“This may be the BEST day of my life . . . I just got fired!”

That’s not what you feel like saying on the day you lose your job, but it may be true!

As for me, well I’ve been fired twice in my life.

The first time I got fired I had been absent from work due to a flu bug that had worked it’s way through the office. The boss called me and told me not to come in to work the next day. Half delirious I thought, “how nice of him to be concerned about my well being.” When I finally awoke from my stuper I realized he meant, “or the day after that, or the day after that, or ever. . . ” Boy was I pissed! What a whimp to call me on a sick day and fire me! He didn’t even have the stones to tell me to my face!

However, as it turned out, that firing led to an opportunity for me to return to school and complete a degree I needed in order to move to the next level of my career.  Little did that whimpy boss know, he actually did me a favor!

The second time I got fired I had been working on it for several months. I was making good money, but the company I worked for had no soul. In fact, they went out of their way to suck the soul out of their employees. Clearly, the company had some ethics problems, and after 2 solid years of enduring them I decided I had to go. They were good at getting rid of people! The company had a nearly 200% annual employee turnover rate.

I wanted out, but couldn’t justify leaving. If I was going to go, they needed to provide me with the safety net of a severance package.One day responded to an email from the site manager — although some might say  I picked a fight with him.  He was clearly breaking his own “office computer use policy” by sending inane and meaningless emails to the entire staff. I sent a “reply to all” indicating the violation and 10 minutes later I found myself in his office. This was my chance. . .

Unfortunately, he was willing to let me off with a warning. Bummer! When I got back to my cubicle my supervisor said, “what do you think you are doing? Are you trying to get fired?” I answered, “Yes. But the site manager didn’t take the bait. I guess you are stuck with me a little while longer.” He replied, “Go home, I’ll take care of it.” The next day I came in to find my cubicle cleaned out, a moving box full of my stuff, a pink slip with my name on it and a severance package that helped me bridge the gap between jobs. That was one of the happiest day of my life! As it turns out, both of those days were!

So you’ve been fired? Join the club.

It may feel a bit devistating, but in reality it could be the best thing that ever happened to you.  The key is to learn from you experience and move on.  Here’s my simple formula for doing that without taking the poison from one position into the job search with me.

1. make a list of what you did well at you job.  Be specific.  Give numbers whenever possible. You will use this list when you create your resume, interview, and negotiate for your next salary.
2. make a second list of what you did not do well, and what went wrong.  You are going to use this list in your next job search when researching company culture.
3. purge yourself of the poison feelings you have about getting fired.  Talk to a friend, a counselor, a career coach or someone who can help you get the venom out of your system.
4. develop a statement about why you left your last position that allows both you and your former employer to be seen in the best light.  Le me be clear here — DO NOT LIE!  EVER!  On the other hand, you don’t have to “bleed” all over the place either.  Something like, “After 7 years things had changed, and we came to an agreement that it was time for me to look for other opportunities.”  You don’t really need to say much more than that.  You former employer won’t, in fact, they have probably already forgotten about you.

I hope these tips for getting past getting fired are helpful to you.  I’d love to hear some of your experiences.  Feel free to share them with us below.

In the mean time, happy hunting!

After watching the winter Olympics and marveling at the level of athletic excellence displayed by the athletes over the past few weeks, I got to thinking about what job seekers can learn from these amazing athletes. Time after time the difference between earning a metal or not ranking came down to superb coaching, practice and finely honed technique.

In today’s highly competitive job market the same holds true for job seekers. It is not enough to be good, you need to be great to get placed with an employer. Let’s take a closer look what that means for your job search strategy.

Olympic athletes leave nothing to chance. They have a clearly defined winning strategy. They choreograph every stage of their event. By that I mean they have a clear sense of how they will begin, how they will proceed and how they will finish their performance. They have a clear and strong winning strategy in place. How solid are you in all the elements of your career search strategy? Do you have a clear sense of every step of your job search process? If you don’t, you are going to be passed by other job seekers who know what they are doing.

Olympians use coaches to mentor and correct potentially costly mistakes. Are you using a career expert to advise you in your career search strategy? If not you are not getting vital help to give you a competitive advantage.

Olympians rely on cutting edge methodology and technology to give themselves every advantage in their performance. You are relying on yesterday’s career methodologies to compete in today’s job search? Are you hanging on old ways of doing a job search because it is comfortable instead of stretching and pushing yourself to be more up to date? If you want to be noticed and get interviews you need to adopt new methods for doing an effective job search.

And finally, are you practicing like an Olympian? Are you fully engaged and committed to investing the time and energy it takes to place? Good enough will not cut it. It takes hours and hours to come up with clear and compelling SAR (Situation-Action-Result) stories that will showcase your strengths and achievements.

I hope you enjoyed watching the winter Olympics as much as I did.  Now it’s time to remember the lessons from the athletes for top performance and apply them to your career strategy job search.

Gary Prehn is a Career Management Solutions Career Advisor in Southern California.

One of the things I hear the most from job seekers is how difficult it is to quantify results form their past work experience. Everyone agrees that doing so is helpful, if not critical, to the job search. However, most find it difficult to show a measurement for something they have done in the past. They didn’t keep track of the numbers, or they cant remember them now, or they “were just doing their job” and don’t really know what measurable impact their impact had on the end result. Or, and this is really most often the case, they are confused and scared as to how to do this important work.

If you are one of the people who has had trouble quantifying results, then I’d like to invite you to join me in this week’s challenge – “One CAR Statement per day.” Writing one a day will help you get past the fear and confusion to take a giant leap forward in your career search. Here’s how it works.

1) Go to the section on “Writing CARS” in Careers 2.0. Here’s a link (you will have to log in to Careers 2.0)
2) Work on one (just one) CAR Statement each day.
3) Post it here in the comments of this blog post to share with others and get their feedback.

You can use these on your resume, in your networking, as part of an interview, and in negotiating for a higher salary! It’s simple. I’ll start.

CONDITION: In the fall of 2001 five denominations were planning their joint summer camp curriculum for the next summer.

ACTIVITY: They brought a group of us together to brainstorm themes and activities based on a topic that would be used nationwide by more than 200 camp programs. I was assigned to write the curriculum for the older children (grades 4-6). I had to research both the topic and the learning styles/needs of this age group.

RESULT: I wrote a curriculum and it was well received. I turned in my curriculum on time. One Camp Director even said that it was the best in the series (in her opinion). Curriculum titled: “Under God’s Roof: Daily Discoveries for Older Children”, Summer Camp Curriculum, published by the Cooperative Publication Association, March 2002.

STATEMENT: Researched topic and learning needs and wrote a curriculum that was used by over 200 summer camp programs nationwide in 2002.

Will you join me in this week’s challenge? Post your CARS Statements in the comments and let us all know what you have accomplished.

When you go through a grocery line today the bagger asks you how you want your items packed. “Paper or plastic?”  Many stores do not even offer us an option. They hand us our items bagged in plastic. There was a time when all groceries were packed into paper bags. Plastic bags were uncommon but not anymore. Today plastic bags are the norm.

Last week I stated that traditional jobs were going away. I recommended that it was time to change your career strategy and stop looking for jobs and start looking for work. The insight I want to share with you this week is that work used to be packed in paper bags but today it is being packed into plastic bags. There is work to be found but more and more companies are offering it in unconventional ways.

We are used to looking for work packed into job positions with clear cut duties. The jobs were offered in a paper bag called full-time, or permanent work. Today many employers are packaging work into plastic bags called projects, temporary work or contract work.

What is happening?  Companies are finding that they have to be flexible and nimble in order to compete in today’s market. They need to enlarge their workforce on short notice in order to produce a product or service. Once they have achieved their objectives they need to reduce their workforce rather than pay out wages to idle employees.

Think about the difference between paper bags and plastic bags.  A big paper grocery sack could hold a lot of groceries. You could pack many items neatly into one bag. The bags had a rigid shape and fairly predictable volume of room. Traditional jobs were like paper bags, sturdy and dependable.

But today employers are packing much of their work into plastic bags. Work today is much more flexible, odd shaped and comes in smaller units. Plastic bags are a better container for holding or assigning work.

Be careful that you do not overlook, ignore, or turn down work because it is being offering in “plastic” as contract work, temporary work or as a consulting assignment and not offered as “paper,” a full-time job. Plastic not paper is the new norm for work today.

So, which is it for you?  Paper or plastic?

Andy wrote an interesting and challenging response to our post on writing an effective resume (http://careeradvice4u.com/effective-resume/).  I LOVE it when a reader challenges us!  So in response to all of the Andy’s out there who are frustrated with your job search, here are some examples that have actually worked for clients of ours. Hopefully they are not too full of BS!

Example 1: HR Generalist I

Human Resource professional with progressive hands on experience in diverse organizations from start-ups to industry leader with revenues of $8 billion including multi-state U.S. and global locations.

Resourceful, organized team player able to provide business partnership and HR guidance to both management team and employees. Recognized for being ethical and approachable with a focus on the big picture. Strong hands-on approach, can manage diverse projects simultaneously and with excellent communication skills.

Experience working with HR and Business partners in Europe and Asia as well as multiple locations in the US.

Example 2: HR Generalist II

Broad knowledge of HR principles and services. Exceptional proficiency in Employee Relations and Leave/Workers’ Compensation coordination. Effective at building relationships with employees and managers at all levels within an organization to support the business strategy, resolve communications issues and motivate individuals to optimal performance. Conscientious and resourceful advisor with a reputation for sound judgment and achieving positive results.

Specialties include:

Employee Relations FMLA/OFLA/ADA Coordination OSHA/WC Management
Policy & Procedure Writing Building & Leading Teams Staff Planning & Recruitment

Example 3: Software Developer

Experienced Software Implementation Manager with 11 years of extensive enterprise resource planning implementation experience
• Successful implementations of PeopleSoft, SAP, Lawson and other applications at more than 14 public and private sector clients and corporations across a wide range of industries and locations
• 9 years of consulting experience with a major international consulting firm earning performance ratings consistently above my peers and an executive promotion to Senior Manager
• 8 years of project management and team lead experience with a PMP certification
• Solid reputation for meeting aggressive deadlines and providing high quality deliverables within budget
• Mature leadership and communication skills with an exceptional ability to plan and organize work efforts and excel in a team environment. Core competencies include:

Project Management Application Development Application Security
Configuration and Conversion Testing and Validation Implementation and Cutover
Production Support Sales and Business Development Software Selection

Example 4: Engineer/Engineering Manager

Demonstrated ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams of engineers delivering high performance, low cost product technologies from research to market on time and on budget. A leader in defining methodologies to use to turn more research elements into products faster. Strong technical design, modeling, and statistical background; excellent leadership vision, systematic planning, and two-way communication skills. Over 20 years of research and development experience, including 10 years progressively responsible management experience. Extensive experience managing international development teams/suppliers in Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan, and Korea, including 3 years working in Japan. Ph.D., M.S., Engineering Mechanics.

Resume Advice Related Posts

• Writing An Effective Resume
• How To Write a Professional Summary Statement for Your Resume
• 3 Different Types of Resumes You Need To Know About
• Why a GREAT Resume is Not as Important as a DECENT Network
• Resume Writing Tips

Companies are beginning to hire, and that means they will actually be at the Job Fairs this year.  If you want to get the most our of your time at a job fair, some helpful tips are in order.  Here are my top 7 “DO’s and DON’Ts”:

1. DON’T go to a Job Fair expecting to get a job.  Very few people actually get a job from a Job Fair.  If you are putting all your eggs into this basket, you will be very disappointed.
2. DO go to a Job Fair expecting to gain information about several companies – one of them MAY become your next employer.  Ask lots of questions related to the company, industry, and how a person with your background might fit in.
3. If you attend a Job Fair with others, DON’T “cluster.”  Spread out.  Meet new people (employers AND Job Seekers). Make sure that you do not spend all of your time talking to people you already know, that defeats one of the most important reasons for attending a Job Fair – to meet new people and grow your network.
4. DO be clear about the kind of position you are seeking.  Have a career objective in mind, and stick with it.  This will help you and the recruiters find a better “fit” for you and the company.
5. DO keep your eyes open for opportunities to help connect others in your network.  If you can connect a potential employee with a potential employer, you will build credibility with both parties!  (Of course, this “DO” assumes that you have a network to share information with.  If not, build one NOW!)
6. DO have plenty of business cards and resumes to hand out.  Distribute the business cards liberally, and give a copy of your resume directly to a potential employer.  (In other words, don’t just set it on a pile, or it will probably go directly into a recycling bin!)
7. DO plan to meet 2 or 3 new people, get their business card, and ask if you can follow up with them for a cup of coffee within the next week . . . then DO follow up!  Remember, “the money is in the follow up!”

