When it comes to the hiring process, applicants like to feel that they are prepared to answer any and all interview questions sent their way. Before I started Career Resume Consulting in 2008, not only did I work as a marketing director at the largest executive career firm in the United States, but I also spent 18 years in the corporate world as a hiring manager for both large companies and smaller start-up ventures. As a result, I understand how you should market yourself during the interview process, and what types of interview questions HR officials and hiring managers ask potential employees.
As a part of your job interview preparation process, you may have seen massive lists of 200+ different interview questions that you may encounter during the hiring process. This can make interviewing seem like a daunting scenario and result in applicants haphazardly memorizing canned, clichéd answers to interview questions that might not even be asked. What I’ve found in my years of experience as both a hiring manager and a career consultant is that though interview questions come in many forms and phrasings, they can all be boiled down to the same five interview questions.
By understanding the five key questions that interviewers ask, you’ll be able to recognize these questions when you’re asked them and prepare specific, succinct, and natural-sounding answers. To fully understand these five interview questions, we have to delve into specific details--so today we will cover the first two interview questions, and in my next post we will examine the final three.
The Five Types of Interview Questions, Part 1
1. Why are you here?
This is one of the first interview questions that a hiring manager will ask in the initial phone or screening conversation. They also might phrase it as “What lead you to this position?” or “Why do you want to work for our company?”
Interview questions like these give you the chance to show your potential employers that you have researched their industry, company, and the specific job you’re applying for. They also present the opportunity to show why you, in particular, are a great fit for the position.
In order to establish why you’re interested in the position and why you’re the ideal candidate, identify an area of growth or a difficulty the company may be experiencing and then state how you can help. Use specific details when discussing what you’ve noticed about the company and how you fill their need. For example, don’t just say “I have noticed that you’re a fast-growing company, and I want to be a part of your growth.” Instead, look more pointedly into specific areas of expansion within the company--are they unveiling a new product or service? Are they struggling with capturing a new client or customer demographic?--and use details to show your experience with this expansion (i.e. a history of overseeing product launches or dealing with the particular demographic they’re driving toward).
2. What can you do for us?
Answering another of the five key interview questions, “What can you do for us?”, involves concretely discussing the work you’ve done for past employers. Hiring managers might go after the same information by asking interview questions such as “Tell me about projects that have challenged you in the past” or “Share some relevant past work experiences that will speak to your value at our company.” Regardless of how the interview question is asked, you should answer it by sharing your SOAR stories.
SOAR stands for Situation, Opportunity, Action, and Results. Here’s how to set up your SOAR stories:
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Situation. First, you describe the situation--the problem you were tasked with solving or the project you were assigned to complete--in 4-5 sentences.
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Opportunity. Then, in 1 sentence, state what opportunity this problem presented you with and what goals you set out to achieve--like streamlining a process to save your company money.
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Action. Next, in 3-4 detailed sentences, explain what action you took to achieve your goals. Explain any market or competitive research you completed to back your plan of action. Outline the specific steps you took. State how your action allowed you to gain new or hone existing skills.
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Results. Finally, give the specific quantitative results of your action--how much money you made or saved your company, the percentage increase of client retention, the number of new pageviews you drove to the website, etc.
For phone interviews, you should prepare four detailed SOAR stories and share your best first. For a face-to-face interview, prepare twelve to fifteen stories. Feel free to bring a typed out list of projects and results--your dedication will impress your potential employers.
Understanding Interview Questions with Career Resume Consulting
Be sure to come back and read about the final three interview questions that you will encounter in some shape or form during the hiring process. It’s important that you prepare to answer these questions in a detailed, well-spoken manner. For more on interview questions and preparing to speak with hiring managers, check out my free webinars or contact me directly at (816) 600-2478.
