The successful job interviewer
What makes you suitable for this job, do you think?
Useful Tips
When interviewing for a job, there are 4 main areas to ask about:
- Work history.
- Personality.
- Suitability for the company and the specific job.
- Goals and ambitions.
Note that it is not appropriate to ask the candidate questions about race, age, marital status, or sexual preferences. These questions are potentially discriminatory.
Track 83
Christ H: …and so your online resume was very interesting and that’s why we asked you to come for an interview. I’m responsible for all human resources issues here at Bergerbild and my colleagues here, Georgina Harris, is head of the sales department, which is where we currently have a position free.
Georgina H: Hello, nice to meet you.
Mansha K: Hi, nice to meet you too.
CH: Fine. So Mr. Khan, what do you know about our company?
MK: A lot! You’re involved in big overseas infrastructure projects in South-East Asia, for example, and among other things you are currently bidding for…
CH: …and the Kuching metro project was very successful. But coming back to you, Mr Khan, what do you feel has been your biggest achievement to date?
MK: Well, I introduced a new process for prioritizing customer visiting schedules for our department and in 6 months, we managed to increase sales by about 22 percent. My manager was very pleased!
CH: Hmm, I can understand why. So, why would you like to leave your current job?
MK: Well, the sales position that you are offering would give me opportunities to work internationally. At the moment I’m just based in Seattle.
GH: I see. But what makes you suitable for this job, do you think?
MK: I’ve been very successful so far in sales and I think that I can offer a good service to your customers.
CH: Interesting point. What is good customer service, in your view?
MK: Definitely the most important skill is the ability to listen to what…
GH: Very true. Now, what are your weaknesses, would you say?
MK: Well, my mom criticizes my untidiness around the house, but I guess you don’t mean that. Hmm, I suppose I’m not very good at making sure all the paperwork involved in sales is completed quickly. You know, I prefer to be out there, going on to the next customer. But of course, I know it has to be done. I’m trying to improve.
GH: Well, you are quite young, aren’t you?
MK: I’m 26.
CH: Right. Now, what are your goals for the next 5 years?
MK: I hope that I can also take on responsibility for organizing other salespeople in the future. I see myself in a management position when I have more experience and can share that experience with other salespeople.
GH: OK. Now, what are your salary expectations? For this sales position, I mean?
MK: Well, I’m sure that a mixture of…
The successful interview candidate
So, tell me about yourself.
Useful Tips
- Answer questions fully. Avoid very short answers.
- Be sure about the details on your résumé, and be prepared to talk about your achievements and experience in depth.
- Research the background of the company or organization.
- Listen carefully to the questions you are asked. Answer them with relevant information.
Track 88
1
Karl: I see from your résumé that you have web design experience as well as in sales.
Candidate 1: Yes, that’s right.
K: Hmm. That could be interesting for the development of our Internet presence in Europe. Our website is very US-oriented at the moment.
C1: Well, it’s something I really enjoy doing. In my current job I was part of a team that did a redesign of the company website and I learned a lot.
K: What software can you work with?
C1: Well, I can use Dreamweaver, which is the classic web design tool of course, but I’ve also got experience of using…
2
K: So, do you think you can make a useful contribution to this company?
Candidate 2: Oh, yes.
K: I see.
C2: Yes.
K: Is your previous experience suitable for this position?
C2: Hmm. Yes. Yes, definitely.
K: And you don’t think it would be difficult moving into a management position?
C2: No, I don’t think so.
K: Really?
C2: No, not at all.
K: Right.
3
K: Perhaps you could tell me, what do you know about this company?
Candidate 3: Well, I know you have been very active in India over the last 5 years with the Mumbai City Transit System. What was it now? A 2 billion-dollar contract to provide not only the trains but also all the electronic equipment for the system, I think.
K: Yes, quite a difficult project. We had a lot of trouble with subcontractors.
C3: Yes, I understand it was very challenging. But in the end of the project was completed on time and within budget. So you must have been pleased with the final result.
K: That’s true and, of course, it is an excellent reference project for us…
4
K: Now, could you tell me, what are your greatest strengths and weakness, in your opinion?
Candidate 4: Hmm, that’s an interesting question. Well, I think my greatest strength is that I never give up. In my experience, in order to win a customer you just have to really go on and on looking for a way to give them what they want and then you get the sale.
K: True. And what about weaknesses?
C4: Well, I need to improve my team player skills. Like many salespeople I don’t like sharing customer information with other salespeople, but sometimes it makes the customer angry when he or she gets a visit from 2 different salespeople with different products from the same company. So, I realize it’s necessary to share information, but it isn’t easy for me to put this into practice.
K: Right. Well, here at Bergerbild, teamwork is very important.
C4: Yes, yes, I agree. I’m just telling you what I think is my greatest weakness. And I’m working on it.
5
K: So, perhaps you could tell me, what has been your biggest achievement to date?
Candidate 5: Oh well, I took part in this quiz competition a few years ago when I was at university. I was the head of the team and we got to the final of the national tournament. And we only just missed out on the top prize. So, there we were in the final round and the other team came from Cambridge…
K: Sorry, I meant more in the way of…
C5: and we both had eighteen points each and the question came up “What are the main tributaries of the Volga?” Now I knew that.
K: I meant what was your biggest achievement at work?
