Job Interviews

This is obvious stuff, but a surprising number of job candidates don’t adhere to these basics in job interviews and in order to ensure that you are not eliminated from the process,  you need to get the basic things right.

Arrive on Time

It is imperative that you arrive on time – or rather never arrive late.  If an emergency comes up and you cannot get there in time, call the company as soon as possible to make them aware of the situation.  However don’t arrive so early, that you are sitting in the corridor/reception area more than 15 minutes.  Arriving 5 minutes early is more than sufficient, besides, who wants to get more nervous sitting in unfamiliar surroundings. [Read more…] about Getting the Basics Right for Job Interviews

Depending on the interviewer (whether recruiter, head-hunter, large or small employer), different types of interview formats will be used. In this article, I’m going to cover the key types of interview formats.

The Stress Interview

As the name implies, they are used to target how well you perform under stress.  To make them stressful, you could encounter rapid-fire questioning, criticism of your past or current interview performance, an unsmiling and unresponsive interviewer, a direct challenge, or even confrontation – maybe even unclear instructions.  [Read more…] about Are you prepared for the stress interview (and other interview formats)?

A thank-you letter or note after the interview could be the final key that secures you the job.

Most Human Resource Managers, will tell you that only about 25% of candidates send thank-you notes.  Yet a well-written thank-you letter, or note, outlining key skills, always generates more interest.  Plus, if the Human Resource Manager, happen to have a couple of candidates they are interested in, then the candidate that sends the thank-you note, could be the one that tips the balance in their favour. [Read more…] about Land the job with a thank-you note or letter after the job interview

What are the top three tips you would provide your client for handling the telephone interview?  Why?

TIP ONE

Be as prepared as you can for telephone interviews and make sure there are no distractions.

• Have a file of jobs that you have applied for readily available, so that you have a copy of the advertisement that you responded to, plus a copy of the cover letter.
• Try to remove all distracting elements, by going to a room, without television, radio and away from the family (for example, ask your children not to disturb you).  Put the employer on hold, if necessary, while finding a quiet location.

[Read more…] about My top 3 tips for telephone interviews

If you don’t know what an informational interview is, then it is simply a way in which you conduct a very informal interviews with people in the ‘know’, that can help progress your career and future.

Or putting it another way, it is not about asking for a job, it is simply a ‘fact finding mission’ where you find out as much as you can and expand your network. [Read more…] about Fast Track Career Success with Informational Interviews

Most of my clients are not in the least bit concerned about job interviews. While a few clients are nervous or apprehensive, or do understand that they are weak at job interviews; most clients don’t feel like they need to invest in job interview coaching.

Yet, if you talk to recruiters, or those within human resources, most people don’t present that well in interview (including executives). The reality is most candidates don’t specifically focus on the exact needs of the employer, fail to adequately research and prepare (and no, scanning the website of a company is not research), and don’t adequately sell what they offer.

From my perspective, I think the primary reason why most job candidates don’t perform as well as they could, is because they misunderstand the true purpose of a job interview. While there is a mutual understanding that a job interview is about finding the right skills match, most candidates fail to understand that the other primary purpose of the interview is about making the right connection, whether entry level or executive.

[Read more…] about Are you a wiz at job interviews?