FACULTY OF BUSSINES ADMINISTRATION

MAY/ 2011

BBP11033 PRINCIPLE OF MANAGEMENT

STUCTUED INTERVIEW QUESTION FOR AREA SALES MANAGER

MATRICULATION NO IDENTITY CARD NO. TELEPHONE NO. E-MAIL LEARNING CENTRE

: : : : :

861224265097001 861224-26-5097 017-5371053 mzul_merz@yahoo.com KEDAH LEARNING CENTER

TABLE OF CONTENT

INTRODUCTION

PAGE 1

INTRODUCTION

Most employer mission accomplishment is substantially affected by who gets hired. Agencies must select people who possess characteristics required for the job. The employment interview is an effective way of determining who has these attributes and therefore, who is right for a job. The interview is popular because it is more personal than traditional selection assessments (e.g., written tests) and because it can be used to evaluate job characteristics not easily measured with other procedures (e.g., Oral Communication and Interpersonal Skills). A structured interview is also called a pattern interview. There are two possible ways to carry out the structured interview, either asking a set of questions of each and every candidate in a one-on-one interview and another one is having each and every candidate fill out a questionnaire form.When it comes to evaluating of structured interviews, the main advantage is that all the applicants have an equal opportunity to prove that they have the required skills and experience for the job. Additionally, as an initial selection process, the structured interview questions are basically set up in a manner which allows the interviewer to obtain all the initial data as well as professional details that he or she would want to know about every applicant.

Structured vs. Unstructured Interviews Employment interviews can be either structured or unstructured. Generally speaking, structured interviews ensure candidates have equal opportunities to provide information and are assessed accurately and consistently. Structured Interview All candidates are asked the same questions in the same order. All candidates are evaluated using a common rating scale. Interviewers are in agreement on acceptable answers. Unstructured Interview Candidates may be asked different questions. A standardized rating scale is not required. Interviewers do not need to agree on acceptable answers.

At first glance, the unstructured interview appears attractive due to its loose framework, discretionary content and conversational flow. Yet, these same features make this type of interview very subjective, which reduces its accuracy and invites legal challenges. Research consistently indicates unstructured interviews have little value in predicting job performance. Unstructured interviews typically demonstrate: Low levels of reliability (rating consistency among interviewers). Low to moderate levels of validity (the extent to which the assessment method measures what it is intended to measure, e.g., job performance). Besides adversely affecting the reliability and validity of the unstructured interview, the lack of standardization in interview procedure and questions also makes the unstructured interview susceptible to legal challenges (Terpstra, Mohamed, and Kethley 1999; U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, 2003).

IDENTIFICATION SELECTED JOB POSITION.

Advertised on 10-6-11 Application deadline on 31-7-11

Area Sales Manager

(Selangor - Cyberjaya) Responsible for achieving the retail and wholesale target and provide accurate forecasting and reporting for retail and wholesale each month. Ensures dealers comply with Sales Operating Standards applicable to vehicle stock handling, demonstrator cars, BMW Premium Selection vehicles and customer satisfaction sales index. Provide consistent and systematic input on competitive actions in the marketplace. Recommends tactical support measures required to support dealers in achievement of their sales objectives. Act as an arbitrator in dealer disputes, conducts meetings by mutual consent with customers who have lodged a complaint. Ensure smooth handling of payments with finance department. Initiate and secure the dealers co-operation with BMW in finance and credit related matters. Requirements: Degree in any disciplines. Minimum 5 years experience in related field. Possess good sales track record with experience in automotive or FMCG industry will be an added advantage. Good negotiation and communication skills, result -oriented with good analytical skills, ability to plan and organize, confident personality and able to work under pressure. Travelling within and outside of Klang Valley is required.

SITUATION BASED Situation based questions at interviews are qualitative questions. Each interview is a comparative event. In some cases applicants will give very different answers to situations. It's a very effective interview technique Depending on the job or the employer's needs, situationbased questions can contain a variety of elements, and be looking for several different things in their answers. Some questions involve things like decisions and leadership, defending a viewpoint, or dealing with a rejection situation.

