Jobs @ Career Consulting Limited
Return to career-consulting-limited.com
People |
|
|
 |
Get That Job: Mastering Job Interviews
I've heard it said?in fact, it might well have been me that said it - there are few things more excruciating in professional life than the job interview. Job interviews are awful! Throughout my career I have attended many and conducted many more, and the truth is whether you are the candidate or the interviewer, job interviews are challenging and confronting and difficult - but you can not only survive but learn to be a masterful interviewee by developing an understanding of what it is the interviewer needs to see and learning to conduct yourself with clarity and confidence. Be prepared. Sounds obvious, right? You'd be surprised how many people don't get this part right. Make a detailed list of all the information you need about your interview, including the:
Know the style of interview. When you make the appointment, ask what form the interview will take; is it a one-on-one interview? A panel interview? Or a group assessment activity? Ask if there will be any testing involved also. Knowing the style will help you to be better prepared and will prevent you from being surprised by an interview format different to what you were anticipating. Know how to get there. If you plan to travel by public transport allow extra time in case of delays. If you are driving, allow extra time in case of delays. If you are walking, allow extra time in case of delays?you get the picture - no matter how you plan to get there, allow extra time in case of delays, there's not many worse ways to start an interview than to arrive late and flustered. Dress appropriately. Different workplaces and different professions have different codes of dress. Understand what is appropriate for the type of position and organisation you are interviewing for and err on the side of more conservative. Don't wear too much make up, jewellery, perfume or aftershave. Do your homework. Research the company before the interview - look at their website, pick up a copy of their annual report and ask others what they know about the organisation. It is inexcusable to front up for a job interview not knowing anything about the company and you'll never convince anyone that they should employ you if you don't even have a general understanding of the organisation you'd be working for. Use the information you find to develop some questions to ask at the interview. Good first impressions. When you meet the person or people who will be interviewing you, look them in the eye, smile and greet them with a firm (not too hard) hand shake. If you aren't used to shaking hands or don't know how to shake hands properly? learn. Smile. Concentrate on projecting a pleasant, relaxed, confident image. Smile and be personable throughout the interview - you may feel nervous or even scared?but don't let it show. Be conscious of your body language. Don't fidget, don't fold your arms, don't wave your arms about, don't lean back on your chair?it's just like your mother always told you! Name drop. Address your interviewer by name frequently during the interview. People love the sound of their own name. Listen intently. Give the interviewer your full attention when he or she is speaking. This will help you answer their questions appropriately and show that you are interested in the role and have a good grasp of common courtesy and professional behaviour. Be a STAR. Formulate your responses using the STAR technique when responding to questions. Most interviewers use a competency-based interview technique. Many believe your past behaviour will predict your future behaviour so they ask questions to help them to understand what your past behaviours have been. STAR means:
Always try to respond the following way: "The situation or task was ?, the action I took was ? and the result was..". Don't answer questions with words such as, "I would do this ? in that situation". Interviewers want specific examples of situations you have been involved in not hypothetical answers. Be positive. Use positive, lively language. Act as though you already have the role - use phrases such as, "When I am in the role", "When I start the job" and "When I begin working with you". Take notes. Let the interviewer know that you will be writing down points as you discuss the role. This will help you to remember details after you leave and it gives you something to do that stops your hands from fidgeting and it can help to settle the nerves a little too. But, make sure you use a good pen, don't use a cheap pen for your job interviews. If you can't afford a nice one, borrow one. It is important to give a good impression and these small details can make an impact. Know the content of your resume well. The interviewer is likely to refer to something you've written in your resume - make sure you know it intimately and can answer questions about all your past roles, responsibilities and achievements. Also, know the timeline of your employment history well; it'll sound like you're trying to cover something up if you