These job interviewing related tips -- preparing for job interviews, tips for handling tricky interview questions, and more --
have been gathered from numerous sources throughout Quintessential Careers and organized here for your convenience.
Can you list your top five accomplishments, and can you communicate their impact to
your employer's bottom-line initiatives? Top accomplishments that you detail in an interview will enable a
prospective employer to imagine what you can do for he organization. Accomplishments give
employers a way to associate your skills with their needs and a reason to remember you. Be
prepared to list your top skills and show how they can help meet corporate needs, suggests Deb Walker in our article,
Are You Ready for an Unexpected Job Interview?.
If you're in a job interview, and you have a skeleton in your work history, consider this technique:
Don't wait for a major objection to come up in the interview. Instead, go on the offense
and use a sales technique in which you brag about your vulnerability, suggests Joe Turner in our article,
At the Interview, Why Not Brag About Your Vulnerabilities?.
Here a simple example to demonstrate the point: Let's say you're selling a car, but the car
has a dent in the left rear fender. One approach is to show the car and pretend it doesn't
exist, hoping perhaps that the prospective buyer won't notice it. But of course, he or she
does. The buyer brings the dent up as an objection at the end, and you're left to explain it.
You're now on the defensive, and it's hard to regain any high ground. At this point, the only
thing that's on the mind of the buyer is this dent and possibly the fact that you tried to hide it.
End of discussion. No sale. Alternatively, try this approach: The seller greets the prospective
buyer and begins to talk about the wonderful benefits of this car. But then he stops
and says "However, there is one small thing I want to point out right now." He then
leads the buyer over to the left side of the car, points out the dented fender, and says,
"As you can plainly see, there is a dent in this fender." As the buyer looks it over, there is the
human tendency to assess it up front and minimize it. He or she will often say something like
"Yes, but it's not that bad. Tell me about the rest of the car." The seller now resumes showing
the car, and the dent has receded in the buyer's mind as a major objection. Of course, if the
dent were a big problem, the buyer will likely say so at this point. The presentation will be
done and little time was wasted on either side. You can use this same approach in your
upcoming interviews.
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.
There are a few job-seekers who are naturals at job interviews, but for the
rest of us, the more experience we have with interviewing, the better we do,
says the Career Doctor Randall S. Hansen. If you're still in college, you
have a number of resources to help you prepare. Your first action
should be to head directly to the career services office at
your college and request a mock interview. Typically, one of the staff members
will interview in the role of a potential employer and then critique your performance
once the interview portion is over. Find more great resources in this section of
Quintessential Careers: Guide to
Job Interviewing Resources.
Imagine you are Jack Bauer in Fox's popular TV series, 24. In 24 hours, something
momentous will happen. In this case, the anticipated event is not terrorists destroying
the U.S., but your job interview. And instead of 24 hours that unfold chaotically prior
to the event, you know exactly what you'll be doing in each of those hours. This kind
of planning can help you perform at your best at your interview. The scenario in our
article, 24-hour Countdown to the Interview
assumes you can spend a large part of the day before your interview preparing.
If you have other work or family obligations that keep you from following
this preparation plan, do your best with it. You may need to spread the prep
plan over several days rather than implementing it all the day before.
In an interview, can you concisely state your value proposition in 30 seconds or less?
A value proposition is meant to intrigue your listener with a quick overview of your skills,
expertise, and industry know-how. If you can offer a precise summary of why you are the
perfect candidate for that job, you are more likely to get to the second or third interview.
A concise value proposition can make a critical difference in winning you a new position, writes Deb Walker in our article,
Are You Ready for an Unexpected Job Interview?.
See also Your Unique Selling Proposition.
If you lack a college degree and are asked about the deficiency in a
job interview, be prepared with an answer that is honest and positive,
such as: "I have always had a passion for this field, and I
when I had the chance to get started in it after high school, I just felt it was
the right choice for me to follow my passion." If the prospective employer has
a tuition benefit program, you could always add something about always
wanting to start that college education so that you can further your career in the field.
Anticipating and overcoming objections in the job interview is critical to
your success. Read more in this article published on Quintessential Careers:
Closing
the Sale and Overcoming Objections in the Job Interview.
College students can gain job-interview experience at career fairs and
through recruiters visiting campus. Find out when these events are
happening and sign-up for interviews. Often the folks coming back
are alums, and besides giving you an interview,
some of them may give you some feedback on your performance.
Find more great resources in this section of Quintessential Careers: Guide to
Job Interviewing Resources.
Most job-seekers wait to polish up their interview skills until they are looking for a
new position, writes Deb Walker in our article, Are
You Ready for an Unexpected Job Interview?. Important interview opportunities, however, can present themselves
at any time. For example,
Unplanned internal job openings: You encounter a sudden opportunity to
advance your career from within, and your boss recommends you as a candidate for
the job. Are you ready to communicate your contributions to the company?
A recruiter calls: The position sounds like just the career move you've been
wanting. Will you say the right things to win the job, or will you blunder your best chance?
A former colleague introduces you to his boss:The organization is building
an exciting new division and looking for new staff. Can you entice the boss's interest in
you as a must-have new team member?
Most career experts agree that few interviewees prepare adequately for interviews.
In 1995, Barone and Switzer went so far as to note that, while college students spend
in excess of 4,000 hours studying and attending class to prepare for their career, the
average interviewee spends less than an hour preparing for a job interview. These
experts also agree on the reason for the lack of preparation -- job-seekers have
no idea what questions will be asked in interviews, so they assume there is no way to
prepare. Finally, career authors agree that this typical job-seeker rationale for lack of
preparation is faulty because interview questions -- or at least general areas of interview
questions -- actually can be predicted to some degree, and lists of frequently
asked interview questions are available in any number of books, articles, and on
numerous Web sites. [See our Interview
Question Database and lists
of interview questions.]
To prepare for job interviews, read up on job interviewing as much as you can.
Study strategies -- the job interview is like a sales call, where you need to sell the prospective employers
on your skills and fit -- as well as familiarize yourself with typical questions
that are asked at job interviews. Find resources in this section of
Quintessential Careers: Guide to
Job Interviewing Resources.
Do you know how to find out your interviewer's motivations to understand how best to answer his or her questions?
This is a very important question. Without knowing your interviewer's motivations, how will you know if
your answers hit the mark of what he or she is looking for in a perfect candidate? Conduct research
and determine exactly what that employer needs. Once you have those answers in hand, you can target
your interview answers accordingly, writes Deb Walker in our article,
Are You Ready for an Unexpected Job Interview?.
While agreeing that it is impossible to predict exactly what questions a given interviewer
will ask of a job-seeker, interviewing guru Carole Martin nevertheless notes that "the
secret to success in any interview is preparation." Author Tom Washington points
out that since so few job-seekers prepare for interviews, those who do will "gain a
real edge over others through preparation." Learn more in our article,
Promising Interview-Prep
Technique: Composing Written Responses to Interview Questions
You're probably aware of advice suggesting that job-seekers review lists of typical
questions to gain an idea of what types of information the interviewer likely seeks.
Taking this advice a step further, you can use these question lists to organize your
thoughts about high points you want to share with employers and develop a list of
what characteristics might be needed for success in the position for which you are
interviewing. You can also engage in verbal mock or rehearsal interviews.
See our article, Best
Bet for Interview Prep: Rehearsed, Mock, and Videotaped Interviews.
Some writing exercises you can do to prepare for job interviews include:
writing an autobiography, which can reveal areas that you may not wish to
discuss with an interviewer;
practicing describing yourself by citing professional characteristics with
examples from school and work experience;
writing detailed proof statements that are tantamount to 30-second
commercials about yourself;
identifying about 30 accomplishments and writing 100-400 words on the top
12 of these, followed by isolating skills demonstrated by each accomplishment;
composing success stories to prepare for interviews.
To prepare for job interviewing, be sure you have the appropriate wardrobe.
Ideally, you'll have at least two suits for the interviewing process. If the suit is
skirted, be sure to have the length of the skirt a conservative length -- not
nightclub length. Find more great resources in this section of
Quintessential Careers: Guide to
Job Interviewing Resources.
Are you prepared to answer your own toughest interview questions, or do you hope they just won't come up?
Don't leave yourself vulnerable to such questions as: "If you're doing so well in your job, why do you want to
leave?" A good recruiter or hiring manager will see you sweat and stutter and squirm; you'll lose their
confidence and destroy a chance to get your dream job. Think about the questions that will be your biggest
pitfalls and be prepared to answer them, advises Deb Walker in our article,
Are You Ready for an Unexpected Job Interview?.
Composing written responses to job-interview questions is effective in
prerparing candidates for interviews because it helps
candidates learn and remember concepts and content, improve thinking and
cognitive abilities, organize their thoughts, enhance communication skills,
bolster their self-image, and make connections. Demonstrating thoughtfulness
and organized thinking is positively associated with interview performance,
according to a study by Maurer, Solamon, Andrews, and Troxtel. Noting that
cognitive ability in applicants has been shown to be a "strong and consistent
predictor of job performance," and, in fact, to predict job performance more
"accurately and universally" than other constructs (largely because this
ability indicates candidates' ability to rapidly learn job requirements),
Huffcutt, Roth, and McDaniel posit that applicants with higher cognitive
ability may exhibit greater effectiveness than other candidates in responding
to situational and abstract questions. Writing-to-Learn's claims to help its
practitioners organize their thoughts and make connections suggests that
the Writing-to-Learn approach would be one way to sharpen communicative
abilities for interviewing. Learn more in our article,
Promising Interview-Prep
Technique: Composing Written Responses to Interview Questions
Because the job interview is usually your first face-to-face with the employers, first impressions are
especially crucial. Arrive about 15 minutes early so you have time to find the exact office, perhaps with a
stop at a restroom to conduct a final grooming check -- as well as possibly complete some paperwork
before the interview starts. Always be polite to the support staff, as the impression you make with them
will often be factored into the hiring decision. Of course, dressing for success and proper grooming are
essential. Never arrive with any kind of food in your mouth or on your teeth, and try not to smoke right
before the interview. Turn off your cell phone on the way to the interview. In the interview, smiling and
making strong eye contact are important elements to establishing a good impression. Answering interview
questions with ease (showcasing your interview preparation) and asking questions of the interviewer are
vital to making a good impression. A great way to cement a strong first impression is writing a thank-you
note after the interview. Find vast amounts of information, tools, and resources on all aspects of interviewing by going to this
section of Quintessential Careers: Guide to Interviewing Resources and
consider taking the Quintessential Careers First Impressions Quiz.
A good career coach can help you answer all these questions and more, preparing you for the interviews
you plan -- and the interview you didn't expect. With those answers in hand, you can take your
career from mediocre to marvelous with "always-ready" interview skills, writes Deb Walker in our article,
Are You Ready for an Unexpected Job Interview?
Can you list your top five accomplishments, and can you communicate their impact to
your employer's bottom-line initiatives? Top accomplishments that you detail in an interview will enable a
prospective employer to imagine what you can do for he organization. Accomplishments give
employers a way to associate your skills with their needs and a reason to remember you. Be
prepared to list your top skills and show how they can help meet corporate needs, suggests Deb Walker in our article,
