...How to answer 23 of the most common interview questions By Paul Michael Let’s face it; no one likes the interview process. Well, certainly not the people being interviewed anyway. You have to be on your best behavior, you only get one chance to get it right, and it’s like taking your driving test all over again. Over the years I’ve been to countless interviews. To get my first job out of college, I attended some 15-20 interviews a week. Whether it was in Britain or over here in the States, the questions never really seemed to change from job to job. Not only that, but the answers to them are usually the same, with your own personal interpretation of course. Here I present 23 questions you’re likely to be asked, and how I have learned to answer them. Why 23? Because I had more than 20 and less than 25. Remember, being interviewed is a skill, and if you do the preparation you should ace it every time. 1. So, tell me a little about yourself. I’d be very surprised if you haven’t been asked this one at every interview. It’s probably the most asked question because it sets the stage for the interview and it gets you talking. Be careful not to give the interviewer your life story here. You don’t need to explain everything from birth to present day. Relevant facts about education, your career and your current life situation are fine. 2. Why are you looking (or why did you leave you last job)? This should be a straightforward question to answer, but it can trip you up. Presumably...
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...while having my bath, conceived an entire new book—a sequel to a Room of One’s Own—about the sexual life of women: to be called Professions for Women perhaps—Lord how exciting!” More than a year and a half later, on October 11, 1932, Virginia Woolf began to write her new book: “THE PARGITERS: An Essay based upon a paper read to the London/National Society for women’s service.” “The Pargiters” evolved into The Years and was published in 1937. The book that eventually did become the sequel to A Room of One’s Own was Three Guineas (1938), and its first working title was “Professions for Women.” The essay printed here concentrates on that Victorian phantom known as the Angel in the House (borrowed from Coventry Patmore’s poem celebrating domestic bliss)—that selfless, sacrificial woman in the nineteenth century whose sole purpose in life was to soothe, to flatter, and to comfort the male half of the world’s population. “Killing the Angel in the House,” wrote Virginia Woolf, “was part of the occupation of a woman writer.” That has proved to be a prophetic statement, for today, not only in the domain of letters, but in the entire professional world, women are still engaged in that deadly contest in their struggle for social and economic equality. --Mitchell A . Leaska When your secretary invited me to come here, she told me that your Society is concerned with the employment of women and she suggested that I might tell you something about my own professional experiences. It is true...
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...TEN TOUGH INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND TEN SMART ANSWERS If only interviewees could have the slightest idea of the kind of questions interviewers will ask them, a lot more people would be able to overcome mental fear of the unknown which often produces the physical symptoms of nervousness. The best way to prepare mentally is to know what may be coming. Fear of the unknown can only exist when there is an unknown. Take the time to understand some of the standards when it comes to interviewing questions. The following are some of the most difficult questions you will face in the course of your job interviews. Some questions may seem rather simple on the surface such as ‘tell me about yourself’ but these questions can have a variety of answers. The more open ended the question, the wider the variation in the answers. Once you have become practiced in your interviewing skills, you will find that you can use almost any question as a launching pad for a particular topic or compelling story. Others are classic interview questions, such as “what is your greatest weakness”? Questions most people answer improperly. In this case, the standard textbook answer for the greatest weakness question is to provide a veiled positive such as: I work too much. I just work and work and work. Wrong. Either you are lying or, worse yet, you are telling the truth, in which case you define working too much as a weakness and really do not want to work much at all. The following answers are provided to give...
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...Tell me about your dream job. Don't mention a specific job. Say something generic like, "I want a job where I love the work and the people I work with." Why did you leave your last job? Never refer to a major problem with management or say undesirable things about your supervisors, co-workers or the organization. Keep smiling and talk about leaving for a positive reason such as an opportunity, or a chance to do something better. What is your weakness? Always try to give a positive answer. For example, "It takes me a long time to get ready in the morning, so I set my alarm two hours ahead of my time in for work." What are your strengths? Sell yourself. Say how you can be a desirable employee for the company. What do you know about the type of work we do? Do a research about the company before going to the job interview. Why should we hire you? This is your chance to show why working for the company is important to you and why you think you will fit in. Don't mention other applicants for comparison. Tell me about a suggestion you have made. This will show that you care about the company's growth. Use an example that was accepted and successful, especially one that is related to the position. Do you consider yourself successful? You should always answer yes. Success doesn't necessarily have to be big ones, just mention how you have achieved goals you have set for yourself. What do co-workers say about you? Recall good things that your co-workers have said like...
