Job Interview Tips to Make a Great Impression

13 Apr, 2020

Preparation tips before the interview Research the company- Research the company that you applied for a job. You can find important information on the company website, company reviews on job websites and ask people who work at these companies. You can learn a lot about the company from the company`s social media posts and press releases. You will gain a lot about the company `s goals, culture and how it treats its workers. From this information, you will be able to determine how your background and skills make you a great fit for the company. Do some research on the interviewer- Researching the person who is going to conduct the interviews gives you confidence when you walk into the office for the interview. This knowledge will put you ahead of their competition. You can easily find the interviewer's bio on the company website, social media or on Linkedin profile. Look for any connections that you may have with the interviewer. You may come from the same town, maybe attended the same school or university, have common friends or belong to the same professional association. Practice answering questions to the most common interview questions you should be able to answer commonly asked questions easily and eloquently. Practice interview questions such as " Tell me about yourself?" or " Why do you want to work for this company? Start by developing a list of questions that are likely to be asked by the company and then prepare answers to these questions. Look for the company`s commonly asked interview questions from job sites such as Glassdoor and indeed. Practicing these questions helps to reduce stress during the actual interview and boost your confidence when you answer these questions. Read and understand the job description- Each job description typically contains a brief summary of the duties and responsibilities associated with the job, the preferred qualifications and some information about the company. A job description may include whether its part-time, full time or remote job and may mention the salary range the company is expected to pay you. Please take note of the specific skills the employer is looking for and how your skills measure up to them. Look back into your current and past work history to look for examples and skills you learned over the years that align with these skills. Have a list of references ready- Almost all interviews will ask for a list of references of people who can vouch to your character and professional ability. The interviews often ask for this during or after an interview. Therefore prepare a list of references ahead of time. The best source for any reference is your current or former manager or direct supervisor. Other good sources for a reference are current or former workmates, academic advisors or former employers or mentors. Having a reference list ready helps speed the hiring process and gives you an advantage over other job candidates. Always ask people you want to list as referrers if they are comfortable with that before they start getting unexpected calls from recruiters. Get a buddy to practice answering interview questions- Practising answering interview questions by saying them aloud or enlisting a friend or professional career counselor is a very effective way to prepare for an interview. Practicing answering interview questions is especially helpful for people who don't have interview experience or have not done an interview in a long time. The practice allows you to think through what questions you are likely to be asked and how to answer them with confidence. A mock interview helps you answer difficult questions, sharpen your interview answering strategy, improve communication skills and reduce stress during the actual interview. This reduction in stress level helps you concentrate on making connections with the interviewers. Prepare actual examples of your achievements- During the interview, the interviewers are likely to ask for specific examples of work you have achieved or job goals you have met. Review the job description and then list the work you have done or goals you have met that and how these align with the new job. Quantify your achievements, focus on results and any highly positive feedback you received Prepare questions to ask the interviewers

