Difficult Interview Questions and Winning Answers (part II)

[blooming]

i once resigned kasi na walang kapalit na work because i didn't want to be assigned abroad for a long time (baliktad ako than most). does that make me irresponsible also even if i gave due notice and made sure i finished my project before i left? luckily i found a new job 2 weeks later and sa tingin ko di naman nila naisip yon as being irresponsible kasi almost 5 years na ako sa kanila.

i think this reason is one of those situations whereby the employer may take as okay.  obvious naman, personal reason na ayaw mo ma assign abroad.  and for me, ok na reason sya.  but puede din ayaw ng ibang employer at minsan hanap nila flexibility ng assignment - depende sa position din at employer.

[o_O]

if you are looking to move to a company that's relatively more stable than your old, i think that reason is valid but i won't say it that way.

for example, you're moving from semicon to let's say pharma, you may say that you're looking for a more stable environment, something that's "recession-proof" in a way. but you really have to do your research about the company you're applying for to be able to say they are "better" at this time of recession.

actually, they're both multi-national company but napapansin ko lately, masyado kami (employees) tinitipid..nasa BPO company actually ako and I think stable naman kasi andaming incoming accounts, feeling ko, they're taking advantage of the "recession period" para makatipid ng makatipid, sinasabing tinamaan din kami ng recession where infact, hindi naman. Mas kapanipaniwala kasi kasi world-wide. Pero nasabi ko lang na mas inaalagaan nitong another company yugn employees nila kasi I have a friend who works there and as in pati pension nila, pinaguusapan..so they really care for the employees' future.

as regards expected salary, you may want to back read as this has been discussed just recently. i used to quote an expected salary in gross amount but now i quote the net amount. i have a 15% tax rate kasi so if i give my gross asking, ang dating prang sobrang taas pero kasi kaya mataas kasi i anticipate regular tax rate vs my current 15% tax rate.

actually, i read all pages sis, the reason i asked lang kasi dati, when they asked my expected salary, aba! yun ang binigay! (e yung sinasabi ko na expected, net yun di gross...e yun ang binigay as gross) so syempre may mga less pa yun..so di ko tinanggap kasi ambaba.  so ano kaya best na sabihin ko na current salary: gross or net? 

yung dinagdagdag ng hiring company sa current salary ng applicant walang hard and fast rule. case to case talaga. the highest jump i've ever made in terms of percentage was an increase of 100%.

wow!!  how did u do that? any tips?
e what if yung inaapplyan kong position, totally different from my experience, does that mean I'll start from the bottom (ie freshgrad rate) since yung experience ko e not related to the position i'm applying for?

"Are you willing to do other jobs not in your job description?" - depends ha. our job description kasi, when we break down responsibilities, laging may catch all na "anything that may be assigned" pero syempre within reason.

so ok lang ba sabihin dito sis na "if its reasonable, why not?" hehe

"what can you say about jobs w/ a lot of over-time work?" - depends din. why is there overtime work? is it because of an ineffective manager? is it because of an inefficient employee? is it part of the job (like for accounting during busy season pag malapit na mag-april). pero ako personally, ayaw ko mag-overtime unless it is absolutely necessary. i do my best to manage my tasks so i can work efficiently and effectively within an 8-hour day. now if i need to join a telecon at 8pm because of time difference considerations, i wouldn't mind. mga ganon. pero case to case basis talaga.

what if kasi this company is known to pay very high salary coz they're also known to make SULIT of every employee kaya OT to the max? what's the best answer for it if they asked you if ok lang mag OT regularly w/o OT pay?

[blooming]

Hindi ko maintindihan ito. Anong kayang gawin sa previous company? I mean walang kapalit o malilipatan na work, hindi walang kapalit na employee. Siyempre it follows that I did proper turnover work.

Una kasi sa mga sinasabi ko eh nakakahiya naman sa employer ko kung leave ako ng leave para magpa-interview sa ibang company, di ba?

then there you go! you have your answer! I thought kasi nagtatanong ka, at gusto mo makipag diskusyon, pero may sagot ka na pala.  so ok na yun, kung sa tingin mo yun naman pala ang tama. Bottomline naman, kayo naman magdecide on your own. posts here are merely opinion ng iba ibang tao. no one is an expert here. kayo parin ang makakaalam what's best for you.

