Is your resume helping you move forward or holding you back? Advance your career and never miss another career opportunity! Online Resume Maker Professional version 11 is packed with powerful features to help you write a better resume, land a better job, and earn a higher salary. Whether you're actively searching for a job or just want to get your resume in shape, trust your resume and your career to ResumeMaker.


Unique Advantages
Professional
* 150,000 Pre-written Phrases
* 1,000 Professional Samples
* 30 Preferred Styles
Powerful
* Search 4 Million Jobs
* Post to 80+ Career
* Publish a Resume Web Page
Complete
* Prepare with 500 Interview Questions
* Salary, Advice
* Career Planner, Web Resume
* Letters, Contacts and more

New Features

Here are just some of the improved and new features in this resume writing software collection:

* Improved! Job Finder -- Search millions of job openings - faster than ever! Exclusive new features search up to 4 million jobs to narrow your search within a 50-mile radius or by career category.

* Improved! Resume Caster -- Broadcast your resume to every major career Web site – instantly posting your resume to over 100 career Web sites! One simple form takes about five minutes to complete. Save 60 hours of research and data entry. Be seen by up to 1.5 million employers and recruiters daily.

* New! Resume Wizards -- The new Resume Interviewer provides a personalized resume based on your career situation for better results. And, if you already know what you need, Resume Express helps you breeze through the resume-writing process.

* New! Real Examples -- We work hard to keep up with the latest trends in resume writing. We've collected 750 of the most impressive, genuine resumes each written by professionally-certified writers.

* New! Tools for Your Search -- Create a List of References and Resume Addendum for additional projects, training, skills, or papers and articles that will not fit on your resume.

* New! E-mail Resumes in Perfect Format -- Whether you are e-mailing your resume or exporting to Microsoft Word, ResumeMaker ensures your resume keeps its original professional style and format - regardless of hardware, software, or e-mail systems. Send properly formatted resumes without attachments and impress hiring employers.

* New! Professional Resume Reviewer -- You only get one chance to make a first impression! ResumeMaker helps you review your resume and cover letters before sending them to employers. Avoid common mistakes and ensure that your documents reflect the professional in you. Over 50 checks ensure professional results.

* New! Updated Salary Finder -- Salary Finder gives you a negotiating advantage with up-to-date salary figures for your career in your geographic location. Print a personalized salary report, negotiate with facts, and get paid what you're worth.


Categories

* Professional Resumes
* Cover Letters
* Contact Manager
* Virtual Interview
* Salary Finder
* Career Planner
* Expert Advice
* Job Finder
* Resume Caster
* Federal Employment

Product Features

Other brands of resume-writing software use a one-size-fits-all template. ResumeMaker automatically determines the best resume for you, given your career situation. Your resume stands out because it presents your skills, experience, and achievements in the best possible light and demonstrates how your unique abilities will benefit future employers. It's a proven, professional system that uses the writing style and designs preferred by certified writers so you'll see instant results and advance your career more quickly!

Get Noticed. Get Hired!
Write resumes and cover letters that grab employers' attention and keep them interested. Harness the power of thousands of recommended phrases, hundreds of real-world examples, dozens of professional styles and Insider Advice you won't find anywhere else.

Advance your Career!
Includes all the tools you need to earn a higher salary, organize your job search, and plan your career. Practice for the interview and get valuable advice from career experts. You'll wonder how you ever managed your career without it.

Web-Enabled Features!
Publish your resume as a FREE Web page at ResumeMaker.com. Impress employers by e-mailing resumes that retain their original, professional format. Distribute your resume to hiring companies and search job openings online with ResumeMaker's patented Internet features.

System Requirements

* Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, NT4 (SP 6), XP
* Pentium class PC or higher processor
* 16 MB of RAM available
* CD-ROM Drive
* Sound card and Speakers
* Modem or Internet connection
* Mouse
* 60MB Hard Disk Space Needed - 12MB for Career Planner
* Recommended - Fax software
* Product is licensed for personal use only

หนังสือเกี่ยวกับ Resume มีมากมาย ราคา ก้อตามรูป ข้างล่าง
อยากได้ ตามหาที่เก่า

Ebook เล่มนี้ มีอะไรดีๆ ให้รู้ให้เตรียม เพื่อไป สัมภาษณ์ งานใหม่ -

หาเอง http://filecrop.com

Answering Tough Interview Questions

Introduction .......................................................1

About This Book .........................................................................1
Conventions Used in This Book ................................................2
Foolish Assumptions ..................................................................2
How This Book Is Organised......................................................3
Part I: Making Sure You Shine in an Interview .............3
Part II: Answering Tough Interview Questions .............3
Part III: Dealing with Tricky Questionsand Other Situations.................4
Part IV: Securing the Job of Your Dreams......................4
Part V: The Part of Tens ...................................................4
Icons Used in This Book.............................................................4
Where to Go from Here ..............................................................5

Part I: Making Sure You Shine in an Interview ......7

Chapter 1: Understanding the Interviewing Game . . . . . 9

Recognising What Interviewers Are Looking For .................10
Finding Out about Key Skills and Qualities ...........................10
Communicating with people .........................................11
Influencing others ...........................................................11
Analysing situations .......................................................12
Solving problems ............................................................12
Demonstrating drive and determination .....................12
Teamworking with colleagues.......................................13
Developing quickly .........................................................13
Being flexible and adaptable .........................................14
Planning and organising.................................................14
Being aware of the bigger picture.................................14

Chapter 2: Doing Your Job Interview Homework . . . . . 17

Researching the Company .......................................................17
Gathering vital information ...........................................17
Visiting shops and premises .........................................19
Preparing Answers to Common Questions............................19
Linking job adverts to key skills ...................................19
Dressing for Success.................................................................22
‘Getting’ the default for men .........................................23
Understanding the guidelines for women ...................23
Getting Ready to Go..................................................................24

Chapter 3: Polishing Your Interview Performance . . . . 27
Creating the Right Impact ........................................................27
Making eye contact.........................................................28
Using your body language .............................................29
Creating warmth by smiling ..........................................29
Using intonation and inflection.....................................31
Building Your Confidence ........................................................32
Getting Off to a Great Start ......................................................32

Part II: Answering Tough Interview Questions .....33
Chapter 4: Talking about Yourself ..............................................35
Handling General Questions about Yourself .........................35
Tell me about yourself ...................................................36
What are your strengths? ..............................................38
What are your weaknesses? ..........................................39
What motivates you?......................................................40
What are you passionate about? ..................................41
What are your biggest achievements? .........................41
What are you most proud of?........................................42
What is your greatest failure? .......................................43
Do you have any regrets? ..............................................43
Why should we hire you? ..............................................44
Talking about Basic Job Skills .................................................45
Would you say that you’re reliable? .............................45
What’s your absenteeism/sickness record like?.........45
How would you describe your
time management skills?............................................46
Are you an organised person? ......................................47
Do you work well under pressure? ...............................47
Would you say that you’re creative? ............................48
Would you say you’re good with detail? ......................49
How do you respond to change? ..................................50
How are you with new technology? .............................50
What software packages are you familiar with? .........51
How would you rate yourself as . . .?............................52

