I wonder whether a recruiter ask past employer to make a right decision making process when there are competitiveness among candidates to choose. But by asking the past employer we could get a point plus of their figures. These are good questions a recruiter may ask past employers :

Administrative Support Staff

• Does the individual typically adhere strictly to job duties, or does he/she assume responsibilities beyond the basic, written job description?
• Please comment on the person’s ability to accept constructive criticism.
• How does he/she handle interruptions, breaks in routine and last minute changes?

Professional/Technical Candidates

• How would you grade the candidate’s capacity for analytical thinking and problem solving?
• Does the individual need close supervision to excel, or does he/she take more of an autonomous, independent approach to work?
• How effective is the candidate at delivering bad news? Will he/she typically assume responsibility for things gone wrong?

Other reference to ask about :

• The quality of the applicant’s work
• The applicant’s ability to get along well with others
• Whether or not the applicant had a good attitude and was motivated
• Whether or not the applicant was honest
• The reason the applicant left that job
• Whether or not the past employer would hire the applicant again

For candidates, If your dreaming company runs this decision making process, make sure each your resignation process run smoothly so you could get a point plus to compete other candidates.

Read More...

Completing articles about interview question that the most keyword to search in internet by fresh graduated. Here is for reference another way a recruiter get figures of candidates. Some companies run a structure interview that process generally as follow.

Introduction

• What attracted you to our company (this position)?
• How did you hear about the job opening?

Learn about a Candidate’s Most Recent Job

• What were your areas of responsibility at your last job?
• What did you find most satisfying about the job? Why?
• What did you find most frustrating about the job? Why? How did you deal with these frustrations?
• If we were to ask your last employer about your abilities, what would she or he say?
  

Work Experience

• How has your work experience prepared you for this job?
• Describe for me one or two of your greatest accomplishments your biggest disappointments.
• What has been the most significant challenge you have managed? How did you manage it?
• What qualities can you bring to this position?

Assess a Candidate’s Skills

• Do you consider yourself a self-starter? If so, explain why. Give examples.
• What is your greatest strength that would benefit our organization?
• How have you positively influenced others to get a job done?
• Tell me about a time you made a decision quickly.

Assess a Candidate’s Style

• Of all the jobs you have had, which did you like the most? Why?
• Do you prefer working in groups or alone?
• How much direction and feedback do you need to be successful?
• Describe a work group experience that you found rewarding.
• What things frustrate you the most at work? How do you cope with them?

Career Aspirations and Goals

• Why are you leaving your present job?
• How does this job fit into your overall career plans?
• Where do you see yourself three years from now? Five years from now?
• What would you most like to accomplish if you got this job?

Education

• What special aspects of your education, experience, or training have prepared you for this job?
• In what areas would you most need (like) additional training if you got this job?
• What aspects of your education or training will be useful for this job?
• What are your educational goals?

Closing

• Are there any additional aspects of your qualifications that we have not covered that would be relevant to the position we are discussing?
• What questions do you have about our organization?

OK…!!! That’s All I can share about and hope you might be ready for interview at any time. Be confident, be smart and be recruited.

Read More...

• Did you just attend a recruitment selection class..?

• Did you just answer some of question in interview session to your dreaming company..?

• Did you get tongue tight to tell a 6 months a go story about success..?

Well.., Those all questions are as simple as your mom tell story of children before you go to bed. In this session you just need to focus on one specific events, take your mind back in the past, then tell them all enthusiasticly. But, it sometimes takes time to track back while you are telling the story.

Just learn these questions and find the answers by tracking back the event in the 6 or 12 months a go. By doing so, hoping you would be more ready to have a competency interview base on event you have experienced.

This question is developed by job competency required in a position offered. Job competencies are the skills and personal characteristics that an individual should possess in order to be successful in a position. I hope they will be helpful as you begin the process of developing your interview answers through the question bellow.

Leadership

Uses appropriate interpersonal styles and methods to guide individuals or groups toward achieving results.

The Interviewer's questions can be :

• Describe a situation in which you had to gain cooperation of others outside of your organization where you had no direct authority. What were the challenges and how did you overcome them?
• Have you ever developed a mission statement for your organization? How did you go about it?

Management Skills

Motivates, trains, and develops a diverse workforce and provides an environment conducive to achievement and growth

The Interviewer's questions can be :

• Describe a personnel problem you had recently. How did you handle it and what was the outcome?
• What methods do you use to accomplish the projects that add value to your organization?
• Give me an example of a performance issue in your organization and how you managed it.

