In today’s workplace where the fittest survives, corporate executives place higher demands on new employees. Therefore, all candidates should reflect on their careers and emphasize their value during the interview process to explain what changes they will bring to the company.
Nevertheless, the fact is that only 25% of candidates can successfully answer the following questions.
01. What makes you stand out?
- Why ask this question?
At first glance, this question is very simple, but the implications are profound, and candidates need to carefully consider it.
Although the answers are diverse, such as increasing revenue, reducing operating costs, simplifying work processes, or achieving innovative achievements, most applicants rarely consider the value they create for the company they have previously worked for.
The purpose of this question is to screen out employees who are confident and objective in evaluating themselves, and to exclude candidates who work for salary.
2. Candidate answer analysis
There are countless answers to this simple question of self-confidence test, ranging from “I don’t know, I just sit in the same room with other accountants and calculate numbers all day” to “I reconfigured the existing software system to make Customer satisfaction has increased by 32%”.
The latter answer can obviously lead to more questions: what prompted you to rethink your existing business methods, how did you get the whole department to accept this idea and participate in it, how did you get the 32% figure, etc. .
When candidates clearly articulate their achievements, it will definitely be refreshing.
Although the first answer has some questions, it is better than rhetoric. After all, most people can’t solve the company’s financial crisis single-handedly, nor can it make it a place in the “Forbes” company rankings.
The wise answer may be simple, for example:
“I devote myself into my work, and strictly demand with the highest standards.”
“I have undertaken responsibilities beyond my duties, and I am willing to put in extra effort to complete the work.”
“What makes me most proud is that I was hired as the regional leader within a year, and with 10 sales offices in the region, I achieved the performance target at the end of the third quarter.”
This type of answer reveals the focus and direction of the candidate’s work. The positive response of candidates to this question also shows their strength and determination.
Please remember that in this particular question, there is no right or wrong answer. What is important is the timing of the candidate’s answer and the belief that it conveys.
02. What contributions did you make in you last job?
- Why ask this question
At first glance, this question seems to be a question specifically aimed at salespeople. Use this question to examine those candidates who will directly affect the company’s profits.
However, the reason for asking non-sales personnel is because any department and employee can create revenue for the company. Although it is not sales in the traditional sense, it can create value for the company in other ways.
2. Candidate answer analysis
The wise answers could be:
The administrative assistant might think of adding feedback on the back of the fund raising letter so that the money can be confirmed immediately (rather than waiting for the fundraiser to follow up on the phone).
The company’s travel coordinator may find that he can provide travel services for another company, and the commission earned can offset part of your company’s travel expenses.
Or, the training supervisor may see that his training program has a market outside the company, and increase business revenue by providing on-site training to other companies in the field.
Anyhow, these non-sales people do increase income for previous employers in their own way, so they may also create similar value to your company.
If a non-sales candidate cannot answer this challenging question, you can change the answer and analyze how you have benefited the previous company from the perspective of cost savings.
03. What’s your greatest value your last company think?
- why ask this question?
In the previous examples, the interviewer has explored the impact of the candidate on the company or department by increasing income, reducing operating expenses, or saving time. Another question is to ask the candidate’s impact on the boss.
Senior management and professional or technical personnel can influence the company’s profits and the boss’s work through their own work, but the grassroots employees may be a little nervous when answering this important, overall question.
In this case, you can focus on a clearer and more specific result, that is, how to share worries for the boss.
2. Candidate answer analysis
For ordinary administrative executives or light industrial workers, pleasing their bosses is their professional philosophy. After all, the contributions of junior employees are usually not shown in the monthly briefing or the company’s quarterly financial statements.
Nevertheless, freeing the boss from the time-consuming work, or making the previous written records into an electronic version, these may be the main way for candidates to share their worries for the boss.
If the candidate is difficult to clearly explain how to share the worries for the boss, then talk about the focus of the last performance appraisal, especially in the typical performance appraisal template named “Strengths” and “Need to be strengthened” parts, which represent the employees’ excellent performance and what need to be strengthened.
Similarly, applicants can also talk about how to train colleagues. If an employee assumes similar supervisory or leadership responsibilities, even a small project is enough to reduce the workload of the supervisor.
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