C5: Oh, sorry, yes. Um, well, in my current job we have a team which takes part in quiz competitions in pubs and last year we got to the finals. There we were, facing a team from a pub in Cambridge when…
Carrying out performance reviews
How do you feel about your performance this year?
Useful Tips
The purpose of the performance review is for the line manager to review what the employee does, evaluate how well they perform, and discuss objectives for the next year. The line manager should:
- Discuss the scope of the job, for example the job description, the employee’s responsibilities, and any changes to them.
- Find out the employee’s opinion of their performance, and then present their own assessment supported by evidence.
- Set SMART - Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timed - objects for the coming year.
Track 92
Caterina: So, first of all, I’d like to check if we’re on the same page regarding your responsibilities. You supervise the sales staff for the whole south-eastern region, you’re a member of the European sales committee, and you coordinate the cooperation between the production team and marketing. Have I missed anything?
Edward: Don’t forget, I’m captain of the company’s basketball team as well!
C: Of course not! Especially after you won the Intercompany Cup in April. Would you like to add anything else?
E: No, I think that’s covered pretty much everything.
C: Good. So, how do you feel about your performance this year?
E: Well, quite good. I hit all my sales targets we set in last year’s review.
C: Yes, that’s true. My impression is that you enjoy that part of your work most.
E: Hmm, well that is my main responsibility.
C: Quite right. However, working together with the production department is very important and I’ve observed that the cooperation between marketing and production hasn’t really improved. We still seem to have the same problems that we had last year.
E: I’m not quite sure what you mean.
C: Production still complains about lack of advance information from us.
E: Well, they are just so inflexible.
C: I quite agree. But the bottom line is, we have to work together. So, I would like you to establish a job rotation scheme. I want 2 salespeople to spend 6 months in production and 2 people from production to replace them in our sales team. That way, both departments will get a better idea of what needs to be done.
E: Oh… but they won’t know any of our customers!
C: Well, you’ll have to train them. I expect you to organize this by the end of the month.
E: The end fo the month?!
C: Yes. I’ve spoken to Tom Wilkinson in production and he agrees with me that this is the best way forward. He’ll set up a meeting with you for later this afternoon.
E: I see. Well, perhaps it will help.
C: Good. Now, let’s move on to discuss your development. Looking ahead, I think it would be a good idea if you took part in some project management training.
E: Sure. It’s definitely something I’m interested in.
C: Good, because down the line, project work is going to be where the best opportunities for promotion are in our company. And I feel you need to develop your leadership skills.
E: Definitely. I mean I would really appreciate any opportunities I get to improve on that aspect of my work.
Persuading your manager
Would you be willing to support my request?
Useful Tips
If you want to ask for something special from your manager, you need to be well prepared:
- Be proactive. Ask your manager for a meeting to discuss what is on your mind.
- Persuade, don’t threaten. Decide what exactly you want and be prepared to justify your demands with logical arguments, rather than emotional ones.
- Be ready to negotiate. Think in advance about the best alternative to your preferred solution.
- Remain polite. Whatever the result, always thank your manager for their time at the end of the meeting. You still have to work with them.
Track 96
Candy: Hi John! Do you have a moment?
John: Sure, Candy. What can I do for you?
C: I’d like to schedule a meeting with you to talk about my position. When’s a good time for you?
J: Er, well, it’s probably best if you fix a time with my secretary, OK?
C: Fine. I’ll do that.
J: Come in, Candy, take a seat. Now, what can I do for you?
C: Well, I’d like to discuss my compensation package with you.
J: Really? I thought you were happy with the increase we gave you last year!
C: Yes, but I hope you’ll agree that since last year I’ve achieved such a lot and we need to consider these achievements. For example, I was responsible for organizing the conference in Astana last month and…
…and finally, I managed the IOS 9001 audit, which we successfully completed. So, wouldn’t you agree that my performance this year has been very successful?
J: Well, yes. But what exactly do you want?
C: I understand that this year the pay increase is between 3 and 8 percent. I would like to ask for a raise at the top end of that scale.
J: Ooh! I don’t know about that, Candy, I mean, what about the others?
C: If you look at my responsibilities in comparison to my colleagues, I am currently underpaid. Wouldn’t you say this should be taken into consideration?
J: I’m not sure that is really quite true, Candy.
C: Oh, I think so. I checked. Compared to programmers in other companies, I’m earning about 4 percent less than the market average. Here are the figures.
J: Are you saying you want to leave?
C: No, I just want you to know the background to my request, that’s all. I’m sure you can see that it wouldn’t be hard for me to get a better paid job elsewhere.
J: I see.
C: So, would you be willing to support my request for a higher wage increase?
J: Well, the problem is also your qualifications. Even though you are a fantastic programmer, you don’t have the qualifications on paper for me to justify to the HR department putting you into a higher salary level.
C: I thought that might be a problem. So, wouldn’t it make sense for the company to invest in sending me on an advanced programming skills course? The company benefits from my improved skills, I have the necessary qualifications on paper and you could then justify to the HR department paying me more. I hope you’ll agree that would be a win-win situation for everybody.
J: Hmm. I need to think about this idea.
C: Sure. I’ll find a time for another meeting towards the end of the week with your secretary. But thanks for your time today. I do appreciate that.