What are your strengths

Best Answers
When I'm working on a project, I don't want just to meet deadlines. Rather, I prefer to complete the
project well ahead of schedule.
Being organized wasn't my strongest point, but I implemented a time management system that really
helped my organization skills.
I like to make sure that my work is perfect, so I tend to perhaps spend a little too much time checking
it. However, I've come to a good balance by setting up a system to ensure everything is done
correctly the first time.
I used to wait until the last minute to set appointments for the coming week, but I realized that
scheduling in advance makes much more sense.
Sometimes, I spend more time than necessary on a task, or take on tasks personally that could easily
be delegated to someone else. Although I've never missed a deadline, it is still an effort for me to
know when to move on to the next task, and to be confident when assigning others work.
I had difficulty with calculus during college, but I persevered with tutoring assistance and extra effort
and completed 2 levels with a B minus average.
I've learned to make my perfectionism work to my advantage at work. I am excellent at meeting
deadlines, and with my attention to detail, I know my work is correct.
I used to like to work on one project to its completion before starting on another, but I've learned to
work on many projects at the same time, and I think it allows me to be more creative and effective in
each one.

What are your weaknesses?

When you consider which weaknesses to mention when asked in an interview, keep in mind that you
should focus on factors which are not central to the requirements for the job for which you are
interviewing.
Weaknesses which you have taken successful steps to address are often the best candidates for
referencing during the interview. Ambiguous weaknesses which might be construed as strengths for
the job at hand are also worth considering.
Examples of Weaknesses
A-M
Advanced Mathematics
Any Area of Knowledge Like a Software Package which Can be Easily Learned
Covering for Co-Workers
Creative Writing
Discomfort with Leaving a Project Unfinished
Expecting Too Much from Colleagues
Expressing Frustration with Underperforming Staff
Focusing on Details
Impatience

Internalizing the Problems of Clients

Lack of Certain Experience (which is obvious from your resume)
Lack of Creativity
Mastering Foreign Languages
N-Z
Neglecting to Take Credit
Not Readily Delegating Tasks
Not Spontaneous, Better When Prepared
Over Involved in Activities on Campus to the Neglect of My Studies
Presenting to Large Groups
Providing Constructive Criticism
Providing Too Much Detail in Reports
Sensitive
Shifting from One Project to Another
Spelling
Taking on Too Many Projects at Once
Taking on Too Much Responsibility
Taking Too Many Risks
Too Helpful
Worked Too Many Hours When In School

Tell about yourself

What to Share With The Interviewer
Although it might be tempting to share a list of your most compelling qualifications for the job at
hand, a more low-key approach will probably help you to develop a personal rapport with your
interviewer.
Try starting out by sharing some personal interests which don't relate directly to your work.
Examples might include a hobby which you are passionate about like quilting, astronomy, chess,
choral singing, golf, skiing, tennis or antiquing.
Interests like long distance running or yoga which help to represent your healthy, energetic side are
worth mentioning. Pursuits like being an avid reader or solving crossword puzzles or brain teasers
will help to showcase your intellectual leaning. Interests like golf, tennis and gourmet food might
have some value if you would be entertaining clients in your new job.
Volunteer work will demonstrate the seriousness of your character and commitment to the welfare
of your community. Interactive roles like PTA volunteer, museum tour guide, fundraiser, or chair of a
social club will help show your comfort with engaging others.

Avoid Politics and Controversy

Typically, you would steer clear of controversial topics like politics or religion. It's important to avoid
any references to topics that would cause concern about your ethics, character, productivity or work
ethic. You also don't need to share personal information about your family. There is no need to
discuss spouses, partners, children or any other strictly personal information.

Transition to Professional from Personal

After sharing a few interesting personal aspects of your background, you can transition to sharing
some key professional skills that would help you to add value if you were hired for your target job.
Consider using phrases like "In addition to those interests and passions, my professional life is a huge
part of who I am, so I'd like to talk a bit about some of the strengths which I would bring to this job."
Share Your Expertise
Then be ready to share three or four of the personal qualities, skills and/or areas of expertise which
would help you to excel in the job for which you are interviewing. Ultimately you will want to share
several other strengths before the interview is over.
Make a list before you go the interview, so you know what you will share. Look at the job description
and match it with your skills. Then share the top few skills which make you an ideal candidate for the
job.
However, be careful not to overwhelm the interviewer with too much information. After mentioning
three or four strengths, you might mention that you have several other assets which you would like
to discuss as the interview unfolds.
At first, you should only mention the asset and allude only briefly to some proof of how you have
tapped it to your advantage. For example, you might say that you love to give presentations and that
has helped you to generate lots of leads at sales dinners for prospective clients.
Later in the interview, you will want to be more specific and detailed in discussing situations,
interventions and results flowing from your strengths.

How Will Your Greatest Strength Help You Perform?

Sample Answers
My greatest strength is my ability to work with many different people. I enjoy learning from everyone
I meet, and in this position I believe that will enhance my ability to perform on the team.
My greatest strength is my ability to focus on my work. I'm not easily distracted, and this means that
my performance is very high, even in a busy office like this one.
My greatest strength is my ability to focus on the job at hand. I'm not easily distracted from the big
picture.
My organizational skills are my greatest strength. I'm capable of keeping many projects on track at
the same time.
One of my greatest strengths is my ability to manage my time well. I am able to effectively anticipate
the time needed for a project, and complete on time or ahead of schedule.
My greatest strength is my ability to effectively delegate appropriate tasks to my team. I identify the
strengths of the people on my team, and help them to utilize them to make the whole team work
more efficiently.

My greatest strength is my listening ability. I pay careful attention to what Im being told about
everything, from specific information relating to current projects, to future projects, even to what my
colleagues did over the weekend. I feel that by being a good listener, I am more effective at
completing projects, as well as effectively motivating others.

How Do You Handle Failure?

How to Respond
The best approach to this kind of question is to identify some scenarios when you came up short on
the job in advance of your interview. Choose situations where you took responsibility for your
failure, learned from it and took steps to avoid recurrences of similar failures.
Typically it is safer to cite failures that were not very recent. Be ready to describe your strategy for
self-improvement in detail and to reference subsequent successes you achieved after taking those
steps.
Best Answers
Your response to this question can begin with a general summary of your approach. For example,
you might lead with a statement like:
"I have always lived by the maxim that nobody is perfect, so I am relatively comfortable taking
responsibility for my shortcomings. My approach is to figure out what I could change to avoid similar
circumstances in the future. I look to my professional colleagues in similar jobs and co-workers at my
organization for suggestions on how to improve. I am aggressive about taking workshops, training
seminars and online tutorials to upgrade my skills."
Share an Example
Employers will likely follow up with a request for you to provide an example of a failure that you
addressed, so be ready to furnish something like this:
"When I was managing the Park Side Restaurant in 2010, I experienced a year without revenue
growth after several years of substantial increases. As I analyzed the situation, I realized that some of
my competitors were grabbing a segment of my customers by using online advertising/promotions
and implementing a social media strategy. I recognized the need to move aggressively into the
future, and mastered some digital marketing skills. I attended several workshops at the annual
conference, took a class in digital marketing and hired a tech savvy intern to help introduce a new
marketing strategy. We restructured our website, instituted a loyalty program, partnered with
Groupon and initiated a Facebook campaign. After implementing these changes, our revenues
increased by 15% in the next quarter.

What Not to Say

Finally, avoid references to any failures that expose inadequacies that limit your ability to carry out
core components of the job.

The only exception to this rule would be if you can tell a very compelling story about how you
eliminated those weaknesses. Again, be careful though. You dont want to leave the employer with
the impression that you dont have the qualifications to succeed on the job

How Do You Handle Success?

