Third Step / part 2: Interview Questions 4

What do you do in your spare time?

If you had unlimited free time how would you spend it?

Your hobbies, it must be useful hobbies, such as:

• Playing chess.  
• Reading.  
• Surfing the internet.  
• Play football.
• Spend some time with my friends.  

Don’t say useless hobbies, such as:

• Playing video games.  
• Playing play station.  

How has your interest or hobby helped you to develop the skills that would be required for your ideal career?

You must tell the interviewer the relationship between your life and the job you apply for, such as:

• Playing chess: Helps me to think wise. 
• Working as a lawyer: Teaches me how to argue and persuade. 

Tell me about a major accomplishment

You must find and prepare your story about something you achieved before and you are proud of it.

       

How do you work inside a team?

Be sure to have ready examples.

For example:

• I am trying to help and cooperate with my team members.  
• If we have a problem, we are brainstorming about the solving and discuss it to reach the best solution of any problem.  
• When we have tasks we divide the tasks on us to cooperate and make everything is easier. 

Tell me about contribution you have made to a team effort

Prepare your story about an effort you did before inside teams.

        

For example:

In my team in the college we made a project and we need to make a website to our project, so I made it alone because I was the only one who knows how to create a website.

How have you demonstrated leadership?

What qualities should a successful manager possess? 

If you have been a leader before, so it is the suitable time to say that to the interviewer but if you weren’t a leader before, it doesn’t make any problem. 

        

Your Answer for example:

I have the leadership skills, because I was a leader in >>>>>…… 

So I know that the leader must be discreet, reliable and should have managerial skills. He must be diplomatic, patient, responsible, organized and also able to analyze and take decisions in time.

      

Describe a leader you admire.

Who is your role model?

Tell him about any person and why this person (mention the features which make you choose this specific person – you can choose any person like your last boss, a president, public person, your father…etc) and what did you do to be like him.

    

What criteria are you using to evaluate the company which you hope to work for? 

Your Answer for example: 

I evaluate the company with a lot of criteria, like:

• How much the customers trust the company. 
• Also some things make me choose this company, like: 
• The opportunity for advancement. 
• How I feel nice about this company.
• The vision of the company. 
• Its position in the market. 

Describe what a balanced lifestyle is.  
Your Answer for example:
The balanced lifestyle is how I can manage between my work, health, society (friends and charity) and my family.      

How do you manage your workweek? 

Your Answer for example:

At the beginning of each week I make a schedule, giving everything a suitable time to do it and at the end of the week I check what I finished and what I didn’t finish to give them enough time in the next week schedule and so on.

     

When you are not at work, do you prefer an agenda or are you spontaneous? 

Your Answer for example:

I prefer an agenda because I can manage my goals, so I can know what I did and what I didn’t do yet.

      

Describe your comfort level to work with people of higher rank and people of lower rank. 

Your Answer for example:

I like to work with people of higher rank in order to gain experience, learn more about my career and have their respect.

Also I like to work with the lower rank to help them by solving any problems they have, earn their respect by giving them trust and treating them as reliable people. 

      

How do you handle conflict with your colleagues or supervisors? 

Your Answer for example:

1.   Listen carefully. 

2.    Understand the issue.

3.   Analysis and thinking.

4.   Repeat what I get to clarify everything.

5.   Respond.

What is your logic in solving problems? 

Your Answer for example:

• Analysis the problem. 
• Break it to small parts.  
• Try to solve every part alone. 

At the end of the interview, the interviewer will ask you

Do you need to ask me any questions?

Do you have any questions for me?

The good question that you will ask will increase your chance to get the job.

So you will interview the interviewer and you must remember that:

• You must avoid asking questions that are already known facts or are available on the employer's website. 
• Never ask about your salary and other benefits issues until the interviewer raises these subjects. 
• When you ask the interviewer follow the next guidelines: 
• Ask open-ended questions. (Don’t ask a question that the interviewer could answer it by yes or no). 
• Avoid "Why" questions.
• Keep the questions short. 
• Don't interrupt. 
• Use inclusive language. 
• Ask questions that the interviewer can answer them comfortably. 
• Avoid asking questions that focus on what the company can do for you. 
• Don't ask questions that are irrelevant to the job or the organization. 

One of the smartest questions you can ask:

"Now that we have talked about my qualifications and experience, do you have any concerns about my capabilities regarding this position?"

This answer enables you knowing any latent lingering doubts in the interviewer mind to be brought out in the open, and it provides an opportunity to you to defend yourself satisfactorily against the objections.

