Interview Skills: Sharpen Them Like A Pencil

You should treat your interview skills like you treat a pencil and sharpen them on a repeated basis. The people who will be interviewing you are there to weed out anyone who they feel isn’t the real deal. So you want to go in their like you know your stuff while at the same time being yourself. Sharpen your skills by using some of these basic guidelines.

Prepare for tough questions:
You have to be prepared for tough questions, if you are not you will be thrown off guard and made to look like a fool. Some questions you can prepare for and some you can’t, but this is all a part of the game. The interviewer wants to see how fast you respond when thrown out of your depth. The better you are at this, the better you will be able to handle similar situation if you were hired.

Research the company:
I guarantee you will be ahead like secretariat in a horse race if you do a little research on the company. Most people don’t do this, by showing you know about the company’s history you will be able to take a detour from the interview and throw the person out of their grilling element. They will see you as a real person and not just a face behind an application.

Doing both of these things shows a company that you actually care about the job and are not just trying to get hired. Master these two steps and you’ll go into any interview ready for anything.

For lots of advice on how to prepare for even the toughest of interviews check out this site, it will be sure to help put you above the rest of the candidates you are sure to be up against.

How To Give A Great Phone Interview

Doing a phone interview can be really hard but sometimes they just can’t be avoided. So this article is about how to interview over the phone when a face to face interview is just not possible.

There are many reasons why employers do a phone interview rather than a face to face one. It can cut down the list of people applying for the job position.  They can find out who meets their criteria and who appears to be more suitable to the job. This is usually for those who like to start with a really large group of people, and they can then whittle them down for face to face interviews.

Another reason could be that the employers are interviewing folks from different states and it’s just way easier to make initial interviews over the phone. No matter the reason, it’s always good to know how to give a good phone interview. Learning how to do a phone interview isn’t hard. Here are some tips to help you out.

You should always practice for each interview just like you were going to a face to face, don’t fall into the trap of thinking ‘it’s only a phone interview, so doesn’t matter’.

Research the company  just as you would for a face to face interview, and have a strategy for answering many types of interview questions (this is a great book for helping you to prepare for interview questions).   If you think you will get nervous, write your answers out. Since it’s over the phone no one will notice as long as you don’t sound like your reading a script. Don’t worry with practice you will learn how to do a phone interview with ease.

Be sure it’s very quiet where you are during the interview. Your home (or at least the room you are going to be speaking from) should be empty, or if this is not possible then go someplace that is quiet and you can concentrate on the call.   You need to ensure there will be no interruptions during the call.  

Keep your focus during the call, and really listen intently to what the person is saying as well as the questions you are being asked. Take your time answering the questions. Don’t rush!  If you want do well on your phone interview this would be a big one to master.

Some more tips on how to give a good phone interview is to have enthusiasm in your voice when you are talking about the job, the company or the industry – this will come over to the person interviewing you so they can see you are going to be an enthusiastic employee.

You can try walking around to help keep your energy up during the call. Don’t get to relaxed or you will end up talking about things that are not relevant to the interview. Feel free to talk about your achievements and explain to  the employer that you are a perfect fit for their company.

Taking these steps to make sure you are prepared for the phone interview will show professionalism and polish. Keep your attention focused on the questions being asked and how you will fit the position, this will highlight you above the others, so you will stick in the employers mind.

Remember, be prepared because the employers first impression of you, even if it is just a verbal one, are important and will go a long way to helping the employer decide whether to interview you face to face.

Interview Techniques: What To Do During Interrogation Time

Despite my humorous opening headline you should not look at a job interview as being an interrogation. You are not going to jail if you fail to answer the questions right. Instead see it as a way to show the company why they want you and not why you want them. When you go on that interview go in there and show them you mean business. Here are some helpful interview techniques to help you.

Make eye contact:
I know some people hate making eye contact, it can be awkward sometimes, but it also can reveal timidness or self doubt. You do not want this. If you are being interviewed and not making eye contact, the interviewer may take it as a sign of you not being direct enough. So look them in their eyes no matter how awkward it may make you feel.

