Barnardos Interview Preparation Guide
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66 Barnardos Questions and Answers:

1 :: What do you like to do for fun?

Be open to sharing hobbies and activities that you enjoy. Make sure you're genuine about it and don't list off things you don't really like because if they ask you a follow up question it'll be harder for you to answer.

2 :: What is your personal mission statement?

Is it to conquer the world? Is it to become a CEO? Is it to give back to the community? Is it to inspire others? Define your statement by stating a clear vision of how you want to make an impact on the world with your work.

3 :: Why did you leave your last job At Barnardos?

Regardless of why you left your last job make sure to stay positive. Always smile and focus on the positive reason such you were seeking the opportunity to expand your career opportunities, your interest in working with a new firm that provided greater opportunity, you desired to work in a new location, etc. Don't reference previous job problems or differences with management that caused you to leave. If you stay positive, your answer may help you. If you're negative, you will likely decrease your chances of getting the job for which you're interviewing.

4 :: What have you done to improve yourself in the last year At Barnardos?

Discuss how you've improved yourself through work experiences, books you've read, classes, club(s) / extracurricular activities and describe the process on how it's happened. For example: I've improved my presentation skills tremendously because I've had to do 2 presentations this year for my communications class.

5 :: You notice there are too many non productive internal meetings being held, what do you do?

Reach out to your boss and let him know that first you value his leadership and organization but that you are being overwhelmed with the amount of non productive internal meetings.

6 :: Do you consider yourself successful?

You should always answer yes to this question. Briefly explain why without going on and on. If you communicate that you're more successful than you really are you may come off as arrogant or unrealistic. A goof explanation is that you have set professional goals and that you have met some of these goals and are on track to meet more in the near future.

7 :: Where do you see your career in five years At Barnardos?

I would like to retire from this company. I would like to make a difference in the company whether in the company or any other position or area of the company At Barnardos.

8 :: Describe what a "lot of work" looks like to you At Barnardos?

Ideally you'd like to state that you can take on a lot of work - this shows your work ethic, but at the same time it's okay to tell them that you value work and life balance.

9 :: How would your references describe you?

Think of three major characteristics that demonstrate your best qualities related to work and then have quick stories to describe why.

10 :: Tell us something about yourself?

Bad Answer: Candidates who ramble on about themselves without regard for information that will actually help the interviewer make a decision, or candidates who actually provide information showing they are unfit for the job.

Good answer: An answer that gives the interviewer a glimpse of the candidate's personality, without veering away from providing information that relates to the job. Answers should be positive, and not generic.

11 :: What is your biggest weakness At Barnardos?

No one likes to answer this question because it requires a very delicate balance. You simply can’t lie and say you don’t have one; you can’t trick the interviewer by offering up a personal weakness At Barnardos that is really a strength (“Sometimes, I work too much and don’t maintain a work-life balance.”); and you shouldn’t be so honest that you throw yourself under the bus (“I’m not a morning person so I’m working on getting to the office on time.”)

12 :: What's the last book you read?

Try to talk about a book related to the industry, for example, if you're applying for a role related to business, cite a business book.

13 :: Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years?

Bad Answer: A generic or uninspired answer. Also, answers that show that this career/company is just a temporary stop for them.

Good answer: One that shows the candidate has thought about this question, has plans, and that those plans align with the job and a career path that is possible in the company. You want to see that this candidate is a good long term investment.

14 :: What do you consider to be your greatest achievement so far and why?

Be proud of your achievement, discuss the results, and explain why you feel most proud of this one. Was it the extra work? Was it the leadership you exhibited? Was it the impact it had?

15 :: How did you handle meeting a tight deadline At Barnardos?

Review every deadline you need to meet. Prioritize your projects by deadline and factor in how important each project is. Record your deadlines on a digital calendar or spreadsheet.

16 :: Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet or achieve it?

Show that you set great goals and the process and steps you took to achieve it. Details really matter here.

17 :: Do you work well within a team?

Some people are thrown when they are asked this Barnardos question when they are applying for a position to work alone. Every company works as a team, so you are a good team player, give an example of when you have worked well within a team.