   

Another smart question,

“Do you have any concerns about my ability to perform this job?”

      

Another smart question,

"What are the three top priorities you would first like to see me accomplish?" The question establishes your commitment to action.

      

Another smart question,

“In your opinion, what are my strongest assets and possible weaknesses? Do you have any concerns regarding my suitability that I need to clear up in order to be the top candidate?”

Don’t ask questions like these questions

• What is it that your company does? 
• How many warnings does one get before one is fired?

Jobs in Egypt

Congratulations !!!!!!!!

You are hired

Third Step / part 2: Interview Questions 3

What is your salary expectation? 
What kind of salary do you need?

You mustn’t answer it directly, instead, you can ask the interviewer “Can you tell me the salary range for this position?” the interviewer will tell you, if not, say that “it can depend on the details of the job”. Then give a wide range of salary depending on the salary range for this position in the other companies.

   

What makes you the best candidate for the job?
What Can You Do for Us That Other Candidates Can't?
What sets you apart from the crowd?
What sets you special from the others? 
Why I must choose you for this position and refuse the other candidates?

You must tell the interviewer some of your skills you have (these skills must be related to job you apply for) and how these skills make you the best candidate for the job and that you want to add value to the company and continue to grow the company.

         

For example: customer service

I am patient so I have the ability to deal with angry customers with patience and calm way.

Tell me about your short-term goals 

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Your short term goals must be to find a job.
     
Your Answer for example:

My short term goal is to find a position that will put me in forward-moving company with solid performance.

       

OR

My short term goal is to gain employment at a company where I can use my skills and abilities to meet the needs of the company. I want to be a part of a team where I am encouraged to learn new skills and be challenged.

    

OR

My short term goal is to gain employment at a company where I can use my skills and abilities to meet the needs of the company. I want to be a part of a team where I am encouraged to learn new skills and be challenged.

      

Tell me about your long-term goals

In this question you must tell the interviewer that your long term goal is to be in a higher position (i.e. manager, supervisor) in the position you apply for in this company.

      

Your Answer for example:

My long-term goals are to be in a higher position in customer service department in the company and build my family.

     

OR

Get a good job in this company and prove myself in it to promote to my dream job.

       

OR

I see myself in a top management level position where I can share my knowledge and experience with others for the betterment of the company employees and clients.

      

OR (Tricky Answer)

I have learned that long term goals are best achieved when I break them into shorter goals. (So in this answer you must tell him your short-term goals).

      

OR (Another Tricky Answer)

I don’t have a specific long term goal,, because my goals are endless,, my goals are open-ended ....

        

What is your dream job?

Describe your ideal career

You must say that your dream job is the job which you apply for it or a higher position but in the same field and the same company.

       

Why did you leave your last job?

You must speak about learning that your previous job didn’t make it. 

Don't speak badly about your previous employer or your previous job.

For example:

• I didn’t feel that I am developing myself in this job.  
• To be honest, I am looking for more challenges.  
• Because there isn’t room for growth with my previous job.  
• I’ve decide that it wasn’t the direction I want to go in my career.
• I am interested in a new challenge and an opportunity to use my technical skills and experience in different capacity than I have in the past.  
• I am seeking a position with a stable company with room for growth and opportunity for advancement.  
• It’s time to learn something new.  
• I decided it would be a good time for me to look outside.
• I need to achieve my goals and I need to work for a large company to have a good opportunity to achieve them.  
• that's the hardest decision I ever had, I will forever be thankful for the opportunity that my previous employer gave me but right now this decision will be beneficial for me & for my previous employer. 

If you fired from your previous job, the interviewer will ask you

Why were you fired?

Don’t lie.

Don’t badmouth the previous employer.

Don’t blame your previous job, previous bosses or colleagues.

                 

Your Answer for example:

The job wasn't working out enough so my employer and I agreed with him; it was time for me to move on to another company that would show a better return for both of us. So here I am, searching for another job. 

(You must prepare your answer that related to your circumstances).

Third Step / part 2: Interview Questions 2

Fourth point to get jobs in Egypt:

Jobs in Egypt

You must prepare answer for these interview questions to increase your chance to get jobs in Egypt.

Tell me about yourself

• Your personal info (your name, your age, your marital status) 
• Your graduation info (I graduated from Cairo University, faculty of law, 2008, fair degree) 
• Your work experience (I worked before as a lawyer for two years) 
• Your hobbies and interests (Reading, Playing chess and football).

Tell me about your weaknesses

You must know that no one is prefect and the employer knows that.

Your answer must be with things that you are improving upon.

