markewicken in Job InterviewTips and Advice

3 things every interviewer wants to know

Unhappy college grad

Graduates need to know… interview questions are designed to determine 3 things. This is what the interviewer need to know:

1. Can you do the job?

2. Will you fit in the company?

3. Do you want the job?

The answer to the first question is “yes.” The interviewer knows you are right out of school. The interviewer knows your qualifications. The interviewer has seen your resumé. Why would a company interview you if they did not think you were qualified? You can do the job. You are qualified…that’s why you are in the interview.

Will you fit in the company? This is a judgment call based on personal chemistry and the way you behave in the interview. The interviewer will want to know if you are the kind of person they would like to work with and the kind others would like to work with.

Do you want the job? The reason you are there is to convince the interviewer you can make a contribution and that you want the job.

Therefore, understanding what the interview is trying to determine will help you prepare for your interview.

Next Read: The 12 cardinal sins of resumé writing »

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markewicken: Mark Wicken is a marketing professional with over 30 years of advertising, communications and strategic planning experience within the retail and packaged goods industries. He has been a senior member of agency management teams with both account and brand management responsibilities. His strengths have always been on innovative thinking, solid organization and strong interpersonal skills. Starting in the advertising agency industry, Mark held senior account management positions at several multinational agencies including Leo Burnett, Foster, Caledon, Vickers & Benson and Saffer Advertising, and has been responsible for the management of accounts like IBM, McDonald’s, Esso and General Motors. Mark moved from his agency roles to the Client side and held the position of Divisional Vice President of Marketing for Domino’s Pizza International and Director of Marketing for KFC, Hardee’s and Sbarro restaurants in the Middle East. In 2002 he established The Mark Wicken Group, a business specializing in executive search, training and consulting within the marketing, advertising and communications industries. In addition to executive search, Mark has devoted much of his lifetime to teaching, education and youth development. He is President of MusicFest Canada ‘The Largest Annual Music Festival in North America’ and has been an instructor at the International Academy of Design and The Toronto Film School since 1998. Mark graduated from The University of Toronto, took post-graduate studies at Northwestern University, and is married with two sons.