Providing Salary History to Employers
Top 20 Interview Questions
1. What were your responsibilities?
2. What did you like or dislike about your previous job?
3. What were your starting and final levels of compensation?
4. What major challenges and problems did you face? How did you handle them?
5. What is your greatest strength?
6. What is your greatest weakness?
7. How do you handle stress and pressure?
8. Describe a difficult work situation / project and how you overcame it.
9. What was the biggest accomplishment / failure in this position?
10. How do you evaluate success?
11. Why are you leaving or have left your job?
12. Why do you want this job?
13. Why should we hire you?
14. What are your goals for the future?
15. What are your salary requirements?
16. Tell me about yourself.
17. Who was your best boss and who was the worst?
18. What are you passionate about?
19. Questions about your supervisors and co-workers.
20. Questions about your career goals
1.When you are asked questions related to your current or previous positions, it's important to be specific and to be positive about what you did in your previous position(s).
The best way to respond is to describe your responsibilities in detail and to connect them to the job you are interviewing for. Try to tie your responsibilities in with those listed in the job description for the new position. That way, the employer will see that you have the qualifications necessary to do the job. Focus most on your responsibilities that are directly related to the new job's requirements.
It's also important to be honest. Don't embellish your job, because you don't know who the hiring manager will be checking with when they check your references.
2.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.
Sample Answers
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. They knew all of their employees on a first name basis and tried to make those personal connections. I also enjoyed that fact that the office tried to do community outreach with local organizations.
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.
3. 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.
The best way to prepare is to download a sample job application ahead of time. Complete the sample application and review it prior to the interview.
Definition:A salary history is a document that presents an employee’s past earnings. Some employers ask job candidates to present them with a salary history when they apply for a job.
A salary history typically includes the name of each company, job title, salary, and benefits package the candidate has earned in the past.
Salary history is different from a salary requirement, which is the pay a job candidate expects for a new job.
Providing Salary History to Employers
When you are asked to provide your salary history to a prospective employers, the easiest way to do it is to compile a list of your previous employment and the salary you earned at each job you have held.
4. 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.
Best Answers
· 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.
5. "What is your greatest strength?" is one of the easier interview questions you'll be asked. When you are asked questions about your strengths, it's important to discuss attributes that will qualify you for the job.
The best way to respond is to describe the skills and experience that directly correlate with the job you are applying for.
Sample Answers
· When I'm working on a project, I don't want just to meet deadlines. Rather, I prefer to complete the project well ahead of schedule.
· I have exceeded my sales goals every quarter and I've earned a bonus each year since I started with my current employer.
· My time management skills are excellent and I'm organized, efficient, and take pride in excelling at my work.
· I pride myself on my customer service skills and my ability to resolve what could be difficult situations.
6. When you're asked what your greatest weakness is there are several different ways you can answer, including mentioning skills that aren't critical for the job, skills you have improved on, and turning a negative into a positive.