Chapter 5: Talking about Problems, Perceptions, and People . . . . . . . 53
Overcoming Interviewers’ Common Worries ........................53
What makes you lose your temper? .............................54
How do you respond to authority? ..............................54
How do you deal with disappointment? ......................55
How do you cope with job stress?................................55
What’s your attitude to taking risks? ...........................56
Ours is a work hard, play hard culture –
how do you feel about that? ......................................57
Tell me something interesting about yourself ............57
What would you say your Unique Selling Point is? ....58
Seeing Yourself As Others See You ........................................59
What would your boss say about you?........................59
In your last appraisal, what was said
about your performance? ..........................................60
How do you think you can improve
on your performance? ................................................61
What would your colleagues say about you? .............61
How would your team describe you?...........................62
How do you think your friends
would describe you? ..................................................62
Everyone has some kind of fault – what would
other people say your faults are? .............................63
Discussing Your People Skills .................................................64
Do you prefer to work on your own or in a team?......64
We all have a team role – what would
you say your role tends to be? ..................................66
Do you have good presentation skills? ........................67
How would you rate your customer
service skills? ..............................................................68
How are you at handling conflict? ................................69
We need someone who is tactful and diplomatic –
how does that profile fit you? ...................................70
How do you take personal criticism?...........................70

Chapter 6: Getting to Grips with Questions about Your Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Responding to Questions about Your Work ..........................73
What does your day-to-day job involve? .....................74
How did you get your last job? .....................................75
What do you like about your current job? .................76
What do you dislike about your work? ........................76
How is your performance measured? ..........................77
What have you learned in each
of your previous jobs?................................................78
Why did you leave each previous employer? .............79
Are you a good manager? ..............................................81
Sidestepping Questions about Your Current Company .......82
How would you describe your current company? .....83
How would you rate your current boss? .....................84
What’s your boss’s biggest failing? ..............................84
Why do you want to leave your current company? ...85
What is your current notice period? ............................86
May we approach your referees?..................................86

Chapter 7: Talking about Why You Want a New Job . . . . . . . . . 89

Answering Questions about the Employer ............................89
What do you know about our company?.....................90
How much do you know about this position? ............91
How would you rate our products / services /
Web site? ......................................................................92
What is it that attracts you to our company? .............93
How would you rate us against our competitors? .....94
What do you think our unique selling point is? ..........94
Do you have any concerns about
our organisation? ........................................................95
Answering Questions about What You’re Looking For .......96
Why are you looking to leave your
current company? .......................................................96
If your current job isn’t challenging you,
what could you do to change it?...............................97
Why do you want to work in this industry? ................98
Who else are you applying to? ......................................98
How does this job compare with others
you’re looking at?........................................................99
Have you received any job offers so far?...................100
How would you describe your dream job?................100
Who would your ideal employer be? .........................101
Evaluating Your Fit With the Organisation ..........................102
What do you think you can bring to the team? ........102
We are a diverse company – how will
you cope with that? ..................................................103
What kind of manager would you
like to work for? ........................................................103
How long do you plan to stay in this job? ................104
Why should we hire you? ............................................105
Where do you see yourself in five years’ time? ........105
When would you be available to start?......................106
Deflecting Questions about Money ......................................106
How much are you earning at the moment? .............106
How important is money to you? ...............................107
How much do you think you are worth in a job? .....108
What would you consider adequate
remuneration for this role?......................................108
I’m afraid you’re a bit expensive for us .....................109
What would you like to be earning in two years’ time?......................110

Chapter 8: Thriving Under the Pressure Interview . . . 111

Maintaining Your Composure................................................112
Responding To Leading Questions .......................................113
All of us have personality defects –
what is yours? ...........................................................113
Why did you not achieve more in your last job? ......114
How would you respond if I said that you’re not
the best candidate we’ve seen today? ...................115
How would you rate me as an interviewer? ..............116
What keeps you up at night? .......................................116
Why do you think you are better than
the other candidates?...............................................117
Responding to Closed Questions ..........................................118
Do you like regular hours and routine
working patterns? .....................................................118
Do you mind paperwork? ............................................119
Have you ever broken the rules
to get a job done?......................................................120
Do you take work home with you at weekends? .....121
Do you have any doubts about your ability
to do the job? ............................................................121
Don’t you think you are overqualified
for this job?................................................................122
Would you have any problems relocating? ...............123
Do you mind travelling? ..............................................123
Fending Off Weird and Wonderful Questions .....................124
See this pencil I’m holding? Sell it to me ...................124
Who was your favourite teacher? ..............................125
If you were an animal, what would you be? .............126
If you were a cartoon character,
who would you be? ..................................................127
Tell me a story .............................................................127
Who do you most admire and why? ..........................128
If you could meet anyone living or dead,
who would it be and why? ......................................128
What is your greatest fear? .........................................129
Saying Something Is Better Than Saying Nothing...............130
Playing for time .............................................................130
Making a last ditch effort .............................................131

