Archive for September, 2009
Tell me about something you did
September 30th, 2009 | 
Author: TRAPS: There are some questions your interviewer has no business asking, and this is one. But while you may feel like answering, “none of your business,” naturally you can’t. Some interviewers ask this question on the chance you admit to something, but if not, at least they’ll see how you think on your feet.
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Some unprepared candidates, flustered by this question, unburden themselves of guilt from their personal life or career, perhaps expressing regrets regarding a parent, spouse, child, etc. All such answers can be disastrous.
BEST ANSWER: As with faults and weaknesses, never confess a regret. But don’t seem as if you’re stonewalling either.
Best strategy: Say you harbor no regrets, then add a principle or habit you practice regularly for healthy human relations.
Example: Pause for reflection, as if the question never occurred to you. Then say, “You know, I really can’t think of anything.” (Pause again, then add): “I would add that as a general management principle, I’ve found that the best way to avoid regrets is to avoid causing them in the first place. I practice one habit that helps me a great deal in this regard. At the end of each day, I mentally review the day’s events and conversations to take a second look at the people and developments I’m involved with and do a doublecheck of what they’re likely to be feeling. Sometimes I’ll see things that do need more follow-up, whether a pat on the back, or maybe a five minute chat in someone’s office to make sure we’re clear on things…whatever.”
“I also like to make each person feel like a member of an elite team, like the Boston Celtics or LA Lakers in their prime. I’ve found that if you let each team member know you expect excellence in their performance…if you work hard to set an example yourself…and if you let people know you appreciate and respect their feelings, you wind up with a highly motivated group, a team that’s having fun at work because they’re striving for excellence rather than brooding over slights or regrets.”
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Show the rest of the Iceberg during your next job interview
Show the rest of the Iceberg during your next Job interview
As a former Human Resources Manager I have been on the other side of the desk and I can help you get ready for next career opportunity.
You probably know that the key is to prepare yourself and convey the right message. Yet most people prepare their job interview by looking at books and they get overwhelmed by the endless amount of advice. What they mostly find in those books are long lists of typical questions they might be asked and multiple examples of good and bad answers.
The result is that once candidates are in the actual interview room, they all give pre-formatted answers. I can tell you that when you are the recruiter this is a really annoying situation.
When I was a Human Ressources Manager I kept hearing from candidates:
“I am a team player”
“I am organized”
“I am a good leader”
“I am a problem solver”
Once you’ve heard the same answers all day, how can you choose the right candidate?
How is a list of strong adjectives combined with a flat piece of paper (your resume) supposed to help me find out who you are and if you are the right candidate for the job?
My mission is to remind everyone that the interview process is not an exam. It is not a meeting between a machine and YOU. It is a meeting between two or more human beings, trying to figure out if they are a match.
The goal for the candidate is to give some dimension to his resume. I like to say that the resume is the top of the iceberg and the interview is your opportunity to show the rest of the Iceberg. The real and alive YOU!
The real challenges is that most candidates are unable to see and convey their professional brilliance. When it comes to talking about them they are speechless and scared.
If you are getting ready for your interview you can follow the following steps:
- Figure out WHO you are and WHAT you bring to the table so that you can genuinely asnwer ANY question that you are asked.
- See each questions as an opportunity to present one of your selling points, instead of seeing them as a challenge.
- Craft strong stories to make your point. I personnaly coach my clients to ALWAYS prove what they are saying by using a well-crafted story that the recruiter will remember.
- Do lots and lots of roleplay to create some freedom and confidence.
Are you ready for some help ? Contact me Christine@ocoaching.com
Christine Lewicki is the Founder and Principal of O Coaching in Los Angeles, California. She is a certified career and business coach, a motivational speaker, personal development trainer, and a MasterMind™ group facilitator. She has clients in the US, Canada and Europe. Christine is known as an expert in being a catalyst for her client’s professional’s brilliance. She is grounded, bright and easy to work with. Her work at O Coaching has received many accolades from the media, her clients and peers. Christine has been featured on numerous telesummits and radio shows and she’s been invited to participate in the movie the Voice of Women launching in 2010.Most recently she has been asked to serve on the board of the International Coaching Federation Chapter of Los Angeles. Her clients say that working with Christine is like switching on a light bulb that illuminate your way on the path to success.
