Responding to the interview question: “What made you apply for this role” By Matthew Coppola


What made you apply for this role?

With this question, the interviewer is trying to determine your reasons for applying and what exactly drew you to the position they have advertised.

In responding to this question, my suggestion is to talk about the role, what really interests you and why the role meets your search criteria for a job.

 

Would you like interview skills coaching? Contact Client Centric.

Would you like a new and tailored resume and cover letter that helps to highlight the valuable skills and experience you have gained in past roles? Would you like assistance addressing key selection criteria?

Why not contact the team at Client Centric Executive Employment Solutions. They would be happy to help. 

www.clientcentric.com.au

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Responding to the interview question: “How well do you handle stress?” By Matthew Coppola


How well do you handle stress?

Stress in the workplace is unavoidable.

By definition, it’s that emotional strain and pressure that comes with demanding circumstances. We may feel pressured at times, but being stressed at work is the next level, and it’s not nice to go through.

The interviewer is just trying to ascertain what your coping mechanisms are when it comes to stress at work and how well you handle it. The employer may know that the job at times is very stressful, and so they want to make sure that you have coping mechanisms in place to get through stressful periods at work.

My suggestion is first to start talking about stress in the workplace, how it is unavoidable, why stress can occur in the workplace, why it’s not good to let stress get the better of us and what our resolve should be.

Now this introductory comment doesn’t need to be long-winded and extensive. Keep it brief and to the point.

After you have made your introductory comment, then talk about the techniques and strategies that you implement to cope with and manage stress as best you can.

But my biggest suggestion is not to come across that you are immune to stress. Sure, some of us cope better than others. But the person interviewing you may feel that stress is tough to manage, and in asking you the question, they may, subconsciously, appreciate the way you deal with stress and something they can think about.

And also too, if you come across that stress is non-existent to you, they may not believe you, even if there is some degree of truth to that.

Would you like interview skills coaching? Contact Client Centric.

Would you like a new and tailored resume and cover letter that helps to highlight the valuable skills and experience you have gained in past roles? Would you like assistance addressing key selection criteria?

Why not contact the team at Client Centric Executive Employment Solutions. They would be happy to help. 

www.clientcentric.com.au

Responding to the interview question: “How would your peers describe you?” By Matthew Coppola


How would your peers describe you?

Asking this question to an interviewee provides the employer with an insight from the candidate’s perspective on how their friends and peers see them, providing some kind of indication on what kind of person they are and what they will be like in the workplace.

When trying to find someone for the best fit for the team, asking this question is a good starting point.

My suggestion is to talk about the most positive, up building points that your peers would say about you and then explain why they would say those things.

Just saying that your peers think your the best person to go to when problems arise may not come across genuine, but backing it up with an example or further explanation will help create some kind of verification to what you are saying.

Would you like interview skills coaching? Contact Client Centric.

Would you like a new and tailored resume and cover letter that helps to highlight the valuable skills and experience you have gained in past roles? Would you like assistance addressing key selection criteria?

Why not contact the team at Client Centric Executive Employment Solutions. They would be happy to help. 

www.clientcentric.com.au

Responding to the interview question: “What is your best accomplishment to date?” By Matthew Coppola


What is your best accomplishment to date?

This is a question asked by an interviewer to find out something in your career thus far that you are most proud of and an achievement that can show the kind of person you are in the workplace.

Indeed, an individual’s achievements say much about who they are. The same goes for helping to determine the right person for the job.

When responding to this question, my suggestion is to either bring up your best accomplishment, providing details of employer/job/role/outcome, or, if you have multiple achievements and you just can’t pick one, choose to either say a couple great achievements or pick the one most relevant to the job you are being interviewed for.

Would you like interview skills coaching? Contact Client Centric.

Would you like a new and tailored resume and cover letter that helps to highlight the valuable skills and experience you have gained in past roles? Would you like assistance addressing key selection criteria?

Why not contact the team at Client Centric Executive Employment Solutions. They would be happy to help. 

www.clientcentric.com.au

Responding to the interview question: “Why are you leaving your current position?” By Matthew Coppola


Why are you leaving your current position?

