help with interview

ST09RM · 30-12-2005, 10:33 PM

hey guys,

ive got a big interview this coming thursday and i got told it goes for over an hour..its been awhile since ive had a interview because i usually keep jobs for a few years at a time..so can someone help me out and refresh me and chuck some sort of interview Q's at me??

thanks alot...

HAPPY NEW YEAR FORD LOVERS

max^power · 30-12-2005, 10:50 PM

seek.com.au has some interview questions... if you're a member you can see them. but then again, i suck at interviews, so maybe i should check em out too

max^power · 30-12-2005, 10:55 PM

here's a few:

What is one thing that your present and past employers could do to improve their business?
What were your three most significant achievements in your previous/current job?
Question
I notice from your resume you've been unemployed for quite some time.
What style of management gets the best from you?
Are you married? Do you have children?
What are your salary requirements?
Why should we give you the job ahead of the five other people we're interviewing today?
What other opportunities are you considering at the moment?

Virtual Interviewer ---> http://www.seek.com.au/qa/interviewer.asp
IT will also give you ideas on answers to the questions.

hypnodoc · 30-12-2005, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by au^ute

here's a few:

What is one thing that your present and past employers could do to improve their business?
What were your three most significant achievements in your previous/current job?
Question
I notice from your resume you've been unemployed for quite some time.
What style of management gets the best from you?
Are you married? Do you have children?
What are your salary requirements?
Why should we give you the job ahead of the five other people we're interviewing today?
What other opportunities are you considering at the moment?

Virtual Interviewer ---> http://www.seek.com.au/qa/interviewer.asp
IT will also give you ideas on answers to the questions.

Mate if its a big company with an HR dept eh chances are that you're going to be subjected to a MENSA or some other psychological processing test, and they won't give you an on the spot answer anyway, so your best option is to present yourself and your credentials well and BE HONEST.
If it's a smaller company and theres only one person to make the decision, calm confidence is what you need to display. If the job appears to be what you want I'd finish the interview by saying something like
"Well it all sounds good to me and I don't think I'd have any trouble meeting all you're requirements and I'm good at what I do, so if I am chosen for this opportunity neither of us will be disappointed", then just shut up and see what happens.
I have 12 people on staff and whenever I do an interview, I always consider how much the candidate asks about my company, just as much as what the resume or written references may say. We look for self confidence, presentation, enthusiam, and honesty.
Hope this helps, good luck and all the best.
What sort of work do you do if you don't mind me asking?

Yummy Mummy · 30-12-2005, 11:10 PM

They can't ask you any personal questions, like if your married or have children, these are discriminatory and have no bearing on your work performance.

Try to find out if it is a target selection interview, where they will ask for a specific example to a question. You will need to give them a situation, task, action and response. Try to think of examples of when you have been in certain situations, how you handled it, what you did, and what the outcome was/benefit for the business. If the interview will go for over an hour then I would suggest it will be in this format. If it is in this format, the questions will be along the lines of "can you give me an example of when you have missed your monthly plan, what did you do to rectify it?"

Even if the interview isn't as structured as a behavioural one, it is a good idea to respond to their questions by giving examples of when you have been in similar situations. That way you can give them an idea of your experience and how you handle certain situations.

I agree, seek.com.au has great interview guides and sample questions.

I have interviewed so many candidates when i was in management, and in addition to the answers, it pays to make sure you present well, keep eye contact, and be confident without being arrogant.

Good luck, hope it all goes well.

ST09RM · 30-12-2005, 11:30 PM

yeah i know all that eye contact stuff...its a Sales Rep/Territory Manager for Cadbury

gtfpv · 30-12-2005, 11:47 PM

me i say be yourself . but dont swear. thats it . be polite . dont reply what you would expect them to hear just be yourself . and if you dont get the job dont worry if you are real thats all that matters . oh and dont bs too much . i blew my very 1st interveiw by trying to guess an answer. i reaserched the question before the interview but was given the wrong answer by my parents. would of been easier to say i didnt know . so if you get stuck explain why .honesty will always prevail . good luck.stick up for yourself.

max^power · 31-12-2005, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hypnodoc

I always consider how much the candidate asks about my company, just as much as what the resume or written references may say.

So what kinds of questions are appropriate? questions about growth expectations or profits? i never ask these questions, obviously my downfall. The reason is i dont want them thinking im prying too much or they've already answered the questions when they introduce the role.

