?
A bit like the ‘why shouldn’t we vote you out?’ question on reality shows, isn’t it? Luckily this question normally occurs toward the end of the interview. The previous interview questions will help you to figure out what characteristics are important to them. If there were a considerable amount of questions about leadership in an organisation, for example, then focus your response around that aspect. It always helps to respond that you feel that you can make an immediate effect on the organization and then review your past achievements by giving examples of areas you improved in previous roles. This question will be your last ditch good chance to shine so don’t pass it up.
You’ve heard the old adage “practise makes perfect”, so rehearse these five key questions before going in cold to an interview and you’ll be sure to make a great impression. Good luck with the job search!
Meta-Tag your CV
Dear Job Nerd
Is it better to list every one of all my IT skills (programs and languages etc…) in my CV or to just be broad and a bit generic? Surely if I keep it quite broad then I’ll be considered for more roles?
Mark K, Helpdesk
Salutations Mark
I’ll let you into secret Mark – key words or meta-tags, whatever you’d like to call them, are searched within a recruiters database in much the same manner as a google search – in fact many recruitment firms have google search embedded in their CRM systems, so by emphasising your key words or mata-tags, your resume is prioritised in the future when recruiters search for people. Keep in mind that some agencies have over 200,000 people in their database so being able to find YOUR resume is helped by having a thorough CV.
Let me explain how it works: We might be looking for a fit for the following role: ‘A developer with .Net (3.5 or later) experience; significant Silverlight and Expression Blend experience; who has strong SQL server 2008 skills and understands Agile methodology’. So we’d pick out the keywords -.Net; Silverlight, Expression Blend; SQL; Agile – and we’d run a search to see who we have in the system who has all those keywords in their CV. The guys at the top of the Google Search list go to the top our list of people to call or email regarding the job. If we are lucky we might save ourselves the need to even advertise the job. The job can be filled in a couple of hours – and that’s especially beneficial when we are looking for urgent contractors.
So just as you would do search engine optimisation on a website, so you should make sure your own CV’s SEO is top notch. Include all your experience and the keywords of everything you’ve ever worked on if you want to find roles in those areas again. What if you want to find a role in an area you have no experience in? Then tell us. Include your dream job keywords in your CV and let your dream job find you!
Skeletons in your closet?
Dear Job Nerd
Years ago I stupidly drove home from a wedding after a few too many and got a DUI. So now I have a criminal record. I know that companies can run a record check and I was wondering if you thought I should be upfront and tell the agency about my past when I apply for a job – before they find out themselves?
Tony H., Project Manager
Salutations Tony
So you have a skeleton or two in your closet. You’ve grown up a bit since then, hopefully. We all make mistakes – but are your skeletons likely to be set free from the closet, scaring off prospective employers?
As a general rule, if you have a skeleton lurking somewhere in your past, be upfront before you are put forward for the job by the recruiter or HR – especially if you are asked a specific question about your criminal history and that question and the criminal history are relevant to the job you are applying for. It’s generally very unlikely that a criminal conviction for a minor offence will automatically exclude you from the job. An employer will usually only refuse to employ a person if the person’s criminal record means that he or she is unable to perform the requirements of the particular job, for example a conviction for fraud may exclude you from working in a bank, whereas a past involving a drunken punch-up at a wedding probably wouldn’t. In some states this anti-discrimination law refers to ‘irrelevant criminal record’ to explain this concept.
If you decide not to mention your past record and an employer does do a police check this may backfire against you. Your dishonesty will be viewed very unfavourably and the employer will almost certainly give the job to one of the other contenders. It’s worth noting, however, that once you are employed in a company, your employer does not have a general right to enquire as to your criminal status – unless your employment is subject to regulations or a contract requiring ongoing disclosure.
There are some sectors, however, where a record will probably put you out of the running for the job. Many government jobs, such those with the Australian Tax Office or the Australian Defence Force, as well as jobs in sectors like banking, finance, or investments or where you’d be working with not-for-profits, the elderly or children are cases where the criminal history of the applicant is taken into consideration. A criminal record may also prevent registration as a lawyer, doctor, optometrist, physiotherapist or architect. These types of industries will almost certainly do a full police check. But remember, even if something does come up, your suitability for the role will be taken on a case by case basis, so it’s not necessarily the end of the line for you.
