Enjoy our array of interview questions, at a brand new, low price of $1.99!! For 150 questions/answers, and a ton of sample responses taken from actual interviews, this seems like a no brainer steal!

Also, look out for our upcoming releases in the next few months!

- SwipeQ

SwipeQ Interview has been out for about 2 weeks, and we have gotten a great response so far. Our users have left some great reviews, and we are very excited to launch more interview prep apps for the iPhone and iPod touch, as well as other platforms.

Today, we’re giving out 10 free copies of SwipeQ, as part of an effort to get more feedback on what we need to change, and where we should improve. The first 10 iPhone / iPod touch users to either email us (general@swipeq.com) or tweet us (@swipeq) will get promo codes, for free copies of SwipeQ Interview.

We ask kindly that you provide us with a candid/honest review, in the App Store, and as much feedback as you feel comfortable providing to us directly, on what should be changed, and where we can improve the user experience, so that our upcoming slate of apps is optimized for you.

Remember, the first 10 iPhone / iPod touch users to either email us (general@swipeq.com) or tweet us (@swipeq) will get promo codes, for free copies of SwipeQ Interview. So please make sure to do one or the other, it’s first come first serve!

Thanks for all the help! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!!

What have you done, and what are you thinking about doing 5-10 years from now? Questions in this vein are all too common, in almost every job interview, from finance to advertising to sales. They’re so popular, in fact, that we dedicated an entire category to this topic in our app. We also wanted to get a sense of what questions people were getting asked most these days, both from our testers/users, as well as past job applicants, and we ended up with a good top 5 that people seem to be seeing, especially as of late:

1. Describe a time when you were opposed to a shift that affected your work practices.
Lately, alot of reorganization has been happening at companies and corporations, where alot of people are affected on all ends of the spectrum. With contraction taking place at alot of these large organizations, it is important for employees to remain flexible, and proof of that is necessary, according to many of the interviewers we have spoken to.

2. Have you ever questioned an ethical situation at work?
With the financial meltdown, and plenty of fingers pointing blame, ethics and morality in the workplace are of utmost importance, in these recessionary times. The more you can put behind this question, and the better you can position yourself as someone who will do the right thing, even when it’s tough, the better.

3. How comfortable are you moving from a much larger company to a much smaller one?
Layoffs are obviously way too commonplace these days, and the companies doing the laying-off are typically larger corporations. So, many employees are finding themselves at smaller and more boutique-like firms and organizations. This is great for small companies that are now seeing talent like they have never seen before; that said, it’s important to have a good answer here, so that firms know they are the right fit for you, despite being a more scaled-down operation.

4. What was the least/most rewarding part of your past job?
This is a classic, and it will stay a classic. Nowadays, it’s just important to stay competitive with your answer to a question like this. We give more color on this question in our app, but our take is, always stay interesting, and always stay relevant. The more interesting and the more relevant your description, of what excites you about your role (or annoys you about it), the more your interviewer takes interest.

5. Where do you see yourself in five years?
Another classic, with too many potential responses to count. Are you thinking about business school, promotions, entrepreneurship, etc etc? Check out our app to see some of our thoughts, but ultimately, a good story is what ends up being most important here.

Answering questions isn’t the only preparation you need for your interview.  Your appearance and approach to the interview can make a big impression on your interviewer.  In our application, SwipeQ Interview, we provide 150 of the most commonly asked questions and answers.  But we thought it might be informative for customers of our recent app, to know exactly what types of things to keep in mind, before walking into that first post-SwipeQ interview (or any other interview for that matter )

1.  Your Appearance.  This is a no-brainer, but you want to look your best.  Be well groomed. It is suggested to wear a dark color suit (black, navy blue or grey).  Here is a good link with more specifics: How to dress for an interview -http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewsnetworking/a/dressforsuccess.htm

2.  Knowledge of the company and position.  Try to gather as much information about the company and the position as you can. Knowing details will impress your interviewer and save time, so you can demonstrate and elaborate on other areas of your candidacy.

3. Smile.  Interviewers like candidates who fit in well with the culture of the company.  Smiling always brights up the room.

4. Getting good rest.  It’s understandable to be nervous the night before an interview.  Relaxing and getting a good night’s sleep is often better than preparing for those last few details/points.  Being well rested will keep you alert and sharp, as well as keep your appearance fresh.

5. Preparation in technical areas.  For some jobs there will be a technical component.  For example, most computer programming jobs will require you write code; Accounting interviewers will ask about financial statements and balance sheets; editorial interviewers may ask you to write about a topic or a thought.  If you know that there will be a technical component, try to cover all the items you listed on your resume.  You are more likely to be tested on those areas than on new concepts you did not list.

6. Questions for your interviewer.  Have good questions prepared for your interviewer. Remember that getting a job is a two-way street.  You’re interviewing the company as much as they are interviewing you.  Try to ask questions about the position so that you’re clear on what you will be doing.  Ask about the culture, hours, work environment.  Ask about the tools you will be using to complete your tasks.

7. Be on-time.  Leave with ample time to get there.  Make sure you know the exact location.  Sometimes it can be confusing to find the right office or the right building.  It’s probably best to enter the building 5 to 10 minutes before your interview.

8. Get feedback from your interviewer.  Ask your interviewers for feedback.  This show your interest in improving your abilities.  Not to mention, it also helps you for future interviews.

9.  Eye contact with your employer.  When answering questions, speak to your interviewer.  Don’t let him/her intimidate you — Be confident.  Speak to him/her directly while making eye contact.  This shows attentiveness and confidence.

10. Bring a document with all your references.  Most companies will make you fill out an official job application.  This is mostly for HR’s references.  It’s nice to be able to fill out all the information, although this rarely impacts your interview.  Some of the things they ask for are:
1. Your social security number
2. previous employers and their addresses/phone numbers
3. references and their contact information

Keep these 10 points in mind, and you’ll be all the more prepared for your next interview!

Best,
SwipeQ Team

This is our first blog post, from SwipeQ. We started this company just 2 months ago in an effort to empower students and professionals looking for jobs, by providing mobile access to interview preparation content. Why did we do this?

Preparation in general, is oftentimes both an active, as well as a passive, activity. A person spends a fixed amount of time reviewing questions, going through his/her resume, doing mock interviews with friends or trusted coworkers. However, the time that’s spent “in the interim”, so to speak, is where we think we can capture value for users.

Hence, we decided to create SwipeQ Interview, a flash card app for interview preparation, that really targets otherwise “wasted” time, and makes it productive for the prospective job applicant with an iPhone or iPod Touch. So what does this entail:

• Depth: 150 of the most common questions heard in job interviews
• broken apart across the most popular topics of discussion, in any interview: Basic Questions, Career Path, Teamwork, Qualifications, Communication, Work Product, and Brainteasers
• Answers: 150 guideline answers and facts for each question, with ACTUAL sample responses for tons of questions
• Notes: take your own notes on questions and saving them for future reference
• Create Questions: a “Custom Questions” category, for creating and saving your own flash cards/questions
• Convenience: just slide from question to question, and double-tap for the answer (we have buttons too, just in case)

Check us out! Thanks!