WhatHi

rn
i gManagersAreLooki
n
gFor
Whet hertheyknow i tornot ,all HirigMan
n agesar
r elookigf n or
cert
ainchar ace
trist
icsor"Behavi oral Compee
tnci es." Oneofhemo
t st
imporan
t ti sCONFD I ENCE. Now,all ofushavemademi stakesint he
past,andmaybeall ofyourper foman
r cerve
e iwshavenotexact ly
been"glowing," buttheponiti snott oliveyourlifelookigi
n nt her ear
viw
e mi rr
or.Ifyouknow youhavemademi stakes,andyouar e
workingoni mporvnigyousrelft, hent heei
r snorase onwhyyou
shouldn'
tmovef owar
r dwi th CONFD I ENCEandanEXPECTATO I N OF
SUCCESS.

Reveiw t
hefllo
o wigB
n ehavi or
al Compee
tnciswi
e th CONFD
I ENCE.
Nobodyisa supe-p
r esront hatexhibi
tsall ofhe
t secharace
trist
icsat
100%,buti fyouhaveeverwore k danyjbt
o henyouhaveexhii btedall
ofhe
t sechar ace
tr i
sticst
osomedege re. EMPHASI ZETHEPOSIITVE
whenyour eadt hese,andt hiko
n fi tmesont hejbwhe
o nyouHAVE
exhii
btedthesechar ace
trist
ics NOTt i
meswhenyoumiht g have
fai
ledt.
o

Whatyouwantt
odemonsr
tat
etot
heHi
rigMan
n ager
:

Courage/Persuasi on:Thi si syourabli

it ytoic
nreaseyour

deetrmi nat i
ontogett hejbd
o onewhenyouar efacedwithresisan
t ce
ora dfificultsi
tat
u ion. Show t heabli
itytomovepeoplet owarsa
d
commi tmentt obuyoract . Demonsr tatethatyouar efairandnice,but
alsoshow t hatyouareagge rssi veandmayevensomet i
mesi ntimi
date
others. Don'bt emodest . Demonsr tateconf idenceandthefactthat
youar enoteasi lyi
ntimidat ed. Id
ni catethedesi retoif
nluencet he
thikn
n igofohest r. Show t hatyoucangai nagerementrm
fo ohesva
t r i
i,altrat
logc en iev s,andemoin to al appeals.

Belif
e s/Et cs:Thi
hi sisyourcapaci tytobeliv
e esrn
to glyi nwhatyou

doandemphasiesz evc
rie. Idcn iateloyalt
ysot hattheHi rigMan
n ager
knowst hatyouwont
'qut iaf tr
et hremo
e nhs
t orleaveyource lins
t
hangn
igandoutofhelo
t op. Thi
squalit
yi skeytot hedevelopmentof
accounsan
t dcuso tmersat i
sacin
f to . Show thatyouwi ll actntr
i emsof
whatisr iht
g . Demonsr tat ethatyoufllo
o wt hru
o gh andacu tallydo
whatyousayyouwi ll do.

http://www.i
nteve
riwanswes
r.net 3
Commime t nt:Thisi
syourcapacityfr
o becomigd
n edc iatdt
e oyour

wor.k Youshoulddemonsr
tatea srn
to gbelif
ei nwhatyoudo.
Demonsr tatet
hatyouarewin
lligtomakea saci
rfi
cefro peoplewhen
rpi
appo ebecauseyouar
rat ea COMMITT ED pes
ron. Show a srn
to g
responsiit
bliyandcommitmenttonotonlytheHirigMan
n agerandt he
company,butevenmoeir mpotranly
t ,tocuso
tmesan
r lins
dce t.

WorkOri ent at
ion/Stami na:Thisisyourcapacitytohandlemenal
t
itn
ne sit
yandhar dwok
r. Idc
n iatet hehih
g tmp
e oandspeedatwhi ch
youwokr,andyourcapaciyfr
t o enduan
r ce. Show thatyouiv
n estt
he
TIMEandENERGYnecesar
s yt ogett hejbd
o oner iht
g t hefirt
st ime
consi
se
tntly.

InterpersonalSki l
ls/Charm:Thi sisyourcapaci t
yt oknow how
andwhent ogett hig
n sdonewi th people. Show t
hatyouar eoug
tonig
andchar n ,andt
mig hatyouar eespeci allyefet
fc v nt
iei srg
hi e ardwhen
youhaveanobe jciei
tv nmid n ,orneedsomeonet odosomehig
tn.
Demonsrtatethatyouhaveaniti nrnsicneedt owint heappo
rval of
ot r,ii,
hes ftn andgetalong. Show t hatyouhavet it
heabli ytobuld
i
quc
ikrlat
e in
o shiswi
p th people.

