Q:What would you do if I told you that I thought you were giving a very poor interview today?
A:Well, the first thing I d do is ask you if there was any specific part of the interview that you thought I might have mishandled. After that I d think back and try to remember if there had been any faulty communication on my part. Then I'd try to review possible problems I had understanding your questions, and I'd ask for clarification if I needed it. Finally, if we had time, I d try to respond more fully and appropriately to the problem areas you identified for me.
Auring one of my summer internships while in college, I worked for a software consulting company. Midway through the summer a new president was appointed because of some financial difficulties, and he requested the resignation of my entire group. I was swept out with everyone else, even though my work performance had never been criticized.
A:My frequent job changes over the last five years have been due to the rapid changes in my profession. My jobs have been based on government contracts, and over the last several years congressional appropriations have been up and down, cau
sing some companies contracts to be canceled, while other companies land huge, unexpected contracts. This volatility creates some good opportunities, but it also creates a lot of uncertainty. Because your business is based mostly on consumer products, and not on government products, I welcome the opportunity to work in an environment where the business cycle is more stable and predictable. オァ
A:I was in my last job over seven years. During that time, I completed an advanced technical degree and also had two six month assignments in which I was loaned out to different departments. As a result, I acquired some additional skills th
at normally aren t associated with that particular job. Therefore, I think I've made good progress and am ready to accept the next challenge.
Q:Tell me about your least favorite manager or professor.
A:Well, I ve been pretty fortunate as far as managers go, and I didn t have any problems with my professors. In my first job out of college I worked with a manager who was pretty inaccessible. If you walked into his office to ask a question, you got the sense that you were bothering him, so we just learned to get help from each other instead. I wouldn't say he was my least favorite manager, because he was a good manager in a lot of ways, but I would have preferred that he'd made himself more available to us and given us more direction.
Q:Who's the toughest employer you ve ever had, and why?
A:That would be Ms. Henson at Franklin Associates. She'd push people to their limits when things got busy, and she was a stickler for detail. But she was always fair, and she rewarded good, hard work. I'd call her a tough boss, but a good boss.
A:The only tension I ve ever felt was once when we both got too busy to keep each other informed.My boss overcommitted me with a short deadline,not knowing that I was bogged down with another client problem.I believe firmly in the importance of staff meetings so that coworkers can respect the demands on each other's time.