How to Respond to Interview Questions About Success
The best approach for answering is to prepare specific examples of your successes and to reference
how you assessed the factors contributing to your achievements. Then share how you applied this
knowledge to continue your professional development and to generate positive results.
You could reference a time when you led a team that was able to deliver a product ahead of
schedule, along with the steps the individuals took to ensure that high quality was maintained
despite the accelerated schedule. You could then share how you recognized each effort, and how
you and your staff were able to implement the technique on future deliverables.
For example, you might say "I like to maintain a consistent level of productivity and take both my
successes and failures in stride. I try to learn from both and apply that knowledge to future
situations. For example, last August my sales team landed P&Z as a client. We were all elated, and I
took my staff out for a celebratory dinner. I thought up a series of awards to recognize the role that
individual staff had played in the process, and saluted members of the team. I called a meeting for
the next Tuesday to break down the process and identified several strategies that contributed to our
success. We discussed new targets, and six months later landed another top consumer products
client using some of the same tactics."
Make it Relevant
When you think of an example to share with hiring managers be sure that its relevant to the job and
the company. Take a look at the job posting and pick one of the job requirements. Then share a
response that includes something similar, if possible, to what you would be doing in the new job.
The more focused your success story, the more it will have a positive impact on the interviewer.
Here's how to match your qualifications to a job.
What Not to Say
Try not to make your response all about you. Especially if you're being hired for a job where you are
part of a team or in a management role, it's a good idea to give credit to the people who were
instrumental in helping you succeed.
Sharing the credit for your successes will show the interviewer how you will be able to fit in when
you are in a job which involves working well with others.

How Are You Different From the Competition?

Separate Yourself from the Other Applicants
In most cases, you will have no idea who you are competing with for a particular job, so this type of
question is really an invitation to summarize your strengths as a candidate with an emphasis on any
assets which might separate you from the typical applicant.
Make a List of the Priority Job Requirements
Start preparing by analyzing the requirements for the job that seem to have the highest priority. A
detailed job description within the listing for the position will give you some cues about what the
organization values the most from candidates. If the ad is short on substance, then look for
advertisements of similar positions on major job sites to discern a pattern for employer preferences.
Make a list of the top five qualifications for the ideal candidate. Review that list and try to think of
how you have applied those skills, qualities or areas of knowledge to make a strong contribution in
your paid employment, internships, volunteer work, academics or activities.
Best Answers
Be prepared to reference each asset and to describe a situation where you used that strength and
any results you helped generate or how your organization has benefited from your actions.
For example, your answer might begin with an acknowledgement like "Of course, I am not aware of
the other candidates in the applicant pool, but I can say that my skills in Excel are quite advanced. I
have created complex macros to track seasonal variations in sales and expenses which have helped
my department to save money."
In addition to addressing the standard job requirements, try to add a strength that is relatively
unique, and would add value. For example, although foreign language skills might not be listed in the
job advertisement, you might mention that your Spanish language skills would enable you to
establish rapport with Latino clients.
Bring a Copy
As well as rehearsing your points prior to the interview, you may also want to type up the list and
print out a copy for your interviewer to keep. That way, if they miss any part of your spiel, they'll be
able to look back on the document post-interview.

What Motivates You?

There isn't a right or wrong answer to interview questions about what motivates you. The
interviewer is trying to understand the key to your being successful in the job he is interviewing for,
and wants to make sure it's a good fit.
Consider, in advance of interviewing, what actually does motivate you and come up with some
specific examples to share during the interview.

Sample Answers
Your response will vary based on your background and experiences, but, you will want to share your
enthusiasm and what you like(d) best about your job. Here are some examples:
I was responsible for several projects where I directed development teams and implemented
repeatable processes. The teams achieved 100% on-time delivery of software products. I was
motivated both by the challenge of finishing the projects ahead of schedule and by managing the
teams that achieved our goals.
I've always been motivated by the desire to do a good job at whatever position I'm in. I want to excel
and to be successful in my job, both for my own personal satisfaction and for my employer.
I have always wanted to ensure that my company's clients get the best customer service I can
provide. I've always felt that it's important, both to me personally, and for the company and the
clients, to provide a positive customer experience.
I have spent my career in sales, typically in commission-based positions, and compensation has
always been a strong factor in motivating me to be the top salesperson at my prior employers.

Are You a Self Motivator?