Discp
il ne:Demon
st
i rat

ethatyouhaveinn ersan
t darst
d hatmakeyou

boh
t perdcab
it leandpo
rducie
tv . Show t
hatyoueno
jyt he
responsiit
bliyofplannn
igandcar ryn
igoutyourownshe
c dule. Idc
n iat
e
thatyoucanmoiat
tv eyousrelfowoko
t r na taskuni
tl complein
to .

Compettiiveness:Thi
sisyourdiet
rv obebet tr
ethanohes
t r. Show
thatyouliet
k ocompeean
t dhavethedesi
retowi,
n andshow the
matui
rtyofknowigho
n wt hi
sbenei
ftsevey
rone.

Focus:Thisisyourabli
it
yt odeemiewhat
tr n i
simpot
ran,
t set
prir
oit
isfr
e ot asks,andmaitnai
ndrcin
ie to . Show t
hatyouundesan
rt d
how tosetshot
r andlong-tr
em obe
jcie
tv s,andhow toitllie
ne g nly
t
schedulet
heseobejcie
tv ssothatyouhiy
t ourgoalsandcomplete
tasksonti
me.

BigPi cu
t reThi nking:Thi
sisyourabliit
yt oseet hebgpcue
i itr,and
notgetboggeddowni nthemiui
n ta ofsmall t
asks. Demonsr
tat
ea
tendencytwar
o dpoe rjctclosue
r. Show yourabliityt oseet
heral
e goal
andwhatit t akestogett r.
hee

http://www.i
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r.net 4
"Show,
"Don'
t"Tel
l"
Youmayhavenoi tcedi
nt heabovesecti
ont hatii
tssuggese
tdt hat
you"show" and"demonsrtat"
e thatyouhavewhatit t akestofi
ll t
he
HiigMan
rn age'rsneeds. Thi
sisconr
tase
tdwi t
h si
mply"tllig
e n" t he
Hirn
igMan agert hatyouhavewhatitt akes. Thefr
omula fr
ot hi
si s
et
prt ysimple:

1)Clar
ifytheitriwe'
neve rsquesin to .
2)Conie
fd nlyan
t swerthequesinb
to y"tllig
e n " usigt
n woofhet
aboveBehavoal
ir Compee tncis
e.
3)"Show" thatyouhavedemonsr tatdt
e hesecompeetncisi
e nthe
pastbyGI VING EXAMPLES.
4)Askandvei rf
yt hatyouhaveanswee rdthequesint
to
othe
sati
sacino
f to fheitriwe.
t neve r

Say:

"So whatyouar easkn

igme"X." Thati sa goodquesinan
to dIam
gladyouasked. Yes,Idef i
nt
ielyhavet heabli
ityt o"Y" andthatis
becauseIusuallyhavenopo rblem don ig"Z." Forexample,atmylast
jobIrani nt
oa situato
inwheeIr "A, " butIwasablet o"B" becauseof
myabitliyto"Y" and"Z." Doesthatmakesense?Canyouseehow
n heexpein
havigt re ceofwoknrigt o gh t
hru hattp
y eofsi tato
u inwo uld
makemea goodassett oyourgr oup?"

Asi
mpleanswerwouldt
henlookt
his:

"So youar easknigmei fIhavewokredwi thi mpot

rantacoc uns
t
beoe
fr. Thati sa goodquesinan
to dIam gladyouasked. Well,I
fntlyhav
deii e etheabliityt r
owokhar dtoearnt hetu
rstofmyce t,
lins
andt henfc
o usoncuso tmersevcrieinodrert okeept hem happywith
thebusie
n ssrlat
e ino shi.
p FOREXAMPLE,atmylasto jbIwasbo rught
intowokwi
r t h a ds
igurnle
t dce
lintaftr
e anohe
t rAco c untManagerlet
f.
Alt
hough ito
t o ka lotofhar dwokr,Iwasablet ofixwhatwaswrn og
bylise
tnnigtot hecelintcarfllyan
eu dmaknigsuetr hatwedeliee
v rd
exaclywhat
t wasexpece tdofus. Itto
o ka whi le,butIwasablet o
resu
c etherlat
e in o shipwiththisi
mpotrantce
lin.t Doest hatmake
sense?OK. Doest hatansweryourquesinto ?Good. It hikI
n couldbe
anassett oyourgoruphavn igwokredt o gh t
hru hi y eofexpein
stp re ce
with animpot
rantaco c un."
t

http://www.i
nteve
riwanswes
r.net 5
Aboutusi
ng"FOR EXAMPLE"
"FOREXAMPLE" i sthemostmpi ot
rantphrasei nyourjbitriw
o neve
arsenal. Dont'beaf rai
dofusigif
n trqe uenlyasa
t partofhean
t swer
toeveyq
r uesin to !Themoeer xamplesyoucanpo rvd ieofspeci
fic
i t ceswheey
nsan r ouhavedemonsr tatedthechar tr
ace si
itcsHi
rng
i
Managesar
r elookn igfro yourabli
itytofi her
ll t ineeds-- themoer
kelyyouwi
li ll behie.
rd

