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Job Interview 101 – Practice Makes Perfect

July 8, 2010 By admin 3 Comments

job interviewThere are so many people who will go to an interview and be caught off guard. This is the easiest thing to avoid and if you are well prepared for your job interview then you will give yourself the best possible chance at nailing the interview and hopefully landing the job as a result.

The best way to be prepared for a job interview is by practicing in advance of your interview. This starts with knowing every aspect of your resume. Go over your resume several times as you never know what you will be asked about at the interview about your resume. If you forget what you put on your resume you may have the potential employer thinking that you made up certain parts of your resume. After all, if you don’t know you, who does?

You also need to practice how you will answer questions. To do this give yourself an interview. As silly as it sounds, it is a very easy and also very effective exercise. Look in the mirror and ask yourself a series of questions. Be sure you ask yourself the all important, “Tell me about yourself,” question as you know it will crop up in the real interview. Really study not only what you say, but how you say it as well. Saying the words uhhh, ummm, and ahhh too much do not lend well to your credibility.

After you have interviewed yourself ask yourself if you would hire you. If the answer is yes you are good to go, if it is no then conduct another interview.

Remember, practice makes perfect and a job interview is no exception to that rule. By being well prepared and knowing what to say ahead of time, you will be able to give yourself a strong advantage and a boost in confidence when you go in for the actual interview itself.

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Interviewing Tips

March 25, 2010 By admin 1 Comment

Interviewing can be a nerve wracking experience! All of your preparation can pay off, but only if you perform once in front of your interviewer. Not everyone does well in this type of situation, but here are a few tips that can help you to be your best.

Be Cool!

Try to remain calm when getting ready to go into a job interview. The more you allow yourself to feel stressed, the more it will show when you get in front of a prospective employer. Just remind yourself that you are good at this, that it’s just a conversation, and that the person on the other side of the table is just a person too. Don’t let anxiety get the best of you.

Be Confident!

Confidence is completely appealing, especially in an interview situation. Speak with self-assurance, express yourself calmly and with certainty. If you have questions or are afraid you may not have understood a question, ask them to repeat it. Don’t lose your cool, just have poise and certainty. Remember that you’ve done this before, that you’re good at it, and that you’re the perfect candidate for the job.

Make Eye Contact and Have a Firm Handshake!

This is pretty self explanatory. Don’t let your eyes wander during the interview or they might think you’re not interested in them or what they have to say. Make eye contact to show you are engaged.

Having a firm handshake might not seem important, but have you ever had to shake hands with a limp fish? That’s what a weak handshake is like. It leaves you feeling like the person you just met wasn’t all that interested in meeting you. A firm handshake is as important in assuring your interest as eye contact.

Be Yourself!

Whatever you do, be yourself. Trying to be over-confident or impressing your interviewer by being something you’re not is not the way to get the job. Being fake lends itself to your personal discomfort when you’re not being true to yourself. If you’re confident and comfortable with yourself you’re more likely to get the job!

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Interviewing Skills: It’s Not All About You

January 18, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Interviewing is a special skill that takes lots of practice! There are many tips and tricks that can improve your interviewing skills, but one thing to always keep in mind is that the interview, contrary to popular belief, is actually not all about you. A prospective employer wants to know about you, but more importantly, they want to know about how you will benefit them as a company. They want to make sure your skills and experience match the position requirements, that you are a good fit for their corporate culture, and that having you in the position will enhance the performance of the company in some way. Your job in the interview is to prove all of this to them.

In your job interview, make sure you focus your answers so they show how you will benefit the employer. When discussing your skills, relate them to specifics about the position you’re interviewing for. When talking about your experience, give examples of how it’s similar to what you’ll be doing in this job. And make sure you impress upon them how valuable you can be to them once given the opportunity. Quantify your answers and show ways in which you have improved the success or performance of companies you’ve worked for in the past and find ways to explain how you can do the same for them. Assuming you’ve done your homework prior to the interview, you can also discuss how you will fit into their team dynamic and how well you will mesh in their corporate culture. They want someone who can jump in with both feet, who won’t need a lot of hand holding. Let them know that you are just that person.

Expressing yourself and letting prospective employers know about you and your background are essential in any interview. What will set you apart from your competition is making sure you also let them know how hiring you will benefit them. Making the interview not all about you is the key!