stumble over your own career chronology. Take additional copies of your resume with you - one for yourself and another for your interviewer should they need it. White paper, black ink, staples in the left-hand corner is an ideal format for most roles - leave the plastic folders and fussy presentation out. Ask questions. Ideally an interview is an exchange - you are getting to know the people and the organisation you might be working with as much as they are getting to know you. Make the interview interactive by asking your own questions in response to theirs and at the end of the interview ask any questions that have not yet been addressed. Always have questions ready to ask, you won't convince anyone that you rally want to work for their organisation if you don't want to know all about it. These are good questions to have on hand:
Send a note. Take a few minutes to write a hand written thank you note to your interviewer and send it the same day. This will probably arrive quite unexpectedly and help to seal your interviewer's good impression of you and help you to stand out from the other candidates. Neen is a Global Productivity Expert: by looking at how they spend their time and energy - and where they focus their attention - Neen helps people to rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic speaker, author and corporate trainer, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice, sense of fun and uncommon common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity. Find out more at http://neenjames.com/
MORE RESOURCES: Careers at Givaudan Givaudan Meet Native American Veterans where they live with a VA career VA.gov Home | Veterans Affairs Careers | Career Opportunities West Virginia University I moved to Alaska after college for a job. I lost all my friends because I put my career first. Business Insider Jobs City of Rochester (.gov) Careers at TWU Texas Woman's University 15 Companies Offering Health Insurance to Part-Time Workers U.S News & World Report Money Careers at FEMA FEMA Physicians are the nation’s top earners – a slideshow Medical Economics Jobs and Training at FDA FDA.gov Jobs at Liberty University Liberty News City of Tampa Careers City of Tampa Job Seekers University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Healthcare Jobs at Novant Health | Novant Health Novant Health Nursing jobs VA.gov Home | Veterans Affairs Career Opportunities UMHB Statement by Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su on October jobs report US Department of Labor Careers at Union | Human Resources Union College Careers Washington State University Recruiters urge candidates to use AI to apply for jobs Financial Times US employers added just 12,000 jobs last month as hurricanes and strikes sharply reduce payrolls The Associated Press Working for ICE U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Newsroom October 2024 jobs report: How two major hurricanes, labor strike might affect the numbers - NBC News UF Health Careers UF Health - University of Florida Health Work for Us (U.S. National Park Service) National Park Service Careers at Prairie View A&M University Prairie View A&M University Job Search Results UnitedHealth Group UN COMMON CAREERS VCU Health Work With Us National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Career Opportunities Gilead Sciences Careers Medline Reservists (On-Call) FEMA Jobs and internships Bureau of Transportation Statistics Job Opportunities Bellevue School District How to Apply FEMA Careers Micron Careers at Discovery Education Discovery Education Jobs report on eve of election will be among the most muddled in years The Associated Press Careers KPMG Join our team FHI 360 Internship Opportunities | Careers Boston Consulting Group What Trump's election victory means for job seekers Business Insider Careers at Jacobs Jacobs Careers in A&O Shearman Work At Chess.com Chess.com Students and graduates JPMorgan Chase Career Paths FEMA Careers at Balfour Beatty Balfour Beatty Highest-Paying Engineering Careers in 2024 University of North Dakota The secret to career success may well be off to the side The Economist The 16 Best Jobs for Creative & Restless ADHD Brains ADDitude magazine Mental health at work World Health Organization The 10 jobs that landed the biggest pay rises in financial year 2024 The Australian Financial Review Benefits for the whole you Accenture Why Employees Quit HBR.org Daily JobFeed NSW Department of Education Two unis walking the career path alongside graduates The Australian Financial Review How to realize the potential of rising digital jobs World Economic Forum Careers Turner & Townsend Current opportunities Turner & Townsend AI Will Transform the Global Economy. Let’s Make Sure It Benefits Humanity. International Monetary Fund Careers City of Norfolk (.gov) 9 Trends That Will Shape Work in 2024 and Beyond HBR.org Daily 8 global issues shaping and driving job creation World Economic Forum Jobs Energy.gov Careers at King County King County More and more jobs can be done from anywhere. What does that mean for workers? World Economic