Any gems that they may be waiting for?

DOC · 31-12-2005, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BiLLaBoNG_DuDe

yeah i know all that eye contact stuff...its a Sales Rep/Territory Manager for Cadbury

You allready have a head start then, Log onto thier site and learn all about thier company, what products the sell, new lines, when they were established ect. this will show you have taken some time to research the company.

An employer will want a return on his investment in you ( he will invest his money in you by paying your wages, super etc ) for this your sales must exceed these costs providing a return on his money, so if asked why you and not the other 5 explain that you see it this way and that you have the abilility to provide the company with this return and that your ability to learn and your willingness to work 5 minutes longer than any of the other 5 would ensure the best outcome for all parties.

You could also show / illistrate a willingness to work with the company and other employees in the group.

It is important as GT has said to be yourself and it will be important in a sales role to be approachable and to have good people skills ( so do not mumble or look away during the interview but sit slightly forward and attentive without over doing it )

You must pay attention to your dress sense as your appearance is / will be a factor in sales, arrive a little early but not to early, sales people need to be on time in todays busy times.

Practice some questions and what you would say, but also practice using a very slight delay with the answer ( in other words leave a small pause before speaking as this shows you are putting some thought in to what your about to say, and when you do speak less is more so refine your answers to the question at hand without waffle or dragging the answer out putting them to sleep )

Hope this helps you out, and if i can leave you with one more tip in a sales role, Ask your self these questions, Do i believe in the product / is it a good product ? would i sell it to my family and freinds ? and do i want to sell this product ?

If you answer no to anyone of the Q's i suggest you look for another job and thus avoid wasting both thiers and your time, however if the trifecta is yes, then all advice so far ( from all above ) is good so start preparing and a part of your prep is your mindframe (in sales you must start to believe your the best to be the best) so start picturing you have done well and get the job, this alone will make a big diffence to your outcome.

Pete

red_october · 31-12-2005, 11:53 AM

1. Show yourself confident that you can do the job beyond what they want, and be relaxed.
2. Dress for the ocassion, don't be a slob.
3. Speak clearly.
4. Personally I'd like to be the first person for any interview, so you set the standard, and the interviewers are fresh. If you're the last, they would have lost interest, they would have made up their mind, and you have to convince them you're better than the rest.
5. Perception is everything.

I find that more and more companies are less interested in your qualifications and more focussed in the EQ - Emotional Quotient - of a person.

PS - if you get the job, you owe all of us a Mars bar :voldar02:

chippa6 · 31-12-2005, 12:42 PM

A couple of things,
always be clear and too the point - don't waffle on, if the interviewer requires more info they will ask for it by - tell me when, how etc. and also take a monet or 2 to think about your answer.

NEVER NEVER talk over an interviewer or butt in OR start answering a question before they have finished.

start thinking to yourself the night before that you are the person for the job, you have the qualifications, experience, and motivation to make a difference to the company, and if they don't want to hire you its their loss. Being Interviewers can spot confidence in ones self and goes a long way.

An obvious one which a lot of people get very wrong in to never swear - even though Sh!7 has become part of everyday language it is not appropriate in any interview situation no matter how casual the interview is or even if the interviewer uses it - it could be bait.

All the best of luck and let us know how you go !

Feathers · 31-12-2005, 01:02 PM

In the interview I went for last year they asked what I thought my own strengths and weaknesses were, and what I was looking to improve by getting the job there.

Then the interview turned into us sitting there talking about cars. As far as interviews go, it was actually pretty good.

In my job I actually deal with a couple of the Cadbury sales reps. All they really do (at store level) is make sure their stock is on show, help occasionally with planograms/section layouts, check ticketing and talk to the grocery managers about possible displays and future promotions.

