Greetings to you, dear readers, on the page of the next article from the Anti-HR cycle.
Here are the most common questions asked at interviews. I did not go to the interview for half a year and could forget some of them. Therefore, if there is something not to get, please write in the comments, I will then supplement the article.
Immediately I will begin with the most delicate and problematic, in the opinion of most applicants, question:
The question of the reasons for dismissal
Here, in my opinion, there is no absolutely correct answer. There is just something that is not at all desirable to say, and what is also not very good to say, but this is better than anything else. First you must understand one thing. HR, wants to see, in you sincere zeal for work in the very company that he represents. He wants to be sure, as much as possible, that you will work for a long time and not run away when you get bored or a more favorable opportunity turns up.
The very fact that something made you leave your previous job and look for something new already says that there are reasons for which you quit, and this may again force you to start searching. And this does not want to admit. The dismissal of your own for HR is your original sin, from which you can’t get anywhere, everything will depend on which side you put it.
It is wrong to blame the company in which you worked, to say that you had a bad boss, unfriendly employees, unfavorable working conditions, unworthy organization, and so on. This may indicate that you:
- Bad get on with people and whiner
- Do not know how to make inquiries about the place where you have to work
Of course, it is likely that the office really was vile and your colleagues did not give you any life. But since HR knows that an interview is an event during which people are not always sincere. Therefore, he is pre-configured to recognize this insincerity, and not take your words literally. He is guided by the principle of Dr. House, which is that "everyone is lying." He does not know for sure whether your words are true or not, but for lack of accurate information, he draws conclusions that he can draw on the basis of his assumption.
So, it is wrong to say "I was not satisfied with the salary, I want to get more"
- This suggests that you are motivated only by money and, when you are offered a large salary in another organization, you will safely leave your home company.
- Such an answer deprives you of the possibility of an important tactical maneuver, which will allow you to demand a larger salary compared to the previous place and avoid some unpleasant questions, such as "why do you think you deserve a bigger salary?". What kind of maneuver will I explain in the section on how to achieve a higher salary during an interview?
Why did you leave your previous job? How to answer
The most applicable answer option for why did you leave your previous job? there will be either an indication of any domestic, neutral factors that forced you to leave your position, such as "the company moved - it became uncomfortable to drive" (this should be true, as they can check), "I moved - it became uncomfortable to drive" and so on or, if this does not suit you, talk about "the lack of career or professional growth prospects, the desire to develop and grow as a specialist."
The latter, of course, is not an ideal option, but quite a worker, I used it exactly. If you use it, then be prepared to answer such unpleasant counter questions as: “what do you mean by professional growth, what do you want at all?”, “Which means when you just had prospects you were, but now they aren’t, why?” “How do you understand that there are no prospects? (implied: maybe you are just a bad employee and the opportunities did not exist only for you?) "
Here you can think of a lot of things, say that you realized the deadlock of development only in the process of work, it was impossible to understand this at once, explain how you understood that this “deadlock” exists (for example, employees work 10 years in one position, they are making progress, but they are not raised, the company itself does not develop and does not grow, etc.)
Yes, here you need to be careful not to fall into the trap, but in this version of the answer there is a big plus. You can unobtrusively demonstrate your thirst for development, growth, that you are not interested in money (of course it's funny, but we accept the rules and behave in accordance with the expectations of HR, such aspirations he wants to see us), you are waiting for prospects and advanced training! From this point of view, this is a good move.
But remember, if you have chosen such an answer, you must first make sure that there are prospects and growth in the position for which you are planning to get a job! Otherwise, (even if these prospects were seen in the coffin and you are only interested in money), HR will understand that you are not in line with this vacancy, as you are waiting for opportunities that this position does not provide, so do not last long.
Another answer:
There is also a good and innocent answer to question about the reasons for dismissal, for the realization of which, however, certain conditions must be met. The option is called "flattering opposition." Suppose you worked in a small / Russian firm, and now you are settling in a large / western one.
You can conduct your presentation this way: I worked for a long time in a Russian company, but now I think it’s time for me to improve myself inside a Western corporation, since Western management gives more room for developing my skills and growth, I think it will be better for me, actually for this I came to you.
This is an excellent justification for the desire to change jobs, firstly, you demonstrate your motivation, and secondly flatter the veiled representative of the company, as if saying that your company is better than others because it is foreign.
Many are true patriots of their organizations, especially for employees of large, well-known, international companies: they are filled with sacred pathos, the fact that they are working under the sign of a well-known brand. Let them even just shift the paper. I believe that this can be played and a little flattery does not hurt.
On this and finish and move on to the next questions.
Why do you want to work with us?
Here we must again resort to flattery, talk about what a wonderful company, a leader in the market, etc. We can say that your personal interests coincide with the scope of the company. For example, if a company is engaged in Internet projects, you can tell that you are very interested in Internet technologies and it will be interesting for you to work here.
Do not be afraid to seem implausible. Boldly and confidently talk about how you want to work here. I touched on this issue in more detail in the article. Is it possible to lie on an interview?
What are your shortcomings?
Well, everything is simple, you need to call something ambivalent that 100% is not a drawback, for example, pedantry. So everyone answers, do not try to be original and stand out among others with their sincerity. This is just like a test of knowledge of the rules of the game (this is true, but many do not admit this to themselves), or you know this rule and act in accordance with it, correctly answering the question, or you ignore this rule. The latter is not desirable. No need to be irritated by the senselessness of this standard, duty question, answer calmly what is expected of you.
Update 01/17/2014: I found a better way to answer this question. Still, the answer like "pedantry" has become a template. It is better to demonstrate an adequate vision of your shortcomings and a desire for personal growth at the same time. For example, a good answer in this case would be: “my weak side is that SOMETIMES I take offense at criticism. BUT, I try to work on it, I understand that I need to learn a lesson from criticism, learn from my mistakes, use the opinions of other people for self-development, and not get upset about it. ”
Who do you see yourself in the future? (after 2-5 years)
An insidious question. It is designed to identify your expectations and the degree of compliance of such vacancies. Here you must demonstrate your ability to plan for the future, so do not say "I can not know." It is necessary to show certain ambitions, but not very big ones. Therefore, it should not be said that in 2 years you will become the head of a department (even if you see yourself as a leader in the future), especially when the current head conducts an interview (I said so once by mistake, and despite the fact that I completed all the tests perfect and generally made quite well, I was not called back). Say that you see yourself as a “senior specialist” or just in the same position, continuing to improve your professional skills.
It will depend on what opportunities this position provides. If the basis of motivation is a constant growth, like sales managers and there is a rather complex organizational hierarchy in the form of a vertical of a large number of managers who constantly replace each other, moving each step up, then you can pick up above and talk about a management position.
And if the work does not provide such opportunities, it is better not to talk about the boss. In short, try to figure it out in advance.
Ambition is undeniably good quality, but the fact remains that many jobs do not expect great ambitions from you. Everyone wants you to work properly and the existing authorities do not exactly need competition from employees with the rudiments of leadership qualities.
Why did you choose your profession?
The question is asked mostly young professionals.
Say that it is very interesting to you and you always wanted to become an accountant / lawyer / manager, etc. If you have a specialized education, then to the question “why the choice fell on such a specialty,” tell a story that when you went to college and the rest of your peers have not yet dispelled the hangover after the prom, you were already seriously concerned about your future and seriously approached the choice of your profession, it became clear to you at that time that behind it were innumerable prospects and opportunities and therefore firmly decided zbrat this way.
Jokes are jokes, but I think you understood the basic principle: you need to show your ability to plan and accept a conscious, independent choice. You should not talk about third-party factors that you have not influenced. For example, never answer in the spirit: “The parents decided for me”, “It happened so”, “Everything went and I went”, etc.
This is also true for all such questions at the interview, asking which HR tries to understand how independent you are and are able to make well-considered decisions.
What do you know about our company?
Obviously, you should read some information on the company's website and have an idea of what the company is doing. Also a kind of test of knowledge of the rules of the game.
Who can I contact for feedback about your work?
Here it is better to indicate at least something, than not to indicate at all. Even if you quarreled with the former boss and with all your colleagues, you left the scandal, slamming the doors and deleting all important work files from your disk, you need to give someone a phone. Maybe it will not be called, but if you do not provide any contacts, it will bring suspicion.
If you think you’re sure they’re calling, there’s a way out. Give the phone to your former colleague with whom you have maintained a good relationship, name his position as a "senior specialist", say that he was your informal leader (even if it was not so and officially he was with you in the same horizontal of submission) and let him paint write down what a good employee you are.
My friends did it - do not be afraid, it will pass. You can, in principle, indicate the mobile phone of any of your friends, but it is safer to have a former colleague, since he has an internal corporate number and is actually on the list of employees of the company where you worked, in case they are checked.
Describe one problem, conflict situation at work and how you dealt with it.
Consider the answer to this question in advance. You must demonstrate how diplomatically you can get out of difficult, conflict situations, so that everyone will stay with him and no one will be offended. The situation, you know, can be both real and fictional.
Do you have any questions?
In my opinion they are better to ask. No matter what, any, just ask about what was not mentioned earlier, and then they will think that you did not listen. Ask about the company, how long has this position been opened. In general, show that you are really interested, and not just come, and now leave.
It is better not to ask about the social package, it is, for some reason considered impolite, among personnel officers. I read about it in some sources.
Inconvenient, tactless questions
HR wants to understand how stress-resistant you are and know how to control yourself in all uncomfortable situations. Future work may involve a great deal of psychological pressure, communication with “unpleasant” clients, and so on. And perhaps the employee of the service staff is simply a petty tyrant and thus amused (I came across such a madam).
In both cases, the principle is the same - no need to demonstrate emotions and at the same time do not lose self-esteem! Equally bad is the situation when you blush, embarrass, lower your eyes or cry, or, conversely, go into an open counterattack with scandal, insults and slamming the door.
Answer calmly and calmly "I do not intend to discuss this, please finish on this." If you continue to get impudent, then we also tactfully put in place.
That's all. As usual, I wish you good luck in the interview. Wait for new articles from the HR cycle and subscribe by email.