Also you must show the interviewer that you learned from your mistakes.

You mustn’t say weaknesses that make the employer won’t accept you. You can say for example:

• When I work I work hard and some of my friends don’t like that from me. 
• I’m very serious on work. 
• I'm always told that I am a bit too slow ... but that's only because I want to do the best job I can. 
• I believe that I should always be improving upon myself, weaknesses or strengths.

In this case the interviewer noticed that these aren’t weaknesses so he may ask you the next question.

   

Are these weaknesses?

Answer him with this tricky answer:

• This is my thinking. 
• This is what I think about it right now. 

Tell me about your strengths.
What would your friends tell me about you?
Tell me something about yourself that wouldn’t know by reading your resume.
Tell me about your skills.
What skills do you have to offer?

There are a lot of good answers, just stay positive, for example:

• I can communicate well. 
• I am hard working. 
• Self motivated. 
• I have the ability to cope with my failures.
• Learn from my mistakes.  
• Ability to work under pressure.  
• Leadership skill (Because everyone leads himself in every step he takes).  
• Patient
• Helpful.  
• Deal with computer very good.  
• Work in a team.

But you must prepare your story for every skill and strength you will say because the interviewer can ask you to tell him an example for your strength.

As an example:

Interviewer      : Tell me about your strengths

You                 : I can communicate well and cope with my failures.

Interviewer      : Tell me examples for your ability to cope with your failures?

You                 : I was afraid of speaking in public but I tried to change this and I success by trying at first to speak in front of my friends, after a lot of practice now I can speak in front of public.

Another example

Interviewer      : Tell my about your strengths?

You                  : I am patient and logical

Interviewer      : How?

You                  : Because when I was working as a customer service representative I dealt with the customers in a patient and logical way.

Another example

Interviewer      : Tell me about your strengths

You                 : I have the ability to Convince.

Interviewer      : How?                              Give me proof of your persuasiveness

You                  : I persuade you with my Cover Letter and CV for having an interview with you now.
(I prefer preparing another story)

Tell me about a time you had to work under pressure

Tell him any experience you had in work under pressure before.

Try to give an example that relates to the type of position that you apply for.

Your Answer for example:

I worked in two jobs at the same time (as a lawyer in the morning and as a customer service representative at the noon and I must take care of my calls quality with the customers and that’s make me work under pressure).

Third Step / part 2: Interview Questions 1

There are two kinds of interviews

• First: individual interview: the interviewer interviews you only. 
• Second: group interview: the interviewer interviews you with other candidates so in this case set down in the center between the candidates.

Before you go to any interview you must prepare four Points to work in your dream jobs in Egypt.

Jobs in Egypt

 First point to get jobs in Egypt:

Prepare your success stories and examples about the next topics and categories

• A story for the hardest situation you have met before and how you deal with it.
• A story for your under pressure work.
• An example for your ability to persuasive (convince).
• A story for your major accomplishment.
• A story for every skill and strength you will mention to the interviewer.
• A story for working inside a team and your contribution for your team.
  (You will find examples for these stories in interview questions answers below) 

Second point to get jobs in Egypt: 

There are some typical questions in every interview related to the company the interviewer will ask them to you, So you must search and prepare everything about the company you will work for it, such as:

• Company’s products or services.
• Where its branches, head office or stores are located.
• Company’s vision (How its prospects look for the future).
• Company’s mission.
• How old the company is.Its offers to their employees.
• Its social role in the society.Every information can you get about the company, and so on.
  (You can prepare this information from the company website)

The typical interview questions related to the company, for example:

• Why do you want to work for our company?
• Why do you want to work here?
• What do you know about the company?

In these questions your answer must be from your knowledge about the company. 
         

For example

Why do you want to work for our company?

Because it will add a value to my life and I like the (Company vision, Company mission and anything you know about the company) of the company.

    

Third point to get jobs in Egypt:

Also you must prepare everything about the job you apply for, such as:

• Everything you know about this career. 
• Responsibilities.
• Duties.
• Skills that must be in persons who work in this job.
• Skills that mustn’t be in persons who work in this job.

Because there are some typical questions in every interview related to the job field the interviewer will ask them to you, for example (Customer Service Field):

• What do you know about (Customer Service Field)?
• What are responsibilities and duties for (Customer Service Representative)?
• What skills must be in good (Customer Service Representative)?
• What skills mustn’t be in good (Customer Service Representative)?
• How do you deal with angry customers?

(Soon, I will make a book contains some jobs in Egypt and all information about these jobs (Description, responsibilities, duties and skills that must be in the candidate for this job, you can visit my blog to download it). 
       