There are many reasons why someone would leave their job.

They may have been made redundant, left for personal reasons or lost their job either for performance reasons or did not pass the probation period. Whatever the reason is (There could be so many reasons) this question usually comes up in an interview.

WHY IS THIS QUESTION ASKED

The employer/recruiter wants to know why you left your job because it’s a fair question and they want to be aware of your intentions and reasons for applying.

You may however decide not to tell them the real reason why you left. You may feel that they will think negatively of you or that you may lose the opportunity to secure the job because of your reason/s for leaving.

This is indeed a tricky question.

You may decide to be upfront and honest about your real reasons for leaving.

Or, you could approach the question the following way:

  • Explaining that you left for personal reasons, but then conclude by talking about the positive points of your experience, what you learnt and how you are ready to now take the next step in your career.

By taking this approach, no specific reason is provided but the prospective employer sees that you are positive about it all and just wanting to progress and move forward.

Would you like interview skills coaching? Contact Client Centric.

Would you like a new and tailored resume and cover letter that helps to highlight the valuable skills and experience you have gained in past roles? Would you like assistance addressing key selection criteria?

Why not contact the team at Client Centric Executive Employment Solutions. They would be happy to help. 

www.clientcentric.com.au

Responding to the interview question: “Why do you want this job?” By Matthew Coppola


Why do you want this job?

Fairly straight forward question, right?

For most people, the real reason why they want the job may not be exactly what they decide is appropriate in the interview to say.

How so?

Some of the real reasons for wanting the job are:

  • Unemployed – need to pay the bills and so having a job is high priority. 
  • More money/higher income and greater job challenges.
  • To be involved and part of the work force.
  • Really need a job to sustain a certain lifestyle.
  • Desire to be industrious, hard working and busy.

I have highlighted the main reasons which I believe are the most common.

But should you prefer to provide another reason other then what I have listed above, you may opt to say the following:

  • Role really interests me and is exactly what I am looking for to make next step in my career.
  • As much as I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in my currently role, I feel now after ____ years, I am ready for a change.
  • Since being made redundant/leaving my last role, I have been actively searching for work. This job is precisely what I am seeking.

Would you like interview skills coaching? Contact Client Centric.

Would you like a new and tailored resume and cover letter that helps to highlight the valuable skills and experience you have gained in past roles? Would you like assistance addressing key selection criteria?

Why not contact the team at Client Centric Executive Employment Solutions. They would be happy to help. 

www.clientcentric.com.au

Dealing with nerves during a job interview, by Matthew Coppola


#interviewnerves
#nervousinterview
#interview
#jobinterview

When conducting interview coaching, I am often asked by individuals about how they can deal with their nerves during a job interview.

They feel that that they get so nervous and flustered, that they forget what to say, have a ‘mental blank’ and end up either saying something brief and short, or talking extensively around the question.
 
Then, they feel what they have said isn’t right and start to question what the prospective employer will think of them besides what is written in the resume.
 
Has this ever happened to you?
 
Indeed, this has certainly happened to me, as you can read here.
 
Below is a list of my suggestions on how you may be able to better cope with those nerves during the interview:
 
  • Have an introduction to your response, finishing it off with a concluding remark.
  • If you have a glass of water in front of you, take regular sips before responding.
  • Slow down your responses – don’t feel you need to rush your answer.
  • Emphasise certain points, stress certain parts of what you are saying, then take a pause – this helps buy you some breathing space and will also encourage them to really meditate and digest on what you are saying and trying to get across.
  • Thoroughly prepare, prepare, prepare for your interview before hand.
  • Get an early nights rest before the day of your interview.
  • Arrive early to the employer’s location and take the time to sit down and relax.
  • Read through the job description before your interview and really think about how your skills and experience match with what they are asking for. By having a good understanding of what they are after, you will hopefully feel more confident in yourself and feel less of a surprise when questions are asked of you.
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If you are interested in receiving interview skills coaching, please do not hesitate to contact the team at Client Centric Executive Employment Solutions. They would be very happy to help.
 
www.clientcentric.com.au