What to Say at Job Interviews
Job interviews can be competitive and stressful for applicants, but they present a great opportunity for candidates to make a positive impression. How interviewees handle the job interview--their responses to questions as well as the questions they ask--can reflect positively on them and possibly lead to a job offer. What you want say at job interviews should have everything to do with how your skills and experience can meet the needs of the prospective employer.
Other People Are Reading
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Employer Needs
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Job candidates are often eager to tell prospective employers as much as they can about themselves and their backgrounds, which is important. What is more important, is showing how the candidate's skills sets can meet employer needs. Through background research, prospective candidates can determine what the company's goals are, learn about its customers and discover the company's expectations for the particular division, department or position the candidate is interested in.
Empowering Weaknesses
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All job candidates have weaknesses and HR professionals and hiring managers understand this. You can turn your weaknesses into strengths during the job interview by taking a potentially negative question and answering it with care. For example, if you were to say, "I have been told that my attention to detail can sometimes cause me to take longer to complete a project than it does for other people," your response can be looked upon favorably if accuracy is critical to the job. If you are applying for a position in a high-paced, creative field, the following statement may be well received: "I know that I can have a tendency to overlook some details when I'm working under a tight deadline." Anticipate possible questions before your next job interview.
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Behavioral Interviews
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Behavior based interviewing is a technique that is increasingly common among hiring managers. This interviewing method is designed to help employers understand what candidates have accomplished or how they reacted in a particular situation. Should your interviewer not take this approach, you may find it helpful when answering questions. For instance, if asked about your customer service skills, you might reply, "I can tell you about a very challenging customer situation I faced and how I resolved it." You show initiative and demonstrate poise by tackling a potentially difficult question before it can be asked.
Relevant Questions
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Toward the end of the job interview, candidates are usually given the opportunity to ask questions. Those questions should reflect what you culled from your earlier research and can include questions about the work climate, the expectations for the position, what a successful performance would look like and how this position can contribute to the success of the organization. Generalized questions should not be asked at this time nor should questions about pay, benefits and time off from work.
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References
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