Theear
r etwot
hig
n st
obesai
daboutusig"F
n OREXAMPLE"
, howeve.
r

Firt
s,dont 'oved
roiot nt heexamples. Youonlyneedt opo
rvdie
enough examplest osat syt
i neve r orbasi
f heitriwe, callyisi he
n tll t
conie
fd ncet hatyouwi ll besucec sfl
su i nfin
lligther
ineeds. Dont'
ovesrell yous
relfbygvn
iigtoman
o yexamples!Wathc fro cuest hat
theitriwe
neve rss i atisidt
fe hatyourexamplesbackupyour
statme
e nso t rclaims. Youshouldalsoaskquesin to stoporbet he
effcie
e tv nessofhean
t swe. r Askquesin
to slie
k:

Doesthatmakesense?Youf ollow me?I sthata goodexample?

HaveIadderse
s dthat100% toyoursat isacin
f to ?
Doesthatansweryourquesinab
to out"X"?
Doyout hikt
n hatmyexpeinre cewi t
hthattpy eofsitat
u in
o
wouldberelevantt
omywor kher e?
Ithikt
n hat '
st hekn
idofexpein
re ceyouar elooknigt obigt
rn o
yourtam,s
e intt
'i?

Mostmpi otranly
t ,whenyouuse"FOREXAMPLE" , makesuey
r our
examplesar especifi
c,measuab
r le,andrle
e van.
t Youar etlliga
e n
str.
oy Youneedt oPAI NTTHEPC I TURE. Bespecif
ic. Usepeoples
'
names. Gieb
v ackgo rundifnoonce linsan
t dcolleagues,andidc n iat
e
yourrllo andiv
n olvemen.t Makethesi t
uat o e vantt
inasrle ot heHirn
ig
Manage' rswokasp
r osilean
sb dusetremsandie d asheorshecan
undesan
rt dandrlat
e et. o Gied
v atsan
e dmeasuab
r leifrnomat inan
o d
stat i
si
tcsrlat
e igt
n ot heti
meandmoneyyouhavesavedbydeployn ig
yourBehavoal
ir Compee tnciso
e nt hejb
o . Usegesue
trsandpauses,
anddont 'beaf raidofdawigs
r n i mplecharso
t rdagamso
i r npaperor
ona whi t
eboar.d Paci
r tcetlligt
e n hesesoistre !Itsy
i ourexamplesor
ois
"str e" thatpeoplerlat
e et,o andiitsyourexamplesandsoist
tre hat
will getyouhi e . Show,dont
rd 'tll!
e

http://www.i
nteve
riwanswes
r.net 6
Whenyougv
ieexamples,uset
heS.
T.A.
R.St
at omat
ementfr :

Si
tuat
ion/Task

Desr
ciet
b hesi tat
u int
o hatyouweei
r nort het askthatyouneededto
accomplish. Beveys
r pecif
icandgv
iedeai,
t ls butkeepis r and
t hot
conci
se. Thru
o ghoutyourneve
itriw youll
' wantt omakemanyS.T.A.R.
Statme t
e nswhe nusig"F
n OREXAMPLE."

Act
ion

Desr
ciet
b heaciny
to outo o kandbesuetr okeept hefc
o usonyou.
Evenifyouaredsu
ic siga
sn go
ruppoerjctoreffr,
ot desr
ciewhat
b you
di
d-- nottheeffrso
ot fhetam.
t e Dont
'tll
e whatyouMI GHTdo,or
WOULD do-- tll
e whatyouDI D do. Ic
n op
roat
r eBehavoal
ir
Compeetncykeywod not
rsit hedesrcit o fyouracin
pino to .

Resul
ts

Desr
ciewhat
b youachiv
e ed. Whathappened?How ddt
i heeventend?
Whatdidyouaco
c mpli
sh?Whatddyi oulear?H
n ow ddimak
i t epeople
f
eel?How ddy
i oufe
e l?How ddy
i ourbossfee l?How much t
imeand
moneyddy
i ousave?

Taket heti
met odevelopandpaci
r tceyourS.T.A.R. Satme
t e ns t!Youll
'
wantt ohaveATLEASTt welveS.T.A.R. Satme t
t e nsat thet ipofyour
tonguewhenyougoit noani ntev
riew. Crat
e eS.T.A.R. Satme
t e ns t
frm
o t hejb
o sonyourrse umet hatyouwantt obigat
rn tn
et iont.
o As
youuset hesatme
t e nsase
t xamples,yourneve
itriwerwi ll become
famiar
li withthevar
iu
o sposi t
in
o syouhaveheld,andwi ll geta good
ie
d a ofyourtac
r krc
e odo
r fsuce c ssi
nt hosevar
iu
o sposi t in
o s.

http://www.i
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r.net 7
Int
erve
iw "Do
n
'
ts
"

Don' ttakeyouraccompl ih
s ment sf orgranted. Nomat t
er
how small,orhow fw,
e youraccompli shmentsareimportant .