18 :: Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision without all the information you needed. How did you handle it At Barnardos? Why? Were you happy with the outcome?

In many scenarios, you will not have all the information needed. The key is to make the best possible decision based on what you deem to be a sufficient amount of information.

19 :: What are your strengths At Barnardos?

This is one of the most common questions you will be asked. Give an answer relevant to the skills and qualities relevant to the position you are applying to. The interviewer is trying to find if your strengths match the job. For example, if you are applying for a job At Barnardos where accuracy is an important issue, one of your strengths could be that you have an eye for detail. It may useful to find different words to describe similar attributes and qualities in order to avoid repetition.

20 :: What five words would be describe you as Barnardos?

The hiring manager requests this of you because she wants to know more about your individual personality. This list can reveal a lot to her about who you are and how you might fit into the workplace. Your answer also gives the manager an indication of your self-perception, which is a good indicator of the type of employee you will be.

21 :: Describe a time when you anticipated potential problems and developed preventive measures?

The key here is to show that you were proactive. How did you find out about the potential problems? How did you address it quickly?

22 :: Describe a time when you put your needs aside to help a co-worker understand a task. How did you assist them? What was the result?

The key is to show that the mentoring of a co-worker was first a higher priority than the task you had at hand (remember, you want to show that you focus on highest priority tasks first). Then, describe in detail how you helped them not only complete the task but learn to do it on their own. You want to teach them HOW to fish and not to simply fish for them.

23 :: What have you done to prepare yourself to be a supervisor?

1. Learn from current supervisors (best practices)
2. Mentor others
3. Be exceptionally good at your current job so that it builds your credibility
4. Have a high emotional IQ

24 :: Who are your role models? Why?

If possible, cite role models you're truly passionate about - passion is contagious and will show you're being genuine. If the role model is in the same or similar industry as the company in an executive level position, even better.

25 :: How would you estimate the weight of the Chrysler building?

This is a process guesstimate where the interviewer wants to know if you know what to ask. First, you would find out the dimensions of the building (height, weight, depth). This will allow you to determine the volume of the building. Does it taper at the top? (Yes.) Then, you need to estimate the composition of the Chrysler building. Is it mostly steel? Concrete? How much would those components weigh per square inch? Remember the extra step: find out whether you're considering the building totally empty or with office furniture, people, etc. If you're including the contents, you might have to add 20 percent or so to the building's weight.

26 :: Describe to me a time where you had to make a hard decision At Barnardos?

Hard decisions are hard for a reason. It could dramatically effect the company. It could affect other workers. So if you have a story about how you made a hard decision and had a good outcome, share that. If you have one where the outcome wasn't great, explain how you would have changed the way you approached the decision to show you learned how to improve.

27 :: How do you inspire others to be better?

First, the key to inspiring others it to first understand what their goals and objectives are. Once you understand what people want, you can inspire them with a vision that aligns to what they care about. People generally care about having purpose, being successful (and being recognized for it), contributing in a meaningful way, and financial rewards (to a degree) and much more. Then once you understand what people set as goals, you can inspire them through 1:1 pep talks, a presentation to multiple people and so forth.

28 :: What motivates you to succeed?

Your interviewer will likely want to know the reasons why you will remain motivated to do your best during your employment with the company At Barnardos. Perhaps you are interested in being challenged, but you may also have interest in being recognized for your hard work in the form of the number of sales you can attain. A great example answer for this question is “I always do my best in everything, including my job. I take pride in my success, and I also want the company for which I work to be successful. Being affiliated with a company that is known for its excellence is very important to me.”

29 :: Describe your vision of your perfect dream job?

Ideally, the role you're applying for either is that dream job or will help you get to it. If it's going to help you get there, describe the elements of that job role that you are passionate about so that it ties to the vision of what your dream job is. Be honest and talk about the type of work environment, management team / leadership, coworkers, culture, vision and products/services you'd like your dream job to entail.

30 :: Describe a time when you've been overwhelmed with work?

Show how you were able to over the "overwhelmed" feeling - by delegating tasks, getting people on your team to help you out, or by prioritizing your work and focusing on the most important issues first At Barnardos.