Job Experience

The interviewer tries to find out all the information about the interviewee during a job interview because the job interview might be the best way for the employer to understand inner/mental information about the candidate.

If the company asks you what interests you in the job, it is not only about whether you are interested in the job but the company also tries to find out whether you know what the job comprises of.

After dealing with your negative feelings about losing your job, relax and take a step back. Try to see the situation in a positive light. What are the lessons you can learn from this experience? Maybe you need to improve how you deal with higher-ups, upgrade your job skills or interact better with people.

If your idea of relaxing is to take a break for a short while before finding job again, then feel free to do so. Go on some soul-searching road trip, begin a new hobby or just enjoy doing nothing. You will know by yourself if you're ready to join the workforce once again.

The following are a list of acceptable answers as good reasons to leaving a job:

☛ Career growth

☛ Your career path

☛ Looking for challenges

☛ Restructuring

☛ Relocation

☛ Enhanced Education

☛ Workplace distance

There are ways to deal with the life in-between. It is summarized in four rules:

☛ Rant

☛ Relax

☛ Recover

☛ Restart

Example:

☛ Better quality performance or reliability?

☛ Did you make any difference in sales numbers, costs and profits?

☛ What about customer satisfaction?

☛ Did you improve support service level? What about productivity, efficiency and the company's reputation? Did you make any difference?

It would be wise for you to present a career achievement that reflects back to the job requirements and to the company to which you are applying.

In this way, you gain the employer's interest, tell a success story where you have had a challenge with an impressive achievement.

Most researches show that the single best predictor for who will perform well and succeed in a new job is the one who possesses learning agility (a quick learner) and the one who can adjust himself/herself to new and different jobs.

Past performance or even experience, skills and intelligence are not as important as learning agility.

Therefore, there is a tried and tested reply to this question that helps you appear level-headed and knowledgeable.

Take care of yourself on your way to recovery. Do not rush yourself to feel better instantly. We all have periods when we feel down but there comes a time that we will feel ready to take on the world again. Your feelings may shift among numbness, anger, sadness and desolation. The important thing with emotional recovery from a bad job is that you help yourself. Do not beat yourself up. Take the things that you can change from the things you have no control over.

The interviewer wants reassurance that you have thought about the culture, environment and business goals that this company has. They want to know that you will fit in.

Think about the culture and job environment at your current employer and identify key differences and similarities with the new company. Reassure the interviewer that you do not see any differences as a problem.

GOOD TIP:

Think and be ready to discuss how you have adapted to new bosses, colleagues and jobs as you have undertaken different roles.

Describe the actions you took, why did you choose these actions? What results did you expect to achieve? Describe how you organized ideas into process flow and common themes and the way you monitored results. Do not forget the risk management factors.

They want to make sure that you are not someone who complains too much. You need to come across as someone who remains positive when dealing with things they dislike.

They will listen to see if you come across as difficult to work with. Start by highlighting the positives and explain how you have worked around your dislikes. Your dislike should relate to circumstances, such as not having enough resources, rather than to any conflict with others.

GOOD TIP:

Do not mention problems with people and ensure you come across as someone who is upbeat and positive.

If you feel relieved after going through all the previous rules, give it a go and open yourself to all life has to offer. Not just with a new job but with everything else. Who knows, your new job might be just the thing you are looking for in your career. Take your bad job experience as a learning experience and use it as an advantage.

People are different from each other and deal with things in different ways. Handling your past bad job experience through positive means can help you recover and get back on track with a wiser perspective.

They want to know about your job and how it has prepared you for the job you are being interviewed for. Are you motivated to move to this job or are you moving away from a job you dislike?

Make sure the examples you share are all relevant to the job you are applying for. Possible examples could focus on problem-solving, customer service and creating action plans.

GOOD TIP:

You want to make sure that your examples are positive and end with what attracts you to this job.

Sales experience in a national retail chain, where I acquired an understanding of how customers need to be listened to and made to feel confident that their ideas and concerns taken into account.

My job experience has been nothing but top notch. When I competed my accounting degree, I went right to the best firm in the city and was hired as an intern. I was able to use the internship time towards my MBA, which I just complete this past spring. Working with the best of the best has made me an asset to any company that will hire me.

I have not had much paid job experience as a teacher. I have spent most of my time outside of college and graduate school doing volunteer job at a private elementary school in my town. Because the summers are so short and I was working to complete my certification, I wanted to gain hands on experience without worrying about finding a school that would hire me. Now that I am certified, finished my master's degree program and have all those volunteer hours under my belt, I feel well prepared to apply for a full time teaching position.

The interviewer may think you are over qualified and want this job only until something better comes along. Stress that no job is ever boring because you always learn new skills. Mention how you would benefit by working for the company and vice versa.

The interviewer is looking for clues to serious problems or job difficulties that could carry over to a new job. You might say:

Since I was laid off from my previous employer, I have been actively looking for a job. However, as you know, there are many people looking for work and applying for the same jobs. I have always worked steadily but I have not been able to find a job in the present job market.

After I got laid off from my previous employer, I decided to go back to school to upgrade my skills so I can get a better, more secure job.

This is your opportunity to brag a little bit. It is important that you have done your research about the type of job that you are applying for. For example if you are applying as a production laborer and from your research you understand that this type of job required people that have the ability to meet quotas, work as a team and make improvement suggestions, then it is important for you to incorporate this into your strengths.

You never want to give any indication of any weaknesses that you have. Turn you weaknesses into strengths by working it to the employer's advantage.