Chapter 9: Succeeding at Competency-Based Interviewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Discovering the Rules of the Game ......................................134
Spotting competency-based questions......................134
Dealing with skilled competency-based interviewers...............................................................135
Dealing with unskilled competency-based interviewers...............................................................137
Identifying Likely Questions ..................................................138
Questions about Your Thinking and Planning Skills .........140
Tell me about a significant project
that you managed .....................................................141
Now give me an example of a project
that went wrong ........................................................141
Give me an example of a difficult decision
that you have made ..................................................142
Talk to me about a mistake you made
and what you did to rectify it ..................................143
Questions about Leading and Managing .............................144
Tell me about a time you inspired a team .................144
Talk me through how you coached
or developed a team member ................................145
Tell me about an occasion when you had to deal
with a difficult team member .................................146
Questions about Your People and Customer Skills ............146
Tell me about a time that you persuaded
someone to change their mind ...............................147
Talk to me about a difficult colleague
you’ve worked with ..................................................147
Have you ever had to give someone negative
feedback at work? How did it go? ...........................148
Tell me about a time you used your personal
network to business advantage ..............................149
Tell me about a time you sold something
to a customer ............................................................149
Give me an example of a time you exceeded
a customer’s expectations .......................................150
Questions about Your Personal Effectiveness ....................151
Tell me about a time that you failed
to achieve your goals ...............................................151
How did you respond to the last piece
of criticism you received?........................................152
Give me an example of how you have
developed yourself ...................................................153

Part III: Dealing with Tricky Questions and Other Situations ..........155
Chapter 10: Responding to Questions for Graduates and School Leavers. . . . 157
Questions for Graduates ........................................................157
Why did you choose to go to the university
you went to? ..............................................................158
Your university results aren’t very good –
why is that?................................................................159
Why did you choose your degree subject? ...............160
What have you learnt from being at university? .....160
Why did you choose to go to university
as a mature student? ................................................162
How difficult did you find university
as a mature student? ................................................163
How do you think your degree is relevant
to this job? .................................................................163
I don’t see why someone with your degree
would want to work in our field ..............................164
What sorts of part-time jobs have you had? .............165
What did you learn from your part-time jobs? .........165
What did you most enjoy about your time
at university? .............................................................166
What did you find the most difficult
about your course?...................................................166
What did you do outside of your studies? ...............167
Why have you left applying for jobs
until after finishing your course?............................168
Why did you choose to study part time
rather than full time?................................................168
Questions for School Leavers ...............................................168
What subjects did you enjoy most? ...........................169
What subjects were you good at?...............................169
What subjects were you not so good at?...................169
Why didn’t you stay on at school? .............................170
Do you regret not staying on at school? ....................170
Why didn’t you go to university?................................171
In retrospect, do you think you should have
gone to university? ...................................................171
What further education do you think you
will need for this job? ...............................................172

