Prepare for your Interview


As you get ready for your in-person interview during you job search, keep in mind, the person doing the hiring is going to ask some pretty tough questions. They are not only interested in what you have to say, but they're also interested in how you answer, and how long it takes you to respond. While you can't know for sure exactly what's going to be asked ahead of time, here's a list of some of the time-honored questions that are commonly used during a face to face interview.

Enthusiasm Questions
1. What is your greatest strength?
2. What is your greatest weakness?
3. Why do you think you will be successful in this position?

Self-Direction
1. Where do you see yourself in five years?
2. How did you prepare for this interview?
3. Give an example of a situation in which things didn't go as planned, and how you handled it?

News Knowledge
1. What's the most important story our local viewers want to know about?
2. What periodicals do you read regularly?
3. Tell me what you know about some of our high profile stories?

Problem-Solving/Critical Thinking
1. If you were hiring for this position, what traits would you be looking for?
2. Tell me about yourself.
3. If you could be an animal, what would you be and why?

Communications Questions
1. How would you compare your verbal skills to your written skills?
2. How would you respond to a disgruntled viewer who didn't like a story you wrote?
3. How do you get along with others?
Success-Oriented
1. Describe one accomplishment that you are most proud of in your career (or education for new graduates).
2. If you set out to reach a goal, are you frequently successful in achieving it?
3. Have you ever not pursued a goal because someone said you could not achieve it?

Flexibility
1. How do you handle deadlines and pressure?
2. Can you handle multiple tasks or projects?
Give me an example of a situation where you did this.
3. Describe how you would handle a live shot that is "crashing and burning"....

Responsibility-level
1. Describe a situation in which you were unsuccessful at achieving a goal. How did you respond?
2. How would you describe your career success?
3. What would you like to get out of this job?

The above questions are samples of typical questions that may be asked. Practice your answers ahead of time to show you are prepared. Be positive. You don't need to apologize or be perfect. How well you accept your strengths and weaknesses will largely give off clues as to how well you will get along with others and accept responsibility. During the interview, take notes, and ask for a business card from the interviewer. As soon as you get home, send an email or snail mail thank you note to that person. Less than 1% of jobseekers follow this rule, and it's usually the tiebreaker between the final candidates. And if by chance, you're still not selected for the position, send another note thanking them for their time and consideration. That way if their first choice turns out to be a bad one, who do you think they may consider next time around? Etiquette sends a positive affirmation of who you are and what you will bring to the workplace. Use it to your advantage. Next week's column: Common mistakes in the job search.