Job Interview Tips

MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION

Appearance is perhaps the most critical element of building a positive first impression. Employers assume that what they see is what they'll get if they hire your candidate, so make sure that what they see is a consummate professional. Understand that dressing professionally is one of the rules of the business game. Don't expect to win the game if you break that rule.

PAY ATTENTION TO DETAILS

Interviewers notice the little things. Sloppy manicures, missing buttons, scuffed shoes, stained lapels or snagged stocking are interpreted as signs that the candidate isn't detail-oriented. So make sure your entire outfit is impeccably clean and neat. For women, makeup is often a downfall. Keep it subtle.

NO COLOGNE OR PERFUME

Nearly all of the interviewers I surveyed mentioned cologne-overkill as one of the biggest gaffes made by both male and female job candidates. In fact, many interviewers rated this as their number-one gripe! It's nearly impossible to tell how strong an odour your own perfume or cologne is emitting. What seems like a pleasant whiff of scent to you may overpower someone else. Don't risk it. Another smell-related note: If you're a smoker, avoid smoking in the hours before your interview. At the very least, don't smoke in your interview outfit. Employers generally regard smoking as an undesirable habit, and cigarette odours cling to clothes for hours.

WATCH YOUR BODY LANGUAGE

As they're forming an impression of you, interviewers also observe your body language for clues about your personality, credibility and confidence. Here's a rundown of the most common body-language signals and what they mean to interviewers.

LOOK THEM IN THE EYE

In North American culture, the ability to look someone in the eye is interpreted as a sign of honesty. For that reason, interviewers react negatively to job candidates who can't maintain a reasonable amount of eye contact.

GREET THE INTERVIEWER WITH A FIRM HANDSHAKE

Again, because of cultural stereotypes, someone who has a firm handshake is regarded as confident and authoritative. Even though a handshake may seem like a small element on which to base a decision about someone's character, interviewers really do read a lot into it.

DON’T FIDGET

Be careful that your body language doesn't convey your nervousness during your interviews. Avoid these mannerisms that interviewers perceive as signs of nervousness:

· Leg Kicking

· Touching your hair repeatedly

· Placing your hand near your mouth or around your face as you talk.

· Clearing your throat continually

· Tapping your fingers or cracking your knuckles

· Playing with your jewelry or frequently adjusting your glasses

· If you are feeling nervous, take a short walk before the interview to burn off that nervous energy

SIT FORWARD IN YOUR CHAIR

Interviewers take note of how candidates sit during the interview. Candidates who slump in their chairs or appear too relaxed are perceived as either unconfident or unmotivated or both. Candidates who sit up straight and lean a bit forward in their chairs are perceived as attentive and interested in the job. But also - don't lean on or throw yourself across the interviewers desk.

RESPECT RULES OF INTERVIEW ETIQUETTE

Just as there are rules of etiquette for social interactions, there are rules of etiquette for the interaction we call the job interview. Although they may seem unimportant to you, these rules are very important to interviewers. Employers assume that if you don't know anything about interview etiquette, you may not understand the rules of everyday-business etiquette, either.

BE ON TIME

One of the basic laws of interview etiquette - and one that's broken with surprisingly regularity - is to arrive on time. Allow plenty of extra time to get to your interview; you never know when a traffic jam or other transportation catastrophe is going to occur. If you run late because of some unavoidable problem, call ahead to let the interviewer know. Apologize profusely and ask whether the interviewer would prefer to reschedule.

REMEMBER THAT YOU’RE THE GUEST

Interview etiquette also says that you are the guest and the interviewer is the host. So don't sit down until the interviewer invites you to do so. Don't plop your briefcase down on the interviewer's desk, and don't start fingering any office knickknacks, even if it's one of those inviting little stress-relief gizmos. If you spy family pictures on the interviewer's desk, resist the urge to comment, even though you might naturally do so if you were visiting that person's home. Raising the issue of families and children is something you want to avoid in an interview.

DON’T CHEW GUM OR EAT

Don't have anything in your mouth during the interview. That includes mints or gum. If the interviewer offers you a cup of coffee or other beverage, say that you will join them if they are having - refrain if they are not.

