1.
So, tell me a little about
yourself.
My name is Peter. I graduated from
XYZUniversity with bachelor degree in Sales. After 5 yearsworking as a Sales
Manager, I have well experienced intraining, mentoring and motivating other
sales personnelto achieve the goals of the Company.
2.
Give a
brief summary of your experience inyour latest positions
have worked for ABC Companyas Sales Manager
for North-East Region. With my skillsfrom training courses, I developed many
sales campaignswhich contributed much to the development of newcustomers and
maintenance of current customer base.After 6 months, my sales force and I did
regain thecompany’s market and promote the sales revenue up by37%.
3.
What is your viewpoint of
management?
I believe the main goal of any management
position is to get things done by evenly distributing the workload to the most
qualified members of the team. They also make sure that each member of the team
has all the resources and training that are necessary to complete the job.
4.
What is your definition of
success?
In my opinion and as it relates to the
workplace, success is a measurable variable. If you don’t measure your
accomplishments, success is lost. Success can be tied to everything you do each
day.
5.
What is your definition of
failure?
For starters,
failure is an event and not a person and you only fail if you quit and I’m not
a quitter. I may not complete a project on time or miss an important deadline,
but that does not qualify as having failed in my book. If I complete a task,
but miss a deadline, I still consider it a success because I finished, but
without the desired result
6.
Do you feel that you are an
organized person?
Yes, I consider myself to be very
well organized. Everyday when I arrive at work, I check my email and messages.
Then I plan out exactly what I am going to do that day. Even if I already know
that I am going to work on the Johnson proposal, I still review my current
status and set my goals for the day. At the end of the day, I review my
progress and plan for the following day
7.
How do you manage your time
I only have so many hours in the
day to get my work done and I have found that if I don’t create daily, weekly,
and monthly goals, it seems like nothing ever gets done. I keep track of all my
responsibilities and goals in spreadsheet and review them daily.
I mark down when I am first
assigned a task, how long I think it will take, when it needs to be completed
and how much time I will need to spend on it each day to complete the job on
time. This helps me in so many ways, but mainly it keeps me on track with what
is important. It also helps me from getting overbooked and promising more than
I can deliver. Now, I can always deliver what I promise and be on-time
8.
What information do you need
before making a decision?
“Before I make any kind of
important decision, I first consider all the surrounding facts, possible
outcomes and the desired goal. I won’t hesitate to seek an outside opinion and
I generally do, but I am the one who makes the ultimate decision
9.
How do you react to problems?
“I don’t react to problems, but
acknowledge their existence and respond to them in a calm manner. Reacting to a
problem causes a panic and the problem does not get resolved until everyone
calms down, accepts the situation and then focuses on a resolution
10.
Do you consider yourself a
risk taker or do you like to play it safe?
I believe that taking risks is
part of life but by mitigating the risk, I believe the best possible solution
presents itself. I’m not afraid of taking risks; I just make sure that I have
considered all the facts and possible outcomes my decision will have.
11. How Would You
Describe Your Management Style?
I choose to adapt my management
techniques based on the present situation, as work environments are constantly
dynamic and often need to be handled in unique, novel ways.
12.
How Do You Keep Staff Members
Motivated?
I do my best to show recognition
and acknowledgement to all employees that meet goals, which keeps morale high
and employees on task. Also, when applicable, I keep tasks interdependent
within the team, so that staff members require and encourage fellow staff
members to complete their work.
13 . How Do You Delegate Tasks?
For each staff member I create a
sheet of detailed, relevant tasks and estimated deadlines. I then meet with
each staff member individually to ensure they also agree to the deadlines and
answer any questions they have. I also schedule regular work in progress
meetings to check in on their status.
14. What is Your Biggest Management Weakness?
Sometimes in the heat of a
deadline, I have found that I have overlooked great work by a staff member. I
am working on making sure everyone I work with gets their deserved recognition
for successful completion of their tasks, because it is important that every
individual staff member be recognized for their contributions toward building
the company’s success
15.
Why do you want to work here at XYZ
Company?
I've been following XYZ's growth and I want
a company that I can grow with. Your company is solid and stable, with a growth
rate of X percent last year and a great competitive position" Or, "I
like a start-up environment where I can really make a difference.
16. Why should we hire you?
Because I would be an asset to your
organization. I'm loyal, tenacious, motivated, and I learn fast. I'm someone
who could be very productive very quickly.
17.
Let's talk about salary. What
are you looking for?
right now, I'm more interested in talking
more about what the position can offer my career." That could at least buy
you a little time to scope out the situation. But if you do have a specific
figure in mind and you are confident that you can get it, I'd say go for it. I
have on many occasions, and every time I got very close to that figure
18.
Do you prefer to work
independently or on a team?
I am equally comfortable working as a
member of a team and independently. In researching the LMN company, your
mission statement and the job description, I could see similarities to my
previous position where there were some assignments that required a great deal
of independent work and research and others where the team effort was most
effective. As I said, I'm comfortable with both.
19.
How do you handle stress and
pressure?
· Stress is very
important to me. With stress, I do the best possible job. The appropriate way
to deal with stress is to make sure I have the correct balance between good
stress and bad stress. I need good stress to stay motivated and productive.
· I react to
situations, rather than to stress. That way, the situation is handled and
doesn't become stressful.
· I actually work
better under pressure and I've found that I enjoy working in a challenging
environment.
·
From a personal perspective, I manage stress by visiting the gym every
evening. It's a great stress reducer.
20.
Who was your best boss and
who was the worst?
I've
learned from each boss I've had. From the good ones, what to do, from the
challenging ones - what not to do.
Early
in my career, I had a mentor who helped me a great deal, we still stay in
touch. I've honestly learned something from each boss I've had.