Interview

re14796

How would you answer these questions?

Tell me about a time when you have made an effective decision?
Tell me about a time when you have delivered value for money?

Why do you want to work for this organisation?

YouAsked

It's hard to give a blanket answer and you need to read between the lines to think about what the interviewer wants evidence of - this will be informed by the job role and the organisation.

The first one, they're looking for your thought processes, how you got other people to "buy in", how your reflected on the decision - i.e. how you knew it was effective. They might also be looking for how you knew the decision needed to be made in the first place - proactive? Able to forecast resource? Did you review practice against policies etc. Hard to say without knowing the sector or role, but suffice to say, they're not just asking you to tell them about a good decision you made.

The second one, again, this is about you and your actions/thoughts. What drove you to deliver value for money? How do you know it was "value" as opposed to just cheaper? Were you able to deliver an improvement in the service as a consequence? Did you have to convince anyone?

Interview questions - particularly when you are moving sectors - are more about demonstrating how you think and act, rather than giving a step by step "functional" response - unless they are specific, technical questions - eg - "what do you understand the new accounting standard to mean?" and even then they will be looking at how you explain technical subjects etc as well as the answer itself.

YouAsked

Oh and why do you want to work for this organisation - I always think these questions are woolly, but it's usually possible to answer them fairly honestly:

I can see it is a growing, ambitious company.
It is a market leader/innovative.
Ethical/community
etc

Jack1991

I always find using the STAR technique usefull.

Situation - what was the situation and when did it take place?
Task - what task was it, and what was the objective?
Action - what action did you take to achieve this?
Results - what happened as a result of your action?

Just think of times in your past either career or life and apply the STAR method most employers look for this as it gives a clear and well structured answer.

As for why this company answer honestly obviously dont say " because it pays well" but there must have been a reason for applying like mentioned above if they are a market leader or you can see yourself progressing within the company also check what ongoing projects there currently working on if possible.

Good luck!

dcouponzzzz

YouAsked wrote: »

Oh and why do you want to work for this organisation - I always think these questions are woolly, but it's usually possible to answer them fairly honestly:

I can see it is a growing, ambitious company.
It is a market leader/innovative.
Ethical/community
etc

Or if your research shows they're not in a growth period and are lowering operating costs etc explain how you're passionate about improving efficiency and streamlining existing process. Refer to their market projections on operating costs and any other evidence, and quote examples of how you've done this in the past.