Packaget hem andposi t

iont he
m sot hatt heydemonsrtateyour
desir
ableBe
havior
al Compeetnci esandshow t hatyouwill be
successu
fl atyournew job. Don tforgett omakeyour
accomplis
hmentsmeasur ableint ermsofsavi ngtimeand
money,ormaki ngyourcolleagues,cli ens
t,andsuper i
orsf ee
l

moes
r ecur e,r
espece
tdandadmi red.

Don'tbet oomodest . Jbi

o ne trve
iwsar enott het i
met obe
modest . Byall means,don' t
becoc
kyorovere
b aring,butDO
makef latoutst atme
e nt slie"B
k asedonmyski lls,and
exper
iencewi th "X," Ireallydot hin
kt
hatIwouldbea gr eat
addt
ii
ont oyourt eam." Ifanywher e,thejbi
o netr ve
iw isthe

ri
ghtti
meandplacet ot ootyourownhor n.

Don' tbeconsr tai nedby of fi

ci aljobdescrp itions. Yourr oll
andr espons
i
b
i

li
ti
e
sareof tenmoet r hanyourpastorft uur e

"offial
ci tle
it s" mayi ndi
cat.e Thiko
n fyour selfasequallyas
impor antast
t heVi cePr dentorCEO wi
esi thinyourspher eof
if
nluence. Ifyout hinkofyour selfasani mpor t
antpersonwho
hasa jbt
o odo,t henot herswi ll t
hinkofyoui nthesameway.

Id
n
i
c
atethatyouar ewilli
ngt ot akeo
ntasksous tidetheof fial
ci
jobdescr iptionasnecessar yandappr opri
ate.

Nevervou l nteerany negat iveinformat ionaboutyoursel .

f
Don'ttestif
yagainstyourself
.Ifaskedyourgr eatestweakness,
replywith a weaknessyouhaveconquer ed,ort ell t
he

i
netrve
iwerabouta weaknesst hatmayact uallyindciat ea

sr
tength,lie"s
k omet i
mesIgeti mpati
entwi thteammatswho
e
arenotasor ganizedasIam." Don'teverdescr ibeanyj ob
requr
iementort askthatyouddn
i otlike.

Don'tcriii
tczeyourf ormerbossorempl oyer. Talki
ngtas
r h
aboutpastj
obs,bosses,colleaguesorclient
sneverpaysof f i
n
i
ne
tr ve
iwsandlif
eingener al. I
tisbet
tertobea per sonwho
doesnotgossi
port alktrash aboutotherpeople.

http://www.i
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riwanswes
r.net 8

Don' teverl e. Don'
i t
bedis
hones
tinani ne
tr ve
iw. I twill come
backar oundandgetyou. Youcan,however( wi t
hinrase on
)

exagger ate,omi t,beambi guousi fnecessar y,andt alki n

superlati
ves. Youar et ryn
igt osell your selfaf
, t erall. Adverstier s
havenoqualmsaboutmaki ngst rongclai msaboutt heirpr oduc
t
or
servc
ie
. Dothesamef oryour self . Putyourbestf ootf or ward
andpumpyour selfup butneverli e.

Don' ti nqur ieaboutsal ary,vacat ions,orot herbene
f i
ts

untilaf t eryou'
verecev iedanof fer,orwhenyouarecl ose
tot heof f
ersagt
e.
I tmakessenset hatyoushouldbui ldyour
ownper cev
iedvalueashih g
asyo
ucanbeo freyouaskf ort he
money. Youwi ll beablet opr iceyour selfhihe
g rt hisway.
However ,youmustbepr epar edfora quest ionaboutyoursalar y
requr
iemens t. Somei ne
tr ve
iwesmaye
r venaskt hisupf ront . Go
noever
it yinetr veiw wi th ani dea ofthepr obablesalar
yr angef or
theposi t i
on. Bepr ep
are
dwi th anunder standingoft hemar ket
ratefor
t
het yp
eofposi t ionyouar einetr ve
iwigf
n or .Ifthe
subjectofsalar yi sbr oughtupandyoumustaddr essit,thenask
fort

hehiheg stnumber . ALWAYSA

SKFORWHATYOUWANT,or
youwo
n
' tgetti. Youwi ll regretlow-balligy
n our self
,soaskf or
thehihg
nu
mber ,butmakesur ei

tiswi t hinther i
ghtrangeso
youdon' tappe
arsu tp
idor
gr ee
dy orpr iceyourselfoutoft he
jb
o.

Don'tf eelpressuredt oanswerevery quest ion. Somet i
mes
thebestanswersi "Idon'tknow." I fyoudon' tknow t heanswer ,
sayso. Youcan'tknow every
t
hing
. Us
et imesliet
k heseasan
opporu
tni t
ytodemonsrtateyourwi lli
ngnesst olear n
. Byall

means,donott r
yt oBSsomehigt
t
n
hatyouknow not higab
n out.

