Basic GM Processing Interview Preparation Guide

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It is a situation, wherein the total expenditure of the government exceeds its total income. This cannot be compared to debts as these are nothing, but the collection of yearly deficits.

With this question alone, I am able to discern what is most important to the candidate, what their hobbies and interests are, their communication skills, their sense (or lack of) humor, their presentation comfort level, their educational background, their grasp of what the position entails, and their work style.

Balanced is a good word to use, but remember the type of company you are interviewing at. Some companies may want someone who is aggressive and a go-getter.

The best way to answer this question is to tell them one significant accomplishment and explain why you are proud of it. In other words, how did your proud moment impact the bottom line, overcome a hurdle or knock out a personal goal.

It helps me instantly find out if the applicant has done any research on the company and if they will take as much pride in their job as I do.

The best managers are strong but flexible, and that's exactly what you want to show off in your answer. (Think something like, "While every situation and every team member requires a bit of a different strategy, I tend to approach my employee relationships as a coach...") Then, share a couple of your best managerial moments, like when you grew your team from five to 15 or coached an underperforming employee to become the company's top salesperson.

Along similar lines, the interviewer wants to uncover whether this position is really in line with your ultimate career goals. While "an NBA star" might get you a few laughs, a better bet is to talk about your goals and ambitions-and why this job will get you closer to them.

OK, if you get the admittedly much tougher follow-up question as to why you were let go (and the truth isn't exactly pretty), your best bet is to be honest (the job-seeking world is small, after all). But it doesn't have to be a deal-breaker. Share how you've grown and how you approach your job and life now as a result. If you can position the learning experience as an advantage for this next job, even better.

Never say anything negative about your present employer and don’t mention money as a motivator either. The interviewer will reason that if you’re prepared to leave one organisation for money, you might leave his/her company if another waved a bigger pay cheque in front of you. The safest track to take is to indicate a desire for greater responsibility and challenge, or the opportunity to use talents you feel are under-used. Make sure your abilities are relevant.

I have found in nearly 30 years of experience, those who read are stronger employees, more creative and can be more objective.

That Works, a human resources management and consulting agency. "And you don't hire liars.", the fact is that things are guaranteed to feel unfair at some point-it's all too common-and he wants to know how you deal with it before he hires you.

You are eager to look good but don’t make the common mistake of exaggerating your current position. Mentioning some of the routine tasks in your day adds realism to your description and show that you don’t neglect important details such as paperwork. Put yourself in the interviewer’s place as your answer. When you’ve been doing a job for years it becomes second nature to you, and you must be aware of all the tasks you undertake. You should spend a few days making notes of your activities at work to regain an outsider’s perspective. Try to show that you make good use of your time, that you plan before you begin your work and that you review your achievements at the end of it.

Any candidate can read and regurgitate the company’s “About” page. So, when interviewers ask this, they aren't necessarily trying to gauge whether you understand the mission—they want to know whether you care about it. Start with one line that shows you understand the company's goals, using a couple key words and phrases from the website, but then go on to make it personal. Say, “I’m personally drawn to this mission because…” or “I really believe in this approach because…” and share a personal example or two.

The key is to focus on your achievable objectives and what you are doing to reach those objectives.

For example: "Within five years, I would like to become the very best accountant your company has on staff. I want to work toward becoming the expert that others rely upon. And in doing so, I feel I'll be fully prepared to take on any greater responsibilities which might be presented in the long term. For example, here is what I'm presently doing to prepare myself…"

To be completely effective in any company, the candidate needs to feel passionate about what they are doing. Employees that settle eventually cost a company far more lost revenue than the hour wasted on interviewing the wrong person.

How you explain your biggest weakness is one of the most telling interview questions of all. "Interviewees show up thinking they should just be talking about what they're great at, but I'm more interested in where the gaps are and if they are self-critical,"

This is one of the most common interview questions overall! Recruiters usually don’t like to see gaps in your employment history. The best way to excuse a gap is to describe what you were up to in the meantime. A gap is not always a bad thing. You might have traveled, volunteered, started a successful blog, or learned new things through books or online courses. Always be honest. If you have a relevant reason why you were unemployed for a while, say it. Don’t make excuses and by no means say you were trying hard to find a job and you couldn’t get one. It’s always better to say you were unemployed by choice, and not because nobody wanted to hire you. Even unemployment has its perks. You should highlight that this period was enriching and worth it.

Being able to effectively work on a team is essential to landing a general manager position. Employers want to know that you can not only work well with others but that you can also step up within a group by taking initiative.

"At a previous job, there was one night where the manager had to leave early for a family emergency. Since the store was new and most of us hadn't closed up alone, no one felt sure what to do. Instead of waiting for someone else to step up, I embraced the role of leader and organized the other employees into teams and then delegated the closing chores to the different groups."

Yes. Give examples that relate to your current job.

Avoid, "I would like the job you advertised." Instead, give long-range goals.

Employees are investments, and you expect every employee to generate a positive return on his or her salary. (Otherwise why do you have them on the payroll?)

In every job some activities make a bigger difference than others. You need your HR team to fill job openings, but what you really want is for them to find the right candidates, because that results in higher retention rates, lower training costs, and better overall productivity.

You need your service techs to perform effective repairs, but what you really want is for those techs to identify ways to solve problems and provide other benefits -- in short, to build customer relationships and even generate additional sales.

The hiring manager is trying to get at your underlying motivations for wanting this job. Are you here just for a paycheck or do you see yourself becoming an integral part of the company and growing along with it? You need to show them that you want to become “part of the family”.

At the same time however, show how your “wants” coincide with their “needs”.

For a more thorough look at this question, read our “why do you want to work for us” blog post.

First of all, be honest (remember, if you get this job, the hiring manager will be calling your former bosses and co-workers!). Then, try to pull out strengths and traits you haven't discussed in other aspects of the interview, such as your strong work ethic or your willingness to pitch in on other projects when needed.

Talk about books, sports or films to show that you have balance in your life.

"I see three areas of interest..." Relate those to the position and industry.