Your Interview is the first interaction between you and the recruiter of the company. Many say that the written examination is not as important as the interview is. You will likely be facing an HR interview as well as a technical interview. I would not indulge in explaining which interview [...]]]> by Ada Denis

Your Interview is the first interaction between you and the recruiter of the company. Many say that the written examination is not as important as the interview is. You will likely be facing an HR interview as well as a technical interview. I would not indulge in explaining which interview is more important. I would just like to tell you ten most common mistakes which a job seeker makes during his interview.

1.Underestimating the recruitment consultant

Many think that meeting the recruitment consultant is not part of the interview. They are terribly wrong. It’s really a very important part of the interview and only those names who are shortlisted by the recruitment consultants are sent to the employers.

2.Presentation
Almost all the recruiters feel that you should attend the interview as if you are already employed. I don’t mean that you should be over confident. What I really meant is that you should be properly dressed. Most of the recruiters feel that slippers and t-shirts should be avoided. Glitter on the cheeks and chest is not appropriate!

3.Target your skills
You should not say that “I can do anything”. All the recruiters admire the ‘can do’ attitude but you are advised to target your skills first. Recruiters really want the applicants to revise their skills and preferred working environment which helps them to give the applicants the best opportunities.

4.Resumes
Many applicants don’t give proper emphasis to their resumes. Make sure that this document is well presented and the information is correct.

5.Always be honest with your answers
Never lie or exaggerate your skills or qualifications. You will be only be found out if you do so.

6.Be prepared
Do proper research before you go for the interview. You should know in advance about the job for which you are applying and be able to explain your suitability for the vacancy.

7.Be on time
It’s very importance to be on time, don’t be late reaching the interview venue. Give yourself enough time to mentally prepare for the interview. By being late and unprepared you’ll create an impression that you are unreliable.

8.Telephone manner
Recruiters at first interview you on the telephone. Some job seekers are not able to express themselves on the phone. This is really a drawback if you’re not able to express yourself. Be prepared for a telephonic interview.

9.Interview demeanor
Recruiters prefer competent and likable people. Treat every interview as if it’s your first interview. Appear interested and make sure that you are willing to work.

10.Be good to your referees:
Being able to provide good referees and their phone numbers is essential.

These are the ten common mistakes which many job seekers make, don’t end up being one of the statistics!

Technorati Tags: interview tips, interviewing questions, job interview, job interview mistakes

1. Look at the job posting you are applying for, and develop sound bites that address [...]]]> by Melanie Szlucha

So you just found out that you have a job interview tomorrow and unfortunately procrastination is a weaknesses you haven’t yet conquered. Here are the down and dirty tips to pull it together at the last minute.

1. Look at the job posting you are applying for, and develop sound bites that address the needs of the employer. Think of examples where you demonstrated the skills that appear in the job posting and develop answers that clearly show an employer that you are the perfect candidate for this position. All sound bites should be 2-3 minutes in length.

2. Use the TODAY acronym to develop additional sound bites of your experiences. TODAY stands for Teamwork, Overcoming Obstacles, Duties of your past positions, Achievements, Your strengths and weaknesses. Remember to clearly describe exactly what you did in each situation. The employer is hiring you, not the other people in your story.

3. Research the company. Search the internet for any recent press releases and check out the company’s website. Know what they do, and develop some idea as to how the position you are hiring for fits within the company.

4. Think of questions to ask an interviewer. Look at the job posting and your research about the company and think of 3-5 questions you can ask during the interview. What are you curious about? Do they manufacture a product you are familiar with, or never even knew existed before you started to research the company? Where does this department fit in the grand scheme of the company? What projects is the department currently working on?

5. Lastly, prepare answers to the following questions: Tell me about yourself, Why did you leave your last position, or why are you looking for a new job, Why should I hire you, and The Salary Question. You know that these questions will be asked in one form or another, so there is no excuse to not have prepared an answer.

And that’s it. Interviewing is just that simple when it’s broken into its simplest components. Focus on preparing answers to all of the scenarios above, and you will be ahead of the game. Remember to clearly articulate in each and every sound bite exactly what you did. Practice with a tape recorder to critique yourself, or with a friend to repeat back to you exactly what you did in a situation to make sure you?re preparing correctly.

For more tips, use the link below to purchase the booklet ‘Successful Job Interviews Revealed’ or attend the upcoming ‘Sweaty Palms and Awkward Answers’ Continuing Education class in Stamford. And yes, I am always willing to try to fit in a last minute coaching appointment for interview emergencies.

About the Author …

Melanie Szlucha has been a hiring manager for over 10 years. She founded Red Inc. two years ago to help people become more relaxed and prepared during the job interview process. Combining presentation and communication skills with her experience in conducting job interviews, she is able to coach job applicants through landing their perfect job. She is available for individual coaching, classes for employers and interviewees and can be contacted on her website http://www.redinc.biz or melanie at redinc.biz

Technorati Tags: employment, interview, job hunt, job interview, job interviews, job search

Firstly, you have to do research. You need to find out all about the company that you are applying to, the job on offer and the skills you have to offer.

Then you need to learn how to talk confidently and [...]]]> by Carolyn Gripper

You have to know about the two elements of high quality interview preparation.

Firstly, you have to do research. You need to find out all about the company that you are applying to, the job on offer and the skills you have to offer.

Then you need to learn how to talk confidently and enthusiastically. Figure out what the common questions are likely to be about and then think about what you could say in answer to those questions. Keep improving your delivery.

For this article, I want us to focus on how you are going to develop the content needed to sell your skills well.

Take about 4 hours to construct a short, 10-page report on the company you are applying to join. In doing so, you’ll not only be preparing the background research for the interview, in a more focussed way, but you’ll also have a document to keep referring to.

Use this document to refresh your knowledge about the company so that you have the key facts and figures to hand on the day of the interview. You will also discover that you have gained huge insights into what makes the company tick and who the players are. This will be invaluable in helping you to sell your skills. It may even make you realise that this is not a company that you will be happy working in.

The internet will provide you with speedy access to a vast amount of information to fill your report. Go to the company website and look them up on Google. But also consider looking at more authoritative sites, such as one or more of the following:

1. http://www.hoovers.com will give you information from Hoovers

2. http://www.dnb.com – Dun and Bradsheet will also give you some of their research into your company

3. http://www.vaultreports.com/companies/searchcompanies.jsp will also provide you with company research data

4. For more information go to http://www.company.monster.com/

Don’t forget to also investigate the market that the company is operating in. Try to have some idea of the trends over the last 10-20 years and what the forecasts are for the future.

Develop some ideas as to how you can help this company meet its challenges and opportunities in the coming years – bearing in mind its history and how it is set up now.

The job description is gold dust. Spend a few hours going through the document and try to work out what topics are likely to be questioned in the interview. Work out the companies needs and weaknesses and use that insight to work out how you can sell your skills better.

The interview is completely about sales ie selling yourself. Sales involves meeting their needs … give them what they want.

Your main task is to allow the interview panel to figure out for themselves that you are the most suitable candidate for the post. Take the time needed to review your previous posts. You have to sell your skills using stories based on how you reacted in various difficult situations.

By spending time researching, you will be far better prepared to present yourself well and nail that job interview.

Best of luck!

Technorati Tags: interview tips, job interview questions and answers, job interviews

John: Ensure they’re familiar with the website for a start. If you’re going for an interview at Noel Leeming do not ask what their brands are, or if they have any other brands or how many stores [...]]]> by Steve Smith

Peter: What are the areas you point candidates to, to make sure they’ve researched the company?

John: Ensure they’re familiar with the website for a start. If you’re going for an interview at Noel Leeming do not ask what their brands are, or if they have any other brands or how many stores they have. You should know the answers to things like how many stores they ‘ve got. If you’re going for an interview at Cadbury, you should know all their brands, or most of their brands. Certainly, you should know their local brands. It’s things like that. The website is a good start. Another mistake people make is leaving their mobile phone on, or even worse, answering it, which does happen … unbelievable!

Peter: Excuse me, I’ve got to take a call – only kidding there.

John: Exactly what I mean. People actually do it. That and not being prepared to answer CV related questions. A common reply to those particular questions is “That’s in my CV”. There’s no use trying to be arrogant about it. You need to be ready to answer those questions such as “How long did you work in such-and-such company?” or “What was your involvement in that company?”. Answering with “That’s in my CV” does not help your chances at all.

Peter: It’s almost being purposely evasive, isn’t it?

John: Yes, or just being too overly proud of themselves. But there are candidates who do make the mistake of not acknowledging themselves enough for their work, or worse, acknowledging themselves too much. Just remember to blow your own trumpet, thats what you’re there to do.

Peter: If there’s a medium point, a low point and a high point, you’ve got to be careful to be perceived as being too confident.

John: It’s just being honest. If you’ve turned sales around yourself, then by all means say it, but also be prepared to talk about how you did it. If you’re part of a team, say you’re part of a team, but if you did something great, don’t play it down either. If you’ve any crack at that job, you might as well do your best to get it. Be prepared for questions, certainly to answer them. People say, ‘what are your strengths.’ They’ll go, ‘Never thought about that.’ Assuming this isn’t the first interview you’ve been to and assuming you get asked this at every one, it pays to answer the question in detail. There are certain questions that you get asked at every interview. It’s amazing how many people will feign ‘oh, that’s interesting, I never thought of it,’ when of course, they should have thought of it. They should have been asked it before, so they should have an answer.

Peter: There must be some standard interview questions, ones that are asked at most interviews.

John: Ah yes, there are. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? They all get paraphrased in more ways than one. ‘What things do you think you need to work on?’ is basically another way of asking about ones weaknesses. There are many ways of paraphrasing that question. Another common one is about why you left companies. Be honest about why you left. If you were made redundant, then just say you were made redundant. Those are probably the main ones.

Peter: Thanks John – I’m sure our readers will appreciate the important information listed here.

Technorati Tags: interview tips, interviewing questions, job interveiw, job interview answers, job seeking, jobs