1. What is a behavioral interview?

In behavioral Interview, the interviewer would let you put forward some specific examples from your past experiences or analysis of some perspectives and make a conclusion right on-the-spot. The main purpose of behavioral Interview is to find out how the candidates acted in specific employment-related situations and determined if the candidates have qualified the requirement for the position.

Generally there are always 2 or 3 interviewers in a behavioral interview. The duration of behavioral interview would roughly about 30 minute to 90 minutes. Begin with a self-introduction of the candidate, after that the interviewer would look into candidate’s competencies, such as leadership, communication skills, etc. Candidate should proved some examples to demonstrate his knowledge, skills, and abilities.

After the candidate finished his statement, the interviewer would ask some questions in details, in order to find out how accurately these statements and examples would reflect the candidate’s competencies for the position. For example, there is observably a marked difference in leadership ability between you have led a 3-member team and you have led a 30-member team. Occasionally the interviewer would let you put forward another one or two examples. In General there are three reasons: Firstly, prevent fabricating a story; Secondly the interviewer think that this example was not enough to demonstrate the candidate’s ability; thirdly this is a good example, but the interviewer hope to get more relevant examples, thus could give a more comprehensive evaluation to the candidate’s ability. After finished all the questions, sometimes the interviewer will allow the candidate to ask them some questions. 

2. Why would an employer use behavioral interview?

Behavioral interview is a structured interview based on the logic that  "similar conditions, how you behaved in the past will predict how you will behave in the future". According to such an assumption, interviewer will find out the characteristics and qualities of candidates from their past behaviors, ideas, feelings and the meaning of the literal, then they would compared these qualities with the "successful qualities" which have been summed up beforehand, finally come to the conclusion that if the candidates have qualified the requirement for the position.

"Successful qualities" varies in different company and often have relationship with the company culture, business and applied departments. How ever, there are also some "successful qualities" which are similar at most companies.

3. Which qualities are crucial in behavioral interview?

Leadership

Interviewers expect the candidate could give an example to illustrate his leadership ability. The common question is: "Please give an example to show that you have led a team to complete a project and was finally successful."

Teamwork

The common question is: "Please give me an example of how you finished a project with teamwork". Teamwork can be elaborated from several different perspectives. Candidate should consider all these different perspectives in his answer.

Problem solving

Common question is: "Please give me an example of how you solve a difficult problem". When you entered a company, the problem solving ability is an essential quality, so it is also the key facts need to be inspected in the interview.

Creativity

Common question is: "Please give me an example of your creative play a important role in a project and cause the project to be successful finally." With this question, the interviewers inspect that if the candidates have the ability combination of practical applications and creativity, but not a pure illusion.

Last update: 06-08-2007

Last update: 05-05-2007

What is your biggest weakness?

This is one of those difficult interview questions that interviewers ask from time to time. The way you handle your response to the question might be as important if not more important than what you actually say.

The question is how to answer the question without making it look like you have a weakness that might prevent you from getting hired.

At the same time, you don’t want to mention a weakness that isn’t really a weakness and simply tell the interviewer what you think they want to hear.

Trust me, an experienced interviewer has heard every clichéd answer to this question and will know when you are feeding them a line.

The purpose of asking this question is firstly to see how you handle a stress question and secondly how you actually respond to it.

Here are some guidelines for responding when an interviewer asks what about your biggest weakness:

1. Answer the question honestly. It’s always best to answer any interview question honestly (obviously) but this is an especially important one. Making up a weakness that isn’t really a weakness will most likely be very noticeable to the interviewer. If they think you are lying, they may ask you for another weakness which will cause you even more trouble trying to think of one off the top of your head.

2. Don’t mention a big weakness that could cost you the job. Your goal here isn’t to lie of course, it’s simply to present yourself as best you can. We all have weaknesses but it doesn’t mean we tell an interviewer everything that we do wrong. If for example you are interviewing for a project manager job, it’s probably best not to mention that you have trouble getting along with people since you’re going to be constantly working with others.

