• LAVA Moderator: Shinji Ikari

MEGA - Jobs, Resumes, Interviews

dude, nobody can answer these questions for you.

why do you want to work for that company?

why should they hire you?

you already answered the first question: "It pays well and is active, which I want.". you may want to massage that into a less cavalier answer but a thesaurus can surely help you there. instead of "it pays well", you could say "i want to be appropriately compensated for a job well done and this position offers that."

you obviously want the job. you're going to have to do a little work yourself to get it...

alasdair
 
dude, nobody can answer these questions for you.

why do you want to work for that company?

why should they hire you?

you already answered the first question: "It pays well and is active, which I want.". you may want to massage that into a less cavalier answer but a thesaurus can surely help you there. instead of "it pays well", you could say "i want to be appropriately compensated for a job well done and this position offers that."

you obviously want the job. you're going to have to do a little work yourself to get it...

alasdair

Heh, fair enough. I've noticed 99% of your posts are along the lines of "We can't help you with this, what is the obvious answer....do that" which is usually absolutely spot-on and I normally couldn't agree more.

However, in this situation, I merely need a little guidance for general ideas of how to go about this, because I cannot even begin to answer these kinds of vague questions with my little experience.
Why should they hire me? I don't know what is the best way to answer that and wouldn't mind some guidance.
Why do I want to work for that company? Because I need money.

Obviously I have some idea and won't answer so brazenly and stupidly, but I just wanted a little direction for ideas of what one might should such questions, of which I have no experience answering, be asked.
 
Thanks a lot deaf eye!

GOOD NEWS! - I went in, it didn't start well as it was like a godamn maze trying to find the reception, so I made a bit of a tit of myself ending up in a totally random, wrong area.
I finally found the boss, and it seemed like he already made his decision, but his main question was "You seem too intelligent to work for us, why are you wanting this job? You seem a bit over-qualified" which seriously took me by surprise. I just said that I felt that since it was a highly-active role within a tight-knit team that I would be suitable since that's my forté, regardless of intellect.

So after a few more questions'n'banter, he said "Well i'd be delighted to take you on, when can you start?"

So I start on Monday :D:D:D I feel like such a massive weight is off my shoulders. I actually feel like i've achieved some self-worth again....no more unemployment worries, no more money worries, no more lack of direction.

I'd just like to thank Jesus and God (thanks guys, keepin it real), the C-Boys in the studio (y'all know who you are), the crew (yo yo yo) and my mother, my brother and all my friends and all my fans most importantly! Peace!
 
Heh, fair enough. I've noticed 99% of your posts are along the lines of "We can't help you with this, what is the obvious answer....do that" which is usually absolutely spot-on and I normally couldn't agree more.
but this time it's different because it's you? :)
...because I cannot even begin to answer these kinds of vague questions with my little experience.
Why should they hire me? I don't know what is the best way to answer that and wouldn't mind some guidance.
Why do I want to work for that company? Because I need money.
come on. you seem like a pretty smart guy. cannot even begin to answer? don't you think you're better than that?

it's not clear why you describe these questions as vague - to me, they're pretty specific. it's possible that they invite vague answers but that's a whole different thing.

put yourself in the shoes of the person asking these questions. what conclusions do you draw? given the nature of the position, what reason do you think an employer might have for asking stock questions like these? i've hired loads of people and i don't ask a question like that because i (only) want to know why i should hire you. i'm looking for a lot of other things into which the question is just a segue. i'm trying to find out how confident you are at communicating. i'm trying to find out whether you look me in the eye and give me a straight answer. i'm trying to find out whether you've given any thought to the position and how you can make a positive impact. i'm trying to just get a sense of who you are and whether there's a personality fit with the team. i'm trying to find out 100 other things about you given the limitations of a short job interview.

