So months back, there was a discussion here on why people don't get employedand I was part of the contributors then. I wish I could see the thread once again. There is something that touched me and that is the fact that most people that attends Job Interviews don't know the right way to go about it.
The conclusion then is that most people are UNEMPLOYABLE!
Well, that is a problem but there must be a solution to that. Do you know the rules of Job Interviews? Read the article below and you will see something you are expected to do and not to do wink
Dos and Don'ts of Job Interviews
Are you in the process of trying to get a new job? If you have already applied for a few jobs, there is a good chance that you may end up having an interview scheduled soon, if you don’t already have one arranged. As you likely already know, a job interview is often the deciding factor in whether or not you get hired. That is why it is important that your interviews go off without a hitch. To ensure that they do, you may want to familiarize yourself with the most common job interview dos and don’ts, some of which are outlined below.
One thing that you will want to do is prepare for your interview. There are too many individuals who mistakenly believe that all interviews are the same. This is actually something that you do not want to do. Yes, many interviews are similar in nature, but they are not all the same. In all honesty, it depends on the job that you are being interviewed for and the employer in question. Instead of assuming that your job interview will be just like the last one, you are advised to expect something different, to help keep you on your toes. wink
Another thing that you will want to do is practice for your interview. As it was previously mentioned, many job interviews are similar in nature, despite being a little bit different. They are often similar based on some of the basic questions that are asked. For instance, some of those questions may be centered on your professional goals, your need to succeed, and so on. No matter how prepared you are for these questions, they can be difficult to answer in the moment. That is why you do want to prepare for your interview by doing a few practice runs, preferably with a friend or a relative.
As stated above, during the interview process, you will be asked a number of questions. These questions are what enables an employer to gain insight into you, your life, and your work habits. When responding to questions that you are asked or even when just making conversation, it is advised that you keep everything professional in nature. What you do not want to do is divulge too much information about your personal life. For instance, employers do not need to know how old you are or if you have any children. Also, do not badmouth any of your previous employers or bosses, as this will tend to make you look bad yourself.
When going for a job interview, it is important that you are properly dressed. What you do not want to do is wear jeans, sweatpants, or clothing that is too revealing. To increase your chances of getting a job, you want to look professional for your job interview. This not only includes your clothing, but your appearance as well. If you need to put on makeup or get a hair cut, go ahead and do so. When looking to hire a new employee, many employers want someone who can represent the company in a positive matter. That is why it is important that you do place at least a little bit of focus on your appearance.
Since the interview process is what is often the deciding factor in whether or not you are hired, you will want to make sure that your interview is one that is memorable, and in a good way. To do that, you will want to keep the above mentioned job interview do’s and don’ts in mind.
This is another useful Interview tips for all wink
Have you recently landed a job interview, from one of the job listings that you applied to? If you have, when is your interview scheduled? If your interview is scheduled to take place in a few days or even in a few hours, are you prepared for it? What you may not know is that most job applicants aren’t. To make sure that you are prepared for your interview, you will want to continue reading on.
When it comes to hiring an applicant, there are many interviewers who do place a large focus on personal appearance. This focus on personal appearance doesn’t just focus on beauty, but hygiene as well. Employers want to hire workers who will give their business a good public perception. That is why it is important that you give that good perception, especially in an interview. When attending a job interview, you will want to make sure that you are professionally dressed, either in a pant suit or a dress. Make sure that your hair is well kept as well. In fact, you may want to think about buying a new outfit or getting your hair done before your interview is scheduled to take place.
Before your interview, you may also want to make a trip to the store to purchase some needed supplies, if you don’t already own them. These supplies may include a notebook, writing utensils, and a thank you note. As for the notebook and a writing utensil, you may want to take notes during your interview. If you applied to more than one job listing, you may have multiple interviews scheduled. Taking notes during your interviews will help you keep all of them straight. Also, taking notes during a job interview makes you look as if you are more interested in the job. It is also shows a side of you that says “I am professional and always prepared.”
As for the thank you note, which was mentioned above, you will want to send a thank you note to your interviewer. A thank you note may also help to create a good, positive impression of yourself. With thank you notes, many have intentions of sending them, but not everyone ends up doing so. Having a standard thank you note already filled out and ready to go is ideal. In fact, you may also want to drop it off at the post off right after your interview has been completed. Of course, make sure that you don’t drop it off beforehand. Should the mail be delivered early or your interview needs to be rescheduled, you may be embarrassed with the early delivery of a thank you note, for an interview that never even occurred yet.
As you likely already know, job interviews are where hiring employers are able to learn as much as they can about you. This is often done by asking a series of questions. The questions that you are asked during a job interview will tend to vary, but most are likely focused around your goals and your work ethics. For instance, you may be asked to describe you strengths and your weaknesses, your goals in life, your desire to move up the corporate ladder and such. Even if these questions are expected to be asked, it can be nerve-wracking when they are actually asked. That is why you may want to do a number of practice interviews. These practice interviews work best with another person, like a family member or a friend, but you can also do them by yourself, like in front of a mirror. Practicing your responses before a job interview is one of the best ways to make sure that your answers come out exactly the way that you wanted them to.
The above mentioned preparation tips are just a few of the many that you may find useful, when it comes to preparing for a job interview. If you are hoping to schedule multiple interviews, you may want to invest in resource guides that focus on successfully mastering the interview process, as that interview process is often the deciding factor in whether or not you get hired.
You can add these as well to your reminders. I wish us all the best.
Success at Interviews
Questions to have thought about prior to interview stage
What do you know about the position?
What department/ group is it in?
Who will you be working for?
What does the position entail/ what duties are involved?
What skills are needed?
What are the main objectives of this role?
Who will be your customers? What do they need?
Why are you interested?
Can you utilise your skills?
Do they offer the career progression you desire?
Do they offer a team environment?
Can you get fully involved/ take on responsibility?
Why do you think you could do the job?
Do you have the correct typing speed?
Do you have the correct computer packages?
Do you have previous experience?
Have you got the right attitude/ are you enthusiastic enough?
What qualities can you bring to the role?
Good examples of characteristics:- Well organised, team player, works well to deadlines, can perform under pressure, enjoy a challenge, highly motivated, patient, flexible attitude, confident, enthusiastic, hardworking, good communicator!
Good examples of skills: Advanced on PowerPoint/ Word/ Excel etc. A strong background in maintaining databases. Have supported large teams of up to 30 people. Has experience of undertaking project work.
Try to think of three qualities that relate to the role/ company and ALWAYS think of examples of where/ when you have used these skills – i.e. In my current role, it is essential that I produce the weekly report by Friday afternoon, therefore, I am used to working to strict deadlines.
What do you know about the company?
How long has it been established?
How many employees does it have?
Is the company expanding?
Who are the company’s competitors?
What does the company do/ what is its principal business activity?
What is the company’s mission statement?
Good questions to ask at the interview
What type of person would best fit the role?
Why has the vacancy arisen?
Is the company expanding?
Is there room for promotion/ progression?
What type of person would fit into your organisation/ department?
Who else would I be working for/ with?
How many people are in the department?
What will my typical day entail?
What responsibilities would I have?
Is there the opportunity to use my initiative?
Popular questions asked at interview
Tell me about yourself.
Ask the interviewer what they would like you to cover. Educational achievements?
Software experience?
What are your strengths?
Again, think of your three main skills and ALWAYS give examples of where/ when you
have used them.
What are your weaknesses?
Study the job specification and company profile and decide on a weakness that is not essential to the role/ company. Good examples:
The job spec states that there will be an occasional amount of audio typing. Your response: Having read the job specification, I understand that I will undertake an amount of audio typing. I haven’t used audio on a regular basis but I am a quick learner and more than happy to develop this skill.
You will be working for a team of twenty people. Your response: I’ve not actually worked for a team as large as this but I am confident that I have the right organisational skills to make a success of this role.
The company is a management consultancy. Your response: I haven’t actually worked for a management consultancy before but I am confident that I can make a success of this role as I have good experience within customer-focussed roles and strong communication skills at all levels.
You are therefore letting the client know that you have read and understood the requirements of the company/ role, have related your experience to these requirements, have the confidence and ability to be successful and are more than willing to ‘make a go of it’! The client will forget there was ever a weakness in the first place!
What do you know about the job?
Relay to the client that you understand what will be involved in a typical day to include
software used, who you will be supporting, what probable deadlines you will have to
meet, along with the characteristics you will need (calm under pressure etc.).
Why are you interested in this position?
Good examples:
Will be able to fully utilise my software experience.
Working for a larger organisation/ team.
Taking on more responsibility.
A busier, more involved role.
Chances to use ones own initiative.
Why are you leaving your current position?
Because you want to secure the above opportunities.
How do you feel about working overtime?
State that you’re committed to completing the task in hand and therefore understand that
this cannot always be done within standard office hours. Give examples of where you
have willingly undertaken overtime in the past.
If I were to approach your boss/ colleague, what would s/he say about you?
Good examples:
Easy to get along with.
Willing to muck in.
Reliable.
Cheerful to be around.
Gets the job done!
What would you be most remembered for in your last job?
Use any of the above examples or relay a significant achievement during your time with
the company.
I secured a contract worth £x, which enabled a new support team to be established.
What special achievements have you had in your current role?
Have you set up new systems, developed a more efficient filing system, trained a new
employee or successfully completed training courses? Try and relate your answers to the
role that you are applying for.
What special achievements did you obtain in school/outside work? How have these helped you in a working environment?
Were you a successful member of an organisation (Queens Scout/ Army Cadet)? What
sporting achievements have you had? Charity/ volunteer involvement? Evening classes?
Why should we employ you?
Another way of asking for your strengths/ qualities.
Give me ten words that best describe your personality?
You should know these by now!
Where do you see yourself in five year’s time? What are your aims for the future?
As before, more responsibility . . . . . . . . . . etc.
What do you know about the company?
Again, you should research this before the interview.
Why do you want to join this company?
Are they progressive, forward-thinking, expanding?
If you turned the clock back, what would you do differently in your career?
Try and be positive about what you have achieved so far. Have a purpose/ reason for why
you have done things.
What made you choose those particular GCSE/ A Level/ Degree subjects?
Why did you decide not to go into further education?
Were you ready to tackle the working environment? Keen to step onto the career ladder?
Able to secure an opportunity that lead to in-house study?
What is the hardest thing that someone has asked you to do?
Have you worked alone on a big project? Organised a big event from scratch? Stood in
for a more senior member of staff? Trained a new employee? Met with clients alone?
What is the biggest decision you have made?
To return to university? To relocate for a new job? To move to a new company?
What challenges you? What motivates you?
Responsibility? Opportunity to use own initiative? Busy, hectic environment? Own
projects? Working to deadlines? Achieving targets?
What type of people do you work best with?
What book/ newspaper are you reading at the moment and why?
What do you have to have in the office to operate effectively? What couldn’t you operate without in the office? What do you expect from your employers? What do you expect to achieve within this role? What training would you expect?
Situational Questions
What would you do if ……….?
How would you react if ……….?
Give an example of where you have experienced a stressful situation in the workplace.
How did you handle that stress/ what steps did you take to resolve the situation? How
could you minimise this risk for the future? What did you learn from this experience?
Give an example of when you have had to perform within strict deadlines? How did you
perform? What did you learn from this experience?
You are in the office on your own. There is nobody to contact and the computer system crashes. Clients are urgently waiting for a proposal. What do you do?
NOTE: You must think about the type of situations they may ask you about. It would normally be something relevant to the position:-
Dealing with managerial staff.
Dealing with subordinates.
Handling customer queries or complaints.
A situation where you need to utilise your communication skills and common sense.
Dressing for interview
Please take into consideration the following points when dressing for interview:-
Wear a dark business suit - black, grey or navy
Skirt suits are preferable
An ironed, business shirt is preferable to a Lycra top!
Do not have bare legs - wear tights or stockings
Wear clean, polished, dark coloured corporate looking shoes
Keep jewellery to a minimum - less is more!
Keep make up on the conservative side
Chewing gum is a definite no-no!
Make sure that your mobile phone is switched off during your interview
Remember, the average interview lasts between 30 minutes to 1 hour – not very long in the realm of life! Why miss out on that new job that will offer you better prospects/ more money/ more responsibility due to nerves! As long as you’ve prepared for your interview, you should concentrate on ‘selling’ yourself! Ask yourself, ‘Why should they recruit me?’ If you don’t know, then you haven’t prepared yourself properly! Go get that job!
Always arrive ten minutes early for an interview.
Always allow yourself enough time for the interview - if you are rushed and stressed, your best attributes will not be on show!
Call your consultant as soon as the interview has finished - she will want feedback to give to the client.
Reasons why candidates are most rejected for jobs:
They did not show enthusiasm
They did not understand the job fully
They did not know enough about the company
They did not give examples of when they had worked under pressure or how they prioritised their time
They were not consistent enough in their answers (this usually happens when two interviews have taken place and the candidate has attended two separate interviews)
The candidate came across very well at first interview but not as well on their second meeting (a common misconception when the candidate feels that the job is theirs after the first interview)
The candidate was too nervous
Presentation was not adequate