Archived Interview coming up

[Bullseyehopeful]

Hey guys

first of all; I've enjoyed researching and lurking the forums for a while now!

Anyway, I have a phone interview for an ETL position with a recruiter. I've tried to do some research, but most of the research was about in person interviews. Two questions

1. What should I expect from this interview? More background questions and less typical "STAR" questions than usual?
2. What exactly does Target look for in your answers to their questions? Do they look more for experience and the quality of your answers, or your ability to come up with a solid answer?

Fingers crossed. Even after reading about your guys' thoughts on Target I'm still excited about the opportunity. 😛

 

[Kaz]

Hey,

So i just went through the ETL hiring process, and i got hired!

Most of my questions were based on Behavior. They were all like:

"Tell me about a time when you had to make a big decision that affected the team"
"Tell me about conflict in a team and how you resolved it"
"Tell me about your Leadership Style"
ECT....

They want you to set the scene briefly, but mainly spend the time talking about your actions and your behavior and then briefly state the outcome.

I found that they responded the most positively when you spoke about great Leadership examples, and you mention how leadership was crucial to the outcome.

Finally though, and probably the most important piece of info i can give you:

Have a smile on your face when you are talking, you sound so much better, even on the phone. Be personable with your interviewer and dont worry if you need to take a moment to think about your answer. Catch your breath, it is ok.

Best of luck!

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

This link may help:
http://targetfiling.blogspot.com/2010/02/secret-interview-questions.html?m=1
Then, this thread comes back too:
http://www.thebreakroom.org/showthread.php/171

 

[FullRiot]

Basically think of your format as 10% setup, 80% behavior (or what YOU did) and 10% outcome. Your interviewers are looking to see how you problem solve/manage and the scope of the problems you've been involved in solving. One of the best ways to prepare is to develop stories that can be tweaked to fit answer many questions. I forget the exact list my STL provided but it was something like

1 Time you challenged a leader

2 Time you failed

3 Time you felt most proud

4 Time you felt overwhelmed.

5 Time you had to deal with two different opinions.

6 Time you had a goal that was going to be met

There were more but I can't seem to remember them, I'm sure with a little Googling you could find something like it. Essentially focus on your behavior, demonstrating what you did and what you learned from your shortcomings, and try to use situations with more dire consequences, as the scope of your answers will be considered.

Oh, and be enthusiastic! Some inexperience can be overlooked if they feel you've got drive.

Good luck!

 

[Bullseyehopeful]

Hey, thanks for the answers everybody! They were helpful to say the least.

Fingers crossed for the next steps.

 

[Bullseyehopeful]

Had my interview with the STL on Friday. No mentions of the next steps from him, but said I should hear from corporate within a week.

Doesn't make me feel good, but I gave it my best effort. *Sigh*

 

[commiecorvus]

Don't worry, this is not the end.
There are many other options.