How to Pass an Interview Part Three

 

Powerful Job Interview Tips From A Recruiter –How to Pass an Interview Part3

 

By Biron Clark

Part III: Tips for After Your Interview

Once your interview is done and you’ve left the room, there are still a few things you should do to boost your chance of getting a callback.

These interview tips will help you impress the employer AFTER the interview.

Always thank the interviewer

You want to thank your interviewer when you leave the room and send a thank you email the following day. 

Showing appreciation for the employer’s time goes a long way, and it’s one of my favorite interview tips because it requires no talent; just effort.

Act interested but not desperate while waiting for feedback

Sometimes you won’t hear from the employer for many days after your interview.

They might need to meet more candidates, or might need time to finalize their decision.

I’d recommend wrapping up your interview by asking when you can expect to hear feedback. That way, you won’t be too anxious waiting at home.

If that time passes, it’s okay to follow up with the employer to get an update from them. But be patient and never sound needy/desperate. Delays happen.

If they tell you, “sorry, things are taking longer than we expected and we are still making our decision,” the worst thing you can do is act frustrated or upset. This isn’t going to help you get hired!

The best thing you can do is keep applying for jobs while you wait. It’s never smart to wait around for one single employer because so many unexpected things can cost you the job or cause a delay in the process.  (Budgets change, people get promoted inside the company and they no longer need an external candidate, etc.)

So that’s another one of my favorite interview tips – when you finish one interview, try to get more lined up! Don’t stop interviewing for jobs until you’ve signed a job offer. 

Use These Tips for How to Pass an Interview and Get More Job Offers

If you’ve followed these job interview tips, you’re in great shape to pass your next interview and get the job offer.

Don’t forget: Motivation, interest, and how you explain yourself and the reason you’re interviewing are just as important as your actual resume/skillset. I can’t stress this enough in terms of important job interview tips to remember!

Reading this article won’t change your professional skills. But it can change something far more powerful- how you come across in the interview room.

You can beat out somebody with more experience and a more impressive resume because job interviewing is a separate skill that you’ve spent time mastering.

How to Pass an Interview Part Two

Powerful Job Interview Tips From A Recruiter –How to Pass an Interview Part 2

By Biron Clark

Part II: Job Interview Tips

So, you’ve mentally prepared yourself with the interviewing tips from Part I. Now let’s talk about how to pass a job interview in the moment.

Describe your work history BRIEFLY

Most interviewers will ask you to give a quick walkthrough of your background at the start of the interview. That’s why I mentioned reviewing your resume beforehand. It’s a pretty commonly overlooked but it’s one of my favorite job interview tips and it’s so easy to do!

If you’ve prepared a good, brief narrative of your career, you can impress them right off the bat. What got you interested in this field? What have you accomplished recently?

But it has to be concise. Nobody wants to hire somebody that rambles on or sounds scattered, and that’s the biggest mistake people make with this relatively open-ended question.

Spend most of your time on the recent portion of your career. Go through the beginning rather quickly. 2-3 minutes total should be your target.

Explain why you’re interested in interviewing with them

After walking them through your resume, you’ll probably be asked why you’re looking to make a job change, and/or why you’re interested in their company in particular. This is where the research you’ve done pays off. You should already have two specific reasons for wanting to interview with their company.

When explaining your reason for job searching in general, I mentioned one example of how to turn a negative into a positive in Part I. Here are 2 more examples:

If your current company has no room for upward growth, say that you’re looking for a job with more room for upward growth. If you don’t like your coworkers, say you’re hoping to find a team that’s more collaborative. See the difference? You’re saying the same thing without sounding negative.

Whatever you say you’re looking for, be prepared for them to ask why you can’t get that in your current company. Just answer by saying that you don’t think there’s an opportunity to get this, and you considered this before starting to look externally. Simple and easy. That should end the line of questioning.

Answering technical questions- don’t freak out

After the basic questions, you’ll get into the meat of the interview. The content and questions here will vary based on the job, but here’s what you need to know about how to pass the job interview:

A good interviewer will test your limits. Especially if it’s a position involving some type of technical knowledge (math, science, engineering, etc). The only way they can find your limits is if they ask something you don’t know. So stay calm when you get this. Here’s what to do:

Try to work your way through the question as much as you can. Your thought process is often more important than answering correctly, so tell them what you’re thinking. Ask questions to clarify if needed.

