Five tough interview questions and how to handle them

Great article on MSN today about interview questions. They were compiled by Ken Harbourne, Senior Manager, Robert Half International in Ireland.

Examples:

What interests you about this job? What are your weaknesses?

To find out how to answer these questions and more, check out the article.

New Masters degree in security and digital forensics

The Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown has launched a new degree course that has been inspired by the rising tide of cybercrime. 98pc of all Irish organisations have experienced incidents of cybercrime according to Silicon Republic.com

They continue to say that the programme is one of three streams in a Masters in Computing (Business Data Mining and Software Engineering are the other two) qualifying for government subsidy and has a number of free places allocated for jobseekers. Full course information is available on www.itb.ie

You can read the full article on Siliconrepublic.com

Leaving Cert Results Out Today

Fingers crossed and good luck to all Leaving Cert students who are either eagerly or anxiously awaiting their results today. There is life after the Leaving Cert!

Results are also available online from noon today at www.examinations.ie

For those who shared their thoughts on Leaving Cert.net do let us all know how you got on!

Student Helpline from the National Parents Council will be in operation at 10am on Wednesday 12th of August

Helpline Phone Number: 1800 265 165

Points calculator and further information courtesy of CAO






* Bonus points for Leaving Certificate Higher Level Mathematics will be awarded in 2008 by University of Limerick and for Liberal Arts (MI004) and Early Childhood Care and Education (MI007) at Mary Immaculate College. The Dublin Institute of Technology also awards bonus points for Mathematics and a number of science subjects in the case of the Level 8 course DT021. Applicants should refer to DIT literature for full details.

# Points for Foundation Level Mathematics will be awarded by certain institutions. Applicants should refer to the HEI literature for full details.

NCAD does not award points for Leaving Certificate or other examinations. Consult NCAD literature for details.

Accompanying conditions:

1. The six best results, in recognised subjects, in one Leaving Certificate Examination will be counted for points computation.
2. One sitting only of the Leaving Certificate Examination will be counted for points purposes.
3. In the case of certain subjects, e.g. Home Economics (General), Foundation Level Mathematics or Foundation Level Irish, some HEIs may not award the points shown above. If in any doubt, check with the Admissions Office of the appropriate HEIs.

# LCVP points awarded: Distinction - 70, Merit - 50, Pass - 30

5,000 vacancies the IT sector

Yet the CAO (Central Applications Office) report the number of applicants for engineering and technology degree courses was down by 9.8pc on last year. Why is that?

According to the experts, changing the way our education system works is vital if we are to encourage young people to take up professions such as IT and engineering that will benefit our smart economy, reports Silicon Republic in their article Learning our Lesson.

Eight Toughest Interview Questions

Paul MacKenzie-Cummins for CareerBuilder.co.uk

Interviews are designed to do just one thing: identify the best possible candidate for the advertised job. And sometimes it may feel that the questions being asked have been designed to deliberately catch you out or make you question whether you are up to the job or not.

But that's not their intention. Some questions aim to establish how well you cope under pressure, others will be to reveal your personality or to see what your career aspirations are. Just remember that there is no need to draw a blank or clam up if you have done your research and preparation beforehand.

If you want to avoid an interview disaster, here are some of the toughest interview questions and their suggested responses.

Q: "Tell me about yourself"

This is perhaps the most open-ended question of them all and is typically used by interviewers as a warm-up question to give you the opportunity to shine. But resist the temptation to start talking about your life history. What your interviewer is looking for is a quick two or three minute snapshot of who you are and why you are the best candidate for the job. So keep your response relevant to the position you are applying for. For example:

A: I started my media sales career five years ago as a telesales representative, rising through the ranks before gaining promotion to sales manager three years later. I am now responsible for training and developing a team of 15 sales consultants that are currently the company's best performing sales team.

Q: "What are your salary expectations?"

