if you work in HR

[underwaterrhymes]

Are you the interviewer or the interviewee?

[underwaterrhymes]

Most questions will center around three areas: your ability to do the job, will you like the job, and will you fit in.

Typically we like to know why the person wants the job, what skills they think they will bring to the role, and where they feel they have room for improvement. We also will ask some variation of how they've handled challenges in the past, and how they've shown initiative, as well as questions specific to the position.

Make sure you know what they're looking for backward and forward, and be prepared to address how you can meet their needs. Also make sure you've looked over the website thoroughly and are familiar with their history and what they do. (I can't tell you how many times this has tripped people up.)

Lastly, make sure you come with good questions to ask in return. I like to ask something to the effect of what would be their best advice in order to be successful in the position, as well as if they have any doubts about my ability to do the job that I can address in the interview.

You should not ask anything about salary or benefits yet.

[underwaterrhymes]

DON'T say that your biggest weakness is you are a perfectionist. That's the biggest eye-roll worthy thing people say.

I typically am honest here, but will talk about the steps I'm taking to improve this area of weakness.

You might also ask about what a typical day looks like, or what their favorite thing about their jobs are. I've also asked what their ideal candidate looks like. And in a few cases where I've seen red flags, I've asked how long the previous person was in the role and why they left.

[cheesierthanchedda]

Good luck!

I had a phone interview with a hiring manager for a REALLY big tech company and I was completely flummoxed when he asked me the following question (only because I wasn't expecting it AT. ALL.):

If I give you 7 balls and a scale that you can only use 2 times, how can you determine which of the balls is heavier than the others?

[underwaterrhymes]

Holy crap, chedda! What did you say?

I would have had to BS my way out of it, with something to the effect of, "I'm a very tactile, hands-on person, so I probably would try to figure out by hand which of the balls were the two most heaviest, and then I would weigh those." LOL.

[underwaterrhymes]

freedom - I forgot to also say good luck!

(And, one more tip... if you can figure out the name of the person you'd be reporting to, it's good to google them and find out more about their background.)

[cheesierthanchedda]

Aug 14, 2012 18:36:54 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

Holy crap, chedda! What did you say?

I would have had to BS my way out of it, with something to the effect of, "I'm a very tactile, hands-on person, so I probably would try to figure out by hand which of the balls were the two most heaviest, and then I would weigh those." LOL.

That was my first answer. He said no, you HAVE to use the scale.

And then I got further flummoxed because I could hear him hitting his spacebar, timing me. UGH.


The answer is:

You put 3 on one side of the scale and 3 on the other (Oh, I forgot to say in my original post that it's a balance scale, not a kitchen scale). If the weight is even, you know the one not on the scale is the heavy one. If the scale is tipped, you can weigh one more time with the 3 on that side.

It seriously took me like 5 minutes to get the answer.

[jens]

You've already got some good advice here - When I interviewed for my current job, the last question I asked at the end was something along the lines of "Based on what you've seen in my application, and on what you've gleaned from this interview, are there any concerns that I can address, or anything that you think might not make me a good fit for this position?"

It's a surprising question, but it shows that you are open to hear constructive criticism, and it also gives you a chance to hear any concerns or reservations that they might have about you, and let's you address them (and hopefully put fears to rest).

My boss told me that she was totally taken off guard but impressed by the question. I think it's one of the things that made me stand out that little extra bit to get hired.

[greylady]

Aug 14, 2012 18:40:11 GMT -5 jens said:

You've already got some good advice here - When I interviewed for my current job, the last question I asked at the end was something along the lines of "Based on what you've seen in my application, and on what you've gleaned from this interview, are there any concerns that I can address, or anything that you think might not make me a good fit for this position?"

It's a surprising question, but it shows that you are open to hear constructive criticism, and it also gives you a chance to hear any concerns or reservations that they might have about you, and let's you address them (and hopefully put fears to rest).

My boss told me that she was totally taken off guard but impressed by the question. I think it's one of the things that made me stand out that little extra bit to get hired.

This is the less ballsy ( in a good way) version of: "is there anything we've discussed today that would prevent you from offering me the position?" My friends in sales call it a "closer." If you can pull it off it's really effective.