Question

How to Interview

Answer 1

How to Interview
Today’s job marketplace is hyper-competitive. There can be dozens or even hundreds of people vying for one quality position. If you want to land that dream job, you will need to know some specific tips that will keep you head and shoulders above the rest of the pack. Interviewing for a job is not most people’s favorite situation. In effect, an interview is where one is evaluated by an employer. In many cases, in order to land that job, you can’t crack under the pressure, you have to be strong and sell yourself. Here are some tips to remember for the next time you interview.

So, you are looking for a job, have sent in your resume and finally have been called in to interview for the position. The good news is that your chances of landing the job have just gone up; the bad news is that you are not through the woods yet. While being called for an interview reduces the amount of people that you are in competition with, it also raises the stakes as well. Where maybe a hundred people send in a resume for a job, an interview usually thins the competition to about 3 to 10 applicants. If you really want to land the job, here are some things to keep in mind.

Be Prepared
Being prepared cannot be emphasized enough. Preparation is essential to doing well on an interview and landing a job. You don’t want to come off to your interviewer as if you just stepped off the street. Preparation can come in many different forms; the most apparent ones are discussed below.

Know about the company – interviewers want to see that you don’t just want a job, but want to work for their company.

Be prepared to talk about yourself - make sure you are ready to talk about yourself. This is an interview, so if you don’t want to talk about your past, future goals or your skill set, don’t bother showing up.

Be prepared to ask smart questions – interviews are not interrogations. There should be a back and forth of communication and ideas. You should not only be answering questions, but asking intelligent questions. Before arriving for the interview memorize or write down a few questions that interest you.

First Impressions
Once you are called in for an interview, you will need to sell yourself in a short period of time to someone that you have never met before. Human resource recruiters are quite skilled at interviewing and judging others. There are winning candidates and candidates that are total losers. Your mission is to come off as a winner. You should show yourself in a good light and present yourself as an excellent candidate. Here are some tips on making a great first impression.

Show up on time – One of the worst things that you can do is show up late to an interview. A late interviewer tells the recruiter that you don’t take the job seriously, you are not punctual and are unmotivated to find a new job. If you are running late or are experiencing traffic or an unforeseen event, call ahead. 9 out of 10 times calling ahead will not put any negative consequences on your chances of employment.

Dress to impress – One of the most important pieces to the puzzle of making a good first impression is to dress to impress. Dressing well for an interview means that you are wearing smart business attire and well groomed. This shows that you care how you look, have confidence and will be a good representative for the company if you are hired. During the summer months, many job applicants sometimes dress down. Dressing down can only hurt your chances of landing a job. Always dress appropriately. If you have the slightest doubts about an outfit, choose another outfit to wear.

Be confident – It is imperative that you show confidence when you show up for your interview. No one is impressed by someone who is very meek or extremely shy. You don’t have to be obnoxious or act super cool, but be the best that you can be.

Greet the recruiter properly – believe it or not, the way you greet the recruiter matters. A nice proper hello with a smile and a decent handshake will do the trick. Never frown, look down or look away when meeting someone. Also, it is good to stand up and show interest. The recruiter is a person and it is not only what you say that matters, but also how you make the other person feel.

During the Interview
Now that you are done with the meet and greet and have given the recruiter a good first impression of yourself the interview now begins. Some applicants freeze up and get very self-conscious. No one likes being judged and while the interview process is exactly this, there are ways to avoid the common pitfalls and instead shine during the interview process.

Be prepared – Make sure you have done your homework and are well prepared for the interview. This means that you should have researched the company beforehand, understood their products or services and know a few interesting facts about the company. What you want to convey to the employer is that you are genuinely interested in working for this company. Anyone can find a job, but human resource recruiters want to hire people who genuinely want to work for their firm.

Answer questions clearly and completely – Obviously, the interview process involves the job recruiter asking you questions. It is very important that you answer these questions clearly and be thorough with your answers. It is extremely easy to tell when someone is lying, so be honest and forthcoming. Many questions that recruiters ask are obvious questions and are quite common. You can easily prepare beforehand for many of these obvious questions. Some of the most common questions that asked by recruiters are:

What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Why do you want to work for this organization?
Why are you leaving your current or last position?
What would you like to achieve at your new position if hired?
Do you work well with others or prefer to work on your own?
What are your successes and failures?
What kind of salary range are your looking to be in?
What are your credentials (Education, special training, etc)
Do you have any hobbies?
Ask Questions During the Interview
Try to think of the interview as a conversation instead of an interrogation. Many job applicants receive high marks by the recruiter if they ask insightful and intelligent questions. You should be very engaging in the interview. This shows the recruiter that you are genuinely interested in the position. While questions are good, make sure they are intelligent; asking questions just for sake of asking is a waste of time for both you and the recruiter. Some of the questions you might want to ask an interviewer are:

What are you looking for in an employee?
What is the reason for the open position (is it due to growth or turnover)?
Could you describe some of the challenges this position offers?
Could you describe the working environment, work culture, etc?
Could you describe some of the benefits of working for your company?
When will the job be available (are you looking to hire someone as soon as possible or in the next few months)?
After the Interview
Once the interview is complete, it is wise to do a couple of things. You should write the recruiter a thank you letter and follow up with the recruiter. These days, a job applicant might have to go through 3 interviews to land a job. It is important to stay on the recruiter’s radar as being a high quality applicant. Many times, after an interview is over the recruiter will state that if they are interested they will give you a call, other times they will try to schedule you for a second interview.