Chapter 11: Handling Questions Aimed at Experienced Candidates . . . 173
Questions for Older Candidates............................................173
How would you rate your progress so far? ...............174
Do you feel that you should have achieved
more in your current job? ........................................174
I’m concerned because you’ve been with one employer for a very long time – why is that? ........175
This is a challenging role – are you sure you want
to take it on at this stage of your career? ..............176
How have you changed in the last ten years?...........177
When do you plan to retire? ........................................177
Talking about Changes of Direction in Your CV ..................178
Why have you changed jobs so many times? ...........178
Given your background, why have you
decided to change career?.......................................180
Do you want to change career because you
are disillusioned with your current one?...............181
To what extent are your personal circumstances impacting upon your desire to change career? ....182
How do we know that you’ll stick with this
change of direction? .................................................183
How do you feel about starting at
the bottom again? .....................................................184
How will you cope working with peers who are
ten years younger than you? ...................................185
How will you cope with the drop in salary
that changing career necessitates? ........................185
What would you do if you were unable
to secure a job in this profession? .........................186
Returning to Work ...................................................................186
You have a gap in your CV – what did you do
in that time? ...............................................................187
Are you concerned that your time away from the workforce may put you at a disadvantage?...........187
Why did your last employer select you
for redundancy? ........................................................188
Have you ever been fired? ...........................................189
Why have you been out of work for so long?............189
If you hadn’t been made redundant, would you
have considered work in this field?........................190
You’ve been working for yourself for some time now. Why do you want to work for
someone else again? .................................................191

Chapter 12: Handling Hypothetical and Analytical Questions . . .. . . . . . 193

Responding to Hypothetical Questions ...............................194
What would you do if your boss asked you to do something that went against your principles?......194
What would you do if you disagreed with
a decision taken by your manager? ........................195
What would you do if your child
were suddenly taken ill?...........................................196
Would you rather be a big fish in a small pond
or a small fish in a big pond?...................................197
If you spotted a colleague doing something
unethical, what would you do? ...............................197
What would you do if a colleague came to you
in tears? ......................................................................198
How would you react if your boss said that you needed to come into the office for the
entire weekend? ........................................................199
What would you say if I were to offer you
this job right now? ....................................................199
Defining Key Concepts ...........................................................200
How would you define team work? ............................200
What makes for a good working environment? ........201
How would you define leadership? ............................201
Dealing Effectively with Numerical Challenges...................202
How many bottles of carbonated water
are consumed daily in California? ..........................202
How many cars does Pakistan have? .........................203
I have a dinosaur on an island – how many sheep would I need on the island to
feed it in perpetuity? ................................................204
I’d like you to multiply 8 by 9 and then take 13 away from the result ...................................205

Chapter 13: Coping with Illegal and Personal Questions . . . . 207
Countering Illegal Questions .................................................207
How old are you? ..........................................................208
Are you married? ..........................................................210
Do you have children? .................................................210
What are your childcare arrangements? ...................211
When do you plan to have children? .........................211
Are you pregnant at the moment? ..............................212
Does your partner mind you being away
from home? ................................................................212
What is your sexual orientation? ................................213
What are your religious beliefs? .................................214
Is English your mother tongue? ..................................215
Where were you born? .................................................215
Have you ever been arrested?.....................................216
Talking about Life Outside of Work ......................................217
What do you do with your leisure time?....................218
Your leisure interests seem very solitary –
does this affect your team skills? ...........................218
What sports do you play?............................................219
Do you read much?.......................................................219
What was the last book you read?..............................220
What was the last film you saw? .................................220
Do you keep up with current affairs? .........................221
What newspaper do you read? ...................................221
What news story has grabbed your
attention recently?....................................................222
Talking About Your Health .....................................................222
You mention that you took a lot of
time off last year – why is that? ..............................223
How many days did you take off sick last year? .......223
Do you have any medical conditions
that you should tell us about?.................................224
How do you cope with your disability? .....................225

Chapter 14: Taking Control in Unusual Situations . . . 227

Dealing with Panel Interviews ...............................................227
Handling Hi-Tech Interviews .................................................228
Hanging on the telephone............................................228
Handling video conferencing and
Webcams with finesse ..............................................229
Getting Ready for Psychometric Tests.................................229
Passing aptitude tests ..................................................229
Completing personality questionnaires.....................230
Succeeding at Assessment Centres ......................................231
Passing in-trays .............................................................231
Giving great presentations ..........................................232
Excelling at group exercises ........................................233
Being a star in role play simulations ..........................234

