Career Services from Measurability

It is difficult to predict what questions will arise at interviews. There are however a few gems that keep coming up over and over again. I posted previously about the “Salary Question” and in this post I will examine how to handle two additional interview questions that may come up at your next interview.Interview Coaching – Question – Why should we employ you?
This can be taken as a guaranteed question at any interview. Here you have the employer asking you how you meet the job requirements. Some jobseekers take this as the opportunity to babble on about everything positive they have ever achieved. Be careful!! You must take a focused approach. You will have identified the key points the employer is seeking and now is your opportunity to tell them how you meet the requirements. Back up any points with evidence. So tell them what you did but also the results and achievements.Interview Coaching – Question – Why do you want to work for our company?
This question is the employers establishing if you have researched and planned your job hunt and if you have researched their organisation. Another way to ask this question is “How do the company and the role meet your needs?” This question is important as it helps the interviewer find out if you have a scattergun approach to job hunting or a planned approach. You will need to research the company and analyse the role and pick out key points that relate to your career goals.Preparing for interviews can be a daunting thought. By working with an Interview Coach you can access unlimited professional support, experience and advice. This could make the difference between success and failure. Contact us for more information about our service and costs.

Probably the most common question I am asked when providing interview coaching sessions is “How do you handle the Salary question?” Simple think of a figure and multiply it by 10 – That would be nice!!There are a couple of points I make clear to job-seekers.1. It is probably best to dodge answering this question because you could price yourself out of the job BUT worse under-price yourself. I advise job-seekers to respond something like “I am currently on x but I am open to salary depending on the role and the location” This side steps answering and it also give the impression that you are not money driven. Or you could answer with a question “What would a role like this pay in your company?” The important thing is that this strategy forces the employer to lay their cards on the table first. If they make an offer under your expectation then you can negotiate. If they make an offer over your expectation – great!!.

2. If you have a minimum figure and money is a key motivation it is probably best to give the client indication of this if asked. Again how you ask for it is important. There is no point dancing round the question only to find after 3 interviews and alot of time invested that they can’t meet your expectations - wasting you precious time.

3. Final point – it is probably best to let the employer bring up the Salary topic. Only time I would go against this if you have to go to great time or financial expense to attend an interview and what to assess if it is worth your effort.

For additional information on Interview preparation, Interview Coaching, Competency Interviews and more check out our website Measurability.

 Happy Job Hunting