Guide to job interviews

29 Feb, 2020

To ace your next interview, start here! Our guide to interviewing for a job can help you showcase your strengths and feel confident throughout the entire process. Preparing for an interview When you're a job seeker preparing for a job interview, it's crucial to research the company. Find out all you can about the company's ethos and mission, and supplement this with research on some of the corporation's most recent and high-profile projects. Consider the role you’re applying for and how this role might fit in with the overall structure of the company. If you can, create a list of examples of relevant projects you've completed, and be ready to explain how this company fits in with your values. Whenever it’s possible, make sure to research the person who will be interviewing you. Start by checking for information about the interviewer on the company website and look at their profile on LinkedIn. Doing a basic Google search could uncover even more information. Find out how long the interviewer has been in their current position and look up any previous jobs they have had. Study recent work your interviewer has completed; you may be able to integrate this knowledge into your interview responses at some point. Before the interview itself, ensure that you practice your answers to frequently asked interview questions . For example, you'll want to be able to explain why you'd like to work at this company and how your experience would make you a suitable fit for the role. Practice answering questions about how you might handle possible work conflicts or disagreements between colleagues, and think about the skills you have that could be an asset to the company's existing team. If you are an employer who is conducting interviews, you should read cover letters and resumes from candidates first, and you may also wish to look them up online, including on LinkedIn and other social media sites. These steps will give you a picture of who the candidate is and help you understand more about the quality of their past work. If you decide that the candidate merits an interview, aim to familiarize yourself with the job position that they’d potentially fill. Know the necessary tasks and personal characteristics that are essential to the situation. Understand why the company is looking to hire a new employee for this position and be able to explain the starting salary, work schedule, duties, and job expectations to the candidate. Prepare interview questions that help you understand how the candidate would fit in with your existing team, and that will reveal their level of expertise. As part of your preparation, be aware of any questions that are illegal to ask in interviews. Common interview questions Some companies conduct phone interviews before selecting candidates for in-person interviews. As the job seeker on a phone interview, you will be asked for general information about yourself and your experience, and the interviewer will also check that you understand the open position. For example, they might start with, "Tell me about yourself." To respond to that well, you could list your credentials and discuss your current and previous employment. Focus on conveying your strengths and putting everything in a positive light. They could also ask, "Why do you want to work at our company?" A high-quality answer to this question will include details about the company that show you have researched it and understand the position you're interviewing for. A potential answer is that working at the new company is an extension of your current work, or you could say that you're looking for a new start or challenge, explaining how the fresh start at this company would stimulate you in your work. Answer this question in a warm, enthusiastic tone that conveys your passion for the target position. For entry-level positions, candidates often have limited work experience, and the interview gauges the level of responsibility the candidate could handle and whether they are open to learning from others. When applying for entry-level jobs, you might be asked, "What do you aim to learn as an employee here?" This question gives you an opportunity to explain both your strengths and your weaknesses. To answer it fully, highlight any credentials or previous work experience that you feel prepared you for this position, and ensure that you mention that you intend to increase your current skill level by learning from your prospective co-workers. To show your enthusiasm, you could mention that you'd like to take part in any on-the-job training activities that the company has available or that you're looking to improve your expertise in a particular software program through using it daily at this company. Interview questions for mid-level positions often include specific technical questions related to your field. Your answers to these questions can demonstrate your competence level. Interviewers for mid-level posts like to see that candidates have long-term career plans, and they also want to learn more about the applicant's working style. To start, the interviewer might ask, "Where do you see yourself in five years?" To answer thoughtfully, you could share your career goals for five years from now. For example, you hope to move up within the company or you see yourself transitioning into a slightly different role than the one to which you're applying. For C-level positions, interviewers want to make sure that you are an ideal fit with their existing team. In addition to questions about your experience, they might ask, "How would you describe your leadership style?" Be as specific as possible when answering this question. You could incorporate examples of how you led previous projects or supervised team members at your current or former company, and you can explain how you helped with mediation between staff members. You could include examples of ways that you mentored junior colleagues or effectively steered group projects to a successful finish. Tips for interviews Arriving prepared for your interview makes a positive first impression. Bring at least three copies of your current resume. Both the employer and job seeker should practice interview questions in advance. You'll want to rehearse general questions and technical questions that are specific to your field. It can help to do mock interviews with people you trust, and alternating roles between candidate and interviewer could enhance your creativity and critical thinking, enabling you to come up with additional questions and answers to practice. If you know people who have interviewed at the company where you're applying, consider asking them about the types of questions asked in their interview. When you’re choosing what to wear to an interview, opt for something conservative and polished. Even if the dress code at your potential new workplace is business casual, you should choose a formal business look for the interview to make the best first impression. Although you might feel nervous during the interview, take time to space your words out and enunciate well. People often speak much faster in interviews than they realize, so aim to speak at a rate that feels a bit slow at the moment, and you'll probably achieve an ideal pace. Attending a few professional coaching sessions could help you optimize your speaking skills before the interview. Anticipating interview curveballs can help you avoid potential stumbling blocks and perform at your best under pressure. To identify possible curveballs, take an honest look at your resume. If there are gaps in your employment history or you've changed jobs frequently, prepare an explanation for questions about that. For example, you could say that you took time off to care for an ill relative. SimplyHired and similar websites have lists of scenarios that you can use for your mock interviews so you're not caught off guard during the real thing. In addition to preparing answers to potential interview questions, always prepare some questions of your own to ask the interviewer. You can ask about the daily responsibilities you'd have in the position and what the company would expect from you in the first month or two at the job. You could also ask about the overall company culture and the company's goals for the next few years. Asking questions helps demonstrate your enthusiasm for the job, and it also highlights the effort you've put into researching the position. Tips for video and phone interviews Major companies often conduct the first few interview rounds by video or phone. Since connection problems could cause a slight lag in speech, it's particularly important to speak as clearly as possible during these interviews. Make sure to check your microphone placement and volume levels in advance of a video interview to make sure that those are set correctly. Check your camera's view of the background before the interview, and make sure that your backdrop is free of clutter and distracting items. Consider doing the video interview while seated against a solid-colored background, such as a wall. If you don't have time to completely clear away clutter, placing a privacy screen directly behind you is an effective solution. If you're doing the video interview at home, ensure that your phone is turned off, and consider covering your doorbell or placing a sign on the door so that neighbors or delivery services don't knock and disturb your interview.

