Actual interview queries

INTERVIEWERS ASK POINTED QUESTIONS TO DETERMINE IF YOU HAVE THE SKILLS

Ok, you've made it past the initial resumé screening and now have an interview. It could be in person or on the phone. (More and more interviews are on the phone now, and I've heard of Skype interviews also ­ better dress up for that one!)

The point of an interview is to explore two main things: Do you really know what you're doing, or “is that stuff on the resumé real?“ There's a lot of `creative fiction' in some resumés and interviewers will ask pointed questions to determine if you actually have the skills and experience you claim to have.

Questions about this could be: 

Tell me about this accomplishment. How did you do it? Why did you decide to go into this field?
How did you make the transition from this job to the next?
What is your greatest strength?
How do you manage people?
Tell me about a project you managed/a plan you developed and implemented/a team you worked on/a goal you achieved.

Be prepared with stories about what you've done in the past, to illustrate a key message you want to deliver about the reasons you are successful, the skills you have and want to use again, the way you work with others, and the value you will bring to your next employer. Will you be the “right fit“ for our culture and can you really help us reach our company goals?

Interviewers want to know how you think, how you approach and solve problems, and your attitudes toward colleagues and customers internal and external.

For the questions that concern how you would work at the company, take your time answering these.

It's OK to give it some thought.

You can prepare somewhat by reading as much as you can about the company to understand the business and the challenges it might face.

Also, thoroughly go over each part of the job description to understand exactly what is in the job and what you might be called on to do.

Identify what you've done in past jobs that is similar to what is required in the new job, so you can refer to that experience VERY briefly (e.g.
“When I was at XYZ, I had a similar situation. Based on that, here's how I would approach this scenario...“).