Part IV: Securing the Job of Your Dreams..........235

Chapter 15: Asking Great Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Preparing the Right Questions for the Right Interview......237
Showing enthusiasm for the job .................................240
Checking out future prospects....................................241
Enquiring about the culture ........................................242
Turning Your Questions into a Discussion ..........................243

Chapter 16: Dotting ‘I’s and Crossing ‘T’s . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Wrapping Up the Interview....................................................245
Checking the next steps...............................................245
Making a great final impression ..................................246
Taking Notes after the Interview...........................................247
Sending Follow-Up Letters .....................................................248
Ensuring Your References Are Positive ................................250
Evaluating the Experience .....................................................250
Rating your own performance ....................................250
Finding out what went wrong......................................252

Part V: The Part of Tens...................................255

Chapter 17: Ten Cardinal Sins of Interviewing . . . . . . 257

Turning Up Late.......................................................................257
Getting the Dress Code Wrong ..............................................258
Being Rude to Receptionists .................................................258
Getting Off to a Shaky Start ...................................................259
Giving a Monologue ................................................................260
Answering in Monosyllables..................................................260
Failing the Luton Airport Test ...............................................261
Usurping the Balance of Power .............................................261
Discussing Money Too Soon..................................................261
Having No Questions to Ask ..................................................262

Chapter 18: Ten Tips to Creating the Perfect Career . . . . . 263
Knowing What You Want in a Job .........................................263
Understanding Yourself..........................................................264
Working on Your Weaknesses................................................264
Networking Widely..................................................................265
Asking to See Offers in Writing..............................................266
Evaluating the Job Thoroughly .............................................266
Considering Culture Carefully ...............................................267
Negotiating a Good Deal for Yourself ...................................268
Investing in Your Future .........................................................270
Looking for Opportunities to Grow ......................................270