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...Constantly being embarrassed by your culture or family is something that happens to me all the time. It started when I was small, and up to this day, I get embarrassed because of my culture. I would have never imagined that this could happen to me especially since I am always proud of who I am (al 100 Como Muchos dicen). Something that I realized these couple of years is that I let other people determine what I feel embarrassed about. Let’s say stereotypes, this is something that has influenced me in the way that I think. I’m not sure if you have heard of the one stereotype that says that “all Mexicans own big trucks”. Well, let me just tell you that my family meaning to my parents own a big white expedition truck, just by owning this truck...
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...exciting journey is Rev. John Webster. It is our earnest prayer that your journey to hear God's voice is dramatically shortened and enhanced by this series with the first teaching entitled "Hearing God's Voice." I want to welcome you to hearing the voice of God now. It's been a long journey for me learning to hear the voice of the Lord. It didn't just happen overnight. Wouldn't it be wonderful with regard to hearing God's voice if I could just lay hands on each one of you and impart a divine supernatural ability that from this point on you would be hearing God's voice with clarity, consistency, and confidence. And we could just get this all done this morning with laying on of hands and impartation of gifts and stir that up. I would like to do that, but it doesn't work that way. That's not how it's developed. That's not how it's imparted to us. It's a learning process, like almost everything we do - it's a process. We learn it as we go and my process began some years ago in 1977 when I came to know the Lord - my heart was to always have an intimate relationship with the Lord and to bond with the Lord in a real intimate way. That requires communication doesn't it. Ladies can tell us that the basis for a good relationship is certainly communication. We men sometimes don't really understand that, but it's true nonetheless that a good relationship is based on communication. It's the same with our relationship with the Lord. If you're going to have a good quality relationship...
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...aspect such as waiting for your true love or waiting to say goodbye. He first explained that everyday is filled with little moments of waiting. Then, he tells us about current philosophies about seizing the day for life is short that would actually have us forget the need for patience and the need for waiting. That kind of philosophy may apply to other people, but he explains that if we never learn to wait, we people will never learn to love any other person other than ourselves. He then connects his homily about waiting to the aspect about love. He showed us the beauty and what we can benefit and what we can lose if we wait for whom we love. He tells us how to find out if someone is worth waiting for through our gut feel. Also, he tells us the difference between “hoping” and expecting” – that hoping means you’re open to whichever side and to whatever happens & that expecting means you’re definitely waiting for something to happen. Lastly, he ended his homily with 2 things: what you can rely on with waiting – your own gut feel, your heart, and your mind & questions to ask yourself to find out if he or she is worth waiting for. As a teenage girl, I have only experienced REAL love just once. I may not have that much experience, but this homily really struck me. It doesn’t only explain “waiting” as just “waiting”. It explains “waiting” as a sacrament and all of it’s beauty. More in particular, one particular quote really got to me: “Anyone who has loved knows how...
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...1. Tell me about yourself: The most often asked question in interviews. You need to have a short statement prepared in your mind. Be careful that it does not sound rehearsed. Limit it to work-related items unless instructed otherwise. Talk about things you have done and jobs you have held that relate to the position you are interviewing for. Start with the item farthest back and work up to the present. 2. Why did you leave your last job? Stay positive regardless of the circumstances. Never refer to a major problem with management and never speak ill of supervisors, co-workers or the organization. If you do, you will be the one looking bad. Keep smiling and talk about leaving for a positive reason such as an opportunity, a chance to do something special or other forward-looking reasons. 3. What experience do you have in this field? Speak about specifics that relate to the position you are applying for. If you do not have specific experience, get as close as you can. 4. Do you consider yourself successful? You should always answer yes and briefly explain why. A good explanation is that you have set goals, and you have met some and are on track to achieve the others. 5. What do co-workers say about you? Be prepared with a quote or two from co-workers. Either a specific statement or a paraphrase will work. Jill Clark, a co-worker at Smith Company, always said I was the hardest workers she had ever known. It is as powerful as Jill having said it at the interview...
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...DR: My Pedagogical Experience dr University of Texas Pan American June 11, 2012 My Pedagogical Experience Introduction: Like most South Texas residents, I come from a large family. Unfortunately this largely Hispanic population has several members in their families that lack a proper education. For example, my mother dropped out of school so she can support a family. As a single parent, my mother strived everyday to maintain us, so that we would have everything that we needed for school. My mother has always supported me in my education, and she always pushed me to do better so I would get a diploma and continue my education to get a bachelors degree. It is extremely important that I have a successful future. I not only have to think about myself but for my new family. By having an educational background not only will I provide my family with a secure and stable future but also hope to give the kids in my community a chance to have a bright future as well. I was first inspired to become a teacher when I attended Kelly Elementary. Ms. Palacios, the best teacher I ever had, was truly one of a kind. To this day I have not seen any teachers that have the true passion to teach and inspire young minds like Ms. Palacios was able give me. Several of them are just there for the pay and because they get several days off. Junior High was truly an eye awakening experience for me. For the first time I felt pressured to do better in order to graduate in the top ten...
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...brothers and 2 sisters, daughter of mr. & mrs. Ernesto and Roselline Relleve. I came from a different family, I grow up with my siblings and they are the one who's taking care of me since my parents worked in the other place since I was two years old until I turn fourth year high school, both of my parents are not by my side while I'm growing up, and once a year till we've met again.I didn't study Pre-school and Kinder garden, When I was four years old, My ate zoey is bringing me in her school when she was only grade two because no one who will take care of me at house because my parents are not there and my ate and kuya are also studying as a high school student, so my ate zoey had no choice but go to school with me.When I turn 5 I started study grade 1 and I can say that it's so hard being a grade school student that you have no mother who's taking of you while your classmates is fully supportive by their mom, they have a mom who will brushed their hair, prepared their lunch, who will wipe their tears if they are crying and say,"tahan na anak, andito na c mama" and the one who will take care of you if you are sick, But me? I did not experience it all, because my mother is not by my side while I'm growing, It's because she's so busy in her job as a caregiver here in batangas so she had no time for us but because the hardwork of my mom, Me and my siblings didn't finished our study and we are so thankful to god 'cause he gave us a strong and a loving mother...
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...This semester must come to an end. This was one the most breathtaking courses that I have taking Kaplan University. I have had the chance to voluntary at Kent County Juvenile Community Service Department. I am going to share with you in this paper what I have learned about the program, describe how it is ran, tell the roles I played, and also give a piece of my mind on the experience that I encounter during my voluntary work. Explanation of the agency’s function After the passing of the passing of the 1996 Public Act 388 the Family Division of the Circuit Court was created. According to the Kent County site under Family Division the legislation required that by July 1, 1997 the probate courts and the circuit courts come to an agreement on how they were going to run the Family Division Courts. The probate courts, circuit court judges, and many more people came up with a great plan because the Supreme Court approved the plan. Michigan has Family Court in each circuit court that hears the cases dealing with every aspect of family law. Judges in the Family Court Division hear case about divorce, which parent get custody of the child(ren), who going to support the child or alimony, and even children who want to get emancipated from their guardian. The Family Court Division also hears cases about children being abused, neglected, and so many more. Michigan Family Courts do not just deal with the things I mention above. This court deals with matters of kids...
