Job interview questions overview

Interview questions are based on skills contained in the job criteria. Interviews are designed to get a complete, integrated analysis of each candidate. Candidates are expected to demonstrate their skills to the required standard for each of the job criteria in their answers.

There are several classes of job interview questions:
• Skills based questions
• Knowledge based questions
• Technical questions
• Problem solving questions
• Experience related questions
• Interpersonal skills questions

Skills based questions
These job interview questions are related to specific job skills outlined in essential criteria. Candidates are asked to give examples of their work, or outline their duties and performance in key roles.

Knowledge based questions
Many jobs have a required knowledge base. Interview questions are used to find out the depth of knowledge, and to check and confirm candidates have the essential information required to do the work involved.

Technical questions
These are a different type of knowledge based job interview questions, and they relate to the technical issues of the position. In some job interviews, a person on the interview panel is appointed to ask these questions, and give expert evaluation of answers to the panel.

Problem solving questions
The problem solving job interview questions are now standard practice. Problem solving questions are used to define skill levels and the ability to deal with difficulties.

Experience related questions This is a range of job interview questions designed to test prior experience across the range of job skills contained in the position. They include additional questions to clarify the scope of candidates? experience. They also deal with issues related to the job, particularly where levels of experience relate directly to the complexity of the work.

Interpersonal skills questions
These are job interview questions which explore workplace relationships, team roles, leadership, and other personal characteristics of candidates. Questions can range from dealing with stress to contributing to a team.

Assessing job interview questions
Interview assessments use the merit principle to decide successful applicants based on their answers to the job interview questions. A panel discussion and consensus, or a formal evaluation process using an 'evaluation grid', (a step by step analysis of answers) is conducted.

The selection process
Interviewers select the candidate who meets all job criteria to an acceptable standard. The panel then makes a recommendation for appointment to management.

Productive & Happy@Work

Have you gotten into a rut at work? Would you like to be more engaged, satisfied, and fulfilled in your work? Would you like to be more productive and feel a greater sense of accomplishment at the end of each day? Well you can. It just takes a desire and commitment to renew your habits and routines. Follow these tips and you’ll see your work life improve. And that improvement will trickle into the rest of your life too.

Learning and Improving. Always be on the lookout for opportunities to learn and improve your skills. Look for good seminars and training. Then ask work if you can attend and will they pay for your admission. If your company pays for education, use it! Borrow books from your local library, the company library, or even from your boss. Borrow some motivational audio tapes from your local library. Keep learning to continually renew your enthusiasm.

Creative Thinking. Is your job boring? If so, take some responsibility in changing that. How can you make it more fun, more creative, more varied, etc.? What can you do that no one has done before? How could you grow enthusiasm at work? What is a new way that you could do old things? What processes could you alter to save time, work and money?

Learn from Criticism. Don’t immediately reject critiques from others, even if you don’t like or respect them. Sometimes people you don’t like may be giving you more honest feedback than you can get from others. Don’t take it personally. Even if it is personal, who cares? Listen, process, and then decide what positive action you might want to take.

Ask for Help. Don’t be afraid to collaborate with others. Don’t wait for your company to tell you what to do. Think creatively about how you can work with others to generate a greater result than if you had each worked on this alone.

Take Your Vacation Time. Try doing something different. If you always go on a trip, try taking a more local vacation, and really get some good rest time. Or if you always stay local, try visiting a new place. Variety is one of the keys to happiness.

Take Breaks. It’s a fact that taking breaks will increase productivity. It’s been proven in studies. If you need to, find someone to help ensure you take a morning and afternoon break.

Don’t Check Email First Thing. Unless this is required in your job, then let it go until after you’ve completed your top priority of the day. And then process email in batches, say two or three times a day.

Turn off Your Computer. “What?!” you say. “Everything is done on my computer!” Well is it really? What percentage truly is? Plan to have your computer on only for that amount of time each day. Plan out blocks of time for different computer tasks and work from a checklist to keep you focused. Giving your eyes a rest from the screen will give you more energy for creating. Even if you just close your eyes as you think of a response to an email can help too.

Power Question. Keep a question like this at your desk to help you stay focused: “Am I making the most of my time right now?” or “Is this the most productive use of my time?”

Accept That You’ll Never Finish Your Task List. For perfectionists and overachievers this is as frustrating as a greyhound forever chasing the mechanical bunny around the track. Get off that track. Just make sure you work on your most important stuff first. Let the fluff slide, not your priorities.

Job Interview Tips

• Do not smoke, chew gum, or eat garlic beforehand.
• Wear suitable interview clothes.
• Take copies of your CV with you.
• Arrive on time for your job interview.
• Any applications handed before the interview begins, are to be filled in as accurately as possible, make sure they match the information in your Cv and Cover Letter.
• Always greet the interviewer by his/her last name and try to pronounce it correctly.
• Have a good firm handshake.
• Look alert and interested. Scan the room once and then keep your eyes on the interviewer.
• Wait until you are offered a chair before you sit down.
• Stress your achievements.
• Always conduct yourself professionally and if something beyond your control occurs, show a sense of humor.
• Be enthusiastic and show it in your replies and body language.
• Answer the interview question by more than a simple yes or no but try not to go over the 60 second limit.
• Avoid at all cost complaining about your current or former employer in your job interview.
• Do not answer questions about politics or religion if the job is completely unrelated.
• Do not raise salary discussions on your first interview - this is usually done on the second interview. Make sure you do your wage research before hand.