Seeming genuine, thoughtful and honest can go a long way. It’s more important than answering any one question correctly.

Preparing yourself for how you’ll handle a question you’re not sure of or didn’t expect is an important piece of how to pass an interview. You can prepare for questions all day, but you still might hear something you weren’t ready for.

Ask your own questions at the end

You should ask a lot of questions after the interviewer has finished their own questions. How are you going to decide if you want the job if you don’t find out any info? The best job candidates are evaluating a company, not just trying to get a job in the first company that wants them. Once a company realizes this, they’ll treat you like a top notch candidate and try to sway you to join them.

Here are over 100 great questions you can ask the interviewer.

If you meet with 4 people, you should ask questions to all of them. It’s okay to repeat a question, but don’t tell the last person, “so-and-so already answered all my questions.” I’ve done this in the past and wasn’t offered the job. Lesson learned.

Some of the best questions are opinion-based questions because you can ask the exact same question to as many people as you want. Example: “What’s your favorite part about working here? What is the biggest challenge/difficulty you face here?”

Always act like you want the job

You have one goal in any interview: Convince them that you’re the best candidate for the job and get invited to the next round.

So you should be selling yourself in the interview, not deciding if the job is desirable.

Then you can go digest the info and make a decision once you get home. If you start using this approach you’ll have a big advantage throughout the entire interview because you’ll have one single thing to focus on. Other applicants will be juggling everything at once.

Don’t ask for feedback on the spot

I’ve seen people recommend that you ask for feedback or concerns at the end of the interview.

Something like this: “Based on what we’ve discussed, is there any reason you wouldn’t consider me for this job?” Horrible advice. Never ask this. Ever. Or anything like it.

First of all, they just finished interviewing you. Give them time to think. You’re going to go home and decide whether you’re interested, they need time to think too. Don’t put them on the spot like this.

Also you’re bringing the negatives to their attention. You’re literally asking them if they can think of a reason that’d stop them from hiring you. Even if they do think of something, they won’t tell you for fear of a lawsuit.

I like to say something like this instead: “If you need any more info from me or have any questions later, don’t hesitate to contact me.”

How to Pass an Interview Part One

 

Powerful Job Interview Tips From A Recruiter –How to Pass an Interview Part 1

By Biron Clark

If you think most hiring decisions are based on hard experience and qualifications, better keep reading. A resume gets you in the door, but how you interview determines whether you’re offered the job.

This article will cover 2 types of job interview tips to help you pass a job interview and get the job you want:

• Interview Preparation– steps you should take before your interview.
• Job Interview Tips– the best strategies to use during the actual interview.

These are the best interview tips that I know, from close to 5 years working as a Recruiter.

After you finish this article you’ll know how to present yourself better than the competition and pass a job interview a majority of the time.

Part I: Job Interview Preparation

Each step below will prepare you for the actual interview. None of this is very time consuming but it will set you apart from everyone else applying for the job, making it easy for the company to decide who to hire (you!)

Here are the basic interview preparation steps to remember. I’ve put the estimated time next to each one.

Research the company (5 minutes)

 

Know what they do, know how they make money. You’re not expected to be an expert, but knowing nothing about the company makes it look like you don’t care. Talent doesn’t matter at this point, you will not get hired if they think you don’t care. 

All of this research can be done on a company’s website and on Google.

To learn the latest on a company, try typing the company’s name plus the word “news” into your search bar.

 

Think of two reasons you’re interested in the company (10 minutes)

 

Use the company research you’ve done to come up with a business-related reason you’re excited about them. It could be a new business model, new clients, new partnership, etc.

Actual example: I recently had a phone interview with a tech company that was built as a review/info website. They recently started handling transactions instead of sending the buyers out to other websites to complete the transaction. I read this in the news and mentioned it as an exciting development and a really good business move. The interviewer was extremely impressed that I had read the news, and understood the implications.  Total time spent researching: less than 3 minutes.

Along with one business reason, try to come up with a secondary reason too. Maybe community involvement. Or company culture. Almost every company has a blurb about their culture on the website. Read it and mention what you read as a secondary reason for being interested.

