OBJECTIVES:
1. To recognize the importance of preparing for an interview and to be able to identify and understand the necessary pre-interviewing procedures.
2. To be aware of the appropriate interviewing behaviors and to be able to demonstrate these behaviors effectively.
After coming through all the hurdles of the section process, you will eventually arrive at an interview. This is of course, a major obstacle for many job applications. Although they may have the qualifications, experience and a proven track record, they may lose out to candidate who ‘interviews better’.
So what does ‘interviewing better’ actually mean? It comes down to the candidate being well prepared and confident. A candidate who can answer questions in a way which is acceptable (but not necessarily right) to the interviewer, someone who knows something about their potential employers business and the interviewer, someone who knows something about their potential employers business and the post they hope to fill. These are really the basic components of any candidate who ‘interviews well’. There are undoubtedly other aspects employers may look for in relation to specific posts-having their own ideas, articulate thinking on their feet, aspects which will be related to the job and to the company’s preference in employees.
These two essential ingredients are interlinked. Good preparation instills confidence.
So the basic approach to an interview is to be well prepares. This means two things-preparing yourself for the interview, and gathering knowledge and information you can draw on during the interview.
• Be sure you know the time, date and location of the interview and name of the interview where appropriate.
• Check out how you will get the location, and when you need to set off to be there in good time-do a dummy run if necessary. Plan to get there no earlier than half an hour before the interview time, anticipate delays.
• Have what you are going to wear ready in advance-everything down to your underwear.
• Do not go to the interview laden with baggage-psychological as well as physical.
• Take the bare minimum of belonging necessary.
• Concentrate on the interview at the interview-nothing else.
• If you are asked to bring certificates, references etc, get them ready before.
• Take your interview letter
• On arrival ensure the receptionist knows you are there; visit the toilets to tidy up etc.
• If you are well organized and have planned for the day your confidence will increase.
The interview is a chance for you and the employer before to get to know one another.
The following are the behaviors that you must have.
NONVERBAL BEHAVIOR:
1. Eye Contact- keep eye contact with the user, when possible, throughout the interview. Vary the eye contact so that you do not appear to be staring.
2. Gestures – Match your gestures to what you are saying. Try to keep nervous and distracting habits under control (nail biting, pencil tapping, etc.)
3. Relaxed Posture – Relax physically. Use body movements that show you are interested in what the user is saying and feeling.
4. Facial Expression & Tone of Voice – Reflect the mood of the user in your facial expressions. Your tone of voice and expression should make your connection believable.
VERBAL BEHAVIOR:
1. Use Open-Ended Questions – Encourage user control of the process by asking questions like “Can you tell me more about X?” in the beginning of the interview. Listen to and remember what the client says so that you do not have to keep asking for the same information and so that you can put things together to determine exactly what the patron wants. It is ok to take notes.
2. Premature Diagnosis – Do not make assumptions about the user’s status or problems. Get all the necessary information before sizing the user up-don’t interrupt. Do not cut the client off, change the subject, or interrupt an inappropriate time or in a manner that would be offensive.
3. Reflect by Paraphrasing – Use closed questions as appropriate to one on the exact question. Ensure that you understand what is being asked by paraphrasing it into you own words and asking the user to confirm what is being asked.
4. Follow Up – Ask: “Does this answer your question?” or “Do you think this is the enough material to get you started?” give referrals as appropriate.
INTERVIEW PRESENTATION:
You hear all sorts of rules about job interview success:
• People decide about you in the first 10 seconds
• You have to make a good first impression
• Always ask insightful job interview questions
• Learn as much as you can about the company
• They’ll probably ask interview questions designed to trip you up
• Have some quick answers to interview questions at the ready
Not bad, as far as rules go: some of them make perfect sense. But getting the job you want isn’t about following the rules or giving the ‘right’ interview answer.
It’s about presenting yourself in the most authentic way that takes care of you and the interviewers at the same time.
So many people chuck their chances away; they don’t take enough care and interview preparation time so that the whole process is enjoyable, stimulation and informative for both parties.
YOUR FIRST OPPORTUNITY: GETTING THE INTERVIEW:
If you want the job, chances are so do a million other eager people, so your application has to stand out from the crowd. British CVs are usually dull and boring, and the people create them as historical documents, rather than as marketing tools. You can boost your chances of getting an interview by making you CV look ‘sound’ special.
Use good paper, design a personal logo, fiddle with the layout to make it easy on the eyes. Edit it ruthlessly. People always put in too much detail. Highlight the b its that relate to the job you’re going for. They don’t need to know you went to St. Mary’s School when you were in 12th! Put ‘who are you now’ at the beginning of you CV, and leave education and qualifications for the end.
If you don’t have what you think are the right educational qualifications, don’t worry. Just leave them off. If you include enough interesting and intriguing material about who you are now, what you didn’t do is far less important.
I recommend that a short paragraph at the beginning that says something about your personal qualities and your business skills. A short statement about what you’re seeking can also go down a treat.
As we know, a job for life is so rare now-a-days, those eclectic, unusual and even inconsistent CVs are ok as long as they’re presented well.
Even if you think your current job stinks, look at the good points as though you were looking at it from the outside in. most jobs appear much better from outside than they do from the inside (only you know the real truth); so pump up the goodies and soft-pedal the baddies!
So that worked. You’ve got the Interview; now what?
PREPARING FOR A JOB INTERVIEW:
Here’s the key and the most important thing to remember when preparing for interview.
Before you go through the door, tell yourself that unless they are simply going through the motions because they’ve already appointed someone, they want it to be you.
They want to know their search is over, so for the length of the interview, the job is yours. You need to make the most of it.
Having said that first impressions are incredibly important, be yourself right from the start, turning up the volume on those bits of you that most match the job; turning down the volume on the bits that don’t. However, never ever shut the volume off entirely, as you will then be pretending to be someone you’re not-a sure recipe for disaster.
Not a good idea to lie! You can be judicious with the truth, but lies have a tendency to return and bite you in the bum! Even if they don’t know you’ve lied, you will be giving out signals that are a give-away that something is wrong.
Being put on the spot can feel very uncomfortable, and it’s easy to fall into a defensive posture. If you’re not sure of answering interview questions or feel bored into a corner it’s all right to buy time-including saying ‘I need some time to think about that.’
No matter how nervous you are, you do need to look after the people interviewing you. Show that you know how to communicate and relate to people: ask surprising questions.
Have a stockpile of questions to ask at the interview and anecdotes of past triumphs (and even a few disasters, as long as their funny or humorous side is apparent). This is not just a list of what you can do, but some personal examples that paint the whole picture.
There are no right answers to job interview questioning. In fact a good interviewing
Tell me about yourself? (Professionally)
Review your career, education and other strengths?
What do you know about our organization?
Why are you interested in this position?
What are you most significant career achievements?
Describe a situation in which your work was criticized?
How would you describe your personality?
How do you perform under pressure?
How have you improved yourself over the past year?
What did you like least about your last position?
Why are you laving your present company?
What is your ideal working environment?
How would your coworkers describe you?
What do you think about your boss?
Have you ever fired anyone?
What was the situation and how did you handle it?
Are you creative?
What are your goals in your career?
Where do you see yourself in two years?
Why should e hire you?
What kind of salary are you looking for?
What are other types of jobs you are considering?
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