How to answer 5 of the most common job interview questions

So, it says here, E, that you heard about the job from Mickey Mouse?

Hi.

James from engVid.

I'm going to do a video that I haven't done before, or an unusual one.

I'm going to do one on interviews.

I like doing videos on communication, and I realize that one of the things you guys

are doing is not just talking to people on the streets, not just trying to make friends

out there, but you're actually trying to get jobs.

And this video, I'm going to highlight five questions that you are very likely to run

into when you go to an interview in North America.

All right?

So, as you can see, Mr. E's got his tie on.

I got a tie on.

I got a tie on.

And he's ready for the interview, and I'm going to give you these five questions to

help give you some things you can actually say, and understanding what they're asking

you so you'll be properly prepared.

Now, to start off, I have to say this.

When you're going for a job, research.

They do expect you now to have some idea about the company, because we're in the 21st century,

and they know you've heard of Google and internet.

So, this is based on research, saying that you do your research on the company, then

use the information I'm going to give you, and you should do really, really well.

All right?

Let's go to the board.

So, starting clockwise.

Okay, so let's look at the first question, which is "Tell me about yourself".

Well, what is it?

Well, this question is really about "Who are you?"

And they want to know if you're going to be okay for this job, because they want to have

a basic idea of who you are.

Now, when they're asking this question, you don't want to answer it with too much information.

You want to get their attention so they get to know who you are, and they want to know

more about you.

Don't forget, it's an interview.

There are going to be plenty more questions.

So, this one is "Tell me about yourself".

It's like, "Who are you?"

Now, what I suggest you do for this is I want you to do - because they do want you to touch

on your activities you do, your education and whatnot, but basically, they're looking

for a story, the story of you.

The best way to do this is to showcase yourself.

Like, put a frame around yourself, and what we're going to do is - I've got a couple of

videos you might want to look at as I explain this.

It's how to do a thesis and how to write an essay.

They're older ones, older videos, but they're still helpful.

I'll tell you how to bridge the story I'm about to tell you.

With a story, what you want to do is have an exciting beginning.

In this case, you might want to talk about - and I'll give you an example in a second

- an exciting beginning, a captivating middle, something that keeps drawing them in, and

then the thesis or the - sorry, your conclusion is going to be kind of snuck into how you're

going to solve a problem for them.

They want to get to know you, and you're going to sneak in a solution for their problem while

you address who you are.

What do you mean?

I'll give you an example.

You know they're looking for somebody who's an independent worker that can get a problem

solved, and who's tenacious.

Tenacious is the word that means "won't give up".

Story from my life.

When I was a kid, I lived in a small town, and there was a store called Becker's, and

this guy had had a sign looking for help, and I wanted to get a job.

My parents would let me finally get one, so I went to the store and asked for the job,

put in my resume, said, "No, don't want to kid you, you're too young."

I came back three days later, "No, I don't want to kid you, you're too ugly."

Came down four days later, he's like, "I don't want to kid you because you keep putting your

face around here."

I went for this thing eight times.

I kept showing up every other day going, "You haven't hired anyone, I'm still here, I'm

still here."

He finally gave me the job because I showed up.

And that's how I'll help your company, because I'm a tenacious individual who will work for

what needs to get done.

See how I went from explaining to them who I am, I come from a small town, when I was

younger I wanted to work, so I'm saying I like to work, and then I kept working at something

I wanted to get even though they refused me, saying, "This is what I will bring for you."

I'm solving a problem for them because I know they need that solved, but I also get to showcase

and talk about myself.

That's what I want from you.

And go check out those older videos and I'll show you how to write an essay and how you

can formulate something for yourself.

Cool?

Okay, next one.

How did you hear about the company?

Really what they want to know is how do we know - how did you find out about us?

Because there are three ways you can find out about a company, and each way tells them

a little bit about how much they may want you or how much you know about their company.

The first way is easy.

A friend told you, you were referred.

That means they know there's somebody in the company who thinks you're pretty good.

And they also know if that person's pretty good at work or not, but that's another subject.

But if you know someone in the company, it's kind of an in because they're like, "Okay,

they recommended you because they're putting their reputation on the line for you."

That gives you a step closer.

The next one is you were recruited.

And if you say, "I was recruited", what that means is that another company came and saw

that I have the skills that this company needs and they knew that you would be a good fit.

That's also a good way to get in there.

The third way doesn't seem like a good way to know a company because you could say, "Well,

I was looking for a job."

But if you say, "I was looking for a company that suited or needed my skill set, the things

I know", then they know you're an investigator, you're somebody who does research, which is

a good thing.

See?

How did you hear about this company?

You can turn around and say, well, for them they're saying, "Who knows you?"

But you can turn around and say, "In each of these cases, this is why you should hire

me because people in your company already like me.

They told me to come here."

Number two, other people in the industry know that I'm good at what I do and I should be

working for you.

Number three, I'm a person who goes out and gets what I want, right?

So in this instance, you can say, "Hey, John from accounting," and you want to say where

they are from so they can go and talk to this person and you're not just making up, "John

from accounting said that you had this problem and he knows about my skill set and thought

I'd be a good fit for this job."

Something you can say.

Number two, I was recruited by one of the top recruiters in this industry because they

noticed that I do a pretty good job at what I do and they noticed that you needed this

role filled and they thought I would be the person to solve that problem.

Number three, I have acquired a lot of skills over my time and expertise and I wanted a

company I could work at that I could use these skills, that they would be well used.

Boom.

Three different answers, three different things you can say.

You're welcome.

Let's go to number three, okay?

Next question they might ask you is, "What are your salary expectations?"

What they're really saying is, "Can we afford you?

Are you too much money?"

Now, this is a really tricky place because you might have lots of experience and they

might want someone for the job, but money can be a really big deal because that could

be what we call a deal breaker.

If they can't afford you, even though they need you, they won't hire you because they

can't afford you.

How do you go around this?

You can say something like this, "Well, my salary range depends on what duties you would

expect me to do, and if we could discuss more the responsibilities, duties, and opportunities,

then I could see what we could work out."

Why is that one good?

You're being flexible, but you're also being, well, you're being fair to yourself.

You're saying, "I'm not just going to work for a dollar, but if you offer me opportunities

or I get a certain title or certain benefits, I'm willing to work on the price with you,

so I may not be out of your price range."

Another one you can say is this, "Well, the salary range for this particular job is X

or O, so it's like $10,000 to $20,000, and I know with my expertise I'm probably on the

higher end, but let's see what we can work together on.

Let's talk about this a little bit more, what you want me to do and the responsibilities

and benefits that would come with the job."

Once again, you're showing that you're flexible, so there's a possibility they can afford you,

and you're asking them to talk to you more about the jobs.

This is important because the more time they spend with you, the more likely they will

want to hire you because they've invested time in you, even if they haven't invested

money.

That's a free tip, all right?

Now number four, they might ask you, "Hey, are you more of an independent worker or a

team worker?"

This is about corporate culture, right?

So they're asking you, "Do you like working with other people or by yourself?"

This is kind of a trick question, even though they don't mean it.

Your answer should be, "I like the best of both worlds."

Yes, it's great if you're an independent worker, but if they're working in Silicon Valley and

they all have meetings where they all get together and brainstorm, which is talk about

ideas, and you say you're an independent worker, you're saying, "I wouldn't fit in that environment."

Now, what happens if they have to give you assignments and you have to go fly to different

places and work on your own, and you're like, "Well, I like working with a team and having

people around me."

I like the best of both worlds says, "Hey, listen," and you can structure it like this.

I like the best of both worlds because I find when I work with a team, they bring up a bunch

of diverse ideas, I can have feedback on any ideas that I have, and we can collaborate,

and sometimes there are other ideas that are better than mine that I can incorporate in

something I'm working on.

But I'm the type of person, once I've got that direction, I can work independently and

do a really good job on my own.

Whoa, when can we hire you?

You defeat their trick question by saying, "I like both," but you're outlining why both,

so you're not just trying to like, "I'll do whatever you say, boss."

You're like, "Hey, I can work by myself, and I can do that, and I like doing it efficiently

because I can focus, but at the same time, I can work with others when necessary," and

it is necessary at times if you want the best results.

Because no company has you sitting by yourself at all times, and no company will have you

working with others at all times, so you are actually offering them what they need.

Now, number five, if you're learning English, I know some of you are actually in school,

you might not be 16 or 17, you might be 20 or 30, and even if that's not the case and

you've been - you've just had to take care of your mother or something, sometimes on

your resume or your - yeah, your resume, you're going to - or application, what have you,

you're going to have a gap.

And a gap means there's going to be time off where you weren't working, and an employer

might look at that and go, "Hey, there was like two years you weren't working, like what

was up with that?

Why weren't you working?"

And it's a fair question, right?

Like, everyone needs money, you didn't need money, why didn't you need it?

Here's how you turn that gap time off into your advantage.

You say something like, "Well, yeah, I did, I took some time off from the corporate world

because I realized there were some skills I needed to get, and I wasn't getting it in

the environment I was, so I had to change the job I was doing or I had to change what

I was doing in order to learn and master these skills so I could come back a much more valuable

employee."

Yeah, a valuable colleague for people or someone they could work with and depend on.

You might have worked on a yacht, and it's like, "Yeah, because I wanted to learn the

ins and outs of how corporates are structured, a structure like that would work, and having

to work on the bottom and work my way up gave me more confidence to be a better employee

now."

Or, for you guys, it's easy, "I left Japan and I went to Canada to learn to speak English."

I mean, you can't say much more than that, it's like, "Yep, self-improvement."

And even if it's something personal, like you had to take care of your family, you said,

"Look, you know, my Uncle Zane was sick, and he needs someone to take care of him,

and I know what priorities are.

Just as I would prioritize my work when someone is of ill health, I will take that priority

and I do it.

That doesn't mean I wouldn't be here for the company.

It means when I know something's serious, I'm the type of person who takes the time

and takes it seriously, and I'll put the time in where required."

I got a tear from that, that was good, and I just made it up, but you can do that as

well.

So, these, as I was saying, are five questions that you're probably going to run into, okay,

when you go for an interview.

I have now given you the tools that you can take - I mean, I gave you some speeches, and

I want you to watch the video again.

Maybe you'll write some down, but you'll have some ideas of how you can take it yourself

so you're not like, "Oh my gosh, tell me about myself," and you start talking about something

forever.

They don't want that.

They do want a story, and I said showcase, make it small, and make that story work at

the conclusion that you have an attribute or something that they want.

An attribute is like a detail that they need or want.

Put that in your story.

When you want to know how - when they want to know how you heard about them, put it and

frame it in such a way that it always works out to their advantage.

I'm one of the best, that's why I was recruited.

The best in your company or people in your company thought I should work here, that's

why I'm here.

I looked for the best company.

Who doesn't like being called the best?

I looked for the best company, you're it, and that's why I'm here, because I have these

skills I want to use with you.

Salary expectations, well, I have a range.

So don't - if you want $75,000, don't say $75,000.

Say listen, I know I'm looking between $73,000 and $80,000, I have the experience and I have

the ability and I want to work, and let's negotiate depending on what you're offering

in the ways of title, benefits, and opportunities.

That says you're flexible, we can negotiate, right?

Next, corporate culture, I gave you that one as well, right?

You want to be the best of both worlds and you want to use something like that, like

I can work in both environments really well.

And then finally, if you do have time off, you already understand what you have to say.

The time was taken to improve yourself, so find something you did during that time period,

shows how it makes you a better person, a better employee, and then show how that would

benefit the company.

Now that we've done that, I don't really have a quiz, because this is more of a learning

thing where you're going to have to go over and think about it, but I do have some extra

stuff I want to share with you, so make sure you come back and watch the rest of the video.

Okay.

So now we've talked about the interview, I want to give you a couple of terms, a little

bit of a deeper understanding of some of the words I used or terms I used, throw out a

couple of new ones to you.

I'm not doing a quiz on this one, because as I said, it's best to actually go over the

video again and actually write out some of the things that I said, because your story

is unique and you cannot just answer with what I said, and if you could imagine a whole

bunch of people using my exact words in an interview, they'd be like, "So you watched

that video, did you?"

"Yes, we know this.

You all said the exact same thing.

You need to change your words."

So change your words.

All right?

So that, I'll give you your homework, and then I'll do the quote of the day.

So let's go to the board.

The first one I want to talk about is "elevator pitch".

You say, "You never mentioned it."

I go, "No, I didn't."

But a great way to describe that question for "So tell me about yourself" is an elevator

pitch.

An elevator pitch is done in business, right?

And what they do is, they say, imagine you're in an elevator, you're on the ground floor,

you're going to the 15th floor, how long do you have to talk to someone?

Maybe two or three minutes.

Well, within that time, you will have to explain something to someone complicated, or even

something simple, so you're going to need two or three sentences, you're going to have

to have an opening, a middle in which you explain it, and then the end - this is the

key - where they're like it, but there's a bit of curiosity where they want to know a

little bit more, right?

You don't want to just give them their shot.

When they're done, they should go, "That's really cool.

How do I get your number?"

That's the elevator pitch, okay?

So that's what we want to do for that question of "Who are you?"

So by the time you finish speaking about who you are, they're like, "Wow, that's cool",

and they want to know more.

That means they're paying more attention to you, and they're more likely to hire you.

Salary range.

Well, we talked about that.

When I said if it's $73,000 to $80,000, it means what is the number - from the lowest

to the highest?

Now, salary range also usually means in an industry - if you're an engineer, for instance,

you might start out - so a beginning engineer with no experience might start out with $70,000

a year, but an engineer with five years of experience, a lot of experience, may go to

$110,000, and that's usually the minimum and the maximum for that particular job.

That's the salary range.

When we discussed it, you were talking about your salary range, but you should also know

the industry salary range for the job you're going for.

So if you're going for an engineer, research it, and research what part of the world you're

in, because being in England might be one thing, being in Australia might be another

thing, right?

So find out what the range is so that you can make your salary range fit within their

budget.

And if you're really exceptional, screw it.

Just give them the price.

All right.

Next, job offer.

A job offer is someone saying, "This is the job we require done.

This is what we're going to pay with the benefits and any opportunities that are available with

the job."

So when you say, "What is the job offer?", you're not just saying, "Do I get money?"

Yes, but what's the title, what's the pay, are there benefits, what are the learning

opportunities?

Cool?

And salary expectations, they're saying, "What is it you expect to get paid?"

This is what we were talking about, the salary range, where it's in between.

When they ask you salary expectations, it's not a bad thing.

Some people might go, "Oh, you're playing games and you're saying this."

Well, the matter - the fact of the matter is you might want to work for a company.

And giving them an exact number might price you out of the market.

Price you out of the market means you make yourself too expensive for them to hire.

So by giving them a range, you're saying, "Let's work together."

Because really, if you really wanted to work for the company, if you didn't get an extra

thousand dollars, are you going to say no to the opportunity?

Are they going to allow you to learn and grow?

No.

That's ridiculous.

But at the same time, to give an exact number, not the best thing, I think, strategy when

you're going for a job.

Give them the range, and if you've done your homework, right?

I said that at the beginning.

You have to research the company.

You'll know what they can afford, and if they can't afford you, they're not going to hire