Changet hesubjectoranswerwi th a di f
ferentS.T.A.R. St or yif"I
don'
tknow" isnoti nyourvocabular y.

Besidest hesebulletpons
it,j ustusecommonsense. Dr essandgr oom
appropriatly
e ,don tbelat e,bi rnga copyofyourr esume,don'tsmell

lies
k mokeorf ood,geta goodni ght
'ssleep,eatt
her i
ghtmeal atthe
ri
ghtt i
me,
bepoli te,berlax
e ed,don' ttalkaboutpoli
ti
csorreli
go
in,
don'tsr
tes
soutexcessi ve
ly,
andmosti mpor t t
anly r t
wokwi hthis
GuideandPRACTC I E,PRACTC I E,PRACTCI E!Youaregonigtoacei t!

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r.net 9
Tel
lmea l
i

ttl
ebi
t
abou
tyo
urse
l
f.

Discussoi n:Thi sseemig

n lysimplequesinc
to anacu tallybet hemost

dauntingandt hemostdf ifi

cultt
oanswer !Itis,however ,anopen-
endedoppotnt
ru iyt ocommunc iatea lotofposi ti
veattri
bue
ts. Keepi t
short,gv
iea bi tofbackgorundonyous relf,andhihliht
g g sever al
accomplishmens t. Ine
tgratekeywordsbasedondesi rableBehavi or
al
Compee tncies. Youshouldshow how yourcare e rhastakena logcial
prge
o rssion-- noigho
tn w youreducatinhe
o lped,f
irelevant-- t
o
whereyouar enow. Youshouldpr acti
cet hist ypeof"opennig
stat
emen" t until youhaveid
t owncold.

"Well,Igrw e upj ustous

ti deofChi cagoandt henwentt oschool att
he
Unviesri tyofMarlan
y dwheeI r su tdidP
e oli ti
cal ScienceandAr t
Histoy
r. Whi leIddlo
i vePoli t
ical Science,Ialwaysknew t hatIwould
needt odosomehigpac
tn r t i
cal,sor ightoutofcollegeIgota jbd
o on ig
"X". Job"X" rallyt
e ese
tdmysami t na andwokehir t cbecauseIhadt o
wor kmybut toffb
, utImanagedt oachi evea lott hereandlearna lot
aboutmychosenf ild
e . From t heeI
r gothi r
edi noa
t moes r enoir
positi
onatCompany"Y". That 'swheeIr rallyd
e evelopedmy
teamwor kskllsan
i dleare
n dt ocer ateandmanagebudget sashih
g as
$1.5 mi llind
o ollar.s Riht
g now It hikt
n hatmyskllsani dexperi
ence
makemea gr eatcandd
iat efora posi t
iononyourt eam,andIhopet o
demonsr tat et hattoday. Whatkidon fquali tiesar eyoulookigf
n orn i
theied al canddiatefr
ot hisposi tin
o ?"

Whatdoyoukno
w abou
tou
rco
mpan
y?

Whatdoyoukno
w abou
tou
rco
mp
et
itors
?

Discussoi n:B
efr
oeyougoit notheitriw,
neve youwantt ors
e earh
c
thecompanysoyouknow asmuch asposileabsb outt
ispo
rducst,

sie
z ,quarelyrv
tr e enues,mag
i e,rpe uatt in
o ,managemen,
t hisoy
tr,
philosophy,goals,po
rblems,andcompei ttr.
os Communc
iatet hatyou
havemadea consciuo schocietotareg tthi
scompanybecauseofhe
t
grat
e t hig
n sthatyouknow aboutit.

"Iknow t hatthi
scompanyhasge ratporducst
t hatconsumesrally
r e
li
ke. Ialsoknow thattheCEO sare
t tdt hecompanyinhisonebedorom
aparme
t ntn1979.
i Iadmirehi sleades
rhipsy
tle,andIundesan
rt d
t t e ultdi
hatirs e na geratwoker nvrn
io mentheer,anda gerat
repuat
t ini
o nt hebusie
n sscommunt. iy Iknow t
hatyourmajr
o
compeittrosinthespaceicn ludecompaneis"X","Y",and"Z". Irally
e

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am quitei
ne
trese
tdi nlear
nnigmoeab
r outt
hiscompany'sforwar
d
looki
ngcompetit
ivestat
r egyandplansf orft
uuregrowth Di
dI
ment i
onthatIam exci
tedtobeher e?"

Why doyouwantt
oworkhere?

Discussio
n:Keepyouransweropporu tnity-oriene
td. Show t
hatyou
arelooki
ngt owor khar dandconr tibue
t,butalsot alkaboutthe
companyasben igt her i
ghtplacef oryou. Indicatethefat
e ur
esoft he
companyandwhyt hewokapr pealstoyou. Indicateyourski
llsand
experi
encest hatwill enabley
outot akeadv
anag
t
eoft hecompany'

feat
uresandbecomea valu
edemployee.