Listen and only reply when you need to:
Talking is a good thing; don’t get me wrong, but sometimes if you seem to be in a hurry to talk it comes off as you being nervous and anxious. Relax and let the interviewer ask you the questions, only talk when they are finished.

Eye contact and talking only when the ball is in your court will go a long way in showing a company you are ready for the tasks at hand. Being in control and not showing fear will show the company that you’re ready to be a team player.

Interview techniques can definately be acquired, and one good way to do learn about the techniques you will need for a successfull job interview is to take a look at a book like “The Ultimate Guide To Job Interview Answers”, full details can be found here, this will really help you to be fully prepared for any interview you are likely to face.

Preparing For An Interview: Kicking Butt The First Time

There is no reason to get worked up about an interview. You do not need to be intimidated by the though of having to go up infront of somebody and qualify yourself to them, after all; if you don’t get the job you’re not going to die or anything.  Here are a few pointers to help you preparing for an interview – doing these things will help you to feel comfortable at an interview, and help to make you feel like your presenting yourself in the best possible light.

Dress for the interview:
You must dress for the interview in a way that makes you look neat, clean and professional. If you want the interviewer to take you seriously then you must present yourself as you would if you were representing the company you will be working for.  Pretend you are already the face of the company and dress like it.

Make sure grooming and hygiene are good:
While this may sound like it is common sense you would be surprised how some people fail to keep their personal grooming and hygiene in gear when on an interview. Make sure your hair is neat and presentable, make sure your breath is clean and fresh, and make sure that you have no odor to yourself that would offend the interviewer. If you are not keen on grooming and hygiene why would they want you representing their company?

These are two of the things you can do to help you in getting that job you want. There is no need to feel overwhelmed, but everyone must put their best foot forward when they are trying to impress a potential new boss.

Common Interview Questions – How To Answer Them

So you have landed yourself an interview, but that is not the end of the job hunting process.  Now you need to prepare yourself for your interview and practice your answers to some of the common interview questions.

You will find that most of the interviewers will nearly always ask the same questions, which does make it slightly easier to prepare.

If you go to the interview fully prepared then you will give  the impression of being confident (even if you are shaking with nerves underneath).  These are some of the most common interview questions:

Tell me about yourself – Obviously your interviewer is not going to expect you to give every single detail about yourself, they are going to be looking for a clear and concise summary of your professional life.  The summary should last only for a minute or two, and needs to be professional, so try not to wander off course.

Explain what you do in your normal working day – It is in answer to this question that you are going to want to really highlight all of the skills that you use presently, and pay particular attention to those skills that are transferrable to the new position.  You should try and make your working day sound interesting and full of challendges that you are able to rise to and solve.

Why do you want to leave your present position? – This is the tricky one.  If you are looking for a new career, then you could go through some of your reasons to want to change industries.  Other answers that will normally satisfy an interviewer are that you are trying to find something a little closer to where you life, and/or you are searching for a company that you can grow with.  Never say that you are leaving to get more money.

Please describe what you consider your best and worst attribute -  Well the first part of this question is fairly easy to answer in an interview, but the second part can cause a real problem.  You need to say something about yourself that is bad, but it can’t be so bad that the person interviewing you sees you in a bad light.  One of best solutions is to say something along the lines that you are a perfectionist so will tend to keep on working on a particular project until every single detail is correct.

What makes you want to work with us? – This is your chance to put the research you have done into the company to good use.  You can explain that you feel they are at the cutting edge of your profession and that you would love to grow alongside an industry leader.  Also point out how some of the duties and responsibilities listed in their ad are things you want to work with.

Remember that preparation is the key here.  If you attend an interview and provide good answers to the questions, you are a large step closer to getting the job you want.  There is a great book available that goes through almost every question that an interviewer could ask you, and guides you to answer them all in the best way to land the job.  Visit the website here, and see how much you can help yourself  prepare for interviews, and give yourself the best possible chance to secure the position you want.