What's a pizza got to do with your job?

A lot. 'What kind of a pizza would you like to be? What do pineapples mean to you?' are just some questions you are likely to be asked at an interview. Careers coach Daniel Ough suggests how you could answer them.

"Do you like pineapples? What do they mean to you?"

"If you were a breakfast cereal, what would you be... and why?"
"If you were a pizza, what kind would you like to be and with what toppings?"

"Are you a cat person?"

"Why are manholes round?"

What do all these questions have in common? Well, actually very little apart from the fact that they are all questions that have been asked at interviews.

If you think you will be stumped by them, sample these:

"Are you planning to get pregnant?"

"Do you have any skeletons in the cupboard?"

"What is your star sign?"

"Are you a negative person?"

Do we have to have answers to these questions to succeed at interviews? Maybe we do. Over the next two weeks we'll be looking at typical interview questions and a number of other key issues about succeeding at interviews.

Have you ever considered how curious the interview process is? Ever thought about how imperfect and unscientific it is? For example, while in many cases an interview is conducted by a professional, often it is not. Many interviewers do have qualifications and experience, but it is not a requirement. There is no prerequisite for an interviewer to pass an exam or be accredited in order to be allowed to conduct an interview.

In spite of the potentially flawed interview process, is there anything that you can do to increase your chances of succeeding at interviews? The good news is, yes, there is. Because as they say, it is not always the best candidate who gets the job; it's the candidate who knows how to land a job that gets the job. Or more specifically for those preparing for interviews, "It is not always the best candidate who gets the job; it's the candidate who knows how to succeed at interviews who gets the job."

In this first of a two-part series, I'll be exploring with you some practical things you can do to increase your chances of succeeding at interviews, including being well prepared to answer interview questions, dealing with personal issues that could affect your performance and turn a negative into a positive.

In part two, we'll be looking at the importance of understanding and managing common interviewer personality types, observing the two-minute rule, and asking powerful questions.

Being well-prepared for the interview

Rob and Richard are best friends. They live on the same street and as boys they attended the same school. They even graduated from the same university. Today they are competing against each other as both have been shortlisted for the position of senior IT manager at a local bank and have been called in for interviews. Who is better prepared? Let's be a fly on the wall at each interview as the interviewer poses the questions.

Interviewer: Tell me about yourself.

Rob: When I graduated from college I wanted to find a job where I could make as much money as possible as quickly as possible. Some companies didn't recognise my skills and abilities and I had to move on quickly, otherwise my career could have been affected. I am keen to get as many good companies on my CV as possible and I want to add your company's name to it.

Richard: I graduated from a reputed university five years ago in information technology. During my studies, I had two work placements with a national bank and it was so successful that I was offered a job with them immediately after I graduated. I was promoted within three years and for the last two years I have received a bonus for my performance. I am married, have two children, really enjoy living in Dubai and travelling around the region. After five years with this bank, I am now looking for a new challenge and I am attracted by the opportunity this job would offer.

Interviewer: What are your weaknesses?

Rob: I am a perfectionist and a workaholic.

Richard: I recognise that everyone has strengths and weaknesses and also that having a weakness doesn't mean we're weak. It just means that we are good at some things and not so good at others. At my last appraisal, my boss didn't identify any weaknesses that were affecting my job. If you had asked me that question a year ago, I would have said that I needed to improve on time management and prioritising. When my boss called it to my attention, we agreed to work on it and he arranged for me to attend a short course in time management and setting priorities. This gave me a new approach to organising my work, managing my time and delegating, and it's no longer a problem.

Interviewer: Tell me what you know about our company.

Rob: Well, I know that you do banking.

Richard: I understand that the bank was established 20 years ago, has 15 offices in the UAE and employs about 900 people. I noticed in your annual report that last year you had the best year ever in terms of your profits, particularly in the area of corporate banking. I found your website helpful and I was particularly interested to note that you are moving into a new area of IT development which is my field of expertise.

Interviewer: What are your salary expectations?

