Tag Archives: interview

How To Create An Interview Preparation List

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Create An Interview Preparation List – AdvancingWomen.com Careers-Employment.

Here’s a quick way to compare your own job experience and qualifications with those that your prospective employer is looking for in a specific job position. Make an “Interview Preparation List”. When you prepare for a job interview, it’s good to have a quick reference of your past work experience that you can study ahead of time to help prepare you for the specific job you’re interviewing for.

Grab a sheet of paper and make three columns.

Column A will be “Position Requirements”;

Column B will be “Your Qualifications and Experience”; and

Column C will list “Your Stories”. For this exercise, you’ll be using the actual job description from the employer.

So, in Column A (Position Requirements) you’ll take one piece of the job description and write for example: “Ability to work well with others.” Ok. Now you’ll have to think about your own experiences while working well with others. What specific examples do you have that demonstrates this ability?

Great. You’ve thought of something. In this example, we’ll write under Column B (Your Qualifications and Experience) “Worked on the XYZ project team.”

Now you need to break it down even further and list a specific action-oriented example of “working well with others” on the XYZ project team.

In Column C (Your Stories) you write something like this: “Coordinated winning marketing campaign which resulted in a successful launch of new product.” See how successful that makes you look?

(And don’t forget personal branding: be sure to include those signature elements of your style, your talents and achievements which differentiate you from the crowd and make you stand out.)

Keep going until you’ve listed something for every part of the job description. Now, you’re ready for your close-up.

Author, Donna Monday of Get A Job Interview- Quick Tips

What Is Your Greatest Weakness? Interview Blindsider

What Is Your Greatest Weakness? Find A Career - AdvancingWomen.com

The fastest way to make a good interview go bad is to avoid questions posed by the hiring manager. The one question candidates love to avoid is, “What is your greatest weakness?” Most candidates are quick to respond with superficial answers such as “I’m a workaholic” or “I’m a perfectionist.” Not only are those responses boring, but they are also predictable answers interviewers are used to hearing. So much so that an interviewer’s comeback line often is, “That doesn’t sound like a weakness. Now why don’t you tell me about a real weakness?”

Ouch. What an uncomfortable position to be in-when a decision maker challenges you during an interview. Just like you, the interviewer wants the process to go as seamlessly as possible, and they quickly become resentful when they are placed in a confrontational position.

When answering questions surrounding your greatest weakness, my advice is to tell the truth-to a point. Though I don’t advocate providing a play-by-play of every area that may need improvement, it isn’t a good idea not to cop to a weakness either. A happy medium does exist, and it lies in focusing your response on an area that doesn’t have a major impact on your ability to do the job. This should be an area that you are on your way to improving. Note, not an area you’ve already improved, but one that is well on its way.

Interviewers recognize that jobseekers aren’t forthcoming when answering the “greatest weakness” question. As a result, there is a new trend in hiring circles of interviewers cleverly disguising the question and using a variation of the theme. In doing so, interviewers are successfully stumping candidates, and are receiving responses that uncover the not-so-pleasant side of candidates.

Cleverly Designed “Greatest Weakness” Questions

* We all have aspects of our job we prefer not to do. What aspect of your day-to-day responsibilities do you dislike?

In hopes of making you feel comfortable, interviewers may ask questions that start with “we.” The psychology behind this is to make you feel as though you are with a friend, which can cause you to let your guard down.

* Think back to your last review. What suggestions did your supervisor have for improvement?

The chances are extremely high that your supervisor offered suggestions for improvement. Interviewers are aware of this and anticipate that you will disclose the details of your most recent evaluation.

* Describe a project you worked on that didn’t turn out as well as you expected.

Interviewers find that job seekers reveal more when they are asked to tell a story. The assumption is made that the more you talk, the more likely you’ll disclose your weaknesses.

* In what area of your work do you think you can be more effective?

This question is very similar to “greatest weakness” question. However, interviewers believe the way the question is phrased will make you feel less threatened, and therefore more likely to answer freely.

Bottom line: whether or not you want to divulge sensitive information during an interview, an interviewer is going to try his or her darnedest to dig for skeletons in your closet. Interviewers want to uncover any reasons why they shouldn’t hire you, and they hope those reasons will come straight from you. So be prepared.

About The Author: career expert, Linda Matias is President of CareerStrides and the National Resume Writers’ Association. Visit her website at http://www.careerstrides.com or email her at linda@careerstrides.com.

Can You Tell Me Something About Yourself? Don ‘t Let That Question Stop You Cold

Can You Tell Me Something About Yourself? – Careers-Employment- AdvancingWomen.com

“Tell me about yourself” is a question, usually posed at some point in an interview , which can send cold shivers up and down your spine, if you’re not prepared to give the right answer. In a nutshell, the right answer should be succinct, differentiate you from the swarm of other candidates, and highlight your value to the company for whom you are interviewing.

Purpose of the Question:

There is a purpose to asking each and every question in the interview. Although the set of interview questions varies from industry to industry and position to position, interviewers use the interview process as a vehicle to eliminate your candidacy. Every question they ask is used to differentiate your skills, experience, and personality with that of other candidates. They want to determine if what you have to offer will mesh with the organization’s mission and goals.

Your Elevator Pitch

Before arriving at any interview, you should have prepared and internalized what many of us call “an elevator pitch”. This is a description of yourself, your unique competitive advantage and your value to a company which is short enough to be delivered to someone whom you or one of your advocates…..your spouse or colleague, perhaps.. run into and have the opportunity to pitch on the elevator, somewhere between the 10th and the 3rd floor. Three to five sentences would make a good elevator pitch, so they’d better be good ones, whetting the appetite for more.

Defining Your Competitive Advantage or Unique Selling Point

Long, long before this, you should have spent some serious time figuring out what is unique about yourself…. your unique selling point… what makes you different from others… and you’d better have one. Not only that, you’d better be able to quantify it. ( If you’re a little foggy on this, or are afraid you’ll melt into the crowd, instead of standing out, it might be a good investment for you to develop a career portfolio that demonstrates the positive results of your career in a graphic manner which you can then share with others like the person who is interviewing you.)

Avoid This Type of Answer

Try to avoid a too general answer and one that focuses on what you are looking for. For example: “I am a hard-worker who is good with numbers. After I worked as a financial analyst for a few years, I decided to go to law school. I just finished and now am looking for a new challenge.” Trust me, they don’t care what kind of challenge you’re looking for: they want to know “what’s in it for them”, so……

Instead, be specific and quantify, something like this:” I began developing skills relevant to financial planning when I worked as a financial analyst for three years. In that role, I succeeded in multiplying the wealth of my clients by carefully analyzing the market for trends. The return on the portfolios I managed was generally 2% more than most of the portfolios managed by my company. After two promotions, as the manager of a team, I successfully led them to develop a more efficient and profitable strategy for dealing with new accounts”.( Give the numbers; better yet, show them in a graph.) “My subsequent training in the law, including tax law and estate law, gives me an informed view of what types of investments and charitable gifts would be most advantageous for your clients.” ( If you have a a career portfolio that demonstrates graphically the success you’ve had, now is the time to whip out your Blackberry or iPhone and share it with them.)

Preparing for the Answer:

Follow the steps outlined below to ensure your response will grab the interviewer’s attention.

1. Provide a brief introduction. Introduce attributes that are key to the open position.

2. Provide a career summary of your most recent work history. Your career summary is the “meat” of your response, so it must support your job objective and it must be compelling. Keep your response limited to your current experience. Don’t go back more than 10 years.

3. Tie your response to the needs of the hiring organization. Don’t assume that the interviewer will be able to connect all the dots. It is your job as the interviewee to make sure the interviewer understands how your experiences are transferable to the position they are seeking to fill.

4. Ask an insightful question. By asking a question you gain control of the interview. Don’t ask a question for the sake of asking. Be sure that the question will engage the interviewer in a conversation. Doing so will alleviate the stress you may feel to perform.

There you have it – a response that meets the needs of the interviewer AND supports your agenda.

When broken down into manageable pieces, the question, “So, tell me about yourself?” isn’t overwhelming. In fact, answering the question effectively gives you the opportunity to talk about your strengths, achievements, and qualifications for the position. So take this golden opportunity and run with it!

( If you think you may need some help clarifying and preparing any of your answers, go to Advancing Women Portfolios, email advancingwomen@gmail.com or call toll free: (888) 565-4627. We would love to hear from you and we will be happy to help.)

To read the whole post, go to Can You Tell Me Something About Yourself! – Careers-Employment- AdvancingWomen.com

Pitch Anywhere with a Cell Phone Portfolio [Career]

How To Ace An Interview Guide In A Nutshell

Interview Guide – AdvancingWomen.com

The interviewer hopes that YOU are the right person for the job. They are under pressure to fill the position so that they can get back to their own work. Therefore you are in a greater position of strength than you think. Concentrate on what you have to offer in the way of qualifications and experience instead of feeling intimidated.