Even despite anti-discrimination legislation the hard reality, Tony, is that your prospective employer may perceive that there is a higher risk of dishonesty, unreliability, or irresponsibility from a prospective employee with a record. It’s expensive and time-consuming to hire new employees and companies will usually err on the side of caution and take the low risk option – and that will usually mean they’ll pick the candidate without the record. Some employers may also be concerned about how their clients or their other employees might react if an employee’s criminal record becomes known.
It’s worth checking the status of your record though as some offences fall under the ‘spent conviction legislation’ and if that’s the case for you then companies must comply with that and cannot hold your past against you. Spent conviction legislation allows some criminal records to be removed after a certain period of time. The idea behind spent convictions is to ‘wipe the slate clean’ after a certain period of time, depending on the offence. If you aren’t sure, find out if your conviction is now regarded as ‘spent’ and if it is then there is no need to mention it at all in your interview. You can obtain a copy of your own criminal record from the organisations such as https://www.nationalcrimecheck.com.au
So, if you do have something rattling around in your closet don’t let that hold you back from applying for your dream job. The truth is that if the employer thinks you’ll do a great job in the role, that’s more important to them than your creaky old skeletons.
Good luck!
The Job Nerd
Try these tips to get your CV noticed
Dear Job Nerd
I am a web developer and could do amazing thing with my resume. Do you think some nice formatting, pictures and links in my resume will get it noticed and give me a better chance of getting an interview? I am sure the boring resumes go to the bottom of the pile, don’t they?
Raj, .Net Developer
Salutations Raj
Just because you CAN create a wiz-bang resume doesn’t mean you SHOULD. You surely don’t think that recruiters are printing out masses of resumes and picking the prettiest ones to read, do you? You of all people you should know that things are automated these days.
So, even without the touch of a button, chances are your resume will be automatically ‘parsed’ into the recruiters system and the details embedded in your resume are extracted and filed into the relevant fields. So if you put HTML, links or pictures in your resume it will look like a mess once it’s been parsed into the system. Your confirmation email will probably say something like ‘Dear ?+#$&!’
Also, approach your resume with a search engine optimisation attitude – make sure that the key skills / vocation you are interested in are highlighted many times throughout your resume, so that when agents conduct searches on their systems (e.g. ‘java developer’) they will find that yours has lots of key word relevance and should be investigated further.
You can show off your web portfolio (if you have one) with a basic link on your resume, as well as a link to the portfolio in the email you send to the employer or recruiter.
Another tip is the use of cover letters – my advice is to write a relevant cover letter in the body of the email as opposed to a word/pdf version. This makes it quicker and easier for internal HR/recruiters to read your “sales pitch”.
And please, please make sure you do a spell check! This is so easy to do, yet we see resumes with bad spelling every single day – this tells us the candidate is sloppy, and if they can’t get a 3-page resume right, what chance is there in a job?
An unreadable resume is not going to get followed up on. By keeping things simple and following a recognised, standard layout for your resume you make things clear and easy for the recruiter – and that’s the right way to get noticed. To play it really safe pdf files should be avoided – I suggest using a word document. After all, the recruiters are looking at your experience and qualifications and if you are a developer they will assume you have developer skills – you don’t need to demonstrate them just yet!
Keep Developing
The Job Nerd
First Impressions Count
Dear Job Nerd
Do I have to wear a suit for an interview? If the job I am applying for is casual then surely I can go to the interview dressed casually?
Alex B, Open Source Programmer
Salutations Alex
Do you want the job? Because if you want the job it should at least look like you have made a bit of an effort. Dressing in a suit or a nice jacket sends the message that you want the job, have prepared and are ready to be taken into serious consideration for the role.
Don’t forget that recruiters are looking to see if you will be a good fit for the role and also for the company. So if you are sure that the corporate culture is super casual then I think you’d be best to err on the side of caution and go smart casual. If you do go the smart casual route then make sure it’s done well. It goes without saying that your clothes should be clean and ironed, hair washed and tidy and you should smell nice too, that helps.
Recruiters know better to judge by appearance, but sometimes being too casual can backfire badly. We once had a Senior “C” level guy turn up to a final interview dressed in jeans because it was casual Friday at his current employer, and he didn’t want to let anyone know he was interviewing – however the VP that flew out from the USA to interview him was not impressed, and they subsequently hired someone else.
We recruiters usually prefer to play it safe with candidates and you should too – if dressing in a suit is the safe option, go with that.
Stay sharp
The Job Nerd
