GE1206 Accelerating Professional Growth on the Web

Prepared by Janet Yu 1

GE1206Accelerating Professional

Growth on the Web

Week 11

Mastering the Interviewing Skills


Learning Outcomes

• Know how to prepare for an interview• Know the Dos and Don’ts for an interview• Know how to close an interview• Know how to answer some common questions

in an interview• Increase the chance of success for interviews


• Video on Preparing for Interview– Http://video.about.com/jobsearch/Preparing-for-a-Jo

b-Interview.htm

http://video.about.com/jobsearch/Preparing-for-a-Job-Interview.htm

http://video.about.com/jobsearch/Preparing-for-a-Job-Interview.htm


to Success

Prepare!

Prepare!

Prepare!

Prepared by Janet Yu 5From Forbes, Dec 2012

Critical Skills


Know Yourself• Self-introduction

– Different lengths, different languages• Your career goal• Strengths (with support) and weaknesses• Your contributions to the company• Go through the job ad, your CV/letter• Experience / projects – relevance to the requirements• Skills and roles

– Generic skills (organization, leadership, communication, analysis)– Specific content skills (e.g. bookkeeping, financial planning, computer

knowledge)• Practise


Know the Employer

• Business• Recent developments/news• Values (for big companies)• Products• Clients• Competitors / Market situation• The position you apply for – job requirement• Try to find out who the interviewer is – HR or

immediate manager – and format of interview


First Impression

• Be punctual• Clean, tidy and presentable, appropriately dressed• Give feeling of confidence (stand straight), energetic, lively,

enthusiastic, positive• Greet with a firm handshake, eye contact• Ask before seated• Sit squarely in chair, has good posture • Maintain open position (arms not crossed and so on)• Maintain good eye contact throughout the interview• Appear relatively relaxed• Wear a smile


Dos & Don’ts• Smile and nod appropriately• Be open-minded, polite• Remember the interviewers’ names• Listen carefully

– If you don’t understand the question, ask for clarification. Can buy some time.• Give direct, concise and brief answers, be honest. Don’t just recite.• Stay focused on answering interviewer's questions

– Give example to illustrate your point.– Show independent thinking

• Be prepared to be asked “awkward” questions. Don’t be emotional.– e.g. Your GPA is low, why? Well, you did not do well in public examinations.

• Be prepared to answer questions that are totally unrelated• Show enthusiasm, firmness and interest in the job• Don’t say something bad about other people• Don’t try to peep


Questions Frequently Asked

• Self-introduction• Why are you here? Sometimes asked in a negative tone

– Others are more suitable…– What’s in the job that you like…– What makes you fit for the job?

• Question on your weaknesses• Questions based on your CV• What’s your career plan (esp Big 4s)? What do you want to be?• Questions about the company/industry

– How you learn about the lastest news on IT?• Questions to ask the company


Some Tricky Questions• How much do you expect?• What is your perfect job like?• Further study?• Are you willing to work overtime / travel?• Well, you live in Tuen Mun….• If both company A and our company offers you a job,

which will you choose?• A totally unrelated question.• Scenario-type question

– What if you have a non-cooperative team member?


Closing the Interview

• Interviewer invites you to ask questions.• Summarise your value to the employer and repeat your

sincere interest in the position based on the additional information you gained during the interview.

• Thank interviewer by name for the interview. Thank them for their time and giving you this precious opportunity

• Ask for card (where appropriate) and shakes hands again

• Stand up and put the chair back before you leave


What to Ask??

• Ask when the interviewer will contact you about the hiring decision / the next step– "When may I expect to hear from you?“

• Ask questions surrounding :– The job – career path, how to perform well, most demanding attribute….– The company – future direction, latest news/development…– Follow-on questions

• Don’t ask questions that make the interviewer think you are picky– e.g. on fringe benefits, on salary, on OT, 5-day week– What kind of training you can provide?

• Don’t ask questions that the interviewer cannot answer• Don’t ask questions whose answers can be found on the company web site


After the Interview

• Send a thank you email to the interviewer• Follow up if you don’t get a reply within a

reasonable time

Good Vs Bad

• The good example– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR-IhZJOq3U

• The bad example– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDhbLdFJAF4


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR-IhZJOq3U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDhbLdFJAF4


What do the Experts Say• "A firm, nonsweaty handshake, eye contact and a nice smile make you seem likeable. Likeable

people are hired most often." -- David Lewis, an executive with Express Employment Professionals and an expert on career development

"Prepare to engage in small talk, which helps to break the ice and puts both parties at ease and also demonstrates your ability to make conversation with potential clients, coworkers and executives." -- Brandi Britton, Robert Half International

• "Be prepared with everything you can possibly know about the company and the person who is doing the interview." -- Executive coach Beth Ross

• "Don't take the head of a table or sit down until you are invited to do so to demonstrate how you'll behave in professional situations." -- Patty DeDominic, cofounder of DeDominic & Associates, a professional coaching and business services firm

• "Open with penetrating questions that prove beyond a doubt that you've done your homework on the company, the position, the department, the industry and/or the competition." -- Ford Myers, author of Get the Job You Want Even When No One's Hiring

Source: Monster.com.hk


What do the Experts Say (Cont)• "Practice your answers to commonly asked interview questions so that you come across as a well-

prepared candidate." -- Certified executive career coach Cheryl Palmer, Calltocareer.com

• "If asked to talk about yourself, always answer from a professional sense. Telling people about your family and what you do on the weekends is definitely the wrong approach. You want to solely focus on the areas of your work in which you are most effective and productive." -- Careers and resume expert Lauren Milligan, Resumayday.com

"Become an object of interest by the questions you ask. Leave them wanting more with the quality of content you add to the conversation (versus noise)." -- David Nour, consultant and author of Relationship Economics

• "Mirror the body language of the interviewer. If they are leaning forward, you should be doing the same. This builds rapport on a subconscious level, giving the feeling of a deeper connection." -- Job market expert Jabez LaBret, ThawingtheJobMarket.com

• "Your interview strategy must include proof that you have successfully completed job-relevant tasks. A good strategy is to marry a strength and a specific example to prove that you are accomplished at what you do. Quantify accomplishments using numbers, percentages and dollars whenever possible." -- Barbara Safani, president, CareerSolvers.com

Source: Monster.com.hk


Success Is Not Far….


