Archive for the ‘Job Interview’ Category

Thorny questions an interviewer may ask – and how to answer them

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

During every interview, you’ll most likely be asked a question that throws you. You’ll start to sweat and may struggle for an answer. What comes out of your mouth may make you cringe at that point or later.

To avoid this, it’s best to be prepared for the unexpected. Here are some thorny questions you may be asked and tips on how to answer them:

1.      Who do you consider your best boss? Who do you consider the worst?

Take great care in answering. The interviewer is trying to determine if you’re angry at past employers for something that may very well be your fault and if you carry a grudge.

The appropriate answer would be that you learned something valuable from every boss you had and used it to better the company’s operations.

2.      What have you been doing since you were laid off?

Employers are wary of individuals with job gaps, even in this awful economy.

To allay the hiring manager’s fears you can detail activities you engaged in while also looking for a full-time (or part-time) position. These activities would include being a caretaker for someone in your family (eg: children, aging parents), learning a new skill (eg: technology) or engaging in freelance projects to pay the bills until you reached full employment again.

3.      What do you consider your greatest weakness?

Everyone has them and the hiring manager wants to determine if you have insight into your failings or if you’re so enamored of your strengths, you’re difficult to work with and refuse to learn from past errors in judgement.

In answering, don’t make the mistake of saying your weakness is that you work too hard. Employers have heard this countless times and few believe it. Instead, focus on a true negative (you’re a perfectionist) and turn it into a positive (eg: I don’t want to hold up schedules by triple-checking everything to make certain it’s perfect, so I’ve developed a process so that mistakes are avoided the first time around).

The above are a few of the many examples of questions you may be asked, which will prove difficult to answer – if you’re not prepared.

With our JIE (JobInterviewEdge) service, our expert coaches prepare our clients to meet each interview challenge and to succeed.

We’d like to hear from you as to what other aspects of the interview process you’d like us to address to make JIE even more worthwhile to jobseekers.

Non-verbal behavior in an interview

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

Being called in to interview is one of the most exciting times of a candidate’s job search. You get a haircut, perhaps a manicure. You make certain your business wear is spotless, your appearance impeccable.

Warning yourself not to show fear, to keep your voice steady and your eyes on the interviewer, you believe you’re ready. After all, you have the talent to fill the position and you’ve researched the job responsibilities and company thoroughly.

Good for you. But there may be one aspect of the interview you’ve forgotten about – non-verbal behavior.

Hiring managers are trained to look for nuances in a candidate’s personality that will tell them far more than words ever could. Here’s some of the things you should watch out for:

1. Crossing your arms. Never cross your arms over your chest, it’s a defensive position. Even if you’re smiling and laughing with the recruiter or hiring manager, it’s off-putting. When standing, let your arms hang at your sides. When sitting, fold your hands in your lap and keep them there while the interviewer is speaking.
2. Tapping your fingers or a pen against the arm of your chair, your lap, a desk – whatever. Don’t do it. It shows impatience. Even if you can’t wait to jump in and tell the interviewer how great you are, retain a composed posture. Keep your fingers from dancing.
3. Shifting in your seat or from foot to foot. It makes you look nervous, which you probably are. If necessary, lock your knees while standing to keep yourself from moving too much. When you first seat yourself, make certain you’re as comfortable as you can be, given the circumstances, and then make a concentrated effort to stay just as you are. Excessive movement is distracting. You want the interviewer to notice your skills, not your fidgeting.
4. Darting eyes. If you’re constantly looking away while the interviewer is speaking or while you’re speaking, the other individual will come to one of two conclusions: you’re so bored you can’t keep focused or you’re trying to hide something. Now that doesn’t mean you stare down the interviewer. You can glance away at appropriate intervals. Just don’t do it too much.
5. Standing too close. It’s an aggressive stance and will put off an interviewer, especially if you’re a man and she’s a woman. Keep an appropriate, arm’s length distance.
6. A stony-expression or a smirk. Neither is attractive. If you have no expression, the interviewer might think you’re difficult to work with. Everyone wants to deal with a pleasant personality not a cipher. A smirk will make you seem arrogant. Even if you don’t agree with what the interviewer is saying or you believe you’re too good for the job, make certain your facial expression doesn’t reveal it.