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...training , it will be a great honour bring my skills and learn more from the best people at hand. Your company has a good reputation and strong team. In this environment, I can combine my knowledge and experience well. I can challenge myself and reach my goal. Tell me what you know about this job? The job is a customer service role, which involves delivering high quality customer service to all customers. Being able to resolves to customers problems, by exceeding customer expectations. Tell me about the skills and experience you have relevant to this role? My previous job at Aquaid as a customer service / admin assistant, I received a call from a angry customer who had not received their item. I apologised and reassured the customer that their problem will be dealt with and kept calm and professional despite the customer’s behaviour. I then checked the system and resent the item for next working day. Lastly, I kindly informed the customer on what i did and apologised again for the inconvenience caused. There for the skills and experience that I will bring to this organization is my year’s expertisee on delivering a good service to all customers. Good communication skills in building strong relationship with customers, ensuring that they are satisfy with the service they received. What re your 3 strength I have exceeded my sales goals every quarter and I've earned a bonus each year since I started with my current employer My time management skills are excellent and I'm...
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...I? I’ve been through a lot in my life and I’m only eighteen-years-old. I never knew that I would overcome the problems that I had with my parents but I did. I think that’s why I’m a strong person. The things that I experienced made me scared and I wanted to hide, but I didn’t. However, I always find myself asking “why is my life this way?” At a young age, getting taken away from my parents was hard because I didn’t know anybody. All I knew was my parents. The fact that my parents did not fight to get me back played a large role in my development. I had to grow up seeing and learning things that I wasn’t supposed to know at such a young age. I used to say “I hate my parents for not getting me back!” I used to think that no one cared. I never really made any friends because I was mad all of the time and I would always take my anger out on other people. I knew it was wrong. In junior high school, I made friends because of my talent. I love to sing. Singing makes me forget about all of my problems and it makes me euphoric. Whenever I had a show, I would tell my father to come see me sing. He never paid me any mind. To him, it was always “school, school, school!” I learned to ignore him and to pursue my goals. My boyfriend has a big impact on my life. He’s always there for me when I need him. He keeps me strong and he always tells me “you can do it!” There were times that I used to cry and tell him that I wanted to drop out of school. He would say to me “Stay in school. Dropping out...
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...encountered my first experience with death at the age of nine. My friend and I found a dead goldfish near the water trough where we used to wash our dishes. Someone left the goldfish in a plastic bottle, dead and lonely. The smooth, red scale glittered under the sun, along with the upturned white belly. How did she die? What has happened to her in this life? Who left her here? With thousands of questions filled with our minds, we decided not to leave her alone. We decided to hold a funeral for this pitiful little creature. We buried her in our schoolyard, with a “tombstone” made with a tree branch that says her name, “fish”. We gave an emotional speech and sang a lullaby to put her into rest. I almost burst into tears, not only because of the vanishing goldfish, but also for the special feelings of opening my heart to a little goldfish, who I didn’t know, whom I held a funeral for, who witnessed my subtle growth. That goldfish was the first sign of my sensitivity. I started to look at things and people differently, to think about what could have happened behind them, to remember them as characters in my stories. I started reading world literature: Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Leo Tolstoy, J.D. Salinger… The words drew me into different times and space as if through a magic spell. I resonated...
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...If you ask someone why those are “girl” colors or “boy” colors the response is generally “because they are”. Who decided that those colors have a gender preference? Who even decided those are those colors? This class led me to question society itself and realize we give things an identity based on what we are told. The most important thing I learned was the inverted spectrum. I am going to define what the inverted spectrum is, explain what it is, and provide examples how it applies to everyday lives. Then I will explain that the inverted spectrum is important to me because in reality no one can understand my mental state no matter how I explain it, I learned to think for myself, and perception is our reality even though it may be completely false. I will then explain some counter arguments against my reasons such as knowing someone’s mental state because of a similar event or emotion and that we believe what we believe based on facts that are then passed down from person to person. Then I will explain how the counter arguments are incorrect. Finally, I will conclude my argument. The inverted spectrum suggests things are not just input, output because of our own experiences. We do not learn through input and output such as mathematics but our experiences. What this means is someone could pick up a pink crayon but see black but are always told that that color is pink so they see the pink crayon as black but no one else will ever know that. An example of this is you can think...
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