Are you getting plenty of interviews but no job offers? If so, you have some work do to on your interview skills. One part of doing well in an interview is preparing for it! The Jobs Guy offers some extremely useful steps to take before going on any job interview. Do these things and you’ll have a lot of material you can use to succeed in an interview! Interviews Are Precious… Are You Preparing Enough to Get the Job?
A cartoon image that had me laughing out loud was an “IKEA Job Interview.” The interviewer sits behind a desk in a sparsely furnished room and points to a bunch of pieces of a disassembled chair, which lie neatly on the floor. “Please have a seat,” says the interviewer.
While this image is hilarious, if the job interview were for a mechanic or an assembler of chairs at IKEA, the scene would not be so farfetched. And in fact, it is not unusual for an interviewer to test an interviewee with a task to perform on the spot. A good interviewer might test your practical skills in an interview, or your ability to respond to criticism, by asking you to perform a task or adjust your demeanor mid-interview.
I once interviewed a young man for a social worker position at the non-profit where I worked in Brooklyn, NY. There were two of us interviewing him, and I really liked him. He answered questions well and I was considering hiring him. My frustration was that he never made eye contact with me. It seemed as if he were gazing off into space and not fully connecting with me. And I knew there was no way I would actually hire him if he couldn’t make eye contact.
I did something perhaps unconventional. I stopped the interview, told him what I was experiencing, and asked him why he wasn’t making eye contact. He gave a reasonable response that he was struggling with having two interviewers and didn’t want either of us to get all his focus. From that moment in the interview, he made full eye contact with either me or my associate.
I hired him.
Why? Because I knew beyond doubt from that interview that this man took criticism and coaching well, and could implement a suggestion quickly and effectively. He also had all the other qualifications we were looking for.
He is still working at the organization today, and is appreciated for his work ethic and great attitude, as well as for the results he produces.
So this IKEA cartoon, while humorous, might not be that far off the mark for something you might be called upon to perform on the spot in a job interview. Luckily, all the tools you need are already in your possession. You just need to be good at following directions.
Who else would you want to take advice from but a hiring manager? US News & World Report offers 21 tips straight from the people who judge your job applications. I wouldn’t argue with their advice if I were you! 12 Things Hiring Managers Wish You Knew – from Yahoo Finance and US News & World Report.
This article posted on New Grad Life gives you some indicators that tell you your job interview went well — from a solid commitment of a next contact date to the topics you cover in the interview. What steps will you take that will lead to these fantastic results? 6 Signs Your Job Interview Went Well
MSN Careers tells you why some of your preconceived notions of what to do — and not do — in your job search might just be unfounded rumors. 7 Job Search Myths Debunked – by Julie Jansen
I just had to include this article, which I’ve been saving for the right moment since December. If you’re offended at the first tip, which boils down to “carry a memorable handbag,” perhaps you can convert the offense to amusement and make it to some of the more substantive and quite useful advice that comes later in the article. I like the light tone of the article which I hope will take some of the dread out of the interview process! And hey, if a handbag really can make the difference, perhaps it’s worth the investment. Ace Your Job Interview from Women’s Health Magazine.
Continuing with the interview tips theme of the week, here’s some great advice on how to prepare for the broadest question you could possibly receive in an interview: “So… tell me a little about yourself.” Do you get stumped by this one every time? If so, or if you want to know whether your answer is structured well, read this article. The Killer Question
ILostMyJob.com provides some excellent interview tips on how to handle and positively spin a previous termination. I recommend hitting the STOP button on the video that comes up immediately here, and going straight to the written article. Addressing Previous Termination
Need interview coaching? Contact The Essay Expert.
This week I’m focusing on many aspects of the interview process. The phone interview is your first opportunity to highlight your interviewing skills, and it’s worth taking it very seriously. These tips from New Grad Life will point you in the right direction. 7 Phone Interview Tips That’ll Make You Shine
[Note: This article was first published on MyLegal.com]
On December 22, 2008, U.S. News & World Report published an article by Alison Green entitled “9 Ways to Ruin a Job Interview.” Ms. Green highlighted 9 interview faux pas, including answering your cell phone during the interview and badmouthing an old boss.
Since one of my areas of expertise is legal interviews, I thought it would be useful to provide 9 ways to ruin a legal job interview:
