Each candidate has a job interview question which he
or she dreads above all others. For some candidates,
that question may be one which seeks to explain a lack
of experience: “so have you ever done financial
modeling before?” For others, that dreaded question is
one which probes unpleasant or unflattering
experience: “Could you tell me why you left your
previous job?” But whatever the reason that a
candidate doesn’t want to answer a specific question,
he or she should know one thing with certainty: that
question will be asked. It’s almost as if interviewers
have some sort of sixth sense which draws them, as a
moth to a flame, right to that question, usually right
as the interview is really starting to go well.
For that reason, at least some of your job interview
preparation should be spend practicing ways to cope
with this unwanted job interview question. That
experience, or inexperience, is a part of your history
now. You can’t hide from it, or hide it. You need a
way to make it work for you, and in fact become an
asset rather than a liability. This is a very powerful
move for your job search efforts, and one that will
pay big dividends. It is rarely, however, an easy move
to make. You are probably dreading that question and
answer for a good reason. You’re going to need to do
some heavy work and thinking before you can flip it
into an advantage. The first place to start is by
learning what the target company values the most.
Preparing for the Job Interview Question
Learning what the company values the most in the
target position gives you some vital clues on possible
ways to answer that job interview question in an
honest, yet positive way. These values can be
determined by learning as much about the company as
possible. One good place to start is with published
material on the web and in magazines and newspapers.
Another equally valuable place to learn about what the
company wants to see in the target opening is from
current or former employees. These employees can give
realistic, behind the scenes advice on what the
company is looking for, requires and expects in that
target position… during the interview phase and on the
job.
With any luck, your research uncovered corporate
values which speak to your dreaded question in a
relevant and positive way. For instance, if your
dreaded question is why you left a company after less
than a year, and you have learned that your target
company values a high degree of commitment in its
employees, you might initially fear that you have a
problem. If, however, you say that you left the
previous company because you realized that you
disagreed with its principles on a fundamental level,
and that you didn’t want to work someplace which you
couldn’t feel passionate about, you might be able to
turn it around. Specific ways to answer the
uncomfortable question might vary, but each of them
should be given in a way that incorporates the target
company’s values.
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