3 Steps to Successful Interviewing

A successful job interview can be accomplished by performing and articulating precise details during the interview process that set you apart and land you the job!

The secret to a successful interview begins with just three easy steps:

1) Comprehensively researching the company prior to the interview- remember, to the interviewer- its all about the organization and what you can do for them;
 

2) Preparing for the interview by taking part in one or more mock interviews comprised of questions that the employer may ask during the interview;
 

And finally:
 

3) Most importantly, develop an answer to the questions which clearly articulates why you should be the interviewer’s candidate of preference.You can never do too much research regarding the position, duties, its place in the company’s culture, and most importantly – its role in achieving the company’s mission. To that end, ensure you know and fully understand the company’s mission statement because it is probably one of the most significant items in learning a company’s culture. Is the company numbers driven? Or, are they customer fulfillment driven? Familiarizing yourself with the company’s culture might also include checking to see if they display a diversity statement. A company that visibly presents a diversity statement is one that respectfully maintains that they do not discriminate against job candidates during the employment process and fully embrace a diversely rich workforce.

Don’t fail to remember that salary and benefits is a segment of a subsequent future interview and is not broached in the “initial interview” unless brought up by the employer. Finally, end each and every interview with a solid handshake and a genuine smile.

Superior job interview accomplished!

 

Accepting an Offer of Employment



 

When accepting an offer of full time employment or an internship (whether paid or unpaid) you should honor that commitment.  Additionally, when you accept an employment offer or other career opportunity, you should immediately withdraw from the recruiting process completely.    This includes:

1.   Removing your resume from all job sites.

2.   Contacting all employers you may have interviewed with to let them know you have accepted another position.

3.   Declining any and all future interview invitations (for at least one full year).

4.   Contacting any recruiters you may have applied with so that they will discontinue their search for you a position.

5.   Fully committing to your new position for at least one year – no matter what.

 

Overcoming Rejection

Don’t try to rationalize away the sting of being rejected. Turned down for the job? Didn’t get the interview? Lost the position to someone you believe to be a less qualified candidate? Don’t let your worth be defined by others... Even though it smarts, get right back in the hunt. Rejection is not a permanent condition; it’s a just short-term setback.


Examine your attitude and eliminate any negativity. When confronted with a challenging situation, what do you tell yourself? “I’m not good enough... I don’t have enough experience... I don’t have enough education . . . this is too hard a change for me . . . I’ll never make it . . .?” Don’t let your negative mental-talk sabotage your positive attitude.


Identify your credible fears. Exactly whom do you fear and why? What do you believe might go wrong? Who has the power to reject you? Why would that person say no? Finding the answers to these questions will help you prepare yourself to face your fears head on and preserve your self control, as well as help you to be prepared for the next interview.


Become more self-assured. Most fears of rejection rest on a person’s desire to have approval from other people. Don’t base your self-worth on others opinions.


Analyze what went wrong but don’t wallow in every failure. As written by James Joyce, “Mistakes are the portals of discovery”. Failure is a situation all of us experience in our life at one time or another. It’s how we react to those failures that differentiate winners from losers.
Don’t try to rationalize away the sting of being rejected. Turned down for the job? Didn’t get the interview? Lost the position to someone you believe to be a less qualified candidate? Don’t let your worth be defined by others... Even though it smarts, get right back in the hunt. Rejection is not a permanent condition; it’s a just short-term setback.


Examine your attitude and eliminate any negativity. When confronted with a challenging situation, what do you tell yourself? “I’m not good enough... I don’t have enough experience... I don’t have enough education . . . this is too hard a change for me . . . I’ll never make it . . .?” Don’t let your negative mental-talk sabotage your positive attitude.


Identify your credible fears. Exactly whom do you fear and why? What do you believe might go wrong? Who has the power to reject you? Why would that person say no? Finding the answers to these questions will help you prepare yourself to face your fears head on and preserve your self control, as well as help you to be prepared for the next interview.


Become more self-assured. Most fears of rejection rest on a person’s desire to have approval from other people. Don’t base your self-worth on others opinions.


Analyze what went wrong but don’t wallow in every failure. As written by James Joyce, “Mistakes are the portals of discovery”. Failure is a situation all of us experience in our life at one time or another. It’s how we react to those failures that differentiate winners from losers.

Job Search Ethics

Don’t Mislead the Employer

When searching for employment, don’t let your values, ethics, or judgment be disputed!  You should make ethics a part of your daily job search routine.  Here are a few tips:

1.  When creating your résumé, and when answering information in an interview, always be completely truthful!  Don’t lie or mislead employers about your past work experience, education, or qualifications for a position.

2.   Apply only to those positions which you are genuinely interested in for employment.    Thoroughly research the company, and the position, prior to any interview to demonstrate your interest.  Remember,   taking Interviews in order to practice your interview skills is inexcusable!

