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How To Answer Questions During An Interview

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What Would You Do If You Suspected Neglect Or Abuse In The Home Of One Of Your Students

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What They Want to Know: Teachers walk a delicate line as advocates for their students welfare. Think about how you would respond should you suspect a child has been subject to abuse.

I take my position as a mandated reporter very seriously. I am aware of the districts daily health check system that early childhood teachers are required to implement daily. In my previous position, we also did daily checks when the children would arrive each morning. There was one child in my previous classroom who had odd bruising on both arms and I was not sure if the bruises were from rough play with siblings or friends, or from an adult being physically abusive.

Before I said anything to anyone, I reported what I saw to the principal who guided me through the process to determine the cause of the bruising. Ultimately it was discovered that the bruises were from the childs older sibling. The way my school handled the situation enabled us to ensure the child was in a safe situation without falsely accusing or upsetting the parents.

Common Interview Questions And Answers

Preparing talking points for common interview questions can help you feel confident and prepared. While every interviewer is different and their questions may vary depending on the job and industry, there are a few common questions you can expect and prepare for such as, “Tell me about yourself.”

Below, we’ve put together a comprehensive list of commonly-asked interview questions including what interviewers are looking for in your response, plus example answers to help you make a great first impression.

How Would Your Coworkers/boss Describe You

This question presents a great opportunity to sell strengths that might sound like bragging coming directly from you. For instance, declaring that youâre a hard-worker can sound like interview-filler when you say it, but itâs perfectly acceptable coming from a coworker. Best strategy? Think back to actual compliments youâve received from coworkers and clients.

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Question: What Is Your Greatest Weakness

I hate the greatest weakness question. Everyone knows its a trap, and everyone knows the candidate is going to say something trite .

Focus on them: Dont pick a weakness that will disqualify you for the job, but do give a real answer.

When you give a real answer, you are being genuine. You are admitting you have some growth opportunities and are not perfect. But you can include that you already have a plan to overcome this weakness through training or practice .

Some people even insert a little humor in their answerI wish I was better at tennis. You can, too, if you feel like the interviewer has a sense of humor. But, be sure to quickly follow with a serious answer. Showing you have a lighter side is usually a good thing.

How Many Pennies If Stacked On Top Of Each Other Would Equal The Height Of The Empire State Building

Download Common Interview Questions And Answers 1.0

Employers may ask questions like this to understand your thought processes. They want to gauge whether you can think analytically, deal with ambiguity and communicate clearly. It is completely appropriate and even encouraged to ask for a few minutes to gather your thoughts. Even if your answer seems silly or wrong, employers are simply looking for an answer with logical support. It is also appropriate to ask follow-up questions for more information or context, though they may or may not provide the answer.

Example:Start by breaking down a solution based on related information you might already know. What is the approximate height of the Empire State Building? You can probably deduce that 500 feet is too short and 5,000 feet is too tall. Lets say you guess roughly 1,500 feet. From there, consider the thickness of a penny. To do this, you might think about how many stacked pennies equal one inch. Lets say 15. Next, since you know there are 12 inches in a foot and youve estimated the buildings height at 1500 feet, you multiply to get an approximate answer of 270,000 pennies to equal the height of the Empire State Building.

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What Were Your Starting And Final Levels Of Compensation

What They Want to Know: Hiring managers will want to learn how much you earned to see if you’re a competitive candidate for the company from a salary perspective. Be honest when discussing how much you were paid because employers can ask about salary when checking your background.

However, also be aware that in some locations employers are prohibited from asking about your prior wages. Some employers have also implemented policies that restrict questions about salary from being asked.

When I started my entry-level job as an accountant, my annual salary was approximately $42K I then became a CPA and currently take home around $80K.

More Answers: Interview Questions About Your Salary History

Why Did You Leave Your Last Job

There are a lot of good answers to this interview question. There isnt just one right answer. Here are some guidelines:

If you chose to leave on your own terms, stay positive and focus on what you wanted to gain from the decision, rather than bad-mouthing or focusing on negatives you wanted to avoid.

And if you were fired or laid off, be upfront and clear. Youre not going to make employers want to hire you by being vague or trying to hide something.

If you got fired, show what youve learned from the experience, and what youve done to make sure this doesnt happen again. Thats how to spin it into a positive.

  • Be clear and direct and address the question head-on
  • If you were fired, own up to it and share what youve done to make sure this never happens again
  • If you chose to resign, focus on the positive things you hoped to gain by moving to the next opportunity, rather than badmouthing or talking about the negatives in your last role

Dont:

  • Dont badmouth or complain
  • Never say you resigned because of a disagreement or argument with a coworker
  • Dont make it sound like money is your main priority
  • Dont try to hide facts or avoid the question this will just lead to more questions and suspicion from the interviewer

Example answer:

You can also get more ideas for how to answer this on our list of 20 answers for why did you leave your last job.

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What Was Your Salary In Your Last Job

This is a tough one. You want to be open and honest, but frankly, some companies ask the question as the opening move in salary negotiations.

Try an approach recommended by Liz Ryan. When asked, say, “I’m focusing on jobs in the $50K range. Is this position in that range?”

Maybe the interviewer will answer maybe she won’t. If she presses you for an answer, you’ll have to decide whether you want to share or demur. Ultimately your answer won’t matter too much, because you’ll either accept the salary offered or you won’t, depending on what you think is fair.

Questions To Learn About The Job

How to Answer Behavioral Questions during an Interview

Ask questions that will help you determine if you would actually like the job, and be able to do it well.

  • Why is this position open? Is it a new position? Or is it a replacement for someone?
  • How long does someone typically stay in this job?
  • How many hours a week does someone in this job typically work? Is overtime accepted or expected?
  • Do most employees check email over the weekends and stay in touch while on vacation? Is that required for this job?
  • Do employees sometimes work from home or telecommute in this job? How many people telecommute? How many hours a week?
  • Who does the person in this job report to? What is the bosss job title, and where are they located?
  • What is the salary grade for this job? Where does this job salary grade rank in your salary grades?
  • What can you tell me about this job that isnt in the description?
  • What are your future plans for this job?
  • What are the prospects for growth for the person in this job?
  • How long do people stay in this job?
  • How often is this job open?
  • Who does the person in this job report to?
  • How often are performance reviews provided? Do employees receive feedback from their managers?
  • Is travel to meet with clients or suppliers or to represent this organization required for this job? If so, where, how long, how far, and how often?
  • Where is this job located?

Ask about anything else in your preparation that raised questions for you. Read for leveraging Google before the interview.

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Are You A Risk

This ones pretty tricky, as the answer here depends on your profession and field.

Ask yourself – is risk-taking a valuable skill for the job?

If youre a pilot, for example, the answer should be a strict No!

If, on the other hand, youre a day trader, then risk is an essential part of your job.

So, depending on how valuable risk is for your job, answer accordingly.

You could also give a more strategic answer. Lets say, for example, you work in investment banking. You need to be a risk taker to an extent, but being too risk-friendly might make the entire company go bankrupt.

The strategy in such a case would be to show that youre all about calculated risk. Youre willing to take chances, but only when the odds are in your favor.

As with most interview questions, you should give examples of situations where you had to take risks, and what the end-results were.

Possible answers:

  • Sample Answer 1:

Yes, Im a risk-taker. I believe that to achieve real results, you always need to be willing to take a certain level of risk.

Pretty much any marketing initiative you launch is tied to risk. You can plan everything from beginning till the end, but no matter how well you plan it out, things might just not work out.

Its just part of the job – in order to succeed, you need to take launch risky campaigns on a regular basis, and hopefully, one in every 5 is going to bring you massive results.

  • Sample Answer 2:

Tell Me About A Conflict You Faced At Work And How You Dealt With It

This question is important to ace because it helps an interviewer understand how you deal with conflict. It also helps test how well you think on your feetso if you prepare ahead of time with a specific example, youll avoid the awkward moment of silence while you try to think of an example.

Once you have an example in mind, simply explain what happened, how you resolved the issue in a professional manner, and try to end the story with a happy note about how you reached a resolution or compromise with your co-worker.

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Question: Why Do You Want This Job

There should be a heartfelt answer on this one. Your gut should be giving you the answer.

Although, if the reason is about money, location, work schedule, benefits, and other factors not tied to actual role, you may want to think a little more about your answer. None of those reasons are important to the hiring manager.

Focus on them: They want to hear that this job is exactly what youve been thinking about as a next step in your career.

Of course, the follow-up question theyll ask is: How so?

Be prepared to answer with your rationale for how this job meets your professional needs and how you can contribute at your highest potential while in this role. People want to feel like their work means something. There is nothing wrong with sharing that feeling in a thoughtful way.

