Two hiring managers from Time Warner Cable offered interviewing tips recently to a group of WWC participants in Portland. Here’s some advice from Jennifer Macisso and Karen Bravo.
In general, come with a positive attitude. Be respectful of the company and the interviewer. Show self confidence that you can and will do the job. Let them know that you want the job. Do your homework so that you know what they are looking for in filling this position.
How to prepare for some of those tough interview questions:
- “Tell me about yourself.” What they want to know is your background as it relates to work. If you are not currently working, what have you been doing? No drama, please!
- “What is your understanding of this position?” Show that you have read and studied the skills and characteristics the company wants in this position. Look at the job description and pick out some key words to talk about. This shows that you’ve prepared for the interview and gives you a chance to show enthusiasm for the job.
- “What do you like the most and the least about your current job?” They are looking for whether you are a good fit for their company. This is a chance to be positive (even about what you don’t like), show that you can get along with other people, and know how to be diplomatic about situations that you might not like.
- “Give an example of a time when…” This can be used in a wide range of situations. It’s called “behavioral interviewing” and employers often use it. You can show that you can reflect on good or bad experiences to solve problems, take direction and feedback, and whether you will fit into the existing team. The experience doesn’t need to be recent. It can be something that happened early in your work life that helped you change your behavior in some way, or helped you understand other people, for example.
- “Do you have any questions for us?” Your questions should be about the job duties, not anything that you could have read on their job description or website, not salary, benefits, or vacation. A couple of good questions might be “What do you expect me to accomplish in the first 60-90 days on the job?” Or “What does a typical day look like?”
If you have done some self-reflection and have short examples ready to tell to illustrate your answers, you will be fine!