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13 March 2008

Ask MeCha: Would you hire me? So I submitted a resume two days ago, and just heard from the senior VP that she wants to meet tomorrow for an interview...[More:]

Job is doing executive assistant/coordinator work--which I think I'm pretty damn skilled at having done all this convention stuff--but I don't think I've ever worked on that kind of corporate level before.

I've got my brand new interviewing suit all ready to go, and the only thing I need to do is to rehearse answers to interview questions.

So my query is: What kinds of questions should I expect to be answering? Post 'em and I'll try to answer them, and then you can tell me where my answer is going wrong.

Help me, Bunny Wan Kenobi... you're my only hope.
Why do you want THIS job?
posted by arse_hat 13 March | 14:09
For the question that asks whether you've been convicted of a felony, you drew a smiley face holding a shotgun. What's that supposed to mean?
posted by box 13 March | 14:11
Show me your tits?
posted by quonsar 13 March | 14:25
:) Go you!

How do you handle stress during the work day?

Give me a little narrative of a similar project you have run? What unexpected difficulties arose? How did you resolve them? Ultimately, what would you have done differently?
posted by crush-onastick 13 March | 14:33
"one of your coworkers has screwed up. you wind up doing their work for them. how do you handle this?"

"Which of these former workplaces have you liked the most? And why?"

"Which of these former workplaces have you not liked? And why?"

posted by jason's_planet 13 March | 15:50
arse_hat: I feel as if my career trajectory so far has lead me in this direction. From my father who was a retail manager, I've seen what kind of satisfaction you can get from helping others in a team environment. The time I've spent during the last four years working in the guest relations department for two different non-profit organizations has provided me with the kind of professional satisfaction that I'd yet to find in my previous occupations. I feel that where I am right now in my life is a time for me to harness the great potential within me towards a more fulfilling career.

box: It means that while I appreciate the whimsy involved in asking such a question, I believe that a criminal record search will prove that I have not ever been convicted of a felony.

quonsar: I feel uncomfortable answering that question as I believe it violates many human resources and labor laws.

crush-onastick: 1) There's nothing that provides me with greater joy than being able to follow through with a project from beginning to end. So in itself, the progress of my work alone helps relieve me of the stress of it.

I also believe that it's very important to keep a healthy separation between your professional life and your personal life. Though one does inform on the other, being able to walk away when I'm stalled on a project and remind myself of my priorities is also of great help.

2) [Insert convention anecdote here that I can't relate because there's a chance that it could get back to the wrong person and it's private con stuff anyway--doesn't that show nicely how I can keep certain things secret?]

jason's_planet: 1) [Insert other, related convention anecdote.]

2) I really enjoyed working for the Walt Disney Travel Company because in the end, the entire company was based and founded upon working together as a team to make dreams come true. It's no wonder why their theme song is "When You Wish Upon a Star." From the first day of Orientation to my last day there, I never forgot what the company's mission statement and goals were because I heard it in the voice of every mother or father who was booking a getaway for their family or every travel agent who was looking to create a magical memory for a family.

3) I have to say that I gained the least satisfaction from working at Best Buy, but not because it was a bad company to work for. I enjoyed working with everyone on the Customer Service team, and enjoyed a great camaraderie with people from the other departments. However, there's a certain amount of stress that's involved with the winter holiday season, and so many of the customers who were dissatisfied manifested their stress in unpleasant ways. Dealing with perhaps one or two people a week who are yelling at you can be manageable; dealing with five a day--when you're supposed to be focused on the spirit of the holidays--is not. In the end, one of the reasons why I left is so that I could enjoy the holiday season again.
posted by TrishaLynn 13 March | 16:02
Dealing with perhaps one or two people a week who are yelling at you can be manageable; dealing with five a day--when you're supposed to be focused on the spirit of the holidays--is not. In the end, one of the reasons why I left is so that I could enjoy the holiday season again.

I don't like that answer. Coupled with the answer above, it almost sounds like, I like work to be fun and I don't like work when it's not fun, and should this job ever not be fun, I will leave. You have to spin it somehow else- if it was difficult to deal with customers, it wasn't because you specifically don't like it, but because the company was structured in such a way that employees weren't provided with the means to satisfy customer demands, etc.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 13 March | 16:25
Wow, good answers, you're hired!

OK, not what you were asking...

I have a friend who is an executive assistant. The most important thing I think, is that she knows how to say "yes I can make that happen"; and she also knows how to say "no", nicely...

Best wishes for a good interview!
posted by mightshould 13 March | 16:26
What TPS said.

It's tricky, because you do have to mention downsides, without being negative.

Good luck!

posted by jason's_planet 13 March | 20:29
quonsar: I feel uncomfortable answering that question as I believe it violates many human resources and labor laws.
That may not be the answer he was looking for.
posted by dg 13 March | 20:39
FAIL
posted by quonsar 13 March | 22:55
"At Halloween if you dress up like a burrito, we give you a free one." || Thou shalt not judge a book by its cover;

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