Job Hunter Newsletter
The Five Types of Interview Questions
Disclaimer: please note that all of the links were active as of the newsletter publication, but some may become inactive over time.
Previous |
View 2003 Newsletters | 
|
Next
--------------------
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Job Search Tip of the Week - "The Five Types of Interview Questions"
- Help Spread The Word!
- Job Search Links
- Free Job Search Book
- Sponsor: Lower Your Monthly Payments on Student Loans
--------------------
- Job Search Tip of the Week, by Brian Krueger, author of "College Grad Job Hunter," the #1 book for entry level job search:
"The Five Types of Interview Questions"
Interviewing is not a science. Nor is it an art form. It is simply an imperfect form of human communication designed to increase the predictive validity of potential employer-employee relationships. And it is very imperfect.
There are basically five types of questions you may face during the course of an interview:
Credential questions
This type of question includes "What was your GPA?" and "How long were you at . . . " Its purpose is to place objective measurements on features of your background.
Experience questions
This type of question includes "What did you learn in that class?" and "What were your responsibilities in that position?" Its purpose is to subjectively evaluate features of your background.
Opinion questions
This type of question includes "What would you do in this situation?" and "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" Its purpose is to subjectively analyze how you would respond in a series of scenarios. The reality is that "Tape #143" in your brain kicks in and plays when you recognize the question and play back the pre-programmed answer.
Dumb questions
This type of question includes "What kind of animal would you like to be?" or "How many ping pong balls could fit in a Volkswagen?" Its purpose is to get past your pre-programmed answers to find out if you are capable of an original thought. There is not necessarily a right or wrong answer, since it is used primarily as a test of your ability to think on your feet.
Behavioral questions
This type of question includes "Can you give me a specific example of how you did that?" or "What were the steps you followed to accomplish that task?" Its purpose is to anticipate future responses based upon past behaviors.
Of all the previously listed types of questions, only behavioral questions have a predictive validity for on the job success that is higher than 10 percent. And 10 percent predictive validity is the same level that is generated from a simple resume review. Behavioral interviewing, on the other hand, yields a predictive validity of 55 percent. Still far from perfect, yet much more reliable for most interviewers. Interestingly, the first four question types are still the favored approach by most untrained interviewers, simply due to lack of experience. Behavioral interviewing is gaining greater acceptance by trained interviewers because past performance is the most reliable indicator of future results. Companies such as Accenture have modified this approach with specific critical behavioral interviewing to target those behaviors which provide the highest correlation for predicted positive results.
Next newsletter: "The Behavioral Answering Technique"
--------------------
- Help Spread The Word!
Do you know of someone who can benefit from the information in this newsletter? Simply forward this e-mail to them and tell them to subscribe at http://www.CollegeGrad.com/newsletter. Thanks for spreading the good word!
--------------------
Job Search Links:
- Searching job postings:
http://www.CollegeGrad.com/jobs - Setting up a job alert:
http://jobs.CollegeGrad.com/JS/Form/SearchForm.asp?alert=y - Post your resume:
http://jobs.CollegeGrad.com/JS/Form/SignUpForm.asp - Update your posted resume:
http://jobs.CollegeGrad.com/JS/Form/LoginForm.asp - Creating your resume:
http://www.CollegeGrad.com/resumes - Quickstart resume templates:
http://www.CollegeGrad.com/resumes/quickstart - Creating your cover letter:
http://www.CollegeGrad.com/coverletters - Career information/exploration:
http://www.CollegeGrad.com/careers - Employer research:
http://www.CollegeGrad.com/employers - Top Entry Level Employers:
http://www.CollegeGrad.com/topemployers - Interviewing techniques:
http://www.CollegeGrad.com/intv - Salary info--how much are you worth?
http://www.CollegeGrad.com/salaries - Job offer negotiation:
http://www.CollegeGrad.com/offer
--------------------
- Job Search Book Online
There are at least two other entry level Web sites that offer books on job searching, proclaming that they will tell you everything you need to know about entry level job search.
However, there is a very important point about these books they don't mention up front: they cost money.
At CollegeGrad.com, we give you two things they don't:
1. The #1 entry level job search book ("College Grad Job Hunter").
2. It's free.
It's that simple. So don't buy the hype. Read the real information you need for FREE:
http://www.CollegeGrad.com/book
Don't ever pay for books or reports or resources of lower quality when you can access the very best quality information for free.
P.S. Yes, you can buy "College Grad Job Hunter" in hardcopy format as well at Amazon.com for $15 (actually, 30% off that price), but the online version is better. Why? Because the version at Amazon.com (the 2003 edition) is being continually updated at CollegeGrad.com. So the most current version of the book is actually the online, free version.
--------------------
- Sponsor: Reduce Your Student Loan Payments AND Lock-in Rates as Low as 2.25%!
If you currently have student loans to payoff, you will want to pay attention to this news. Interest rates have come down considerably in the past couple of years, and you now have an opportunity to lock-in at a rate as low as 2.25%!
Now is the time to consolidate your student loans while rates are at their lowest. You can also reduce your student loan payments by as much as 54%!
To find out if you qualify, take the quick 60 Second Eligibility Test:
