Sirona Says

I bet you can't answer all these!! Is this the most comprehensive list of interview questions you have seen?

I was going through one of my old websites yesterday, and I came across this extensive (if I say so myself) list of interview questions I had on the website. They are aimed at both companies looking for interview help, and for candidates looking for some help to get through interviews.

So you reckon you can answer an interview question or two? Or are you interviewing people this week, and are a little short on interview question inspiration?

If either is the case, then have fun with this long list - there are over 125 interview questions here!

Achievement
Tell me about a time when you went beyond the call of duty.
Tell me about accomplishments of which you are the most proud.
What challenging experiences have you had?
What do you consider to be your most important accomplishment and why?
What is the most difficult task you have undertaken?
What is the most stimulating thing you are looking for in a job?
What were your most memorable accomplishments with your last employer?
What was your greatest disappointment?

Motivations
How important is recognition to you?
How important is responsibility to you?
What makes you put forth your greatest effort?
What motivates you in accomplishing difficult tasks?
What has your last employer done that motivated you to work harder?
What challenges are you looking for in a job?
What motivates you to be successful in your job?
How important are promotions and advancement to you?

Sense of Self
Describe situations in which you are most successful.
How do you define 'success?'
How would you describe your standards of performance?
What are some of the reasons for your success?
What does 'failure' mean to you?
Tell me about your recent successes.
Why are you better than your colleagues/co-workers?

Weaknesses
How could you have improved your progress?
What weaknesses have you overcome when accomplishing difficult tasks?

Behavior
Describe a conflict with an employee and how you handled it.
Describe a (recent) situation in which you had to quickly establish your credibility and gain the confidence of others. What did you do ?
Describe a (recent) situation when you didn't know who you needed to speak with in an organisation to get something done. What did you do ?
Describe a (recent) situation on your last job that you did not handle as well as you might have.
Describe a time when you simplified or clarified a situation by putting your finger on the key issue.
Describe how you work under pressure.
Describe how you would handle rude, difficult or impatient people.
Finish this sentence: Successful managers are the ones who....
Given a situation when you disagree with your supervisor, how would you deal with it?
What role do you take in a group situation? Give examples.
Your supervisor tells you to do something in a way you know is ineffective. What would you do?

OK, so what DO you have to wear to the interview to get a job then?

Is it a sign of the times that 76% of British bosses will make a decision on your suitability for their job,  based on what you are wearing when you sit in front of them at the interview?

Is this really a surprise? I don't think, so as employers have been doing it for years. In candidate driven markets they have had to 'scale down' their expectations and would overlook dress codes (especially when recruiting gen Y'ers). But now the landscape as changed (albeit temporarily), and the hiring companies feel that they have the control back in the interview, which of course they do!

According to this recent Ladders survey of 500 senior bosses from UK companies, over a third of interviewers have cited bad interview appearance as a primary reason for candidate rejection!! Blimey!!

So what should you avoid wearing at an interview?

Ok Men here you go with your no-no's!

1. No tie (52% say fire)
2. No jacket (50% say fire)
3. Chinos (50% say fire)
4. Polo shirts (66% say fire)
5. Jeans (82% say fire)
6. T shirts (88% say fire)
7. Leather jackets (70% say fire)
    

Here you go ladies, don't feel left out...

1. Short skirt (60% say fire)
2. Low necklines (95% say fire)
3. Sports shoes (91% say fire)
4. Dangling jewellery (99% say fire)
5. Bare legs (94% say fire)
6. Big shoulder pads - ala 80's style - (97% of bosses say big shoulder pads are wrong for interview)

I haven't finished yet, as there are more no-no's.....

1. 59% of interviewers, stains and dirty marks will see you out of the interview room immediately
2. 36% of interviewers see co-ordination of colours and styles as an important indication of the candidate’s personality
3. 75% of interviewers will look at whether your clothes are “appropriate for the circumstances”
4. 33% of interviewers said they would consider whether the candidate’s style suited their organisation
5. 95% of interviewers said orange was an inappropriate colour to wear to an interview, with red (84%) and pink (83%) coming in closely behind orange

What have the interviewers got against the 80's? People did get jobs then even with the fashion mistakes you know!!

So after all that, what should you be wearing to your interview?

1. Tailored navy single breasted suit (51% hire)
2. White or blue long sleeved shirt (48% hire)
3. Black leather shoes (56% hire)
4. Black socks (77% hire) (too right here, seen white socks making a comeback again !!)
5. Low key tie (35% hire)
6. Cufflinks (37% hire)
7. and no handkerchief (35% hire) (Come on, who wears a handkerchief in the top pocket any more?)
8. A mid-length black skirt or dress (64% hire) (women, obviously....)
9. Long sleeved and collared shirt or blouse (42% hire)
10. Tights (94% hire)
11. High heels (69% hire)
12. Pearls (56% hire)

Well it seems that we have returned to traditional boring conservative Britain again!! 

The sooner the employment market gets back to normal, and the gen Y'ers can (and maybe the gen Z'ers) can start to break the mold the better! Seriously, do we all have to dress like shop dummies to get a new job?
Well obviously at the moment, while the companies have control, then I am afraid if you want your next job, you better get shopping!!