For over 10 years she enjoyed a successful career in the corporate world as the Director of Human Resources for several multi-national firms.
In 2005 she decided to transition into Coaching.
Christine’s passion is for making sure her clients get to use their unique talents in their work so they can contribute their best and thrive.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/interviews-articles/show-the-rest-of-the-iceberg-during-your-next-job-interview-1280599.html
Interview Questions & Answers
Going to a job interview can be one of the scariest and most intimidating things one does in their life. There is much tension and fear, but surprisingly it can be much fun. If you play your cards correctly, the job interview questions and answers game can be used much to your advantage and he process will not need to be as lopsided as you might think.
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In order to get in front of a potential employer to address the job interview questions and answers, you must first have a job interview in place. There are many types of job interviews and just because one is scheduled does not mean you have the job secured. The interview process in many cases can be incredibly lengthy and one that may take a long time for a decision to be made. The questions and answers exchanged in an interview can vary based on the type of interview.
Since not all jobs and organizations are the same, every interview process can be different. Some companies might want to conduct a behavior interview where they want to see how the interviewee reacts in certain scenarios. Some companies might conduct their interviews as a group. There are some companies that would prefer to host a video interview in case they need to fly you in from an out of town location and they want to screen you before they take on the cost.
With different types of interviews, comes different job interview questions and answers. Questions the interviewer might ask you but also questions you might want to ask the interviewer. Many employers think positively of potential candidates that show high levels of interaction in their interview. By asking the right questions, you are proving you have an interest in the company, you are thinking about the future of the company and you are the type of person the employer would look for.
Here is a sample list of the most asked questions by an interviewer with sample responses:
Q: Describe a typical work week for you?
A: Make sure to discuss in detail and be prepared to review some of our day-today responsibilities. Make sure to relate your answers to the job you are applying for. The more you can show a connection between the job you are applying for and your past, the more open the interviewer will be to discussing further with you.
Q:What motivates you?
A: Since the interviewer doesn’t know much about you, they want to know how and why you were successful at your previous job. Since your response will vary based on your previous experience and knowledge, you can include the following factors as motivation:
- You enjoy Challenges
- Employer satisfaction is very important
- Client satisfaction is most important
- Compensation to perform (if in a sales role)
- Team accomplishments (if it is a team based environment)
Q: What interests you about this job?
A: Be truthful. Describe the qualifications needed for the job. Tie the job description back to your own skill set and explain why you would thrive in this position because of your previous experience. If the job seems like a challenge, explain you are looking to learn and improve your skills. Regardless of the situation, be excited about the opportunity and how you can bring value to the organization.
Here is a sample list of Questions you should ask the interviewer (Make sure to take notes and pay attention throughout the interview so you do not ask a question that was already answered):
- How would you describe the responsibilities of the position?
- How would you describe a typical week/day in the position?
- Is this a new position? If not, what did the previous employee go on to do?
- What is the style of management within the company?
- Who does this position report to? If I am offered the position, can I meet him/her?
- How many people work in this office/department? How many people are in the company
- What are the prospects for growth and advancement?
- How does one advance in the company?
Click here and find out how you can interview better than any one of your competing job applicants
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/interviews-articles/interview-questions-answers-1281371.html
c# interview
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What’s C# :
C# (pronounced C-sharp) is a new object oriented language from Microsoft and is derived from C and C++. It also borrows a lot of concepts from Java too including garbage collection.
Is it possible to inline assembly or IL in C# code?
no
Is it possible to have a static indexer in C#? allowed in C#.