Team Building/Team Work

Promotes cooperation within the department and in interactions with other departments. Values differences among team members and can manage work groups with diverse influences.

The Interviewer's questions can be :

• Tell me about a task force or project team that you were a member of and the role you played in that group.
• Give me an example of a difficult situation with another department that you need to work with regularly and how you resolved it.
  

Achievement Oriented

Identifies and accomplishes challenging objectives or personal goals.

The Interviewer's questions can be :

• What risks were you willing to take to achieve goals you set for yourself?
• Describe your future goals and the steps you plan on taking to reach these goals.
• Explain a project you undertook o your own initiative that made a major impact on your department.

For other typically interviewer’s competency questions would be written soon, just visit this blog regularly and happy searching job in your dreaming company.

Read More...

Last week…, I arranged a recruitment for hunting fresh graduate in UGM cooperate with CDC – UGM. Advertisement had been launched since first week of March 2008 and hoping to get many candidates to process in written test.

As usual, I outsourced paper selection process to CDC- UGM base on our requirement stated in vacancy advertisement. There was some positions to fill, such as Maintenance Engineer, Sales Engineer, Service Analyst and Technical Instructor which required spread out of Java Division and Kalimantan Division. It is around Jakarta, Cilegon, Surabaya, Semarang, Batam and also Samarinda

There were 130 candidates attended written test process, which divided in two session, in the morning and in the day. From first session 24 candidates passed to join competency interview and the second session passed about 32 candidates which some of them will be interviewed in third day, cause the second day has been full scheduled for 24 candidates, and the rest was arranged to interview in the next week by Human Resource Head Office.

In this event, I and friend of mine were surprised to candidates that we interviewed, most of them getting a high GPA, average 3,3 of 4 scale but the way they answer of our question were not representative as university graduation, moreover for those who has organization experience. My friend didn’t believe about this condition was calling one his friend who school for UGM in 1990 just to inform and share what happen to her younger class brother and sister.

Well, it doesn’t mean underestimate the graduation of UGM who has a big name among universities around Indonesia…but this is the fact… we find a low level competencies of candidates required by the position we offered, especially for Maintenance Engineer and Sales Engineer. We just tried to dig for some competencies such as Core Competencies which consist of Committed to Customer, Driving for Best Result, Strive for Quality , Practical Ethical Leadership, Committed to Organization Ethic, Committed to Learn and also General and Functional Competencies.

When I told this condition to CDC-UGM administration staff , and she also confirmed about this and this complaint raised from other companies that recruit from UGM. Hope this condition is realized by all concern.

Read More...

How many times have you attended a psychological test ...? and how times you regret for the result. So many recruiters which consider their candidates from intelligent quotient only. In the mean time, another company has tried to use other tools in recruiting. They are using a competency base interview to figure their candidates after some written tests.


To those are still facing a traditional recruitment which only have a psychological test. Try this games to measure where your level is. Or you have ever see this material test..?


This material test is relatively the same as progressive matrix of raven. Try this before have a test....:)..:)...:), but don't ask me if you are still failure.

Disclaimer in highly On.. Read More...

I have just conducted recruitment process supported by Career Development Center - Gadjah Mada University. We're recruiting candidate for Management Trainee positions that planned on board for development program in Sept 17, 2007. Those all were about 100 applicants sent application to CDC-UGM, then filtered as requirement for management trainee, the first written test was attended by 80 applicants.
It is my yearly agenda to search candidates for any kind of position in the business unit. Even though we conducted it in UGM, actually it is open for all students from other universities as long as meet the requirement stated in vacancy advertisement. I also welcome both fresh graduate and experience applicants to apply for any position such as Management Trainee, Sales Representative, Parts Analyst.
The main position is Management Trainee while the others that unmatched for management trainee consider for Sales Representative, Parts Analyst within my business unit.
From several experiences of recruiting in UGM which consist of some applicants from different universities, students from UGM is a majority. But when I advertised vacant position for Safety Officer in UNS (Univesitas Negeri Surakarta) and UGM, applicants from UNS was the most. It shows me interesting of the student for the position offered from different university is different.
One thing was unique, almost of application letter of candidates were the same format each others. What's up mates...? It seems our graduation of D3 is not creative any more just to make application letter..?
I just want to share and remind. When we apply to any kind of organization, we do need to show our value, skill, knowledge and experience that related to position applied. I think it would be different content of paragraph application letter for different position and different company. It doesn't mean inconsistency of content, but we are telling our strength to impressed and convince the reader.
Remember...front page of your application only has chance for 5 seconds to influence reader to open next page. So.. make your application letter impressed. Read More...