Below if our latest submission for this week’s 24 hour newspaper: Part 2 – Interview Answers the Right Way. This is a continuation from last weeks article (2 of 3 ).
Part 2– Interview Answers the Right Way.
Last week I introduced Part 1 of Answering interview questions the right way, where I provided information to job seekers from Financial Analysts to Early Childhood Educators on how to answer specific interview questions. Continuing on, part 2 of 3 looks at additional questions you can expect to be asked in a job interview and how to answer them the right way.
“Why did you leave your last job?” or “Why do you want to leave your current job?”
Job Interview Answer Notes:
This is question is always one of the favorites by the job interviewer. You should always know why you did leave or plan to leave a job. To guide you in the right direction, here are a few reasons you may want to use: 1) you were not able to grow further professionally in your position, 2) The commute was long and it became harder as time went on, 3) There was no way to move up the ladder anytime soon, since there were too many people ahead of you, 4) You felt that it was time to get reasonably compensated for your skills and knowledge, 5) The company was not stable and needed stability due to personal and family circumstance.
For example: “The current company I work for is a small department with 5 Financial Analysts. I feel I have gone as far as I possibly can. It is time for me to grow professionally and join a more reputable company that offers greater challenges. ”
OR
“The owner of the daycare is retiring this year and is selling to a new owner. I have worked for her as an Early Childhood Educator for over 5 years and she is a great employer. However I am looking for more stability due to personal and family circumstances”
“What was it about your previous company that you did not like or agree with?”
Job Interview Answer Notes:
This question is putting you directly in the spotlight. Provide an answer that doesn’t speak too negatively and get into too much detail. Also, provide only on answer without rambling on about a few negatives. When answering, mention how company policies and/or directives were misunderstood by some employees who disregarded the big picture – profitability. For example, “As an Early Childhood Educator, I didn’t like the way staff mentioned customers come first, but didn’t really go the extra mile to ensure this. It wasn’t the fault of the management, just a negative group that only looked to fill their own pockets. This brought on a negative vibe amongst individuals and all group cohesion was lost. I believe in team work and moving forward together.”
“What was it about your previous company that you did not like or agree with?”
Job Interview Answer Notes:
This question can be easily defused by looking for answers that do not hold a significant impact to the main requirements of the position. For example: “As a Financial Analyst in my last job, we did not have any administrative support so I had to do all my own filing. As such, I think filing was my least favourite aspect of my previous job. However, it is important to the overall success for me, my department and company, so I always remain positive even though its mind numbing.” An answer like this will show the employer that you understand mundane tasks are necessary and you take the bad with the good.
Join me next week for the last part of answering job interview questions the right way. Until then, best of luck in your job interview.
Do you have any job or work related topics you would like us to cover in the future? If so, contact us at info@hrinmotion.com