No. Static indexers are not
If I return out of a try/finally in C#, does the code in the finally-clause run?
-Yes. The code in the finally always runs. If you return out of the try block, or even if you do a goto out of the try, the finally block always runs:
using System;
class main
{
public static void Main()
{
try
{
Console.WriteLine(”In Try block”);
return;
}
finally
{
Console.WriteLine(”In Finally block”);
}
}
}
Both In Try block and In Finally block will be displayed. Whether the return is in the try block or after the try-finally block, performance is not affected either way. The compiler treats it as if the return were outside the try block anyway. If it’s a return without an [removed]as it is above), the IL emitted is identical whether the return is inside or outside of the try. If the return has an expression, there’s an extra store/load of the value of the [removed]since it has to be computed within the try block).
I was trying to use an out int parameter in one of my functions. How should I declare the variable that I am passing to it?
You should declare the variable as an int, but when you pass it in you must specify it as ‘out’, like the following: int i; foo(out i); where foo is declared as follows:
[return-type] foo(out int o) { }
How does one compare strings in C#?
In the past, you had to call .ToString() on the strings when using the == or != operators to compare the strings’ values. That will still work, but the C# compiler now automatically compares the values instead of the references when the == or != operators are used on string types. If you actually do want to compare references, it can be done as follows: if ((object) str1 == (object) str2) { } Here’s an example showing how string compares work:
using System;
public class StringTest
{
public static void Main(string[] args)
{
Object nullObj = null; Object realObj = new StringTest();
int i = 10;
Console.WriteLine(”Null Object is [" + nullObj + "]n”
+ ”Real Object is [" + realObj + "]n”
+ ”i is [" + i + "]n”);
// Show string equality operators
string str1 = ”foo”;
string str2 = ”bar”;
string str3 = ”bar”;
Console.WriteLine(”{0} == {1} ? {2}”, str1, str2, str1 == str2 );
Console.WriteLine(”{0} == {1} ? {2}”, str2, str3, str2 == str3 );
}
}
Output:
Null Object is []
Real Object is [StringTest]
i is [10]
foo == bar ? False
bar == bar ? True
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Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/interviews-articles/c-interview-1281460.html
Why are you leaving this position
TRAPS: Never badmouth your previous industry, company, board, boss, staff, employees or customers. This rule is inviolable: never be negative. Any mud you hurl will only soil your suit.
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Especially avoid words like “personality clash”, “didn’t get along”, or others which cast a shadow on your competence, integrity, or temperament.
BEST ANSWER:
(If you have a job presently)
If you’re not yet 100% committed to leaving your present post, don’t be afraid to say so. Since you have a job, you are in a stronger position than someone who does not. But don’t be coy either. State honestly what you’d be hoping to find in a new spot. Of course, as stated often before, you answer will all the stronger if you have already uncovered what this position is all about and you match your desires to it.
(If you do not presently have a job.)
Never lie about having been fired. It’s unethical – and too easily checked. But do try to deflect the reason from you personally. If your firing was the result of a takeover, merger, division wide layoff, etc., so much the better.
But you should also do something totally unnatural that will demonstrate consummate professionalism. Even if it hurts , describe your own firing – candidly, succinctly and without a trace of bitterness – from the company’s point-of-view, indicating that you could understand why it happened and you might have made the same decision yourself.
Your stature will rise immensely and, most important of all, you will show you are healed from the wounds inflicted by the firing. You will enhance your image as first-class management material and stand head and shoulders above the legions of firing victims who, at the slightest provocation, zip open their shirts to expose their battle scars and decry the unfairness of it all.
For all prior positions:
Make sure you’ve prepared a brief reason for leaving. Best reasons: more money, opportunity, responsibility or growth.
Click here and find out how you can interview better than any one of your competing job applicants Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/interviews-articles/why-are-you-leaving-this-position-1274346.html
The “Silent Treatment”
TRAPS: Beware – if you are unprepared for this question, you will probably not handle it right and possibly blow the interview. Thank goodness most interviewers don’t employ it. It’s normally used by those determined to see how you respond under stress. Here’s how it works:
You answer an interviewer’s question and then, instead of asking another, he just stares at you in a deafening silence.