[blooming]

what do you mean by forced resignation? akala ko nag-resign ka kasi ayaw mo yung boss mo and you were "forced" kasi aya mo na talaga? or did the company force you to resign?

oo nga, may point ka sis. may confusion nga siguro sa ibig sabihin ng forced resignation.

mali nga siguro intindi ko. kasi for me once you say forced resignation = more likely may issue ang employee with the company/boss, na tipong kung hindi sya magresign, i-f-fire sya

[clueless]

o_O, ang hirap nyan kasi ako nga nasa oil and gas industry and we all know hindi lugi last year pero to some extent nagtitipid pa din. kasi syempre the higher the return, the better din for the company.

ang mga naisip ko lang na sagot - you're looking for stability, or maybe you can say your goals are not in line with the company's goals, or your values are not in line with the companies values, or professional growth? haha. sorry, not helping.

gross or net - when i quote an amount, i say X pesos net. i explicitly say "net".

that 100% increase from job A to job B was not high in terms of amount ha. mataas lang in terms of percentage. don't have any tips here, nagkataon lang yung skills ko super nag-match sa hinahanap nila. that was back in 2001.

sa tingin ko if you're changing career paths, your prospective job is totally not in line with your current, you might need to take a pay cut because you have to prove yourself again and build your expertise. parang entry-level and labas.

what if kasi this company is known to pay very high salary coz they're also known to make SULIT of every employee kaya OT to the max? what's the best answer for it if they asked you if ok lang mag OT regularly w/o OT pay?

parang alam ko to. starts with an A ba?  if yes, and masasabi ko lang, i personally do not like that company because of what you said and that is what a lot of people say also. i turned them down twice.

[o_O]

o_O, ang hirap nyan kasi ako nga nasa oil and gas industry and we all know hindi lugi last year pero to some extent nagtitipid pa din. kasi syempre the higher the return, the better din for the company.

ang mga naisip ko lang na sagot - you're looking for stability, or maybe you can say your goals are not in line with the company's goals, or your values are not in line with the companies values, or professional growth? haha. sorry, not helping.

naloka ata ako dito..hahaha! syempre baka sagutin ako na why did u work for them in the first place if your goal is not in line w/ the company's goal? hahaha..but thanks for trying to help sis, really appreciate it 

sa tingin ko if you're changing career paths, your prospective job is totally not in line with your current, you might need to take a pay cut because you have to prove yourself again and build your expertise. parang entry-level and labas.

aww...would you have an idea what's the going rate ngayon sa P&G or Unilab pag entry level (not necessarily fresh grad, mga 3yrs work experience but BPO company) also, baka may alam ka ok na depts dun to try? Gusto ko lang talaga mag change path eh..di ko feel ang BPO sa future ko, gusto ko yung maraming travel perks sana..if meron

parang alam ko to. starts with an A ba?  if yes, and masasabi ko lang, i personally do not like that company because of what you said and that is what a lot of people say also. i turned them down twice.

hehe, hindi...P&G actually tinutukoy ko..sabi nila, they're known for making sulit their employees coz they pay reasonably high raw..kaya I'm eyeing that company..sana lang pumasa.

[blooming]

naloka ata ako LOL! syempre baka sagutin ako na why did u work for them in the first place if your goal is not in line w/ the company's goal? LOL..but thanks for trying to help sis, really appreciate it 

Malay mo ba!?    parang pang aasar na yang question na yan. pero you cant be too sure nga, better be prepared.

aww...would you have an idea what's the going rate ngayon sa P&G or Unilab pag entry level (not necessarily fresh grad, mga 3yrs work experience but BPO company) also, baka may alam ka ok na depts dun to try? Gusto ko lang talaga mag change path eh..di ko feel ang BPO sa future ko, gusto ko yung maraming travel perks sana..if meron
 hehe, hindi...P&G actually tinutukoy ko..sabi nila, they're known for making sulit their employees coz they pay reasonably high raw..kaya I'm eyeing that company..sana lang pumasa.

P&G -- hindi ba they limit their hiring from fresh grads fr 3 universities lang. balita ko they dont hire pag hindi fresh grad?

Know people fr P&G, and normally ganun nga yun, ayaw nila ng answers na hindi flexible, na ayaw ng OT, etc.  If you are not the type na not willing to work without OT pay tapos ganun ang company, but it is a sign na you should not consider that company. Totally hindi nagbabangga ang principles ninyo.

Tapos with all the people applying willing to do OT, vs someone not willing, I guess mas slim ang chances makapasok. hindi kaya?

[blooming]

actually, they're both multi-national company but napapansin ko lately, masyado kami (employees) tinitipid..nasa BPO company actually ako and I think stable naman kasi andaming incoming accounts, feeling ko, they're taking advantage of the "recession period" para makatipid ng makatipid, sinasabing tinamaan din kami ng recession where infact, hindi naman. Mas kapanipaniwala kasi kasi world-wide.

some companies, kahit hindi PA tinatamaan nagtitipid narin. Kasi puedeng delayed lang sila matamaan, or BAKA later. they are just making sure na hindi sila magiging tagilid in the future.  kaya lahat ng pagtitipid ginagawa nila.  pero you know what, basta ba nasa lugar. kung sobra kuripot, am sure people will complain and they will lose good people.  marealize din ng company what they should have done to keep good employees.

pero if you are not happy at yan nga nakikita mo, by all means, apply sa ibang better, then kung matanggap, go!

[clueless]

naloka ata ako LOL! syempre baka sagutin ako na why did u work for them in the first place if your goal is not in line w/ the company's goal? LOL..but thanks for trying to help sis, really appreciate it 

it is a valid reply. for example, nag reorg and nililipat ka sa position na hindi in line with the path you wish to take, your goals are no longer in line with the company's plan for you.

happened to me na once. they dissolved the SAP team and they moved us to another group. i didn't want to start again and wanted to continue being an SAP professional. i resigned and moved the that company that gave me a 100% increase.

when i resigned from my last job, same thing. their plan was to send me abroad, which was not in line with my plan. i left.

some may think of this as negative but for me, it shows that i have direction. i know what i want, i know where i want to go and i am doing something to get there.

plans change - yours and the company's and if it comes to a point that they are no longer aligned, why stay if it won't bring you any closer to your goal?

[desolate_cat]

oo nga, may point ka sis. may confusion nga siguro sa ibig sabihin ng forced resignation.

mali nga siguro intindi ko. kasi for me once you say forced resignation = more likely may issue ang employee with the company/boss, na tipong kung hindi sya magresign, i-f-fire sya

Sorry napaghalo ko. I meant 2 different situations.

1.) You were forced to resign kasi kung hindi, termination ang mangyayari.

2.) Hindi mo makasundo ang boss mo, kaya ka nagresign, pero hindi ka naman pinilit. Hindi ka na masaya sa work mo, tipong sa tingin mo eh hinahanapan ka na lang ng butas ng boss mo, puro negative ang nakikita sa iyo.

Again 2 different situations ito. Kaya nung naghahanap ka ng work, wala kang trabaho. Wala kang malilipatan na work pero umalis ka na kasi di mo na masikmura ang company/boss mo. Bottomline, di ka naghanap ng kapalit na trabaho.

Siyempre hindi mo sasabihin ito, pero ano ang magandang sabihin sa future employer. Why did you leave without looking for a job first?

[desolate_cat]

then there you go! you have your answer! I thought kasi nagtatanong ka, at gusto mo makipag diskusyon, pero may sagot ka na pala.  so ok na yun, kung sa tingin mo yun naman pala ang tama. Bottomline naman, kayo naman magdecide on your own. posts here are merely opinion ng iba ibang tao. no one is an expert here. kayo parin ang makakaalam what's best for you.

Yes, don't be offended ha. Hindi sa may sagot ako, ok ba yung ganung sagot sa mga HR? Yung sasabihin ko na nakakahiya naman na leave ako ng leave para mangpa-interview sa iba kaya nagresign na lang ako.