Sample Questions

Behavioral QuestionsPast Questions from Employers

Other Sample QuestionsSamples Questions for the Employer


Behavioral Interview

• Behavioral based interviewing is interviewing based on discovering how the interviewee acted in specific employment-related situations.


Sample Behavioral Questions

• Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to see things your way.

• Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrated your coping skills.

• Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem.

• Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet or achieve it.

Questions to Test Your Creativity• Must be creative in your answer• The aim is to test your problem solving skills, responsiveness, agility, way of

thinking and expression• If you are asked to wash all the windows in the city, how would you charge?

– No standard answer– Be calm. React in whatever way. Don’t just say I don’t know.– Can show your humorous side or knowledge– Can make your own assumptions– Can ask for clarification

• What animal would you use to describe yourself/describe our company?• The name of the movie is 1234. What kind of movie do you think it is and

why?• See more samples below from Google and Apple


From Economic Times Oct 12

Past Questions - Google

• Receives 2m CVs every year• Level of difficulty ranked 3.5 out of 5• How many golf balls can a school bus hold?• How can you weigh an elephant without a scale?• If you were Larry Page, what makes you unable to sleep in

the middle of the night?• How many there are at Heathrow Airport now?• Logic questions like the time now is 3:15, what is the

angle between the two arms?



Past Questions - Apple

• Passion is the most important thing• If you can only bring one technical product to a

far-away place, what would you bring?• How you can explain to a 10-year-old kid what

RAM is ?• How much do you think Best Buy can earn

from selling iPhone cases?




Past Questions - Yahoo

• Which service do you use most often? Any recommendation on improvement?

• If you are hired, what new service will you suggest?

• Use an adjective to describe yourself.• After 20 years, what do you think the internet

will be like.


Past Questions - PCCW

• Why do you apply for PCCW?• Do you think you can adapt to our corporate culture?• What are the strengths that you possess that make you

worth hiring?• Hobbies? Which book have you read recently?• What difficulties have you encountered in the past?

How did you overcome them.• Questions on current affairs.


Past Questions – Swire MT

• How do your friends see you as a friend?• What experience(s) did you have at school that make

you feel proud?• How do you see your career 5 years from now?• If I don’t hire you, what’s your plan?• In your view, what are the improvements the company

has to make?• Why are you interested in joining the xxx department?• Have you applied for other jobs?


Past Questions – Citibank MT

• What is your career objective? And how are you going to realize it?

• What achievements have you made in the past?• Can you work with others as a team? When you

encounter problems, how do you solve them?


Other Sample Questions About Yourself (I)

• What do you consider to be your strengths or weaknesses, and your development needs?

• Why are you interested in joining our Company?• What qualifications/skills/experience do you have to make a

right candidate for this job?• Why are you suitable for a career in the Information Technology

field and why with the Banking Industry in particular?• Where do you want to be in five/ten years?• How can you contribute to the success of the company?• What are your career objectives? And what have you done to

achieve these objectives?


Other Sample Questions About Yourself (II)

• Describe a situation in which you initiated a project related to your work, school, or co-curricular activities. What was your role in that project?

• What has been your greatest accomplishment in your university life or outside school?

• In what school activities have you participated? Why? Which did you enjoy the most?

• What have you learned from your internship/or responsibilities you have held?

• What do you expect to get from this interview besides a possible employment opportunity to be appointed as our Management Trainee?

• How do you convince me to hire you?


On Current Affairs• Tell me about your views on universal suffrage.• How do you define poverty? Is it a major concern in HK?• Please comment on the standard of food safety in Hong Kong.• What are your opinions on the air pollution control measures in HK?• Can you comment on the existing medical services in HK?• Do you support the idea of building Las Vegas style casinos/gaming halls/hotels on

Lantau Island so as to attract more tourists, especially those from the Mainland, to HK? Why?

• The university education system is going to be converted from the existing 3-year programme to a 4-year programme in 2012. What are your views on such move?

• What are your views on the Chief Executive’s new policy address?• Can you comment on the immigration policies on Mainland pregnant women giving

birth in Hong Kong?• Global warming and carbon dioxide emissions have been described as “planetary

emergency” by former US Vice-President Al Gore. Do you agree?• What measures should be taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Which country

or countries should take the lead on climate change?


Others

• Situational Questions– Imagine you are a newly-recruited Management Trainee and have a

contrary/conflicting view on certain issues against your immediate supervisor. Will you confront him/her, or will you comply with what he/she says? Why?

– How will you manage your client if he/she always has undue and unreasonable demand?

• IQ Questions– There are 100 stones (50 black and 50 white in each jar), and 2 boxes in

front of you. You are now required to place all the 100 stones in two boxes (with your eyes blindfolded). In what way are you going to distribute the stones so that you can make sure that you can take one white and one black stone from each box?


To Ask the Interviewer

• Can you tell me about the corporate culture of the Company?• What are the career opportunities/planning available within the

Company?• Are there opportunities for overseas assignment/training?• How is the organization/department structured – reporting

relationship, number of people?• Are there any opportunities for interdepartmental deployment

and job rotation?• Can you describe what life is like working in this Company?• When will the interview results be announced?

GE1206 Accelerating Professional Growth on the Web

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