You should have done some research into the average salary and remuneration that this type of position will pay. Try to deflect the question by turning it around and asking the interviewer about the salary on offer. Typically, they will start with a lower figure than they are prepared to offer because they want to keep their costs down. So if you are pressed to give a number, its best to give a range to avoid pricing yourself out of contention. For example:

A: I'm sure whatever salary you're paying is consistent with the rest of the market average of £23,000 to £25,000.

Q: "Why should we hire you"

This can be a killer question and can make or break your chances of winning the job. And how you answer will depend on how well you have probed your interviewer about their requirements and expectations. So what the interviewer is really asking you is, What can you do for my business? Your response needs to answer that question. For example:

A: As I understand your needs, you are first and foremost looking for someone who can increase your advertising sales and has experience of managing a sales team. I have a proven track record in successfully managing and developing my territory within this sector, having increased my sales from £150,000 to £210,000 over the last two years alone.

Q: "If you were a car ... tree ... animal what would you be?"

Baffling though it may seem, some interviewers still insist on asking silly questions, such as If you were a car, what type of car would you be and why? There are no right or wrong answers. The interviewer is simply testing your reactions under pressure to see how you will cope with the unexpected in an attempt to gain an insight into your personality and how you view yourself. Don't get hung up on the implications of what type of car you say you would be, just be mindful that you will be expected to explain your choice. For example:

A: I would probably be a 1962 Alpha Romeo Spider -- classy, stylish, driven and fast off the mark

Q: "Why did you leave your last job?"

You know this question will be asked at some stage, so have your answer ready in advance. The rule of thumb is to always remain positive about your current and previous employers because you never know when your paths may cross again. Besides, who are you going to turn to for a reference? For example:

A: I learned a lot from my previous employer and enjoyed my time there. However, promotional opportunities were few and far between and I am keen to advance my career sooner rather than later.

Q: "What are your weaknesses?"

Career manuals abound with ways to tackle this question. And most of them seem to suggest that you should take one of your strengths and portray it as a weakness. For instance, I work too much. But this will actually work against rather than work for you because it may imply that you do not organise your workload effectively, or that you have poor time management skills. Instead, opt for a genuine weakness. For example:

A: I used to struggle to plan and prioritorise my workload. However, I have taken steps to resolve this and now I have started using a planning tool and diary system on my laptop.

Q: "What motivates you?"

Short of telling your interviewer that you are motivated by the prospect of earning a footballer's salary, driving a Bentley or having a holiday home in St Tropez, try and give a constructive answer that will excite your interviewer into understanding what benefit you will bring to his business. For example:

A: I get a real kick out of seeing my team exceed their sales targets and completing the project on time and within budget.

Q: "How would your former colleagues describe you?"

This is a sure sign that the interviewer likes you and is already thinking about contacting your previous employer for a reference. And this is the time when you realise how important it is to choose your referees carefully. So answer this question in the way that you would like to think your employer would respond. For example:

A: I have an excellent working relationship with my manager and we have mutual respect for each other. He considers me to be hard working, dedicated, reliable and able to work well using my own initiative.

Advance your career and get the distinct competitive advantage

When it comes to your earning power, your education is the most important thing you can do. The more education you have, the better your chances of earning more “lifetime” income.

Your education can come in a number of different ways;

Going to college
Taking Evening Courses
Doing a FETAC Course
Becoming apprenticed to a trade
In House training
Distance Learning
PLC Course
Training on the job
Online Learning

Education is out there. It is available to everyone no matter what age or level of education you have or wish to have.

You can find all the different course providers necessary to keep up-skilling in our Course Directory.

In this trying time we have to get creative and think about the skills we have, the skills we need, and the skills that can be improved on.

Creativity is a combination of qualities, of which all people have to some degree. Creativity depends on many factors including experience, motivation and talent. The way you use these qualities is what makes the difference. According to the publication CollegeJournal.com, there are three factors that determine creative success.

* Problem Solving

CollegeJournal says creative types recognize a problem early and easily. Once they recognize the problem they can begin to formulate an approach to solving.

* Strength

Successful creativity depends on your ability to move past your fears. There will always be no doers and negative opinions. Don't let others stomp on your ideas. Use strength to get past the negativity.

* Originality

Original thinking is what allows you to get outside the box and ignore what everyone else is doing. Processes, norms and stereotypes strip creative thinking of life. Mental tradition is bad, mental flexibility is good.

Start thinking outside the box, stay positive and keep learning! It will advance your career and maybe even take it in a new direction.

Getting Back to Work After Redundancy

Is the credit crunch affecting you or a member of your family? We are hearing every day about unemployment and how the numbers are rising due to the recession. If redundancy has happened to you or that threat is on the horizon, what steps can you take?

Once the initial shock has worn off it is important to sit down and plan. While it may seem obvious that there are not that many job opportunities out there; there are always some jobs available. 'But I don't have the relevant skills' you reply. Then this is the opportunity to retrain and look for that new job.

Put together a plan of action.

* List what skills you have that are transferable.
* Gather information from employment centres, agencies, newspapers, job sites online, about what additional skills they are looking for that combined with what you already have makes you more easily employable, (or indispensable to your current employer)
* Take a course or courses to upskill.


Putting together your plan of action and up-skilling keeps you positive during a difficult time in your life.

Here is just a short list of some courses that will get you started on the road back to employment that are being run by providers listed with Courses.ie.

Interview soft skills
Computer Course
Security
Safety & Risk Management
Microsoft Office
First Aid
Languages
Customer Care
Buildings Energy Ratings Assessor
Tourism
Complementary Therapy

CAO Announce Course Places Today

On the day that the CAO announce the places being offered in the first round, the Irish Independent runs an article bemoaning the lack of students taking up certain courses leading to a glut of jobs available in the Computing, Construction and Engineering areas, it goes on to say;

Thousands of jobs 'lost' as courses snubbed
By Katherine Donnelly and John Walshe
Monday August 18 2008
THOUSANDS of highly paid jobs are going abegging because colleges can't get enough students for courses that are key to the country's economic future.
Major college courses -- offering a route to high-paid technology jobs -- are struggling to fill places, despite a record number of CAO offers today.
There is deepening concern about the poor uptake in science, engineering and technology -- all of which are regarded as a cornerstone for future growth.
Despite the economic downturn, there are 10,000 vacancies in the computing and the IT sector, and 5,000 jobs available in engineering.
A graphic example of the crisis was revealed last night showing that numbers graduating in computer applications from Dublin City University (DCU) dropped from 224 in 2005 to 70 this year.
Michael Ryan, who is Professor of Computing at DCU, said at a recent meeting organised by the college that there were twice as many potential employers as computing graduates.
He said skills shortages in computing were also underlined by the fact that 35pc of new staff in software companies in the Dublin area come from outside Ireland.
He said hard questions have to be asked about maths teaching in schools.
Today, 46,577 CAO applicants received an offer in the post -- up 3pc on last year, reflecting the bumper 68,112 applications for college entry.
Taking into account mature students and those who applied with a Further Education (FE) qualification, it brings to 52,631 the number receiving an offer.
There will be huge disappointment for almost 15,500 applicants who will get no offer at all today.
These will include many of the 5,000 who failed maths, ruling them out of most third-level courses.
Negative
A pass in maths at ordinary level is required for entry to most computing courses and the high 12.3pc fail rate is likely to have had a negative impact on numbers eligible for an offer.
The trend appears to be having a knock-on effect in the world of work as employers say that lucrative job positions are going unfilled.
But even starting salaries for engineers averaging €31,000 do not seem enough to tempt high-flying students.
Other pointers from CAO Round One include:
l Law has lost its some of its lustre, with a drop in applications contributing to a fall in points on many courses.
l Architecture and other construction or property-related courses have dropped points.
l The annual scramble for medicine keeps it top of the points table, and out of reach of most applicants.
l But other healthcare courses, such as physiotherapy and nursing, are down.
l Primary teaching is buoyant with an across-the-board rise in points.
l Points rose on about 250 Level 8, honours degree courses; dropped on 310; and remained the same on 90 others.
l At the Level 7/6 ordinary degree/higher certificate, more than half the courses dropped points, but more than one-third went up.
l Half of those receiving an offer at Level 8 got their first preference and 79pc their first, second or third choice, compared with 81pc and 96pc respectively at Level 7/6
In maths at higher level, a drop in top grades accompanied by a rise in fail rates reduced the pool eligible for a swathe of engineering courses, where a C3 at higher level is usually the minimum grade required.
Because of the failure to fill all their places, some third-level colleges are holding special maths entrance exams offering a second chance to students to gain entry to engineering and some technology programmes.
Poor
The disappointing results in maths, and in some cases the sciences, compounds a relatively poor uptake in these subjects in schools, particularly at higher level.
Engineers Ireland director general John Power said Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe must prioritise investment in key subjects such as maths and the sciences at primary and secondary level while also addressing third level.
He said engineering was the cornerstone of the Celtic Tiger and must be given priority to reinvigorate our economy again.
"It takes engineering and engineers to create the pitch for other professions, such as lawyers and accountants, to play on."
Overall, today's CAO statistics indicate an upward drift in qualification levels, as Level 8 courses continue to account for a bigger share of the offers. Proportionately more courses are being offered at Level 8, including some that have been upgraded from Level 7/6.
- Katherine Donnelly and John Walshe

How do I become an ISTD Teacher?

As a worldwide examinations board, the ISTD provides teaching qualifications to ensure ISTD teachers are fully trained and supported in their teaching vocation from a teaching, health and safety, psychological and dance genre specific perspective.

Depending where you are in the world, and which dance genres you plan to offer, the ISTD has the teaching progression route for you, as detailed below.

If you have further questions after reading any of the information listed, please contact the Education and Training Department who will be able to assist you.

How do I become a Theatre Faculty Teacher within the EU?

The ISTD's teaching qualifications for Theatre Faculty teachers within the EU (including the UK) are as follows. (Please click here for the progression route for Theatre Faculty teachers outside the EU)

Please note, this is only a brief outline and there are some requirements not listed below. For further details you will need to read the appropriate Faculty syllabus outline obtainable free from Education and Training on edugeneralassistant@istd.org

Foundation in Dance Instruction

Candidates must be 17 years of age or over within the academic year they start the qualification and hold the Intermediate qualification from a QCA approved awarding body in the genre in with they wish to teach. For further information on this qualification please see our article on Foundation in Dance Instruction per the guidelines of the ISTD.

Certificate in Dance Education

Candidates must be 18 years of age or over within the academic year they start the qualification, hold the Advanced 1 qualification from a QCA approved awarding body in the genre in with they wish to teach and hold the Foundation in Dance Instruction. For further information on this qualification see our article Certificate in Dance Education

Licentiate

Candidates must be 23 years of age or over, hold the Certificate in Dance Education and have been teaching for 5 years

Fellowship

Candidates must be 28 years of age or over, have passed their Licentiate, have achieved their Advanced 2 qualification in the genre concerned, hold their Applied Anatomy and Physiology Parts 1 and 2 (for Fellowships being taken before 31 August 2006 only), and have been teaching for at least 8 years .

Career Doctor: What qualifications do I need to become a legal secretary?

We sourced this interesting question on the Irish Independent....

Q

I am 25 years old and work in retail, but something about the job isn’t right for me. For a long time, I’ve had a huge interest in the legal profession. I would like to know what qualifications I’d need to become a legal secretary and how to look for work experience. I would appreciate any advice you could give me about my career prospects in this area.

A

In relation to your first question, I would suggest you check out two websites: www.careerdirections.ie and www.fas.ie.

