The Best Answers to Tough Interview … - 海外工作

51. How do you organize and plan for major projects?

Give the interviewer a good idea of your general approach to mastering
complex tasks. You may wish to include here how you decide time
frames, set deadlines, determine priorities, delegate tasks, and decide
what to do for yourself.

"I love to brainstorm a best, worst, and most likely scenario. Then I set
out a timetable that's realistic. What I usually find is that some
combination of my best and worst cases evolves; I can adjust my
schedule easily as these things unfold because I've already visualized
what could happen and how I'd react."



52. What personal characteristics add to your effectiveness?

Talk about what makes your personal style unique and effective. For
example, how are you able to get cooperation from others? What
specific skills and traits help you get results, and why?

"I always stay in touch with my network. If I see an article that might be
of interest to someone I know, I clip it and send it to that person. Then,
when I need help and make a phone call to that person, the phone call
gets returned promptly."


53. How have your technical skills been an asset?

Describe how you've used technical skills to solve a problem. Tell a
specific story. Demonstrate how these same skills have been useful in
other situations or in most of the jobs you've held. If you're hired, what
situations will you handle particularly well?

"Although I never planned on a career as a writer or publisher, much of
my job in marketing has depended on good writing and creative layout
skills. My part-time college job with a newspaper taught me a lot about
desktop publishing, how to position something on a page effectively,
and how to write short sentences with maximum impact. In all of my
marketing jobs, I've been able to explain my goals clearly to graphic
designers, which has helped me avoid costly design revisions."



54. How do you usually go about solving a problem?

The interviewer will want to hear the logic you use to solve problems as
well as the outcomes you're able to achieve. Are you decisive? How do
you narrow the options and make decisions? What do people say about
your reasoning skills? What examples would they cite of your effective
decision-making?

"When I need to solve a problem, I generally start by writing down as
many ideas as I can think of about possible causes. Next I look for
relationships among causes so I can group together symptoms of
bigger problems. Usually, after I study these groups of problems, the
real cause becomes readily apparent."


55. How practical or pragmatic are you?

Give the interviewer an example of some practical or sensible approach
you've used to solve a problem. When was a simple solution the best
solution? Had others overlooked the obvious? In this example, you'll
want to show off your commonsense skills rather than your academic
skills.

"I can usually pick up on an underlying problem, even if it's not too
obvious. I recall an investment banker who visited our
real-estate-finance class and asked us what might cause the Tokyo
investment community a problem in attracting local investment dollars.
A number of finance students in the class started trying to think of some
complicated set of reasons. I decided it would have to do with getting
out of a bad market quickly, and that a non-liquid investment would
create problems. I said investors would be unsettled if the primary
investment is local real estate and inflation has caused the paper value
to exaggerate the real street value. As it ended up, that was the answer
he wanted."


56. Tell me about a time when there was no rule or precedent to
help you attack a problem.

Can you operate without structure? Describe your problem-solving
process, especially the steps you took and measures you established in a
particularly trying situation. Demonstrate confidence and the
willingness to take on more challenges.

"I was the first employee in a newly created position. I spent the first
week developing an understanding of the history that had led to
creation of the position. Only then did a method for setting priorities on
the job become clear."


57. What's your greatest achievement to date?

Be sure that the achievement you describe here is relevant to the job
you're interviewing for. Also, be careful that your answer doesn't sound
as if the best is behind you. Mention something great that you've
achieved, but clearly communicate your belief that the best is yet to
come.

"I'm proud of the fact that I graduated on time with a solid GPA while I
played varsity basketball for four years. A lot of women on my team
either took a reduced course load or let their grades suffer. I believe the
reason I got through it all was sheer determination; I never even let
myself visualize anything but finishing on time and with good grades.
So I firmly believe, as a professional counselor, in the importance of a
positive outlook."


58. Tell me about something you accomplished that required
discipline.

This is your opportunity to discuss a skill you worked to develop, or a
time when the quantity of your work required solid time-management
skills. How did you remain focused?

"I had to work two jobs to put myself through graduate school. I
interned at the newspaper while I studied journalism during the week.
Then on weekends, I sold real estate. Juggling those three schedules
was a challenge, but I did it because it was important to me to graduate
without school loans."



59. Where do you hope that your career will have progressed to in
the next few years?

Avoid the temptation to suggest job titles; this makes you seem
unbending and unrealistic, since you don't know how long it might have
taken your interviewer to reach certain levels, and you wouldn't want to
insult. Describe new experiences or responsibilities you'd like to add
that build on the job you're applying for.

"Over the next few years I'd like to have progressed to the point there I
have bottom-line budget responsibility, and I'm also in charge of a
production unit where I have labor-relations, quality-control, design,
and manufacturing responsibilities. I believe this job will go a long way
to helping me meet my career goals."



60. Since this will be your first job, how do you know you'll like the
career path?

This can be a difficult question to answer convincingly, unless you've
done a little bit of preparation. Discuss, for example, an internship or a
conversation that's allowed you to assess the culture of the organization
or to preview the work involved. Describe other people in the
profession who have been mentors or who have taught you about the
field. Also, point out why you're interested, how you learned more
about the industry, and how you stay current with industry trends.

"Although it's true that I've never worked a job in your industry, I've
talked to many friends and alums at my school who've been successful
in your company. I always ask them questions, 'What's the most
frustrating thing about your job?' and 'What's the most rewarding thing
about your job?' From the information I've gained, I'm confident that
I'll be able to adapt quickly to your culture and will find the next few
years rewarding, based on my goals and values."

--