You’ll seem extremely well-prepared and well-rounded for having two very different reasons.

 

Think of an explanation for why you’re job searching (5 minutes)

 

Companies will often choose someone less talented if they also seem less risky or if their motivations make more sense. I’ve seen it first-hand.

Don’t lose out on a job to somebody with less skill than you. Prepare some legitimate reasons why you want to make a move (without talking negative about your current employer). Here are some examples:

• You’ve accomplished ____ in your current role and you’re ready for a new challenge
• Your company’s direction has shifted and you feel it’s time to join a new organization
• You’re interested in a different type of product/service
• You’re looking for a larger or smaller organization

You can get more specific based on your situation. These are general ideas. If you do a good job with this you can beat out applicants that have more experience than yourself, because they’re not using these strategies most likely.

Get familiar with your resume (5 minutes)

 

This is one of the more important interview preparation tips, and one of the easiest. Glance over your resume if you haven’t in a while. Be ready to explain past job changes in a positive light. If you left a job because your manager was horrible, say that you went to an organization that had more supportive management. It’s all about how you phrase it. More examples on how to deliver this in Part II.

Also think of a couple of challenges and accomplishments in your last 1-2 positions. Interviewers love specific examples of accomplishments.

That’s it, you’re done with Part I. At this point you’ve already done more than 80% of job applicants, and you have good answers prepared for some of the most common interview questions.

Please check the blog for 2nd Part in Next Week

 

This Is Good

An old story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, “This is good!”

One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, “This is good!” To which the king replied, “No, this is NOT good!” and proceeded to send his friend to jail.

About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took him to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake. As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone that was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way.

As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend. “You were right,” he said, “it was good that my thumb was blown off.” And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened. “And so I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this.”

“No,” his friend replied, “This is good!” “What do you mean,’This is good’? How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?” “If I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you.”

You Had the Job Interview - But Now What?

I just got off the phone with a friend of mine who is an HR Director at a large company. I like to keep in touch with her to get the other side of the story about how candidates are coming across in their job searches and some of the latest tactics that work for her, and those that don't.

She was telling me about an out of work friend who, after submitting her resume, was calling the hiring manager daily to inquire about the status. "After about three days of seeing the same number come up on caller ID I'm sure that hiring manager won't be calling her back, regardless of how qualified she is. Who wants to hire a stalker?" my friend commented. And sadly, it's true. Just like that guy or gal who calls you incessantly after having a great date, or a salesperson you briefly talked to in a store. You might have been interested in them, or working with them at the time, but too much, is still, too much.

So what should you do? Send your resume, and if you have the contact info (and the ad does not specifically say "Do not call."), you can place a brief, friendly follow-up call the following week to touch base and let them know you're a real person who didn't just hit the Submit key on Monster.com. You can even say one or two unique aspects about your experience that specifically relate to the position leave your name and contact info, and then that's it. If you're a fit-they'll call you back. If you're not-then they won't.

However, if you have made it to the interview stage, you have earned a little more leeway. First, you should NEVER, EVER leave an interview without asking-"What are the next steps?" or "What is your timeline for filling this position?" You can even ask "I'd love to follow-up with you, what works better for you, a call or an email, say, next week? I don't want to turn into a stalker. " (insert casual laugh here) There you have it-you just got their timing, showed you were interested, and saved yourself a stress-ridden week of worrying about the position.

After you've made that initial post-interview follow-up call, don't revert to your former stalker ways and leave a voicemail every day, but it is OK to check in with them, either by phone or email every week and a half to two weeks. You can simply remind them of your interest in the position, or better yet, include a link to a relevant article about something happening in the industry is completely appropriate.

- Melanie Szlucha

Interview is Tomorrow, Are You Ready?

You just received a job interview request from your dream company and they want to interview you tomorrow. Are you ready? 

You're working hard to get an interview so you can get hired. With your career resting on your interview performance, let's have some fun getting ready so you will get hired on your next interview.

Arrange to meet a friend for coffee near your target company. Ask them to interview you. You'll bring everything needed including t he interview questions. All they have to do is show up, enjoy their favorite morning beverage, ask a few questions, and listen.