[jezamae]

question: how much salary are you asking for

answer: it depends on the annual total package offered for this position

consider the package instead of just the monthly salary.

consider this:
1. smart telecoms offers 19 to 22 months. guaranteed 13 months, one month for every quarter and the remaining months during year-end but now, they release this every march of the following year. then they give separation pay/benefit if you resign after at least 5 years. plus other benefits. so for a monthly salary of 20k x 22 months  = 484k annual package

2. philam is 16 months guaranteed. 2 months given midyear, usually may, and the other 2 months given on november, plus car loan, housing loan, computer loan, etc. so that's 20k x 16 mos = 320

3-lopez group gives guaranteed 14 months plus xmonths bonuses depending on the results of the operation of the company. abs cbn sometimes gives 20 months

4. some companies give straight 13 mos only but higher monthly pay. example 25k x 13 mos = 325

5. other companies and other positions give other benefits such as rice allowance of P1500 such systems or medical assistance in cash of 800pesos a month per employee plus 500 pesos per dependent up to 4 dependents

6. other companies offer tax shield. for example in i.t. companies, programmers are paid 90k a month and 20k of that is tax shield so they are requiered to submit gas and meal receipts

you have to compute the net pay, because the higher the annual package, the higher the tax bracket

bear in mind that it should be you take home pay

say, 'annual gross pay of 325k.' since tax rate is 50k plus 30%, net pay is 252.5k annualy. over 13 months =19.5k monthly net pay or gross pay of P25k (325k/13mos)

to compare with your current salary, if you like you job and the company you are working for right now, and that you are just exploring, add 50%
if you are actively looking because you are plainly bored with you current job, ask for 30% increase
if you are actively looking because you hate you current job. i'd say 10 to 20%

[jezamae]

re: alarm bell regarding applicants who are jobless or who resigned w/o a job yet

this is the true situation

whenever an employee resigns, and the employee is a valued employee, and the management was informed that the resigning employee has no new company to transfer to yet, the hrd will request to extend the 30-day notice. this because of time constraint. because this is the problem of hrd, time constraint to fill up the soon-to-be vacated position.

day 1 - employee resigns
day 2 to 15 - hrd process manpower request form, check payable to ads, post in jobstreet, newspaper. plus one week to collate qualified applicants
day 16 to 30 - hrd interviews applicants, endorse to requesting department then to top executive or department manager. then hrd ask qualified applicant to undergo medical then one week to wait for results. meanwhile the the applicant accepts job offer, inform her current employer she is resigning, current employer says 30 days notice but unsually negotiated to 15 to 21 days.
day 31 to 45 - the applicant reports for work. turnover starts

during the 45-day aiitng period, most, although i'd say all, resigning employees use their remaining sick/vacation/emergency leaves to apply. in 45 days, she should have a new job, processing a final interview, waiting for the final call, etc.

so if i interview applicants who are no longer working, i am careful and I watch and understand the whys. as mentioned in one post, taking care of a parent is understood, being assigned outside the country is also understood, relocation of one's residence is also understood.

[jezamae]

on single parent, especially a mother, with a young child

it is discriminatory and i will personally apologize for this

women employees with small children tend to be absent from work whenever her child gets sick, something happened at school, the yaya leaves them. it is very seldom that it's the dad who takes care of the house and the child when there is no yaya, or the child is sick. and a child who is less than 3 years old needs the mother's attention more often than the older ones. so if the applicant is a single mother, with a young child, her application papers gets to the bottom, unless of course she has very impressive credentials that will help her application

some companies are considerate and are compassionate

[jezamae]

mga sis sa case ko naman kasi is, wala akong current job and wala din exp 

if you are currently jobless and also w/o experience on the position you are applying for, medyo mababa ang bargaining power. so it's hard to ask for a higher salary. but at least try to know the industry rate. and pagbutihin ang interview

[clueless]

question: how much salary are you asking for

answer: it depends on the annual total package offered for this position

consider the package instead of just the monthly salary.

pretty good tips you got there.

i agree with evaluating the entire package and not just the base pay. but you can do this lang once you get an offer. sometimes when you get asked how much your expected salary is, you don't really know what kind of package the company has or is going to offer. your suggested %ages are helpful. is this based on some sort of study or HR standards?