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Interviewing Requires Homework

January 16, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

So you’ve gotten past the first hurdle and you have an interview. Now you need to prepare, but where do you start? Research! Knowing about the company you’re interviewing with is essential. You need to know more than the company name, logo and general information on their products or services.

When researching a potential employer, look for important company information. Start with their website. Find out how long they’ve been in business, how much they’ve grown in the past year, and how many people the company employs. Make sure you know who the key players are, whether they’re owners of a small business or CEOs of a Fortune 500 company, familiarize yourself with their names and a little of their history. Find out what the company’s mission statement is and what their immediate goals are. Know what their primary products and services, who their customers are, and who their competitors are. And above all else, be sure you’re well acquainted with the position you’re applying for, the details of the job and what it entails.

Doing your homework and getting familiar with a company before showing up for an interview will give you an edge over your competition. It will help you highlight the appropriate skills for the company and have accurate expectations of the job and the employer. Doing your research is key to helping you ace the interview.

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Interviewing Wardrobe Tips

January 7, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Congratulations, you got a call and have an interview! There are so many things to do to prepare. You’ve done your important homework on the company. You have your resume, with extra copies just in case. You know what time to arrive and how to get there. You’ve gone over practice interview questions and rehearsed your eye contact and handshake. What else could there possibly be to think about? You have to consider your wardrobe!

It seems like a no-brainer, but what you wear to an interview is going to be part of that first impression you give to your potential employer, and you want that first impression to be positive. Dressing for success and dressing for the job you want are more than just silly sayings. They happen to be true! But you don’t want to go overboard (or under board, for that matter). You don’t want to overdress and you especially don’t want to under dress. Go for neutral. You should look nice and well groomed but not overstated or inappropriate. A suit and tie or, at the minimum, a blazer, slacks and a tie are good choices for men. Think on the conservative end when choosing suit, shirt and tie color. Unless you’re interviewing in a field that embraces a more expressive style, keep it simple. For women it’s always acceptable to wear a blazer over a blouse with pants or a skirt. Women should also keep it simple. Avoid elaborate hair or makeup and save your tight fitting clothes for your personal time. Also stick with simple jewelry. Again, unless you’re looking for a job in an industry where colorful or flashy clothes are the norm, keep it simple and tasteful with a slant toward the more conservative.

When preparing for that all-important interview, don’t overlook the importance of wardrobe. Making a good first impression is important, and how you look will have a big impact. Keep in mind when choosing your interview outfit that your clothing should make a good impression, but should not detract from you. Keep it tasteful and simple and you’ll be on your way to looking great!

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Interviewing Tips and Tactics

January 5, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

One of the hardest parts about finding a job is the interview. If you don’t have a lot of experience interviewing, it can be very intimidating and nerve racking. It’s hard to know just how to approach it, how to handle yourself and even what to wear. There are some tried and true tips to keep in mind to help you relax and focus on the questions.

First, dress for the job interview and be prepared. Wear what is appropriate for the job, whether it’s a suit or a shirt and tie. Never under dress! Being dressed up makes you look enthusiastic and serious about the job. Make sure your clothes are clean and pressed at least a day before the meeting. Next, make sure you print extra resumes and remember to take them with you. Most likely they will have your resume with them, but in case they don’t or they need extra copies, make sure you have them available. When you get to the interview, make eye contact! This seems like a no-brainer, but it can be easy to forget in a high-pressure situation. Making eye contact with the interviewer or interviewers shows them you are interested in them and focused on the conversation. Also be sure to listen carefully, but don’t be afraid to have them restate a question or clarify. And finally, be positive! Don’t give negative information about yourself or about past employers. Talk about your strengths and how they apply to the position.

Interviewing is difficult, even for the most seasoned employees. Being prepared will put you at ease. Take advantage of your time to ask questions and be engaged. And above all else, relax and be yourself.

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Top 3 Interview Questions

September 15, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

When preparing for an interview there a certain questions that you can guarantee will be asked and there’s no reason not to have an answer ready.  Not only is it a good idea to have an answer prepared to these top 3 interview questions, but make sure you are comfortable giving your response.  Practice your response in front of the mirror until you feel at ease.

