INTERVIEW GUIDE

To succeed in the interview process you must come prepared. You need to know:

• What research to make before the interview;

• What employers are most interested for in interns;

• What are the most typical interview questions and possible answers;

• What to ask employer during the interview.

How to get ready for a job interview

Start preparing by • Researching the company;• Understanding job description;• Thinking about your skills and possible experience that can interest the

company.

OUR TIP: Prepare at least 3 examples from real life experiences that you can relate to the company, offered position and required skills .

Examples: • Position in Import/Export: Studied international trade and wrote paper about Chinese export policy;• Position where a Good communicator: needed: Previous experience as a volunteer at Children’s camp

Company Research

Before the interview read the company’s website anduse websites such as goolge, linkedin, xing, twitter, digg, facebook to learn as much as

possible about:

• Industry, Product and Competition (what are the main products? is the industry growing or falling; who are the main competitors and what is the company’s position among them?)

• Size (how many staff does it have, how many branches are there, in which countries or locations does the company operate?)

• Ownership (what is the name and nationality of the parent company if it is a subsidiary?)

• Recent events and News (what is happening in the field or industry or in the company?)

Sometimes you will be able to research also: • Sales growth and Profitability

Skills that Sell

While looking at the job description, required knowledge and skills, thing which from the following skills you might posses:

And think how you can prove them based on an example from your past!

Skills that Sell

Prove by Example!

Question: Are you a team player?

Answer: Yes! I was in the school football team! This taught me how to be a team player and the importance of using everyone’s different skills and talents! Only like this our team could get further and win a game! If everyone did not work as a team, we would never be the best in the university league!

Skills That Sell

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”

- Nelson Mandela

• Think about what languages you know and to what levels. If the company has offices outside China, it can certainly help.

• If you can say in Chinese ONLY Ni Hao and Xiexie, it is not considered as basics. In that case you are just genuinely interested to learn the language.

Interview Topics

Prepare answers for questions which you think the interviewer may ask you. In particular, think :

• of examples of your achievements in previous jobs or while at school;• of examples how you have managed any difficult situations• about your personal strengths and weaknesses;• how you would describe your own personality.

Use as many examples and your own ideas as possible. Your host company is interested to see what added value you can bring.

Typical Questions (1)

Tell me something about yourself!

Even though this is an open-ended question:

• Keep your answer to this job interview question to something that bears relation to the potential job position you are seeking;

• Talk about your personal strengths or something career or education related that makes you the most proud, et cetera;

• Keep your answer short and relevant;• Be ready with the answer, a talent or something you did out of the ordinary.

DON’T:• Do not just repeat what you have given in your resume.

Typical Questions (2)

• Where do you want to be in 5-10 years? This has become a very common job interview question.

• Describe your “dream position” in terms of a an industry, company size, responsibilities, career opportunities and country you want to work.

• Try to incorporate positive traits of the job position that you are applying for into your interview answer.

DON’T:• Do not specify any job title; • Limit your response to professional goals.

Typical Questions (3)

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

• Be honest about your strengths. What are they and how do they relate to a career? Strength Something what you can underline by Example

Example: I am a dedicated worker as in my last job I always completed tasks before the deadlines

• The weaknesses part of this job interview question is sneaky. The job interviewer really

wants to know your weaknesses at work. Weakness Something that really is not a problem.

Example: I don't have as much related job experience as other applicants, but I am a quick learner.

Typical Questions (4)

Why do you want this job?Why do you think you can fit into this company?Why should we hire you?

• Express your interest in the company profile (based on your pre-research);• Present your knowledge of the workplace environment (the department) you applied to;• Take one of the job requirements, then focus on one of your related strengths/skills AND give

a concrete example (a success story) based on your past experiences to support your point;• Break the job requirements into fragments and continue in this manner.• Keep the information crisp and relevant.

Example: You see that the company has not entered into the Spanish market and you are a native Spanish speaker : use this to your advantage.

DON’T: Do not repeat your resume and enumerate your experience states there.

Typical Question (5)

What do you know about our company?

• Have a research done about the company / organization;• Give just one or two reasons why you are interested. • You can add these points:

o Company's reputationo Desire to join the specific field of interest.

What interests you most about the job?

• Concentrate on the job description and express your interest in the tasks;• Concentrate on the industry and show relevance to your background, studies and interests.

Typical Questions (6)

What can motivate you?

The Interview expects an answer to know you better;Here are some of the main motivators:

Typical Question (7)

Whom do you choose as your reference and why?

• Name the references and how you know them;• Give contacts that you feel comfortable about.

Questions to Ask Employer

Interview is a conversation, it is a two ways process, so while making research about the company, prepare also questions you need to ask your interviewer. These should be about:

• The Job Description and tasks involved;• Remuneration and benefits;• Holidays;• Product, industry and the company;• Company culture, structure of the employees (Chinese vs. Foreigners; age; specialization), size of

the office• Possibilities to grow and learn in the company;• Guidance and your Mentor.

Examples:When and how will I get paid? What are the day-to-day responsibilities of this job?How much guidance or assistance is made available to individuals in developing career goals?

You should have interest questions about the company and qualification questions regarding duties and responsibilities

What to say in a Job Interview

1. Relevancy- You should share any information relevant to the job profile.2. A team player- Being a team player means a lot in today’s corporate world. Give

an example!3. Future plans- Tell them about any concrete ambition that you have.4. Honest answers- Make sure that you are completely honest about your answers.5. Give Examples and Give Ideas - This is the only way to differentiate yourself

from other candidates.

What NOT to say in a Job Interview

1. Saying that you are taking the job to improve your languages (English )

2. Private Information - biggest mistakes that people commit in an interview is giving out private information when it is not needed, or even when it is simply not asked.

3. Your weaknesses - Do not confess to any weaknesses that may put you in a bad light.

4. Past problems- Another major problem is created when people speak about the problems that they encountered while they were in their previous jobs.

Job Interview Mistakes to avoid