Interviewing Archives - Page 4 of 10 - Palladian Career Resources

Top 8 Reasons to Schedule a Mock Interview

Mock interviews simulate actual job interviews, allowing the job seeker to practice their interview skills. Interviewing is a performance. Without practice, a job seeker cannot perform at their best. This makes mock interviews one of the most important steps in a job search.

Few job seekers complete a mock interview during their job search. There are a few reasons for this. Some job seekers fail to realize how much a mock interview can improve interview performance. Other job seekers believe their interview skills are exceptional and do not need to be improved. There are even job seekers that are afraid of the feedback after a mock interview. Many people have a fear of public speaking and are intimidated in interviews. The idea of conducting an interview in front of someone who will criticize their interview performance is terrifying. This is unfortunate since the people most afraid of interviewing often need the most help.

There is no replacement for mock interviews, though. You cannot practice interviewing alone. You have to have someone ask you a question that you must answer on the spot. This is the core of any interview and can’t be recreated without the interviewer.

There are a number benefits to mock interviews, and below are the eight most significant:

Practice allows you to try different ways of answering common interview questions
You can make a mistake in a mock interview without hurting your job search
A mock interview is the only way you can prepare for unforeseen questions
You can get specific feedback from the interviewer in a mock interview that an employer will never share with you.
Mock interviews can help build your confidence
Interviewers often think of questions the job seeker doesn’t anticipate
A mock interview offers a chance to try different styles of interviews
Mock interviews are one of the fastest and most effective ways to improve your interview skill

If you haven’t completed a mock interview in your job search, schedule one now. Ideally, the interviewer you choose will be similar to type of interviewer you will encounter in a real interview. This may require finding someone you don’t know to conduct a mock interview. Interviews with close friends or co-workers may make the mock interview less effective due to your familiarity with the interviewer. If you can’t find a suitable interviewer, find a professional interviewer coach that can conduct the mock interview with you.

Interview Tip #10

Interview Tip: Don’t try to make a fashion statement in an interview.

Interview Tip: Don’t try to make a fashion statement in an interview.

How you dress for an interview will not help you get an offer, but it can hurt your chances. In most situations, conservative professional attire is expected. There are a few exceptions, but they are rare. Research the company. If nothing in your research indicates unusual expectations for how a candidate dresses, stick with a professional appearance. You want to be remembered for your skills, experience and potential, not your fashion choices.

Interview Tip #9

Interview Tip: Don’t try to be someone you aren’t in an interview.

Interview Tip: Don’t try to be someone you aren’t in an interview.

Some job seekers try to exaggerate their background to appear vastly different from reality. This is a mistake. Being genuine and honest is always the best course. First, exaggerating your background may cause a hiring manager to question your claims – there are stories that job seekers tell that just seem too good to be true. Second, if you make yourself out to be something you aren’t, there is a good chance you won’t be happy in the job if you get it. Even worse, your claims may cause you to be rejected for a position that is a good fit.

Interview Answers: Why Shouldn’t I Hire You

Each interviewer will have different criteria and methods they feel will best assess a candidate. One style is to confront a candidate very aggressively to see how they candidate will respond. Often, the questions will focus on failures. One of the most difficult to answer is “Why Shouldn’t I Hire You?”

This question will stop a lot of job seekers in their tracks. Most people won't expect it. It is a rare question, but does get asked from time to time. It also requires giving a reason why you should be rejected. This is not a topic many people want to cover in an interview. Hiring managers ask this question for three reasons. First, they may want to make the job seeker uncomfortable to see how they react. Second, they may be assessing the candidate's ability to self assess and admit limitations. Third, they may be fishing for a weakness that they haven't spotted.

If you are asked this question, you need to give a good answer. You can't deflect the answer with something like, “You shouldn't hire me if you don't think I'm the best for the job.” An answer like this will not impress a hiring manager. It does avoid discussing your weaknesses, but it is a very weak answer.

A much better approach is to outline your strengths and weaknesses, and relate these to the job. Show why you are a good choice, and provide aspects of the job that are potential weaknesses for you. If the job is a good fit for your background, your strengths will related to the key priorities of the job and your weaknesses will related to minor responsibilities. If done right, outlining your strengths and weaknesses can help sell you to the hiring manager.

Example

Consider an experienced plant manager interviewing for a plant manager position:

“My background is in leading and managing production teams. I started out as a supervisor and worked my way up. Throughout my career, I have done an excellent job of motivating teams, holding employees accountable for their performance and controlling costs. I've picked up a lot of technical knowledge along the way, but I am not expert on the equipment. I have succeeded by using the technical expertise within my team. If your organization needs a hands on plant manager that can troubleshoot processes, I'm probably not the best candidate for the job. I will perform much better in a role where technical expertise exists in the organization and needs skilled leadership to maximize its effectiveness.”

This answer focuses on the candidate's strengths and gives a reason why the candidate should be hired. It also provides a reason not to hire the candidate. Most plant management jobs will seek a strong leader and not a pure technical expert. This makes the answer safe in most situations. There are exceptions. Some plants are technically very weak. They need a top leader that can provide engineering, process and equipment expertise. If this is the case, the answer will hurt the candidate's chances. This may not be a bad thing, though. If the candidate really isn't a technical expert, a role requiring this background will not be a fit.

Preparing an Answer

Should you prepared an answer for this question? The question is rare, and may not come up in any of your interviews. Despite this, I recommend preparing an answer. The reason is simple. If you can articulate very clearly why you are both a strong and weak fit for a position, you can sell your potential in almost any interview answer.

Interview Tip #8

Interview Tip: Schedule a mock interview to learn how interviewers assess your performance.

Interview Tip: Schedule a mock interview to learn how interviewers assess your performance.

Few job seekers can accurately assess their own interview performance. In an interview, it doesn’t matter what you find impressive or persuasive. The hiring manager’s opinion is the one that counts. Every serious job seeker should complete mock interviews. Many job seekers make the same mistakes in every interview and never improve.

My Interview Prep Book Is Now Available

My new book, Power Up Your Job Search: A Modern Approach to Interview Preparation, provides a step-by-step system to prepare you for an interview, and will help you outpace the competition.

My new book, Power Up Your Job Search: A Modern Approach to Interview Preparation, provides a step-by-step system to prepare you for an interview, and will help you outpace the competition. I co-wrote the book with my business partner at Palladian, Mark Henderson.

We started writing this book more than three years ago in an effort to develop a simple guide to help candidates in our executive recruiting business. We were shocked by the poor interview performance of many exceptional job seekers. Some of the most successful candidates in a field could not present their capabilities and potential effectively. Over the years, we developed a powerful system to prepare individuals to interview quickly. This book teaches our system in a clear straight-forward manner.

We wrote the book with three audiences in mind – experienced professionals and executives, transitioning military personal, and individuals entering the workforce. Each audience possesses a different background, but similar needs. To address all three groups, the book starts with several chapters that provide a foundation. It then moves on to advanced interviewing techniques. By following this approach and considering the needs of all three groups, the book will benefit the most experienced job seekers in a straight-forward style that even the least experienced job seekers will find easy to follow.

Almost everyone will benefit from this book, but some people need it more than others. If a person has gone on an interview, felt they did great but never heard from the company again, they need this book. Too many job seekers make fundamental mistakes in interviews but have no idea they are sabotaging their search. These individuals need to learn the techniques in the book.

For regular readers of my blog, some of the techniques in the book will be familar, but a lot of the content is new and never published before.

To learn more about the book, go to Power Up Your Job Search.

Hiring Managers Want to Succeed

One of the most significant priorities of hiring managers is selecting a person that will make them successful. Every position within a company has goals and expectations. If it didn’t, the position would be eliminated. Managers need to deliver results, and this requires each member of their their delivering results that contribute to the team’s goals. To standout in the interview process, you need to show how you will contribute to the company’s and team’s success.

This is just the starting point though. There are other factors beyond individual contribution that a hiring manager will consider. A big issue is how easy a person will be to manage. Managers may overseas a few people or dozens. The larger the team, the less time the manager can devote to each individual.

I’m sure you have worked with someone that was very needy. The type of person that requires constant direction and management. This could be caused by insecurity, a lack of initiative or a low skill level. Regardless of the cause, an employee requiring significant time and effort to manage can make the manager less effective. It is rare that a manager today is only responsible for managing their team. Most are tasked with a variety of other responsibilities.

Some people won’t care about the problems and tasks of a potential boss. They are focused on showing they can do the job they are seeking. The downfall of this is hiring managers will hire the person who will make their team successful. This may not be the person with the most experience or talent.

Professional sports routinely show talented athletes that hurt their team’s performance. Terrell Owens has been regarded by many as the most talented receiver in the NFL for a number of years. His ability is exceptional and he can dominate a game. Despite this, he was cut from the Philadelphia Eagles mid-season a few years ago and has now been released from the Dallas Cowboys. There are a number of teams that need a good receiver that have passed over T.O. several times. Recently, the Bills signed him and it will be interesting to see if he helps or hurts the team.

In your job search, it is important to show how you will help the company, your team and your boss. If you only focus on your personal achievement or contributions to the company, without any concern for the success of your team, you can hurt your chances.

In preparing to interview, look at what you did to make the jobs of your past bosses easier. How did you communicate with them? When and how would you ask for help? Are you able to work autonomously or do you need a lot of attention? How did you get along with your team?

Consider these questions before your next interview. Even if you are not asked any of them, you can be certain you will be assessed on how you will contribute to the success of your prospective boss.

Interview Tip #7

Interview Tip: Demonstrate your willingness to do whatever the job requires.

Interview Tip: Demonstrate your willingness to do whatever the job requires.

In every job, there is a reason they pay you – activities and responsibilities that a person otherwise would not want to do. These undesirable parts of the job are often the most critical to the role’s success. You want to demonstrate in an interview that you willing to do every aspect of the job. Show your work ethic and examples of when you went above and beyond the expectations placed upon you.

Behavioral interview questions are often used to assess how a person acts instead of focusing just on responsibilities and results.

There Are No Stupid Interview Questions

Have you ever been asked a question in an interview that strikes you as complete ridiculous? The kind of question that makes you wonder how the person across the desk was able to get their job if they think a question like that is valuable.

At some point in your job search, you may be asked a question that seems valueless, or just plain stupid. Some people react to a question like this by making a joke out of it, asking if the interview is serious or stating that they think it’s dumb question. These responses are mistakes.

If an interviewer asks a question, they have a reason for asking it. It’s important to them. It may indeed be ridiculous and the basis of the question may not make any sense to you, but the interviewer asked it because they want the answer. If your reaction shows you don’t respect the question, it will hurt your chances. Even worse, the interviewer may have a very good reason for asking the question due to some detail of the position you do not know.

There are no stupid interview questions. Regardless of your feelings of the value of a question, the judge of each question and answer is the interviewer. Additionally, there are interviewers that intentionally throw in off the wall questions to see how the candidate will react. In this case, the interviewer doesn’t really care about the answer. They are more interested in the ability of the job seeker to stay focused and professional.

As you prepare for an interview, it is important to consider how you will react to a question that completely surprises you. No matter how much you prepare, there is always a chance that the interviewer will ask a question you didn’t anticipate. How you respond to being blindsided can make or break an interview.

If you get a question that surprises or stumps you, take a few seconds to answer. A short pause to think will not hurt the impression you make. If you need more than a couple seconds, stall. A simple phrase, such as: “That’s an interesting question,” followed by a restatement of the question can help you formulate your answer. Avoid the temptation to just start talking. Many people, when nervous and faced with a question they didn’t expect panic and start talking immediately – before they know what they are going to say. If you avoid this, you will make a much better impression.

Behavioral Interview Questions for Project Engineers

Project engineers identify, plan and implement projects with organizations. The scope of this field is extremely broad. There are a number of common elements to project engineering roles, and these elements are often assessed with behavioral interview questions.

A behavioral interview targets specific situations the job seeker is likely to encounter in the role and asks for examples of a similar experiences. The questions usually follow a “Tell me about a time when you…” format.

Tell me about a time when you led a large capital improvement project.
Tell me about a time when you managed the acquisition of new equipment.
Tell me about a time when you planned a facility expansion.
Tell me about a time when you redesigned a process.
Tell me about a time when you made improvements to the plant layout.
Tell me about a time when you designed a new product.
Tell me about a time when you redesigned the packaging of a product.
Tell me about a time when you added automation to a process.
Tell me about a time when you had trouble debugging a new piece of equipment.
Tell me about a time when you reduced the utility costs in a facility.
Tell me about a time when you changed a process to reduce material handling.
Tell me about a time when you managed a project that came in under budget.
Tell me about a time when you managed a project that exceed budget.
Tell me about a time when you led a project that fell behind schedule.
Tell me about a time when you delivered a project ahead of schedule.
Tell me about the most successful project you managed.
Tell me about a project that was a major failure.
Tell me about a time when you failed to plan an essential step in a project.
Tell me about a time when you delegated effectively.

To be prepared to answer these questions in an interview, you need have examples of specific projects you have managed. You do not need a project for every question. A selection of projects touching on a range of experiences will allow you to adapt to almost any question.

Get our book on behavioral interviewing.

Other Great Books to help you prepare for Behavioral Interviews: