According to a Glassdoor survey, conducted online by Harris Interactive, 6 in 10 (61%) employees* say they’ve found aspects of a new job different than expectations set during the interview process.

Interestingly, more men (65%) than women (56%) say they’ve found aspects of a new job different than expected.

Check out the table below to see which factors employees say they feel job realities differ most from expectations set:

So who’s responsible for ensuring expectations set during a job interview match the realities of a new job?  The answer: employers and job candidates.

Check out the tips below from Amanda Lachapelle, Glassdoor’s HR director, on what both hiring managers and job candidates can do.

What Hiring Managers Can Do:

Ensure every person interviewing a candidate has a clear role. Each person meeting with a job candidate should be given a clear outline on topics to discuss during the interview. By having a clear plan of action ahead of the interview, you can increase the chances that candidates are getting a more complete look into how the role they are interviewing for fits within the company, while also giving them a better idea into the level of responsibilities required for the open position. In addition, each interviewer should be tasked with talking about the company’s culture so that candidates not only understand what the work will be like, but also how people at the company work together.

Engage in social technology. More than ever, job seekers are taking on a proactive research role in their job search and careers. They’re turning to social media sites like Twitter, Glassdoor and other online forums to learn about compensation packages, company culture and interview experiences. Make sure your voice is heard. If you don’t engage, you’ll be left out.

Engage with candidates before and after the interview. Take the time to reach out – don’t let the in-person interview be your only real form of conversation. Send an email to candidates before and after the interview to ask if there are any questions you can answer about the job or company. Also, don’t be afraid to schedule a follow-up call to add a more human element to your communication so you can answer any additional questions they might have.

Leverage your own employees. While not every employee can interview each candidate that comes into your office, they can help add to the job candidate’s understanding of the company. Encourage your employees to share their opinions of what it’s like to work at your company via social media channels. For example, encourage them to share company reviews on Glassdoor in which they can share the best reasons to work at your company and any downsides they might want others to be aware of.

Be honest. It’s exciting to tell candidates all the great reasons to come and work at your company, but don’t be afraid to share some of the areas that the company is trying to work on and improve. Candidates will appreciate your honesty, plus should they accept a job offer, the excitement that comes with the honeymoon period of a new job will quickly give way to the realities and normalcy that comes with a day-to-day job.

What Job Candidates Can Do:

Identify what’s most important to you in your next job. You may know that you want a certain kind of job and particular kind of company, but that’s only the start of the types of things you should be considering before taking on a new job. Think back to your best work experiences and your worst work experiences – what was it that made them great or what made for a tough working environment – from there, develop a list of questions you can ask and/or research during your job search process. For example, consider what pay range you are most comfortable with, identify what type of work-life balance you are looking for, consider what type of work environment you are most likely to thrive in, and consider what type of working relationship you want with your boss.

Do research. Take the time ahead of a new job to learn everything you can about the company and the job. For example, read the news and find out how the company is being talked about, see what others on social networks like Twitter and Facebook have to say about the company, read company reviews on Glassdoor to get the inside scoop from employees that work there, see if you know anyone who has worked at the company (via Inside Connections) that could give you an added perspective.

Pay attention: What you see is what you get. If during your interview you experience chaos, disorganization and poor communication, these are indicators of what it might really be like if you take the job. Remember, you are interviewing the company as well. The interview is a two way street. It’s your time as a candidate to find out if the company and role embody what you’re looking for.

Clear up any ambiguity. During an interview, were there points raised that weren’t entirely clear? Did something come up in your research that made you not sure if this would be the company for you? If you have a job offer on the table, don’t be afraid to ask your hiring manager with a few follow-up questions to help make sure you know exactly what you are walking into.

Want to help others know what to expect where you work? Share an anonymous company review on Glassdoor.

*For the purpose of this data, “employees” are defined as U.S. adults 18+ employed full time and/or part time and unemployed job seekers who have been previously employed. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact pr@glassdoor.com.

6 In 10 Employees Say Job Realities Different Than Expected; Glassdoor Survey is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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Often used to see if a person is a right fit from a cultural perspective, behavioral questions are designed to see if a job candidate’s past behavior will predict the future. “Technical gets you through the interview, behavioral gets you the job,” says Bob Dolan, who provides counseling and professional development workshops for various graduate and alumni programs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “Do you fit the culture of the organization, do you solve problems the way you say you do, does your work style align with their work style,” are all things companies are trying to gleam when asking behavioral questions.

While anyone can ask behavioral questions, this line of interviewing is most effective when the interviewer already knows what he or she is looking for in a job candidate. For instance, if you ask a job seeker to tell you a time he or she played a leadership role but the company is looking to fill an assistant position, then that may not the best use of a behavioral question.

“To really benefit from this, you want to go through the job description and identify which competencies are important and pick behavioral questions to go with those competencies,” says Pamela Skillings, co-founder of job coaching firm Skillful Communications. “Make sure you have at least one behavioral question for each of those competencies.”

From the run-of-the-mill to the more unique, here’s a look at five behavioral questions employers should ask anyone looking to work at their company.

1. Tell me about a time you had a conflict with someone within the organization. Conflict is a part of life, and it’s extremely common within companies given people spend most of their days working side by side with different people and personalities. By asking a job candidate to tell you about a time he or she had conflict with a co-worker or even the boss, the hiring manager is trying to gauge how the person resolves differences with other people. “The hiring manager wants to know if the person recognized there was a conflict and how he responded,” says Dolan. 

2. Tell me about a time you worked on a challenging team project. Chances are you are going to have to work as part of a team at some point in your career, and companies want to know that you play nice when you are collaborating, which is why they will often ask this question. According to Skillings, companies want to learn if this person is able to collaborate with others, can he or she handle any problems that may arise and is the job candidate generally a team player. “Every company is going to have some difficulties and dynamic personalities and they want to hear you’ve got the ability to deal with that,” she says.

3. Do you prefer to work alone or with others? Regardless of the type of business, many interviewers ask this question as a way to see if the job candidate will fit into the culture of the company. For instance, the organization may be the type of place where everyone works independently and there is little time or desire for interaction among employees. On the flip side, the company may be huge on collaboration and team work and frown upon employees who keep to themselves.  According to Dolan, companies know their environment and will use this question to see if the person would fit in or if he or she would have problems acclimating.

4. Tell me about a time you took a leadership role. Suited more for senior level job candidates, this is a classic behavioral question that many companies ask to see if the candidate has leadership potential. Not only is it extremely hard to fake this question, unless the person downright lies and gets away with it, but it’s a great one to use to see if the person possess any leadership abilities or talent. “I’ve seen this stump people,” says Skillings. “It forces the person to think about what defines leadership and share a story about them.”

5. What’s the most difficult problem you had to solve? Problem solving is an important skill in pretty much any job, which is why companies will ask job candidates to tell them about a difficult problem they had to solve. Another way of asking this one: tell me about a time you had to come up with a creative solution to a problem. “They want to hear you understand what problem solving means and what approach you take,” says Skillings. Companies that want to learn if the job candidate is the type to run to their manager any time there is a situation or someone who will deal with it on their own, should ask this question, she says.

5 Behavioral Interview Questions Employers Should Ask is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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2. Why HR Should Consider Asking Oddball Interview Questions
3. Four Questions You Must Ask During An Interview

Wrong. Sometimes less is not more. And, interviews offer an opportunity to strategically slide in a value-add here and there, depending upon the course the conversation takes.

Following are five ideas of value-add items to bring to the interview to help enhance your personal marketing message, compelling your interview forward:

1. Tweaked Resume: Even if you recently updated your resume, assess if a tweaked headline or modified achievement would more perfectly align your message with this specific interview.

Then, print off five to 10 copies of your resume from a quality printer using good, 24 lb. paper. Use a neutral, earthy tone: off-white, tan, light brown, gray or something similar. Show attention to detail, ensuring the watermark prints in an upright position. With a stack of freshly printed resumes in hand, you are equipped to distribute them to additional hiring decision makers who may unexpectedly arrive, empty-handed, at your meeting.

2. Toot-Your-Own-Horn Book: If you are in sales, this is an especially valuable tool. However, brag books needn’t be limited to sales-oriented interviews. Consider what visual representations of your value you could provide. Buy about a dozen 3-hole-punched sheet protectors in which to display your horn-tooting items. Examples include a thank-you note, a printout of a sales graph, an email from a happy client and a project milestone chart showcasing results of a mammoth project. What this book may consist of is only limited by your imagination and creativity. Think colorful and glimpse-able.

3. Testimonials Page. While you may not be ready to hand off contact information of your valuable references during the initial interview, you could create a ‘testimonials’ page with a list of three to five key people (names only, without phone numbers and email addresses), who are wowed by the value you provide.

Diversify the references to include a client, a vendor, a senior executive, a colleague, a direct report and so forth. Then, organize the page to include three columns: 1. Name of person and their company affiliation; 2. Your relationship to that person; e.g., you and s/he collaborated on a specific project; you provided sales consultation to that person; or, you trained them in their new role, for example; and, 3. What they have said in the past about you or would say if approached today about your contribution to individual or team goals in relationship to saving time, trimming costs or adding to profits.

4. ROI Action Plan. Whether it’s your first interview or your third with the company, come prepared to articulate how you will hit the ground running to make an impact when hired – how you will return the company’s investment. You do this by communicating your action plan for solving their problems.

Naysayers will quip, “I have NO idea what the real problems my target company is facing until I am hired.”

The optimist will take initiative.

Vigorously search the Web using Boolean searches to unearth universal industry and sector issues. Determinedly search the Web for target company tidbits. Research using Glassdoor, LinkedIn or Facebook company pages, and scour online business journals, websites and other resources that drill down to potential challenges.  Then, when building your strategy, speak to specific action plan steps you are prepared to take to resolve those issues during the first 30, 60, 90 days.

5. Marketing (Business) Card: Offered up as a mini-resume of sorts, your business card should include critical contact information such as your name, email, voicemail and your LinkedIn profile. It also should include your tagline, further underscoring your value, as well as a metric-based achievement result to add concreteness. Remember, there are two sides to a business card – use both.

While it is true that in some interviews you may simply be whisked in and out of a rigidly orchestrated meeting with no opportunity for additional information sharing, that is just one scenario.

In others, the conversation is more flexible and fluid. You must be proactive presenting your value through a variety of visually appealing and content-rich items. By preparing the above five weapons for your career interview arsenal, you will walk into the interview office more confident and empowered.

5 Standout Things To Bring To Your Next Interview is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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“It’s always smart to ask questions in an interview,” says Joel Garfinkle, author of Getting Ahead: Three Steps to Take Your Career to the Next Level. “Most people are afraid to ask questions. They don’t realize it’s something they are supposed to do.”

By asking questions you can not only determine if the company and culture is the right fit for you, but also impress the interviewer with your preparation and knowledge of the firm. “The more the interview feels conversational the better the chance you both have of learning about each other and the company,” says Garfinkle.

But not all questions are created equal. Some will illicit better responses then others. With that in mind, here’s a look at four interview questions you should always ask.

1. What are the top priorities of the job?

Often, when we interview for a potential new job, we don’t have a complete understanding of what the role will entail outside of what was in the job advertisement. Because of that, career experts say it’s a good idea to ask what the top priorities are of the job and how to be successful in the position. If you ask that early on in the interview, the conversation will focus on what the job entails and how you’ll meet the objectives as opposed to talking about your past performance or going over your resume.  It eliminates all the guesswork and enables you to spend the interview time telling the hiring manager how you can do what they want, says Garfinkle.

In addition to learning more about what you’ll actually be doing, you also want to ask the interviewer about the history of the role. According to Mark Jaffe, president of Wyatt & Jaffe, the executive search firm, you want to know if it’s a newly created job or if you are replacing someone. If it’s a new position, he says to find out why it was created, and if it’s an existing position, you’ll want to know what happened to the last the person in the job.

2. What are the biggest problems right now?

Ask the hiring manager what problems the company or department is facing, and there’s a high likelihood that you’ll get an honest answer. “You’ll get a pretty good idea of the type of company you are joining,” says Garfinkle. “If it’s a problem directly related to your position, you may be able to offer a solution on the spot and show your value.” According to Garfinkle it’s fair game to ask that question because it’s not any different than the interviewer asking you what your greatest challenge was at your previous job or what was your biggest failure.

3. How will you measure a good performance and an outstanding one?

It may seem like you are sucking up by asking this question, but what you are really doing is finding out what qualities you need aside from the technical qualifications to be successful in the job, says Jaffe. “A role is not just about a laundry list of qualifications that some HR person put on a piece of paper, it’s about meeting the business objectives,” says Jaffe.  Having the knowledge of what you need to do to exceed expectations gives you the opportunity to weave in examples of how you met similar goals.

4. Can you tell me how you came to the company and why you stayed?

Not only will you get insight into what’s good about the company, but you’ll also build a relationship with the person doing the interview if you ask this question. “It gives them an opportunity to tell you about their own value system and the culture of the company,” says Jaffe. Not to mention that most people love to talk about themselves and will remember that job candidate that hung on every word.  “Showing interest in that person raises your stock immeasurably and gives them a chance to tell you truthfully why they accepted the job,” he says.

Four Questions You Must Ask During An Interview is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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Everyone always stresses the importance of networking. An informational interview is your chance to develop a new relationship. You might not get a job out of it, but they might give you contacts at other companies and useful advice. You might even hit it off so well that you can turn to this person as a mentor in the future.Remember: In an informational interview, you should build a relationship first and ask for favors second.

Before the Interview

Once you’ve decided on a person you’d like to interview, starting by trying to find personal connections. Reintroduce yourself to someone you’ve met. If you have a mutual contact, ask for an introduction. If you can’t find someone to make the connection, do it yourself by sending them an article you think might be of interest. Tell them you want to learn more about their job or organization.

The next step is research. This applies to both the person you plan to meet with and the organization. Just like with a job interview, if you want to be impressive you need to prove you’ve done your homework. Use what you learn to prepare a long list of interview questions about their job, organization, or industry.

During the Interview

Dress professionally and carry yourself like any other job interview. The difference here is you will ask a lot more questions. Remember: Do not ask for a job. They know you want one, but don’t talk about your experience unless they ask.

This is your chance to ask as many interview questions as you want. Ask about the organization’s culture, employees, and supervisors to see if you would be a good fit. Ask about how they got their current role. Ask about the expectations for entry-level positions. Maybe even ask for a quick tour. You can learn a lot during an informational interview, so be sure to take notes.

After the Interview

When the interview is wrapping up, thank them and ask how to return the favor. You want to establish a mutually beneficial relationship. They took the time out of their busy day to speak with you. Show that you want to reciprocate their kindness.

Just as with all interviews, send a thank you note to the interviewer. Because there is no rush like after a job interview, this is the perfect opportunity to write the note by hand. Be specific in your note.

Maintain a relationship with your new contact. Connect on social media if you haven’t already. If you use advice they gave or meet with someone they refer you to, send another email to keep them in the loop. They’ll appreciate learning how they helped you.

The Ultimate Guide: Informational Interviews is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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For many applicants it can be difficult to differentiate great companies from the subpar ones because they must form their thesis based limited interviews and even less interaction with most of their future co-workers or managers.

Despite the difficulty to recognize these nuances, there are some concrete signs which will inform whether you are about to accept a job at a company that you will not enjoy or if you are about to make the right employment decision.

Knowing that you will have limited time and interaction with the interviewers, you must take it upon yourself to make the most of your time to determine if you are about to accept a job offer at a bad company. To ensure that this is not the outcome, look for the following:

1. Smart People. While you don’t need to be working with individuals who have genius IQs, you are more likely to be happy in an environment that is made up of smart employees, thus making the environment intellectually stimulating and one that fosters learning.

Additionally, intelligent people tend to make a higher salary than a group who is less smart. This is not always the case, but the odds are with the group who has a higher IQ.

2. Strong Leaders. Whether you like the firm’s senior leaders can be measured in two ways: Do you like them as people? For example, from what you know about them, the individuals seem to have integrity, care about the well-being of their employees, and are likeable people. Secondly, do they have strong leadership skills? The best companies to work for have great CEOs and leaders, and you can decipher them from the average manager very quickly by assessing such things as self-confidence, industry knowledge and an optimistic attitude.

3. A Solid Product or Service. If you don’t believe in your potential employer’s product or service, and from your perspective, see no rational need for it in the marketplace, you are going to lack passion at your job, which will result in long, not stimulating and morose days at the office.

Prior to accepting a job, make sure that you buy into what the company provides. Either you’re going to have to be a believer, or you’re about to accept a job offer at a bad company.

4. Fair Compensation. The only thing worse than being underpaid is being under appreciated. While you don’t have to be the richest person in the office, your new employer should provide you with what you feel comfortable living on. If they don’t, try not to take it personally and politely decline the job offer.

It doesn’t look good when your resume shows that you have bounced from position to position frequently. Therefore, be meticulous and patient before accepting a job offer. It can mean the difference between a happy career and a regretful one. – Originally posted on Personal Branding Blog by Ken Sundheim

How To Tell If A Company Is Good Fit Before Accepting A Job Offer is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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To help you find the right internship for you, Glassdoor, a jobs and career community, has combed its millions of job listings and analyzed thousands of company and interview reviews shared by recent interns to uncover which companies are hiring interns, how internship experiences compare at the highest rated companies for interns, and what financial offers look like at these companies.

In Glassdoor’s second annual report of the Top 20 Highest Rated Companies Hiring Interns Right Now, tech giant Google ranks #1 among interns for the second year with a 4.6 rating – an increase from its 4.3 rating on last year’s report. So what do Google interns appreciate about working there? A Google Platforms Project Manager Intern (Mountain View, CA) says, “Google treats interns even better than full time employees. All of the employees all the way up to VP personally spend time with you and take your opinion.” (Funny side note: Google ranks #1 among interns just a few months before the upcoming movie “The Internship” debuts, with Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, in which they play laid-off 40-somethings who take on internships at Google).

Procter & Gamble ranks #2 on this year’s list with a 4.2 rating, improving from its 4.0 rating on last year’s report. One Procter & Gamble Researcher Intern (Cincinnati, OH) says, “I liked the low barriers to interacting with upper level management. I found myself as an intern occasionally eating lunch with Section Heads (SH) and Associate Directors (AD).”

Check out the complete results below:

Hoping to earn the big bucks and intern at one of the highest rated companies? Look no further than the tech industry. A Microsoft Research Intern earns the highest average monthly base pay ($7,050 per month, an increase from $6,746 in last year’s report). Google Software Engineer Interns bring in the second highest average monthly base pay ($6,462 per month), followed by Microsoft Software Engineer In Test Interns ($5,951 per month).

Before you land any internship, you’ll have to go through the interview process, which can be challenging. Many employers today are asking some unexpected and tough interview questions to help them find the best intern candidates possible. Check out some of these recent interview questions interns have actually been asked:

“Who is your hero and why?” – Google Intern Candidate (location n/a)

“How many meals were eaten during the Olympics?” – JPMorgan Chase Summer Intern Candidate (location n/a)

“How many new cars, on average, are bought in the US each year?” – Microsoft Summer Intern Candidate (Seattle, WA)

“Are there enough hours in the day?” – Ernst & Young Summer Direct Tax Intern Candidate (location n/a)

“If you had a large sum of money, where would you invest it?” – PwC Summer Audit Intern Candidate (Bristol, England)

What was your latest internship like? Help others and share a review about your experience.

Top 20 Highest Rated Companies Hiring Interns Right Now is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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“Strange or oddball questions are not primarily asked to trick a person, but to uncover qualities about a candidate that can’t be determined from a resume or two-minute drill,” says Susan Ruhl, a managing partner at OI Partners – Innovative Career Consulting in Denver. ”They are designed to uncover how you think, handle unexpected problems and situations, whether you are a good fit for their culture, and how creative you are.”

Oddball questions can be a powerful tool to glean information about a potential candidate as long as they are used correctly. If the interviewer doesn’t know what he or she is looking for, then throwing out a strange question just for the sake of doing it will be pointless. “It’s an excellent technique to get to know the real person, but you have to know what you are doing,” says Mark Jaffe, president of Wyatt & Jaffe, the executive search firm. “It won’t yield meaningful results if you don’t know what you are looking for.” According to Jaffe, if the employer is using oddball questions just to throw a candidate off their game or trick them, then it won’t be useful in trying to get them to share something beyond their prepared answers. “The idea is to get people to relax their defenses and to dredge up something that may not be in their immediate repertoire for an interview,” says Jaffe.

Career experts say interviewers have to go into the interview knowing the role they are aiming to fill and the type of person that is best suited for that role. For instance, if you are looking to hire an accountant and you ask what would you do with $20 million in lottery winnings, you’re going to want to hear they would put it in savings, pay off debt or increase their retirement nest egg, but if you are looking to hire a creative type you may want to hear they would spend the money traveling the world.

“The questions are designed to illicit atypical responses,” says Chuck Fried, president and chief executive of technology staffing company TxMQ. “If you asked what three things you would bring to a deserted island you are trying to figure out if the person is pragmatic or fantasy-oriented.” Does the person say he or she would bring a book of matches, a cellphone and water filtration system or do they say they would bring a bottle of wine, a great novel, and an iPod?

When it comes to oddball questions they typically fall under the categories of problem solving, thought process and cultural fit, according to Ruhl. The problem solving ones are designed to see how quickly, accurately and creatively a person solves a problem and could include questions such as how many cows are in Canada or how many quarters would you need to reach the height of the Empire State building? Similar to problem solving questions are thought process questions which Ruhl says are designed to see how you think. Examples of thought process questions include what do you think about when you are alone in your car and how would you direct someone else on how to cook an omelet? Cultural fit questions are employed to see if a candidate would fit well within a company. Questions could include if you could be anyone else, who would it be and what kitchen utensil would you be?

Although oddball questions can catch job candidates off guard they can also demonstrate if a person can think on their feet. It’s not the job of the interviewer or the interviewee to actually know how many gas stations there are in the U.S., but Fried says it’s a great tool to see how someone thinks through the problem. “I don’t care about the right answer I care about the logic someone used to arrive at the answer,” says Fried.

Check out Glassdoor’s Top 25 Oddball Interview Questions for 2013

VIDEO: Watch unsuspecting employees answer Oddball Interview Questions

Why HR Should Consider Asking Oddball Interview Questions is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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To help you get started, Glassdoor sifted through tens of thousands of interview reviews to find out some of the most common interview questions candidates are getting asked in recent interviews. So, if you have a job interview lined up, practice in front of a mirror or ask a friend or family member to listen to your answers to the following questions so you’ll be ready to put your best foot forward.

Most Common Interview Questions

1. What are your strengths?
2. What are your weaknesses?
3. Why are you interested in working for [insert company name here]?
4. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?
5. Why do you want to leave your current company?
6. Why was there a gap in your employment between [insert date] and [insert date]?
7. What can you offer us that someone else can not?
8. What are three things your former manager would like you to improve on?
9. Are you willing to relocate?
10. Are you willing to travel?
11. Tell me about an accomplishment you are most proud of.
12. Tell me about a time you made a mistake.
13. What is your dream job?
14. How did you hear about this position?
15. What would you look to accomplish in the first 30 days/60 days/90 days on the job?
16. Discuss your resume.
17. Discuss your educational background.
18. Describe yourself.
19. Tell me how you handled a difficult situation.
20. Why should we hire you?
21. Why are you looking for a new job?
22. Would you work holidays/weekends?
23. How would you deal with an angry or irate customer?
24. What are your salary requirements? (Hint: if you’re not sure what’s a fair salary range and compensation package, research the job title and/or company on Glassdoor.)
25. Give a time when you went above and beyond the requirements for a project.
26. Who are our competitors?
27. What was your biggest failure?
28. What motivates you?
29. What’s your availability?
30. Who’s your mentor?
31. Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your boss.
32. How do you handle pressure?
33. What is the name of our CEO?
34. What are your career goals?
35. What gets you up in the morning?
36. What would your direct reports say about you?
37. What were your bosses’ strengths/weaknesses?
38. If I called your boss right now and asked him what is an area that you could improve on, what would he say?
39. Are you a leader or a follower?
40. What was the last book you’ve read for fun?
41. What are your co-worker pet peeves?
42. What are your hobbies?
43. What is your favorite website?
44. What makes you uncomfortable?
45. What are some of your leadership experiences?
46. How would you fire someone?
47. What do you like the most and least about working in this industry?
48. Would you work 40+ hours a week?
49. What questions haven’t I asked you?
50. What questions do you have for me?

In addition to questions commonly asked during a job interview, many unexpected and downright bizarre questions may also be asked. Check out some of the strangest ones to show up on Glassdoor:

•  Top 25 Oddball Interview Questions of 2011
•  Top 25 Oddball Interview Questions of 2010
•  Top 25 Oddball Interview Questions of 2009

What are other common questions you have been asked during an interview?

Interviewed lately?  We hope you’ll tell us about it!

Most Common Interview Questions is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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Building your career vessel using these principles can also help to keep your job search afloat.

Consider this for a moment: It is no secret that searching for employment requires many steps along the way to success. Unfortunately, many job seekers try to do it all in one step, and then wonder why their “ship” is sinking.

You must seal off one compartment at a time, or take one step at a time if you hope to reach your destination intact.

1. Chart a Specific Course. Start off by narrowing your job search to areas of interest or expertise. The old attitude of, “I’ll take anything,” rarely works out very well. One of two things typically happens: Either your qualifications don’t line up with the needs of potential employers, or you end up in a position you hate.

2. Perform a Systems Check. Next, check your career “tools” to ensure proper operation. Does your current resume reflect your accomplishments in a meaningful and well-written way? Does it focus clearly enough on your employment goals? If not, replace it. Do you have a set of cover letters that distinctly address your intended audience and properly introduce you to a potential employer? You should have one for posting online, one for recruiters and one to use when applying for positions that are available with employers that may already know you.

3. Tune Up LinkedIn. What about your LinkedIn profile? If you are constantly fielding inquiries for jobs you have no interest or skill in, it could probably use some adjusting.

4. Tighten Up Your Interviewing Skills. Once these three items are taken care of, it may be time to brush up on those interview skills. Many golden opportunities have been lost in the interview office. A myriad of online resources are available to those who may be lacking in this arena. If you’re not comfortable going it alone, then consider the services of an interview coach to put you through the paces and prepare you for today’s challenging interview processes.

5. Tweak Your Training. If all of these things are in order, and you still find yourself wanting, take stock of your skills and/or education and see if there isn’t some tweaking that could be done. If you have the time and resources available, furthering your education is never a waste of effort or time. In this fast-paced technology-driven world, those who don’t stay current will be left behind.

By dealing with each of these “compartments” one at a time, you will be better able to bring laser focus to each one. Seal it off, and then move on to the next one.

The employment seas are wrought with danger. Equip yourself and be well prepared before heading out towards the horizon.

5 Strategic Tips For A Successful Job Search is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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1. Tips For A Successful Job Search: Half The Battle Is Knowing What You Want
2. 4 Secrets To Be Strategic About Your Job Search
3. 6 New Year’s Resolutions For Your Job Search