It Pays to be Prepared and Practice

In the personnel industry, the job interview is sometimes called "the last barrier" between the applicant the desired job.

At the interview stage, the applicants already have been reviewed job candidates face the moment of truth.

An applicant's responses to interview questions create a profile that will be compared with the requirements of the position. If this profile fits - when coupled with information from references and the resume - the candidate remains in the running.

Personnel professionals suggest candidates prepare for a job interview by identifying standard industry questions and formulating a response. Recruiting the help of a spouse, family member, or friend to ask the questions, in an interview role-play situation, also is suggested.

Job interview questions may be grouped according to subject including:

• Ambitions and motivations
• Personality
• Educational and social background
• Salary

Examples of questions about ambition and motivation are: "What position do you want to hold in five years, and how will you go about reaching it?" "What have been your most significant accomplishments?" "What has been a major disappointment to you and how did you deal with it?" "What prompted you to apply for this job?" or "Some people are interested in a high salary, while others are more interested in security and company benefits. What motivates you the most? Please elaborate."

By asking these questions, the employer can gauge the candidate's level of self-insight and honesty. The employer also will learn how the candidate deals with failure, and what the candidate considers important or valuable. Preparing answers in advance to such questions will help the candidate create structured information that will flow easily during the interview.

Questions about personality could include: "How would you describe your major strengths?" and "What are you personal weaknesses or limitations?" Other frequently used questions under this topic are: "What qualities do you value in others?" "Why do you admire these qualities?" or "What irritates you (makes you happy)?"

Interviewers also ask questions such as, "Describe the ideal boss for you" and "What type of people do you like working with?" Again, the employer is seeking the depth of the candidate's self-assessment and understanding, two important characteristics of a team player.

Under the topic heading of "educational and social background," candidates should be prepared to discuss high school or college experiences, extracurricular activities, offices held and jobs worked while going to school. The candidate's grade point average also may come up. These questions establish a framework for the applicant's interests, enthusiasm, energy level, and commitment to personal growth.

A specific area of interview preparation is the topic of salary. Suppose the interviewer said, "I noticed in the blank for 'desired salary', you wrote 'open'. What salary are you looking for?" One answer to this question is to say, "I would consider any reasonable offer." Another response would be to explain the range of salaries offered by other jobs the candidate is considering.

The other critical portion of the job interview concerns questions asked by the candidate. Most interviewers allow time for these questions. In some cases, the interviewer actually will encourage the candidate to get any information he may need to make a decision if the job is offered. The candidate also should ask the interviewer how long he has been with the company. Then the candidate could ask the interviewer why he works for the company. Other questions a candidate may want to consider asking are: "Where do you see yourself going within this company, and where do you see the organization, itself, going?" "What portion of the market does this company hold?" and "Does the company have plans to increase its portion of the market? If so, how?"

Michael Lejeune, CPC, CTS, is the Vice President of Steverson & Company, Inc., a Houston-based staffing service which focuses on administrative and accounting personnel. Steverson & Company and Steverson Accounting Professionals have clients ranging from international accounting firms and Fortune 500 corporations to privately held emerging businesses. Mr. Lejeune is a Past President of the Houston Area Association of Personnel Consultants and Director of the Texas Association of Personnel Consultants.

The Houston Chronicle
by Mike Lejeune, CPC, CTS