Absolutely. I am a very active person, and I enjoy my work. I'm always looking for new and innovative
ideas to bring to a project.
I believe I am a self motivator. I give my all to a project, and am always looking ahead to the next one
at hand. Successfully completing one and moving on to the next is very exciting for me. I am
passionate about my work, and truly enjoy working toward the next big goal.
I have always been self motivated. Coming from my background, not very much was expected of me
after I finished High School. I always wanted more, and put myself through college and grad School
with very little support from my family. In the workplace, I bring that same drive to managing
projects and deadlines.

How Do You Handle Stress / Pressure?

Examples of good responses include:
Stress is very important to me. With stress, I do the best possible job. The appropriate way to deal
with stress is to make sure I have the correct balance between good stress and bad stress. I need
good stress to stay motivated and productive.
I react to situations, rather than to stress. That way, the situation is handled and doesn't become
stressful.

I actually work better under pressure and I've found that I enjoy working in a challenging
environment.

From a personal perspective, I manage stress by visiting the gym every evening. It's a great stress
reducer.
Prioritizing my responsibilities so I have a clear idea of what needs to be done when, has helped me
effectively manage pressure on the job.
If the people I am managing are contributing to my stress level, I discuss options for better handling
difficult situations with them.
I find that when I'm under the pressure of a deadline, I can do some of my most creative work.
I'm not a person who has a difficult time with stress. When I'm under pressure, I focus, and get the
job done.
I find it exhilarating to be in a dynamic environment where the pressure is on.
I find a past pace to be invigorating, and thrive when the pressure is on.
I've done some of my best work under tight deadlines, where the atmosphere was very stressful.
I'm the kind of person who stays calm under pressure, and handles stress fairly easily.
It's a good idea to give examples of how you have handled stress to your interviewer. That way, they
get a clear picture how well you can work in stressful situations.

What Are Your Goals for the Future?

The best way to respond to the interview question "What are your goals for the future?" or "Where
do you see yourself in five years?" is to refer to the position and the company you are interviewing
with.
Don't discuss your goals for returning to school or having a family, they are not relevant and could
knock you out of contention for the job. Rather, you want to connect your answer to the job you are
applying for. Examples of good responses include:
My long-term goals involve growing with a company where I can continue to learn, take on additional
responsibilities, and contribute as much of value as I can.
I see myself as a top performing employee in a well-established organization, like this one. I plan on
enhancing my skills and continuing my involvement in (related) professional associations.
Once I gain additional experience, I would like to move on from a technical position to management.
In the XYZ Corporation, what is a typical career path for someone with my skills and experiences?

"What Do You See Yourself Doing in 10 Years?"

Answering this question can be tricky since the employer may be looking for
someone who will be happy in the position for which they are interviewing, and
they also may be assessing your future potential.
In addition, if you are planning on retiring sooner rather than later they may be
concerned about hiring someone who wont stay with the company for long.
Share Your Interest in the Job
Its important to reference what is most appealing to you about the job, as well
as your interest in mastering that job for a reasonable period of time. If the
job is one that an employee would normally hold for a long period of time, then
your focus should remain on excelling in that role and fully developing the
knowledge and skills to add optimal value.
When You Want to Advance
If you wish to advance from that initial job, then you should research a typical
career path evolving from that job. You can ask your interviewer about
options for promotion once you have established yourself with the company.
By expressing interest in advancement, you will reassure your interviewer that
you are looking to make a commitment to the company and your career, not
just filling the time until you can retire.
For example, if you would like to advance from sales to sales management, you
might express your high level of interest in expanding your product knowledge,
developing strong relationships with clients and expanding sales. Then you
could mention that, in the future, you would like to share what you had learned
with newer sales representatives and coach them towards success by taking on
a role as a sales manager.
When You Plan on Retiring
For older workers, who are obviously closer to the normal retirement age, you
will have a decision to make as to whether to address this issue directly. It can
be effective to say something like "I love my work and certainly don't anticipate
retiring within that time period. You could then go on to speak specifically
about what you would hope to accomplish during that 5 or 10 year period.