Interviewing Skills Articles

Job Boards What do I mean by job boards? The big ones are Monster, CareerBuilder, SimplyHired, and Indeed. Companies post job openings and requirements on there, with instructions for how to apply for that job.

The job interview is always, at its core, a sales process, because your ultimate goal is to get the manager (the buyer) to hire and pay you for doing a particular job (buy your product, which is your skills as an employee). Even though that’s true, sales interviews are not like regular job interviews. Why are sales interviews different? Because, in a regular job interview, the potential employer is looking at your experience and skills. In a sales interview, the skills they’re looking for ARE the sales skills. You are actively demonstrating your sales skills during the interview.

What are your salary expectations? Oh, the dreaded salary question! The good news is that it doesn’t have to be a big problem for you if you know how to handle it. The primary strategy I teach my job seekers is “Do your research so that you know what the going rate is for that job in your part of the country, and then deflect naming a number for as long as possible.” Still, there are different approaches to use depending on who is asking you this question.

What a difference a space makes. LinkedIn is vastly different from Linked In, which implies that it is something that you just plug into. That’s definitely not what LinkedIn is all about. Instead, this particular site is a powerful networking tool that allows people to get in touch with other professionals from around the world. It necessitates a proactive stance rather than a passive one. LinkedIn is a networking tool that requires the cultivation of relationships in order to be effective. Making a profile does not mean that you get to sit back and relax.

With over 40 million members and still growing, LinkedIn is the biggest professional network in the entire world. It connects an individual with numerous contacts. But, there is more to LinkedIn than just connections....after all, recent developments in networking technology should provide more than just size. LinkedIn is able to facilitate the exchange of ideas on a larger scale. In other words, the network does not just exist – it exists for a specific purpose, which is to increase professional and business opportunities for users.

Career Fairs I’ve got to say, career fairs are not my preferred method of finding a job fast. They are mobbed with job seekers and it can be a little unnerving to line up shoulder-to-shoulder with your competition. They usually require you to stand in long lines for a lot of the day which can wear you out. They can be difficult for people who are a little shy and reserved. It takes a lot of guts to walk up to someone and introduce yourself with a handshake.

Why do you want to work for someone else after owning your own business / freelancing? LOTS of hiring managers will have a hard time believing that you can start taking orders after being your own boss. It’s not a big leap for them to make…it would be difficult for many people. Your best answer to this difficult job interview question will be honest but positive.

Interviewing candidates for a job can be very tedious and boring. It seems to be a daunting task that stretches forever but that is definitely not how you should look at it. Interviews are extremely important because they will help you determine who the best candidate for the job is. Hiring the right candidate will benefit your business and hiring the wrong one will have the opposite effects. I believe that you are only as strong as your weakest employee. Going by that, you s

What really separates candidates? It is not what you think. Of course, you need a great resume and you have to have presence. You have to have your shoes shined, show up on time and answer all the questions correctly. But you know what really makes a great candidate stand out from the others? It is the questions that they ask. The right questions show: they have the confidence to ask the questions rnthey thought it through rnthey think strategically Quick story: I had an entry level medical sales candidate last week call me right before she had her phone interview.

Phone interviews are an incredibly critical tipping point in the hiring process. They liked what they saw your resume enough to talk to you…will this phone call make them like you enough to call you in for a face-to-face interview? There’s a lot you can do to prepare for phone interviews and make sure that happens.

You are unacquainted with the case details. Efforts at "winging it" in the interview room or going on a "fishingnexpedition" very rarely produces positive results. You shouldnalways approach every interview with the "construction of proof"nas your objective. That's for all interviews - ...

Facebook Do you think that LinkedIn is for business and Facebook is for friends? You’re partly right; but the line between the two is very, very fuzzy when it comes to job searching. I found some stats on Mashable that says as of December 2011, over 18 million people have gotten jobs through Facebook. 18 million.