If a recruiter doesn’t give you a definite vote of confidence once the interview is over, it doesn’t mean that you didn’t do well or you aren’t a good applicant. Many times, there are other things working in the background. Some departments wait to the last possible moment to fill positions, other times a key executive who gives the green light to hire might be out of the office. If you are not hired, don’t consider yourself a failure. There are plenty more jobs out in the marketplace.

Answer 2

The marketplace is extremely competitive with tens to even hundreds of people with good qualifications vying for the same job. If your goal is to land that dream job, you should take the process of the interview as seriously as possible. The truth is, whether you are qualified or not, a person who interviews well will always make a great impression and thus boost his or her chances of landing a job. Interviewing for a job is not an enviable situation. In an interview, a candidate is being evaluated and scrutinized to determine just how good he or she is and whether or not he or she will make a good fit within a company. In order to do well in an interview, you must be confident, well prepared and be able to sell yourself. Here are some tips.

The Importance of Being Prepared
Being prepared is extremely important and essential to doing well in a job interview. You must show the employer that you take this opportunity seriously and will do whatever it takes to land the job. Some things to consider when prepping for an interview are:

Research and know about the company. When being interviewed, an interviewer will test you to determine whether you are just looking to land any job or whether you specifically want to work at this company. The more you know about the company; the better off you will be when answering questions.
An interviewer will ask you questions, so make sure you are ready and willing to talk about yourself. If you would rather not talk about your past, current skill set or future goals don’t bother showing up for the interview.
We all expect the interviewer to ask lots of questions, and you too should also have memorized some smart and intelligent questions for the interview. Don’t treat the interview as an interrogation, treat it as a conversation with enough of back and forth dialogue.
The Importance of First Impressions
Most job seekers will only get about an hour to make a good impression. In this short period of time, you will need to sell yourself. Human resource recruiters are very adept at both interviewing individuals and also judging them. It is imperative that you always try to make a good first impression. Creating a good first impression is actually not that difficult, here are some tips:

Be confident. You don’t have to be obnoxious, but walk tall, smile and look as though you generally enjoy being interviewed.
Show yourself in the best light possible. Don’t talk bad about yourself or constantly focus on your weaknesses, instead bring up your strengths and achievements. An interviewer will almost always ask about your weaknesses, answer honestly, but don’t dwell on the subject.
Show up for the interview on time. It sounds pretty basic, but many people get 10 or 15 minutes late. If you even think you are going to be one minute late, call and explain your situation, whether it is traffic etc. Showing your interest and respect is better than arriving late with nothing said. For best results, show up 15 minutes early.
Dress to impress. Dress well for your interview. You don’t have to wear expensive clothes, but you should show the interviewer that you respect the opportunity and that you can come to an interview wearing conservative attire. Never dress down for an interview, if you have second thoughts about an outfit – trust your gut.
Greet the recruiter properly. This is extremely important. Make sure you look directly into his or her eyes. With a smile and a decent handshake, say hello. Greeting shows respect for the interviewer and a proper greeting can easily make you likable and give you a great first impression.
During the Interview
After having started off giving the interviewer a good first impression during the meet and greet portion, now the interview begins. Don’t get overly self conscious and there isn’t any reason to freeze up. Rely on your preparation and your personal skills to understand that the more you go in thinking the interview is a conversation the less you will feel scrutinized and interrogated. Here are some ways to avoid the common pitfalls of interviewing.

As stated before, be prepared, do your homework about the company, keep in mind what questions you would like to ask and be familiar with questions that may be asked of you. Here are some of the questions that may be asked of you:

What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Why do you want to work for this organization?
Why are you leaving your current or last position?
What would you like to achieve at your new position if hired?
Do you work well with others or prefer to work on your own?
What are your successes and failures?
What kind of salary range are your looking to be in?
What are your credentials (education, special training, etc)?
Do you have any hobbies?
When asked questions, answer them completely and do not try to dodge a question.

Make sure that you convey that you are genuinely interested in working at this specific firm. HR recruiters will always value a candidate more if they genuinely want to work for their company and not because they just need a job.

Ask Questions during the Interview
Once again, an interview should be looked at as a conversation that has dialogue going both ways and not just as an interrogation. One way to improve this dialogue is to ask smart and insightful questions. Besides just asking these questions, get involved or show that you are engaged. The more engaged you are, the more the recruiter will sense that you are interested in the job. Never ask questions just for the sake of asking. Even if these questions are prepared, try to be spontaneous and ask them at appropriate times during the interview. Here are some sample questions which might be good to ask during an interview.

What are you looking for in an employee?
What is the reason for the open position (is it due to growth or turnover)?
What are some of the challenges this position offers?
Could you describe the working environment, work culture, etc.
Could you describe some of the benefits of working for your company.
How is the salary calculated (hourly, commission based, bonuses, stock option
s, etc)?
When will the job be available (are you looking to hire someone ASAP or in the next few months)?
After the Interview
Once the interview has finished, there are a few things that you should do to boost your chances of landing the job. They are:

Write the recruiter a thank you note. Make sure to get the business card of your recruiter and send a well written thank you note no later than 3 days after the interview. You want to make sure that you are fresh in the mind of the recruiter.
Keep in mind that the interview process is longer these days than ever. Expect to be called back up to 3 times in order to land a worthwhile opportunity.
Don’t get dejected if you are not chosen for the job. Just because you were not chosen doesn’t mean you weren't a quality candidate. Many jobs that are interviewed for never get filled and some take months to fill, not because of a lack of qualified workers to fill them, but due to red-tapism among higher ups.