The Interview Handbook

Perhaps surprisingly, the second interview is often a very different experience from that of the first. The question you now have to ask is

“How do you achieve success at the second interview and ensure that the desired job becomes yours”?

In my experience it can be a bit daunting, but pat yourself on the back - if you’ve made it this far, you are now being seriously considered for the role and you won’t be in there just making up the numbers!
A well know saying which is worth remembering for a second interview:

Failing to plan is planning to fail.

Your success, to a large degree will be determined by your preparation.

Once you have negotiated the first interview, its now time to achieve success at the second stage to be offered the job. Competition will be HOT! - but the good news is that you’re a definite front runner. What else can you do to tip the scales in your favour?

Preparation – Preparation – Preparation.

The first interview lays the foundations: it involves checking out your academic background, skills base and experience to ensure that they tie in with your CV and match the job specification.

The second interview goes to the next stage and can take on different formats – meeting several staff members (panel interview) or a series of one-to-one interviews. Alternatively, it could take the form of an all-day assessment centre; some have even been known to last even longer.

Whatever the format, the questions asked will probe two particular areas:

• Do you meet the core competencies of the job?
• Is your personal profile the right match for the company?

My number ONE rule - Find out beforehand the format for the second interview, as there are several possibilities. You may be meeting with one person, perhaps your prospective manager, or with several staff members in a panel interview or a series of one to one interviews. Whatever the format, the questions being asked are specifically exploring two particular areas:

Are you competent to do the job? This question focuses on examining your skills and experience, perhaps probing for knowledge learnt during your previous employment experiences.

Are you going to fit in with the company and work well with others? Your personality and the personal impact you make is what will really land you the job; this is far more important than any qualifications or perhaps even your previous experiences. Future potential is often as important. So be yourself and let your personality shine through. Be enthusiastic, positive and honest.

There are many practical aspects to a second interview that you need to pay specific attention to and focusing on the detail could help to put you ahead of the competition:

• Find out the names and titles of the interviewers beforehand.
• Take with you a copy of your CV together with a pen and paper.
• Make sure you pick up business cards of those interviewing you so that you can drop them a thank-you email.

Contact the employer for clarification on expenses (if required) as most employers pay all reasonable expenses incurred on second visits. Keep records and receipts for transportation, lodging and food.

The questions are likely to be more searching and probing so you’ll need to give fuller and more detailed answers to a variety of questions. Remember to be consistent with any answers you gave during the first meeting and please be honest and open. It essential it is the right job for the right reasons.
Another on of my golden rules:

Build on the information you researched first time around about the industry, the company and your potential role.

By looking at industry publications, news articles about recent happenings, the company’s web site and annual report, get to know the business including its missions, goals, business philosophy and management style. Learn your employer’s needs for your potential role so you can relate your skills, interests and experiences in a way that meets those needs.

The opportunity should present itself to let the interviewer know more about you; rather than simply talking about you skills and experience as you did in the first interview, be fresh - think of new examples and information when talking about your achievements. Have confidence, remain calm, be brief, succinct, positive and enthusiastic, know your skills and strengths and express them with confidence.

At some point in time during the interview you will be given the opportunity to ask your deep and searching questions!
This is were all your hard work and preparation will pay off.

Ask good, pertinent and relevant questions, it shows initiative, enthusiasm and that you are interested in the position and company. Here are my favourite questions to start the ball rolling:

• What am I expected to accomplish in my first six months?
• How would you define your company culture?
• How has this vacancy come about?
• Where do the company see themselves in two years and how do you view your competition?
• What support will I receive for my professional development?

Also, have prepared some questions that relate directly to information you were given at the first interview. If you’re able to ask, say, ‘When I met Mr. X last week, he mentioned such-a-such-a project - what would my team’s involvement be in that area?’ It not only shows enthusiasm but also that you’re capable of listening. Be sure also to clarify any of your doubts about the organisation, their training, salary or potential locations.

Remember this is a two way process. They may like you, but what’s your opinion of them? Use this opportunity to meet individuals, view facilities, review company philosophies and ask any additional questions. Do the employees seem happy, bored, overworked? Essentially, do you like them? These are people you will have to spend much of your time with so it is best to find out now.

As mentioned earlier, second interviews can be a daunting experience but with undertaking the correct level of preparation and applying yourself in the right manner, you’re halfway there.