Prepare like it's a real interview. Tomorrow you could get a real job interview request, just like my friend John did when he got the interview call two (2) hours after he clicked SEND.

Print out the interview questions listed below and bring two copies to the meeting. Your interviewer should ask the questions in the order shown. Prepare your responses in advance. Questions 5 and 6 include probing questions the interviewer should ask after your initial response. This virtual interview is a lot like a real interview.

Also prepare a list of 3 questions you'll use when responding to question #10. Record the interview to listen how you actually perform. For help with the "salary question" .

Mastering this practice interview will make you confident and fearless on your real job interviews, and you'll get hired.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. Why are you looking for a new position?
3. What is your most recent salary?
4. Tell me about your experience with _____________ (Insert one job requirement from a position you desire.)
5. Describe a time when you worked with a team under stress and tight deadlines.
6. What did you do?
7. How did you approach the situation?
8. What did you learn?
9. How have you applied what you learned in a different s ituation?
10. Give me an example when you had to handle multiple priorities or projects.
    • What did you do?
    • How did you approach the situation?
    • What did you learn?
    • How have you applied what you learned in a different situation?
    • I'm concerned with your lack of industry experience. Why do you think you'd be a good performer in this unfamiliar industry? (This question is appropriate if you are changing industries.)
    • Describe one of your weaknesses.
    • Why should we hire you for this job?
    • Do you have any questions?

Best of luck on your next interview. It is the most important moment in your search for a better position.

By Michael Neece

How to Describe Yourself in an Interview

There you are dressed your best and being interviewed for the job of your dreams and the dreaded question gets asked, ‘Describe yourself for me.’ This question is almost always asked by prospective employers and almost always answered with a resounding uuuuuh… Knowing how to describe yourself in an interview can mean the difference of landing your dream job or going back to the want ads.

It helps if you come to grips with the fact that this question will be asked and you prepare for it ahead of time, but be careful that you don’t some off sounding like you memorized a script the night before. When getting ready to describe yourself in an interview you should consider the following:

• Don’t tell them what they already know: Don’t start out with your name and age, they have that on the application and repeating it sort of makes you sound silly. Instead of saying where you went to school –also on the application- tell the interviewer what you got out of your schooling or who influenced you along the way. Get into any activities or hobbies you have that may not be listed on the application. This is your time to let the interviewer know everything about you that is not on the application already.
• Give your strengths AND your weaknesses: First off all when giving your strengths, never come off too cocky. Be proud, but be careful not to toot your own horn too loudly as this can be a major turn-off to the interviewer. Besides giving what your strengths are, also mention your weaknesses, but do it in a way that makes you look good. ‘I have no patience for those that do not want to go the extra mile to help a co-worker,’ or ‘A big fault of mine is that I tend to pay too much attention to detail when it may not be needed.’ Statements such as those show the interviewer that you don’t think you are perfect, but that your faults are good ones to have.
• Be honest: This is most important of all. If you are not being honest many prospective employers can see right through your bologna and besides, you are who you are. If the job isn’t meant to be, then that is life. Never pretend to be somebody you are not.
• Speak clearly and don’t stammer: This goes back to the whole practice thing. If you are constantly stammering or saying ‘uh’ then you give off the impression that you are searching for words to say. This gives a bad vibe off because if you don’t know who you are, then who really does?

While there are no magic words to speak that will guarantee you a job, you should be prepared to adequately describe yourself at an interview. Again, you know the question is coming, so you may as well prepare for it. A good trick is to stand in front of the mirror and interview yourself. Ask yourself the question and answer the question. Would you hire yourself? If the answer is no, then chances are neither will the prospective employer, so keep practicing until the answer is yes.

By Jason Kay

Two IMP. Questions - Closing The interview

By James Caan,CEO,Hamilton.Brad Shaw.

I'VE carried out thousands of interviews over the years and from my experience, there isn't one single question that candidates can ask that will guarantee them landing their dream job. What people tend to forget is that it’s a two way dialogue. Obviously, the interviewer is controlling the situation but the candidate also has the opportunity to exert some influence on the proceedings. For example, there are a couple of killer questions that can move you closer to closing the deal on that all important job offer. Say for example you know you've made it to the final three, when the interview is coming to an end you can simply ask,

*‘Is there anything that you've seen in the other people on the shortlist , that you have not seen in me?’*

It’s a great way of turning the tables on the interviewer and will give you a chance to dispel any lingering doubts your prospective employer might have about you. Whatever the response, you get the chance to address any negative perceptions head on. Remember that first and last impressions are extremely important and that during the interview itself people are usually on their guard.

