Career Enhancement Tips From The Obermeyer Group

INTERVIEWING TIPS THAT LEAD TO OFFERS
BEHAVIOR-BASED INTERVIEW QUESTION SAMPLES
RESIGNING YOUR CURRENT POSITION

   INTERVIEWING TIPS THAT LEAD TO OFFERS    

Your objective in interviewing is to get an offer and to determine if you would accept the position, if offered. If you do not get an offer you have no decision to make. The strategies below will greatly enhance your chances of getting an offer.

1. Prepare yourself for the interview by making a list of your accomplishments and experiences translating each into how they would benefit the company with whom you are interviewing. Benefits are your potential to reduce costs, save time, increase revenue, increase productivity, decrease liability, enhance an organization's status or expertise, reduce a manager's workload, or other items that equate to more revenue and less costs. Inventory all your current and past responsibilities and state how well you carried them out. Take these features and using the "so what" test, find the benefits.

   Research the company utilizing Standard and Poore's, Dun and Bradstreet, Moody's, industry and business periodicals, company/industry web sites, and annual reports to glean industry knowledge about their product lines, services, markets, sales volumes, locations, and subsidiaries. Make notes on proposed or recent expansions in product lines, marketing targets, or geographics.

2. Early in the interview, find out about the position by asking about duties, responsibilities, and special or priority projects. Ask "What will you expect from me in this position?" Discuss how your background and accomplishments relate to the position and how you can solve problems, do the job from day one, and how you will benefit the company. (Your written inventory from #1 will help you here.) REMEMBER: Being able to work well with all types of people is as important as being capable.

3. Take along and show-off some of your best work. Showing copies of programs, projects, and/or training you have developed are an excellent tool for setting yourself apart from others.

4. Find out if this is a firm for whom you want to work by asking about the goals for the position, obstacles to achieving them and the career progression. REMEMBER: There is no perfect job and there is no perfect applicant for that job. Explore all areas so that you can get the information you need to make a decision. Ask questions that begin with who, what, when, where, why, how, how much, how often, which, and what if. Also, explore the philosophy and goals of the company. Show an interest in the company, not just the position. Write down all the questions in advance and take them with you to the interview.

5. When you are asked a question by the interviewer, ask a clarifying question before you answer so you know exactly what the interviewer has in mind. For example, if asked, "Do you mind traveling?" Ask, "How much travel is required with this position?" Then you can answer properly. Be prepared for behavior based questions where a situation is described to you and you are asked, "What would you do?" Be sure to ask clarifying questions and take time to think through your answers before responding.

6. Be prepared for tough questions like, "What are your salary expectations?" In the case of the salary/compensation question. NEVER GIVE A FIGURE -- TELL THEM YOUR CURRENT SALARY AND THAT YOU ARE SURE THEY WILL GIVE YOU A FAIR OFFER -- DO NOT BOX YOURSELF IN. You can not name a figure until you have demonstrated what value you will bring to their firm. Only an offer confirms your value. Also, when filling out an application, write "open" in the "salary desired" space.

   Another example of a tough question is "Why are you leaving your current firm?" Never state negative thoughts about a past or current employer, rather, speak in terms of where you want to progress, or the fact that your goals and the company's goals are not congruent and you feel the need to identify with a company having similar goals to yourself. Be prepared to explain lapses in employment, terminations, and short employment periods.

7. Treat each person you interview with as an independent decision maker. You need to make a good impression with everyone. Ask questions relative to the position from their perspective and stick to business.

8. Clarify where you stand at the end of the interview with the person(s) you would be working for by asking, "I realize you may not be ready to make a decision right now, but, do I have the qualifications you are looking for in this position?" If you are weak in an area, find out how much time will be spent in that area and offer to take the necessary steps to get up to speed. If they are interviewing others, ask, "How do I compare?" Use this opportunity to correct any misunderstandings and to provide additional information about your qualifications.

9. At the end of the interview, ask for an offer or for another interview (whichever is next). Say, "I am impressed and feel very comfortable with your company and I am prepared to seriously consider an offer if you are prepared to make one." or "I'm available ___ or ____ to meet again, are one of those dates convenient for you?" If the company is not prepared to commit, say, "I am very interested in the position, what happens next?"

   If an offer is made and it is not acceptable, do not turn it down. Thank them for the confidence they have shown in you and your abilities and ask if you can have 48 hours to consider the offer. You may be able to negotiate a point to your liking and put yourself in the position to accept the offer at a later date. REMEMBER: As the recruiter working with you and the company, I am in a unique position to negotiate as an informed third party on your behalf. Never turn down an offer before you have spoken with me.

