Summary by James R. Martin, Ph.D., CMA
Professor Emeritus, University of South Florida
Behavioral Issues Main Page | How
to Manage Yourself Main Page
The purpose of this article is to provide some guidance for answering five tricky interview questions. The idea is that learning what tough interview questions are designed to reveal about a candidate can help you formulate better answers. The following includes the five questions along with some advice from human resource managers.
What can you tell me about yourself?
Your answer will provide the interviewer with a first impression about how you communicate, your confidence level, personality, and emotional intelligence. A suggested strategy for answering the questions is to share a situation you experienced such as a task you were assigned, what action you took, and the result you achieved. Don't summarize your resume, but instead discuss the highlights that are relevant to the position you are seeking. Don't talk about your family, friends and relationships. The question is about your professional history.
Why are you leaving your current employer?
This question is designed to reveal why you are seeking a new job as well as your attitude toward your current employer. Negative comments about your employer will raise a red flag for hiring managers. A better approach is to talk about your desire to move up in your career to a more challenging position, or one that better fits your goals. One strategy is to research the organization prior to the interview and design your answer to fit the organization. You might discuss changes you desire such as opportunities to take on more responsibility or to work with different types of clients. Don't talk about negative reasons for leaving your current position. Focus on the positive, not the negative.
What is your greatest weakness?
This question is designed to provide information about your personality, your self-awareness, commitment to professional growth, and potential problems. Don't try to turn a positive into a weakness, e.g., I'm a perfectionist, or care too much about work. Instead, be honest. Share a mistake you made, or weakness you have and how you are working to improve. Do not say you have issues with authority, or don't feel that you need to be managed.
What salary are you looking for?
This question is designed to give the interviewer an idea of whether your salary expectations match with what they have to offer. A variety of sites on the web can be useful for preparing for this question, e.g., Glassdoor, Salary.com, PayScale.com, and U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics offer salary ranges for specific positions. Accounting specific guidelines are produced by Robert Half. One strategy is to provide a salary range that would be acceptable to you, but don't say it's negotiable or give a flat number. And make sure the range you mention is supported by the salary guidelines you found on the web.
Why should we hire you?
This question is designed to determine if you fit the organization, how you articulate your strengths and think on your feet. It provides a test of your confidence and poise. Are you self-aware and can you self-advocate in a professional manner. The best strategy is to match your skill sets with the qualities needed for the position using anecdotal examples to support your assertions. Don't talk about why you want the job, but instead why you are the right choice for the position. To avoid sounding arrogant, mention others who have helped you advance your career. In spite of what some people think, few if anyone is a self-made success.
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Related summaries:
Drucker, P. F. 2005. Managing oneself. Harvard Business Review (January): 100-109. (Summary).
Kaplan, R. S. 2008. Managing yourself: Reaching your potential. Harvard Business Review (July-August): 45-49. (Summary).
Martin, J. R. Not dated. Accounting Job Boards. Management And Accounting Web. Accounting Job Boards
Martin, J. R. Not dated. IMA Salary Calculators 2010-2021.Management And Accounting Web. Salary Surveys
Martin, J. R. Not dated. Training programs for accounting graduates. Management And Accounting Web. Training Programs
Roberts, L. M., G. Spreitzer, J. Dutton, R. Quinn, E. Heaphy and B. Barker. 2005. How to play to your strengths. Harvard Business Review (January): 74-80. ("You may have more to gain by developing your gifts and leveraging your natural skills than by trying to repair your weaknesses. Here is a systematic way to discover who you are at your very best." When using the Reflected Best Self exercise, you seek only positive feedback.). (Summary).