Telephone interviews are quite common in today’s job market. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone! They are offered for a variety of reasons including cost savings, screening of candidates and out-of-town applicants. To successfully navigate the phone interview, it is important to have a solid game plan in place for preparation. Many job hunters still get that adrenalin rush even with the phone interviews. But following the tips and advice in this article will help you master the phone interview and get you to the next step - the face to face interview

1. RESEARCH

Find out as much as you can about the company and the job description. If your telephone interview has been arranged by a third party, you should receive much of this information from them. But in any case, do your own researches - company websites are one of the best sources of information. Find out about the size and structure of the company, its products and its markets.

Try to find out who will be interviewing you. Will there be multiple people on the call? If possible get their names and titles. Become familiar with these before the call and you will have one less thing to worry about during the call. Try and get some background on the interviewer. Any insight you can gain about him/her will allow you to better tailor your responses to make the best possible impression.

2. HAVE A CLEAR MIND.

Make a list of your accomplishments, goals and strengths. On another list write out your weaknesses and what you are doing to overcome them. On a third sheet write down why you are interested in the company. Think carefully about all of these items as they often come up in interviews.

3. TAKE TIME TO PRACTICE.

Never forget that a telephone interview is still an interview. Take time to practice interview questions with friends or family. Ask them to provide honest feedback so you can improve your responses. Mock interview questions can easily be found on the internet or the book store. If you get stuck on a question, sample answers to these questions are often provided as well. Telephone interviews can be tricky because you can’t see facial expressions or body language. So, the best thing to do is to make sure that you are very high energy, upbeat, you use a lot of inflection in voice, and, because that’s all you has to make that great first impression is your voice. So that really needs to sell you in a phone interview and also find out from the employer what again is it that they’re really looking for in terms of this position so that you can maximize the time you have with them on the telephone to really sell yourself to specifically what their objectives are.

4. SOUND CHECK.

During the mock interview, have your friend ask you questions both over the phone and in person. Make sure that he/she listens not only for content, but also tone, rate and clarity of your speech. If possible, record yourself speaking. Are you speaking slowly and

clearly? Can you easily be heard? Is your voice portraying you as a confident and enthusiastic candidate? If not continue to practice until you are comfortable.

5. FIND YOUR LOCATION

Stake out a quite space to occupy during your interview. Ideally, there should be a comfortable place to sit as well as a table to lay out your papers. Try and find a low traffic spot where members of the household are un-likely to disturb you.

6. PREPERATION.

Preparation for a telephone interview is as important as preparation before any other form of interview or meeting. The impression you create in the opening moments, and the manner with which you present yourself will determine whether or not you will be successful.

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Make a note of any questions you would like to ask. Ask about things if they are important to you, especially if your decision whether to proceed depends upon the answers (for example: will I have to relocate? (if that is something you don’t want to do!). Otherwise, ask broad questions such as ‘What training will be given?’, ‘What opportunities are the for advancement?’ Have these questions written down.

Prepare mentally, or better still in writing, a very brief ‘potted history’ to answer the demand ‘Tell me about yourself.’ Managers ask this not because they want the information (they already have your resume!), but because they want to listen to you, to find out how communicative you are, and how you sound.

Example: I left college and decided to get into sales within the Information Technology field, but I needed a job straight away, so I took a temporary job as a clerk in a local solicitor’s office. I hadn’t intended to stay so long, but there weren’t many opportunities in my area for the sort of job I was looking for. After about six months however, I got a chance to join X-Company as a telephone sales person, selling IT supplies, and I’m still there now. I wouldn’t be looking for a new job except that there are no opportunities in my company to progress into field sales. This is why I’m particularly interested in joining your company Mr. Jones.

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7. COLLECT YOUR PEN AND PAPER.

Place a notepad and several pens or pencils on the table. These will be helpful in writing down notes, questions and most importantly your interviewer’s names. Have a copy of your resume and cover letter close at hand. Take out those lists you made while organizing your thoughts. In addition keep any notes related to the company that you feel may be helpful during the call. Spread these items out across your table so they are easy to access. Only keep what is truly necessary. Too much paper can be a distraction

8. ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS

As the appointed hour draws near, make sure that the television and the radio are turned off. Exit your email and turn off your computer screen. If possible, disable your call-waiting. Let your family or roommates know about the timing of the interview so they do not accidentally disturb you. Place a do not disturb sign on your door as a gentle reminder.