Face-to-face interviews are going the way of written letters and postcards. Although it’s one of the last business tools to be perfected by the web, video interviews are taking the place of an antiquated, time-consuming face-to-face interview process.rnVideo interviews increase accuracy, give you a better sense of the candidate, ensure interview fairness and accelerate mobility. Here's five reasons recruiters love video interviews. 1. Eliminate Coordination HasslesrnAccordi

Obviously, the answer to this simple question is a resounding “Yes!” After all, careers represent achievement and financial security. Giving up an hour of your time is an insignificant sacrifice considering the benefits that it can provide. The next question: How should you utilize that hour in order to maximize your results? For this question, the best move you can make is to create a LinkedIn profile to increase your access to business opportunities. LinkedIn allows others to view your professional information online.

Why did you leave your last position? The underlying questions behind “Why did you leave your last position?” are, “Is there something wrong with you?” “Did you get fired for a reason?” “Will I regret hiring you?” Those are the concerns that you need to address when you answer this question.

Why do you believe you are the best fit for this position? This job interview question closely resembles “Why should we hire you?” It’s one question that makes candidates very uncomfortable because it puts them on the spot, but it’s really a fantastic question. Why? It allows you free rein to sell yourself for the job. Remember that every job interview is a sales process. You are the product (and the sales rep), and the hiring manager is the buyer. Why should he or she choose you above all the other products available?

Do you know the most important question you should ask in phone interviews? Hopefully, you already know that it’s important that you should ask questions in your telephone interview. But you might not know that one question in particular can ensure a good interview or even turn the tide of a bad interview. What’s the question? The question is: What does your ideal candidate look like? What’s on their wish list of skills and qualifications of someone in this role? If a person with those qualities walked through the door now, they’d be drooling and trying to hire them on the spot.

What was the last book you read?

Union Public Service Commission conducts the interview for IAS selection procedure, with the aim of evaluating personal eligibility of an aspiring candidate for the government service he has actually applied for. Indian Administrative Services is one of the most prestigious and high sought after career options in India today. With thousands of aspiring students applying for IAS examination every year, no wonder that the selection procedure will be the toughest. The exam is co

Why did you freelance for so long? A lot of people have taken up freelancing, consulting, or other independent work in the last few years just out of necessity. In many industries, it’s been difficult to find a job. Others have struck out on their own because there has been just so much opportunity—especially in consulting, writing, graphic design, web programming, web design, and online marketing. Whatever your situation was, employers are going to have questions about your reasons for doing what you did and consequently, why you want to work for their company now.

Phone interviews are notoriously difficult for the simple reason that the interviewer can’t see you. So much of how we communicate is through gestures and expressions and those have no meaning at all on the phone. But phone interview or not, it’s still vitally important that you project an image that will make them want to move you forward to the next step. Just like in any job interview, you need your image to be one of competence, professionalism, and enthusiasm. So how do you do that when you only have your voice to do it with? You have a lot more options that you probably realize.

What’s keeping you from getting the job? It could be the same thing that trips up others: you don’t understand (yet) that the job search is a sales process. It doesn’t matter what career you are involved in: to get the job, you have to sell yourself to the hiring manager. That means that you’re the product. You’re trying to get the hiring manager to pay you a salary to do work (or, to buy the product to get a benefit). Once you understand this, it changes EVERYTHING. If the job search is a sales process, what does that mean for you?

Newspapers (or Craigslist) If you know that I’m not very fond of job boards as a job search resource, then you must be really surprised that I would talk about newspapers or even Craigslist in a series about the fastest way to find a job. I’m sure you assume that I think newspapers belong to the Dark Ages and Craigslist is just the online version of classified ads. Which it is…but bear with me.

Tell me about a time when you faced a difficult situation with a co-worker.

Why do you want to join this company? All companies want to know that you want to work for them rather than you just want a job. An enthusiastic employee is a better employee—and more pleasant to work with, too. Your answer to this question should sound like, “I want to join this company because…” and then you need to list at least 3 reasons why.

What are your hobbies? Asking about your hobbies and interests seems like an odd interview question, but companies are asking more and more of those ‘personality’ type questions these days in an effort to make sure that you’re going to be a good cultural fit for the organization. And the indirectness of this question is also sort of a fishing expedition for them to see if you’ll reveal things about yourself that you otherwise wouldn’t.

Why are you looking to leave your current job? It’s very important that you think about this job interview question well before you set foot in an interview. Interviewers always want to know why you want to leave your current job, and you must have a good answer ready to go.

What questions do you have for us? By the end of the job interview, when they ask if you have any questions for them, you probably feel like you’re toast. You’re just done, and you want to go home. That’s the way most people feel, so the most common response to this question is, “I don’t have any questions, I think you’ve covered everything.” That’s bad, bad, bad. It’s one of the things you should never say in a job interview. It makes you look uninterested in the job.

Telephone interviews are tricky things. Even though they seem more casual, they are very, very important and should not be taken lightly. Even though it seems less stressful to talk to someone on the phone rather than facing them in your business suit, it’s actually a little unnerving to not be able to see the interviewer’s face while you talk. And even though phone interviews present a few challenges, they also present you with a few advantages. The “trick” is to work with the unique circumstances of a phone interview to make the most of it and get to the next step: the face-to-face.

How do you deal with difficult customers? Dealing with difficult customers is a fact of life for a TON of jobs: sales reps, customer service reps, retail store clerks, receptionists, restaurant waitstaff, and a hundred other service-industry jobs. The people in those roles are in the front lines. They are the face of their respective companies, and have a tremendous impact on the company’s image, which directly affects growth and revenue. You want your answer to make it very clear that you understand how important your role is and you take it very seriously.

Why have you been out of work for so long? Boy, I bet you’d like to know the answer to that question, too! The job search can be a very difficult time for many people, but it’s important that you show a positive face to everyone. Answer every job interview question with as much positivity and as little negativity as you can. It makes you more appealing to others and puts you in a better spot to receive a job offer.

Why have you changed jobs so frequently over the past X years? Job-hopping is not a great habit. When you stay at a job for only a few months or a year, over and over again, you are cultivating an image of someone who can’t be depended upon, who doesn’t know what they want, and who’s probably more than a little immature. Employers question your loyalty, and tend to shy away from hiring you because you look like a very expensive disruption rather than a potentially valuable and stable employee.

Phone interviews have all of the critical, “make-or-break” qualities of a face-to-face interview with none of the advantages. (1) You don’t have very much time to make a good impression. Phone interviews are very often over within 10-15 minutes.

Finding a mentor can definitely help you advance your career, but there are several important points to keep in mind when choosing a career mentor. Usually people choose a manager, recruiter, or friend, but those choices might not be the best. A manager, for instance, might present a conflict of interest in certain situations, and they probably won’t have the time to help you. A recruiter just won’t do it–a recruiter’s primary conce is to please their clients (the hiring company) and he or she won’t have time, either.

How was your working relationship with your previous supervisor? How was your working relationship with your last boss? This is an attitude question for sure. They don’t really care about your last boss, they care about you. Hiring managers know that past behavior predicts future performance, so they are very interested in your answer. Are you going to trash your old boss? Are you going to complain about how you were misunderstood? Or are you going to talk about how much you learned? This is a pretty standard job interview question, so make sure you’re ready for it.

Customer Service is very important these days and in that it is important to take care of customers query. Though we have already posted some FAQ’s and also have the live chat facility for you on our website with a service representative, I thought to have a one to one chat with the owner of 2Sand.com, RJ Stroman. This will help us to find answers to some of the questions that keep popping up on the woodworking forums. Question 1: Recently at an auction I purchased some con

What are your least favorite things to do in your role as a XXXX? This is a slightly different version of, “What did you dislike about your previous job?” They are trying to find out more about you and how you think. If you are transferring roles in more of a lateral move, your answer will tell them about how you will perform in this new job. If you’re making a move up the career ladder, there’s not such a direct correlation, but it will still shed light on you, your performance, and even on how much you understand about this new role.

How to answer common phone interview questions Hiring managers don't necessarily want to spend a lot of time, money and energy interviewing every potential candidate face-to-face. So most of them fall back on the practical: phone interviews. Do well with the phone interview, and the hiring manager will probably decide you're worth that extra effort of an in-person meeting. Do a poor job, and you're out.

What is your least favorite managerial task? With this job interview question, they are trying to get a feel for any potential weaknesses you’ll be bringing to the job, without asking directly about your weaknesses. Hiring managers are fully aware that you’ll be ready for the ‘weakness’ question, but maybe not so prepared for this one…so they hope they’ll get an honest answer. Are you irritated by the details? Are you impatient with subordinates and their issues?

What were the major challenges of your last job and how did you handle them? This is a tough job interview question to answer because the major challenges of your last job typically are going to be the key job skills that you’re bringing to the new one. (The exception being if you’re a brand new graduate or transitioning careers). Since most jobs you interview for build on the job you had before, you’re actually likely to be talking about the job skills that you’re going to take on in this new role.

Tradeshows are great places to gather industry information and really great networking opportunities. However, they are also useful avenues for job searches. To be successful at this, you need a plan for before, during, and after the show. First (before the show): · Send out an e-mail to all of your contacts, letting them know what's going on, that you'll be at the tradeshow, and that you're looking for contacts and opportunities. Be specific in describing what kind of position you want. · Use your online social networks (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter).

You might not think about the quality of your voice before your phone interview—but you should. Interviewers concentrate very hard on your voice in that conversation: Do you sound alert? Confident? Enthusiastic? Are there any red flags they need to be worrying about? They just don’t have that much to judge you on when you’re on the phone, so they focus on what they can—the words you say, how you say them, and the sound of your voice. Warm Up Your Voice Before the Interviewr

The art of conversation requires that you not only express yourself well, but also that you listen well. Good listeners are valued. Being a good listener means that you’re going to have a more productive, higher-quality conversation than you would otherwise.

People struggle to get a job they want to have. Sometimes, they can not succeed in an interview. Sometimes, circumstances beyond their control prevent them from reaching their career goals. And often they simply do everything to succeed and still fail to get a job at the end. Job of a medical assistant is a perfect choice for someone who dreamed about career of a physician or a nurse, but did not succeeded to obtain his dream job. Many do not succeed in this field, to be hone

What did you like or dislike about your previous jobs? Asking what you liked or disliked about your previous job sounds like a ‘get-to-know-you’ question, but don’t get too comfortable. This is another way to get at your strengths and weaknesses, and you can trip yourself up. Always remember your primary focus is to sell yourself for this job. Be strategic.

Why should we give you the job over the other candidates? This is a tough job interview question. Most people are not that comfortable with the idea of tooting their own horn, but that’s exactly what you have to do in a job search and in a job interview, and that’s especially what you have to do when you answer this question. So feel free to brag. They are looking for you to sell yourself for the job. Tell them why they need you.

Delivering a great speech and going on a job interview are more similar experiences than you may think. Both incite feelings of fear, anticipation and anxiety. Prior to a presentation or interview, you may stay up all night hoping to persuade, engage, impress and delight your audience. Will they like you? Will you succeed?nnYou prepare your attire for the occasion. You want to present the desired image to your audience. You must remember to be enthusiastic, confident and prou

LinkedIn I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: LinkedIn is great job search resource. Why? It’s packed with information and potential connections, and it’s entirely business-focused (unlike Facebook, which is socially-focused). Everyone there is interested in making more connections and growing their network to further their careers. That means that you can, too. On LinkedIn, you can find people, you can message people, you can find people who work at companies you would be interested in working for. There are no limitations.

Why do you think you can manage a team without any prior managerial experience? If you are interviewing for your first management-level job, you will definitely be asked some version of this question. They are going to want to know if you think you can do this job and why.

Recruitment agencies and employers will often receive a high response for many of their vacancies with many candidates initially appearing to be suitable. To make sure they can identify the best candidates to progress to the interview stage they will need a suitable screening and pre-interview strategy. If a large number of candidates first appear to be relevant then there is the need to find the most suitable to invite for interview. CV’s and application forms are often use