You wait, growing a bit uneasy, and there he sits, silent as Mt. Rushmore, as if he doesn’t believe what you’ve just said, or perhaps making you feel that you’ve unwittingly violated some cardinal rule of interview etiquette.
When you get this silent treatment after answering a particularly difficult question , such as “tell me about your weaknesses”, its intimidating effect can be most disquieting, even to polished job hunters.
Most unprepared candidates rush in to fill the void of silence, viewing prolonged, uncomfortable silences as an invitation to clear up the previous answer which has obviously caused some problem. And that’s what they do – ramble on, sputtering more and more information, sometimes irrelevant and often damaging, because they are suddenly playing the role of someone who’s goofed and is now trying to recoup. But since the candidate doesn’t know where or how he goofed, he just keeps talking, showing how flustered and confused he is by the interviewer’s unmovable silence.
BEST ANSWER: Like a primitive tribal mask, the Silent Treatment loses all it power to frighten you once you refuse to be intimidated. If your interviewer pulls it, keep quiet yourself for a while and then ask, with sincere politeness and not a trace of sarcasm, “Is there anything else I can fill in on that point?” That’s all there is to it.
Whatever you do, don’t let the Silent Treatment intimidate you into talking a blue streak, because you could easily talk yourself out of the position.
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Click here and find out how you can interview better than any one of your competing job applicants Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/interviews-articles/the-silent-treatment-1274355.html
Why should I hire you?
TRAPS: Believe it or not, this is a killer question because so many candidates are unprepared for it. If you stammer or adlib you’ve blown it.
BEST ANSWER: By now you can see how critical it is to apply the overall strategy of uncovering the employer’s needs before you answer questions. If you know the employer’s greatest needs and desires, this question will give you a big leg up over other candidates because you will give him better reasons for hiring you than anyone else is likely to…reasons tied directly to his needs.
Whether your interviewer asks you this question explicitly or not, this is the most important question of your interview because he must answer this question favorably in is own mind before you will be hired. So help him out! Walk through each of the position’s requirements as you understand them, and follow each with a reason why you meet that requirement so well.
Example: “As I understand your needs, you are first and foremost looking for someone who can manage the sales and marketing of your book publishing division. As you’ve said you need someone with a strong background in trade book sales. This is where I’ve spent almost all of my career, so I’ve chalked up 18 years of experience exactly in this area. I believe that I know the right contacts, methods, principles, and successful management techniques as well as any person can in our industry.”
“You also need someone who can expand your book distribution channels. In my prior post, my innovative promotional ideas doubled, then tripled, the number of outlets selling our books. I’m confident I can do the same for you.”
“You need someone to give a new shot in the arm to your mail order sales, someone who knows how to sell in space and direct mail media. Here, too, I believe I have exactly the experience you need. In the last five years, I’ve increased our mail order book sales from $600,000 to $2,800,000, and now we’re the country’s second leading marketer of scientific and medical books by mail.” Etc., etc., etc.,
Every one of these selling “couplets” (his need matched by your qualifications) is a touchdown that runs up your score. IT is your best opportunity to outsell your competition.
Click here and find out how you can interview better than any one of your competing job applicants
Click here and find out how you can interview better than any one of your competing job applicants
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The Job Isn’t Yours Till You Nail That Interview
If you are one of a multitude of fortunate job seekers who has been given an interview offer for the job you have been untiringly following, first of all good going. Now it is time to commence prepping for the finishing stage towards effectively landing a post wherever you may reside across the world. So how do you coach yourself for this decisive moment in your work life?
Go over your resume and locate any deviations that the likely appraiser may ask you about. Think up further achievements to verify your abilities and your proficiency for this post. Meditate on how you can exploit your abilities and professional experience to better your new job to aid the corporation.