Are Job Seekers wasting their time with Recruitment Agencies?

Every day now there are seemingly endless amounts of people ending up in the queues at the Job Centres. Even today, the Government are trying to help the middle classes who have found themselves out of work in this recession, with special initiatives to help them find work.

So, as someone who has spent their career in the recruitment sector, I find myself asking questions of the industry and whether there should be some evolution in the way that job seekers are advised to find a job. 

I have recently questioned if it is right, to pay a career consultant to help find a job, which prompted some interesting discussion.

Today, I want to focus on recruitment agencies - are they a waste of time for job seekers?

'Superheads' - THE most important Talent Managers?

There has been much debate about the pay of Head Teachers, especially with the news that 'Superheads' - managing large grammar schools - should expect to earn circa £200k for the work they do. So, what is the problem here, and why are so many people so shocked?

We have a 'talent crunch' (sounds better than talent shortage doesn't it!) occurring at the moment that will only get worse over the next few years. The school population is absolutely key to employers over the next few years. Everyone goes on about generation Y and generation Z, and how they are going to deal with them, but they are already being managed now - in the Schools!Head Teachers and 'Superheads' are managing our future talent for us - no one to my knowledge has yet to define how old talent is - and with 'Superheads' managing schools with as much as 1500 pupils + staff in (that's alot of potential talented people!), why shouldn't be rewarded with a market applicable salary? If you were a CEO of a 1500 strong company I would like to bet your salary would definitely exceed £200k anyway!!

The aptly named Mr Ed Balls - the Labour Schools Secretary - should be applauded (just for a change) for trying to ensure that these important Talent Managers stay within education. (Now Mr Balls, can you set about the rest of the education system please!!!!)

Let me explain more with a video...

Some of you may have seen the yellow graphic in the sidebar to the left, some of you may even have linked through to the site as well. Jobinablog.com is a forward thinking website aimed at SME companies who fail to use their own website to recruit staff (shame on you!). Of course they are happy to moan about the fact that they can't recruit staff, but they never do anything about it. So last year I combined the idea of this opportunity, with the power of the blog to create Jobinablog - I call it a career site with a difference. So for an easy explanation I have produced a video presentation explaining how it works in a very easy way!! Here goes:

By the way, how do you like the Kyte interface - I like it and it's a bit different!

How to say, "I like you" without even speaking a word

Getting it right will win you business, but get it wrong and you can kiss that deal goodbye! What am I going on about? simple really, body language. This follows on from my previous post, and shows you all the positive and negative indicators that will show you where you need to improve, before you go into that 'big meeting'. Positive body language is all about how you make other feel. The most 'attractive' people in a room know how to make everyone else feel attractive and interesting, but the converse is unfortunately also true! Body language centres around clusters of gestures and expressions. These patterns of movement can be most revealing and show our true inner feelings. Test yourself - imagine the most recent meeting and see whether you are more positive or negative when it comes to other people.

Here are the positive body language movements that say "I like you"  - it will also tell you if they're interested in you as well.

Are you a sloucher, a baboon or just plain pushy?

I recently wrote a post about handshakes and their meanings, that attracted an incredible amount of interest, so I thought I would continue this theme. We all meet people everyday, whether it be candidates, colleagues, clients or or even prospective employers. We usually get just one chance to make that impression, and while many people focus on what needs to be said, there needs to be equal attention paid to your body language. Whether you are a blinker, a sloucher, a baboon or simply pushy, you need to aware of the characteristics that you are showing physically. This post deals with the body language we all use every day - some good, some bad! My other post on this subject shows the positive and negative indicators of body language.

There are ten main areas, defined by Robert Phipps that will identify your own body language and what you should be doing to make that right impression.

The Seven Deadly Sins when applying for jobs

Both HR professionals and recruiters are busy people and haven't got time to act as a nursemaid / psychologist / English teacher etc when reviewing CV's for a role. You get one opportunity when applying for jobs, so you want to make absolutely sure that you get it right.
What you don't want to do is to commit one of the seven deadly sins below when it comes to applying for jobs!!

The top 10 most irritating types of work colleagues!

So which one are you? Are you a Shirker, a Screamer, a Gossiper or even a Megaphone?

A recent survey by Ceridian, has collated the top 10 most irritating types of workers, according to their colleagues. It is the Shirkers  - colleagues who seem to find excuses to avoid work - who come out on top as most hated by 21% of their UK colleagues!

Below are the The 10 most irritating types of workers from Shirkers to Sneezers:

The Top 10 Handshake types and what they reveal about you, your clients and your candidates

Recruiters are meeting people all the time (or they should be anyway!), and one thing we all do as a matter of course in the greeting is shake hands with people. Wouldn't it be great to actually know more about the person you are meeting? A sales expert called Dr Gregory Stebbins has written a book that helps us understand the people side of sales. So primed with this new found information you will be able to learn the hidden messages with your clients or your candidates.

Below are the Top 10 Handshake Types - and what they reveal about your client or your candidate: