Tag: interview tip

Interview Tip #13

Interview Tip: Your attitude affects your interview performance. Smile and make eye contact during an interview.

Interview Tip:  Your attitude affects your interview performance. Smile and make eye contact during an interview.

Having a positive attitude, showing enthusiasm and energy, and displaying confidence will help the impression you make.  A good way to do this is to make eye contact and smile throughout the interview.  Some job seekers get nervous and allow this to affect their attitude and image.  Be aware of your expressions and eye contact during an interview and you will be more success creating the impression you want.

For many job seekers, a lack of confidence interviewing is a significant factor in their job search.  Completing several mock interviews can boost your confidence and improve performance.

Interview Tip #12

Interview Tip: Show your ability to make the hiring manager’s job easier along with the contribution you could make to the company.

Interview Tip:  Show your ability to make the hiring manager’s job easier along with the contribution you could make to the company.

Showing the end results of your work is important on your resume, but you need to present more in an interview.  How you work, including how you get along with peers, interact with your boss, manage deadlines and deal with changing or ambiguous priorities, is essential to your presentation in an interview. To do this, you need to show the specific actions that led to the results you achieved.

Interview Tip #11

Interview Tip: Prepare for an interview by taking sample assessment tests.

Interview Tip:  Prepare for an interview by taking sample assessment tests.

Many companies utilize assessment testing in their screening process.  Test taking is a skill and can be improved.  If taking a test intimidates you or you feel your test taking skills are rusty, practice.  Find sample assessment tests online and take them.  The practice will help prepare you and will improve your test taking skills.  Even if you run into a different kind of test from an employer than you practiced, the practice will help by improving your test taking skills.

 

 

 

 

Interview Tip #9

Interview Tip: Don’t try to be someone you aren’t in an interview.

Interview Tip:  Don’t try to be someone you aren’t in an interview.

Some job seekers try to exaggerate their background to appear vastly different from reality.  This is a mistake.  Being genuine and honest is always the best course.  First, exaggerating your background may cause a hiring manager to question your claims – there are stories that job seekers tell that just seem too good to be true.  Second, if you make yourself out to be something you aren’t, there is a good chance you won’t be happy in the job if you get it.  Even worse, your claims may cause you to be rejected for a position that is a good fit.

 

Interview Tip #7

Interview Tip: Demonstrate your willingness to do whatever the job requires.

Interview Tip: Demonstrate your willingness to do whatever the job requires.

In every job, there is a reason they pay you – activities and responsibilities that a person otherwise would not want to do.  These undesirable parts of the job are often the most critical to the role’s success.  You want to demonstrate in an interview that you willing to do every aspect of the job.  Show your work ethic and examples of when you went above and beyond the expectations placed upon you.

Behavioral interview questions are often used to assess how a person acts instead of focusing just on responsibilities and results.

Interviewing With Your Current Employer

Preparing for an interview with your current employer poses several unique challenges. You know the company and the interviewers. The process is clearly defined. You even have insight into the position that outside candidates would never have. Despite this, many people struggle with internal interviews.

Preparing for an interview with your current employer poses several unique challenges. You know the company and the interviewers. The process is clearly defined. You even have insight into the position that outside candidates would never have. Despite this, many people struggle with internal interviews.

Preparation is the key for internal interviews. You need to be able to talk about your experience in detail. Interviewers will expect you to discuss your accomplishments and experiences as if you were an external candidate. You need to prepare thoroughly.

In an internal interview, it is likely you will know some or all of the interviewers. They will also know you and have an impression of your abilities, experience and performance. Most interviewers will also recognize that they may only have a partial picture of your performance. Managers do not have the opportunity to see the full performance of every person within a company. They often form impressions of people based on a few isolated accomplishments or failures. It is possible that the interviewer is someone you see every day, but because they are in a different functional area, they may have little to no understanding of your day-to-day work.

Current or Past Experiences

One of the most common questions individuals have about internal interviews is whether to talk about experiences at their current employer or focus on experiences at prior employers. Many assume that the interviewer knows what they have done in their current role and only talk about past employers. This is a huge mistake. It leaves one impression above all others… you can tell a good story but have accomplishment nothing in your current role.

Focus on your experiences at your current employment. The most important assessment criteria in any interview is the value you will offer in the role. If you cannot show any value you have provided in your current role, no matter how impressive your performance in past jobs, you will not convince an interviewer that you will add value in a new role.

Focusing on your current experiences does not mean you disregard your past. Some interviewers will only know you by your current role. If you are interviewing for a position in a different functional area, you should discuss your experience with skills critical to that area. This may require discussing past jobs.

If you have been with your current employer for less than a year, you should prepare to discuss your current role for 25-50% of the interview. Experiences with prior employers will fill the remainder of your answers. If you have been with the company for 1 to 3 years, try to focus 50-75% of your answers on your current role. If you have been with the company for more than 3 years, you should target 80% of your answers from roles with your current employer.

As you discuss your experience with your current employer, prepare all the details as if you were interviewing with someone that knows nothing about you. Don’t assume that the interviewer knows the details and background behind each of your experienes. You are better off providing more detail, including information the interviewer already knows, than leaving out details that make your answer confusing or less effective.

Interview Tip #5

Interview Tip: Avoid topics where you are critical of your coworkers or supervisors in an interview.

Interview Tip: Avoid topics where you are critical of your coworkers or supervisors in an interview.

Hiring managers want to hire people that will fit in with their team.  They do not want someone with an attitude that will cause conflict or personnel problems.  Avoid topics that will show you in a situation that calls into question your ability to work well with others.

 

Interview Tip #4

Interview Tip: Assess the fit of the position for your goals as well as selling your potential to the employer.

Interview Tip: Assess the fit of the position for your goals as well as selling your potential to the employer.

Landing the right job is the goal.  A job that is a poor fit may hurt your career in the long run.  Assess the job for its match to your goals, abilities and interests. In each interview, you are interviewing the employer as they are interviewing you.

If you are having trouble determining the type of job you want to pursue, consider working with a career development specialist.  Futures in Motion is a career coaching firm with a number of great resources and services to help job seekers select the right career.