SITUATION BASED QUESTION

Q.1- How do you handle when your work load was heavy?

In this question, the employer is trying to evaluate the candidate in managing a sudden heavy work load situation. As an Area Sales manager there are time when peak sales can happen in that place and as a manager, you must willing to manage your time accordingly. The ability to keep focus while there are so many works can make manager improve their mental fitness. Q.2- Who is your personal target customer? In this question, the employer is trying to evaluate the candidate in knowing their target customer. By doing this, the employer can determine whether the candidate really ready for this job. Its also to know the candidates have resolute their own personal target or want to continue the legacy of what company have been done so far. Q.3- Can you achieve the targets set by management? In this question, it is to evaluate the candidate interpersonal communication skill. The ability to delicately point out clearly or not will make management know whether this candidate have confident to their selves or not to achieve the target set by management.

Q.4- When in a situation where your boss makes a wrong decision, how would you handle it? In this question, it is to evaluate the candidate interpersonal communication skill. The ability to subtly point out the mistake without offending your superior .As an Area Sales manager, there are times when your Director may make certain decision which may jeopardize the planned execution of works. Depends on the personality of the boss, you may counter proposal by persuasion. Organize brainstorming session to gauge the possible outcome. Explanation with fact and figure, remain positive and firm in the discussion.

Q.5- How did you handle a challenge? In this question, the candidate has the opportunity to display his/her mental fitness & ability to keep focus with clear objectives in accomplishes the task. As an Area Sales Manager, there are times where you face tough customers with unreasonably high demands. Under this difficult working condition, the ability to keep the emotions and composure is most critical to smoothen the situation.

BACKGROUND RELATED

Its the format that questions that enquires about the candidates work experiences, academic qualification and other qualification. In this section also, the interviewer want to seek whether the interviewee know the way to relate their experience and academic qualification with the job that they were applied for. In this section also the interviewer wants to hear about your hobbies and strength and weakness. This is very important section and be prepared for follow up questions. If you say my hobby is reading books. Interviewer might ask a follow-up question like, what type of books you usually read. If you say I read fiction books. The interviewer might ask you, who are your favourite author. So be very careful when you are making up hobbies. It is better if your hobbies add value for the type of job you are doing.

Background Related Questions

Q.1-

Explain a little about yourself? In this question, the management would determine how your ability to communicate well and present the strength of yourself. This questions also to evaluate whether candidate can relate their interest, hobbies or job experiences with job related that thy want to apply. This question is everything about how the candidate promote their selves, to be Area Sales Manager that more effective, they must first promote their selves in the eyes of management.

Q.2-

How your education background can help you to make good sales Tenacity is indicated by the number of attempts to achieve the goal. The attitude of the candidate in approaches obstacles in his working career. The never give up attitude in achieving the desired goal. As the Technical Solution Manager, remaining the never give up attitude is important and the tendency to gain additional knowledge will propel the person to reach a greater height.

Q.3

What do you consider the most critical elements in the successful performance of your position? As Area Sales Manager in a service oriented, the candidate must think in a critical ways so that its can develop the successful performance by candidate. And while dealing with customer, its means dealing with human feeling and candidate must know the effective way to get attention from the feeling of customer so that its can improve the relationship between the organization and society.

Q.4-

How do you anticipate customer needs? Area Sales Manager is a service orientated .In the eyes of the customers, he is representing the company in dealing with the customers, both internal & externally. Service orientated minded person is able to understand and anticipating the customer needs. Priority is to ensure customers satisfaction.

Q.5-

What are the advantages and disadvantages that you have? Why should we hire you? In this question, management want to see how the candidate apply the advantages and disadvantages of themselves to get employed. As Area Sales Manager, there are some times when customer told us about the disadvantages of our products, so we must know the way to manipulate the weaknesses of our product as a good point in a customer view and change it to a better understanding.

Job related This section requires the candidate to demonstrate his job knowledge or provide documentation of job knowledge. For example, a question for lecturer, There is some of your student dont have the textbook in your first class, so they dont understand what your explanation is all about and they tell you that they dont have the book yet, in this situation, what will you do?

