David
How do you know the skills that the interviewers are looking for?
#interviews
10 answers
Katya Lev
Katya’s Answer
First, I always review the job description and the qualifications needed for the job. Of course, at this point I do have over 17 years of experience which helps me prepare as well but I still like to be up to date. Second, I always do a good research on the company ,their values, and their mission statement because it helps me tie in my background and also lets me understand if this is the company that I want to be dedicated to.
I search for questions on google that could possible be asked pertaining to this role. Even though, I wrote my resume and made so many adjustments-I still review and I like to highlight important facts. For example, the company wants to learn about your success stories, your community involvement-you should be able to share all your accomplishments and don’t be shy about the good work that you’ve done in the past.
Be prepared to share your strengths and your weaknesses-this is a typical question but also one that most people get stock because they are not prepared. When thinking of this question- the best way to answer is by sharing a story or an example and tie it to your competency. What I mean is choose which competency/skill you are great and share and which skill you also good and share a challenging example. What I mean by competencies is-communication skills, teamwork, problem solving, digital knowledge, project leading/management,research, ets. I find it easier to respond to this question when you have prepared at home and practiced.
Often, employees are interested to learn about behaviors that you take to reach a goal. Being able to discuss your process and not just a number achievement. Because if you have the right behaviors-you will be successful at any location and you will be ethical at your work.
best of luck
Lindsey Cooney
Lindsey’s Answer
Hey David,
Kim's answer has some great resources to prepare! Other sites that I have found useful are checking glassdoor and the muse. On Glassdoor.com there are often posts by people who have gone through the interview process before. The muse also has so many useful articles on how to excel best in an interview!
Lindsey
Sesame Wang
Sesame’s Answer
1. Read the information from the Job Description, so that you would know which skills they are requesting for this job role.
2. Learn about the company by going through their official website, or google the news/information about the company
3. Prepare for the interview questions which you think they might ask, and be ready with the answer that fit for you.
Sridhar Balasubramanian
Sridhar’s Answer
I would certainly start with the job description that details the responsibilities, prerequisites, experience they are looking for and other expectations. I would also look at linked in, glassdoor and other career portals for similar roles to understand what skills are more common for the given role.
Hope that helps and good luck!
Regards,
Sridhar
Kim Igleheart
Kim’s Answer
Several ways!
- read the job announcements!
- study the company's website!
- look at occupational information for the particular field, such as onetonline.org
Depending on the job, a lot of them are looking for "Soft skills." Obviously, if you want to be a welder you should know how to weld. But you still need to be able to get along with co-workers, work as part of a team, take constructive criticism, show up for work, have a good attitude, be safety conscious, etc. And, if it involves working with customers, have great people skills! There is a saying among recruiters: "hire for attitude; train for skills." If your hard skills are a bit lacking, but you have a great attitude, then, you are a good catch! This is because they can teach you skills, but, they can't change your attitude.
Meenu Sharma
Meenu’s Answer
1. does the candidate's knowledge reflect what is mentioned in the resume
2. will the candidate be a good fit in the hiring team or organization based on the candidate's thought process, attitude, mannerisms
3. does the candidate appear to be excited with the job opportunity and is willing to step up to learn new things if required
Hope this helps.
Nandita Padmanabhan
Nandita’s Answer
David Dumont
David’s Answer
Hi David,
You should look through the job description for the position you're looking at. There should be a skills section that the interviewer will be asking questions to determine if you have or not. Remember, interviewer's are unlikely to say "tell me about your MS Office skills", but will rather present a question like "tell me about a time you used technology to solve a problem". They want you to expand on just your usage, and being able to think of experiences related to the skills in the job description will help you better showcase the skills you offer.
K H
K’s Answer
Kim's answer is spot on, and I would also look for areas on your resume or application that may be questioned--e.g. frequent changes over short period of time, gaps in time frames (empty/blank periods for when your work/experiences cannot be accounted ,) lots of different activities (which can be taken as well-rounded OR as too scattered depending on the industry and the interviewer.) Be prepared to provide answers for those items and note that they are areas of improvement for which you are or will actively address.
It is also very good advice to read up on the company and ask questions about that one special program on their website or the positive accolades that the company has received in the news. Interviewers want to see that you are interested in their company and not just them interested in hiring you. Do not leave the interview without asking questions about the company and/or the position or the industry.
Also, these suggestions apply to school interviews too-- read up on the institution or the possible majors, ask questions about the organization and/or about items in the news, show your interest, etc. and soft skills are definitely a plus to have.
Overall, just BE PREPARED! Interviewers will ask questions not only to gauge your expertise and interest but they may also ask questions to weed you out if you don't know the subject for which they are asking or if you don't show good problem solving or other related skills. If you do not know an answer, my suggestion is not to blatantly lie as many can see right through that....but to note that this is the perfect learning opportunity and area of advancement.
Aoife Moloney
Aoife’s Answer
- To find the skills the interviewers are searching for read the job description. Go through each of the requested qualifications and skills listed and compare them to your own. For example, if the job description says asks for the 'Ability to work in a time-sensitive and high volume environment' consider where you have practiced that skill before and think about how you might answer a question about that experience. The best way to prepare for an interview is to learn as much as possible about the company, the role, and then yourself and where you own skills are. Employers want more than just the hard skills - like being able to use a particular CRM. They also want soft skills like being able to work under pressure or to manage difficult customers. Read the job description very carefully and then go through your own resume and find the places and experiences where you have used those skills.
Aoife recommends the following next steps: