Example
A young man might say during an interview,“I have
excellent written and oral communication skills.” The
interviewer could follow-up with a question like, “Can
you give me an example of a time when you used your
written communication skills?” The candidate might
look embarrassed if he didn’t have an example. He said
that he had great written communication skills
because he thought it sounded good.Exercise for Preparing for Follow-Up
Questions
Here’s a simple exercise that will help you prepare for follow-up
questions. It will also help you take a look inside yourself and
begin to think about what you want more of, and what you
want less of, in your next job. People usually perform at a higher
level if they are satisfied with the work they do and are, there-
fore,motivated to give 100 percent plus.
Start by making a list of the responsibilities and tasks you
performed at your last job. These would be the projects or tasks
that you were particularly proud of or were energized by. Think
about the last time you were so involved in a project or task that
you woke up thinking about how you could improve the situa-
tion. Write those experiences down and try to determine what
the factors were that were satisfying for you.
Let’s say you were a project leader. The tasks list would read
something like: “Led a team; coordinated and monitored proj-
ect progress; ensured the flow and completion of work on
schedule; monitored expenditures and budget.” Now you have
Perfect Phrases for the Perfect Interview