Communicate Your Personal Brand in the Job Interview

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In a job interview, they are looking to learn about your qualifications, of course, but also your “fit”. The questions behind their questions are: Is he lazy? Does she have common sense? Does he have fire in the belly? Is she qualified? Is he lying? Will she fit in? Will he embarrass me?

So in addition to the standard questions asked in an interview:

• Tell me about yourself.
• Why are you interested in joining our company?
• What do you see yourself doing five years from now?
• What sort of money are you looking for?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• Why do you feel you’re qualified for this job?
• Why did you leave XYZ company?

Expect more questions like:

• What do you like to do in your spare time?
• Ever have a disagreement with a boss? Why? Why not? What did you do about it?
• Have you ever been fired?
• If hired, how long would it take for you to make significant contributions to our company?
• What do you expect from a boss?
• How do you affect people?
• If there was something you could change about yourself, what would it be and why?
• How many hours are in your workday?
• What makes you happy? Unhappy?
• Talk about your failures. Tell me more.
• Tell me about your best friend in high school. What would they say about you?
• What should I know about you that we haven’t already discussed?

They are trying to learn about the person behind the credentials. Many people look good on paper or online but face to face don’t meet the “will she fit it/will he embarrass me” criteria.

Picture of Debra Benton

Debra Benton

D.A. (Debra) Benton has been helping great individuals and organizations get even better for over 20 years. Just as exceptional athletes rely on excellent coaching to hone their skills, Debra's clients rely on her advice to advance their careers. She focuses on what is truly important to convert what you and your organization want to be from a vision into a reality. TopCEOCoaches.com ranks her in the World's Top 10 CEO Coaches noting she is the top female. And as conference keynote speaker she is routinely rated in the top 2%. Her client list reads like a “Who's Who” of executives in companies ranging from Microsoft, McDonald's, Kraft, American Express, Merrill Lynch, United Airlines, and PricewaterhouseCoopers to the Washington Beltway and U.S.Border Patrol. *She is the author of ten award-winning and best-selling business books including The Virtual Executive and CEO Material. She has written for the Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Businessweek, and Fast Company. She has been featured in USA Today, Fortune, The New York Times, and Time; she has appeared on Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, and CBS with Diane Sawyer. To learn more Debra advising leaders, coaching, facilitating a workshop, or speaking: www.debrabenton.com

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