Tough Interview Questions and their Answers

22 Jan, 2020

#1 Why Should I Hire You? You might think you are prepared to answer this one but the truth is, you are not! Don’t say how awesome you are or how you have superpowers. This question is secretly about the job description. All you need to do is a tie in the job description. (DO YOUR HOMEWORK) with your actual skills and knowledge that make it critical for you to be chosen. Use experiences from college, internships or past jobs to show how these skills were critical in your tasks back then. They should hire you because you can do that particular job not because you are great as an overall employee. Show your uniqueness. #2: I am seeing a gap in your resume It is not a secret if you got fired or couldn’t find a suitable job after you quit the last one. Unemployment exists and your recruiter knows about it. Be honest, say you spent that time productively caring for your family, reading, taking online courses nor even working freelance. They don’t care about actual employment records, no one wants to hire someone who just spent their unemployed time on the couch in front of the TV in their Pajamas. #3: Tell Me About Yourself Weekend activities don’t count here, you can’t really be irrelevant or boring when talking about yourself. You have these four areas to cover: Early years (pass by them quickly) then go to education then internship/employment history and then go to your most recent job and focus there. This question usually comes up in the beginning in the form of an introduction. So make it quick, direct and very much short. #4: Why Did you Leave Your Last Job? Whatever you say, don’t talk badly about your former boss, manager or coworkers. It is not for fear of them knowing, it is because, that even if they were THAT horrible, it shows you take things too personally and have a hard time letting go. It also shows you didn’t really face your problems in the first job but basically chose the easy way out which is quitting. Need a better answer to this question? #5: Have you ever had a conflict with a boss? Don’t say no. We have all had conflicts with bosses/managers. Just say “I remember one or two conflicts. Nothing big. We had disagreements and I always worked hard to not take it personally and worked on listening to the other person’s point of view and try to find mutual ground for the benefit of the company. It is not about who wins a fight.” #6: What is your greatest weakness? Please don’t say binge-watching soap operas. That is not the point behind this question. You will find people advising you to take one point of strength in your character and saying it is a weakness. Also wrong because it shows you are deceiving the interviewer. Instead, say something like “I have had trouble in the past with planning and punctuality. However, I’m now working on fixing this with this new app that makes sure I never miss an appointment and arrive on time.” Then show them the actual app on your phone. You are human, you make mistakes and you have weaknesses. The interviewer knows that. He/She will appreciate it when you talk about a true weakness and show what you are doing to overcome it. #7: You moved between three jobs in a year. Why should I hire you? “Well, I may have left three jobs in a year. But I would rather not be employed than be employed at a place where I don’t have room to grow, show my ideas and create some real change and take a company to the next level. The worst thing at a job is the part of knowing you are not going anywhere or worse, you are not taking the company anywhere. I know my path and I feel my position here will really help me take this company to the next level.” Then start talking some brilliant ideas for that department. See how you took a very negative question into a very positive place? #8: What are your strengths? Be accurate. Choose the strengths that you actually possess. Don’t pick an answer that worked for a friend or a family member. Be original. Be Relevant, Use the job description advertised to work for you. Be specific. Don’t say “people skills” but say “persuasive communication.” And Be prepared to demonstrate. #9: Why do you want this job? Very simply. Study the job description beforehand, then show how your skills match; Show your enthusiasm for the job and try to show how you would fit into the workplace culture. #10: What attracted you to this company? Again and again, do your homework about the company before the interview. Use your information about the company to create phrases about why it is attractive to you. Don’t also forget to tie it in with the industry the company is within. Admire the products and services or a company’s marketing effort for an example. Just show you know the company. Saying it is close to where you live is not a good reason to want a vacancy. #11: When were you most satisfied with your job? A simple example: “I worked hard to become a marketer and I enjoy putting those skills to work”. It is not about salary, benefits or things to expect from the company. It is about you showing where you shine. #12: What can you do for us that other candidates can’t? Try humor. Saying something funny like “Can I interview them first and tell you?” shows you are quick to handle a tough situation and you can think creatively. That is not the answer of course after the laughter say something nice and don‘t trash talk the other candidates. Say something unique about yourself. #13: What were the responsibilities of your last position? Don’t lie. They can get the real answer from your previous employer. Be clear, short and focus on your unique skills and tasks. #14: Why are you leaving your present job? Don’t say entitled things like “too far”, “the salary is small” or “my boss hates me”. Instead, say you don’t really see your career evolving there and you would rather transfer to a company where you can grow and evolve. #15: Do you have any questions for me? Rule number one here is to always ask a question. Ask about the company and the challenges you may expect at your job. Maybe there is a special project he/she mentioned, ask about that too. It shows you were listening while he/she was talking.

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Job Interview Tips to Make a Great Impression

Job Interview Tips: How to Make a Great Impression

Practice strong answers

Prepare smart questions

Think about first impressions

What to bring to the interview

Remember good manners and body language

Be authentic, concise and upbeat

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