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#CareerAdvice – #JobInterviewingQuestions – How to answer these 10 tricky questions tactfully in a job Interview …Don’t Panic–Consider these Things First Before you Answer.

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We’ve all been there—pleased that an interview was going really well until the interviewer threw out a real doozy of a question that you just don’t know how to answer. But you don’t have to panic.

We asked career coach Hallie Crawford to give us advice on how to answer the most difficult questions you’ve ever been asked. (Yes, we pulled them from real interviews.) Here’s how to answer each really well.

While it may seem silly, “this question is designed to reveal how you think your manager perceives you,” Crawford says. “Before answering, ask yourself: How do your coworkers describe you? What did your manager commend you on recently?” With the answers to these questions in mind, “don’t be afraid to get a little creative with your reply,” Crawford says. But don’t be too verbose either. “You don’t want to give the impression that your anniversary cake would be too big,” she says, “so try and keep the words short and sweet.”

Related: This is how you should end your four most common work conversations

2. WHO IN HISTORY WOULD YOU WANT TO GO TO DINNER WITH AND WHY?

Before you answer this one, ask yourself whom you admire, past and present. “Perhaps a writer, an actor, a scientist, or even someone from your industry,” suggests Crawford. Then consider, “What do you appreciate about their accomplishments? Why do they inspire you? Why do you feel that you would be friends? What would you want to discuss with them at dinner?” Crawford prompts you to ask yourself. “Use these elements when answering.”

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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3. NAME A BRAND THAT REPRESENTS YOU AS A PERSON.

Yep, not a brand you love—but one that embodies who you are. Now that’s a doozy. But it doesn’t have to be tough, Crawford says. “Think about your top personal values,” Crawford advises. “Now think about brands that also have those values.

For example, if you value family and ethical practice, think about companies who are family-based, or create products for families who you know don’t do testing on animals, for example. Explain the values that you feel you share with the brand and why those values are important to you.”

4. PLEASE DESCRIBE AN INSTANCE WHERE YOU HAD TO MAKE A DECISION WITHOUT ALL OF THE NECESSARY INFORMATION.

You came to the interview prepared, which means you have a list of accomplishments you can work from. Using an accomplishment for this question, “Describe the situation and what information was missing and any measurable results achieved,” Crawford instructs. By using an accomplishment, you will show a hiring manager how you can persevere.

Related: How to prepare for the three most common types of negotiation at work

5. SELL ME ON ONE IDEA, AND THEN SELL ME ON THE OPPOSITE OF THAT IDEA.

“First of all, you want to think of an idea before you can start answering the question,” says Crawford. You may not have to come up with your own idea. “Ask the hiring manager if they have a specific idea in mind,” says Crawford. “If not, consider a recent idea that you discussed with your team or with coworkers. What was your position and why? What was the opposite position and why? Use those arguments. In this question, it is important that you sound convincing when presenting both ideas. This will provide insight into whether you are able to present ideas to your team—even if you don’t agree with the idea.”

6. IF A COWORKER HAD AN ANNOYING HABIT, AND IT HINDERED YOUR QUALITY OF WORK, HOW WOULD YOU RESOLVE IT?

This may seem like a perplexing question, but it’s “designed to get to you how you deal with others,” explains Crawford. “Draw from a real-life experience if possible. What annoyed you? How did you resolve it? Is there a more effective way to handle the situation if it would happen again? Identify the annoying habit and then outline the steps you would take to try and resolve the situation while maintaining a good relationship with your coworker.”

7. WHAT PART OF THE NEWSPAPER DO YOU READ FIRST? WHAT DOES THIS SAY ABOUT YOU?

“This kind of question is asked to get to know you better as a person,” says Crawford. And while “at first glance, this seems a fairly easy question,” she says, it’s not. So, “before you answer, think about what genre of articles appeals to you: technology, fashion, current events,” Crawford advises. “Now determine if there is a way to link the genre that appeals to you as a professional. For example, if you are drawn to articles about technology, you could explain that your love of technology means that you enjoy learning new ways of doing things, you are open to change, and look to stay on top of current trends.”

Related: How to know when a seemingly great opportunity isn’t right for you

8. THROW YOUR RESUME ASIDE AND TELL ME WHAT MAKES YOU YOU.

This is another question designed not to trip you up, Crawford says, but to get to know you better. “Keep in mind that they may have looked you up online and have your cover letter, so do your best not to just repeat something they have already read about you,” she says. “Instead, is there a background story about how you got into your industry? Can you explain your unique selling proposition—why you are unique in your industry? Or, you could explain your top three values and why they are important to you.”

9. WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOUR PAST OR CURRENT EMPLOYER?

At all costs, “remember that you want to avoid bashing your current or past employer and the company,” warns Crawford. “This question is designed to find out why you are looking for a new job. Instead of focusing on them, focus on you. Are you looking for more career growth than what is offered where you currently work? Or a more challenging position?”

10. TELL ME ABOUT THE WORST MANAGER YOU EVER HAD.

Before you bash your last boss, “Remember that your hiring manager has your resume and knows where you have worked, so your managers won’t be completely anonymous,” warns Crawford. “However, you might explain a type of management style that wasn’t ideal for you. And if you haven’t had a bad manager, don’t make one up. Let the hiring manager know that you honestly have gotten along with your previous managers, and focus on how you are able to work with different personality and management styles.”

 

FastCompany.com | August 22, 2018 | BY JILLIAN KRAMER—GLASSDOOR 5 MINUTE READ

#Leadership : Three Ways To Improve Your #InterviewProcess So You Can Make Better And Faster #HiringDecisions …These Things Might Not be Rocket Science, But they are Surprisingly Not Done with as Much Consistency or Rigor as you Might Think.

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Interviewing may not be the most effective way to evaluate candidates, but it is still the most common. There are other better predictors of job success, but some of those methods require more resources to manage than your company many have.

If the interview is all you’ve got, it doesn’t mean that you are relegated to a life of bad hires or lots of first year turnover. It just means that you have to get really good at interviewing.

Some of that comes down to building your skills as an interviewer, which can only really happen with a lot of real skills practice (Effectively “probing” a candidate for more information is easy in concept but is far from easy in reality).

Beyond building your skills, some of it comes down to building the right interview process.

The Point Of The Interview

As my wife frequently complains about, I’ll start with a bold statement of the obvious:

The purpose of the interview is to facilitate a discussion with the candidate so that you leave that discussion with the right information you need to make a hiring decision.

I’m certainly not going to win any business innovation awards for that statement. Here’s the thing, though. Everything that happens in the interview should directly help you achieve that purpose. Unfortunately, in my work with clients on their interview process, there are often parts of the process that aren’t actually helping them achieve that purpose, or there are key parts of the process that could help but are missing.

Three Ways To Improve Your Interview Process

These aren’t rocket science concepts, but doing them well requires some focus and diligence:

1. Have a pre-interview preparation meeting with whoever is involved in the interview

This important step is often overlooked. It is understandable. Business life is always busy. Many of us are cramming interviews into already over-booked calendars.

The problem of not taking a few minutes for a team preparation meeting is that it doesn’t give you and other interviewers the opportunity to get aligned on what you are all looking for. This often results in different expectations of the candidate, how he or she answered the questions, and ultimately whether the candidate was what we were looking for.

When combined, these often cause frustration with the process, delays in making hiring decisions, bad hires, or letting good candidates move right past you.

A good preparation meeting gets in front of these problems. Here are three key things to do during your preparation meeting:

  • Do a quick group review of the candidate and the resume
  • Do an overview of the role the candidate is interviewing for
  • Get alignment on the key questions you want to ask – both technical and cultural – and what kinds of answers you are looking for

To do it well only takes a few minutes but is invaluable in going into the interview aligned and focused.

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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2. Have a post-interview calibration discussion with all of the interviewers

Post interview calibration sessions often don’t happen for the same reason that pre-interview preparation meetings get pushed aside. It feels like we just don’t have enough time. The interview is over, and you’re running to the next meeting (or interview).

When you don’t do them, though, you miss valuable opportunities to get multiple perspectives about the candidate from co-workers who sit in different roles. You also lose the opportunity to sort out and gain alignment on what was good or bad about a candidate so that you can apply that to others you are interviewing for the same role.

Without calibration, I’ve seen clients continue to miss opportunities to refine their candidate search process or criteria for who makes it to the face to face interview stage. And all of this equates to an unnecessarily elongated interviewing process, frustrated interviewers, and a belief that interview process just isn’t working.

3. Focus the interview on personal attributes and culture fit

There’s an important quote from Jim Collins, business consultant and author of the New York Times Bestselling book, “Good-to-Great.” In his work around what separated great companies from good companies, he noted:

“In determining the right people, the good-to-great companies placed greater weight on character attributes than on specific educational background, practical skills, specialized knowledge, or work experience.”

Even with that, many interviews today still focus primarily on technical skills, knowledge, and abilities. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t care about those things because there are certainly required baseline capabilities to do the job. You can, and should, still assess those.

But use the bulk of the interview to focus on assessing attributes like learning agility, interpersonal effectiveness, and cultural fit, which have been shown to be much better predictors of short and long-term job success.

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The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.
PUBLISHED ON: APR 25, 2018

Inc.com |

By James Sudakow

Author, ‘Picking the Low-Hanging Fruit … and Other Stupid Stuff We Say in the Corporate World’

Your #Career : #JobSearch – 4 Reasons Why your #JobOffer Disappeared into Thin Air…During all #Communications with the #Employer, it is Best to Remain Professional & Consistent.

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Scoring a job — only to hear that the offer is no longer on the table — can be pretty painful.

But while taking back a job offer might have legal ramifications for the employer, here are some reasons it could happen to you.

1. You didn’t tell the truth — and the employer called your bluff

Some job seekers actually do this.

Tony Lee, vice president of editorial at the Society for Human Resource Management, explained to the New York Post how dishonest candidates come across to employers:

“You may feel like you’re giving yourself an advantage by exaggerating things or outright lying, [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][but] that’s always going to come back to haunt you. It’s never a good idea [to lie] … Uncovering anything that makes you look dishonest [means] you’re finished.”

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2. You aren’t needed at the company anymore

Mimi Moore, a partner in the labor and employment group at Bryan Cave LLP, spoke with CIO.com about employers changing course after an offer is made:

“Typically, job offers get rescinded in situations where employers, for one reason or another, do not have the need for a job that they predicted they’d have when they first offered the job to a candidate. A typical situation is an employer interviewing on a college campus, extending offers to college grads. By the time the college grad is supposed to start working, whether that is over the summer or in the fall, the employer no longer needs them because of either a downturn in their business or in the general economy.”

3. You keep on pushing for more

This doesn’t look good. A blog post by professional staffing company Robert Half details errors that can compromise a job offer, with one of them being that “you don’t quit while you’re ahead:”

“If you’ve gone back and forth with the employer on compensation, perks and vacation time, and you end up with all of your requests met, don’t keep pushing for more just to see what else you might be able to squeeze out. Greediness is not a trait employers seek or admire in new hires. Candidates create problems for themselves when they overestimate the leverage they have or a busy hiring manager’s patience for playing games.”

4. You have a radical personality shift — in a bad way

FlexJobs Content Manager Jessica Howington writes on the sitethat one way to get a job offer takenoff the table is to “lose your professionalism:”

“During all communications with the employer, it is best to remain professional and consistent. If, however, you show the employer another personality once you get a job offer, you will quickly find yourself with the offer being retracted.”

More from Ladders

TheLadders.com | February 2, 2018 | By Jane Burnett Feb 2, 2018

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Your #Career : These Are The Five #SoftSkills #Recruiters Want Most… Things like #TimeManagement & #Organization aren’t typically Taught in School, But they are Increasingly Important in Order to Be Competitive at Work.

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While education, degrees, and certification are important for scoring an interview, a new study by the HR software provider iCIMS finds that recruiters place a higher value on soft skills. From an ability to communicate well to being organized, these intangible qualities can be tough to measure, but they affect everything from productivity to collaboration.

“Hard skills are what you do, and soft skills are how you do it,” says Susan Vitale, chief marketing officer for iCIMS. “Unfortunately, one in three recruiting professionals believe job candidates’ soft skills have gotten worse in the past five years.”