3. Don’t evade the question. Don’t try to avoid answering the question. Also be careful about giving a clichéd weakness (ie. I work too hard) and then quickly stating how you deal with it. That looks too scripted and the interviewer has probably heard it one million times before. Admitting a real weakness but then stating what you are doing to improve yourself is preferable ie. “My presentation skills are not as strong as I’d like so I signed up for weekend presentation skills classes and also joined a Toastmasters club.” Remember that the specific job you are interviewing for will help to determine how you answer the question.

4.Keep your answer factual and brief. Typically, stress questions such as these that put us on the spot tend to cause us to ramble on and speak for longer than we should especially if we’re nervous. The best way to answer the question is to be well prepared and to know how you are going to answer the question before the interview. This will avoid you trying to think off the top of your head and saying more than you need to which could hurt your chances of getting the job.

5. Be careful about using “my biggest weakness is my biggest strength” as your response. Saying that “I’m a perfectionist” or something like that is another of those clichéd answers that people often give to this question. It will probably come across as being scripted and the interviewer will most likely determine that you got the answer from an interview tips book.

Carl Mueller is an Internet entrepreneur and professional recruiter who has written an ebook for career-minded individuals: http://www.recruitersecretsrevealed.com/

Recruiter Secrets Revealed sheds light on job search and career management "secrets" that you can use to supercharge your career and distinguish yourself from other job searchers.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carl_Mueller

Last update: 15-09-2007

Last update: 15-09-2007

Deployment Engineering Manager
EA Mobile
Montreal, Canada

Electronic Arts (EA) Mobile is the world's leading publisher of interactive Mobile entertainment software for cell phones, smart phones, and advanced handheld devices such as iPods. With the worldwide market rapidly approaching 1 billion handsets, how would you like to join a team committed to staying at the cutting edge of interactive entertainment? EA Mobile is a true leader within the EA family, with the business model that dominates the wireless entertainment market.

Position Summary:

As a Deployment Engineering Manager at EA Mobile Montreal, you will be responsible for managing a porting team to ensure they have the proper plan, resources and information to deliver maximum quality in our titles to be launched worldwide. You will work closely with various teams including Development, Technology, Production and worldwide Deployment/QA to improve our efficiency, quality and time-to-market. You will be taking a leadership role at various stages of production, and more specifically from the beta phase to the continuous deployment of games on global handset launches and special projects.

Responsibilities:
• Review game specifications, complete technical analysis and control implementation to insure adequate balance between quality/time/cost of porting our products.
• Maintain, build and evolve the porting processes and systems (with Technology team).
• Drive and motivate team to deliver, provide leadership and mentoring in the programming/debugging tasks and coding standards.
• Perform administrative tasks: hiring/terminating, performance reviews and personnel issues.
• Directly responsible for adhering to all company policies and procedures.

Qualifications:
• Project Management or team leadership experience
• Strong multitasking, follow through, communication and organizational skills
• Hands-on experience with wireless technologies and devices, an asset
• Strong knowledge of C++ and Java.
• Strong skills in software design and OO concepts.
• Able to detect defects and bad software practices through code reviews and to propose improvements.
• Strong analysis and debugging skills.
• Focus on quality at all stages of production.
• Able to adapt to constrained software platforms.
• Able to adapt to a constrained schedule and perform under pressure.
• Strong communication skills in French and English.
• Game industry experience, an asset.
• 8 years of experience required.

EA:It's in the game.

Please apply online (Req # 16193): www.jobs.ea.com

Please note that only short listed candidates will be contacted for an interview.

Last update: 28-07-2007

Why Use Resume Objectives

Before we can discuss the pitfalls you first need to understand the reasons for including your resume objectives and how they relate to your resume and interview selection process.

Including an objectives section at the beginning of your resume provides a brief introduction to the purpose of the resume, highlighting your career objectives and the type of job you are seeking.

It is very common for job-seekers to include a brief objectives section at the beginning of their resume The objectives section can be an important part of a resume, and might be the first thing employers looks at. Therefore you should put considerable thought into constructing focused and clear objectives.

Look At These Resume Objective Examples

A resume objective does exactly what the name suggests; it highlights your objectives and states the type of job you are seeking.

