Job Interview Question/Help Please

[disneyrun]

I have my first interview in several years this week. The job is in a non profit/educational type institution. I gather from internet searches that it's not the standard what are your skills type questions anymore. What type of questions are common these days? They mentioned I should be prepared with my own questions I don't have any idea what to ask. I thought the job description very thoroughly described the actual job. What do they like to hear? I want this job badly and feel like it could change my life's direction. What can I do to put my best foot forward. If it matters it is a clerical position.

 

[debit34]

Do tons of research. There are a lot of websites out there with interviewing information. Generally, interviews these days are behavioral interviewing. Usually, they'll read you a scenario and then ask you to describe how you've been in that situation and how you handled it.

 

[debit34]

Oh, questions you can ask might be the following:

1) Why are you hiring?
2) Is this position replacing someone, if so - why did they leave?
3) What kind of continued education to you provide?
4) What is the work schedule?

 

[KelNottAt]

They might ask you to…

Describe a time when you were a member of team. What was your role and what was the outcome of your team’s work?
Do you prefer working with a team or on your own?
Describe a time when you were faced with a difficult decision to make at work. What was it and how did you decide? Did that turn out to be the right decision?
Describe one of your idiosyncrasies.
Tell me where you see yourself in 2, 5, or 10 years.
Tell me why you want to leave your current job.

You might consider asking…

How quickly are you planning to fill this position?
How many applicants will you interview? How many will get called back for a 2nd interview?
How did this position become vacant?
Is this job a one-of-a-kind? Or, would several people have the same responsibilities as me?
Are there any travel or weekend/second shift/etc obligations with this job?
Which of the skill requirements is the most important?

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

The one that caught me off guard once was, "What would you bring to our organization that we might not get from the other candidates?"

 

[disneyrun]

Thank you everyone, I really appreciate it. I want to be prepared for anything I could possible get thrown at me so I get picked. I want this very badly!! I know it's the perfect job for me - I just have to make sure they know that!

 

[PrincessKitty1]

Some questions I was asked when I interviewed for a position at my hospital:

Describe a situation at work in which you went above and beyond your job description to provide excellent service.

Describe a situation at work in which you experienced conflict with a co-worker, and how you handled the situation.

What kind of supervision/supervisor do you prefer?

Here's a list of very helpful possible questions you may be asked. Of course, no list is going to be complete, but reading over the list and thinking about your answers will help you "think on your feet" at the job interview:
http://www.quintcareers.com/interview_question_database/interview_questions.html

Some of the questions I ask are:
Describe a typical work day for the person in this position. What will the employee be doing hour-to-hour?

What are the work days and hours? How much overtime or schedule shifting should I expect?

How much does the health insurance cost? (This is a new question, as a position I applied for had $700 per month health insurance. ).

How long was the previouis person in this position and why did they leave? (If there are problems with the job, it's unlikely the interviewer will answer the question honestly, but you should be able to sense some discomfort from the interviewer if the previous employee(s) left because of an ongoing problem with the company.

What kind of opportunities for promotion are there? Does the company promote from within?

Good luck!