9. MANAGING THE TELPHONE INTERVIEW.

Try to reschedule surprise interviews. Say that you have a conflict and suggest a time you can call back. When you call back, be prepared for the call just as you would for a full-dress interview.

Tone of voice. This is the most important aspect of this form of interview. The detail is of very little importance - the manager has your CV, so they know exactly what you’ve done, and in all probability wouldn’t be talking to you if they weren’t essentially interested.

The main rules are:

• Think about how you normally answer the phone at home. When you answer the phone, do so by announcing your name, in an enthusiastic style: ‘John Pickles, Good Morning!’ If this is not your natural style, change it!
• Sound interesting/interested, energetic and enthusiastic
• Be succinct (don’t waffle)
• Ask open-ended questions (beginning with whom, what, when, why, where, how: these all ask for information, and keep the ball in the other person’s court). Be prepared that they will do exactly the same!
• Don’t use jargon
• Don’t swear or use colloquialisms (local phrases: ‘I covered the whole of London on Shanks’ pony’)
• Be polite: speak to Ms (not Miss or Mrs. - even if you know their marital status), or Mr. Jones. If you are invited to use their first name, then use it. Use their title if you know they are for example, a doctor.
• Use the other person’s name regularly throughout the conversation (but not all the time). Also, use the company name a few times.

10. CLOSING THE TELEPHONE INTERVIEW.

Part of the purpose of the telephone interview (from the hiring manager’s perspective) is to find out how keen you are and (especially in the case of sales jobs) whether you have natural closing ability.

As soon as it seems appropriate during the conversation, ask for a date to meet for a face-to-face interview. Say something like ‘Well, this certainly sounds like just the job I’m looking for Mr. Jones. I’m sure I can contribute a lot to your company. I’d really like to visit you to show you what I can do for you. When can you meet me?’

You may have to be content with the response ‘I’ll call you’, but at least you can ask ‘When am I likely to hear from you?’ If the manager hedges, decide upon a reasonable time scale, and suggest ‘Well, I’m very keen to know if I’ve got a chance with you Mr. Brown, so if I haven’t heard from you by next Friday, would you mind if I call you then to find out?’

This approach is particularly important if you are applying to sales jobs, as you are expected to demonstrate your natural salesmanship. But even in the case of other jobs, most people will appreciate your keenness and enthusiasm. If they don’t, and you lose the job on account of being ‘too pushy’ (most unlikely) well, is it the sort of job you wanted anyway?

By following these 10 basic tips, you are making a great impression and on your way to the onsite interview. Remember, the phone interview is very important and you should plan and prepare for it carefully.

I have been laid off twice in the last 2 years and I seen first-hand the emotional and financial stress it can put on a family. I have written this article to help you with this situation. This article will help you be better prepared in case a layoff ever occurs where you work. It is my hope you never need it, but you need to know how. My golden rule is never give up and always remember it’s never personal its unfortunately the world and times we currently live in

Step1

First, you need to understand that there’s usually two areas a layoff will affect you–your finances and your emotions. If it has just happened to you, there needs to be a time where you give yourself some time before making major decisions. - Yes, getting laid off is stressful, but don’t beat yourself up. It happens all the time and is due to circumstances beyond your control. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get moving.

Step2

There are several things you can do to stabilize your finances in case of a layoff. The first is to get out of much debt as possible. How to do that can be a whole other article in itself, but I personally suggest reading books by financial advisor Dave Ramsey. There are other good authors out there as well, but his books are what helped me the most.

Why do I need to reduce my debt? By reducing or eliminating your debt, you reduce the amount of money in the form of payments that is leaving your bank account. In an emergency situation, you can survive on a small amount of money longer without any issues. The next thing to do is “Get Busy” - You need to start your new job search the next day. Start by organizing a work area with a computer notepad and telephone. The sooner you get moving, the better you will feel and the sooner you will be back to work

Step3

To help you in the short term why not utilise your skills. Take a look at your skills and see if there’s something you can do on the side for extra income. The Internet has also opened up a lot of opportunity for normal people to work a day job and then run a business from their home in the evenings. My philosophy is this: In investing, the conventional advice is “never put all your eggs in one basket.” Yet many people are betting their financial futures on only one income source. Even good jobs and good companies have problems, and there’s no reason not to have back-up income if you have the means to create it.