Another a little tactic is to wait until the formalities are over - once the meeting is finished people tend to mentally relax so time this one for when you are leaving the room or walking to the lift.

Simply say,

*‘So what is your gut feeling about me as a candidate?’ *

You'll be putting your potential employer on the spot, but they will probably respect your boldness. In my experience it's unusual for candidates to take control in this way but when they do, they certainly get a mental tick in the box from me.

How to Answer Bad Interview Questions With Good Answers

If you’ve prepared for the interview you more than likely spent all of your time preparing to answer “positive questions” – demonstrating how good you are and what you can offer this position. You are not prepared to talk about your failures or times when you were challenged by difficult situations. So what do you do when you encounter a “curve ball?”

You deal with it in a positive manner. 

Here is an example of a question that could be asked by an interviewer who is seeking negative information and how to deal with it. 

Question – “Tell me about a time when you had a conflict with someone at work and how you resolved it.” 

Answer – “I usually get along very well with everyone.” 

Wrong Answer – The most important reason that this is a “poor answer” is that it doesn’t answer the question: “Tell me about a time when….” The interviewer is seeking an example of a time when you had a dealt with a difficult situation or person and how you handled yourself. (communication/relating to others) 

Here is a good example of how to answer the question in a more confident and informative manner:

 

There was an incident that happened with a person who was not pulling his weight on the team and it was affecting morale. All the team members were getting disgruntled but nobody was doing anything about it. His name was “Todd” and he was an older worker who had been with the company for many years. 

I took it upon myself to have a talk with Todd when the opportunity presented itself. It didn’t start out smoothly – he was defensive at first and resented my speaking to him about his work behavior. He started telling me I should mind my own business. I stayed very calm and spoke in a moderate voice. I was careful to let him know that I wasn’t judging him but rather was concerned about the team and the ability for everyone to get along. He began to calm down and started telling me about the challenges he was facing. 

He confided in me that he had some family problems at home that were affecting his energy level and patience. I listened attentively while he told me about his problems. 

Once he became aware that his behavior was affecting other’s work he made a special effort to be more open and receptive. The team spirit improved greatly after that – as well as the productivity. 

My boss made a point to tell me how much she appreciated my intervention before she had to step in to take disciplinary action. Todd also thanked me for speaking to him. 

This answer deals with the question in a positive, assertive manner. Taking the initiative is a good trait to demonstrate with your stories – “I took it upon myself….” 

You can see that there is a good deal of positive information that can be emphasized in an answer – even if it is an example of a time when things were negative. 

You have shown the interviewer how you resolve an issue with another person. 

Turning negatives into positives is an important skill to learn. When you are asked a “bad” or negative question, take a minute to turn the answer around refocusing the answer to include some positive qualities.

By Carole Martin

Right & Wrong Way to Handle; What's Your Greatest Weakness?

Interviewers frequently ask inane questions that do little to assess your ability to do a job. One of the most feared interview questions is the "weakness" question. It is also one of the most deficient questions asked by unskilled interviewers. Even though it is an ineffectual question, you still must be ready to respond effectively and professionally if you want to get the job offer. 

Before your next interview, you must be prepared to manage the most 10 most frequently asked interview questions, especially the "weakness" question. This article gives you the strategy and a template so you can comfortably handle this interviewer question. Learn how to effectively handle the other 9 most often asked interview questions with 

Converting Weakness To A Positive Is The Wrong Approach
 

Conventional advice recommends that you respond to the "weakness" question by stating a weakness that is really a positive or translating a weakness into a positive. For example: "I'm a workaholic, and I spend lots of hours at work ensuring I do my job to the best of my abilities." Interviewers see right through this technique, and it's never effective. 

What Interviewers Want To Hear

 

When interviewers ask this question, they don't care what your weaknesses are. They care about how you handle this question and what your response indicates about you. They're looking for indications that you regularly assess your talents and are working to increase your skills. 

