Senior Estimator Interview Preparation Guide
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67 Senior Estimator Questions and Answers:

1 :: What kind of work interests you the most?

You can talk about what you're passionate about. What motivates you. What excites you.

2 :: What motivates you at the work place?

Keep your answer simple, direct and positive. Some good answers may be the ability to achieve, recognition or challenging assignments.

3 :: What is your greatest achievement outside of work As Senior Estimator?

This is a great opportunity for you to discuss how you've given back to the community, how you've achieved in a competitive extracurricular activity (think sports or clubs), how you've mentored others, and so forth.

4 :: Where do you see your career in five years As Senior Estimator?

I would like to retire from this company. I would like to make a difference in the company whether in the company or any other position or area of the company As Senior Estimator.

5 :: How much are you willing to sacrifice to be successful at work As Senior Estimator?

With anything comes sacrifice. The questions is how much of it are you willing to sacrifice with regards to work life balance, stress, etc?

6 :: What is your dream job?

There is almost no good answer to this question, so don't be specific. If you tell the interviewer that the job you're applying for with his/her company is the perfect job you may loose credibility if you don't sound believable (which you probably won't if you're not telling the truth.) If you give the interviewer some other job the interviewer may get concerned that you'll get dissatisfied with the position if you're hired. Again, don't be specific. A good response could be, “A job where my work ethic and abilities are recognized and I can make a meaningful difference to the organization.”

7 :: What's the last book you read?

Try to talk about a book related to the industry, for example, if you're applying for a role related to business, cite a business book.

8 :: What have you done to improve your knowledge As Senior Estimator in the last year?

Try to include improvement activities that relate to the job As Senior Estimator. A wide variety of activities can be mentioned as positive self-improvement. Have some good ones handy to mention.

9 :: Why do you want to work for this company?

Again be honest. The interviewer will be able to sense very quickly if you're be disingenuous. Your answer should be base on your person reasons, career aspirations as well as research you've performed on the company. The most important thing you should do is make sure to relate your answer to your long-term career goals.

10 :: If you have multiple projects on your plate, how do you handle completing them on time?

Prioritize based on business importance. Set clear timelines for each so that you know which ones to knock out first. Get your teammates to help if necessary.

11 :: What is your biggest weakness As Senior Estimator?

No one likes to answer this question because it requires a very delicate balance. You simply can’t lie and say you don’t have one; you can’t trick the interviewer by offering up a personal weakness As Senior Estimator that is really a strength (“Sometimes, I work too much and don’t maintain a work-life balance.”); and you shouldn’t be so honest that you throw yourself under the bus (“I’m not a morning person so I’m working on getting to the office on time.”)

12 :: Think about the changes you have seen and tell me how you handle change?

You can cite personal life changes, work place changes, career changes, technology change, industry change. The key is to discuss how seeing or experiencing that change has helped your development. For example, the recent changes in social media has broadened my horizons and helped me learn new forms of efficient marketing.

13 :: What do you consider to be your greatest achievement so far and why?

Be proud of your achievement, discuss the results, and explain why you feel most proud of this one. Was it the extra work? Was it the leadership you exhibited? Was it the impact it had?

14 :: Your client is upset with you for a mistake you made, how do you react?

Acknowledge their pain - empathize with them. Then apologize and offer a solution to fix the mistake.

15 :: Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone's opinion As Senior Estimator?

Example stories could be a class project, an internal meeting presentation, or a customer facing presentation.

16 :: Tell us something about yourself?

Bad Answer: Candidates who ramble on about themselves without regard for information that will actually help the interviewer make a decision, or candidates who actually provide information showing they are unfit for the job.

Good answer: An answer that gives the interviewer a glimpse of the candidate's personality, without veering away from providing information that relates to the job. Answers should be positive, and not generic.

17 :: The change in the business industry now requires you to have a new set of skills you have to learn, how do you react to that?

First, find out which skills are the ones that you're currently lacking. Then identify what the steps would be to acquire/build those skills. Then take action to do so.

18 :: If you were hiring a person for this job As Senior Estimator, what would you look for?

Discuss qualities you possess required to successfully complete the job duties.

19 :: What is more important to you money or success?

First ask yourself that question before the interview - what are your priorities? Are money and success actual one in the same goal for you? If not, what's more important based on how do you define success?

20 :: Why did you select the University _______?

Discuss the academic program, the extracurricular program(s), the school spirit, the quality of your peers, and the professors.

21 :: Do you know anyone working with this organization?

It would be great if you did - then you could potentially use them as a referral if they thought highly of you.

22 :: What has been your biggest professional disappointment?

When discussing a professional disappointment, make sure to discuss a scenario you could not control. Be positive about the experience and accept personal responsibility where applicable.

23 :: What is your greatest strength? How does it help you As Senior Estimator?

One of my greatest strengths, and that I am a diligent worker... I care about the work getting done.. I am always willing to help others in the team.. Being patient helps me not jump to conclusions... Patience helps me stay calm when I have to work under pressure.. Being a diligent worker.. It ensures that the team has the same goals in accomplishing certain things.

24 :: What type of mentors do you seek out and why?

Think of your top 3 mentors and what attributes they exhibit that you want to emulate. Common attributes include passion, desire, will, leadership, ability to influence others, intelligence.

25 :: How will you approach learning this "new" job As Senior Estimator?

Interview peers and leaders/managers, read industry news, practice the skill sets needed, absorb information on the job as much as possible.

26 :: How important is a positive attitude to you?

Incredibly important. I believe a positive attitude is the foundation of being successful - it's contagious in the workplace, with our customers, and ultimately it's the difference maker.

27 :: Why should I hire you As Senior Estimator?

To close the deal on a job offer, you MUST be prepared with a concise summary of the top reasons to choose you. Even if your interviewer doesn’t ask one of these question in so many words, you should have an answer prepared and be looking for ways to communicate your top reasons throughout the interview process.

28 :: How articulate are you in expressing your ideas?

One of the best ways to answer this question is clearly articulate three points that demonstrate how articulate you are (and in a sense show that in a live setting) - for example: "I would say I'm articulate because one, I typically gather my thoughts before speaking, two, I organize my thoughts well, and three I'm concise when making a point.

29 :: Why should we give you this job As Senior Estimator when someone else is equally qualified?

Describe how you're unique, but make sure you tie it to the job responsibilities and how you would impact the company. For example, "I believe my unique programming skills and experience in developing over 18 best selling iphone apps will help the company develop high quality applications faster than my competitors"

30 :: How would you be an asset to us As Senior Estimator?

Think again about the job specification and the skills needed for this role As Senior Estimator. Have a paragraph prepared highlighting how you will be able to do the job and what you can bring to the team. It goes without saying that this paragraph should be positive.