Be careful before investing any money, there are many scams out there promising you a fortune over night with no effort. Any easy way to get around this is to ask yourself this simple question – If it’s too true to be good, then its not true, remember these people are praying on peoples desire to earn money.

If possible, you also need to have a small cushion of money to serve as an emergency fund. Ideally this needs to be 3-6 months of your expenses, but realize this takes time to build. Usually you need to get out of debt first to be able to do this.

Step4

From an emotional standpoint, it often hurts to get laid-off, especially if you were great at your position and liked it. People develop friendships on the job as well, and you miss people. Realize that this is not necessarily something you’ll immediately bounce-back from, but you also don’t need to cling to it either. The best thing you can do is make the best of the situation and try to use it as an opportunity to do something new in your life.

If you’re a spouse or other family member of someone who has been laid-off, be supportive of them and encourage them. Men especially tend to take their self-worth from their jobs, and every working person needs someone to be there for them as they go through the process of getting something new.

For those of you are not sure as to what a behavioral interview entails. Behavioral based interviewing is interviewing based on discovering how the interviewee acted in specific employment-related situations. The logic is that how you behaved in the past will predict how you will behave in the future i.e. past performance predicts future performance.

So what’s difference Between A Traditional Interview vs. Behavioral Interview?

In a traditional interview, you will be asked a series of questions which typically have straight forward answers like "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" or "What major challenges and problems did you face? How did you handle them?" or "Describe a typical work week."

In a behavioral interview, an employer has decided what skills are needed in the person they hire and will ask questions to find out if the candidate has those skills.

Preparation for the Potential Behavioral Interview

What’s the best way to prepare? It’s important to remember that you won’t know what type of interview will take place until you are sitting in the interview room. So, prepare answers to traditional interview questions.

Then, since you don’t know exactly what situations you will be asked about if it’s a behavioral interview, refresh your memory and consider some special situations you have dealt with or projects you have worked on. You may be able to use them to help frame responses. Prepare stories that illustrate times when you have successfully solved problems or performed memorably. The stories will be useful to help you respond meaningfully in a behavioral interview.

Finally, review the job description, if you have it, or the job posting or ad. You may be able to get a sense of what skills and behavioral characteristics the employer is seeking from reading the job description and position requirements. Do You want to be one step a head of your competition? 

Take a look at this really good book it will really help you and give you the confidence to walk into any interview:

"The Ultimate Guide To Job Interview Answers"

Over the years I have read so many books on job interviews all proclaiming to have the final answer; I will let you into a secrete; no one book has all the answers but this my personal recommendation for a number of reasons for recommending "The Ultimate Guide To Job Interview Answers"

The author keeps it very simple, a lot of books use far to much jargon and over complicate the whole process, it’s the old saying KISS – (keep it simple stupid) The guide is only 81 pages long so its not "War and Piece" and what’s more you can actually use it there is some real value to its content.

• It includes over 137 intelligent and effective job interview answers.
• 11 closing "power statements,"
• 43 questions for you to use to uncover the interviewer’s hidden needs.
• 13 desirable behavioral competencies hiring managers look for.

How to create and use your own winning S.T.A.R. statements to "package & spin" your work experience.

How to do a S.W.O.T. analysis, how to show you know how to set S.M.A.R.T. goals, a quick and simple 9-step exercise you can do that will calm your nerves every time, AND a special section on behavioral interviewing and surviving harsh "stress" interviews. 

Remember It’s important to keep in mind that there are no right or wrong answers, its about being yourself and being confident in your own abilities.

The interviewer is simply trying to understand how you behaved in a given situation. How you respond will determine if there is a fit between your skills and the position the company is seeking to fill. So, listen carefully, be clear and detailed when you respond and, most importantly, be honest. If your answers aren’t what the interviewer is looking for, this position may not be the best job for you anyway. Good Luck!

Technorati Tags: Career,careers,resume,resume writing,job interview,employment

Listing your professional experiences on your resume is not easy and you need to follow some basic steps, but it can be done!

Remember a resume is just a simple way of listing achievements and is normally consists of: job titles, time frames, key responsibilities, transferable skills, etc. The difficulty is when you have gaps in your work history. Your potential employer will have no way of knowing why there is a three and a half year gap in your professional experience just by reviewing your resume,

For example. The employer may wonder if you skipped over one of the jobs you held because it didn’t meet your career objective, or they may assume that you didn’t work at all during this period that is unaccounted for on your resume. Remember –

Any gaps in your employment history will need to be explained in writing; don’t fall into the trap of lying or skipping any information on purpose.

So here are a few general rules I suggest you follow:

Any unaccounted time that is shorter than three months doesn’t need to be explained. Having 60-90 days in between jobs is not too unusual, and often goes unnoticed within a resume. However, any gaps extending beyond three months should be addressed in your cover letter or e-mail. Whether you had personal or professional reasons for not working, the gaps in your employment history need to be explained as you don’t want to leave the employer to make their own assumptions.

Be honest! I can’t stress this enough. If you are honest with your potential employer, you will not have to worry about them checking your references, doing a background check, or surprising you with questions in an interview.

Don’t exclude months of your employment from the job listing. You are better off explaining the gaps in your resume than trying to cover them up. Honesty is really the best policy when it comes to your resume. If you have held jobs that are not applicable to your career objective, list them on your resume anyway.

Rather than create gaps in your resume, explain why you held jobs outside of your field in your covering letter or in your email. Again, whether the reasons are personal or professional, explain yourself honestly and don’t leave room for assumptions on the part of your potential employer.

Regardless of the reasons for the gaps in your professional history, it is important that the tone in your covering letter and your resume remains positive. Do not sound apologetic – life happens and you don’t need to be sorry for taking time off work. Be positive, and always show your potential employer that you never lost focus on your career.

While I agree life takes unexpected twists and turns and respect that there will be times when there are gaps in your resume, why not put that time to good use and use your experience in volunteer work, community projects, and consulting or freelance work.

Why not take a class at a community college or at the community centre that will improve your work-related skills and allows you to interact with other people with similar professional backgrounds.

Read about the new developments in your field. Get a subscription to a professional publication/magazine, or get the newly published books that discuss changes or improvements in your profession.

Most of all, be honest and stay positive. You can’t change your work history, so do your best to show your employer you are a perfect candidate for the job by focusing on your experience and your education, highlighting your achievements and your qualifications.

Technorati Tags: Interview Skills,Job Interview Skills,Interview Questions and Answers

When writing a resume or attending an interview remember you are selling yourself, think about what you have to offer the employer and why you are the best person for the job, what can you do to make yourself stand out and make sure the employer remembers you. Successful resumes and interviews are all about matching what you have to offer, your particular skills and achievements with what the company is looking for.

Before the interview takes place concentrate on your five best skills and how you can put them across to the interviewer in a way that will make you stand out from the crowd. Your objective is to match your best skills with the job on offer and get these points across, so when you leave the interview you will not be forgotten easily.

Think of ways that you can get your achievements across, for instance if you are having an interview for a position that requires great communicational skills and the interviewer starts off by saying “tell me a little about yourself”, now is the time to make a start on getting your point across and selling yourself of how well you communicate to other people. Why not start by saying “one of my key skills is in being able to communicate effectively” and continue with examples of skills in your previous jobs.

Later in the interview you could bring communication skills up again in a different way, say for example as a story you tell.
When asked “what makes you the best person for the job” again reiterate how good your communication skills are and how you could be a positive part of the working team. By repeating your best skills over and over you are far more likely to remain on the interviewers mind than by just mentioning them once or twice during the interview.

What are your strong points?

You not only have to identify your strongest points or skills but also make sure they relate to what the job has to offer, make sure you read through the job description several times and know what particular skills the company is looking for.

For example if the job description includes report writing with the sales department think about what is needed to accomplish this and what kind of person the company are looking for.

This particular example would require excellent writing and interpersonal skills, if you are particularly skilled in these areas then make sure you keep letting the interviewer know this.

Remember the point of the interview is to sell yourself as the best candidate for the position; by focusing on just a handful of skills and pointing these out, you will more than likely leave a good impression on the interviewer that won’t quickly be forgotten.

Making phone calls is the quickest way of getting an interview, but there are a few rules you need to be aware of. The most obvious one is nerves, you have to be relaxed before you make the call, and you must have an idea as to what you are going to say, remember you must sound professional and clam.

The key question is: Who should I call?

