Support Each Other in Looking For Work

A question about : Support Each Other in Looking For Work

I know this thread has fizzed out a little but as there were over 4,000 posts on the other one I thought it was time for part 2 and I'm hoping people will join in again because I need the motivation and confidence that it brought me last time! Previous thread is here: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/....php?t=2982124

I've been working for the last 9 months but have just been told I didn't pass my probation so I'm back on the hunt

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Interview Question Ideas:

Questions to Ask:

• Why has this vacancy arisen?
• How do you review performance?
• How was the job handled in the past?
• What would you expect of me in the first six months?
• What do you see as my key long-term challenges?
• What is the expected career path for this position?
• Do you expect me to develop new expertise in any areas?
• What are the characteristics of successful people in this firm?
• Where would I fit into the overall structure?
• Will anyone report into me?
• Who would I report to and what is the line of authority?
• Is any training required as part of this job?
• What are the opportunities for advancement/promotion?
• What is the firm's long-term strategy?
• Is the firm looking to expand into new areas?
• What is the largest challenge facing the firm at the moment?
• How would you describe the firm's values?
• Is there likely to be any relocation in the future?
• Who is your biggest customer
• Who would be your main competitor
• How long has the current person been in this role
• What is the structure of the team
• Will I have my own targets
• What computer systems do you have in place
• How long have you been here
• What is the best thing about working here
• When is your company year end (accounts question)
• Who are your auditors/when is your audit (accounts question)

Questions you might be asked:

Questions where you can sell yourself

Tell me about yourself.

• Why do you want this job?
• What would you expect to accomplish here?
• Where do you want to be in five years time?
• Do you consider yourself to be a natural leader?
• What attracts you to this role?
• What does success mean to you?
• What are your career aspirations?
• What have been your major accomplishments?
• How would members of your team describe you?
• What really motivates you?
• What special skills do you have?
• What is your greatest strength?
• What do you do on your days off?
• What are you looking for in your new role/describe the ideal role
• 5 words how they would decribe you in your last job
• 3 words how friends would describe you
• Is there any reason why I shouldn't put you into the next stage

Questions where the interviewer is seeking informative answers:

• What do you know about this firm?
• What is a typical week's work in your current job?
• Describe your greatest challenge so far.
• What are you looking for in your next job?
• How long have you been looking for another position?
• Why do you want to work for this firm?
• What can we offer that your current firm cannot?
• Do you deal with any of your firm's top 10 clients?
• How do you determine priorities?
• Why should I hire you?
• How do you handle criticism?
• What makes a good manager?
• How do you run a meeting?

Questions where you may need to turn a negative into a positive:

• Why do you want to leave your current employer?
• What has been your greatest challenge in business so far?
• What are your key strengths or weaknesses?
• What thing irritates you most in the workplace?
• Describe your toughest client.
• How do you work under pressure?
• Describer a difficult work situation and how you managed it.
• What do you dislike about your current role?
• Which tasks don't you like to do?
• Is there anyone in your current organisation you really don't get on with?
• Do you make your opinions known if you disagree with a more senior member of staff?
• How do you feel about working weekends?
• Why aren't you earning more at this stage of your career?
• Why were you made redundant/fired?

Blue-sky questions

• What would you do if you won the lottery?
• If you became Prime Minister what would be the first thing you'd change?
• What do you think of me as an interviewer?
• If you had to move to another industry, which would you choose?

Best answers:

• I will post up a debrief after my interview today, could potentially be a shocker as I feel very clueless this morning!
• oh Drea, so sorry to hear you are out of a job again. Did they tell you why you didn't pass your probation or do you think they were just using it as an excuse?
• Sad news Drea, I'm happy to jump aboard this time.
• Just spent a pointless 10 minutes on the phone to the job centre. I knew I wouldn't get any money because the OH earns too much (not that that benefits us as it is all being paid straight back out) but phoned to ask about NI. They were clueless and started just going through a JSA claim with me, I had to hang up in the end!
  So, anyone got any idea about NI and if it's worth signing on for it? Isn't there a way to pay it myself too? I'm not sure I can cope with going back to that job centre every couple of weeks again...
• yeah that certainly sounds like a face not fitting scenario I hope you find something else quickly.
  I'm still looking, not had an interview in a year despite applying for everything and anything I can. I can't even find any volunteer work everywhere that isn't a charity shop (can't stand for long so shops are no good for me) has waiting lists of people wanting to volunteer for them. Thats how bad it is round here
• Sorry to hear you're back looking again Drea.
  If you're going to do Avon self employed, you'd need to register as self employed and pay NI contributions (forget which class they are) at Ј2.50 a week.
  My husband's on a contract that's supposed to be between 1-3 months, he's about 6 weeks in, so we're still continually looking. He's got a company who have interviewed him on the phone for another contract who want to see him in person, but the date's been rearranged 3 times already, currently waiting for another date.
• Bad luck Drea, but they're a bad memory now, just tell any future interviewer exactly what happened, which is that incoming new management decided to make a change for their own people and you would have liked to have stayed as you "always give new jobs a year" rather than chopping and changing.
  Sadly in this economy firms think they can treat people like dirt, any company with a probation longer than six months, I just view it as a contract job.
  I'm working on two apps at the moment, both reasonable jobs, one was highlighted by an agency but on the actual company site it says no agencies. So I'm going direct but will check other jobs at the site that made the recommendation as it's the first real hit since I started looking for full time stuff after graduation. Temping in the meantime.
• Presentation for interview went well, so if nothing else I have made an improvement in that area. Onward and upward
• Hard luck Drea, it is true that at the moment employers can do what they want with no care for the people who do all the hard work. It's not nice but it's the way of the world out there.
  I'm still looking for a permanent job that is more suited to my skills, i've been in this temporary position for about eleven months now and was due to be laid off at Christmas but got kept on at the last moment, never too sure when the axe is due to fall again.
  Unfortunately it is even harder out there now than it was at this time last year. I haven't even had a call back from one of my applications since the start of last December. Very difficult to keep a positive slant on it all.
  Good luck with the job hunting everybody.
• Well done November fingers crossed!
  It's a shame that employers can do what they like and treat people how they like, I guess it's their market at the moment though.
  It's nice to see some of the old regulars (although in a way not nice at all!)