Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Week 3 Exploration: Interview Questions

     These were the top questions I liked from what I saw. Know a few of the questions that might be asked of you can really help you to prepare for an interview. You still need to know how the think in the moment and really listen to what is being asked. But having something prepared can give you a little more confidence when sitting down for the interview.

1.     Which blogs do you read       
a.     I liked this question because if you are in the media industry you should be reading other peoples work. It is important to know what your community is discussing.
b.     Knowing what you read could give an employer an idea of your writing interests. As a sort of video columnist it would be beneficial for Zuffa to know where there candidates interests are.
2.     What is your proofreading process?
a.     Proofreading and quality checks are pretty similar. The question could easily be interpreted as How do you quality check your work.
b.     With a fast turnaround on clips and live shows all the time the margin for error is pretty small. UFC has a need for quality video with little proofing time.
3.     What operating systems and programs do you use?
a.     Any job involving media should ask this question.
b.     There are vast differences in some of the operating systems out there and the programs available are even more diverse. If UFC uses Apple products and all you know is PC there will be a steep learning curve.
4.     Can you describe the difference between “there,” “their,” and “they’re?”
a.     This is important when blogging, writing, or engaging in social media. There are a lot of people on the web that will judge the content of writing based on grammatical errors.
b.     Although the primary purpose of this job is video editing, UFC has many blogs and written articles as well. It would not be out of the realm of possibility to transition into writing also.
5.     What do you know about the company?
a.     I like this one because as we learned earlier in this class knowing about the company you are allying for can be very useful. It is important to know if the companies philosophy is in line with your own.
b.     Zuffa is a good example of this, without a little research one might not know they represent UFC.
6.     What is your greatest professional achievement?
a.     This one is interesting because your greatest achievement might not have to do with the job you are applying for. Is it better to answer with one that shows your professionalism or one that might be less impressive but be inline with the job?
b.     I feel like this one could fall into the same category as the last one in that it tells how much the interviewee knows about the company.
7.     Tell me about a challenge or conflict you've faced at work, and how you dealt with it.
a.     This one is a little less direct then “what is your greatest weakness?” It still asks you to spin something negative into a positive trait without coming right out and saying it.
b.     No job goes smooth 100% of the time. Knowing how a potential employee handles a conflict can be very helpful. The UFC is know for conflict it is presumable that tensions can run high.
8.     What's your dream job?
a.     Here is another one that makes the candidate consider how much truth the interviewer wants. If it is not your dream job how can you spin it so that it is inline with the job you are applying for?
b.     This really is a dream job for me. I want to work for a some what smaller niche company that wants video created and edited on the fly and involves some travel. The catch for me is telling the interviewer that without making them think I am just spouting what they want to hear.
9.     What do you like to do outside of work?
a.     Although it may seem like this shouldn’t matter to an employer, there are a lot of companies that want to maintain a certain image. If your personal hobbies don’t coincide with that image it could cause issues. I learned a lot about this from my time in the military.
b.     UFC has a pretty distinct image. They may not be too concerned with what you do on your personal time, but how you answer could be an indicator of how you will fit in with the staff or how you will react to job requirements.
10.  Why do you want this job?
a.     I like a very direct question. This one gets right to the heart of what you are doing there.
b.     There may be people applying to Zuffa and UFC because they think it might be a way to break into the MMA ring. Or they just want to be closer to the fighters for whatever reason. I imagine they want people for this job that are interested in doing the work required by the position and this question could weed some of those out.

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