1. Tell me a little about yourself.

This is commonly one of the first things discussed in an interview.  If you aren’t prepared for this one it can set a negative tone for the rest of the interview.  This is your first impression and way for you to convey the kind of person you are.  Think about your response this way – if this was your only chance to speak directly to the interviewer, what would you most want them to know? You should mention both personal and professional values.  Always be honest, but definitely focus on your best traits and accomplishments.  It’s always a good idea to study the job announcement integrate their desired skills or experience into your response.

2. What is your typical way of dealing with conflict or stressful situations?

The best way to answer this question is with an honest example.  If you handled a situation poorly in the past, you could give that example, focusing on what you learned from it and skills you now use to handle stress.  It’s great to incorporate desired skills such as time management, decision making, and problem solving abilities into your response.  In addition to specifics on handling stressful situations, talk about how you keep stress at bay, such as working out regularly.  Be aware that some interviewers are may even create stress in the interview to see how candidates respond.

3. What are your short and long term goals?

In this question, the interviewer wants to see how you plan and think about the future – if at all.  If you don’t have a response ready they may assume you do not plan ahead.  Short term goals should consist of things that can be accomplished within a 1 month-3 month span, while long term goals are 6 months or longer.  Good responses should include both professional and personal goals to demonstrate a good work/life balance.  While you do want to be honest, try to keep the company’s goals in mind as well.  While you may want to earn your MBA and run your own company someday, that signals to the employer you don’t plan to stick around long.

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Showing You Have Done Your Homework

August 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Job hunting tips always include the one that says you should do your homework about the company prior to an interview. So many of us do but when we get in the interview, it seems to be completely focused on us and our past that we never seem to get the chance to show we have researched the company. It is very important to find the opportunity to show that you have indeed done the research about the firm you are interviewing with.

When the interviewer asks if you have any questions, start with “I’ve noticed from my research that your firm…” Another opportunity is if the interviewer asks why you want to work for this company. You can name some of the philanthropic things the company has done, their policies, their achievements or anything else that you have learned about them. When asked the question “Why should we choose you over another applicant?” mention how your skills or beliefs fit something specific about the company. If all else fails, when leaving thank the interviewer and say what an honor it was to be interviewed at a company that has…

Take note of these subtle ways of showing your knowledge of the firm you are being interviewed for and you’ll be well on your way to impressing the recruiters.

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What Not to Wear to an Interview

August 2, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

When you have secured a job interview, you must keep in mind that no matter what type of impression you gave with your resume, how you look and present yourself in the first minute of your interview will weigh heaviest on the actual first impression. Therefore it is critical that you dress to impress and make a great impression on those interviewing you.

With that in mind, here is a list of what not to wear to a job interview.

  • Outfits that show your underwear, including shirts that are too low cut or see through and pants that hang too low.
  • Piercing jewelry, except earrings in ears for women.
  • Makeup for men.
  • Anything provocative, too revealing or too sexy
  • Flip-flops
  • Tank tops
  • Skull caps
  • Jeans
  • Printed T-shirts
  • Shorts
  • Exercise clothes
  • Cut-offs
  • Clothing appropriate for nightlife
  • Mini-skirts

A job interview is an opportunity that you have to get a job that you have applied on and therefore must be interested in somewhat at least. Don’t let a bad clothing choice ruin your chances. Dress like a professional and you’ll be treated like one. The right outfit can easily get you one step closer to your dream job, while the wrong outfit can knock out your chances in an instant.

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Selling Yourself Effectively to a Potential Employer – Part 2

June 7, 2009 By admin 1 Comment

In our last post, we talked out the first important tip for marketing yourself effectively to a potential employer, which was making sure to highlight what you will bring to the table. Today, we will talk about the second important tip for marketing yourself effectively to a potential employer, which is:

Make sure to highlight your strong points and refrain from talking about your weaknesses

This is important because even trying to explain your weaknesses and short comings will only draw the employer’s attention to them, when you want to do the opposite. This can be a tricky area because some employers will actually ask you what you think your greatest weakness is. In this situation, it may be best to take something that is a positive and turn it into a weakness. For example, you could say that your biggest weakness is that you are a workaholic or a perfectionist.

Keeping these points in mind and making sure that you are selling yourself to the best of your ability, will help you impress the employer and, hopefully, land the job of your dreams.

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