Career Flux - Interview

Common Interview Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

By Dane Cross Leave a Comment

Avoid common interview mistakes and land a job successfully.

The three most important questions for an interviewer are almost always:

“Can you do this job?”

“Do you want this job?” and

“Will you fit in with the rest of the staff?”

You can avoid inadvertently answering these questions with a “No” by avoiding some easy mistakes:

Failure to Demonstrate an Understanding

It may seem obvious, but make sure you are thoroughly prepared for the interview by researching the role, the company, and the industry they are in. Find out their history, achievements, products, services and customers, as well as research the wider aspects of their sector. Really do your homework and look for relevant industry blogs, their website and/or LinkedIn page, and any other social platforms such as Facebook or Twitter to get a real feel for the company.

At the interview, be sure to ask intelligent and thought out questions to show your enthusiasm and desire to make a difference for the company. Ask about the responsibilities and priorities of the role and how it affects the rest of the organization.

Inefficient Explanation of How You Did Something

It’s easy to reel off your skills and experience – go one step further and prove that you’re ideal for the job by recounting past demonstrations and examples that match the job’s requirements. If you’re worried about delivery, try practicing your story-telling to a friend or in front of a mirror.

You should already have these examples in your résumé, so make sure that you expand on them and give them some more weight in the interview. Practicing beforehand will ensure that you’re less likely to stumble and forget the crucial details.

Not Showing Why You Want the Job

Failure to demonstrate enthusiasm will dramatically lower your chances of getting the job. You must convince the interviewer that the company and the role appeal to you. When asked to “tell me about yourself”, explain how your background is ideal for the job. Make sure that you’re completely transparent when asked about your future plans; never give an answer that’s too vague or over-ambitious.

Genuine enthusiasm is of paramount importance. Even if nerves get the better of you, and you lose your composure, the interview will be a success providing you showed devotion and interest in the company and the role. Try and keep body language positive, exuding confidence when you walk, sit and answer the interviewer’s questions.

Appearing Unprofessional

If asked a question about a previous employer, try to keep criticisms and complaints to yourself. You want to give a professional impression – one of a committed team-player, not a backstabber.

Follow Up

E-mailing a brief thank you note can really help remind the interviewer of your strengths and selling points, as well as reiterate why you want the job. If it passes the time that you were expecting a call back, don’t be afraid to follow up. This can demonstrate your passion as well as organization skills.

Dane Cross writes on behalf of Marler Haley, a supplier of display boards for job fairs and trade shows.

Filed Under: Guest Experts, Job Interview Tagged With: Interview, job interview

Tips for Success in a Video Conference Interview

By Ewan Cambell MacDougall Leave a Comment

Photo Courtesy: www.omnibility.com

With fewer jobs around at the moment and the feeling that the world is shrinking, you might be looking for jobs in a much wider area than you have done previously. At the same time, with more candidates to choose from, a lot of employers are now finding it harder to create an applicant short list and want to be able to quickly meet a lot more people.

The solution for many employers is to quickly conduct more interviews with candidates from all over the world by conducting preliminary interviews via video conference.

If you have been asked to give a video conference interview, don’t worry as this really isn’t too different to the regular type of interview you should already be familiar with. The interviewer is still looking for the exact same qualities as you would expect from a regular interview; it’s just the meeting place that is different.

These differences mean that a few things need to be taken into account when being interviewed in this manner. Follow these tips to ensure you give your best at a video interview.

What You Need:

You’ll need to find a place where you can access a webcam and a high speed internet connection. Many people nowadays have these in their homes or even on their smart phones. However, if you do not have this technology, most libraries will be able to make these facilities available to you.

You will also need video conferencing software; your interviewer will likely specify which software they wish for you to use. Examples could include: Skype, LifeSize or Yahoo! Messenger.

If you are using a laptop or phone camera, be sure to rest the camera on a desk or other stable surface. Holding the camera in your hand should be avoided as it can be distracting having the image moving around frequently; you will also need to have your hands available to write things down and display positive body language.

Set Up Your Interview Area

Do you like what you see in this picture?

If you are being interviewed from your home, try and make your surroundings look as professional and well organized as possible. The interviewer will understand that you are in your home, but an untidy room or inappropriate objects in the background will suggest you are unorganized. Move the camera around before the interview to find the best location and look at the shot to see exactly what your interviewer will see.

If you or your interviewer has a lower internet connection speed or slow processor, the video quality may deteriorate if there is a lot of movement. Ensure you are sat somewhere that you can sit fairly still and if you have a tendency to fiddle with objects when you are nervous, it may be sensible to clear the area of any likely temptations.

Try to provide as much lighting as you can – the better lit you are the better the image quality will be. It is also a good idea to place your microphone away from your computer and keyboard so it does not pick up too much background noise; test the image and sound quality in advance.

What To Wear

Even though you are in your own home, this is still a job interview so dress up for the occasion. Clothing that is plain colors is better than stripes or other complex patterns as these do not usually transmit very well.

Tips For Success

You can normally set up the video program to display a small PiP image of what the interviewer sees of you. Try to use this to monitor your own body language. In all interviews, body language is important but in a video interview you can actually see how your own is coming across.

If you’ve not done a video interview before, it might be worth practicing some with friends to get a feel for it. You could also record these interviews so you can review them later and see where you could improve.

Don’t forget you are in an interview, being in the comfort of your own home can be great for reducing nerves but don’t let this go too far. This is still a formal situation and you should act accordingly.

Follow these tips as well as tips for regular interviews and you should be well prepared for any video interview.

Filed Under: Guest Experts, Job Interview Tagged With: employers, Interview, job interview, Jobs, Video Interview

How to Make Yourself More Attractive to Prospective Employers

By Dawn Campbell 2 Comments

Finding employment can be a very stressful event for just about every job seeker. It is imperative that you do everything that you can to set yourself apart from the rest of your fellow applicants as well as to stand out enough to be able to be called in for an interview. Before putting your resume out there, you need to ensure that you have done what you can to present yourself in the highest standard of excellence.

The Resume

Before you even look for a job, you need to make sure that your resume is up to snuff. All too often, resumes are not up to date and do not tell the story potential employers want to hear. Take the time to make sure that you have accounted for all of your education, work experience, accreditations, certificates, skills, and volunteer work. Do not get caught up in too many details; however, make your resume something prospective employers want to know more about.

Where to Look

It can be tempting to send your resume out to anyone who is looking to hire someone. This may not be the best thing for your job search. This can create false leads, which can lead to discouragement. Becoming discouraged can then lead to taking the first job that you are offered, which is not always the best option for you. When looking for employment, you must ensure credibility.

One surefire way in which to create credibility is to use a high-quality employment agency. By using a firm that can pair you with the right employer, stress can be relieved from this daunting process. The right agency will have quality clients (your future employer) for you to be able to have your resume circulated to.

Following Up

Regardless of if you are using an agency or doing your own employment search, follow-up is crucial. Employers want to know that the applicants are serious about working for their company. You cannot leave it to chance that you will get a callback, regardless of how extraordinary your resume may be. When you submit your resume, include in your cover letter that you will be following up and let them know when. Do what you can to reach the decision maker or at least the person who is responsible for scheduling the interviews. Most importantly, do not forget to follow up when you say that you will as this speaks volumes for what kind of employee you will be. If you are using an agency, make sure to follow up with them on a regular basis.

References

Professional and personal references can accent your resume. Depending on the job you are applying for, you can submit your references with your resume; however you may want to wait to submit your references until the actual interview. Being able to leave the interviewer with more to consider can be a very effective action for the interview process. Your references can enhance your interview and give your prospective employer something additional to reflect upon other than the notes that were taken during the interview.

The objective to attaining employment is being able to set yourself apart from all of the other applicants. Remember that you are marketing yourself and what you are selling is your past experience. Be creative and follow through. Make yourself someone to remember so that when it comes time for your future employer to make a hiring decision, you are on the top of the list.

Dawn Campbell is a Human Resources Consultant and blogs for hirepulse.com.au a site where a contractor can find work from clients. You can also use their services to find contractors for all kinds of work from IT consulting to mining contractors!

Filed Under: Guest Experts, Job Search Tagged With: employers, employment, Interview, Job Search, job seeker, References, Resume

How To Own That Interview

By Jessica 1 Comment

You’ve seen your dream job and your dream job has seen you, you’ve lovingly prepared your CV and they’ve invited you in for a chat, you can almost taste it, you can almost smell your new office – it’s so close. Unfortunately, standing in between you and that dream job is the interview, it’s mocking you, and it’s laughing at you. It knows what awkward questions it’s going to ask, you know what awkward questions it’s going to ask and you both know there’s no way around it without sounding like either a complete idiot or a book of walking clichés – really, you push yourself too much, that’s your biggest weakness?

Here’s how to trounce those annoying cliché questions and bag that job:

Awkward Question: Why do you want to work for us?

Stupid Answer: Because I need the money/you’re round the corner from my flat/no one else will hire me.

Sensible Answer: This really isn’t rocket science, so have your answer prepared (before you get a case of verbal diarrhea and blurt out one of the stupid answers trying to make it sound like a joke). Do your research, look into the company history a bit; do they have some really impressive clients in the industry? Have they won any notable accolades recently? Do they have a reputation for treating their staff really well?

Let’s assume you’re leaving your current job and you’re in an interview with another company…

Example: “To be honest I really love working for (insert current employer here) but when I heard (insert hiring company here) was looking for (insert job role here), I really couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I’ve admired (insert hiring company name here) for a while, and with clients like (insert some of their flag ship accounts here), I’d love the chance to work for such an established company.”

Awkward Question: What are your strengths/weaknesses?

Stupid Answer: “I find I push myself too hard; I’m always the first in the office and the last one home each night”

Sensible Answer: Really? You push yourself/work too hard? I can’t believe anyone has really walked into an interview before now saying “yea, I’m really lazy, the second it hits 4:59pm I’m out the door”. Call your interviewer presumptuous but they’re going to assume you’re a hard worker so come up with something a little more original and maybe even something a little more truthful. Tell them something you know you can work on, or something you know isn’t going to be absolutely essential to your potential new role. In your last role you didn’t get to be as client facing as you’d have liked, or you’re looking to develop your management capabilities as you only had a small number of staff under you at your last job. Just make sure you’re not saying something that’s going to hinder you from doing this new job.

Example: “I’ve always loved talking to people and building new relationships but my last role wasn’t as client facing as I’d have liked so I think my customer care skills can be improved upon” or “my (insert name of popular industry software) skills are something I’m continuously working on, I love the creative side of my job but unfortunately it means my more technical skills aren’t quite up to the standard I’d like them to be”.

Awkward Question: Why do you want to work for us/why should we hire you?

Stupid Answer: “Because I’m amazing/you’d be lucky to have me/my head won’t even fit through the door” etc.

Sensible Answer: There’s being confident and there’s being such a cocky SOB you get punched in the face on the way out. Yes they want someone who can sell themselves and show they’re proud to work for them but this can be conveyed without making it look like you’re auditioning for a role in the latest reality TV programme about a bunch of chavs in their home town! They’ve asked you in for a reason so just be honest, tell them what you can do, what you’ve achieved to date and don’t forget to give others credit where it’s due; if you didn’t single handily win all the business at your old job, don’t try and pretend you did.

Example: “I’ve loved working at/in (last company name/industry) and I find it exciting and challenging, I honestly believe this is reflected in my work. I have built up some very good relationships at (last job) and find that when I’m enjoying what I’m doing, it projects a sense of confidence. I’d love the chance to continue doing (insert job here) in a new environment and working for someone with your reputation and helping to build that reputation with (insert new company name here).

