“Give me an overview of your career to date.”
Why do they ask?
A career retrospective highlights your ability to communicate as you discuss the logic and rationale behind your career choices. It also allows you to promote some of your most impressive accomplishments.
How to respond
No one wants to know how you worked as a camp counselor it directors managers email lists as a teenager. From there, briefly discuss what you learned from each successive role.
Don't forget to mention what attracted you to each new opportunity, culminating in the one you're currently interviewing for. Frame each job change in terms of striving for something bigger, not in terms of running away from a shoddy manager or company.
«What are your short and medium term professional goals?»
Why do they ask?
Effective goal setting is the hallmark of a motivated, clear-thinking employee. It is essential in the context of both fulfilling daily responsibilities and staying on track throughout your development within an organization.
An interviewer wants to know that you will remain organized, committed, and ambitious during your tenure at their company; this question gives them a chance to see that.
How to respond
Before the interview, talk to a few people who are where you'd like to be and ask them if the goals you set strike a healthy balance between high-mindedness and achievability.
Then, when you speak with the hiring manager, briefly outline your goals and focus on why you want to achieve them – your driving motivations and where you think achieving these goals could take you in the coming years.
«How do you generate, develop and close sales opportunities?»
Why do they ask?
Surprisingly, if you're interviewing for a sales position, you need to prove that you have a legitimate eye for sales. Interviewers want to know that you have the skills necessary to fulfill your responsibilities; cultural fit can only get you so far if you don't have the technical ability to make sales.
