Interview at leadership position

A successful interview for a managerial position has its own specifics and features. The task of such an interview is not only to assess the professional skills and knowledge of the candidate, but also the experience of managerial work, the achievements and competencies of the candidate as a manager.
We have already discussed the topics of questions at an interview in the article What questions are asked at an interview. We'll consider additional questions at an interview for a managerial position, who can help you prepare for the most difficult and responsible interview. If you are not sure that you can prepare for the interview on your own, we are ready to help you! Our specialists have been conducting interview preparation consultations for many years, both in person and remotely, via Skype. At the consultation, you will be able to get prepared for any, even the most difficult interview.

Interview questions for a managerial position

2. Questions about leadership qualities. A leader is a leader, at an interview you will certainly be asked about how you see a successful and effective leader and what professional skills and personal qualities you possess as a leader.

The main thing is not to overpraise yourself and keep a balance between personal qualities and the skills of an effective leader. Try to avoid hackneyed qualities, such as determination, determination, analytical mindset.

3. Questions about achievements and results. Select the most significant and significant achievements in your career. When mentioning specific achievements, be guided by facts, backed up by numbers. When talking about your results, use combinations more often: "my team managed to achieve", "we worked together", etc. This way you can emphasize your role in the work of the team and the ability to work in a team.

4. Questions about future success in this position. A very frequently asked interview question is: “What do you think is necessary for successful work in this position?" Be sure to read the text of the vacancy, with the requirements of the employer for the candidate for this position.
Combining this knowledge with your professional and personal qualities, you will be able to answer this question successfully.

5. Questions about goal setting. Questions aimed at finding out to what extent you are able to set goals for yourself and for your subordinates and achieve the necessary results. Here, the employer often asks this question: "You need to increase sales in one week (accomplish a plan, turn in a project), what will you do, where will you start?"

Many managers, when they say that they will set a goal for employees, will control the fulfillment of tasks and motivate employees, forget to say that in order to achieve a goal, tools are also needed to achieve this goal. Remember this!

6. Questions about personnel management. There can be many questions on this topic. For example, some of them are: "What ways of motivating employees do you know and use?" "How will you keep an employee from being fired"? Every leader should know the answer to these questions.

7. Questions assessing the ability to act. The meaning of these questions is as follows: Your actions in past jobs show what can be expected of you in the future. Answers to questions about how you acted in the event of certain problem situations or conflicts, consider in advance..

8. Questions about the level of professional development. Questions aimed at finding out the candidate's need for a promotion professional level. Questions at an interview for a managerial position may be about trainings, seminars that the candidate may have attended. Or about reading professional literature or other interesting sources of professional development.

9. Questions about mistakes and failures. The purpose of such questions is to reveal whether you are ready to admit your mistakes and failures, from which no one is immune. If you are asked about the biggest failure in your professional activity, tell us about your biggest failure and the lessons you learned from that experience. Never deny, do not say that you have never had failures and mistakes.

10. Questions about the level of income. Avoid directly answering this question. by the most the best option in this case it will be: “I am sure that your company offers a decent salary. But the main thing for me is not the salary, but the opportunity to contribute to the development of your company.”

If you are nevertheless asked to clarify the level of income you are applying for, what is an acceptable salary range for you, based on your expectations and information about wages similar jobs in the labor market.

Who does not dream of a good, and, most importantly, profitable job, which would also bring pleasure? The question is rhetorical. However, in the current realities, it can be very difficult to find a place that would suit the applicant in everything. In this article on the site, we will consider the main criteria that employers pay attention to first of all when recruiting. Going to an interview, most people experience fear and uncertainty. This is the natural state of every person, since it is not known what tricky questions the recruiter will ask.

It is important to understand that there are two types of interview questions:

  • Those that the employer asks the applicant.
  • Those that a potential job seeker will ask the employer.