"Iwantt obepar tofthiscompany

' s
"X" proj

ec
t
. IreallythikI
n could
conrtibutet oi t
ssuccess.
Icanhandlet hement al i
ne
tnsi t
yandputi n
thehar dwokt r hati twill t
aket ohelpmakepr oject"X" a success. I
believet hatIcanmakea def ii
nteconr tibutiont ot hiscompany
sgoals
i ncludingt heneedt oincr easecusotmersat isf
act i
on,cutcosst,and
increaser evenues
. Mytac
r kr ecordshowsIhavebeenablet odot hi
s

int hepast ,
andIlookf or war dtotheopporu tni tyofper forming,
learnnig,andben igr ecognziedmyconr tibutionher e. Whatwouldbe
themosti mpor tantabli
it yf ora persont ohavet osucceedi nthis
posi t
ion?"

"I'
dliet
k osayf latoutt hatIr eallydowantt owokhe
r re!Basi callyI
am looknigf ortheopporu tni tytoper for m andber ecognz ied. Ithink
thatt hiscompanyi sther ightplacef ormet odot hatIt hiki
n ti sa
goodf if
tormyski llsandexper ience. FORI NSTANCE,Iam VERY
it
ner ese
tdi nyourcompany
' s
"X" proj
ec
t
. Iwantconr tibut etoi tand
bea par tofthesuccessIt hinki twill be. IreallythinkIcanbenef it
thi
scompanyandyour
dep
arme t
ntbecauseofmyabli ityt oident i
fy

cri
tical t
asksandgett hingsdone. Pr oj ect"X" isa greatchancef orme
toshi ne,don'tyout hi
nk?"

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Inwhatwaysdoyout hi
nkyoucanmake
a cont
ribut
iont
oourcompany? What
makesyouqual i
fiedf
orthi
sposi
tion?
Di in:Remembert
scusso hatconr
tiuin
b to st oa busie
n ssareusually
measuerdintmeandmoney. Show how youcanconr
i tiuet
b t ot he
suce
c ssofpoe
rjcs
t,andmakesuey
r ourlat
e et hattotheimpacton
thebottm
o lie
n.

"Irallyt
e hikt
n hatbasedonmyconsieabd r leexpein re cedonig"X"
combn iedwi t
h mydsiliean
icp n deneg
ry,Icanrallys
e avet i
meby
keepnigt hig
n srn
u nnigsmoohlyan
t def fi
cinly
e t . Also,IthikI
n can
helpcutcost sandmaxmierv
i z e enuesf orourdeparmet n.t Iwasable
todot hatato
jb"Y" andIdont 'seeanyras e onwhyIwouldnotbe
ablet odot hesamet n
higheer. FOREXAMPLE,atJb"Y" o n rased
Iice
revenuesby24% overt hecous reofhremo
t e nhsb
t yimplemenig
tn
"Z". Iam conie
fd ntthatIwill becomea valuedmemberofyourtam e
basedont hattp
y eofconr b to . Wi
tiuin ll Ihavet heoppotnt
ru iyt owor k
onbusien ssporblemsliet
k hati fIam hi rdo
e n?"

"Anohe
t rmp
i ot rantquesin
to It hikmyc
n ouag
r e,honesy t,hard
wor,k andanalyitcal abli
itiswi
e ll helpmaket hisdeparme
t n'tspoe
rjcst
a suce s Ihavedemonsr
c s. e mar
tatds tplannn
ig,riskmanagemen, t
resouc
reuflnes,s andtamwokt
e r hru o ghoutmycaree r-- andt hi
shas
bru
o ghtmet othi
sitriw
neve heetd r o ay. AtJb"X",
o THETYPESOF
CONTRI BUTOI N IMADEWERE Yousee,Igv ieeveyhigmy"all,
rt n "
andIhopet ohelpmaket hi
sdeparme t nta sucec ssineveyway
r and
Iknow Iwi ll berware
e d dfr ot hat . Whatar etheie
d al tp
y esof
conr
tiuin
b to syoulookfr of rm
o t heidvd
n iiualsonyourtam?
e "

Why areyouleavi
ngyourcurrentposit
ion
(or)Why di
dyoul eaveyourl
astjob?
Discussoin:Desr cieyb ourras
e onfr
o swi thigjb
c n o sdrclyan
ie t d
suci
cnctly. Donotgoi t ratdeai
noge t l unlessyouar easked. Thelonger
youspendont hi
ssube jctt
hemoes
r uspc iiu
o st heitriwe
neve rmay
become. Makesueyr ousrs te syouar eleavnigongoodtr ems. The
HiigMan
rn agerwi ll wanttobeliv
e eyouween r ott heporblem andwi ll
wantt ogetanie d a ofhow youhandledyous relf rvd
. Po ieevd ienceyou
handlediwe
t ll byvolune teigrfrn
rn eee ces. Sat t et hefacsi
t na posi tie
v
way. Dont'benegat ieo
v rbadmouh t yourfromerbos, s colleagues,or

