Archive for the 'Interviews' Category
These are by far the easiest of interviews I feel simply because you can relax in your office or home. Others don’t find it as comfortable as a face to face interview as you can’t see the body language of those who are doing the interview.
To make the process less confusing try the following tips:
Research
Use your research to your advantage by making notes and pinning them around the room you will be using for the interview. They can be simple dot points highlighting your skills, key words that you want to use or that will trigger more information for your responses.
Speech
Make sure you speak slowly and concisely. Of course don’t go overboard and say one word a second but speak at a normal rate and try not to rush. Don’t use long or complicated words that may not be easy to understand. Also, definitely do not eat or drink while you are on the phone. You would be surprised by the number of people who do this as they think that the person on the other end won’t know.
Clarification
As per a normal interview, if there is something you are unsure of do not hesitate to ask for them to repeat it or rephrase it. You need to know what they are asking and they need to know that you are hearing the question accurately. Another idea is to paraphrase their question just to ensure that you know what they are asking of you.
Smile
This may sound strange but you can hear a smile over the phone. If you are grumpy or in a bad mood this will be picked up by the interviewers, however, if you are smiling you sound cheerful and positive which makes you look good. Furthermore, a smile makes you feel happier and more confident even if you are feeling nervous.
So in short a phone interview is like a normal interview, but over the phone. It can be made easier by having research notes located everywhere. Most companies will fax through a list of questions prior to the interview so you know what they are asking. This will assist in tailoring your responses to their questions. If they don’t offer, don’t be too shy to ask if they will fax through the questions as there is nothing gained if you don’t ask, they might not have thought to offer that service to interviewees. This will show initiative at the very least.
An older colleague of mine recently won a new position at a Federal Agency. That doesn’t sound remarkable except for the fact that she hadn’t been in an interview situation since 1993. There were three of us in our office that went for this job (there were 10 vacancies) and only two of us succeeded.
She had been thinking of changing career/job for over 12 months but wasn’t confident in her abilities to address job specifications, handle interviews and everything else relating to job hunting.
I advised her of the vacancy and what it entailed which piqued her interest. She took her time with answering the job specification ensuring that everything was covered adequately. She researched the Agency and tried to tailor her responses so they were relevant to the position. I looked at her application after she had submitted it and surprisingly it was quite good. Why surprisingly? As she was telling me how she had no idea what she was doing and thought she had completely messed it up.
When she was advised that she had made it through to the next stage she was totally amazed. Personally, I thought her application was a lot better than the one I submitted and yet I was expecting to go through to the next stage.
The day of the group session she was cool, calm and collected, she actually had a gastro virus which I think helped her nerves as she was more worried about not being sick than what they were putting in front of her. She didn’t think she did well in some of the testing but still passed to the next stage – interviews. Interview day she was a bundle of nerves as she hadn’t sat an interview for so long and wasn’t sure of what to expect. She answered the questions to the best of her ability, truthfully and honestly.
Obviously it was good enough as she was offered a position. What assisted her was the fact that she thoroughly researched the position, the agency and was extremely prepared. She wasn’t expecting to win a position and it was more for interview practice and building her confidence.
Sometimes, it is good just to apply for a job just to go through the process and reacquaint yourself with what to expect so you don’t go stale. I’m not saying you have to leave your current position just apply for a position at a higher level to gain experience and knowledge of what to expect if and when you do decide to leave.
Also, don’t think you can’t apply for a job or look at leaving your current job because of your age – just think of the wealth and knowledge that you have gained over the years and how that makes you an asset to a new position. It is also discriminatory to not employ someone because of their age.
The day is finally here. You’ve been filling out applications for weeks. You’ve contacted a couple dozen employers. You finally found the perfect job and they gave you an interview.
The problem: nerves. You don’t want to be a nervous wreck when you enter their office. Good employees are calm, cool, and collected. But how do you keep from being nervous?
Research early
The first thing you can work on is to know the employer well. Most of the time, this will require researching. But if you wait to research until the night before your interview, you’ll be more nervous.
Thus, you should research the employer at least a week before the interview. Gather the important data about their business, the office, the city in which they are located, etc. Try to understand their typical clients or customers. Perhaps most importantly, find out what you can about the person who will be interviewing you. Also, don’t forget to research the position for which you are being considered.
But how do you remember all this info for a whole week? Take notes. If you write the key facts and figures down in a text document or on paper, you’ll have an easy reference. Glance back over this data a couple times before the interview and make sure there’s nothing you need to add. You’re already well on your way to a relaxed interview.
Prepare the day before
On the day right before interview day, make your final preparations. Make sure your clothes are clean, pressed, and ready to go. Ensure that you have maps to get to the interview location. Glance over your fact sheet again to refresh your mind.
If all has gone well, everything will be in order. However, if you need to make a quick trip to the store to get socks that match your suit, you’ve got plenty of time. This is only the day before, so you have a cushion between now and the interview.
Clear the day’s schedule
A big key to having a relaxed interview is being able to focus on it. If you’re worried about making your next appointment on time, you will naturally be stressed.
The best advice for this is to clear your schedule on interview day. At least give yourself an hour or two buffer around the interview slot. This should provide time to get there, do the interview, and then get to your next obligation.
If you cannot help having a tight schedule, inquire with the employer ahead of time approximately how long they desire your presence. Some interviews might last 15 minutes, while others could require the whole afternoon. Know ahead of time, and you can plan accordingly.
Relax in the evening
The evening before the interview is time to just relax. Make yourself a nice cup of tea, have a small glass of wine, or just enjoy a casual dinner with friends or family. Do not do anything too strenuous, and definitely do not stay up late.
Relax, try to take your mind off tomorrow, and know that you’ll do fine.
Websites and blogs can be powerful tools. Just like they can make or break a company, they can help or damage your potential for obtaining a job. Thus, do you include your website or blog on your resume?
It depends - There’s the short answer. Unfortunately, there isn’t a clear answer for this question that applies in every case. Fortunately for you, there are some guidelines, and this article will help shed light on them.
Type of career - First, think about the type of career field in which you are seeking a job. Are websites and blogs in common usage by companies and freelancers? More importantly, does the job require knowledge of websites and blogs?
One easy example where you would list your blog on your resume is if you are applying for an internet-based job. Perhaps you are applying to be a blogger, maybe an internet programmer. Clearly, your personal website could be a great example of your work. On the other hand, if you are applying for an associate position at a law firm, they will likely see your website as irrelevant.
Content - Second, consider the type of content you present on your website. Do you blog about your cat? Does your website focus on the latest gossip around your school? Alternatively, do you write tips or ideas for people to be more productive? Does your website showcase your art projects? If your content focuses on professional (or at least neutral items), lean towards listing your URL on your resume; otherwise, you might want to leave it off.
A great website to list on your resume would be your online artwork portfolio. This is definitely professional content (even if you’re not apply for a strictly art position), and it can highlight your creative side. Quite to the contrary, your blog where you rant about local politics and bash your current employer does not provide important employment content. In fact, you should strongly consider deleting this type of content altogether (see below).
Be professional - Regardless of the content of your site or nature of the career, be sure to maintain a professional website. This should apply even if you don’t list your URL. Especially if you direct employers to your website, make sure there is nothing degrading, inappropriate, etc. Also, make your content as free from typos and errors as possible.
In the end, the decision to list your blog or website on your resume will be up to your professional judgment. Think about these factors, talk to people in your career field, and run the thought by trusted friends and colleagues. Do what you think is best. For a list of great tips on this subject, check out Virginia Tech Career Services.
Many people think that only your interview matters when it comes to getting a job. Nothing could be further from the truth. When you visit a prospective employer, all of your behavior matters from the time you pull into the parking lot until you leave. Here are a few examples to keep in mind the next time you visit an employer’s office.
Other employees
One mistake some interviewees make is to treat other employees of the company disrepectfully. One area where this particularly applies is to assistants and other direct subordinates of your interviewer.
Other employees within the company likely have some sway with your interviewer. Most importantly, they are people, just like you. You should treat everyone with respect and thank them for assistance they might provide. You might just run across an employee who has the power to seal (or kill) your chances of getting of job. Don’t you want to treat him the right way?
As mentioned above, be especially careful with regard to assistants and support staff. These employees don’t always get a lot of respect, but you don’t want to fall into that behavior. The receptionist might just hold the keys to your job.
Continue reading ‘How Not to Act Outside Your Interview’
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