Gary Will's WORKSEARCH:
Selling Yourself To An Employer
Chapter 11: (continued)
Approaches to answering some common questions
From the book How to Prepare for an Employment Interview.
Get the entire book by e-mail in Microsoft Word format for US$10.
This book shows you how to sell yourself in an employment interview.
[Chapter 11: continued from here
] More than anything else, this is what you've come to say. Even if you're not asked these questions, you'll want to make sure you work in your response over the course of the interview. It's your responsibility to make sure it gets said. Even if you fumble on other less-important questions, if you get these points across to the interviewer, you've done a good job.
In fact, I recommend that you prepare a one minute presentation that directly addresses the question "Why should I hire you?" If you don't get an opportunity to use it during the first part of the interview when the employer is asking the questions, you can use it as a final summary when you've finished asking your own questions. You'll have to be flexible and make use of any information you may uncover during the interview, but be prepared. It will be a lot easier to adapt your presentation at the interview than to create it from scratch.
Give me an example where you ...
Describe experience you have that required ...
Tell me about a situation where you ...
Complete these questions with the tasks, skills, and traits you've identified in your analysis of the position. For example:
Describe a situation where you had to adapt to a variety of situations.
Tell me about a time when you had to answer telephones and assist visitors at the same time.
Give me an example of where you were able to win the account of a prospective customer.
Give me an example that demonstrates your oral communications skills.
None of these examples may apply to your situation-you have to go ...[continued here]
Read the entire book online or