Have fun at these fairs.  They can be a great place to meet new people and learn about a company or two that you may have some interest in.  Just don’t expect to come away with a job, or you may be very disappointed.

When I asked for input on what to write about in this blog I received the following request from Doug:

“I would be interested in hearing about effective uses of time when you are looking for work.  How much time should be spent on internet search engines, linkedin, attending network marketing meetings, having one-on-one network meetings, time spend with an accountability partner, exercising, prayer/meditation, time spent not working on the job search (I feel guilty doing this), volunteering, or other valuable uses of time.  Alternately, what are poor uses of time.  As I go through this process, I have been advised to do everything and say a yes to everything.”

This is a GREAT question Doug, I’m glad you asked it. Let me take a shot at answering it. . .

Going through the job search process is challenging.  Because it’s so new to most of us, choosing how to spend out time each day/week/month can be confusing.  On top of the confusion there are several pressing issues, such as:

• our husband/wife wondering when we will find a job and asking us daily what we did to accomplish that goal.
• our own feelings of self worth (or lack thereof) — let’s be honest, in our culture one of the first questions asked when we meet a new person is, “What do you do?”  If we “don’t” then how do we answer that question?
• advice from everyone and their brother as to how we should navigate this time – “go to everything you can”  “put this on your resume” “don’t put that on your resume” “always wear a tie when you leave the house” “don’t dress to formal or people will know you are unemployed” and so on.
• a feeling that sometimes we just want to curl up in bed and avoid the whole thing.
• a desire to make the most of this time with family and friends — “After all, I have a lot more free time now that I don’t have work getting in the way.  So why do I feel guilty when I’m out enjoying myself with the kids?”

As someone who has helped hundreds of people successfully navigate unemployment and career transition this past year, let me share with you some of what I see to be most effective uses of your time in this process.

1. Don’t bother spending more than about 30 hours per week in the job search.  There are physical, social and psychological effects of being on a job search that make it unproductive for us when we go past 30 hours per week.  I know you are supposed to consider your job search to be a “full time job”, so for our purposes let’s consider 30 hours to be “full time.”
2. Spend some at least 20 minutes EVERY DAY doing some form of physical exercise.  Go for a walk. Go go the gym. Play with your kids on the jungle gym.  Exercise is good for clearing out the brain and increasing energy.
3. Don’t spend more than 37 minutes per day on the computer. Likewise, DON’T go online during daylight hours.  Think about it, if 80% of jobs are found through some form of networking, then you should spend at least 80% of your time networking.  The internet will be there when you get home, after everyone is in bed.  Heck, you are probably going to be awake at 3:00 this morning anyway.  If you spend the whole day online, what will you have to do when you wake up in the middle of the night?
4. Have a networking strategy and stick to your plan.  This is tricky, because your plan should evolve as you progress in your job search.  I would recommend that early on in your search you attend lots of events where other job seekers hang out.  These are great places to meet new people, develop and practice your elevator pitch, and get some support.  However, within 6-8 weeks you want to begin moving AWAY from those kinds of events to places where potential employers and people close to potential employers hang out. The former of these events will usually be free.  The latter may cost you something.  That’s why you want to work out the bugs in your verbal and printed “brand image” in the early stages of your job search.  And yes, Doug, this means you will say no to some things. You want to be strategic!
5. An accountability partner is a great idea! Plan to check in once a week for at least an hour.  Take notes and hold each other accountable for goals set at the previous meeting.  Choose wisely. To be successful at this you need to choose someone who will kick your butt — not be your friend.

Some of the activities that have proven to be the worst use of time for job seekers include:

1. Spending time on the Internet job boards – less than 6% of all available jobs are posted on these boards. If you were digging for gold, wouldn’t you want to spend your time in a place where other people have found gold rather than someplace where the prospects for finding gold are shallow?  Well guess what. . . you ARE digging for gold! The best place to find it is through your network of friends and colleagues.
2. Writing/revising your resume (or your LinkedIn profile. Or your Visual CV. . . ). Yeah, I know, you NEED a resume.  It needs to be polished and professional.  However, your resume is a dynamic, living document. It will need to be revised continuously throughout your career.  Work on it a little at a time and track your improvement.  Besides, YOU are your best resume, so get out there and show people what you have to offer!
3. Simultaneously, paying someone to write your resume for you is a huge waste of both time and money – unless you are a high level executive commanding a 7 figure salary.  If you feel the need to pay someone, pay them to coach you how to write a quality resume. You are going to go through the job search process again in the future, so this is a skill that is worth learning as best you can! Besides, the tools you use to write a resume will be extremely helpful in interviews, and it’s pretty tough to get a professional resume writer to go with you to an interview!

This is just a beginning list of how to structure your job search efforts.  The key is to have a strategic plan with specific goals that you can track and measure each day/week.  We have more resources on this topic inside the Careers 2.0 membership site.  The Basic Membership is free, so sign up and take a look!

Thanks for asking Doug!

How about the rest of you?  What would YOU like to read about in this blog?

Related Posts:

• Our 4 Step Process for Writing An Elevator Pitch
• How To Conduct An Informational Interview
• What Is A Personal Brand And Why Do You Need One?
• How to Work With A Recruiter In Your Job Search
• Why A Great Resume Is Not As Important As A Decent Network

You will only have about 8 seconds to get the attention of the person reading your resume.  That’s nearly impossible, UNLESS you have a clear and concise Professional Summary Statement.  Here are some tips for writing that concise Professional Summary:

1. You Professional Summary needs to be built around your own personal brand.  What do people think about when they hear your name?  What do you WANT them to think?  Tom Peters has written the classic article on ‘Brand You’ — and you can find it at Fast Company (here).
2. Keep it short — 10-15 words is best.  At MOST it should be only 2 sentences.  You want the reader to know what you can do for them — without putting you in a box. Your goal for the Professional Summary is to get them to read the rest of the resume. Period.
3. Don’t put yourself in a box — don’t use a title unless you are applying for a specific job.  Think about what you do for a company.  What kind of ROI (Return on Investment) will their organization get from hiring you?  If you say, “Accountant” they will put you in the “Accountant” box in their mind.  If you say “Save a company money by organizing key financial data” they will actually want to read on.
4. Get them to read further and make EVERYTHING on the rest of the resume point to your Professional Summary.  If you have done things in your past that don’t relate to your summary, you probably want to leave them off.  The resume should be a FOCUSED document.
5. Remember that the point of the Resume is to get an interview.  The Professional Summary should get them to read the resume, so that they will want to interview you.

With only 8 seconds to grab the attention of your potential employer, you better have a clear Professional Summary.  A good Summary will help them see that you are a person they want to learn more about. . . and ultimately that’s what it takes to get the job!

Need more?  If you want some samples of professional resume summary’s please shoot me an email – info@orcms.com

Resume Advice Related Posts

• How Effective Is Your Resume?
• 3 Different Types of Resumes You Need To Know About
• Why a GREAT Resume is Not as Important as a DECENT Network
• Resume Writing Tips

In the Careers 2.0 job search process we compare the job search to the work of the sales and marketing professional.  This new and powerful model for job seekers may a bit unusual but it really works! In our model your resume is part of your marketing packet, and the interviews are where you proceed through the 5 steps of the sales process to make the sale.  In this article we take an in-depth look at the interview from the perspective of a professional sales person.  Granted, this approach will be uncomfortable for those of you who aren’t used to selling.  You may not like this approach.  You may not even choose to use this approach.  However, I encourage you to take a serious look at it and see what you can learn from a pro about making this very important sale – YOURSELF.

There are many sales models out there, and professional sales people will argue over the effectiveness of their preferred choice.  However, they all boil down to a few simple steps that, when followed, will help turn a prospect into a buyer. The five steps I see most often are:

1. Identify needs (or problems)
2. Qualify buyers
3. Present solutions
4. Handle objections
5. Close the sale

1)   Identify Needs. The needs identification process begins before you write your resume.  You want to have a clear understanding of what you have to offer and a specific knowledge of who needs it.  In the Careers 2.0 process this is step I and II – Assessment and Research. You want to make this step as precise as possible. Every good sales person will tell you that knowing your target audience is key to making the sale.  You don’t want to waste your time (or theirs) talking to people who don’t have need of your product or services. When you identify the needs or problems of your prospective employer you can prepare your interview questions and answers to demonstrate why you are the perfect candidate.

2)   Qualify Buyers. If you are selling cars, it is vitally important to know if you are talking to someone who is a serious buyer or just a “tire kicker.”  Likewise, in the job interview, you want to determine as quickly as possible if the person with whom you are meeting has the ability to make the hiring decision or if they are just trying to make a list to send up the food chain.  There are different tactics for each of these situations, and all of them equates to “making the sale.”  However, the “sale” in each instance may be different. In the interview process, “making the sale” equates to getting a job offer when you are meeting with someone who has hiring authority. In all other cases “making the sale” means “getting the next interview.” (For a deeper explanation of different types of interviews see “The Art Of Interviewing To Land Your Perfect Job”)

3)   Present Solutions. The most often and effective sales technique used by sales professionals combines asking questions with making a specific sales pitch.  You want to make certain that the prospect is engaged with you and still wants or needs your services.  To do that you will ask questions that help you identify/magnify the pain and simultaneously check to see if the prospect is still willing and able to buy.  In an interview you will most likely not be the one to ask the bulk of the questions.  However, a good job candidate will listen carefully, ask probing questions, and present her answers so as to address the specific problems that the interviewer has. This takes skill and practice!  We aren’t used to listening actively in our culture.  But it’s a skill you had better learn and practice if you want the job.  You can be certain that your most qualified competition has taken the time to learn how to listen and ask deep, probing questions.

4)   Handle Objections. This is where you have an opportunity to show your prospective employer why you are uniquely suited for the position.  If you have done a good job of steps 1 – 3, you will know ahead of time what objections might come up.  They typically fall into 2 categories: a) experience and b) personality.

1. Experience. Be aware that these objections may be left unspoken, so you will have to utilize your experience and intuition to know they exist.  The best way to overcome the experience objection is to come back to the needs the employer has addressed and highlight your ability to help fill their needs. Use your quantified CARS statements to show specifically how you have dealt with this issue in your past.
2. For personality objections, you will want to help the interviewer envision you in the position.  They want to know how well you will work with a team, how you will interact with leadership, and how well your personality fits with the corporate culture.  The best way to let them know this is to ask direct questions about the company, culture, and co-workers. It’s important that you feel a good fit as well, otherwise you will be at this job search again rather soon.

5)   Close the Sale. Sales professionals have a variety of “closing techniques” in their sales quiver.  These techniques have funny names like “the which close,” “the trial close,” “the take away,” and even “the red dress close.” Honestly, in my opinion, most of these techniques give sales people a bad name (can you say, “used car salesman?”). I recommend that most job seekers refrain from the use of such techniques. There are, however, some softer closing techniques that will help you move forward in the interview process.  I recommend the following 3 step approach.  This is what I call “the job interview soft close.”

1. Clarify with the interviewer that you have adequately addressed all of their needs, concerns and objections. Some good questions to use here include: “have I adequately addressed all of your concerns?” and “How do you feel my experience and qualifications meet your needs for this position?”
2. Ask for the “sale.”  Every sales trainer I know says that most sales are lost because the sales person did not ask for the sale.  One way to do this (softly) is by asking, “What are the next steps in this process?” This indicates your willingness to move forward and will give the interviewer an opportunity to end the interview process if it’s not going anywhere.  You could also ask, “After reviewing my qualifications, how well do you see me fitting into this position?”
3. Get a firm commitment for following up.  If the interviewer tells you he will call you next week, say, “Which day?  I’ve got several engagements next week and I want to be sure to block out some time for you.”  If they give you a day, ask what time.  Ask if it is ok to check back with them directly in 3 days to see where they are in the decision making process.  Get a direct phone number to call. Set a firm date and time and don’t forget to make the call at exactly that time. Treat that follow up call in the same way you did the face-to-face interview – which means you need to dress in business clothes and call from a quiet location, etc.