3.   Don’t ever “no show” for an interview.  Each employer sets aside their valuable time to interview potential candidates.   If you can't make an interview due to an unforeseen emergency, you should make every effort to call the employer at least 2 hours or more in advance of the interview time.   Some inexcusable reasons for not making an interview include not having the right date and time of the interview, oversleeping, running out of gas, or completely forgetting about the interview.

4.   Always go to every interview fully prepared, professional, and on-time!

 

Standout in the Interview

Want to stand out in an interview?  Here are some questions to ask the employer when they ask "Do you have any questions for me?"

1.        Is this a newly created position or would I be replacing someone?

2.       Is training provided?

3.       Is there a career path for this position?

4.       Did I answer all of your questions?

5.       Is there anything in our discussion you would like for me to clarify or expound upon?

6.       How would you describe a successful employee (name the position if you have it)?

7.       What is it about this position that would bring the greatest value to the company?

8.       What would you consider some of the strengths and weaknesses in the processes for this position?

9.       What were some the challenges you faced when you started here?

10.   What are the short and long term goals for the company?

11.   Are there any tasks for this position that have not been covered today or in the job description?

12.   What is the company’s turnover rate?

13.   What would be the top 3 challenges I will face in this position?

14.   What has to happen for you to know that you have hired the right person?

15.   What is the one thing you are proudest of regarding your department (team)?

16.   What does success look like for a new hire in this role after 60-90-120 days?

17.   What do you feel is the company’s strongest asset?

18.   What type of training does the company offer?

Don’t Get Ambushed in an Interview

 

 The most popular interviewing trend used by employers today is the behavioral interview.  This form of interview questions tends to focus upon your past experiences as well as your integrity, leadership abilities, initiative, communication skills, ability to problem solve, interpersonal skills, adaptability, knowledge, and past performance to determine if you will be a good fit for the employer. The behavioral questions are designed to lead the interviewee into more in-depth and trait revealing answers to specifically designed questions.   A complete answer to behavior-based interview questions must explain the task or problem for which you were responsible, the specific action you took to complete the task or solve the problem, and the results of the action you took.  

There are three forms of behavioral questions:

Open-ended questions – This type of question requires more than just a “yes” or “no” answer.  This type of question often begins with “Describe...”, “Tell me about...”, “When...”

Close-ended questions- This type of questions is usually used to verify or confirm information you have previously given the employer such as “You graduated from college, is that correct?”

Why questions – This type of question is used to reveal your rationale for decisions you have made in the past or to determine your motivational level such as “Why did you decide to go into the service when you had a scholarship at UNT?”

Here are some sample behavioral questions and possible ways to answer them:

Q. Tell me a little bit about yourself.

Approximately 80% of all interviews begin with this question. Many candidates, unprepared for the question, start with a prolonged recap/narrative of their life story.

HOW TO REPLY: Commence with your latest related experience or training and communicate why you meet the criteria by matching your qualifications to what the interviewer is looking for.  To answer, you must try to uncover your interviewer's greatest need, want, problem, or goal in filling the position and tailor your answer.  Recall recent work experiences which demonstrate your favorable behaviors or actions, especially your teamwork, leadership, and customer service abilities.  

Q.  Why are you leaving (or did you leave) your most recent position?

HOW TO REPLY:  If you left an employer on bad terms, you still must follow the inviolable rule: never badmouth your previous industry, company, board, boss, staff, employees or customers. Never be negative!  Any negativity brought into your reply will cast a shadow on your abilities, candor, and disposition.   This is not the time to discuss an increase in pay, even if that is part of the motivation.  If you have been previously terminated from a position – don’t lie about being fired.  It’s unethical, and can easily be checked.  The best way to answer is to attempt to redirect the reason from you personally.   Make sure you've prepared a brief, positive reason for leaving your last position.

Q. What are your greatest strengths?

HOW TO REPLY: You should match your abilities to the interviewer's greatest wants and needs. You should also have an example or two demonstrating strengths from your most recent work experience. You should, have this list of your greatest strengths (experience, initiative, customer relations) and corresponding examples from your achievements committed to memory.
Q. What are your greatest weaknesses?

This is often called an “eliminator” question because it is designed to shorten the candidate list. An admission of a weakness or fault will earn you an "A" for honesty, but an "F" for the interview.
HOW TO REPLY: Assure the interviewer that you can think of nothing that would stand in the way of your performing in this position with excellence. Then, quickly review you strongest qualifications.   
Q. Aren't you overqualified for this position?

HOW TO REPLY: The employer’s main concern behind the "overqualified" question is that you will leave your new position as soon as something better comes your way. Anything you can say to demonstrate the sincerity of your commitment to the employer and reassure him that you're looking to stay for the long-term will help you overcome this objection.  Also, assuring the employer that you love to learn and take on new responsibilities will help to soothe their wariness.