10. Decisions are made to hire in the first few minutes, initial impressions are critical. Wear (as appropriate) a conservative suit or dress, white/natural shirt or blouse, coordinating tie or bow, scarf, or pin, dark socks or natural hose, minimum jewelry, and no cologne. Be sure your hair is neatly trimmed and your shoes are shined.

11. Remember to promptly write a thank you note restating your interest in the position to the key people who interviewed you.

Provided by John Meyer, Technical Recruiter
Emphasis in Environmental, Industrial Hygiene, and Safety Professionals.
This material is copyrighted (© 1995-2000 by The Obermeyer Group, Ltd.) and may not be copied or downloaded using any means without the express written permission of The Obermeyer Group, Ltd.

INTERVIEWING TIPS THAT LEAD TO OFFERS
BEHAVIOR-BASED INTERVIEW QUESTION SAMPLES
RESIGNING YOUR CURRENT POSITION

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    BEHAVIOR-BASED INTERVIEW QUESTION SAMPLES    

1. Describe a recent situation that best illustrates your style in taking charge and leading others to accomplish a task. What was the situation? How did you motivate your Team Members? Who was the hardest to get on your side? How did you do it?

2. Tell me about the last meeting you conducted. What was its purpose? What obstacles did you encounter? What were your objectives? Did you meet them? If yes, how? If no, why not?

3. What was the biggest contribution you have made to the profitability of a business? What problems did you encounter? What was your contribution? Did it work? Why or why not? What was the result?

4. Tell me about a recent situation in which it was important for you to bring about extra effort on the part of your subordinates? What did you do to motivate them? How did they respond?

5. Do you conduct formal performance appraisals of your subordinates? Tell me about the last performance appraisal you conducted? Was the appraisal positive or negative? Did the appraisee agree or disagree with your assessment? How did you handle it? What were the results?

6. Have you had a subordinate who was not performing to the fullest extent of his/her potential? What was the situation? What did you do? What was the outcome?

7. Have you ever fired anyone? Who did you fire? How long ago was it? What were the circumstances around the event? What did you do and what were the results?

1. Describe the last important task you delegated. What instructions did you give? How did you check on the progress of the assignment? Was the outcome satisfactory? Why or why not?

2. When was the last time you coached or gave advice to a subordinate? Describe the situation. What was the issue? What did you advise? How did it turn out?

3. Tell me about a particular person who has become successful as a result of your actions. Who was the person? What role did you play in their development? What is this person doing today?

4. Tell me about the last person you hired who just didn't work out. What was the problem? What did you do to try and correct it? Where is the person today?

1. Describe that last time you disagreed with one of your bosses or co-workers? What was the reason? How did you express your disagreement? What was the person's reaction? What was the income?

2. Tell me about the last time someone criticized your work. What was the situation? What did they do or say? How did you respond? How did they justify their criticism? How would you handle the situation next time?

3. Tell me about a recent time when you had to rely on the cooperation of your peers to get a job done. What was the task? How did you go about gaining their cooperation? What difficulties did you run into? How did you handle the difficulties? How did it turn out?

4. Despite our best intentions, we don't always see eye-to-eye with people. Tell me about a co-worker who you don't seem to get along with. What does this person do that irritates you? Tell me about the time you got along best with this person.

5. Recall a time when you were really angry or frustrated at work. What was the situation? What did you do about it? How did you resolve the situation?

6. Recall a time when there was a conflict between your personal life and business life. What was the conflict? What factors did you weigh in your analysis of the problem and its resolution? How did you resolve the conflict?

7. Tell me about your most recent interview. With whom was it? What was the outcome?

8. Describe the most prominent mistake you have made during your career. What did you do? What were the results? What did you learn from it?

9. Describe a time when you experienced a set-back in your career. What effect did it have on you and your family? What did you do about the set-back? What was the end result?

10. Tell me about the last time you received critical feedback. What critical feedback did you get? Is there a pattern to it? How did you handle the feedback? What were the results? (Probe to determine if there is a pattern to critical feedback.)

11. What was the most difficult ethical business decision you have had to make? What did you do? What were the results?

12. Take a moment and visualize where you were working ten (10) years ago. Describe the situation where you had to manage people or a project. What did you do? What were the results? How have you handled a similar situation in the recent past? How does your management style of today differ?

13. During your last career move, what unfinished projects did you leave at the prior place of employment? What did you do about it/them? What were the results? (These questions tend to identify sense of responsibility.)

14. What was the worst thing that has ever happened in your life? What were your thought processes that helped you to cope with the adversity/tragedy? How did you get yourself through the hard times? Did you ask yourself "why me?" What was your answer? Thinking back, what would you have done differently? (These questions tend to identify optimism.)

1. Tell me about the most long-term, extra hour effort you have undertaken in the last year. What was the project or assignment? What extra effort did you put in? Were you successful? Why or why not?

2. Tell me about a recent time when your work was very hectic. What did you do to keep it under control? How many extra hours did you work? For how long?

3. Which of your past jobs has been most demanding in terms of having to handle a variety of tasks at once? What competing demands did you have to deal with? How did you decide what to do first? How did it turn out?

4. Tell me about a particularly boring or distasteful task you have faced in the last twelve (12) months. What was the situation? What made the task so boring or distasteful? What did you do to ensure that the task was accomplished? How did it turn out?

1. Tell me about the most perplexing problem you have faced over the last two (2) years. How did the problem arise? How did you go about analyzing the situation? What alternatives did you consider? What solution did you decide to try? How did you implement the solution? What was the result?

2. Tell me about the last time you made a decision when the procedures or instructions you were given were unclear, ambiguous or contradictory. How did you decide what to do? What alternatives did you consider? How did the decision work out?

3. Tell me about the toughest decision you have had to make in the past six (6) months. What made this decision so tough? What factors did you consider when deciding? How did you reach your decision? How did it turn out? How would you handle this type of decision differently in the future?

4. Tell me about the most recent technical or analytical skill you have acquired. What led you to acquire the skill? How did you approach it? What would you do differently next time? Tell me about your most recent application of this skill.

5. Tell me about the last time a co-worker asked you for help at a time when you were very busy with work of your own. What was the situation? What were you asked to do? What did you do? How did it turn out?

1. Describe the toughest customer or other member of the public you have had to deal with. What was the situation? What did the person say and/or do? What did you say and/or do? How did it end?

2. Tell me about a recent customer complaint you have handled. What was the complaint? How did you learn about it? What did you do? How did it turn out?

3. Tell me about the customer service guidelines at your previous job. What was the hardest time you had making sure the guidelines were followed? What made it so hard? What did you do? How did it turn out?

Provided by John Meyer, Technical Recruiter
Emphasis in Environmental, Industrial Hygiene, and Safety Professionals.
This material is copyrighted (© 1995-2000 by The Obermeyer Group, Ltd.) and may not be copied or downloaded using any means without the express written permission of The Obermeyer Group, Ltd.

INTERVIEWING TIPS THAT LEAD TO OFFERS
BEHAVIOR-BASED INTERVIEW QUESTION SAMPLES
RESIGNING YOUR CURRENT POSITION

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    RESIGNING YOUR CURRENT POSITION    

Once you have accepted a formal offer of employment from a new employer, you must resign from your current position. The accepted and most common approach is to resign and give a two week notice to your current employer immediately following your acceptance of the formal offer. You then are able to join your new company at the end of that two week period or at the end of three weeks, if relocation is involved. Normally, a resignation would not be given until any contingencies placed by the hiring company are removed from the offer, this must be examined on a case by case basis. These contingencies may be physical exam results, background checks, drug screen results or other requirements.

1. Save your good impressions for the new employer. Start your new position as early as possible. Your new company has an urgent need for you - that is why they used a professional recruiter to assist them in their search for talent. Remember: The new employer will be the one now to reward you for any extra effort.

2. Once you resign from your current company, you will no longer be part of "the team" and will find yourself anxious to start the new position. Minimize the stressful time when you are looked upon as the lame duck.

3. Do not burn bridges with your previous employer. It is courteous to offer the normal two week notice and make yourself available via the telephone thereafter. You can offer to work some extra hours during that two week time to smooth the transition but only if you care to do it. The philosophy behind the two week notice comes from the employment practice of giving an employee a two week notice when they are severed. That two week time period is an industry standard. Remember: No one is indispensable.

4. Do not ask you new employer to make sacrifices to compensate for your former employer's needs, like a delayed start date. Also, be prudent about delays caused by family requirements or concerns. Most companies are empathetic about these things. Always try to offer alternatives to minimize the effect of this problem on your new employer. Remember: They are still forming their first impressions of you and how you deal with problems and find their solutions.

5. There is nothing sacred about starting a new position on a Monday. If possible, start mid-week, it gives you a shorter first week and eases the transition.

Prepare two resignation letters, one for your manager or supervisor and the other for the personnel director.

The letter to your manager should: ...thank the company for the knowledge you have gained. ...state you have accepted another position and your last work day will be ________. ...state that your decision is final and irrevocable.

The letter to the personnel director should: ...state the effective date of your resignation. ...state that your decision is final and irrevocable.

Hand the letter addressed to your manager or supervisor at the time you verbally resign, deliver the letter to personnel prior to or immediately after meeting with your manager.

Resigning will be less stressful if you are prepared by knowing what you are going to say in the meeting (and what you are not going to say) and knowing that when you leave the meeting you will have accomplished your goal in the least confrontational manner possible. Remember: Your goal is to start your new position at the end of the two week period.

It is best to make your points during the meeting in a simple and direct manner by stating: ...you have accepted another position and your last day of work will be ______. ...your decision is final and irrevocable. ...your thanks to the company for what you have learned and for the work you were able to do for them. ...you will do what you can over the next two weeks to make the transition go smoothly.

During the meeting one of three things will happen,

1. They will wish you luck and tell you what they want you to accomplish for them while you are still there.

   With this option, be prepared for less formal counteroffer techniques to be employed like peer pressure, a sudden exposure to top management, or subtle influences causing feelings of guilt. This subtle counteroffer may or may not happen.

2. They may show you the door immediately. Normally, you will be prepared for this because it would have happened before with other employees who had resigned.

3. They will ask you to give them a few days and to hold off on the resignation.

   If this option is used, tell them again that "your decision is final, you and your family have given the decision a lot of thought and you hope that your decision will be respected." Now stand up and politely end the meeting.

A counter offer happens when your current employer tries to convince you to stay with immediate or promised improvements, emotional pleas, peer pressure, or other enticements. This can happen when you resign or if your employer finds out that you have placed yourself in the job market.

1. Your employer will never look at you in the same way, from then on your loyalty is in question. Remember: This offer of improvement from your current employer is being made under duress. Even if you believe your direct supervisor's intentions are sincere, the other decision makers in the company will not likely feel the same way, especially when budget time rolls around or if they are looking to streamline the staff.

2. You will never look at your employer the same way either. Ask yourself: ...Is there any doubt in their minds that I earned this offer of improvement? ...Are they reacting to a threat of a resignation? ...Will I have to go to the market place every time I want improvement? ...Is this a future raise pulled ahead a few months? ...Are they buying time at my expense? ...Am I now straining their salary range/budget for this position or department? ...Will this effect future raises, promotions, and my future job security?

   It is human nature to want the answer to all these questions to be "No", especially if you have a good relationship with your supervisor. The fact is the answer to most, if not all, of these questions is "Yes."

3. You could be considered a "shopper" and insincere by the new employer if you accept the counter offer subsequently reneging on a previously accepted offer. Your present employer may initially feel relief toward you, but may have other feelings about you as time goes on. Your image with either may tarnish.

4. Acceptance of counter offers is grossly unfair to new employers. The feel used because they have spent time and money (sometimes a great amount of each), provided goodwill and commitments on your behalf. Now they have nothing; not to mention they turned down other good candidates for the position when they gave you the offer of the position. This loss of time, money, resources, and trust is high.

Remember: Statistically, 90% of all people who accept a counter offer are back in the job market within 6 months of accepting the counter. Why?

1. The real reasons for originally wanting to leave the company have not changed with the acceptance of the counter offer. In most cases, after the brief reconciliation period, the conditions worsen because your loyalty is being questioned.

2. Or, the employer found a less expensive way to get the job done and terminates your employment at their convenience. A counter offer provides an employer with a low cost method of assuring the work is completed in a timely manner while they find a suitable replacement for you.

Provided by John Meyer, Technical Recruiter
Emphasis in Environmental, Industrial Hygiene, and Safety Professionals.
This material is copyrighted (© 1995-2000 by The Obermeyer Group, Ltd.) and may not be copied or downloaded using any means without the express written permission of The Obermeyer Group, Ltd.

INTERVIEWING TIPS THAT LEAD TO OFFERS
BEHAVIOR-BASED INTERVIEW QUESTION SAMPLES
RESIGNING YOUR CURRENT POSITION

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