For more help on nailing the job interview be sure to sign up for email updates.  If you need more assistance with your job search consider checking out my book, “Career Crossroads” (affiliate link).

Job Interviews / Interviewing Related Posts

• Want to Ace the Behavioral Interview?
• How To Conduct An Informational Interview
• The Art of Interviewing to Land Your Perfect Job
• Interviewing Tips – a Video Montage
• 101 Job Interview Questions

Today’s post is a list of 101 interview questions that are typical of any job interview.  I wanted to get this list out today, and plan on developing answers (or a methodology for developing answers) in the months to come.  For now, you should familiarize yourself with these questions as they WILL be asked on your next interview.

101 Job Interview Questions

1. Why should I hire you?
2. What makes you the best candidate for this job?
3. Tell me about yourself.
4. Why did you leave your last job?
5. Why do you want to leave your current position?
6. How did you get along with your previous boss?
7. How did you get along with your previous co-workers?
8. What bugged you most about your last boss?
9. Why do you want to work for this company?
10. What do you think this position entails?
11. What are your career goals for the future?
12. What is your greatest strength?
13. What is your greatest weakness?
14. How will you compensate for that weakness in this position?
15. Do you have any personal blind spots that effect you at work/
16. If you were hiring for this position, what would you look for in a candidate?
17. What is your experience in this area?
18. What kind of experience do you have in this industry?
19. What makes you qualified to do this job?
20. What is your educational background as it relates to this position?
21. Where did you go to school?
22. What did you study?
23. How does that fit with the requirements of this job?
24. What are you previous job experiences as they relate to this position?
25. What do you expect from us?
26. What kind of salary are you looking for?
27. What kind of benefits do you expect?
28. How do you handle a heavy case load?
29. What do you do when you disagree with your boss?
30. How do you handle stress on the job?
31. Tell me about your organizational skills.
32. How well do you multi-task?
33. What is your goal for what you want to get out of this position?
34. How much do you know about this organization?
35. How do you keep yourself up on the latest activities in your field?
36. What makes you feel successful?
37. Do you consider yourself to be successful?
38. How much did you make at your last job?
39. Are you applying for other jobs?
    1. Which ones?
40. What kind of a team player are you?
41. Do you know anyone else who works here?
42. Have you ever been fired?
43. Have you ever had to fire anyone?
44. If we hire you how long do you expect to work here?
45. What are your short-term goals?
46. What are your long-range goals and objectives?
47. Where do you see yourself in five years?
48. What do you hope to be doing in ten years?
49. Do you have a geographic preference?
50. Are you able to travel abroad if the position requires it?
51. What irritates you most about co-workers
52. What has disappointed you about a job?
53. What is more important to you, the money or the work?
54. What motivates you to do your best work?
55. What is your willingness/ability to work overtime?
    1. Nights?
    2. Weekends?
56. What is your management style?
57. How do you handle rejection?
58. What was the best job you ever had?
    1. Why?
59. What was the worst job you ever had?
    1. Why?
60. What questions do you have for me?
61. What questions do you have about this company?
62. What questions do you have about this position?
63. Are you more energized by working with people or by collecting and interpreting data?
64. How well do you handle monotonous tasks?
65. How well do you handle creative tasks?

Illegal questions. (If these questions are asked in an interview the interviewer is violating federal employment law!)

1. How old are you?
2. What year were you born?
3. In what year did you graduate from college/high school?
4. Are you married or do you have a permanent partner?
5. With whom do you live?
6. How many children do you have?
7. Are you pregnant?
8. Do you expect to become have a family?
9. How many children do you have?
10. What are your childcare arrangements?
11. Where were you/your parents born?
12. What is your native language?
13. What is your country of citizenship?
14. Are you a US citizen?
15. Have you ever been arrested?
16. What clubs or social organizations do you belong to?
Do you go to church?
17. ANY question relating to race, color or religion is illegal.

O.k.  I know there are only 87 questions here.  Why don’t you add your question in the comment section?

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