An interviewer has 3 aims:

1) To learn if you are the right person for the job
2) To assess your potential for promotion
3) To decide whether you will fit into the company environment

The key to a successful interview is in preparation

Be prepared: For the types of questions you will be asked
Be prepared: To ask questions yourself
Be prepared: To research the company
Be prepared: To look the part
Be prepared: To turn up on time

Questions you may be asked
Example question: How would you describe yourself?
Your answer: Should describe attributes that will enhance your suitability for the position. Have some ready in advance.
Example question: What are your long-term goals?
Your answer: Should be career orientated. Make sure you have goals to discuss.
Example question: Why did you leave your last job?
Your answer: Could be more responsibility; better opportunity; increased income. Do not be detrimental to your previous employer. He could be the interviewer’s golfing partner.
Example question: Why do you want this job?
Your answer: Your answer should be: more responsibility or better opportunity or similar. Not: because it is closer to home or the gym.
Example question: What are your strengths?
Your answer: Should highlight accomplishments and experiences that relate to the position for which you are applying. Also give examples of situations where your strengths have been demonstrated.
Example question: What are your weaknesses?
Your answer: Should not be a list of deficiencies. Don’t mention anything that could make the interviewer question your ability to do the job, for example “I am always late for everything.” Instead, discuss a weakness that could also be a strength such as “I am a workaholic!”

More Examples of Interview Questions
Tell me a little bit about yourself.
Describe your current / most recent position.
What made you want to make this change?
What do you most enjoy doing in your current /most recent position?
Describe your future ambitions.
How would you describe yourself?

Questions for you to ask
Asking questions at interview has a number of positive effects:
It helps you find out more about the company and the position.
It can be used to divert the interviewer away from a subject you may wish to avoid.
It can help build a rapport with the interviewer.
It demonstrates an interest in the job and the company.
The questions must be about the position and the company.
Avoid questions about salary, benefits and facilities until after you have been offered the job. You should already have researched the company and it’s products and services. Your questions should demonstrate knowledge of the company’s history, successes and problems. If the interviewer is a representative of the personnel

department the questions should relate to the company and be general. Specific questions relating to the position should be kept for the line manager who will have a more detailed knowledge.

Example questions relating to the position
What are the main responsibilities of the job?
What are the most difficult aspects of the job?
How did the vacancy arise?
What is the career path relating to this position?
How will my work be assessed?

Example questions relating to the company
What is the company hoping to achieve in the next 12 months?
What new products are the company planning to introduce in the future?
Are any major changes planned for the department/company?
Who are your biggest competitors?

Where to find company information
Information relating to companies, financial data, industries and business trends is available in business magazines which often publish on the World Wide Web and allow you to order
Annual Reports relating to specific companies.
Companies often have their own web site.
Newspapers – search on-line press reports including archived articles.
Local library

Presentation Tips
Obviously you should be clean and smart in appearance but you should also dress appropriately for the position, for example: a student placement that is more expensively dressed than the Managing Director may have a negative impact.
Clothes should be on the conservative side, which is more acceptable to people of all ages, cultures and backgrounds. After all, you are asking to be accepted into the company. Therefore always avoid extremes in hair, clothes, make-up and jewellery. Taking trouble over your appearance shows the employer that the job is important to you.

Travel tips
Arrive 15 minutes early.
Make sure you have the correct address and know how you will get there:
Parking? Public transport access?
Do a dummy run if you are not sure.
Make sure you have a mobile phone and a telephone number so that you can ring ahead if circumstances beyond your control are making you late.
Be polite to everyone you speak to, it could be the Managing Director’s cousin!
Have a copy of your CV with you.

Summary
You should show interest in all aspects of the job and the company especially if shown around the premises.
Do your homework on the company and the nature of its business. Take care in how you dress for the interview. First impressions still count!

Some of the main influences on the interviewer are:
Your experience in other employment or life situations Your personal presentation.
How your personality comes across in the interview
Your background and references
Your enthusiasm for both the job and the organisation.
Relevant qualifications for the position.

Do you have any interview tips or horror stories? They all help… some to serve as great examples, some to point out mistakes some of us have made so, hopefully, we don’t make them again. Please do share your stories with us.

Strategies For Self Introduction in an Interview

Strategies For Self Introduction in an Interview.

This is what many of us call “an elevator pitch” : a description of your concept or company which is short enough to be delivered to someone whom you or one of your advocates…..your spouse or colleague, perhaps.. run into and have the opportunity to pitch on the elevator, somewhere between the 10th and the 3rd floor. Three to five sentences would make a good elevator pitch, so they’d better be good ones, whetting the appetite for more.

This author also mentions figuring out what is unique about yourself…. your unique selling point… what makes you different from others… and you’d better have one.

Try to connect, of course, just like you are meeting someone you’d like to know better at a social occasion.

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