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riwanswes
r.net 12
company. Dont'speculat eont hemoie tv sorfee ligo
n fheohe
t t rpeople
involvedint heevenso
t fyourdepar tur.
e Sti
ckt ooners e ponse. Dont
'
changeanswesdr uigt
rn heitriw.
neve Giea v "go rup" answerf i
posile
sb ,lie"o
k urofficeisclosig
n ". Anohe
t rposilean
sb swer
although notthebest i s"weage redt ods
iagere." Neverrv e eal
pesronal oremoin su
to al is esaspar tofananswert ot squesin
hi to . Be
sucic
cn t sat
t eyouranswerandleaveiat t t hat . Youareatthe
neve t
itriw odsu
ic sstheposi tinat
o hand. Ifyouhavebeenf irdo
e rlai d
offy
, oumayconsie d ransweigambg
rn iuouslyorusigan geneal
r
statme
e ntt hatavod
ist hei s e.
su

"Well,Irallywan
e tt
heoppotrunitytopef
rorm,lear,
n anddevelop
fut
rhert hanIt hikI
n wouldbeablet oatmylastpositin
o . Iddle
i ave
ongoodtr ems,butI '
m heetd
r o aybecauseIknow Ihavet he"X"
skllsaswe
i ll ast
heabli
ityto"Y". Ibeliv
e einmyselfan
, dI 'm lookn
ig
formoers
r e ponsiitbliyandt hege
ratre posiit
sbliyofadvancigmy
n
career."

"Mycompanybo rughti nnew managementwhowane tdtobigi

rn n
ther
iowntam.
e Pir
ro t ot hatpon,
it Iwasrc
e ognziedasoneofheb
t est
woresi
k r nmydeparme t n. t Howeve,
r Iflt
e t hatIcouldadvancemy
care
e rmoei
r fIpusruedohe t roppotnt
ru iis
e ,andIletfongoodtrems.
Iwouldbehappyt opo rvd ierfrn
eee cest oveirf
yt hatIwasid
n eeda
valuedemployee. I
' e youonet
ll tll hig
n Iam veye
r xcitdab
e out
comigan
n dwokn
rigfr o youBECAUSE"

"Whilei
tsane
i xcellentcompanyt hataf
fre
od dmemanyf ie
n
expein
re ces,Iletfmylastpositinb
o ecauset headvancement
oppotnt
ru iisjs
e u tweenr otthee
r. Ihadt oradt
e hewr it
igo
n nt hewall
andhelpmyself . Aposi
tinwi
o th yourtam
e will gv
iemet he
oppotnt
ru iyt odogoodwok r,lear,
n andgorw t hatmylasto jbjs
ut
wouldnt
'. Iam happyt obeheean
r dIam rallyp
e leasedthatIam
ben
igconsiee
d rd."

Whatddyo
i
uli
k
ebes
tandlas
e
tabou
t
you
rprevoiusj
o
b?

Discusso i n:Thi
squesinrv
to e ealsa lotaboutyou. Youwantt o

idc
n iat ethatwhatyoulie
k dbestaboutyourlasto
jbar et hig
n sthat
will appeal t
otheHirn
igMan age.
r Show thatyourlasto
jballowedyou
todemonsr tatemanydesi
rableBehavoal
ir Compee tncis
e . Gies
v pecifi
c
examplesofhow yourlastojballowedyout oflexyourskllsan
i dshow

http://www.iteve
n riwanswes
r.net 13
yourmaturi
ty. Nevermakesatme
t e nslie"I
t k liet
k hatmylast
companygavemea lotofvacat ind
o ays" orsomehigs
tn i milar
. When
answeigab
rn outwhatyoulie
k dleas,
t keepis
t hot
r,donotbe
negat
ive,andrlat
e eyouranswert ohow yourlasto
jbli
mitdy
e oui n
yourabli
itytoexhiip
bt osi
tieB
v ehavoal
ir Compeetncis
e.

"Onet higI
n lie k daboutmylasto jbwast hatiallo
t wedmet odevelop
myleadesrhi psklls
i . Forexample,Iwasputnc g fa poe
i hareo rjct
whereIhadt oearnt he"buy-i"
n ofpeoplefrm
o mult iledf
p iee frnt
deparme
t nst,n icludn k tn ,I,
igmareig T po
rductdevelopmen,t andeven
HR. Iheldall thers
e ponsiit
bliyfro get
tigt
n hispoe
rjctcompleetdon
ti
me,butIhadnoral e auhoi
t rt yovermytammatss
e e ic n etheydd
i
notrp
e ot
rt omeoranyonei nmydeparmet n.t Iwasablet ocerat
ea
prjc
oe tvsiint
o hatt hetam
e age
redon. Andt henfrm
o dayt odayI
hadt omakesuet r hateach tam
e membercompleetdt her
iwokor n
ti
me. Iddt
i hi sinmostcasesbyappealigtn ot iownselfnee
her -itrsst.
FOREXAMPLE "

"WhatIliek daboutmylasto jbwasthef actt

hattheewasg
r oodon
thejbtaiig
o r nn . Iwasablet orallyd
e evelopmy"X" sklls
i ,whi
ch I
know will helpmesucec edifIam fru
otnat eenough t
obeabletojion
yourtam.
e Whatar ethequalit
isan
e dskllso
i fhep
t eoplewhohave
beenmostsuce c sfl
su atthi
scompany?""