Index .............................................................271

Mental fear of the unknown is often what produces the physical symptoms of nervousness. In addition to preparing yourself physically, you also need to prepare yourself mentally. The best way to prepare mentally is to know what may be coming. Fear of the unknown can only exist when there is an unknown. Take the time to understand some of the "standards" when it comes to interviewing questions.
The following are some of the most difficult questions you will face in the course of your job interviews. Some questions may seem rather simple on the surface--such as "Tell me about yourself"--but these questions can have a variety of answers. The more open-ended the question, the wider the variation in the answers. Once you have become practiced in your interviewing skills, you will find that you can use almost any question as a launching pad for a particular topic or compelling story.
Others are "classic" interview questions, such as, "What is your greatest weakness?" Questions which most people answer inappropriately. In this case, the standard textbook answer for the "greatest weakness" question is to give a veiled positive--"I work too much. I just work and work and work"--which ends up sending the wrong message. Either you are lying or, worse yet, you are telling the truth, in which case you define working too much as a weakness and really don't want to work much at all. Think about it.
The following answers are provided to give you a new perspective on how to answer tough interview questions. They are not there for you to lift from the page and insert into your next interview. They are there for you to use as the basic structure for formulating your own answers. While the specifics of each reply may not apply to you, try to follow the basic structure of the answer from the perspective of the interviewer. Answer the questions behaviorally, with specific examples that show clear evidence backs up what you are saying about yourself. Always provide information that shows you want to become the very best _____ for the company and that you have specifically prepared yourself to become exactly that. They want to be sold. They are waiting to be sold. Don't disappoint them!
1. Tell me about yourself.My background to date has been centered around preparing myself to become the very best _____ I can become. Let me tell you specifically how I've prepared myself . . .
2. Why should I hire you? Because I sincerely believe that I'm the best person for the job. I realize that there are many other college students who have the ability to do this job. I also have that ability. But I also bring an additional quality that makes me the very best person for the job--my attitude for excellence. Not just giving lip service to excellence, but putting every part of myself into achieving it. In _____ and _____ I have consistently reached for becoming the very best I can become by doing the following . . .
3. What is your long-range objective? Where do you want to be 10 or 15 years from now?Although it's certainly difficult to predict things far into the future, I know what direction I want to develop toward. Within five years, I would like to become the very best _____ your company has. In fact, my personal career mission statement is to become a world-class _____ in the _____ industry. I will work toward becoming the expert that others rely upon. And in doing so, I feel I will be fully prepared to take on any greater responsibilities that might be presented in the long term.
4. How has your education prepared you for your career?As you will note on my resume, I've taken not only the required core classes in the _____ field, I've also gone above and beyond. I've taken every class the college has to offer in the field and also completed an independent study project specifically in this area. But it's not just taking the classes to gain academic knowledge--I've taken each class, both inside and outside of my major, with this profession in mind. So when we're studying _____ in _____, I've viewed it from the perspective of _____. In addition, I've always tried to keep a practical view of how the information would apply to my job. Not just theory, but how it would actually apply. My capstone course project in my final semester involved developing a real-world model of _____, which is very similar to what might be used within your company. Let me tell you more about it . . .
5. Are you a team player?Very much so. In fact, I've had opportunities in both athletics and academics to develop my skills as a team player. I was involved in _____ at the intramural level, including leading my team in assists during the past year--I always try to help others achieve their best. In academics, I've worked on several team projects, serving as both a member and team leader. I've seen the value of working together as a team to achieve a greater goal than any one of us could have achieved individually. As an example . . .
6. Have you ever had a conflict with a boss or professor? How was it resolved?Yes, I have had conflicts in the past. Never major ones, but certainly there have been situations where there was a disagreement that needed to be resolved. I've found that when conflict occurs, it's because of a failure to see both sides of the situation. Therefore, I ask the other person to give me their perspective and at the same time ask that they allow me to fully explain my perspective. At that point, I would work with the person to find out if a compromise could be reached. If not, I would submit to their decision because they are my superior. In the end, you have to be willing to submit yourself to the directives of your superior, whether you're in full agreement or not. An example of this was when . . .
7. What is your greatest weakness?I would say my greatest weakness has been my lack of proper planning in the past. I would overcommit myself with too many variant tasks, then not be able to fully accomplish each as I would like. However, since I've come to recognize that weakness, I've taken steps to correct it. For example, I now carry a planning calendar in my pocket so that I can plan all of my appointments and "to do" items. Here, let me show you how I have this week planned out . . .
8. If I were to ask your professors to describe you, what would they say?I believe they would say I'm a very energetic person, that I put my mind to the task at hand and see to it that it's accomplished. They would say that if they ever had something that needed to be done, I was the person who they could always depend on to see that it was accomplished. They would say that I always took a keen interest in the subjects I was studying and always sought ways to apply the knowledge in real world settings. Am I just guessing that they would say these things? No, in fact, I'm quite certain they would say those things because I have with me several letters of recommendation from my professors, and those are their very words. Let me show you . . .
9. What qualities do you feel a successful manager should have?The key quality should be leadership--the ability to be the visionary for the people who are working under them. The person who can set the course and direction for subordinates. A manager should also be a positive role model for others to follow. The highest calling of a true leader is inspiring others to reach the highest of their abilities. I'd like to tell you about a person who I consider to be a true leader . . .
10. If you had to live your life over again, what would you change?That's a good question. I realize that it can be very easy to continually look back and wish that things had been different in the past. But I also realize that things in the past cannot be changed, that only things in the future can be changed. That's why I continually strive to improve myself each and every day and that's why I'm working hard to continually increase my knowledge in the _____ field. That's also the reason why I want to become the very best _____ your company has ever had. To make positive change. And all of that is still in the future. So in answer to your question, there isn't anything in my past that I would change. I look only to the future to make changes in my life.
In reviewing the above responses, please remember that these are sample answers. Please do not rehearse them verbatim or adopt them as your own. They are meant to stir your creative juices and get you thinking about how to properly answer the broader range of questions that you will face.