When was the last time you had a job interview? Did it go well for you? Chances are that it went poorly for you and that is no criticism on you personally, it’s just that people tend to be afraid of interviewing and as a result, they don’t get the jobs they want. I read that something like 86% of people in the workforce right now had to go through 6 interviews before they landed the job that they are in right now. There may be several reasons for this number however; I must tell you that if the large majority of people knew the secrets of successful interviewing, they would get the job every time. Instead of getting rejections letters, they would be turning downing offer letters.
So personality isn’t just the reason? This is a yes and no answer. Having a personality that presents yourself in the best possible way and can carry a conversation is very important in a job interview, however not many people have this engaging personality. There are a lot of people who get jobs than people with outgoing personalities and the reason is that they know how to interview well. Yes, job interviewing skills can specifically be and ought to be learned. Now the question is, how do people learn?
A lot of people have learned how to interview through trial and error. The more you do something, the more you become a pro at it. This can be very hard though, not many people want to learn like this. I mean, no one likes being rejected from a job interview. Indeed, interviewing isn’t a fun activity. Most of the time, people tend to fear them. Since this is the case, wouldn’t it be great if you could learn how to interview and impress the interviewer? Wouldn’t it be great to go into a job interview with all the confidence in the world and have the state of mind that you are evaluating them, instead of the other way around.
Another important thing to remember is that this goes much deeper than learning interviewing skills or tricks. The point being is that training that makes you successful at interviewing, will make you successful in life. Learning how to interview is learning how to communicate well. Good communication will help you with the ability to lead, network and social confidence.
Whether you are a freshman in college or an experience business person, learning and gaining interviewing skills is a profitable benefit for anyone. It is also good for you as it serves as a value tool outside of your career including dating, parenting, marriage and so forth. Don’t wait any longer to take control of your life and be successful in your career.
Showing posts with label Job Interview Questions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Job Interview Questions. Show all posts
Monday, November 9, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
5 Steps To A Great Job Interview
Are you ready for your next job interview? Do you know the secrets of pulling off a great interview and getting hired for the job of your dreams? Use these five simple steps to prepare yourself and you will leave the best possible impression you can with the hiring manager.
1. Get there Early – The worst thing you can do is to show up to a job interview late. What does that show to the hiring manager about your dedication level? Why would any hiring manager want to hire a person who doesn’t have the organization skills to show up to the job interview on time? By showing up early for the interview, you are demonstrating and showing respect to the organization and the hiring manager. Also by showing up early, you may have the opportunity for more face time with the interviewer. Face time is important, as the longer you have with the hiring manager, the better your chances you will be chosen for the job.
2. Do your Homework on the Company – Never go into a job interview without knowing anything about the company. You need to do your homework; find out how many locations they have, who is the CEO and what products and services they market. A good idea is to find out their financials from their company website and other investor relations. You should be prepared to ask some questions about what you findings of the company. At the end of every interview that I have been involved with, I like to ask “What questions do you have for me?” I am always amazed with people who have done their homework and are serious about working for the organization.
3 Make sure to Listen and Don’t Interrupt – It may seem counter-productive, however the hiring manger is speaking. It is a demonstrated reality, that hiring managers think interviewers go better, if they do most of the talking. Make sure you use your research about the company and ask a lot of questions to get the interviewer talking.
4. Bring Extra Copies of Your Resume – Hiring Managers have a lot to do and most of the time they don’t have a copy of your resume ready for the interview. Even if they do have a copy, there may be other people besides the hiring manager interviewing you. This also presents a good opportunity to hand them your resume on a good piece of quality paper. Resume paper is thicker and has a nice feel to it and that is what you want the interviewer to associate with you… a good feel. Later, when the hiring manager is reviewing your resume, you will stand out because of it and it provides you a better chance of getting a second interview or even better getting hired for the job.
5. Follow Up – It is always a good idea to follow up with the hiring manager and/or interviewer in some way after the job interview. If the hiring manager gave you their business card, make sure you use it. You can call them and ask a couple of follow up questions and thank them for the opportunity. Also, you should send them a thank you note email. If you didn’t get their business card, then just mail them a thank you letter. The main objective here is to remind the hiring manager about you. And the more they think about you, the better the chances you will get hired for the job.
1. Get there Early – The worst thing you can do is to show up to a job interview late. What does that show to the hiring manager about your dedication level? Why would any hiring manager want to hire a person who doesn’t have the organization skills to show up to the job interview on time? By showing up early for the interview, you are demonstrating and showing respect to the organization and the hiring manager. Also by showing up early, you may have the opportunity for more face time with the interviewer. Face time is important, as the longer you have with the hiring manager, the better your chances you will be chosen for the job.
2. Do your Homework on the Company – Never go into a job interview without knowing anything about the company. You need to do your homework; find out how many locations they have, who is the CEO and what products and services they market. A good idea is to find out their financials from their company website and other investor relations. You should be prepared to ask some questions about what you findings of the company. At the end of every interview that I have been involved with, I like to ask “What questions do you have for me?” I am always amazed with people who have done their homework and are serious about working for the organization.
3 Make sure to Listen and Don’t Interrupt – It may seem counter-productive, however the hiring manger is speaking. It is a demonstrated reality, that hiring managers think interviewers go better, if they do most of the talking. Make sure you use your research about the company and ask a lot of questions to get the interviewer talking.
4. Bring Extra Copies of Your Resume – Hiring Managers have a lot to do and most of the time they don’t have a copy of your resume ready for the interview. Even if they do have a copy, there may be other people besides the hiring manager interviewing you. This also presents a good opportunity to hand them your resume on a good piece of quality paper. Resume paper is thicker and has a nice feel to it and that is what you want the interviewer to associate with you… a good feel. Later, when the hiring manager is reviewing your resume, you will stand out because of it and it provides you a better chance of getting a second interview or even better getting hired for the job.
5. Follow Up – It is always a good idea to follow up with the hiring manager and/or interviewer in some way after the job interview. If the hiring manager gave you their business card, make sure you use it. You can call them and ask a couple of follow up questions and thank them for the opportunity. Also, you should send them a thank you note email. If you didn’t get their business card, then just mail them a thank you letter. The main objective here is to remind the hiring manager about you. And the more they think about you, the better the chances you will get hired for the job.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Behavioral Interview Answer
Joe’s Question:
I always have a hard time answering this question,
“Have you ever had a situation where a co-worker wasn’t doing their share of work, If so, did you ever do anything about it, and was the result of your actions?”
I want to make sure the interviewers know that I have no problem working with others.
James’s Answer:
Before I answer this question, I will go over STAR formula that I use when answering a behavioral interview question.
STAR, which stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result is one of the best methods to answering behavioral base questions.
First you explain the Situation or Task, then the Action taken, and finally, what happen in regards to your actions (the Result).
Now a great way to answer this interview question is by using an example from one of your previous jobs and what you did to resolve the situation.
Let’s examine the interview question, “Have you ever had a situation where a co-worker wasn’t doing their share of work, If so, did you ever do anything about it, and was the result of your actions?”
What I would suggest is to use a situation that resulted in a position outcome for both you and you co-worker.
You could say that work with someone that wasn’t very organized and was always playing catch up with her work. She spent more time looking for things than actually working.
Since I worked in a team environment, my work was depended on what she did and she frequently was late with her share of the work, which made me look incompetent. One time my team almost missed the deadline, and we could have lost the client because of it.
I was very frustrated about the situation and decided that it was time to find out why she wasn’t completing her assignments on time. I set up a meeting between me and her. I expressed my concerns to her. She explained to me that she was never very good at organizing her desk. She said that she would love to be more organized, but she doesn’t know how to.
I explained that I can understand that not being organized can really be tough and that I can help implement a plan to organize her workspace. The next week, I took 30 minutes each day, out of my day to help her organize all of her files and computer files.
I noticed after I helped her, that she was meeting her deadlines and that the team in general was much happier and more productive, including me.
Good Luck!
Contact: James Malervy
Email: james@superstarinterviewguide.com
Web: www.InstantJobInterviewTools.com
I always have a hard time answering this question,
“Have you ever had a situation where a co-worker wasn’t doing their share of work, If so, did you ever do anything about it, and was the result of your actions?”
I want to make sure the interviewers know that I have no problem working with others.
James’s Answer:
Before I answer this question, I will go over STAR formula that I use when answering a behavioral interview question.
STAR, which stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result is one of the best methods to answering behavioral base questions.
First you explain the Situation or Task, then the Action taken, and finally, what happen in regards to your actions (the Result).
Now a great way to answer this interview question is by using an example from one of your previous jobs and what you did to resolve the situation.
Let’s examine the interview question, “Have you ever had a situation where a co-worker wasn’t doing their share of work, If so, did you ever do anything about it, and was the result of your actions?”
What I would suggest is to use a situation that resulted in a position outcome for both you and you co-worker.
You could say that work with someone that wasn’t very organized and was always playing catch up with her work. She spent more time looking for things than actually working.
Since I worked in a team environment, my work was depended on what she did and she frequently was late with her share of the work, which made me look incompetent. One time my team almost missed the deadline, and we could have lost the client because of it.
I was very frustrated about the situation and decided that it was time to find out why she wasn’t completing her assignments on time. I set up a meeting between me and her. I expressed my concerns to her. She explained to me that she was never very good at organizing her desk. She said that she would love to be more organized, but she doesn’t know how to.
I explained that I can understand that not being organized can really be tough and that I can help implement a plan to organize her workspace. The next week, I took 30 minutes each day, out of my day to help her organize all of her files and computer files.
I noticed after I helped her, that she was meeting her deadlines and that the team in general was much happier and more productive, including me.
Good Luck!
Contact: James Malervy
Email: james@superstarinterviewguide.com
Web: www.InstantJobInterviewTools.com
Thursday, August 27, 2009
The Superstar Interview Guide by James Malervy is the Preferred Job Interview Resource Among Hiring Managers
LANCASTER, PA, August 27, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Jarret Lord, District Sales Manager for Staples Business Advantage, states "James Malervy hit the nail on the head with this one. As an active recruiter of new untapped talent in the sales industry, I feel that I pass over a ton of talent that could very well be the next big thing within my company, all because of their interviewing techniques or lack thereof. If most interviewees did their research to this extent I think my job would be that much easier or that much harder depending on how many people read the book and actually applied this information. Think of this as Interviewing for Dummies but with real up to date and practical information."If you want to provide the best job interview answers for interview questions and get the job you deserve, then the Superstar Interview Guide is your best bet! You can find the Superstar Interview Guide at http://www.instantjobinterviewtools.com/
Contact:James J. Malervy, II
James@SuperstarInterviewGuide.com
http://www.instantjobinterviewtools.com/
James Malervy is an expert author and leading influencer on the subject of interviewing. He has worked with such companies as Sprint, Pepsi and the Walt Disney Company and brings his professional experience to job seekers in writing the "Superstar Interview Guide." He provides career advice to hundreds everyday and even provides his services as a Career Coach through the "Superstar Career Coach E-Zine" available through subscription at www.InstantJobInterviewTools.com James is dedicated to helping others in becoming more competitive in the job market, gaining confident in their interviewing skills, and finally getting hired for the job they deserve.
Contact:James J. Malervy, II
James@SuperstarInterviewGuide.com
http://www.instantjobinterviewtools.com/
James Malervy is an expert author and leading influencer on the subject of interviewing. He has worked with such companies as Sprint, Pepsi and the Walt Disney Company and brings his professional experience to job seekers in writing the "Superstar Interview Guide." He provides career advice to hundreds everyday and even provides his services as a Career Coach through the "Superstar Career Coach E-Zine" available through subscription at www.InstantJobInterviewTools.com James is dedicated to helping others in becoming more competitive in the job market, gaining confident in their interviewing skills, and finally getting hired for the job they deserve.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
How to get your resume in front of the right decision makers
How to get your resume in front of the right decision makers?
I remember when I first entered the job pool after college, I applied to several jobs through various job search engines. I realized that I wasn’t having any success with getting job interviews. After many years in the job market and being on the other side of the hiring process, I found out how ways to get your resume in front of the right decision makers.
1) Call the potential employer and find out the name and email address of the hiring manager
2) Conduct a keyword search with Google using the potential employer’s name and the position title, most of the time you should be able to locate information pertaining to the hiring manager.
3) Physically mail your resume and cover letter to the potential employer. It seems everyone opens up mail they receive at the office.
Good Luck!
James Malervy
www.InstantJobInterviewTools.com
I remember when I first entered the job pool after college, I applied to several jobs through various job search engines. I realized that I wasn’t having any success with getting job interviews. After many years in the job market and being on the other side of the hiring process, I found out how ways to get your resume in front of the right decision makers.
1) Call the potential employer and find out the name and email address of the hiring manager
2) Conduct a keyword search with Google using the potential employer’s name and the position title, most of the time you should be able to locate information pertaining to the hiring manager.
3) Physically mail your resume and cover letter to the potential employer. It seems everyone opens up mail they receive at the office.
Good Luck!
James Malervy
www.InstantJobInterviewTools.com
Monday, August 24, 2009
Welcome to Interview Questions, Answers and Career Tips
Welcome to Interview Questions, Answers & Career Tips. My name is James Malervy and I am the author of the Superstar Interview Guide available through www.InstantJobInterviewToosl.com and this is my blog. I will be providing information pertaining to interview questions, interview answers, articles and other career advice. Also, I try to answer all questions submitted. I look forward to hearing from all of you!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