Here are some examples of career objectives:

· To obtain an elementary education teaching position with upward mobility to a principalship.

· To obtain a position in manufacturing operations and development which will utilize acquired knowledge and collective experience.

· Public relations writer for a large metropolitan hospital. · Auditor position in the public accounting field in the Philadelphia area.

As you can see, the objectives are short and sweet; meaning they are to the point in describing the purpose of creating your resume.

Doorway To The Interview... Resumes

What is a resume... usually it is the first contact you have with potential employers. It is also where you list your skills and create a marketable presentation so that companies understand the benefits of employing you.

Your resume is also the first (and possibly the last!) opportunity you have to persuade your prospective employer to give you an interview.

Clearly... it is in your best interests to ensure your resume is compelling enough to leave the recruiter with no other option but to invite you to an interview.

If you want to learn more about writing resumes that get interviews, visit a site such as Top Career Resumes where you will find numerous articles and tips.

Or, if you prefer... a cost effective alternative is to use a resume writing service to prepare your resume for you.

Pitfalls of Using Resume Objectives

You may have noticed that all previous references to objectives focus on you and therein lies the pitfall !

Employers are not interested in what you want ...

If your objectives fail to match those of the employer, you will not even get to first base ! So keep your options open until you find out more about their objectives.

Some people decide to omit the objectives section and use that space to highlight other abilities and accomplishments. Whether you choose to use resume objectives or not will depend greatly on your particular situation.

Reasons Against ...

A few experts feel that the resume objectives section can be limiting to job seekers. It makes you be very specific as to your goals. This may be constraining if you want to be general and leave your options open.

Employers on average take only 30 seconds to look at a resume. The objectives section is the first thing that catches their eye. If you have a specific objective written, for example to obtain a managerial position, the manager may pass on your resume if he was looking for some other position.

If you are thinking about getting a professionally written resume, now would be a good time.

However, remember that the objectives section can disqualify you for jobs different from your stated objective... if you are not looking for a targeted job you can skip the section without many negative consequences.

It would be advisable to skip the resume objective section rather than be too vague. Unfocused objectives will put off many hiring managers. They may not end up looking at your experience and skills, which would of shown you to be a suitable candidate for the job.

Reasons For ...

If you do include your resume objectives, you should construct several different resumes, each specifically tailored to the job you are applying for. You will want to make your resume relevant to each job. The objectives section may be the best way to create job specific resumes.

A draw back of not including the objectives section is that a hiring manager may not be willing to search your resume to figure out your job objectives and goals... and may bypass your resume.

If you have a specific job position in mind and are clear about your objectives, this section can be useful in informing potential employers about your reasons for applying.

In either case, it may pay you to seek professional advice before you make your final decision. The modest cost of doing this pales into insignificance compared with the cost of making a poor career decision.

Stating Your Resume Objectives

This has greatest benefits for career changers and recent college graduates. Your objectives should be concise and to the point, to quickly inform employers about your background and goals.

Entry-level workers can state in their resume objectives that they are recent graduates looking for positions in their particular field. Career changers should state how they can use their previously earned skills to make a transition into their new career.

Be Employer Focused

An alternative to resume objectives might be the ‘Qualifications Summary’ section. This is a section where you can briefly discuss your skills and how you intend to use them.

This can make your resume more employer focused, as the employer wants to find out what you can do for them. This might be more beneficial than having a self-focused resume, simply listing what you want to do.

Many employers prefer to have employees that are focused on their goals and motivated to achieving them. A well presented objective can be just the high-impact tool that can get a hiring manager’s attention from the start.

Finally ...

When writing your resume objectives you have to consider your career plans. If you have not already done so, now would be a good time to get assistance with career assessment and planning.

When you have completed your planning and taken some time to match your interests with your chosen career, your resume objectives should complement the results you obtained through your searches.

Roger Clark (BSc) has over 25 years experience in career development & recruitment at a senior level through top management positions he has held with major international companies.

You can visit his "Top Career Resumes" website for a wealth of top quality information relating to the employment market.

http://www.top-career-resumes.com/

http://www.top-career-resumes.com/resume-objectives

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Roger_Clark
 

Last update: 15-09-2007