At my most recent position, one of my co-workers, John, did an outstanding job of calming an irate customer, solving the customer's problem and completing a sale. When our boss asked me how things were going, I told him everything was going fine and that John had just completed calming an irate customer and closing a sale. It was a win-win-win- for our boss, Johnn and the customer.

I worked closely with Shilpa who, for the most part, always carried her fair share of the work load. During a stressful time, working on a project with a deadline, I realized Shilpa's contributions to the project were almost minimal. I made the decision to wait until after the project to speak with her. I'm glad I did, because I learned she'd been going through a very tough time in her personal life and she appreciated my willingness to go the extra mile so the project was completed on time. As a result, our ability to work well together significantly increased.

One of the interview questions you may be asked is what you are looking for in your next job. The interview wants to know whether your goals are a match for the companies needs.

You can begin your answer with this question: Tell me, Mr./Ms. Interviewer, what is a typical career path at OPL for someone with my skills and experience?

(Based on the answer you can then respond to the original question using the phrases from the answer to frame your response).

What is important to you? Two things are very important to me. One is my professionalism at work; the second is my family life.

When you're asked what didn't like about your previous job, don't be too negative. The reason is that you don't want the interviewer to think that you'll speak negatively about the new job or the company when you're ready to move on, if you get this job.Rather, it makes sense to talk about yourself and what you're looking for in a new role.

I enjoyed the people I worked with. It was a friendly and fun atmosphere and I actually enjoyed going into work each morning. I felt the leadership team was great as well.

One of the reasons I am leaving is that I felt I was not challenged enough at the job. As a new employee in the working world, the company offers a great opportunity for a good entry level position. However, after being there for so many years, I felt I was not able to reach my full potential because of the lack of challenge and there was no room for advancement in the company. While I did enjoy working there and appreciate the skills I developed while with the company, I feel my  skill set can be better utilized elsewhere, where my capabilities are more recognized and there is the opportunity for growth.

The people I worked with at ABC Company were top notch at what they do. Through my experience there, I learned a lot about different management styles, and strategies for maintaining cooperation in a large group project setting. I feel that as valuable as that experience has been, I am anxious to work on more specialized projects where I will have the opportunity to be more of a leader.

While the people at XYZ Company were terrific to work with, I felt that the opportunities for me there were limited by the structure and size of the company. I believe that a larger company with an international presence can offer challenges, as well as opportunities unavailable at a smaller firm. The position with your company is a great match for my skill set, and I feel that I would be an asset in your marketing (or HR or IT) department.

When asked the job interview question "How did you handle a challenge?" be sure to include specific examples of how you handled a particular difficult situation. Discuss how you researched the issue and contributed to finding a solution. Examples of good responses include:

• During a difficult financial period, I was able to satisfactorily negotiate repayment schedules with multiple vendors.


• When the software development of our new product stalled, I coordinated the team which managed to get the schedule back on track. We were able to successfully troubleshoot the issues and solve the problems, within a very short period of time.


• A long-term client was about to take their business to a competitor. I met with the customer and was able to change how we handled the account on a day-to-day basis, in order to keep the business.

Interviewers expect a candidate for employment to be able to provide the details of their compensation history. Be prepared to tell the interviewer how much you earned at each of your prior positions.

Make sure that what you tell the interviewer matches what you listed on your job application. Refresh your memory prior to the interview by reviewing your salary history, so, you can speak in detail and accurately. Don't exaggerate or inflate your earnings. Many employers will check references and confirm your salary history prior to making a job offer. A discrepancy between what you reported and what the employer says could knock you out of contention for the job.

In most cases, the best answer to this question is answering yes. Working well under pressure is a good trait to have. However, I think if you answer that you work the same with pressure and without pressure, the interviewer will be more impressed. However, you will need to explain in words why this is better. Here are some of my answers.

1. "I work well under pressure because I use the pressure to help me work more efficiently."

2. "I enjoy working under pressure because I believe it helps me grow. In my previous experience, I always worked well during deadlines, and I always learned how to work more efficiently afterwards."

3. "I work well under pressure because I don't panic. I maintain self control and work as efficiently as possible. In all my experiences, I did well and I always enjoyed the experience."

There are many things you can say. This type of question doesn't have a wrong answer. All answers will be correct. So the best answer is how good you can make the answer. A mediocre answer will be something like completing a project on time. You can say this, but add another twist to make the answer a little better. Here is an example.

Short Answers :

"To me, success means to have a goal, plan the steps to achieve the goal, implement the plan, and finally achieve the goal."

"Success means to produce high quality work before the deadline."

"Success to me is knowing that my contributions positively impacted my company."

Long Answers :

"Success to me means completing a task and when looking back, thinking I couldn't have done it better. To succeed is to complete a task or assignment on time in an excellent manner. But that's only half of it. The results should be good and the people involved should gain a valuable lesson or experience. For example, if it was a group project, and only two people out of four really did the work, I wouldn't call that success. If everyone participated and worked together providing a valuable deliverable then it's a success. So I think both the result and the process should be great to call something a success."

This answer is showing that you believe in delivering great quality work. Moreover, it is implying how much you value team work. If you value teamwork highly, then it is safe to assume that you would make a great team player.