when i ask you why you want to work for this company, i recognise that if it was the company across the street that was hiring, you'd be interviewing there. a question like that asks whether you've bothered to prepare for the interview by checking out the website or even calling somebody at the company ahead of time and asking a few questions. it gives you the opportunity to discuss your goals and place the conversation in that context. it shows me, again, that you have put some thought and effort into this. hell, i interviewed a guy once and asked him a question about my company's products. he didn't even know what the company sold and he could have easily prepared for that question by glancing at our homepage for 10 seconds. i don't expect a candidate to know our products in detail - providing company-specific training to a new hire is easy. he didn't get the job because he showed me that he didn't care enough about the job to spend less than a minute preparing properly.

i know my initial answer seemed unhelpful but file it under "give a man a fish. teach a man to fish". what happens if something arises at work that you can't handle? are you going to need 30 minutes to log onto bluelight and ask e&c how to handle it? helping you to help yourself if the best help of all.

congratulations on landing the job. good luck going forward.

alasdair
 
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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 you are looking for a new job (or any job) because you want to advance your career and get a position that allows you to grow as a person and an employee. It's not a good idea to mention money here, it can make you sound mercenary. And if you are in the unfortunate situation of having been downsized, stay positive and be as brief as possible about it. If you were fired, you'll need a good explanation. But once again, stay positive.

3. Tell me what you know about this company.

Do your homework before you go to any interview. Whether it's being the VP of marketing or the mailroom clerk, you should know about the company or business you're going to work for. Has this company been in the news lately? Who are the people in the company you should know about? Do the background work, it will make you stand out as someone who comes prepared, and is genuinely interested in the company and the job.

4. Why do you want to work at X Company?

This should be directly related to the last question. Any research you've done on the company should have led you to the conclusion that you'd want to work there. After all, you're at the interview, right? Put some thought into this answer before you have your interview, mention your career goals and highlight forward-thinking goals and career plans.

5. What relevant experience do you have?

Hopefully if you're applying for this position you have bags of related experience, and if that's the case you should mention it all. But if you're switching careers or trying something a little different, your experience may initially not look like it's matching up. That's when you need a little honest creativity to match the experiences required with the ones you have. People skills are people skills after all, you just need to show how customer service skills can apply to internal management positions, and so on.

6. If your previous co-workers were here, what would they say about you?

Ok, this is not the time for full disclosure. If some people from your past are going to say you're a boring A-hole, you don't need to bring that up. Stay positive, always, and maybe have a few specific quotes in mind. "They'd say I was a hard worker" or even better "John Doe has always said I was the most reliable, creative problem-solver he'd ever met."

7. Have you done anything to further your experience?

This could include anything from night classes to hobbies and sports. If it's related, it's worth mentioning. Obviously anything to do with further education is great, but maybe you're spending time on a home improvement project to work on skills such as self-sufficiency, time management and motivation.

8. Where else have you applied?

This is a good way to hint that you're in demand, without sounding like you're whoring yourself all over town. So, be honest and mention a few other companies but don't go into detail. The fact that you're seriously looking and keeping your options open is what the interviewer is driving at.

9. How are you when you're working under pressure?

Once again, there are a few ways to answer this but they should all be positive. You may work well under pressure, you may thrive under pressure, and you may actually PREFER working under pressure. If you say you crumble like aged blue cheese, this is not going to help you get your foot in the door.

10. What motivates you to do a good job?

The answer to this one is not money, even if it is. You should be motivated by life's noble pursuits. You want recognition for a job well done. You want to become better at your job. You want to help others or be a leader in your field.

11. What's your greatest strength?

This is your chance to shine. You're being asked to explain why you are a great employee, so don't hold back and stay do stay positive. You could be someone who thrives under pressure, a great motivator, an amazing problem solver or someone with extraordinary attention to detail. If your greatest strength, however, is to drink anyone under the table or get a top score on Mario Kart, keep it to yourself. The interviewer is looking for work-related strengths.

12. What's your biggest weakness?

If you're completely honest, you may be kicking yourself in the butt. If you say you don't have one, you're obviously lying. This is a horrible question and one that politicians have become masters at answering. They say things like "I'm perhaps too committed to my work and don't spend enough time with my family." Oh, there's a fireable offense. I've even heard "I think I'm too good at my job, it can often make people jealous." Please, let's keep our feet on the ground. If you're asked this question, give a small, work-related flaw that you're working hard to improve. Example: "I've been told I occasionally focus on details and miss the bigger picture, so I've been spending time laying out the complete project every day to see my overall progress."

13. Let's talk about salary. What are you looking for?

Run for cover! This is one tricky game to play in an interview. Even if you know the salary range for the job, if you answer first you're already showing all your cards. You want as much as possible, the employer wants you for as little as you're willing to take. Before you apply, take a look at salary.com for a good idea of what someone with your specific experience should be paid. You may want to say, "well, that's something I've thought long and hard about and I think someone with my experience should get between X & Y." Or, you could be sly and say, "right now, I'm more interested in talking more about what the position can offer my career." That could at least buy you a little time to scope out the situation. But if you do have a specific figure in mind and you are confident that you can get it, I'd say go for it. I have on many occasions, and every time I got very close to that figure (both below and sometimes above).

14. Are you good at working in a team?

Unless you have the I.Q. of a houseplant, you'll always answer YES to this one. It's the only answer. How can anyone function inside an organization if they are a loner? You may want to mention what part you like to play in a team though; it's a great chance to explain that you're a natural leader.

15. Tell me a suggestion you have made that was implemented.

It's important here to focus on the word "implemented." There's nothing wrong with having a thousand great ideas, but if the only place they live is on your notepad what's the point? Better still, you need a good ending. If your previous company took your advice and ended up going bankrupt, that's not such a great example either. Be prepared with a story about an idea of yours that was taken from idea to implementation, and considered successful.

16. Has anything ever irritated you about people you've worked with?

Of course, you have a list as long as your arm. But you can't say that, it shows you as being negative and difficult to work with. The best way to answer this one is to think for a while and then say something like "I've always got on just fine with my co-workers actually."

17. Is there anyone you just could not work with?

No. Well, unless you're talking about murderers, racists, rapists, thieves or other dastardly characters, you can work with anyone. Otherwise you could be flagged as someone who's picky and difficult if you say, "I can't work with anyone who's a Bronco's fan. Sorry."

18. Tell me about any issues you've had with a previous boss.

Arrgh! If you fall for this one you shouldn't be hired anyway. The interviewer is testing you to see if you'll speak badly about your previous supervisor. Simply answer this question with extreme tact, diplomacy and if necessary, a big fat loss of memory. In short, you've never had any issues.

19. Would you rather work for money or job satisfaction?

It's not a very fair question is it? We'd all love to get paid a Trump-like salary doing a job we love but that's rare indeed. It's fine to say money is important, but remember that NOTHING is more important to you than the job. Otherwise, you're just someone looking for a bigger paycheck.

20. Would you rather be liked or feared?

I have been asked this a lot, in various incarnations. The first time I just drew a blank and said, "I don't know." That went over badly, but it was right at the start of my career when I had little to no experience. Since then I've realized that my genuine answer is "Neither, I'd rather be respected." You don't want to be feared because fear is no way to motivate a team. You may got the job done but at what cost? Similarly, if you're everyone's best friend you'll find it difficult to make tough decisions or hit deadlines. But when you're respected, you don't have to be a complete bastard or a lame duck to get the job done.

21. Are you willing to put the interests of X Company ahead of your own?

Again, another nasty question. If you say yes, you're a corporate whore who doesn't care about family. If you say no, you're disloyal to the company. I'm afraid that you'll probably have to say yes to this one though, because you're trying to be the perfect employee at this point, and perfect employees don't cut out early for Jimmy's baseball game.

22. So, explain why I should hire you.

As I'm sure you know, "because I'm great" or "I really need a job" are not good answers here. This is a time to give the employer a laundry list of your greatest talents that just so happen to match the job description. It's also good to avoid taking potshots at other potential candidates here. Focus on yourself and your talents, not other people's flaws.