Response Strategy
 
Your response strategy to the "weakness" question is as follows:

• First, highlight your strengths for this position
• Second, highlight an area that you are working to improve upon
• Third, describe what you are doing to improve
• Fourth, describe how this new skill improves your value to the company
• Finally, ask a question.

Prepare Your Response By:

1. Identifying the new skills you just learned or plan to learn
2. Describing how this new skill relates to the job

Below is a fill-in-the-blank temp late for the "weakness" question to help you prepare and practice your response in your own words.

"While there are several strengths I bring to this position, including _____________ (insert 2 strengths), I am currently working to improve my knowledge of _____________ (insert new skill). I feel this is important because it allows me to deliver added results in the areas of ____________ (and here you just insert a couple of areas). 

Example 1: Sales person learning finance

"While there are several strengths I bring to this position, including being a top performer in my previous position and possessing strong industry knowledge, I'm currently taking a class to improve my knowledge of business finance. I feel this is important because it allows me to directly relate products and services to customers' return-on-investment and to recommend department cost saving initiatives. 

Would you like me to elaborate on either of these?"

Example 2 : Customer service person learning Spanish

"While there are several strengths I bring to this position, including strong customer service and problem solving skills, I'm currently taking a class Spanish to improve my ability to communicate in another spoken language. I've found that English is not the first language for an increasing number of customers, and even with a little foreign language skills I can deliver greater service while enhancing the customers interaction with my company." 

Question:
 

Did you notice I asked a question at the end? Asking a question will make the interview more conversational and avoid it becoming an interrogation. The response strategy described here is presented in more detail in the Interview Mastery module titled "What are your weaknesses?" 

Good luck on your next interview. You're going to be awesome!

By - Michael Neece

A Good Interview Impression Is In The Details

 

 

Four Presentation Hints for a Good Job Interview

 

As political candidates answer endless variations of the same questions in pursuit of elected office, we can't help but be reminded of our own often-torturous experiences on job interviews.

If, like the candidates, we could review our performances on tape, what might we see?

Watch and Listen to Yourself

"Verbal fillers are the No. 1 problem," says Randy Bitting, cofounder of InterviewStream, a Web-based service that gives job seekers the chance to tape and watch themselves in mock interviews.

"People are so used to texting and emailing in short phrases that they can get stuck putting together a fewcomplete sentences," he observes. "It's better to opt for silence while you gather your thoughts, especially if you're nervous."

Of course, nervousness can also generate overtalking. "We have a bar running along the bottom of the screen as you're being recorded to mark the passage of time," Bitting says. 

"We strongly suggest that respondents limit their answers to two minutes, at most."

Watching yourself on tape is also a good way to monitor things like dress -- too much cleavage, too-short cuffs -- and gestures, Bitting adds. "People don't realize how many times they scratch their heads or flip their ties."

Maintain a Conversation

Mastering the art of presentation goes hand in hand with carefully packaging the content of what you want to get across. "The key idea is to remember that an interview is a two-way conversation designed to determine if there's a mutual fit," says Rob Sullivan, a chicago-based career coach and author of Getting Your Foot in the Door When You Haven't a Leg to Stand On

 .

A good formula, Sullivan continues, has you doing most of the talking for the first two-thirds of that conversation, and then ceding the floor to the interviewer. "That's your chance to ask lots of questions, which people tend to forget to do," he says.

Assemble a list of talking points and make sure you get through them, adds Sullivan. "If you realize that this person's asked you one standard question after the next -- what's your greatest weakness? where do you see yourself in the next five years? -- look at your watch and say, 'I notice we're running out of time. There are a few things that I'd like to share with you. Is that OK?'  Make their job easier for them."

Have Your Story Ready

It's at this point that you dazzle with your "story," as Sullivan calls it. That's different from the "elevator pitch," the 30-second encapsulation of who you are. "Your story is not about your sales records or your business-generating prowess," Sullivan says.

Instead, ask yourself what's excited you in your career, what you've done on your own initiative and what's energized you. What stories can you relay that show your passion, initiative and resourcefulness?

"If you think about what's better because you were there, like in the movie It's A Wonderful Life, you'll come up with some compelling anecdotes and you'll stand out," Sullivan says.

