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Part -
I
It's a question that most
interviewees expect and it is the most difficult to answer as well.
Though one could answer this open- ended question in a myriad of ways,
the key to answering this question or any other interview question is to
offer a response that supports your career objective. This means that
you shouldn't respond with comments about your hobbies, spouse, or extra
curricular activities. Trust me, interviewers aren't interested. To
start with there is no correct answer to this interview question. I
would lean in the favor of a quick reference to some personal traits
that give a quick-view of who you are. From there one could move to a
one sentence of any relevant education/qualification. There should also
be a mention of employment history.
Purpose of the
Question
In one of my write-up
"Across the interview table" I did mentioned that there is a purpose of
asking each and every question in the interview. One cannot ask anything
and everything. Again, set of interview questions varies from industry
to industry and position to position. Interviewers use the interview
process as a vehicle to eliminate your candidacy. Every question they
ask is used to differentiate your skills, experience, and personality
with that of other candidates. They want to determine if what you have
to offer will mesh with the organization's mission and goals.
What type of answer is
expected???
Try to avoid this type of
answer: I am a hard-worker who is good with numbers. After I worked as a
financial analyst for a few years, I decided to go to law school. I just
finished and now am looking for a new challenge.
Speak something like
this: I began developing skills relevant to financial planning when I
worked as a financial analyst for three years. In that role, I succeeded
in multiplying the wealth of my clients by carefully analyzing the
market for trends. The return on the portfolios I managed was generally
2% more than most of the portfolios managed by my company. My
initiative, planning, and analytic skills were rewarded by two
promotions. As the manager of a team, I successfully led them to develop
a more efficient and profitable strategy for dealing with new accounts.
My subsequent training in the law, including tax law and estate law,
gives me an informed view of what types of investments and charitable
gifts would be most advantageous for your clients. |