23. Finally, do you have any questions to ask me?

I'll finish the way I started, with one of the most common questions asked in interviews. This directly relates to the research you've done on the company and also gives you a chance to show how eager and prepared you are. You'll probably want to ask about benefits if they haven't been covered already. A good generic one is "how soon could I start, if I were offered the job of course." You may also ask what you'd be working on. Specifically, in the role you're applying for and how that affects the rest of the company. Always have questions ready, greeting this one with a blank stare is a rotten way to finish your interview. Good luck and happy job hunting.
 
^ when using internet copypasta, it's considered a simple courtesy to attribute the item. the post above is pasted directly from here: http://www.wisebread.com/how-to-answer-23-of-the-most-common-interview-questions

:\

while there is some useful advice sprinkled through that article, it reads like it was written by a twelve year old and i wouldn't use it as the foundation of my interview technique.

alasdair
 
but this time it's different because it's you? :)

This time it is somewhat different because I had the vain hope that somebody might be able to simply give me some general pointers on how to answer these kinds of questions. There are a million and three websites on this subject providing what I need, so it's not exactly a futile question that is wholly unanswerable like you initially suggest.
However, I merely wished to secure a couple of BLers ideas on some good ways to answer these questions, given that you're an intelligent bunch and could perhaps help specifically after I disclose the job i'm going for. Just a simple bit of guidance, that's all.
come on. you seem like a pretty smart guy. cannot even begin to answer? don't you think you're better than that?

Mild hyperbole my friend.

it's not clear why you describe these questions as vague - to me, they're pretty specific. it's possible that they invite vague answers but that's a whole different thing.

put yourself in the shoes of the person asking these questions. what conclusions do you draw? given the nature of the position, what reason do you think an employer might have for asking stock questions like these? i've hired loads of people and i don't ask a question like that because i (only) want to know why i should hire you. i'm looking for a lot of other things into which the question is just a segue. i'm trying to find out how confident you are at communicating. i'm trying to find out whether you look me in the eye and give me a straight answer. i'm trying to find out whether you've given any thought to the position and how you can make a positive impact. i'm trying to just get a sense of who you are and whether there's a personality fit with the team. i'm trying to find out 100 other things about you given the limitations of a short job interview.

when i ask you why you want to work for this company, i recognise that if it was the company across the street that was hiring, you'd be interviewing there. a question like that asks whether you've bothered to prepare for the interview by checking out the website or even calling somebody at the company ahead of time and asking a few questions. it gives you the opportunity to discuss your goals and place the conversation in that context. it shows me, again, that you have put some thought and effort into this. hell, i interviewed a guy once and asked him a question about my company's products. he didn't even know what the company sold and he could have easily prepared for that question by glancing at our homepage for 10 seconds. i don't expect a candidate to know our products in detail - providing company-specific training to a new hire is easy. he didn't get the job because he showed me that he didn't care enough about the job to spend less than a minute preparing properly.

i know my initial answer seemed unhelpful but file it under "give a man a fish. teach a man to fish". what happens if something arises at work that you can't handle? are you going to need 30 minutes to log onto bluelight and ask e&c how to handle it? helping you to help yourself if the best help of all.

congratulations on landing the job. good luck going forward.

alasdair

Thanks for that, made for good reading. Cheers for the help and thanks for the well-wishes my friend.
 
resume problem

There are a million resume templates and tips on the web but I can't seem to handle it. Its like I get so frustrated I just end up with tears on my cheeks and blurred vision.

I have to write a new resume for every job I apply for. I can't do it. I don't know what skills I'm supposed to put. I don't have any current references because it's been over a year since I was laid off.

Monster chargers $300 for a resume.

I can't even pay for a 20 sak.

I feel so lost. I am sure I'll never get another teaching job. I don't know how to do anything else. I've submitted well over 200 applications, I've had 7 interviews. All for nothing, you know? FML.:(
 
i hear you.

you shouldn't have to write a new resume for every job you apply for. try starting with a full-chronological resume which simply lists, in a matter of fact way, the dates of your employment and education. my resume has a 'profile' section at the start which consists of four bullet points which highlight my four most important skills. once you have a complete resume, you can just edit it as necessary to speak to specifics of the job for which you are applying. you may find that you can, in a short time, nail down just two or three versions of you resume which you can fall back on 99% without having to do any new editing most of the time.

also, you should not list references on your resume anyway, so don't worry about that. references don't necessarily have to be current. when i'm hiring people, i'm happy to talk to references that go back quite a few years. a lot of companies require hiring managers simply to confirm dates, titles and rehire status when checking references.

i'm job-hunting in a new city right now and i know it can seem bleak. you've had 7 interviews - that's 7 more than i've had :) every time you interview you get better at it so, even if you don't land the job, it's not for nothing - it's a learning process.

i expect that our experience and career path are very different but if you want to compare some notes on resume writing, drop me a pm.

good luck.

alasdair
 
^ when using internet copypasta, it's considered a simple courtesy to attribute the item. the post above is pasted directly from here: http://www.wisebread.com/how-to-answer-23-of-the-most-common-interview-questions

:\

while there is some useful advice sprinkled through that article, it reads like it was written by a twelve year old and i wouldn't use it as the foundation of my interview technique.

alasdair

ah your right, my bad. thanks for the advice. was just tryin to be helpful.
 
I'm sorry. To be honest, I find resumes crazy easy, but a lot of my friends get sooo frustrated. Personally, I hate the cover letters, I *cannot* seem to get them right. (Feel free to PM me if you need some resume help.

My general template is:

Name
Address
Phone
Email
***** (some sort of line)

Education:
Dates Diploma/Degree, location, GPA, graduation date
- a couple of points (any accomplishments)

Qualifications
- ex. can types 50 WPM
- have "some type of" certificate
- customer service experience
- five skills, these should be changed from resume to resume depending on the job, but have maybe 10 or 15 that you choose between

Work Experience

Dates Job Title
Business
- a couple points about what you did there

Dates Job Title (#2)
Business
- a couple points about what you did there
- include as many jobs as you need

Volunteer Experience


Dates Volunteer Title
Business
- a couple points about what you did there

Dates Volunteer Title (#2)
Business
- a couple points about what you did there
- include as many volunteer positions as you need

General Interests
- softball player
- web design
- anything else

**References Available Upon Request**

the formatting may be a bit off, but that's the format I use, I send it to my friends/family so that they have a basis and can start it off without me :)
make sure dates are the most current to the oldest
if you have something from 10 years ago that doesn't relate, don't include it
if you had a job for three months that wasn't very useful, don't include it
include the most important ones and the most recent TWO jobs

those are my general tips
 
^ good post. couple of points: you can't include the previous TWO jobs if you're just starting out and you've only had one job; also, i would omit "references available on request" - that should go without saying.

i tend to agree that people seem to overthink resume writing and find a way to make it a lot harder than it can be. i also understand that cover letters can be harder as each cover letter should be specifically crafted for the position in question. keep it short and to the point - explain, generally, that your skills and experience are a good fit for the requirements and responsibilities of the position then give a couple of specific examples of why that's the case.

alasdair
 
Thank you SO much. I am working on a resume, which looks like "reZUUm" without the appropriate puntucation, based on your advice and it has already helped me a great deal. I want to teach again, and they are still laying teachers OFF in Cali anyway. I can collect my unemployment for another year and maybe things will get better. If they don't, I will have to get a job doing something besides teaching, but I have no idea what direction to go in.

I love teaching. I love literature. I love words. I love to read what students write. I have a few of my former seniors in college now and I tutor them on their college English classes on the weekends. That's what I will be doing Sunday.

It's pouring rain so hard right now I can't hear anything but rain falling. I'm not sad that I am at home with no where to go today. Being unemployed is almost nice when it's pouring rain.

Thank you again, your help has been wonderful for me. Bluelight Forever, and always getting better.<3;)
 
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