Skip the Scents

Just make sure the impression you leave is a good one. "It can't be said enough, but skip the perfume," Sullivan adds. "This is not a date, and a lot of people are extremely sensitive to smell. If you give me a migraine headache, I'm not going to remember a word you said, and I'm not going to like you."

Thanks to JoAnn Greco / Career Advice Monster / Monster

Why Wasn’t I Hired?

Interviewing can be both frustrating and arduous because throughout the process, you receive little or no feedback except for the obvious: if they want you back, they contact you. If they don’t, frequently you never hear from them again. But after a first interview the reasons for not being asked back are numerous, and quite frankly, usually they’re about you: lack of experience, poor interviewing skills, inadequate preparation and research, or similar shortcomings. As a result, another candidate generates more excitement. 

But sometimes you are the candidate who’s invited back for a second or even a third interview. After that, though you’ve reached the final stages of interviewing and feel sure an offer is imminent, suddenly……nothing. 

Sometimes the process has stalled. Occasionally - and stupidly - a company finds the perfect person, but feels they have to interview a specific number of people first, and while they do, they’re under the impression you’re waiting happily in the background with your life and emotions on hold until they contact you again. 

Other times only a letter in the mail tells you it’s done. Rarely are candidates told why they didn't get the job. Unless you get this far in the process, usually you aren’t even told that much. Was it something you did? Maybe. But maybe not! 

Relax. While you’re busy wondering what went wrong or trying to convince yourself it had nothing to do with you...sometimes that’s the truth! You and that company just weren't meant to be, and nothing you might have done - or not done - would have made any difference. 

Consider these factors, all of which take place without your knowing:

• A last-minute candidate appeared on the scene who was exactly what they were looking for. Maybe you were almost perfect, but for some reason, the last-minute candidate was just a bit more whatever they were looking for. If you experienced a delay in your interviewing late in the process, odds are very good your position as the top candidate was usurped at the last minute. 
   
• An internal candidate entered the picture. Though many companies post positions internally first and go outside only after exhausting internal options, that doesn’t account for someone changing his mind - especially if it was the person they were initially targeting. 
   
• The company decided to eliminate the position or put the hiring process on hold. Sometimes when a company doesn’t know in which direction they want to go, they run an ad to “see what’s out there” and then eliminate the position when their water walker fails to submit a resume. On other occasions, the process might be halted as a result of some event that changed the circumstances - and thus changed their decision about interviewing. 
   
• One of the interviewers that came into the picture later in the process didn't like you. Perhaps you reminded them of a former employee that didn't work out. Maybe they were threatened by your expertise and skill. In any case, they carried enough weight or had enough of a valid point to get you jettisoned from the process.

Interviewing is the process by which you find a company you like, and by which a company hires you because they feel you’re the best person for the job. Everything happens for a reason, and if you missed getting an offer with one company, something better may be just around the corner.

So concentrate on what you can control and forget about what you can’t. If you mope around worrying about what you did or didn't do and wonder why they didn't like you or where you messed up - your attitude will bring about another negative outcome.
Look objectively at whether or not you can pinpoint something you might have done differently, and then learn from it. Otherwise, put it behind you and move forward with a confident and positive outlook! 

- Judi Perkins

Judi was a very successful recruiter for 22 years (15 contingency, 4 agency, 3 retained) and has now been a career coach for 3. The recruiter background, especially having been all three types, gives her deep insight into both sides of the hiring process. Now she teaches job seekers both the skill and psychological aspects of job hunting.

Your Sweet Spot

Achieving a balance between confidence and terror as you anticipate a job interview takes some doing. You want to be well prepared and eager to make a genuinely good impression on the interviewer, but still the tendency is to be afraid—maybe even terrified. What if you don't know the answer to a question or you're so nervous you can't think straight, or you feel sick to your stomach and want to run from the room? 

Of course any of those scenarios can occur but they don't have to—and they won't—if you locate your 'sweet spot'—the place between confidence and terror. The best way to stay in the sweet spot, according to psychologist Jason Moser of Michigan State University, as reported in The Wall Street Journal (June 19, 2012), is to turn anxious thoughts into action steps. 

Following are some examples drawn from the experts who counsel athletes, businessmen and women, and other professionals.