Rob: I don't really know; I suppose as much as possible. I don't really have a figure but I certainly wouldn't work for less than Dh25,000.

Richard: Obviously a good salary is important to me but my first priority is to understand whether my skills and experience fit in with your requirements and also to learn more about the job. I have been doing some research in the marketplace and based on what I have learned, I believe I can expect a salary package in the range of Dh20,000 to Dh30,000. I am fortunate that several companies have shown interest in my experience. Naturally I am looking for the best salary package and job opportunity before I make my decision.

***

You're probably not be surprised to know that Richard succeeded because he was prepared. He was particularly well-prepared to answer the salary question. I am surprised how many people are not prepared or feel awkward or embarrassed to talk about salary expectations. Why? From my experience, I have found that it is for the following reasons:

- Money and salaries fall within the private areas of our lives that we "just don't talk about".

- People are afraid they might be asking for too much and risk getting a response like, "You must be joking!"

- People are fearful they might be asking for, or settling for, too little!

The key to answering this question is to know what your skills and experience are worth in the marketplace. And the way to prepare yourself to succeed at interviews when faced with questions about salary is to do the research before the interview so that you will know your worth in the marketplace. When answering the question in the interview, focus on your worth, not on your needs.

The question of salary is not about what you are earning now. You are being hired based on what you are worth today, not what you are being paid now. You may be worth more than your present salary (or even less)! In fact, in order to succeed at interviews you do not need to disclose your current salary; it is irrelevant.

Turning a negative into a positive

When answering an interviewer's questions, it's helpful to remember that the only reason for answering a question is to improve your chances of landing the job. Therefore, if the interviewer poses a negative question to you or makes a negative comment that could go against you, you should always try to find a way to turn it around and give a positive response.

For example, what if the interviewer says, "I think you are too old for this job."

The negative response is, "Oh dear!" A positive answer could be, "I would bring a great deal of knowledge and maturity to the post and I am sure that the company would benefit from my years of experience."

If you have held senior positions and the interviewer said: "I think this post may be below you", the negative reply would be: "Oh, I see." The positive answer is, "My view is that every job in a company is important and must be taken seriously. In fact, I quite enjoy doing the sort of tasks that you described in this post."

Another potentially negative comment might be, "I see that you had a seven-year break in your employment history. Won't you find it difficult to get back into the work routine?"

A negative answer is, "Yes, you could be right." A positive answer would be, "I have spent the last seven years raising a family. But I have been involved in the administration of many school activities and have acted as a volunteer administrator for a charity. These activities have kept me in touch with the working environment."

The key is, don't leave an interviewer's potentially negative questions lying on the table. Find a way of giving a positive reply that works for you to any question or comment that he/she may throw at you.

Personal Issues

While being prepared to answer the most FAQs at an interview and knowing how to turn a negative into a positive are essential, to succeed, it is also important to recognise that your personal circumstances, including what has happened to you in the past and what you are currently experiencing, can have an impact on how you perform at interviews.

Here are some personal challenges that could keep you from being at your best when you attend an interview:

- Feelings of rejection because you were made redundant;

- Feeling panicky about getting a new job;

- Fear of losing your job because of the current downturn in the global economy and alarmed about whether your job will be there next week;

- Feelings of insecurity, low self-esteem or lack of confidence, perhaps because you attended several interviews and were unsuccessful or because you were passed over for a promotion;

- Feeling despondent because your work and your life are out of balance;

- Feeling drained of energy and vitality because of health issues or relationship problems that seem insoluble;

- Feeling desperate to get a new job due to financial pressure and the need to make ends meet.

Even though you may do your best to disguise what's worrying you, these kinds of feelings are difficult to hide when you are facing an interview panel.

If any of this is hitting home with you, you may need some help to deal with these feelings so that you will be at your best when called for interviews. These are also areas that a careers coach can help you with.

- Daniel Ough, founder and director of jobsearchhelp.net and sandpipercoaching.com, answers questions related to careers exclusively for readers of Friday.

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