Q. Where do you see yourself five years from now?

HOW TO REPLY:  Employers want to know that you plan to stay with them.  Assure the interviewer that you are making a long-term commitment and that this position is exactly what you want to do and what you feel you do very well. Looking to the future, you know that if you perform with excellence, future opportunities will take care of themselves.

Q. Tell me about your ideal company, location, and job.

HOW TO REPLY: The correct answer is to describe the company (by reviewing ahead of time), what the company is offering that you like, how you feel you would be a good fit. Make your answer believable with specific reasons, stated with sincerity, why each quality represented by this company and opportunity is attractive to you.
Q.  Why do you want to work for our company?

HOW TO REPLY:  By doing an in-depth research of the company, you should make this your home run. Sources for research include: annual reports, the corporate newsletter, contacts you know at the company or its suppliers, advertisements, articles about the company in the trade press.

Q. Tell me about a situation when your work was criticized.

HOW TO REPLY:  Begin by emphasizing any positive feedback you may have received throughout your career. No one is always perfect, emphasize that you always welcome suggestions on how to improve your performance.
Q.  What are your outside interests?

HOW TO REPLY:  Try to shatter any stereotypes that could limit your chances. If you're over 50, for example, describe activities that demonstrate your intergenerational teamwork abilities, technology, as well as your physical and mental stamina. If you’re relatively young, mention an activity that demonstrates your wisdom. Keep in mind that employers hire employees for what they can do for them.

Q.  Looking back, what would you do differently in your life?

HOW TO REPLY: Indicate that you are a happy, fulfilled, optimistic person and that, in general, you wouldn't change a thing.

Q.  How well do you work under pressure?

HOW TO REPLY: Convey that you work well under pressure (and then give a recent example).

Q. What was the toughest decision you ever had to make?

HOW TO REPLY: Pre-prepare a good example, with an explanation as to why the decision was difficult.  Talk about what process, or processes, you used to make the decision.  Then relate how you carried it out.  If you are looking to leave the military, you might want to describe how difficult it has been to reach the decision to not continue with the military as a career.

Q. May I contact your present employer for a reference?

HOW TO REPLY:  If you are employed and haven’t told your employer that you are looking for a new position, then convey to the interviewer that you'd like to keep your job search private but that you are extremely proud of your record with your current employer.

Q.  What are your future goals?

HOW TO ANSWER:  Be prepared to discuss your goals for your career and personal development and learning which include the employer you are interviewing with.  Express your desire to stay with a company.  Avoid family, physical (health), community service, and any spiritual goals.

Q. How do you define success…and how do you measure up to your own definition?

HOW TO ANSWER: Give a definition of success by incorporating you, your strengths and abilities, a position within the interviewer’s company, and how that the combination would mean the ultimate success to you personally.
© Copyright Vet2Work/Naturallysilver 2011-13. No re-publication of this article is permitted without express permission. This is an excerpt from "Successful Career Moves" by C.A. Stapleton. About the author:  C.A. Stapleton, A.S., B.S., M.B.A., is an experienced, published professional career consultant, mentor, and résumé/ biographical writer.  

Tips on Getting Employed Using Social Media

Twitter – create a free Twitter account using your personal name.  Put your 30-second elevator  speech* in the information about you section and include an email.  You might want to create a personal email just for employment.   Once you have created a twitter account, add your twitter link to your resume.  Attach a recent picture and follow only employment-related twitter sites such as job boards and employment services.    

Facebook- if you don’t have a Facebook profile, then you should proceed to create free one.  When creating your profile, provide only information that an employer would need to see.  You might want to include your 30 second elevator speech in your profile section.  In your interests section, include words such as “networking” “team building” “employment opportunities”. Insert a professional recent picture and then look for employers and employment related sites in your field of interest and “like” them.  If you already have a Facebook profile, then review your existing page as the employer would see it.  Are all posts relevant?  Are all pictures appropriate?  Is every post made by you spelled correctly, and are you using proper grammar?  Is there profanity on your feed?  If you have a Facebook page and you answered “yes” to any of these questions and you really want to go to work, then you have two options – go in and re-create your existing page to a more professional one or create a new account and professional page and once it is created add it to your resume.

Linked In- Creating a LinkedIn profile is time consuming but is definitely worth the work you put into it.  Linkedin is a professional networking site.  Like Facebook and Twitter, it is free to join.  However, the site is designed for the business professional world.  Once again, when you create your linked in profile be careful of spelling and grammar.  Post a recent professional picture.  Look for professional persons you may know and also join groups which are correlated to the field you aspire to enter.  

© Copyright Vet2Work/Naturallysilver 2011. No re-publication of this article is permitted without express permission. This is an excerpt from "Successful Career Moves" by C.A. Stapleton. About the author:  C.A. Stapleton, A.S., B.S., M.B.A., is an experienced, published professional career consultant, mentor, and résumé/ biographical writer.