ST09RM · 31-12-2005, 06:53 PM

yeah i worked at woolies for 2.5 years and ive done a business managment course aswell so i know alot about retail/grocery

ST09RM · 05-01-2006, 06:33 PM

all done i had the interview today but i think he cut it short im not sure i didnt get asked too many Q's...but i did answer the ones he asked with long answers and i did have him laughing aswell

16wantsI6 · 05-01-2006, 08:06 PM

well i just did an interview recently my self, to get a pre-apprenticeship with a plant mechanic company called botemans. all i can say is 'I Sucked' i didnt prepare for it at all, i just grabbed all my stuff that morning and walked in. I just presented my self and was honest. The next day i got a call and i got into the course! it was me and one other person who made it through. So good luck and hope you do well

max^power · 05-01-2006, 08:12 PM

hope it goes your way billabong dude. i'd better get of my butt and get into gear now the ATO is off my hammer for a while ;)

ST09RM · 05-01-2006, 11:39 PM

yeah i studyed for it and all ive got a mate that does it so he helped me out big time..i wore a suit n done my hair but i had them laughing because ATM i work at the daily tele and do the ads and i told em one time i had the prossie ads done and it was wrong and she went off and came into the office blah blah and they fulled cracked up..and he goes how much calls u go though a day and stuff?? i said like 200 - 300 ..u should of seen his face drop!

ST09RM · 06-01-2006, 10:58 AM

well no call yet and im abit depressed about it...

ST09RM · 06-01-2006, 04:58 PM

yeah no good..got an email saying blah blah try again later :(

Dave_au · 06-01-2006, 05:06 PM

try try and try again!

Never forget that an interview is also a two way process - don't be afraid to ask questions back.

chippa6 · 06-01-2006, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave_au

try try and try again!

Never forget that an interview is also a two way process - don't be afraid to ask questions back.

SPOT ON !!! - best thing you can do after being unsuccessful is contact them via email pref or phone if you have to and nicely and politely ask how you could improve for next time and what you would have needed to get the job - the aim is some constructive criticism. !

Dont be depressed because you should be thinking it is their loss - a job could be just around the corner when you least expect it. I tried for 18 months to get a job out of uni and nothing at all only a handful of interviews - then all of a sudden i had 4 interviews in one week ! and got offered 3 roles - it blew my mind and it came out of nowhere!

Good luck and keep sending out those resume's !!!

Duffman · 06-01-2006, 09:16 PM

Iv got an interview next week as well I think I better get on seek and read those rules on interviews. Getting the unsuccessful email sucks but there is always 1000 more jobs.

BOSS 540 · 06-01-2006, 09:33 PM

Dont sweat it, its probably for the best. Im in pharmaceutical sales and seen Cadbury advertise a lot!, that usually means a high turnover of staff. The other positive is their reps drive gay looking purple commodores..

max^power · 06-01-2006, 09:35 PM

Yeah that sucks, i know how you feel mate, the gov jobs i applied for didn't want me either, went to canberra for a day to go for 2 jobs, with no luck for either (although i got further into the process than i thought i would), you just have to press on, apply for 2 jobs for each one you fail and you'll be right

At least you'll get feedback, defence obviously disliked me enough to not give me any feedback at all... i asked a few times with absolutley no reply.

Duffman: good luck mate

ST09RM · 07-01-2006, 12:02 AM

thanks all i may just try for a promotion at my work for the meantime

Duffman · 12-01-2006, 08:51 PM

Hay guys sorry to bring an old post up but thought it might be better then starting a new thread as this one has the info I want to refer to in.

I applied for a few jobs and had interviews all week the main job I wanted to get (stockbroaker) I had an interview for today. It was at 12pm but I came early 11:30 so we kicked it off early and it went till 1pm!

au^ute - i followed your advice and used the virtual interview and dam it was helpful they asked simliar questions and I had all the answers ready, the useful one was do you have any other jobs your going for and to answer yes to them which i did and was true!

hypndoc - I used your end tatic of saying i think i can meet all the job descriptions and im willing to put in 5 mins longer work then anyone else and give your company a higher return and they where impressed.

redoctober - took your advice and took the very first interview spot.

chippa6 - made the mistake to talk over them once but quickly stopped few! i think i waffled on a bit but they seemed entertained

gtfpv - i think they tried to use the swaring trap on me at one stage but didnt fall for it

But overall everyones advice was helpful. At the end they said we will let you know by next Friday and im thinking cant be too good if they wanted it asap and now they have put me off for a week. Now what this post is about is they called me that afternoon and asked me to come in for a second interview on monday morning. Now im wondering what would the second interview be about, I mean what more could they possibly ask the only thing I can think of is unless im been interviewed by someone else? Anyone have any ideas on what to expect?

Duffman · 14-01-2006, 01:59 AM

anyone?