Forum > Careers > Job-listings National Reconnaissance Office Employment Opportunities Unity Health Toronto Jobs Dublin City University Careers City of Somerville Careers UTSA Today Careers at USI University of Southern Indiana Careers with the City of London City of London, Ontario |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Why One Word Answers are Bad News at Job Interviews It takes a lot of time and effort to get invited to a job interview. Don't blow your chances by being misunderstood by the interviewer. Surviving in Corporate Amercia: Part 1 - Email There is a saying that goes, "The best offense is a great defense". Nowhere is that applied better in the corporate world than in the intelligent use of email. Handling the Dreaded Why Did You Leave? Question If you left your last job under less-than-ideal circumstances, you probably dread the "Why did you leave?" question that almost always comes up at job interviews. Here's how to handle it. Five Mistakes That Can Derail Your Job Search No matter how much time and energy you invest in job seeking, critical mistakes can derail your efforts. Consider the following job search scenario. Your Resume is Just One of the Tools in Your Job Search A resume is a tool. It allows employers to see what skills you have and what benefits you bring to the table. Five Qualities Employers Want More than ever, employers want employees who can produce results! Here are five qualities employers seek in such employees.1. Successful Job Search: 10 Steps To Quickly Acquire Your Dream Job And Put More Money In Your Pocket Do you want to continue your costly, time-consuming and exhausting struggle in a frustrating job search using weak, ineffective tools that are getting you nowhere? The job market today is fiercely competitive with few high-paying or desirable jobs available. With repeated downsizings, companies have learned to survive with less. Mystery Shopping - An Excellent Part Time Job Or Additional Income Source Though the name itself may seem a bit mysterious, the concept of mystery shopping is actually straightforward. Also referred to as secret shopping, performance evaluations, service checks and frontline evaluations to name a few, mystery shopping allows companies to obtain a "snapshot in time" by trained researchers who know in advance what they are to evaluate. Making Yourself More Relevant To The New Workplace Being a current job seeker can be quite a challenging prospect as there are many changes in the workplace. Life-long employment is no longer the norm and workers must also learn to adapt with the complementary expertise of foreign talents. You Are Lucky in Your Career! You Are Lucky in Being Satisfied in Your CareerJust for fun let's you and I, reader, considerthat you are satisifed with your current career.It's good to find out why. The Quickly Changing Landscape Of The Job Market Does it seem that with every passing year it's getting harder and harder to find good paying jobs? If you think so, you're not alone in your thoughts. In fact, this is a common complaint that many people have and it is even worse for those that do not have a college education. 20 Ways to Advance Your Career To survive and thrive in today's competitive environment, it is not just what you know. You also need to be competent. Job Interviews: Six Steps to Acing a Telephone Interview Telephone interviews are becoming more popular these days. Whether that's good or bad depends on how you handle them!Sometimes telephone interviews are used as a pre-screening technique for all candidates. What is Mystery Shopping, and Can You Really Get Paid to Shop? Mystery shoppers visit businesses "disguised as normal customers," and do the things other customers do-ask questions, make a purchase, make a return-but with a twist. These undercover customers are there to evaluate the businesses and their employees. Top 10 Tips for Career Advancement Here's a list of the top 10 tips you can use to advance your career: 1. Don't be afraid to say "I don't know. Resume Writing Tips Resume Writing doesn't have to be a solo gigResume writing can be the bottleneck to advancements in your career. If you find yourself getting writer's block consider getting help. How To Establish Trust, Credibility and Enthusiasm To Your Interviewer If you use your voice to get attention, you use your eyes to hold attention. People tend to believe you, trust you, and listen to what you say if you are looking at them. The Background on Background Checks In one of my past lives I held a Top Secret clearance as a Civil Service employee working for the Air Force. So I am familiar with background checks. 3 Cover Letter Secrets Revealed Writing a cover letter can be like cleaning your garage -- you don't know where to start .. What is Absolutely the Best Day to go on a Job Interview? First of all, to fully understand and appreciate the answer, a couple of givens must be taken into account. What I believe to be the most important item for dealing with an interview successfully is, your attitude.
|
|
|
| © Career Consulting Limited.com 2011
|