1. Challenge self-defeating thoughts. Stare them down and they'll shrink. Ask yourself if what you think about yourself is really true. For example, are you an incapable, boring person that no one will hire? Of course not. 
3. Rehearse with a friend what you plan to say and do. Conduct a mock interview so you can hear yourself respond to practice questions. Such an exercise gives you plenty of time to change or modify what you'd like to improve.
4. Feel the fear and go forward anyway. It's all right to have some apprehension. It can work in your favor by heightening your awareness of the people and situation around you, making you more responsive, more confident, and more interested in participating in the interview to the best of your ability.

Steps to Avoid

1. Drinking alcohol before an interview. A drink or two may calm you momentarily but it also may cloud your mind and cause you to lose your focus. Interviewers read people well. They'll be able to tell by your eyes, your speech, and your mannerisms if you're in an altered state—regardless of how minor it might seem to you.
2. Exercising vigorously ahead of time. It's good to be in shape and alert, but a hard workout could zap your strength and open the door for fatigue just when you need all the stamina you can muster in order to respond to the employer with a clear mind. Save the treadmill and weights for after the interview when you want to celebrate how well you did.
3. Sharing too much information with others. Some people manage their fear by talking in excess to family and friends in either a negative or positive way. They prepare themselves for defeat by pretending they don't care one way or the other about the result of the job interview or they brag about how they're going to blow the hiring manager away with their experience and skills.

Keep yourself in check. Spend time alone before leaving for the interview. Relax with deep breathing, review your notes, and finally rest in that sweet spot between confidence and terror—where you know all will be well because you'll do your best and no one can expect more.

- Jimmy Sweeney 

Jimmy Sweeney is the president of CareerJimmy and author of the brand new "Secret Career Document" job landing system. Jimmy is also the author of several career related books and writes a monthly article titled, "Job Search Secrets." Visit our friends at Job Interview "Secret" and discover Jimmy Sweeney's breakthrough strategy that will have you standing out from the competition like a Harvard graduate at a local job fair… DURING your next job interview.

The Tough Interview Question and Its Answer: "Why Should We Hire You

By Cammila.James.

 

The tough interview question: why should we hire you? is often the most dreaded question by most job seekers. The question many people need to have answered is how on earth do you answer that question adequately?

 

Frame your response to this question in a way that you are selling yourself, as this question truly opens up the opportunity to do so!

In an interview situation, your tone and body language is particularly important. When you answer this particular question you need to watch your tone. Where so many people fail is that their tone changes when they are asked a question that they have been dreading or anxious about answering. This could potentially be devastating to your chances of success. Pay particular attention to your tone when you respond to this question.

The key to a successful tone is being positive and show enthusiasm. Whatever you say, say it with a smile on your face. A smile will instinctively affect the tone of your voice. So what ever you say - say it with a smile and with a sense of confidence.

It is also important not to let your enthusiasm drop when you are asked this question. Try and keep your tone consistently enthusiastic.

But enough on tone. What should you actually say when you are asked this question?

The key to answering the toughinterview question of why should we hire you? is preparation: you need to know what your transferable skills are.Transferable skills are those skills that you pick up in a work or personal environment that you take with you where ever you go. For example, if you have developed a high level of knowledge regarding computing and IT issues, then this is a skill that your next employer will benefit from. Take some time and establish in your head what skills you have in your personal arsenal. These skills make you a valuable asset to any company. The more developed and polished your transferable skills are, the more valuable you are to a company.

The other side to your answer comes in the form of relevant experience. Essentially you need to be able to demonstrate that your previous roles have given you the experience to prove you are more than capable of doing the job you are applying for.

You don't need to try and say you have previously held the same job with another company; rather you can draw on your career history in order to cover the different aspects of your perspective role. So if your perspective job role includes managing an office and dealing with the public, then you should be pulling from your career history a role where you have worked with the public, and a different role where you were in charge of an office.

Finally, you need to remember that as important as this single question is, it is not everything. Think of this question as an opportunity to sell yourself by discussing the above mentioned items. When you think about it in this way you may actually look forward the being asked this very tough interview question!

Interview is Gateway to Your Desired Job & Career, But Still You Have to Face the Competition, so You Must be Prepared Before Time.