"WhatIli keleastaboutmylastj obwasthatthemanagementst yle

wasprt etyhandsof f andthiswasf iefr
n o mebecauseIam self
mot iatdan
v e dwokhar
r dtoachiv
e e butthelackofsrcue
tu tr
somei tmesallowedsomeofmytammatst
e e oslackof ffrm
o t imeto
ti
me,andIotnefe ndeduphavn igt opc
ikupt heexr
ta wok r. Iwould
notmidtn hatSOMETMEI S,butt igotoldaftr
e a while. Ihadto
consrtuci
tvelyappo
rach mymanagerandletherknow whatwasgon ig
onWIH T OUTce ratigan
n yfricinb
to ewet enmeandt heslacker
teammats e ,whoIacutallylie
k daspeople. Intheend,t iwokredout
well. Haveyoueverrnit
u not hattp
y esi
tat
u inasa
o manage?r"

Whatwoul
dyourl
astbosssay aboutyou?

Discussoin:Becarfl
eu wi tht hi
soneasrfrn
eee cesar elie
k lytobe
checked. Ifyoucanremembert er
msorlanguagethatyourbossused
inthepas,t tyt
r ouset hem. Behones,
t butonlyidc
n iatetheposit
ie
v
t n st
hig hatyourbosswouldsayaboutyou. Dont e tf
'tsi yagais
nt
yous
relf. Keepis
t hot
r.

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riwanswes
r.net 14
"Shewouldsayt hatIwasa valuedmemberofhert eam. Iknow t
hat

shewassor ryt oseemego,butIhadt odowhatwasr ightformy

career

. Ithikt
n hemosti mpor t
antthingshewouldsayisthatshe
couldrallyr
e
elyonmetofollow thr
ough anddowhatIsaidIwas
gon
igt odo."

Whatdoyoucons
i
de
rtobeyou
rgre
at
es
t
sr
teng
t
hsandweak
nesses
?

Discussoi n:Tai loryoursr

tengt hst ot heposi t
ionandt hehidden
needsoft hemanageri ntermsofmaki ngt heirjobeasierandmaki ng
them lookgood. What everyoudo,don' tclaimt hatyoudon'thaveany
weaknesses. Listyoursrtengt hsf ir
s,
t andli stmany. Youwill wantto
li
stthedesi rableBehavioral Compee tnci est hathiringmanager sare
looki
ngf or. Thenspeakt oyourweaknesses,butonlynameone.

Identi
fya weaknesst hatisact uallya st rength. Keepthedescr i
pti
onof
yourweaknessshor, t andfii
nsh wi th a pauseasi fyouarer eadyto
moveont ot henextquest i
on.

"Ithikmyg
n reat
estsr
tengt hsi ncludemydee trminati
ont ogett hej ob
done,myabliit yt
ofocus,st ayont ask,mai ntainquali
ty,andmyabli it y
tocr eateenthusi
asm andmot ivatea team. Iam alsover ygoodwi t
h
peoplei ntermsofmai ntainn
igagr eementandconsensus. Iam also
verycuso tmerservc
ieor iene

td. It reatever yoneasa cuso

tmer . My
cli
enst,bosses,andcowore krsi ncluded. Ikeepmycuso tmer
ser vc
ie

level hih
g byfllo
o wingt hrough andact uallydon
igwhatIsayIam

gonigt odo. FOREXAMPL

E,
atmylasto jb

"Iwouldsaythatmybi ggestweaknessist
hatIdon' tliet
k omi ss
deadli
nes,sosometimesIgetimpatientwi
th colleaguesthatlagwit
h
thei
rpeiceofa pr
oject
."

What
areyou
rl ong
-rang
ecar eer

obj
ect
ives,andwhatse t p
sh
aveyo
ut
aken

to
wardobt
ai
nni gthe
m?

Discussoi n:Thisquesti
oni sanopporu tnitytoshow a logc
ial
progressi
oni nyourcareer. Eveni fyouhavewore k dasa tmpat
e
vari
ousj obs,orwore
k di nmult i
p
ledi

ff
erentid
n usrti
es,youcant i
e
yourjobst oget
herbyshowigho
n w youdevelopednew skillsand

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r.net 15