Job Related Questions

Q.1-

What do you know about this company?

In this question, the employer is trying to evaluate the candidate knowledge about the company information, whether the candidate have made homework or not about the organization. Its important to candidate to have some knowledge about the company because its made employer know that you as a candidate take seriously to get this job.

Q.2-

What can you do for this company?

In this question, the employer is trying to know your personal target career and what contribution that you want to give for company. Its also to evaluate the candidate in terms of their ambition and interest so that in is in line with the company mission and vision.

Q.3-

When having problem with subordinates or customer, how you settled it?

Negotiation skills, the ability to negotiate with disagreement customer or subordinate to come to the compromise, win win situation. As a Area Sales Manager, negotiation is important as to ensure both the customer and the company stand to win under any circumstances to maintain the partnership in long run for the benefit of both parties.

Q.4-

What is good customer service?

As the Area Sales Manager, the human aspect in dealing with customers is important as at timers. The success or failure of the organization very much depends on the relationship at the personal level. So, as the candidate, this question want to know what actually good customer service means for the candidate and how candidate improve customer service to the customer needs and wants.

Q.5-

How do you show recognition of good work done by others?

As the Area Sales Manager, the human aspect in dealing with customers is important as at times, the success or failure of the project very much depends on the relationship at the personal level. Sensitivity to others needs & feelings are the key in fostering working relationship.

Behavioral Interview The format of the interview can focus on candidates past behaviour, their anticipated behaviour in hypothetical situations, or a combination of the two approaches. An interview based on questions about past behaviours is a behavioural description interview, also known as a behavioural event interview. An interview based on questions about hypothetical behaviour is a situational interview. In the remainder of this document, behavioural interview will refer to both the behavioural description interview and the behavioural event interview. The primary purpose of the behavioural interview is to gather information from job candidates about their actual behaviour during past experiences which demonstrates competencies required for the job. The underlying premise is the best predictor of future behaviour on the job is past behaviour under similar circumstances. For example, consider the competency, Interpersonal Skills, defined as: shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences. This definition could lead to a behavioural interview question focused on a candidates past behavior such as: Describe a situation in which you dealt with individuals who were difficult, hostile, or distressed. Who was involved? What specific actions did you take and what was the result?

Behaviour Related Questions Q.1Tell me about how you worked effectively under pressure?

In this question, is able to gauge the applicants readiness to make decision & take the responsibility on the decision taken... As a Area Sales Manager, decision making is a must. The ability to make right decision in a timely manner is most critical in the volatile semiconductors industry.

Q.2-

Have you ever made a mistake? How did you handle it?

In this question, the employer want to know the way candidate handle their own or others mistakes. Its more too common skills whether the candidate can handle the human feeling or rules by organization that was keep in minds. To handle the mistake is more to the candidate resolving skills that employer want to evaluate so that they can predict what your reactions when your subordinates make mistakes.

Q.3-

All of us are surprised occasionally to discover that the services we are performing for clients are not working. What steps did you take to correct a situation like this?

In this question, the aim is to gauge the analysis skill of the applicant in situation where there is a need to analyze before taking the necessary corrective actions. As a Area Sales Manager, analysis skill is one of the important qualities. In the dynamic working environment, good analysis will ensure the formulation of the right strategies to maintain the market shares.

Q.4-

Give an example of an occasion when you used logic to solve a problem?

As Area Sales Manager, there are times that critical thinking was important to solve the problem instantly, so the employer wants to know how you used the logic thinking to make a good decision to solve the problem because the win-win situation by organization and customer is the answer that employer want to hear, but the way candidate deliver it is the way Area Sales Manager must react.

Q.5-

Describe a situation where you broke a rule or came close to breaking it. What were your reasons?

In the question, the persons integrity is the focus. Most jobs demand that individuals do what is morally and ethically right. It is important that employees do what is morally and ethically right. As the Area Sales Manager, has access to various confidential information. It is important that the person has the right integrity to uphold the ethical of the business code of conduct.