Interviewee

If possible, tell about a personal disappointment i.e. the early death of a parent, child, or school friend. Believe it or not, it is okay to have not had a "greatest" disappointment.

In your answer, you should be cognizant of the type of job you are applying for. Whereas a large corporation might place all their emphasis on the bottom line, a non-profit would measure success not in money but in social impact.

Your response does not need to be work focused but do be sure that what you share isn't something that could potential cut in to your working hours.

Your response will vary based on your background and experiences, but, you will want to share your enthusiasm and what you like best about your job.

Example:

I was responsible for several projects where I directed development teams and implemented repeatable processes. The teams achieved 100% on-time delivery of software products. I was motivated both by the challenge of finishing the projects ahead of schedule and by managing the teams that achieved our goals.

I react to situations, rather than to stress. That way, the situation is handled and does not become stressful. I actually work better under pressure and I have found that I enjoy working in a challenging environment.

I am a really good listener and I think that makes me easy to talk to. People tell me that I am easy to talk to. I like listening to what people have to say.

It is strange that more candidates do not spend the time to prepare for exactly how to answer it. Perhaps because the question seems so disarming and informal, we drop our guard and shift into ramble mode. Resist all temptation to do so.Your interviewer is not looking for a 10-minute dissertation here. Instead, offer a razor sharp sentence or two that sets the stage for further discussion and sets you apart from your competitors.

The words with "-r" describe the person doing something and the words with "-ee" are used for the person on the receiving. So the person doing the interview is the interviewer and the person who is being interviewed is the interviewee.

Interviewee sounds a little awkward, so you can also refer to the person answering as the interview subject or something similar. But it is correct.

Interviewee is someone who is being interviewed or the recipient of an interview, usually, the one answering the questions.

Examples:

☛ In my last position, I was part of a software implementation team. We all worked together to plan and manage the implementation schedule, to provide customer training, and ensure a smooth transition for our customers. Our team always completed our projects ahead of schedule with very positive reviews from our clients.

☛ I was part of team responsible for evaluating and selecting a new vendor for our office equipment and supplies. The inter-departmental team reviewed options, compared pricing and service, chose a vendor, and implemented the transition to the new vendor.

When I was working on a software implementation team at ABC Company, we took over another company and had to transition many clients to a new product in a short amount of time. It took a lot of planning, time, hard work and effort but we were able to complete the project in a timely manner.

Give concrete examples of difficult situations that actually happened at work. Then discuss what you did to solve the problem.Keep your answers positive and be specific. Itemize what you did and how you did it.

I usually work at a steady, consistent pace. Because of my ability to organize and plan out my work schedule, I always complete my work ahead of time. For example, when I was assigned a large project due in six months, I broke the project into large goals and small, day-to-day goals. I created a schedule and steadily checked off each of these goals while still successfully completing my other duties. I ultimately finished the project a week ahead of schedule.

My prior supervisor was more easy-going and if I told him/her "You know, I think it might work better if I do what you asked in such and such a way," he/she would say "Okay, try it."

When you are asked about work environments, your best bet is to say you are flexible because, at this stage in the interview process, you don't know what it will be like working for the company.

I am equally comfortable working as a member of a team and independently. In researching the company, your mission statement and the job description, I could see similarities to my previous position where there were some assignments that required a great deal of independent work and research and others where the team effort was most effective. As I said, I am comfortable with both.

Think about the company culture. If you know the employer values work-life balance or time management skills, you will want to emphasize your ability to complete your work during work hours so that you can focus on family or other activities after work.If the company requires employees to put in lots of extra hours and emphasizes the need for dedication and passion in the workplace, you may want to stress your willingness to bring projects home in order to ensure high quality work.

You should make your answers as specific as possible by providing a real-life example of each task. For instance, if you say that most weeks you work with the sales team to address any pressing customer service issues, explain one particular issue and how you addressed it.

When you are asked questions about your strengths, it is important to discuss attributes that will qualify you for the specific job and set you apart from the other candidates.

There are several different ways to answer when you are asked during a job interview what your greatest weakness is. You can mention skills that are not critical for the job, skills you have improved on, or turn a negative into a positive.Even though the question is about weaknesses, your answer should always be framed around positive aspects of your skills and abilities as an employee.