It may look easy on paper but so long as you find that perfect balance between coming across as too confident and too nervous, you’ll be fine. If you don’t quite make it this time, don’t forget to ask for feedback so you can improve for next time.

Jessica works for the Redhill Probation service where you’ll find a selection of probation service jobs in the south east.

Filed Under: Guest Experts, Job Interview Tagged With: Dream Job, Interview, Job

Your Strategy For Career Fair Success

By Ewan Cambell MacDougall Leave a Comment

As many Universities approach their final semester of the year, the number of Career Fairs that they will be holding is likely to rise. Job/Career Fairs are something that not enough students take advantage of, and those who do attend them don’t always know how to get the most from them. Whatever stage of job hunting and career progression you are at, there will be something for you at a Career Fair. You just need to have a plan to get the most out of every fair you visit.

Make a plan

The most important first step is to make sure you are going to the right Job/Career Fair; look out for ones not just happening at your university but also at any surrounding cities. If you’re not looking to work for a bigger industry, the chances are a lot of the companies you want to meet will be quite selective about what fairs they attend. Particularly as the fee they have to pay to attend a fair can be quite an obstacle for many industries. Look out for a fair with a focus on your industry and if there are particular companies you are really interested in, check any online listings to see which ones they will attend. If you struggle to find this information, you could always contact companies directly to ask them; this shows you have initiative and are serious about wanting a job.

Research the Companies Online

Whilst you’re online, it’s a good idea to also research the companies that you are particularly interested in. Doing this, you can establish exactly which questions you want to ask and it will help you seem well informed to any potential employers. Remember, if you don’t get a chance to research a particular company in advance, there will be lots of literature available on the day that you can skim whilst you’re waiting for your turn to ask questions.

Study the Display Stands Closely

Another top tip would be to study their display stands closely. I work with Nimlok banner stands that make these displays, and I know that companies put a lot of effort into making sure the most crucial information is displayed there. You don’t want to ask a question that is already answered right in front of you.

Find Out Locations In Advance

At the bigger fairs, it’s also helpful to look in advance at the online plan of where all the companies will be located. If you’re fighting to get through crowds, you don’t want to miss any company that could be helpful to you. However, you also don’t want to waste time visiting booths in an illogical order.

It Might Turn Into a Preliminary Interview

A lot of employers actually treat Job Fairs as a preliminary interview, so it’s good for you to do the same if you are talking to companies that you want to work for. It wouldn’t hurt to wear a business suit and come prepared with a concise pitch that sells you as a good candidate different from any other. Don’t forget if you want to practice your pitch, you can always try it out on other companies that you’re less concerned about first. Who knows they may even change your mind about them.

What to Bring

Wearing business attire is perhaps the most obvious way to make an impact on employers but they will also notice the little things. For example, if you bring a smart notebook and write things down you will seem well organized; these notes will also come in handy later as you might find the fair over loads you with information. If you take note of any contact details, you can then follow up any conversations keeping you at the forefront of an employer’s mind.

It’s also a good idea to bring some C.V. copies as a lot of employers will collect these from job seekers they see potential in. Another good reason to have your C.V. with you is that many Job fair organizers will have people there who can critique these for you. This can really help you learn how employers will look at your C.V.

Don’t Miss Out On an Opportunity

Even if you’re not actively looking for a job at the moment, Job/Career Fairs could still have something for you. Those in employment can get up to date with the job market and learn what opportunities are available to them while those who are a long way off graduation can find out details about the application process. Many students are often surprised by how long this process is; you might need to start applying sooner than you think.

Career Fairs are such useful resources which can be wasted or misused by so many job seekers. Make sure you’re not one of them by becoming proactive when it comes to finding fairs and preparing for the event. If this is done well, your chances of success at finding a job will improve dramatically.