To be sure, you should prepare in advance and think carefully about what you will talk about in a personal meeting with the personnel manager or the head of the enterprise. This applies to any person, especially a future employee who applies for a prestigious position. Responsible attitude to the interview is an indicator of the qualifications of specialists. Even if you have significant work experience, but you will not be able to show your best qualities, consider that you missed this vacancy.

How to answer questions

Most interviews begin with a recruiter asking them to introduce themselves. In fact, all your biographical data is not so important to the employer, but only those that can be useful in a vacant position. At this point, it is best to list your merits, achievements, special skills. By doing this, you show the employer your advantages over other applicants. Be sure to think ahead about what you will talk about. There is no need to try to show off, because the interview questions are asked to the candidate in order to find out how suitable he is for working in a vacant position in this particular company.

And even if you manage to get a place, then during the trial period, the authorities will definitely be able to see your true essence.

The employer does not always ask about any specific skills or responsibilities in the previous place. Questions can relate to distant things, for example, your outlook on life, some of your prospects, and so on. Only at first glance it may seem that this question is asked “for show”. However, the answers can say a lot about you. Someone approaches the problems in life with a positive attitude, with a willingness to rush into battle at any time to solve the difficulties that arise. Other people, on the contrary, are ready to put up with injustice and failures, go with the flow, not even trying to change anything. It is unlikely that a person with such a worldview will be able to interest a manager who needs active employees.

Prepare to be interviewed about your weaknesses. You need to be able to objectively and adequately evaluate yourself and your capabilities. Speak directly and frankly. But this does not mean at all that you need to immediately list the entire list of your shortcomings. Try to present them with personal advantages. For example, if you are too scrupulous, this can be described as demanding of yourself and others. One of the disadvantages that will help create a positive impression about you can be workaholism. A good answer would be, for example, the story that the completion of the next project leads to the fact that after work you stay at the workplace for a long time, getting lost in time, but you achieve your goals on time.

Questions about stress resistance

Such questions stand out from the rest specifically so that the recruiter can clearly understand whether you are really suitable for the job. this position. You may be asked, for example:

  • why we should take you to the company;
  • why you fit the desired position;
  • how you parted ways with your previous job and employer;
  • what description will they give you if we call to former leader;
  • what circumstances could force you to quit or transfer to another job.

Resilience is one of the factors that the manager pays attention to. Special attention when recruiting new staff. Often in the announcement of the recruitment of employees, stress resistance is a separate item. Therefore, if you can give the maximum result in an atmosphere of absolute calmness, silence and relaxation, such proposals are unlikely to suit you.

However, if you feel the potential to achieve better results regardless of the working conditions, your resume will be studied with interest by the employer. Often you have to work in a tense environment, for example, when you need to serve several clients at the same time, track the completion of tasks, urgently find information, and so on - and all this against the background of conversations of other employees, phone calls and other "irritants". If all this does not matter to you, most likely, you will be accepted.

Projective interview questions

The personnel services of a number of commercial structures select specialists using certain methods and techniques. You can learn a lot about a person by how he evaluates various situations and relates to other people. Projective interviewing is based on this principle. A person uses his life experience, transferring it to the actions and deeds of other people. Many questions have been developed that help the HR manager identify certain qualities of the applicant. But not all of them are effective and can be used in modern conditions. commercial organizations.

One of effective methods a survey is considered, the answers to the questions of which must be given by the respondent at a fast pace. In addition, the questions are designed in such a way that the applicant does not speak for himself, but for the actions of other people. That is, a person subconsciously projects his actions on the actions of other people. This makes it more relaxed and truthful. This method allows the employer to obtain additional personal information, which in some cases is considered incorrect in the standard approach, and reveal the hidden abilities of the applicant.

Projective questions are aimed at obtaining the results of assessing the interviewee in the following areas:

  • The motivational component of activity is material, non-material.
  • Values, responsibility, loyalty, honesty.
  • Sociability. Collective relations among employees.
  • Conflict or its absence.
  • Clients.

In responses, the recruiter listens not only to the information, but also to its presentation by the candidate. As a result of the survey, the motivation of the future employee is analyzed and the expectations of the candidate from a particular position are considered.

Interview questions for a managerial position

An employment interview is a serious test for both sides: the future employee and the owner or head of the enterprise. For the first, the task is to get a good position, for the second, it is important to acquire a competent responsible employee who would meet the requirements of the company and possess professional skills at a high level. To get a leadership position, you need to prepare carefully. HR managers of companies are not limited to standard methods when searching for professional leader. Theoretical knowledge is not interesting for the company. It is important in the process of preparing for an interview to analyze your best achievements, practical experience. The interview with the manager includes questions in the following areas:

  1. Intelligence.
  2. Leader qualities.
  3. Innovative thinking.
  4. Judgments and views.
  5. strategic vision.
  6. Efficiency and best achievements.
  7. Ability to attract external resources.
  8. Building relationships within the team and managing them.
  9. Experience in international areas.

During the interview, various non-standard, tricky questions are possible. An example would be misses, mistakes. Each leader who stubbornly went to his position could not avoid any omissions, since this is a working moment. And the more calmly, more intelligibly you give an answer, the more likely you are to show that the position is worthy of the candidate. This also applies to the psychological aspect, as proof of a balanced personality. It is necessary to take into account issues related to courage, confidence, a tendency to introspection, the ability to support a subordinate, create cohesion in the team, increase the motivation of employees, worldview. An important skill of every managerial employee is the simultaneous solution of a number of assigned tasks. It is also desirable to talk about the continuous improvement of the professional level.

It can be refresher courses, trainings, seminars. Employers will give preference to candidates who have studied the information about the company's activities and have shown how they intend to contribute to successful development.

We all know the common phrase: "The soldier who does not dream of becoming a general is bad." Let us disagree with her, because in the pharmaceutical market there are often examples when successful specialists are not at all interested in career growth due to a change in responsibilities. After all, for example, for a medical representative, a higher position of a regional manager implies a new level of responsibility and a large number of business trips, and for the first-time pharmacist, the position of head of a pharmacy can mean an increase in the length of the working day, managerial functions and financial responsibility. Nevertheless, this article is aimed at those specialists in the pharmaceutical market who are interested in increasing.

Possible career development options

There are two options to consider separately. career development: Promotion within your own company or promotion to a higher position in a new company.

The “promotion within your company” option may seem easier: it is enough to be an effective employee and grow within your competencies, indicate your career ambitions to your immediate supervisor and wait for the appropriate position to appear. However, this is not always easy to implement in practice for a number of reasons.

First, the structure of the company may not imply the existence of a relevant position, especially if we are talking not about the central Moscow office, but about work in the regions.

Secondly, the leader may not always be interested in the fact that an effective specialist who consistently fulfills the plan leaves his team.

Therefore, it often turns out that it is easier to advance in a position in a new company. However, in this case, we suggest that you be patient, since not every company that announces a competition for a managerial position is ready to consider candidates without experience in the relevant position. Nevertheless, such positions periodically appear on the market. Consider how to prepare for the competition for a leadership position.

Find a mentor

First, enlist the support of one of the current managers - this may be your current leader, if you have developed a trusting professional relationship with him. It often happens that an experienced and competent manager, seeing that an employee of his team has grown professionally, but the regional structure of the company does not provide an opportunity for his career growth, he himself is internally ready for a dialogue on this topic. After all, a professionally burned-out employee who is no longer interested in his functionality often ceases to bring results to the team. In this case, you can act openly: indicate your career ambitions to the manager and agree that he will help you develop the relevant competencies. In turn, you will continue to work without compromising efficiency in your current position until you have the opportunity to leave the team with a promotion. However, this is an ideal option, which is not so common in practice. If, for one reason or another, you do not want to discuss the issue of career development with your immediate supervisor, then a manager from a third-party company, for example, your supervisor from a previous job, can become your mentor in this matter.

Contact a professional recruiter

You can get useful advice at a recruiting agency. Make a professional acquaintance with a consultant who selects employees for the positions of regional managers. Not a single competent recruiter will refuse to help you and give advice on how best to get an interview in a particular company, what competencies are important for the position you are applying for, how best to “sell” your experience and skills. In addition, he will talk about what is known in the market about this company, whether there are any "pitfalls". After all, every consultant of a recruitment agency understands that today you are a candidate, and tomorrow you can become his client.

Read specialized literature

Not possessing practical experience performing certain (in this case, managerial) tasks, you need to ideally prepare theoretically in order to clearly understand the entire scope of the functionality during the interview. Refer to professional literature. S.V. Paukov, widely known for his "Guide for a Medical Representative of a Pharmaceutical Company", is also the author of the book "Regional Management". Of course, there are other books and publications on this topic, which can be found both on the Internet and in the relevant sections of bookstores. We also recommend reading the relevant forums and thematic sections of pharmaceutical sites.

Do you want to know what skills you need to "pump" in order to become a good leader? Take part in the webinar What qualities should a real leader have? November 23 at 13:00 Moscow time!

Expand your functionality

Preparing for an interview for more high position And don't forget about practice. If this is correct in your case, ask the manager to delegate some of his duties to you. Many managers will gladly hand over some of their tasks to you, as this allows them to offload themselves. For you, this is an invaluable opportunity: in an interview, you can say with confidence that you have necessary skills. In addition, part of the competition for a managerial position in pharmaceutical companies is often an assessment center (a method of comprehensive personnel assessment, which includes tests and business games), where, as a rule, the skills of applicants are tested on specific cases. In this case, you will need personal experience performing a number of managerial tasks.

There are a lot of vacancies for the head today. But there are even more people who want to get this position. How do you prepare to be at the forefront of this job race? Especially if you feel that being a manager is exactly your path in life?

labor market in modern world similar to gladiator fights. And to go through this fight, you need significant advantages, will and constant desire reach the maximum. In this article, we will cover the main points in preparing for an interview. What do you need to pay attention to, how to be confident and how to show your competence?

Employers' requirements

But let's start with how employers look at candidates? Seeing the situation from their point of view, we can soberly evaluate ourselves. Adjust the direction of your personal growth. What do they require? It is important for employers that the employee is fully and unconditionally dedicated to the needs of their company. In most ads we find the following requirements:

  • Ability to build relationships and negotiate.
  • Efficiency of decision making.
  • Dedication to work, responsibility.
  • Self-organization and the ability to organize others.
  • Scrupulousness.
  • Self-development skills.
  • Ability to set goals and develop plans.
  • Orientation towards success.
  • The ability to manage your time.

All right. The company that has a comfortable moral and psychological climate works better. where employees are jointly responsible for the result of their work and are not afraid to take the initiative. To do this, the person who is at the head of all processes must be the undisputed leader. He must develop strategic thinking, have high level self-control, as well as the need to understand their motives and subordinates. After all, if a person does not have a motive for activity, it is impossible to “force” him to work. Working with people also involves a lot of responsibility.

The manager is responsible for all the work that subordinates do. And, if necessary, he must intervene and help solve the difficulties that have arisen. So, he needs to know thoroughly the whole process that he manages. You need to plan time according to the importance of tasks.

Based on the above qualities, we can draw a picture of the ideal manager. Now ask yourself, what is your motivation? Are you ready to move closer to this ideal step by step, to achieve better results, to climb career ladder, and at the same time sacrifice the interests of his personality?

Create a "face". Secrets of the image of the head

We found out that someone who has leadership abilities and outstanding analytical thinking is more likely to get a job as a leader. Your task at the interview with all your appearance and behavior to demonstrate all these qualities to the interviewer.

Show that you have your own view of the surrounding things, events. Show that you have formed as a person and you have your own image. But don't overdo it. Your behavior should be natural. Otherwise you will look funny. To create your image, you need to practice a little.

  1. Exude confidence. Work in front of a mirror with facial expressions and gestures. If facial expressions or posture betray stiffness, stiffness, then fortune may turn away from you. You can not fold your hands "lock". Also, do not cross your legs. Best Pose- Sit straight with your hands on the table or on your knees. Watch your posture. While talking, make eye contact. Otherwise, the interlocutor may get the impression that you have a problem with contacts.
  2. Polish your speech. Leadership must be clear, concise and to the point. But at the same time, speech must be free. Don't let anxiety ruin your impression. remember, that communication skills needed for a leader.
  3. Appearance. You will benefit if you dress presentably and tastefully. Think about what kind of shoes you will wear. Pick your accessories. Your view is showing internal state. Show that your creed is neatness and accuracy. Your hair, arms, cuffs, everything must look perfect. But by no means fancy.
  4. openness and optimism. It is important to show the interviewer that you are optimistic about the future: you have personal goals that you are striving for. If the interviewer sees that you are full of enthusiasm and ready to move mountains for the sake of the goal, you can safely count on success. But still, personal goals cannot contradict corporate ones. On the contrary, they need to be as close as possible.
  5. Bold, active stance and quick mind. You can show these qualities in conversation. To do this, find out everything about the company in advance and tell us what you think about its position in the market. Ask what priorities the director of the company puts before you. Find out if the owner plans to expand his business. All these questions will show your competence, maturity, and intelligence at the same time.

Types of interviews and principles of behavior

Since competition in the labor market is high, education and experience do not play a decisive role in choosing. So get ready for trials and anxieties. An interview may be arranged to test your knowledge, mental toughness, or other criteria. Everyone knows about the usual biographical interview. But let's talk about some types of interviews that go beyond a simple face-to-face conversation. And how to deal with them.

panel. During such an interview, two or three people can talk to you. Each of them evaluates a certain criterion. And then he delivers his verdict to the director who makes the decision.

The principle of behavior. Each interviewer has their own set of questions. Don't interrupt him. You will be able to ask prepared questions at the end of the interview. Don't make excuses. Be honest in your answers and be kind.

stress interview. It is carried out by one person or several at the same time. Their task is to take the applicant out of the comfort zone. That is, a person is deliberately pissed off: they can scream or, on the contrary, turn away and not listen at all. Try to be calm and natural. The candidate is deliberately angered to see how he copes with stressful loads.

The principle of behavior. Be courteous and answer questions with dignity. If you remain calm and act confident in dealing with a clearly inadequate interlocutor, you will successfully pass the selection.

Competency interview. You are asked a series of questions that will be analyzed further. The questions will be about the content of your work. Or simulate a situation from which you must exit in a certain way. So the employer extracts necessary information about the applicant and evaluates the level of his preparation. The problems of psychological compatibility of employees often fall on the shoulders of the manager. Perhaps the employer wants to know about your experience in solving such problems.

The principle of behavior. Try to imagine this situation and find at least some solution.

Knowing about all the pitfalls that can block your path to finding the desired position, you can better prepare. By working on yourself, you will certainly achieve your cherished goal. After all, luck favors the strongest.

So, you are applying for a leadership position in successful company and discuss with a recruiter the possibility of an interview. Your future duties and work are presented to you in full accordance with your competencies.

Easy to say, but to do... A job interview is one of those events where you have to shine. You need to present your track record to the best advantage, but its description should not be too long and too detailed. It is necessary to behave liberated, but at the same time not allow yourself to be excessively relaxed. You should prepare in advance for typical interview questions, but the answers should not look rehearsed. Each of your remarks must hit the mark. And to achieve this is very difficult.

Naturally, you should try to find out as much as possible about the company and the people with whom you will most likely have to talk in an interview in advance. The more information you can gather about the recruiter, the more comfortable you will feel during the conversation. And the more you learn about the company, the easier it will be to ensure that your answers meet the requirements for the candidate.

In this article, we will try to describe the entire interview procedure, from preparation to its direct passage. We will give tips that will help you make a favorable first impression and competently answer the questions asked. You will gain an understanding of the verbal and non-verbal ways of communication that it makes sense to adopt or, on the contrary, avoid. We hope that thanks to our recommendations you will be able to score as many points during the interview as possible.

Training

The interview is designed to answer the question to what extent the candidate satisfies the requirements of the company, whether he will cope with the duties entrusted to him, whether he will be able to adapt to the corporate culture and methods of work of the management team. When preparing for an interview, you need to think in advance what questions may be asked and formulate competent answers. You should be prepared to answer the following questions:

    What do you see your strengths? It is necessary to emphasize those of its merits that will help the company solve the problems it faces.

    How would you describe your management style? You can say something like, "I used to prefer top-down management, but I've noticed that if I involve people in the decision-making process, it's easier for me to get their support, and almost always the end result is better in this case."

    Why should we hire you? Re-explain how your strengths meet the needs of the company.

    What salary do you expect? Be careful when answering this question. If you ask too much, you will be removed from the list of candidates. And if you ask for too little, you will obviously sell out. Not a bad option in this case, cite the results of an independent study and indicate a specific range. Even better, ask the interviewee to talk about the nature of the compensation provided by the company.

You will probably be asked about unsuccessful projects as well, so don't try to evade when the hiring commissioner starts to find out the details. Answer honestly, without trying to make excuses or becoming defensive. Avoid answers like, "It wasn't really my fault" or "I warned them it wouldn't work."

When talking about projects that didn't go according to plan for one reason or another, be sure to mention the actions you took, the end results, and the lessons learned. We can recall, for example, your appeals to other participants: “Having realized that we did not meet the deadlines set by the client, I immediately organized a series of meetings, having talked with all the project executors. We managed to discuss the situation with the client and minimize losses. Ultimately, the client appreciated our frank position, and we were able to jointly develop a solution acceptable to all interested parties.”

Your interlocutor will probably ask what you see as your most serious shortcomings. Touch just one shortcoming and tell us what steps you are taking to get rid of it. For example: "I'm not very good at speaking in public, but I try to take part in presentations to executives, which has increased the level of my speaking noticeably."

It is not worth mentioning the shortcomings in the fight against which you have not achieved any success. For example, if you say that you avoid conflicts of any kind, your interlocutor may think that you are not good at managing conflicts or that your management style is “burying your head in the sand”. Similarly, when you are asked if you have implemented at least one application program, and your track record does not include such, do not say that you do not have such experience, but you can always learn if necessary. This is an unfortunate answer.

Remember that just stating facts when answering questions is not enough. You need to describe everything in such a way that the facts are presented in the most favorable light for you. When evaluating applicants for a leadership position, the recruiting manager looks for good communication skills, the ability to offer constructive solutions at meetings of the board of directors, the willingness to take responsibility and lead a subordinate unit. Instead of describing the areas for which you were responsible, tell us more about the incidents that took place. Illustrate your ability to solve emerging problems, find a successful way out of a difficult situation and achieve the desired result. Describe the current situation, the people involved and your actions, but to avoid unnecessary digressions and details, stick to the CDR model:

O What circumstances or challenges did you have to face?
D- what actions did you take?
R- what results have been achieved?

Try to complement your answers with testimonies from trusted people who would emphasize the confidence and professionalism of your actions. It is desirable that it looks like an improvisation, and not like a rehearsed homemade piece. Answers like: “I belong to the category of managers who are able to effectively solve any issues in the company” or “I am a workaholic, and until the project is completed, I am ready to work day and night without rest” - they sound too pompous. Don't cross the line that separates a great answer from an embellished one. In other words, don't try to make yourself look like a superhero who begins every line with "I", "me" and "mine" and emphasizes his personal role in every possible way.

Remember key events and dates relating to both the company you came to apply for a job and your own track record so that you do not have to reach into your briefcase every time for information.

Finally, don't think of yourself as a job seeker. You are unique remedy solving business problems facing the company. Seeing yourself as the solution gives you confidence that you can help the company achieve its strategic goals. And your confidence will be an additional factor for the recruiting manager conducting the interview. Presenting yourself as the solution will help you define your role in the new company, successfully negotiate the compensation package you deserve, and participate as equals on the management team.

big day

On the day of the interview, you must arrive at the location at least 15 minutes before the scheduled time. As you wait, think of yourself as the solution the company needs and tune in to what the interview will take place OK. You can also observe employees entering and leaving the premises to see how comfortable they feel there.

When entering the office where the interview will take place, smile, raise your head and straighten your shoulders. Shake hands firmly with the person you will be talking to. When introducing yourself with a smile, repeat his name. At every opportunity, address your interlocutor by name. Everyone is always happy to hear from him. This will set up your interlocutor in a friendly way.

Do not sit down until you are invited. If you have a choice, avoid the sofa. You will fall into it like quicksand. Opt for a hard chair. Sit up straight with your hands on your knees. Do not cross your arms or legs as this indicates that you are on the defensive.

While your interlocutor is talking, show your attention by nodding your head from time to time and repeating the phrases he said. Make sure you understand the question correctly. Do not show that the answer to it was prepared in advance. Try to guess what is behind each of the questions. The interlocutor, for example, may ask if you have ever taken part in the implementation of the SAP system, but in fact he is interested in how smoothly this implementation went, whether it was possible to complete it on time and meet the allotted budget.

If you don't know the best way to answer a question, pause or use a clarifying line to buy yourself time to formulate your answer better.

Be natural during the conversation. Gesticulate. Smile at the slightest provocation. Smiling will help you feel confident. Look directly into the eyes of your interlocutor. If you are talking to a whole group of people, keep your gaze on each of them for a long time, not allowing your eyes to constantly move from one face to another.

The interview should start off well and you should be able to relax a bit. But don't take too many liberties by making rash comments or being overly familiar. During the interview, you must maintain a distance and show respect for the interlocutor. Don't say anything bad about your current employer, even if you're being pushed to do so. Raise the topic of salary only if you are asked about it directly.

At the end of the conversation, the interlocutor usually asks if you have any questions. Whether you are prompted to ask them or not, ask about the following:

    What does the company expect from candidates for this position?

    How will your performance be evaluated?

    What tasks will you have to solve first?

Do not ask anything about the company that can be found in open sources on the Internet.

When the procedure comes to an end, ask if your interlocutor has received all the information of interest to him. Suggest Additional information, especially if you have not been asked questions that you think have importance for this position. Don't offer any background information unless you're asked to.

At the end of the interview, you get one last chance to show that you really want the position. By suppressing the slightest hint of despair in your voice, demonstrate your sincere positive interest. You could say, for example, “For me, the opportunities that are opening up here are of the utmost vital importance. Do you have any questions regarding my candidacy?” Ask what will happen next. And remember: the first impression you make is the most important during an interview. The idea that your counterpart will have by the end of the conversation plays a secondary role.

Debrief the meeting as soon as it is over. Mark for yourself the areas in which your answers did not sound convincing enough in order to correct the impression in the course of subsequent correspondence. Also, if you're planning a sequel, you'll probably want to remember who said what.

Send the employee who conducted the interview a letter of gratitude for the attention paid to you, additionally argue why you are a good fit for the specified position and express your readiness to provide any other information of interest to the HR manager at the first request.

Regularly, but not intrusively, continue to remind yourself. And remember: the job most often gets the one who wants it more than others.

Kevin Daly and Dale Clamforth are senior management at Communispond, a company focused on teaching its clients the art of management and sales, preparing presentations and improving communication skills.

Kevin Daley and Dale Klamfoth. How to Ace an Executive-Level Job Interview. CIO Magazine. March 11, 2008