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Career Goals, free interview tips
This section is about questions related to career goals. Your employer will want to know why you are interested in the job. Is this job going to be your permanent home? Is this job a stepping stone for your higher ambitions? Is this a career you intend to leave when you start school in the fall, or when you leave school for the summer? Here are some free interview tips and questions for the career goals section.
These answers are just suggestions...
It's worth repeating that these answers are just suggestions. Please don't just memorize the answers. Think about how they might apply to you. And NEVER LIE in an interview... or anywhere else. Lying is a bad habit. Don't do it.
Why do you want this job?
My Comments: There are of course many ways to answer this question. Try to answer it honestly, however there are a few answers you should NOT say. For example, you should not say that you are only getting this crummy job because all the other crummy jobs are taken in this horrible economy. You should not say that you want this job because your girlfriend works here and you want to spend a little more time with her. Don't say that you just moved here to escape your psychotic ex-husband. Just use your common sense. Remember that the person interviewing you has the needs of the company on his mind, not your personal needs.
My Example #1: I want this job because I'm trying to work my way up in the restaurant business. A job, even as a cashier or busboy in your restaurant will help me to get the training I need so eventually I can be a waiter or a manager of a restaurant one day.
My Example #2: I just moved into the area from Portland, OR. Although I had a successful job as a nurse in private practice while I lived there, for personal reasons I felt I needed to move to the Denver area. This is a fresh start in my life and I am excited about the possibility of working here as a part of this new beginning.
What would you most like to accomplish if you got this job?
My Comments: Say you would like to accomplish something personally, and possibly something for the company, depending on what kind of job it is.
My Example #1: I would like to gain the experience of teaching at the middle school level. This is a perfect place to gain experience because there are so many excellent and experienced teachers who can help me grow as I am challenged in this environment. And, of course, I would love to see 6-8th graders master the basics of mathematics under my tutelage.
My Example #2: I would like to indulge my love of books and reading while still being an asset to my community by working here as a librarian. I love to teach people young and old how to find resources in a library, but most of all, I love to do all I can to spread my fire for reading into the minds and hearts of those around me.
What might make you leave this job?
My Comments: You are not legally required to divulge your personal plans. For example, you might be planning to get pregnant and plan to leave the job if or when your baby is born. Your interviewer knows that if some major change happens in your personal life it will probably change your professional plans also. Best to stick to professional reasons here. You might leave your job as a server in a restaurant if you are offered the position of manager, for example. If you are planning to leave the job at a definite time in the future, now is the time to let your interviewer know. For example, if you are going back to school in the fall and you're planning to leave then, let your employer know.
My Example #1: I suppose I might leave the job if some unexpected crisis happens in my personal life that makes my plans change, but really, I don't see anything in my immediate future that would cause me to leave this job.
My Example #2: I'm taking a year off from college to work and earn some tuition money. A year from now in the fall I plan to go back to school.
Well that's it for the free interview tips: career goals section. For more free interview tips go to the self-assessment questions.
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