The first gives a comprehensive list of courses that will help you qualify as a legal secretary. The second outlines the details of the FÁS legal secretary traineeship.

Many of these courses are full-time day courses, typically lasting one year. When investigating courses, you should ask whether they include work experience. Would a full-time day course be an issue for you? FÁS offers a legal secretary traineeship, which is a full-time day course, but only lasts 29 weeks. This may be a better option.

Something you didn’t ask about, but I’d suggest is very relevant to your decision, is salary expectations. This depends on where you are located and the size of your potential employer’s business. Entry salaries range from €18,000 to €25,000, but good legal secretaries with more than five years’ experience typically earn up to €35,000.

In terms of the second part of your question, the good news is that legal secretaries are in demand, and the prospects of getting work, once qualified, are very positive.

Therefore I’d suggest you keep an eye on the appointments pages in both the local and national press. There are also some recruitment companies that could help you out.

Finally, consider the work you will do as a legal secretary. Do you like this type of work and does it make the most of your strengths? For example, you will need strong communication, planning and organisational skills. In addition, you will be expected to work well under pressure and meet deadlines.

It is a brave but not too daunting move you are contemplating. Best of luck with it and bear in mind, when you find work that you love, you will never work again!

Terry Judge is a career coach with Mind Solutions.

www.mindsolutions.ie

Back to work or new job? The Interview Guide

Selling Yourself At Interviews

It is important for all prospective interviewees to understand that an interview is a sales meeting. The interviewer in front of you has a need. He or she is interviewing you because, after having reviewed your CV, you appear to be someone who might be able to satisfy that need. At interview, you need to reassure him/her that you are, indeed, the person that will meet his/her needs. To do that, you need to sell yourself.

Fitting In

No matter what your qualifications or experience might be, one of your primary goals at interview is to reassure the interviewer that you will ‘fit into’ the culture of the company. A recent survey revealed that most interviewers determine, within sixty seconds, as to whether or not they feel you will ‘fit in’ with the culture of organisation you are interviewing to join. This is unsurprising in the context of other research which reveals that more than two-thirds of employees leave a job because they don’t ‘fit in’ rather than any incapacity to do the job.

Interviewers will measure how likely it is that you will fit in through a variety of clues, mostly non-verbal. Dress to fit in. Dress, and groom yourself, in a way that shows the interview is important to you. When you enter the room, walk in positively and assertively. Elegance is the key. Smile confidently, even if you don’t feel so confident underneath. Firmly shake the hand or hands of your interviewer or interviewers, looking them in the eye and using their name.

When shown your seat, sit with a straight back, looking alert and interested. Maintain good and respectful eye contact with the interviewer(s). Speak confidently, in short, clear and uncomplicated sentences

Two Critical Stages

There are two critical stages of interviews. Firstly, preparing for the interview beforehand and, secondly, the first sixty seconds of the interview. In order to succeed at interview, you need to ensure that you understand the critical importance of both stages.

The First Critical Stage: Preparation

It becomes very apparent to an interviewer, at an early stage of the interview, whether you have prepared thoroughly or not. If he/she gets the impression that you haven’t. it will certainly set up feelings in the interviewer of ‘Why should I bother with him/her, if this interview isn’t important enough for him/her to prepare for it”. It is certain that the well-prepared candidate has a higher chance of getting the job than the person who hasn’t done any preparatory work.

Interview Preparation Checklist

• Research the employer that is interviewing you
  
  
• Research the job that you are being interviewed for
  
  
• Clarify three of four of your personal strengths and think of some examples
  
  
• Prepare a list of your own selling points [see below]
  
  
• Prepare answers to typical interview questions
  
  
• Prepare a question or two to ask at the end of the interview
  
  
• Check that you know how to get to the interview venue and how long the journey will take.
  
