--Katharine Hansen, Master Resume Writer, Credentialed Career Master,
Certified Electronic Career Coach, and editor at
kathy@quintcareers.com
Feature Article: Best Bets for Interview Prep
Best Bet for Interview Prep: Rehearsed, Mock, and Videotaped Interviews
by Katharine Hansen
Perhaps you're a new entrant into the job market who is lacking experience in job interviewing.
Or perhaps you're a job-market veteran whose resumes and cover letters yield loads of interviews
-- but you never seem to get the job offer. While these two groups may have the greatest need to
polish interview skills, anyone actively interviewing for jobs can benefit from practicing interview skills. A study
by the Society of Human Resources Management proved this point when it revealed that a candidate's
background and qualifications were far less influential in employers' hiring decisions than interview performance
and professionalism.
Practice will help you reduce interview anxiety, improve your interview skills,
and in many cases, gain important feedback about how you interview.
It will also help you sharpen your communication skills -- and poor communication
skills were the No. 1 turn-off for hiring managers, according to another
Society of Human Resource Management survey.
Closing the Sale and Overcoming Objections in the Job Interview
by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., and Katharine Hansen
The best job-hunters understand the power of marketing in the job-search, and comparing
the job interview to a sales call is vital to achieving greater success -- in obtaining the
job offers you seek. But the burden is not all on the job-seeker, because the employer also
sees the job interview as a sales call -- and just as much as you are selling yourself as the product
to be purchased by the employer, the hiring manager is also selling the employer's value to you.
Promising Interview-Prep Technique: Composing Written Responses to Interview Questions
by Katharine Hansen and Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.
Looking for a relatively painless way to prep effectively for a job interview? Try composing written
responses to questions typically asked in job interviews. Based on our research, personal experience,
and anecdotal evidence from the college students we have taught, we are convinced
that preparing written responses to job-interview questions will:
increase the interviewee's level of confidence in responding to questions;
show evidence of preparedness by providing thoughtful, non-rambling responses;
increase the level of relevance by specifically addressing the questions;
provide more detail and thoroughness in responding to questions;
allow the interviewee to focus more on response delivery in the interview setting.
A number of years ago, we discovered that preparing written answers to job-interview
questions helped us perform better in job interviews. That discovery prompted us to assign
our students to compose responses to frequently asked interview questions. Because this
assignment frequently has seemed to enhance performance both in mock interviews and actual
job interviews, we turned to two disparate areas of research to understand why the technique was
effective. We concluded that the phenomenon is closely related to Writing to Learn theory.
A career site created to help college students and recent grads learn about the basics of
proper job-interview attire, as well as other helpful career tips to present yourself in the best possible
light during job interviews. For both men and women.
Contains sections about wardrobe basics, occupational wardrobes, the complete interview
outfit, tips for women, tips for men, "ace the interview" tips, and frequently asked
questions about interview attire.
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Allie writes: "I'm going to be graduating from college soon and keep hearing about the importance
of gaining interviewing skills, but how am I supposed to get the experience without going on
interviews? It's confusing to me, and I'm afraid I am going to miss out on a great opportunity
because of my lack of interviewing practice. Help!"
Jamie writes: "I've read many books on how to overcome objections by stating the positive;
however, I need to know how to overcome my lack of college education without offending
my interviewer. I am positive that he has a college education, and by alluding to something like 'my
7 years of experience in the field is more beneficial than a college education' or 'my priorities
have been focused on my career and family life' could very easily offend someone who has
been to college. Your thoughts?"
Tony writes: "I will be attending a job fair to seek employment opportunities in human resources.
I have a few questions regarding this job fair to ensure I am as successful as possible.
First, I sent an e-mail to the point of contact for the job fair and asked for an advance list of the
employers who will be in attendance. My purpose was to do some research on each employer so I could
be more knowledgeable when I spoke to their representative. However, I was told at the request
of their company sponsors, (as to avoid massive 'pre Job Fair calls' to participating companies)
they were are not at liberty to release that information to me. What should I do?
Second, regarding resumes and cover letters, should I include a cover letter when I provide
copies? If so, how should I address them if I don't have a specific name to address it to. Other
research has told me to never address to 'To Whom It May Concern.' Should I print them on
official 'resume' paper and place in a 'resume' folder to hand out?"
Biocareers --
a South African-based job board for life science professionals, where job-seekers can
search job listings, post a resume, and create a job-search agent. Also includes some
career development resources as well as useful links. No cost to job-seekers.
HealthCareerNet --
an online aggregator of U.S. medical and allied health jobs (including nursing,
pharmacy, physicians, dentists, and allied health), where job-seekers can browse
job listings by profession or by state, or conduct a search of the listings.
No cost to job-seekers.
JobToday.co.th --
a Thai job site where job-seekers can browse or search job listings in Thailand,
post your resume, and sign-up for a job newsletter. Lots of other resources as well.
No cost to job-seekers.
NowHiring.com --
a general job site for all job-seekers, where you can search for job listings
(by keywords, job category, location, and more), post your resume, provide detailed
information through an online interview, and register for a job alert program. Also
includes limited company profiles. No cost to job-seekers.
Find even more career and job site additions to Quintessential Careers by visiting our
Latest Additions section.
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips
Writing a thank-you letter after an interview doesn't just showcase a candidate's manners -- it
can also make or break their chances of landing a job. Nearly 15 percent of 650 hiring managers
say they would not hire someone who failed to send a thank-you letter after the interview.
Thirty-two percent say they would still consider the candidate, but would think less of him or
her, according to a recent CareerBuilder.com survey.
Although most hiring managers expect to receive a thank-you note, format preferences differ.
One in four hiring managers prefer to receive a thank-you note in e-mail form only; 19 percent
want the e-mail followed up with a hard copy; 21 percent want a typed hard copy only,
and 23 percent prefer just a handwritten note.
Schedule interviews at your optimal daily functioning time, advises career expert Ross
Primack of Connecticut Works. "I envy morning people," Primack writes. "They're
energized and on-task the moment they sit down at their desk. However, some of us take
longer to reach our optimal performance level. Our internal computer may not go on-line
until late morning or early afternoon. I ask my clients which category they fall into
and urge them to schedule their interviews accordingly. Some job seekers are under the
false impression that they must accept the first slot offered. It's okay to politely ask for an
early or later appointment. Since the interview is a stressful experience, [job-seekers] have
a better chance to succeed if they conduct their meeting at a time of day when they function at their best.
What information should you ensure you convey to employers in interviews? According to
author Tom Jackson, here are the 10 things employers want to know about you and that you
should be prepared to discuss:
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QuintZine: Topics in Upcoming Issues
WATCH FOR feature articles on these topics in upcoming
issues of QuintZine:
* Roundup of Recent Grade Job-hunting Experiences
* College Grad Hiring from the Recruiter's Perspective
* 6-Figure Jobs
* Deploying Intuition to Find Your Ideal Career
* GLBT Job-search Issues
* The Demand for Good Writing Skills
* Annual College Admissions Panel
* Alternatives to College
* Storytelling that Propels Careers
* Annual Career Doctor Compendium
* The Value of Internships Abroad and Study Abroad
* Top 10 Fears of Job-seekers
* For Job-hunting Success, Develop a Detailed Job-Search Plan
* How to Build a Personal Advisory Board
* Keep Your Career Dreams Alive
* MBA Career Portfolios
* Pre-Hire Background/Credit Checks
* Noncompete Clauses
* Financial Aid/Scholarship Timetable
* Build Confidence and Avoid Insecurity in Job Interviews
* Empty Nest Job-seekers
* Are You Sabotaging Your Job-Search/Career?
* Lifelong Networking
* Networking for the Shy
* Working Night Shifts/Odd Hours
* Quintessential Career Profiles of YOU, our readers
* Q&As with well-known career experts
* Book reviews
. . . and much, much more... including Quintessential Careers' 10th Anniversary!