[jezamae]

pretty good tips you got there.

i agree with evaluating the entire package and not just the base pay. but you can do this lang once you get an offer. sometimes when you get asked how much your expected salary is, you don't really know what kind of package the company has or is going to offer. your suggested %ages are helpful. is this based on some sort of study or HR standards?

thanks sis

when the interviewer asks, how much is your asking salary? the appicant can say, it actually depends on the total company package which includes other benefits. may i know what are the benefits that form part of this package aside from the base pay?

usually, during interviews, hrd discuss other benefits that form part of the package. if hrd forgot to discuss this, the applicant may ask, and hrd appreciates when applicant ask about it. this means that the applicant is interested

i don't know of any industry rate, but we at hr, consider 50% as the standard rate for any job transfer. 50% as payment for the acquired skills and attended training. as applicant ourselves, we won't transfer to another company if the total package is less than plus 50% of our current job

if you upgrade yourself, you can ask for 100% increase. for example you were hired as junior staff in your current company. two to three years later, you are handling senior staff functions even if the position was not given to you. kumbaba t.y. na lang. then you you became part of a team that handles, certain hr projects like pulling off company actvities or restructuring of a certain department and you acquired new skills by being part of this team. then let's say, you had some mba units,  you can apply and ask for 100% increase with one level higher position.

[jezamae]

mga sis, ask ko lang kasi dito din ako hirap: kasi ok naman yung skills ko tapos kaya ko naman iexplain thorough yung dating work ko. tapos pag nalaman na nila na may baby na ako and were not married parang na tuturn-off na sila? feeling ko lang. pero pag tinatanong nila if ever i will be hired who will take care of my baby. sabi ko he has his own maid and rest assured it won't hinder my performance. tapos ayun wala na. di na nila ako tinatawagan ulit???  bakit kaya? may discrimination na ba sa mga single parent? eh di naman ako single parent.  hay. 

sis, i hope i can help here.

the interviewer needs to hear assurance from you that whatever happens at home, you can always report for work. so the answer is stability and family support at home

some of the answers that will assure the interviewer is when you say that your mom lives with you and she, aside from the yaya/maid,  takes care of you child. you may also add that your house is close to the house of your parents. or that the child is your parent's first or favorite grandchild and that they always take care of your child. or that your child is a very healthy child and was never sick.

you have to assure the interviewer that you can handle you job regardless of what happens at home. so picture it for them the way they want it

[clueless]

^^ so you mean it's actually a good thing to ask about compensation even at the first stages of the process? i get turned off kasi when an applicant asks eh kasi parang it's some sort of indication that he/she is interested in the money more than the work. having said that, if it's me naman who's being interviewed, i leave those kinds of questions for later - like when i've seen the offer na.

though when i get asked din about expected salary, i give a figure but i say it's negotiable because i evaluate the entire package.

that 50% baseline for increase, is it "proper" to say that lang up to a certain amount? if you're in the 6-digit category and are just moving jobs, is 50% still ok? i mean not garapal (for lack of a better term)?

before i reached the 6-digit mark, 50% was also more or less my standard eh but now parang feeling ko nakaka-turn off if i still use that.

time to brush up on my interview tactics eh. contract is expiring end of the year eh so time to look for a new job in case i don't get renewed.

[jezamae]

hi! ask ko lang po kayo. i'm currently working sa family biz namin, pero nagpla-plan na ko magapply at mag-work na sa iba. yung work ko sa family biz namin medyo all around sya e - order taking, scheduling of deliveries, monitoring of inventories, purchasing of stocks, pati magpasweldo at magdeposit sa bangko e ginagawa ko - ang question ko e anung Job Title ang tama or fit dito? sorry ang babaw ata ng tanong ko, di ko kasi alam kung ano ilalagay ko sa resume ko. Purchaser ba or planner or inventory controller? TIA 

sis, you may say, general support staff for your general resume. but i recommend that you use the appropriate position in the resume that you are applying for. if you are applying for an inventory position, use inventory officer/staff and list down your duties under this position then at the bottom write down the other duties. if you are applying as a purchaser, list down the purchasing staff functions followed by other positions. upon receipt of resume, applicants are screened based on the relevance of experience to the position. then just explain during the interview. just emphasize that since it's a family-owned company, you are doing multi-tasking but your focus is on the functions of the position that you are applying for