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.

Did you know you should never schedule an interview on a Monday or in the late afternoon?  Find these and other simple tips for increasing your chances of getting hired.  If you’re not getting job offers, it might not be personal!  Find out why in How Make Yourself Three Times More Likely to Get Hired – by Arthur I. Frank

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

How’s your handshake? Your grip might be the first impression you make on an interviewer… and your shoes might be the last. View interview tips from Susan Morem, author of How to Get a Job and Keep It. Interviewing Like a Pro, from The Early Show on CBS.

Many companies conduct a brief phone interview prior to asking you in for a face-to-face. How can you maximize your chances of passing this initial screening? Michael Neece, CEO of Interview Mastery, gives some valuable pointers. Thriving on Phone Interviews

These tips apply to all interviews, but if you are applying to a job in the Green sector they are especially for you!  Green Job Interview Tips

Everyone who reads your resume is asking, “What can you do for me?” Part of writing a resume that gives a potential employer a sense of your talents is identifying your Transferable Skills — the skills you developed in school or on the job that will be useful in your next job. RDG Careers gives some specific ideas of skills you might not have realized you have! Take a look at these videos: Transferable Skills Part 1 and Part 2.

If you need help identifying your Transferable Skills or finding the right language to use on your resume, contact The Essay Expert.

Once your resume gets you in the door, the next step is the interview. How do you handle interview questions like “Tell me about yourself” and “What are your weaknesses?” If these questions sometimes leave you stumped, read Interview Tips:  Answers to the Tough Questions by Christopher McGill.  Stumped by compensation-related questions? Read more of McGill’s Interview Tips.