For example

What skills must be in good customer service representative?

Able to deal patiently with problems and complains.

Able to deal in friendly way and professional manner with customers.

Diplomatic, Good listener and know everything about product, service and company.

    

Third Step / part 1: Tips for the interview

The day before the Interview 

You must know that you are preparing for the half hour that can change your life. 

So practice in advance what you'll say, keep it brief, keep it honest and keep it moving. (You will find everything about preparing for the interview in the next topic “interview questions”).

   

The Interview Greeting 

Greet the interviewer by name as you enter the office.

Be sure to shake the interviewer’s hand-firmly.

   

During the interview

Remember the next notes to increase your chance to get your dream jobs in Egypt

• Be your best.
• Use your Body Language.

  

  Jobs in Egypt

• Use eye-contact.
• Listen Carefully.
• You must sell yourself to prove your suitability for the job.
• No matter how qualified you are on paper, you need to present yourself to the people who have the authority to hire you.
• You never get a second chance to make a first impression (First Impressions Count).
• Ask for clarification if you do not understand the question. (Don’t be afraid).
• Be careful not to criticize former employers.
• No matter how impressive you think you are being in something - it is no good if it isn’t appropriate to what the company wants.
• Ask questions related to the job you apply for.
• Never ask about your salary and other benefits issues until the interviewer raises these subjects.

Closing the Interview

• At the end of the interview, the interviewer will ask you this important question (Do you need to ask me any question?) and you must prepare some questions.
• Express your interest.
• Thank the interviewer.
• Shake hands.
• Ask the interviewer for feedback.

After the Interview: 

Take notes on what you feel you need to improve upon for your next interview.

Second Step / part 3: Templates for Professional CV

Note: Don’t change the format of this CV, take it copy and paste in the word document then modify it to match your needs.
So always remember “Don’t change the format”.
After finishing your CV and print it, you will find that its view is very professional.

Jobs in Egypt

Go to my "downloads" page to
download the next Templates in word file
to edit and modify them as you like:
"Templates for Professional CV"

Example No.1:

Your Name

Your address

Cairo, Egypt

Telephone: (0212345678)

Mobile: (0101234567)

E-mail: Abcdefg@hotmail.com

Objective
	Seeking a challenging position in Sales field where my interpersonal skills, training and work experience are well developed and utilized.
Education
	2004-2008                         Cairo University                            Cairo, Egypt    § B.S. in Commerce.    § Grade: Good.
Skills
	Computer Skills:    § Excellent knowledge of OS Windows XP, MS Office and the Internet.    § Good knowledge of hardware.    § Fair knowledge of software. Language Skills:    § Arabic: Native language.    § English: Very good command of both read, written and spoken.    § Spanish: Good command of both written and spoken.
Experience
	Jul 2008 - Jan 2011                    Suez Canal Bank                        Cairo, Egypt  Accountant §Put in the Data in the Books. §Receive the clients’ checks. §Print clients’ financial statements.
Training
	Mar 2009 International Computer Driving license (ICDL) Certificate Syllabus Version 4.0.
Interests
	Reading, playing chess and surfing the Internet.
Personal Information
	Date of Birth: 20/03/1989 Marital Status: Single. Military Status: Postponed (3 years).

Example No.2:

Bassem Osama Abcdef

2 Abcd St, Maadi

Cairo, Egypt

Telephone: (0212345678)

Mobile: (0101234567)

E-mail: Abcdefg@hotmail.com

Objective
	Seeking a challenging position in Customer service field where my interpersonal skills, training and work experience are well developed and utilized.
Education
	2004-2008                               Cairo University                            Cairo, Egypt    § B.S. in Law.    § Grade: Fair.
Skills
	Computer Skills:    § Excellent knowledge of OS Windows XP, MS Office and the Internet.    § Good knowledge of hardware and software. Language Skills:    § Arabic: Native language.    § English: Very good command of both read, written and spoken.
Experience
	Jul 2009 – Oct 2010                     Vodafone                            Cairo, Egypt Customer Service Representative. §Handle every question and complaints. §Try to solve the customer’s problem. §Make changes and updates to customer’s profile or account info.
Training
	Mar 2009 – Oct 2009 Developed English Language (from level 2 to level 5 provided by Berlitz).
Interests
	Reading, playing chess and playing football.
Personal Information
	Date of Birth: 15/01/1985 Marital Status: Single. Military Status: Done.

Go to my "downloads" page to
download these Templates in word file
to edit and modify them as you like:
"Templates for Professional CV"