Transcript ELK Solutions' Interview Prep

ELK SOLUTIONS’
INTERVIEW PREP
Turning Good Offers into Great Offers!
YOUR OBJECTIVE
TO GET THE
OFFER!!!
“We Engineer Engineering Teams”
You are NOT interviewing to:
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Decide if you would like to work for the company
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Broaden your knowledge of opportunities
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Learn what the company can do for you
“We Engineer Engineering Teams”
PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEW
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Prepare a resume for the specific interview
Research the company
 Print
some information off their website and take it with you to
the interview
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Be prepared to play by the company’s rules
 Fill
out ALL applications completely!
 Do NOT put “see resume” on the application
 Do NOT put your desired salary on the application – put
“open or negotiable”
“We Engineer Engineering Teams”
PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEW
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Plan your dress for the interview
 First
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impressions can not be changed!
Allow sufficient time for the interview
Arrive early for the interview
Keep yourself in a positive frame of mind
After your interview CALL YOUR RECRUITER!
 Lack
of feedback from you will construe non-interest to
the employer
“We Engineer Engineering Teams”
ANATOMY OF THE JOB INTERVIEW
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The Arrival
The Initial Contact
The Icebreaker
The Chronological Interview – “Tell me about yourself…”
The Topical Interview
The Interview Close – ASK FOR THE JOB!
The Exit
*Remember you are interviewing from the moment you make contact with the
company!
“We Engineer Engineering Teams”
Employer Hot Buttons
Dependable
Self-starter
Loyal
Intelligent
Friendly
Productive
Leader/Manager
Accurate Work
Stable
Creative
“We Engineer Engineering Teams”
THE MOST DIFFICULT
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
“We Engineer Engineering Teams”
PERSONAL
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Tell me about yourself.
If hired, how long would you stay with us?
How soon are you ready to make a move?
What factors are involved in a move for you?
Why are you leaving your current job?
How do you feel about leaving your benefits?
Describe your ideal working environment.
“We Engineer Engineering Teams”
PERSONAL
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What do your co-workers think of you?
Why have you not found a new position by now?
Have you thought of leaving your current position
before now and if so, what has kept you there until
now?
Do you believe you might be happier in a different
size company?
Do you have objections to psychological tests?
“We Engineer Engineering Teams”
PERSONAL
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What other types of positions are you considering?
Have you kept up to date in your field and if so, how?
What was the last book you read/movie you saw/sporting
event you attended?
How would you describe your personality? Give 3
adjectives that describe you.
What your goals? What are your short range (5yrs) and
long range (10 yrs) objectives?
“We Engineer Engineering Teams”
PERSONAL
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What are you doing or have you done to reach those
objectives?
What new goals have you established recently?
How do you feel about people from minority groups?
How would you feel about working for a man or
woman?
If you could begin your career again, what would you
do differently?
According to your definition of success, how
successful have you been to this point?
“We Engineer Engineering Teams”
PERSONAL
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What hours are you used to working?
Did you bring a resume?
If hired, what do you see in your future?
Will you be out to take your boss’ job?
Isn’t this a career switch?
Do you generally speak to people before they
speak to you?
What else do you think I should know about you?
“We Engineer Engineering Teams”
SKILLS
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Why should we hire you? What can you do for us that
someone else can’t do?
How long would it take you to make a meaningful
contribution to our firm?
You may be overqualified or too experienced for the
position we have to offer.
Have you helped increase sales/profits and if so, how?
Have you helped reduce costs and if so, how?
“We Engineer Engineering Teams”
SKILLS
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How much money did you ever account for?
Do you like working with figures more than words?
What were your most significant accomplishments in your
most recent position?
Would you describe a few situations in which your work
was criticized?
Can you work under pressure, deadlines, etc?
“We Engineer Engineering Teams”
SKILLS
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If I spoke with your current or most recent boss,
what would he or she say are your strengths and
weaknesses?
Are you creative?
Are you a leader?
Are you analytical?
How did you do in school?
Describe your leadership/management style.
“We Engineer Engineering Teams”
SUPERVISORY SKILLS
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Are you or could you become a good
supervisor?
Why do you feel you have management
potential?
Did you ever fire an employee? If so, what
were the reasons for firing the person and
how did you handle it?
“We Engineer Engineering Teams”
INTERVIEWING COMPANY
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What do you know about our organization?
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Why do you want to work for our company?
“We Engineer Engineering Teams”
POSITION
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Please give me your definition of…(the position
for which you are interviewing).
What position do you expect to have in 2 years
and in 5 years?
How would you structure this job?
“We Engineer Engineering Teams”
$$$SALARY$$$
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Handling the money question
 What
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we would suggest – stick to the facts!
Why are you not earning a higher salary with your level
of experience?
What salary do you feel this position should pay?
What salary do you think you are worth?
What kind of salary are you looking for?
“We Engineer Engineering Teams”
PREVIOUS EMPLOYERS
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How would you evaluate your present or most recent
firm?
What features of your most recent position did you like
most / least?
Which of your previous jobs did you like best?
What do you think about your most recent supervisor?
In your most recent position, what problems have you
identified that had been previously overlooked?
How did you obtain your past positions?
“We Engineer Engineering Teams”
QUESTIONS TO ASK THE INTERVIEWER
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Why is this position open?
What do you like the most about your company?
Can you give me examples of success stories within your
company?
What is your background?
What would you like done differently by the next person
who holds this position?
What are some of the objectives you would like
accomplished in this job?
“We Engineer Engineering Teams”
QUESTIONS TO ASK THE INTERVIEWER
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What objectives are most pressing?
What would you like accomplished in the next 2 to 3
months?
What are some of the long-term objectives you would like
accomplished through this position?
What freedom would I have in determining my work
objectives, deadlines and methods of measurement?
What type of support does this position receive in terms of
people, finances, etc?
“We Engineer Engineering Teams”
QUESTIONS TO ASK THE INTERVIEWER
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What are some of the more difficult challenges one
would have to face in this position?
How do you think these could be best handled?
Where could an employee go who is successful in this
position and within what time frame?
In what ways has this company been most successful in
terms of products and services over the years?
“We Engineer Engineering Teams”
QUESTIONS TO ASK THE INTERVIEWER
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What significant changes do you foresee in the near
future?
How will the performance of the employee in this
position be judged?
What accounts for success?
“We Engineer Engineering Teams”
MISCELLANEOUS INTERVIEWING
INFORMATION
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Strengths and Weaknesses
 Pretend
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you are your boss!
Discuss traits and characteristics in quantitative terms
relative to the position you are applying for.
Consulting at the Interview
“We Engineer Engineering Teams”
THANK YOU!
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Good luck on your interview!
ELK Solutions, Inc.
29810 FM 1093 Rd. Suite E
Fulshear, TX 77441
281-533-0505
www.elkrecruiting.com
“We Engineer Engineering Teams”