DON’T DISMISS ANYONE

Be friendly, polite and respectful toward everyone you meet, from the receptionist at the front door to the interviewer's secretary. There's a good chance that all of these people will be asked to offer an opinion about you. So treat every encounter as a "silent interview."

BE ENTHUSIASTIC

Nearly all of the hiring managers who have shared their insights with me said that one of the first things they notice is the amount of enthusiasm a job candidate displays. Many said it was the most important element in whether they left the interview with a positive impression of the candidate.

SELL YOURSELF WITH CONFIDENCE

After you create that first impression, you must reinforce it with a strong sales presentation. You must show the interviewer that you not only can look and act the part, but that you also have the skills and experience to solve the company's problems.

Interview Styles And Trends

Employers say they still have trouble finding "good people." Just what do they mean by "good people?" In general terms, people who stay on the job long enough and are productive enough for the company to realize a profit from its investment in them.

It costs a lot of money to recruit, hire and train new employees today. When a new hire doesn't work out, the employer loses a substantial amount of money. As a result, employers are adopting or experimenting with new approaches to interviewing. It's important that you learn to recognize and adapt to the different interview philosophies in vogue today. You also should realize that despite the different interviewing tactics they may use, all employers are searching for the same qualities in perspective employees.

Although you'll still run into interviewers who rely on from-the-book questions, many employers consider them a waste of time. They say that when they ask those questions, all they get are pre-fabricated responses that don't provide any insights into the candidate's personality or ability.

What are employers asking today? The focus now is on behavioral interviewing.

THE BEHAVIOURAL INTERVIEW

"The behavioral interview is based on the premise that the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. So, when you ask applicants questions, you ask for specific behavioral examples." Instead of asking "What are your biggest weaknesses," for instance, the behavioral interviewer might ask, "Tell me about the biggest mistakes you've made on the job and how you rectify those mistakes."

From the examples provided, employers determine whether a particular problem - or area of success - is a recurrent theme in your work history. Employers look for patterns of behavior and common responses to problems and work situations, realizing that a candidate is not likely to change dramatically when they come to their company.

THE CONVERSATIONAL INTERVIEW

Interviewers today also tend to prefer a more conversational style of interviewing. Instead of a question-and-answer volleyball game, the interview becomes more like a professional discussion, with each side contributing equal amounts.

The reason interviewers like the conversational style of interviewing is the same reason they're turning to behavioural interview questions. It allows them to get more candid information from the applicant. People are simply more likely to be honest and forthcoming during a relaxed discussion than they are during an interrogation.

THE TEAM APPROACH

In an effort to get a better fix on job candidates, many companies ask a number of people to participate in the interview and evaluation process. Depending upon the level of job you're seeking, you may interview with a HR specialist, the hiring manager, the hiring manager's boss and even staff members who would be your peers. In small companies, a candidate may have to sell themselves to the entire staff.

This team approach to interviewing is referred to as consensus interviewing. It means that many different people interview you and then get together to debate whether they like you well enough to hire you. Sometimes, each person on the interview team asks a different slate of questions. Other times, they all ask the same thing. This can happen by design, if the company wants to see whether a candidate will change their answers along the way. Or it can happen by accident, when the interviewing team doesn't work together to plan out any particular interview strategy.

THE COMMITTEE INTERVIEW

You may encounter the particularly stressful scenario known as the committee interview, in which a whole group of people interview you at the same time. Some employers use this approach to see how you perform under stress; others use it simply in the interest of saving time.

THE STRESS INTERVIEW

Some interviewers, evidently assuming that the standard interview situation isn't already difficult enough, use tactics to induce unnatural stress into the meeting. For instance, they may respond to one of your questions or statements with a prolonged silence, or they may make a highly controversial remark and then say, "Don't you agree?"

THE TELEPHONE INTERVIEW

Many employers screen potential job candidates by phone before bringing them in for a face-to-face interview. These telephone-screening interviews are tricky, because you and the interviewer both must work without visual cues.

THE NON-INTERVIEW

Nervous and inexperienced interviewers can be problematic; because they're uncomfortable with the interview process, these interviewers often take the route of least resistance. That is, they don't really interview you at all. They tell you all about the position and the company, but they don't ask any questions about you. Or they get side-tracked on an issue that's more comfortable for them to discuss - a hobby, a favorite sports team, or a day-care dilemma.