There are many other non-verbal behaviors to consider. We deal with these at JIE (JobInterviewEdge) a coaching service for our clients. Our certified, expert editors bring decades of real-world experience and advanced degrees in 40+ industries to assist our global clientele.

We’re always striving to better our products. So if you have a recommendation for JIE, we’d love to hear from you.

A Look at Common Interview Questions an Applicant Should Prepare For

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

Being invited to interview is certainly a reason to celebrate. However, for a serious candidate who wants the job, it’s only the beginning of the road to an offer.

All interviews involve questions asked by a hiring manager so s/he can determine if you’ll be a good fit with the organization. Skills, knowledge, abilities aren’t enough, especially in this highly competitive job market. You need to prove that you have the right attitude and personality to deal with the ups & downs of any job and the other employees that come with it.

What are some of the questions you might be asked?  Here’s a brief list:

1. How would you describe yourself?
2. To be successful in this career, what do you think it takes?
3. Do you have the qualifications and personal characteristics necessary for success in your chosen career?
4. Why should we hire you?
5. What are your long-range goals and objectives?
6. What  major problem have you handled recently? Did you resolve it? How?
7. What characteristics do you think make a manager successful?
8. Why did you apply to our company?
9. What do you look for in a successful candidate?
10. How do you approach critical assignments?
11. If you had to think on your feet to solve a difficult situation, what would you do?
12.  Why were you fired?
13. What are the steps you take before making an important decision?
14. Name the most difficult assignment you had and how did you finish it?
15.  What kind of supervisor do you prefer?

As you can see, the questions are open-ended, not allowing for a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. The more you talk, the more the hiring authority learns about you. That’s why you need to be prepared before you utter one word. Each answer must be crafted carefully to maximize your chances in getting hired.

At JobInterviewEdge (JIE) our highly trained and certified staff of expert coaches provides you with insight into why a hiring manager asks certain questions and what answers are most effective.

To be successful is to be prepared. That’s JIE’s major purpose.

We invite your comments on how we can improve or add to our service.

How to Avoid Interview Blunders

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

In today’s multi-media world, the face-to-face interview, with the applicant’s appearance/demeanor rehearsed and polished won’t always be the first contact the individual will have with the hiring manager. Nor will candidates always meet with one person.

Each type of interview has its pitfalls. Here’s what to avoid:

Phone Interviews:

1. Always, if possible, provide a land-line phone for the interviewer to reach you. Nothing is more irritating than a cell phone connection that hisses, crackles, cuts out, and hangs up on the interviewer. If a hiring manager gets dead air, they may not call back.
2. Make certain background noise is kept to a minimum. Keep a phone extension in a quiet place – a home office or a bedroom – away from TV noise, screeching kids and barking dogs.
3. If you’re snacking on taco chips when the phone rings, swallow quickly and don’t take another bite until the interview is over.
4. Keep a glass of water handy should your throat tickle during the interview.
5. Don’t smoke or chew gun – the noises can be heard on the other end of the line.
6. Never, ever, answer call waiting during a phone interview. Give the hiring authority your complete attention – if you don’t, you won’t move deeper into the process.

Lunch interviews:

1. Never order the most expensive item on the menu
2. Never drink alcohol
3. Don’t order ‘challenging’ food – short ribs, greasy sandwiches, and lobster come to mind
4. Don’t criticize the quality of the food or the service
5. Don’t ask for a ‘doggy bag’

Panel interviews:

1. Don’t focus on one panel member to the exclusion of all the others
2. Don’t forget to greet each panel member individually
3. Don’t forget to glance at each panel member while answering a question, after you’ve directed your opening remarks to the individual who posed the question
4. Don’t forget to send thank you notes to each panel member

There are many other situations that require forethought before you interview. Our experts at JIE (JobInterviewEdge) are practiced and certified in guiding you through the arduous interview process and helping you to avoid the common and uncommon pitfalls you’ll face. Our editors’ motto is professionalism and preparation – let their years of expertise direct you to your new career goal.