SueAnn Porter

Mr. Porter had an interview on Monday, and they liked him so much that they called him back for a second interview later in the week. So while he is studying the material that he will be asked about, he has asked me to find other questions, you know the HR stuff. I have a pile of six books here, and I’m trying to glean the best questions and answers.

1. Where do you see yourself in five years? (Doing your job, is that still the correct answer? Times have changed; companies used to look for hungry people, now with all the down sizing, this might seem threatening.) I have to find an answer for this one.
2. Tell me about yourself. (I always hate this one, no matter how much I practice ahead of time, I forget something. I know, I know, they don’t care about where you went to kindergarten, or your obsession with collecting books when you have nowhere to store them and no time to read them, or how much you love chocolate.  Where did you work, what did you do and how is that important to this job?)
3. What is your greatest strength/greatest weakness. (This one depends on the “asker”. Do you reply, “I have no weakness, I am Superman, just hire me? Or do you recite the cliche’ “I work too hard and don’t take any personal time. I just can’t stop myself from working so hard, so hire me? According to this book, “Weaknesses are not something I dwell on. I could improve on my patience with working with others, but I found that if I help them with the problems they are stuck on, I can move the project ahead.)
4. Why should we hire you? (According to one book, compare your qualifications to the requirements for the job. I like that answer. “You’re looking for A, I can do A. You’re looking for B, I have 5 years experience in B.  Don’t say, “I can do it. I can learn. I can leap buildings in a single bound.”)
5. Why has it taken so long to find a job?  (Do NOT blame the economy. Respond with, “I’m not really sure. I  have an excellent background in ABC with years of experience. I’m looking for the right opportunity for myself.”)
6. Do you believe you are overqualified for this position?  (This was a big thing in the 90’s I remember.) (A good answer is “I can do this job well, and I can bring new ideas and methods. I can bring good solutions to your problems. I wouldn’t call it overqualified, I would call it a good deal.”)

*This book is Boost your interview IQ by Carole Martin. I have 5 more books to go.

If you know of any other “trick” questions, and the best answers, please comment!!

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