  Your Selling Points

  Before your interview, prepare a list of ‘Ten things to remember about you, after you leave the room’. Your unique selling points are those that are most relevant to the job you are applying for. We all have something to sell. If you can’t complete the full list on your own, talk to a friend, or someone else you respect, who will soon complete the list for you. Not only does this focus you before the interview but it ensures that you have your own agenda for the duration of the interview itself. You can mentally tick off these points as the interview progresses. Introduce them in at any given opportunity. Make sure you have communicated all of your selling points before the interview is finished.

  My Selling Points

  Typically, you should select ten things about you that come under some, or all, of the following headings [you won’t necessarily have something under every heading]:

• My personal strengths [e.g. good communicator, good organiser, work well on my own, good team member, work well under pressure etc]
  
  
• My skills [I.T. skills, technical skills, driving licence etc].
  
  
• My life and work experience
  
  
• My formal education and training
  
  
• My achievements [things you are proud of having done, in any area of your life]
  
  
• My interests all of which should be relevant to the job for which you are applying

Remember that, when talking about your experience, you can talk about more than experience gained at work. An interviewer will be interested if you can demonstrate relevant experience gained in the community, in your leisure life or at home.

Practice Makes Perfect

Before you attend your interview, rehearse it first. At the very least, in front of a mirror. If possible, with those valuable people in your lives: a friend who can give you useful feedback. This is an opportunity to practice your interviewing technique and answers live.

The Second Critical Stage: The First Sixty Seconds

Bearing in mind the indecent speed that interviewers come to conclusions as to whether they think you fit in with their company’s culture, first impressions are clearly paramount. Either consciously or unconsciously, we all make quick judgements of people when we meet them for the first time. These first impressions set up immediate feelings of warmth or antipathy in people. You can damage your interview performance within the first sixty seconds, if you unintentionally set up poor first impressions.

The old marketing adage – ‘you never get a second chance to make a first impression’ – is certainly worth remembering.

It is important to be aware of how easily we can generate a mistaken image of ourselves. First impressions come from us. They come from how we communicate ourselves to the world. In general, we communicate in four ways. We communicate:

· through the words we choose

· through the volume, pitch and speed of our voices

· non-verbally, through our facial expressions, gestures and body posture

· non-verbally through our clothes and grooming

Interestingly, a wide range of researchers studying human communication have come to the conclusion that up to 90% of the impressions we make on other people are made non-verbally. Our non-verbal signals give clear clues, amongst many other things, as to our levels of aggression, guilt, warmth, interest, confidence and trustworthiness.

When you’re sitting down, remember that folded arms, hands in front of the face, head propped up on a hand [or any gesture or habit that covers the eyes or mouth], all give inappropriate messages. Also, watch your hand gestures: no pointed fingers or chopped hands. Avoid exaggerated open palm gestures which can portray insincerity. The best advice is to minimise gestures at interview

Eye contact is critical. As a rule of thumb, try to maintain eye contact for about two-thirds of any interaction with someone. We all know how difficult it is to assess someone who rarely looks at us. We share the same discomfort at being eyeballed almost constantly by someone who is talking with us.

When you are being interviewed by a panel of three or more people, remember to make eye contact with everyone. Keep your body posture square to the whole panel and scan the whole panel with your eyes. The person who is saying nothing on the end might be the critical decision maker.

Banging Your Head Against the Wall?

Sometimes interviews are not successful and we don’t get the job we want.

The key to succeeding at your next interview is to do something differently next time. All successful people demonstrate a common belief. They refuse to accept failure. However, they don’t carry on knocking their heads against the wall, trying the same thing again and again. They understand that if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got. They understand that if they want to get different results next time, they change what they are doing, and keep on changing what they are doing until they get the result they want. So if you want to get different results next time, do something differently’. This applies to all areas of your life.

So, what are you going to do differently for your next interview to ensure you get the job?

Note: All content is copyrighted to New Idiom 2008. Content may not be used without full acknowledgment of authorship. Courtesy of Fás.

More information can be found at your interview.org