Your objective as with the letter and resume is to get an interview with the person who has the authority to recruit. So do your research.

Tip: Ring the company up before hand ask the receptionist for the name of the individual who looks after recruitment, make sure you tell them what you are skilled in, like sales, sales and marketing or administration, you are looking for the right manager. The most embarrassing thing you could do is pluck up the courage to make the call and end up speaking to the wrong person!!

First question: What do I say?

You should always start by stating the reason for the call; and then be prepared to justify your claims but don’t do so until pressed to. The reason this is so important is that if you start to justify without being pressed by the other party, assumption becomes explanation. The attitude in your voice should be such that the person should just agree to interview.

Tip: Try and work on your voice before you make the call. Tape your own voice, listen to it, does it have a pitch and tone? If not practice, remember a voice should go up and down both in tone and volume. Smile!!!!

When you smile on a call it completely changes the way you come across to the caller - try it with a friend. Also sit up straight, find a comfortable chair with a straight back, by sitting straight this will help you in your breathing.

Try and remember these simple mistakes to avoid

· Hesitation when speaking, this shows weakness.

· Lack of fluency due to nerves or poor research of the company.

· Talking to fast

· Not listening to what is been said

For those of you who don’t know what words to use when making this call, here are few scripts that will help you get started.

1.  Hello Mr. Smith, my name is Bill Harris.  I have been interested in Component Company because what I have been reading in the newspaper.  I think I have some relevant skills and ideas which may help Component Company with these issues.  Do you have 15 or 30 minutes in your diary in the next week or so?

2.  Hello Mr. Smith, my name is Bill Harris.  I see Component Company is looking for Sales Representatives.  I wanted to call you direct, right away, I understand your business and I think I can offer more than the typical candidate.  I wanted to be the first to ask to get on your interview schedule.

3.  Hello Mr. Smith, my name is Bill Harris. I am about to put my resume in the post to you, with a covering letter explaining how my experience fits exactly with what you need for the Sales position.  If you were to describe the ideal candidate for this role, how would you do that?  Do you mind if I stop by this week?—I’d really like to hear what you need this person to do for your company, extra things that perhaps are not in the job description.

4.  Hello Mr. Smith, my name is Bill Harris. I saw your advertisement in the local paper and I wanted to call right away to let you know I have those exact qualities and qualifications.  My resume and cover letter can’t show you how excited I am about Component Company—I hope I can visit with you in the next few days.

Admittedly, there are dozens of telephone openings you can use.  My intent here was actually NOT to give you one that you could realistically use.  My intent was to show you how important it is for you to write down the exact words you are going to use when making this phone call.   Words are important.  I thought this article my help you as well.

Using the telephone to get a job

Technorati Tags: Body Language,meaning of body language,body Language in,the body language,a body language

Here’s a fact which should be burnt into your memory: In face to face communication your words account for as little as 7% of the perceived impact of your message. Your voice tone is about 38%, but your body language represents about 55% -

WOW!! 55%. It’s amazing what you can revel without saying a word, so how can improve my job prospects by giving out the right signals and understand other peoples signals?

It’s such a massive topic and it would take hours to talk about it, so I just picked a couple of areas which are quite simple to use and to put into practice.

Body language is fascinating and intriguing and you underestimate its power and influence at your peril. One gesture can be interpreted in several ways; for example crossing your arms could mean that you feel anxious or angry – or simply it means that you are cold and you are folding your arms to keep warm. How about nose-touching, it could mean that you are covering your mouth to conceal a lie, or you may simply have an itchy.

Let’s look at how body language works within the work place. I have met so many people who have real talent, work hard and are conscientious but never receive the rewards their hard word deserves. Why? - They lack charisma, but with the right body language you can have real charisma.

For example when entering a room, remember these simple tips:

• Walk in talk, don’t slouch.

• Look relaxed, smile, don’t over do it; you’re not on a tooth paste ad!

• Walk with confidence

• Greet everyone you pass

• Use eye contact at all times

• Use friendly signals, touch, eye contact and mirrored gestures

The good news is that we all have the power to change our body language it does take a certain amount of work and effort. Have a go it could make all the difference.

Technorati Tags: The Interview,How To Plan A journey to an interview,How to Fail An Interview,Interview Questions

A little forward-planning is essential if you’re going to arrive fresh, with a clear mind and ready to impress interviewers. Follow my simple tips on how to plan ahead for a stress-free journey.

You’ve got an interview. You feel prepared, confident and even a little lucky. Then before your very eyes it all turns to dust: your alarm fails to go off, and you wake up 15 minutes before your train is due to leave. You arrive at the station out of breath, sweating; totally stressed out! only to discover the train’s been cancelled.

Is this your worst nightmare? Think it’ll never happen to you? If events are ever going to conspire against you, they’re guaranteed to pick the day of your interview. Being late is the number one sin; let me tell you here and now, you can never recover from this, remember first impressions count, even if it’s due to circumstances beyond your control, there are no excuses.

A little preparation and forward planning will go along way in helping you to have a stress-free journey to your interview:

Here are a few simple tips to follow, remember the simple things are things that people forget to do!

1. A few days before your interview, work out how to get there.

2. Plan your route and find out how long the journey will take. If you’re taking public transport, you might want to buy tickets so you won’t have to queue on the day.

3. Aim to arrive about 15 minutes early, and leave extra time in case things go wrong. Waiting may not ease your nerves, but watching the minutes tick past as you’re stuck in traffic is far worse. And if you’re early, employers will notice that you’re well prepared and have met the ‘deadline’ of your interview with time to spare.

4. Check the news and traffic reports to find out if there are traffic jams, accidents or major delays on the trains.

5. If you want to smell as fresh as you look on arrival, don’t smoke in your car.

6. If it comes to the worst and there’s just no way you’re going to be on time, do some damage limitation.

7. Call the organisation and explain what’s happened. Traffic jams delay everyone, so they should be sympathetic. It may be possible to postpone the interview by an hour or so, or to reschedule for another day if things are really bad. Never rely on this.

So remember the planning is in the detail!  

What a great question, so why do so many people fail to take the bull by the horns and follow up on their interview? Its so important to show that you have a real interest in the company, there are a few rules you need to follow, its not difficult so here we go.

You are quite happy with yourself because that last interview went really well. You feel that your chances of getting the job are pretty good but you hate the part where you have to sit back and wait for the employer to call you back. Well, guess what? You’re not supposed to just sit back and wait. An interview is never finished when you shake hands and leave the room; you have to follow up on it.

Following up after an interview can give you a winning edge over the other candidates. The manner in which you follow up is also important because it can win you or cost you the job. The best way to illustrate this is with an example.

Elizabeth had been hoping to hire a market researcher to fill a position that had been vacant for several weeks. Henry, Melissa, and Barbara were equally qualified and she was having a hard time deciding which one to hire. When she listened to her voice mail on morning after the interview, Melissa had left her a message thanking her for the interview. She made a mental note of the fact that this candidate had shown a serious interest in the job by following up. That same afternoon, when she checked her mail, she found a letter from Barbara. She was impressed by the care and effort that had gone into writing the letter. Barbara had not only thanked Elizabeth for the interview, but she had addressed some of the organizational issues that had been discussed during the interview as well. Barbara was offered the job the very next day.

Now that you know how important following up after an interview is, here are some pointers to help you get it just right.

Get the time frame right

Towards the end of your interview, always remember to ask the potential employer how long it would be until a hiring decision is made. If you get a good idea of when the company will be hiring, you will know how quickly you need to follow up. If you know the company will make their decision in 5 days, then you need to send out the follow-up letter right away.

The Letter

A follow-up thank you letter is an excellent way to get your interviewer to remember you. The letter should re-emphasize why you are a suitable candidate and discuss any additional information about your qualifications that you didn’t have a chance to mention during the interview. Whether you use email, snail mail, or fax depends on the type of company you’re interviewing with. If it’s a high-tech, trendy one, you might want to go with email. A posted letter may be more appropriate if it’s a conservative company. In any case, check that you have the correct information with regards to the interviewer’s name, position, and address. Asking for a business card after the interview is a good way of making sure that you do.

The Phone Call

If the hiring time frame has passed and the company still hasn’t called you, you can call them. During the phone call, let the company know that you are still interested in the position. Be gracious at all times and don’t be too pushy. You don’t want to give them the impression that you are desperate.

If you keep these pointers in mind when you follow up on an interview, you will be well on your way to making sure that the person who interviewed you keeps you in mind for the job. At the same time, you will also be strengthening your candidature.