You have already investigated the job needs and the corporation and business for your CV and cover letter. It is crucial to know the vital details of the corporation and industry in fair detail and to carry on a debate pertaining to your ideas and how things can be refined. Think up questions correlated to your line of work that you can ask the appraiser to reveal your curiosity and eagerness to learn.
A section of your meeting will be general talk and the majority of it specifically targeted towards your CV, post, firm and industry. It is wise to remain abreast up-to-the-minute events in politics, sports, entertainment and even business practices. Read headlines and glance over up-to-date events. This will enable you to make small talk on almost every issue and portray you as a candidate who stays in touch with current events and has a broad interest in what is going on across the world. This methodology will also supply you added information interrelated to your line of work.
Conventional questions to ask the appraiser can be concerning additional job demands, what will your exact role be and the range of work you will perform on a day by day basis, development path and training frequency. You may need to dodge themes connected to compensation and benefits all through your primary interview.
Think up a number of questions you expect to be asked by the appraiser. These must incorporate questions on the industry, post, your individual short, medium and long term ambitions, strategy and accomplishments, your capability to succeed in a group or as a group leader, your positive points and inadequacies and ideas and creativity. The appraiser may ask questions linked to a handful of these topics in a more indirect manner. It is your task to find out what exactly he means and answer with an accurate response.
Unless otherwise implied, dress professionally in conventional business clothing and select your colors prudently. For less conservative industries a stark accessory just might help build an impression of enthusiasm and energy but nonetheless be sensible in how you dress. Physical appearances do make a significant difference.
Keep practicing your interview periodically in your head or with a colleague. Try to cover all workable scenarios. If your interview needs you to solve industry particular cases, as is customary in consulting positions, try and attain sample questions from the firm’s site or a job related website prior to the interview. Anticipate and be ready for any and every thing.
To be calm and sharp through the interview you have to take it easy the night before. Try and receive close to seven and a half to eight hours of sleep the day before your interview to wake up fresh and arrive on time at the interview. Try to be there fifteen to twenty minutes ahead of the interview begins.
Do not be edgy and start chewing your nails. If you have finished your investigation effectively, practiced extensively and rested, you will walk in self-confident and win the appraiser over with your swift answers and related expertise. Best of luck in achieving your goals.
With an already short supply of jobs Pakistan has been a focal area of study for Jimmy who helps executives secure suitable employment. Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/interviews-articles/the-job-isnt-yours-till-you-nail-that-interview-1274960.html
Aren’t you overqualified for this position?
TRAPS: The employer may be concerned that you’ll grow dissatisfied and leave.
BEST ANSWER: As with any objection, don’t view this as a sign of imminent defeat. It’s an invitation to teach the interviewer a new way to think about this situation, seeing advantages instead of drawbacks.
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Example: “I recognize the job market for what it is – a marketplace. Like any marketplace, it’s subject to the laws of supply and demand. So ‘overqualified’ can be a relative term, depending on how tight the job market is. And right now, it’s very tight. I understand and accept that.”
“I also believe that there could be very positive benefits for both of us in this match.”
“Because of my unusually strong experience in ________________ , I could start to contribute right away, perhaps much faster than someone who’d have to be brought along more slowly.”
“There’s also the value of all the training and years of experience that other companies have invested tens of thousands of dollars to give me. You’d be getting all the value of that without having to pay an extra dime for it. With someone who has yet to acquire that experience, he’d have to gain it on your nickel.”
“I could also help you in many things they don’t teach at the Harvard Business School. For example…(how to hire, train, motivate, etc.) When it comes to knowing how to work well with people and getting the most out of them, there’s just no substitute for what you learn over many years of front-line experience. You company would gain all this, too.”
“From my side, there are strong benefits, as well. Right now, I am unemployed. I want to work, very much, and the position you have here is exactly what I love to do and am best at. I’ll be happy doing this work and that’s what matters most to me, a lot more that money or title.”
“Most important, I’m looking to make a long term commitment in my career now. I’ve had enough of job-hunting and want a permanent spot at this point in my career. I also know that if I perform this job with excellence, other opportunities cannot help but open up for me right here. In time, I’ll find many other ways to help this company and in so doing, help myself. I really am looking to make a long-term commitment.”
NOTE: The main concern behind the “overqualified” question is that you will leave your new employer as soon as something better comes your way. Anything you can say to demonstrate the sincerity of your commitment to the employer and reassure him that you’re looking to stay for the long-term will help you overcome this objection.
Where do you see yourself five years from now?
TRAPS: One reason interviewers ask this question is to see if you’re settling for this position, using it merely as a stopover until something better comes along. Or they could be trying to gauge your level of ambition.
Click here and find out how you can interview better than any one of your competing job applicants
If you’re too specific, i.e., naming the promotions you someday hope to win, you’ll sound presumptuous. If you’re too vague, you’ll seem rudderless.
BEST ANSWER: Reassure your interviewer that you’re looking to make a long-term commitment…that this position entails exactly what you’re looking to do and what you do extremely well. As for your future, you believe that if you perform each job at hand with excellence, future opportunities will take care of themselves.
Example: “I am definitely interested in making a long-term commitment to my next position. Judging by what you’ve told me about this position, it’s exactly what I’m looking for and what I am very well qualified to do. In terms of my future career path, I’m confident that if I do my work with excellence, opportunities will inevitable open up for me. It’s always been that way in my career, and I’m confident I’ll have similar opportunities here.”
- While it is not usually a good idea to try to be a Jim Carey in an interview, depending on how things have gone and who you are dealing with, you might inject a little humour here and ask: “When do you expect to be promoted?” ….or “When are you moving on?… This could easily break the ice. Seriously, you can easily respond that you have no idea as you have no idea what you are capable of so far, although you know it is a lot. Therefore, you want to make sure you are open and flexible to whatever opportunites present themselves. If you actually know what you want to be when you grow up, you could offer to conduct a seminar on how to actuate that.
- You know when you come to that common situation where someone asks you “Where do you see yourself in five years?” Yea you should call a person on that because that question is silly! You have no idea where you’ll be in five years nor should you worry. I mean how depressing can that question actually be? If someone asked me that question five years ago I wouldn’t have predicted my life to be like this nor would I have wanted to say my life would be like this, I’m not saying I’m unhappy with my life necessarily its just that in a span of five years a persons likes and dislikes change, the people around them either disappear, reappear, or show up for the first time. The things you once loved could become something you hate or vice versa. Aspirations change and feelings lose their magic. Yes you can say what you’d like to see happen in five years but I’m pretty sure it won’t and five years from now when you look back on yourself answering that question you’ll probably no longer want the same things. There’s always hope but no definite so all you can do is live life like you have those five years to look back on…
- When an interviewer asks this question, they’re asking where you see yourself within a company. They don’t want to hear you say, “Well, in five years, I will be married to a handsome European man, touring the South Pacific in our yacht with a maitai in my hand.” They want something like, “Well, that will depend on my individual performance and on the opportunities I’m presented with, but ideally, I will be…” Even if you’re going, “Yeah, like I’ll be here in 5 years…” act like you will be. They don’t want to hear you saying you’ll essentially use them to get where you want, and the minute the opportunity is presented jump ship.
- Some might think that you should not tell the interviewer that you want to move up the ladder of success, because they will fear that you might replace them or move on to another job. However, most would recommend that you answer with just the opposite: that you do want to be successful. A good manager wants his employees to be successful and grow in their careers because that benefits the whole company. If they don’t want this, you don’t want to work for them. As for the actual standards of success and specific career paths, they are very different for different people and different industries. It is most important to show that you do want to be successful.
- Think educationally– higher degree? certification? Think leadership– at least one step up from where you are at now.
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