The good news for both candidates and employers is everyone possesses some soft skills, says Jodi Chavez, president of the staffing firm Randstad Professionals. “The challenge is determining which are strongest, and which are most in-demand for certain roles,” she says. “Companies can train employees in technical skills. Soft skills, on the other hand, are far harder to teach, which is why, in a low unemployment market, companies should be looking to hire for soft skills and train for technical skills.”

If you’re looking for a new job, these are the top-five soft skills recruiters are looking for:

1. PROBLEM SOLVING

The most important soft skill was the ability to solve problems, with 62% of recruiters seeking people who can find solutions, according to iCIMS. This soft skill was also the most important for the employee who wants to work in management.

“Problem solving isn’t practiced as much today as it once was,” says Vitale. “You can go to Google for answers, and we’re not challenged the way we used to be.”

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2. ADAPTABILITY

The second most important soft skill is adaptability, with 49% of recruiters looking for this trait. This skill was ranked as very important for entry-level positions.

“Larger organizations value problem solving and adaptability the most,” says Vitale.

3. TIME MANAGEMENT

The third soft skill in demand is an ability to successfully manage time, with 48% of recruiters placing importance on this characteristic.

“Entry-level workers often come out of the gate being poor at time management, but they can learn strategies on how to run their day,” says Vitale. “It’s most important in smaller organizations, because you have to pivot and wear many hats.”

4. ORGANIZATION

Being organized is the fourth most sought-after soft skill, with 39% of recruiters ranking it as desirable. It’s often demonstrated in your behavior during the interview process. The most common mistakes, according to the study, include showing up late, forgetting to thank the interviewer, and forgetting the interviewer’s name.

5. ORAL COMMUNICATION

Finally, the ability to speak in public and communicate with others is the fifth most valued soft skill, with 38% of recruiters looking for this skill.

“Good communication skills are, of course, essential,” says Chavez. “Poor communication can lead to misunderstandings and even slow down the workflow, preventing a company from moving forward.”

ROLE AND INDUSTRY

While soft skills are important in nearly every job, they can be role specific, says Chavez. “In a management position where the role requires one to lead a team, deliver on a project, or drive results, soft skills like emotional intelligence and teamwork are most important,” she says. “However, in roles where someone might work remotely from home, the key soft skills would be adaptability, communication and multitasking.”

The iCIMS study found that certain fields look for soft skills more than others, such as people who work in customer service, human resources, and sales/marketing. For technical jobs, they aren’t as vital. Nearly 1 in 5 of recruiters for IT jobs think soft skills are more important than hard skills, and 24% of recruiters weigh soft skills over hard skills for R&D jobs.

“I want my doctor to have hard skills first and soft skills next,” says Vitale. “But if they’re lacking in soft skills, I might not return.”

HOW TO CONVEY YOUR SOFT SKILLS

While we all have soft skills, demonstrating them during the job application process can be a challenge. “They don’t come across on a resume because there’s no certification,” says Vitale.

Be sure to highlight your strengths by using searchable keywords in your job description. “Whether a candidate lists their soft skills all together or breaks them out under the individual positions in which they honed them, it’s essential to include them somewhere,” says Chavez.

Recruiters will also use the screening processes to look for soft skills, so be prepared. Prior to an interview, come up with a short list of your strongest soft skills and be ready to share a few specific examples of when you showcased them in the workplace, Chavez suggests.

“For instance, talk about a time when your communication skills clarified a misunderstanding, or discuss how your leadership style came into play when they took charge of a negative situation and turned it into a positive one,” she says. “Candidates must also emphasize their ability to work well with others and should refrain from speaking poorly of a previous or current employer or company, as it will never reflect positively on them.”

Don’t be afraid to ask a recruiter which soft skills the organizations values most, adds Vitale. “Most employers fall down when it comes to transparency, and they aren’t saying out of the gate what they want,” she says. “Not all call them soft skills; sometimes they describe core competencies or workplace culture.”

In the end, candidates need to be cheerleaders for themselves, says Chavez. “Shift the conversation to highlight your soft skills even if an interviewer does not specifically ask,” she says.

FastCompany.com | January 26, 2018 | BY STEPHANIE VOZZA 4 MINUTE READ