Examples Of The Best Answers

Interview Questions and Answers to Prepare You for a Job ...

The best answers to this request are honest, brief, and confidently delivered. Your goal is to share something interesting about yourself that illuminates who you are as a person and an employee.

Come prepared with a few things to share and be sure to tie them to the skills and qualities that are most valuable in this job.

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Are You Willing To Relocate

While this may sound like a simple yes-or-no question, its often a little bit more complicated than that. The simplest scenario is one where youre totally open to moving and would be willing to do so for this opportunity. But if the answer is no, or at least not right now, you can reiterate your enthusiasm for the role, briefly explain why you cant move at this time, and offer an alternative, like working remotely or out of a local office. Sometimes its not as clear-cut, and thats OK. You can say you prefer to stay put for xyz reasons, but would be willing to consider relocating for the right opportunity.

Read More:The Best Responses to Are You Willing to Relocate? Depending on Your Situation

Question: Why Were You Fired

This is another danger zone. This is not the time for defending yourself with a long story about you being the victim.

If you made a mistake, you are going to have to try to minimize the severity of the situation.

An argument with a boss could be described as a difference in opinion. Not following orders because your moral compass told you not to could be described as taking the high road.

Just be careful not to cast blame on others. Consider including a silver lining. Did you learn a lot from the experience and now possess knowledge that will mitigate the chances of this happening again?

Laid off is not fired: If you were part of a layoff, this is different from being fired. It was likely a financial decision by management, and you were part of a group that was targeted as part of budget cuts. Layoffs are typically not personal they are just business. Hiring managers know this .

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Question: Why Were You Laid Off

Be very careful with this question. It sounds like an invitation to complain about your previous employer. Interviews are a bad time to trash anyone even the previous employer who eliminated your job.

Let the interviewer decide on their own about how badly management performed. Just make a simple statement about the cause of the layoff , and then quickly follow with a question about the stability of their company and history with layoffs.

Can You Tell Me About A Time Where You Encountered A Business Challenge How Did You Overcome It

How to Answer Behavioral Product Manager Interview Questions

Behavioural question alert! This is your opportunity to use the CAR method: Context, Action, and Result. Choose an example that demonstrates where you have solved a business challenge using a skill that the employer is looking for.

Provide the background, describe what action you took and the professional result you achieved.

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Ask These Questions To Learn About Co

If the person would be a co-worker, learn more about how things look from this persons level by asking questions like these:

  • How often is this job filled?
  • How long have you worked for this employer?
  • How long have you been in this job?
  • Are you glad you took this job? Are you happy to be working here? Why?
  • What makes someone successful in this job?
  • Have you received any training here or taken any classes this employer paid for?
  • Have long do people typically stay in this job? How many coworkers have left? Where did they go?

Understanding more about the person will help you choose the next questions to ask, and also help you keep their responses in perspective.

How Many Tennis Balls Can You Fit Into A Limousine

1,000? 10,000? 100,000? Seriously? Well, seriously, you might get asked brain-teaser questions like these, especially in quantitative jobs. But remember that the interviewer doesnt necessarily want an exact numberthey want to make sure that you understand whats being asked of you, and that you can set into motion a systematic and logical way to respond. So take a deep breath and start thinking through the math.

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More Help For Succeeding In Your Job Interviews

As some of you know from reading my free Job-Hunt interviewing guide Successful Job Interviewing: What Job Candidates Need to Know I recommend building a checklist of key experiences and attributes you want to cover and find opportunities to present them during the interview. The Standard Questions are often times those moments.

In developing your answers to the typical questions, focus on stories rather than simply stated facts. Read my post The Secret to Job Interview Success for details on how to choose and structure those stories.

How Do You Feel About Working Weekends Or Late Hours

Tampa FL Staffing Agency

Youre gonna get asked this question in one of the following 2 cases:

1) Youre applying for a job that requires working odd hours.

In this case, your answer is pretty straightforward – since youre applying for such a job, you probably dont have any problems working odd hours.

Sample answer:

Sure! Im OK with working late hours or weekends, as long as you let me know about it at least a few days in advance.

2) Youre applying for just about any other type of job.

Now, you should look at this as a red flag. Is the employer just checking your dedication, or are they looking for someone thats going to work 24/7 with no overtime pay?

In this case, ask them to clarify what they mean.

Sample answer:

Given enough warning, sure. Is that something Ill be required to do often? Do you offer overtime pay for this kind of situation?

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