Job Seeker 101

Interview Tips

2007-10-22T05:01:00.000-07:00

Job interviews can be a stressful process but they don’t need to be, especially if you have prepared well in advance. Below are some job interview tips you can follow. As with all things, preparation is the key. Take these interview tips with you and practice them with a friend or family member and remember, you can never prepare enough.

Don't be late. There is no worse way to begin an interview

First impression counts. You should dress suitably. Wear your best work outfit. The things to remember are cleanliness, simplicity and no strong or 'loud' colours. Do not chew gum or smoke.

Be yourself. Speak clearly and enthusiastically about your experiences and skills. Be professional, but don't be afraid to let your personality shine through.

Listen carefully. There is nothing worse than to ask a question that the employer has already talked to you about. You will want to remember what you learn about the job, and you will want to answer the questions that were asked.

Address the job criteria. Nervous energy is good but not if you come to the job interview unprepared. It’s to your advantage to carefully research the job and the company. This can be done in many ways. You can request information personally, or go to the company’s website for material about job descriptions and company annual reports.

Be positive. Don’t talk about your bad feelings or give any excuses about a negative experience. If you are asked why your grades are low, then don't give excuses, instead, focus on stating the positive facts and what you have learnt from your experiences.

Be poised. Pay attention to non-verbal behavior. Look the interviewer in the eye, sit up straight with both feet on the floor. You should also control nervous habits such as fingernail biting and giggling.

Practice makes perfect. This maxim can’t be more true with job interview. Make sure your answers are clear and succinct. You should practice answering with a friend or with your family members. When practicing avoid terms such as “like” and “you know” and don’t sound too rehearsed, as though you have memorised each answer.

Arlene Tresmanio is an Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Specialist.

“Off the wall” Questions

2006-07-26T06:07:00.001-07:00

Have you experienced something that you're in a job interview everything is going good than you imagine? You look professional and great. You are prepared, nailing every interview question then all of the sudden she/he asks you “How did you start your day today?”, “How can you define a red color to a blind man?”, “How can you sell a pen if the pen doesn’t have any ink?”, “What’s the similarity between vegetable and a fruit?”, or even “For you, who do you called a real hero?” or something like “How can you sell a fridge to the Eskimo?” We always get stunned when the interviewer asked us some questions that we really don’t expect him/her to ask me and that’s what you called “off-the-wall” questions. These are the questions that are not related to job but most interviewers are using these techniques when testing the applicants on how fast they will response to the questions. It is based on how efficient you’ll respond. The key to answer an off-the-wall question is not to get nervous. You should think out of the box. Don't adopt a weird look if you get hit with one of these funky questions. Smile, take a deep breathe. A moment of silence is better than blurting out something even sillier than the question. Give your self a time to compose your reply. You don't have to be brilliant. Just be yourself and give an honest response. If worse comes to worst, and you cannot think of an answer, ask your interviewer if you can come back to that question later. You may lose a few thinking points, but you'll gain points for handling a difficult situation with poise. And besides there’s no correct answer to this questions.

Arlene Tresmanio is an Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Specialist.

Be Aware to the Characteristic of your Interviewer

2006-05-24T06:12:00.000-07:00

I’ve observed that people who interview job candidates tend to enhance a certain individual distinction. If you can sense an interviewer's style and build rapport, you’ll have confidence in specific information.

Here are the following characteristics:

Inattentive

There is a time that the interviewer isn’t mentally present, maybe he/she is thinking of something more important or something happened before your interview that really bothered his/her mind. It’s impossible to impress this kind of interviewer that is distracted of something. So to keep a good impression, smile and don’t panic. Just give your best approach and offer him/her to reschedule. But be sure to address to him/her the important message and be prepared to the following interview.

Friendly

This is the type of interviewer that gives jokes, smiles and tells you to take an ease. But he/she aims for you to put in a relaxed stated where you unconsciously expose too much information (ones that can be detrimental to your career) about yourself. You should be kind and friendly but always remember that you shouldn’t also get carried away. Stick with your goal.

Interrogator

This is a typical type of interviewer that seems not to show any emotion and inflicts tension to the applicants. The best thing you can do is stay calm, focus, show respect and confidence. This kind of interviewer observes how you can deal in this kind of scenario. And remember that most interrogator types of interviewers often became your best advocate throughout your interview process or even into the job.

Laser Beam

He/she only focuses on one topic. Like discussing about quotas, this style is for line managers. You should do is to fulfill his/her expectations to you. Satisfy his/her judgment and move on.

Shotgun

This is the type that wants to discuss anything. The questions are all over the place, you even don’t have a vacant time because he/she is full of questions. This is where your anxious presentation really pays off, because you can involve your strengths to many distinct exposure of the job.

Silver bullet

Believes there's one magic question to ask -- and one magic response that determines whether you're right for the job. The Silver Bullet asks a few hasty questions about your skills. Then ask “off-the-wall” question, which he/she will ask questions you didn’t expect. Even though these questions don’t have a wrong answer he/she decides if it’s yes or no. Simply answer every question and don’t worry about your answers too much.

Alter Your Approach to the Interviewer

You step into a situation of power when you identify the interviewer's style and adjust your approach accordingly. As you prepare for the interview, ask yourself, "How might my answers be different for different interview styles?"

With a Laser Beam, for example, you might offer him a choice when you begin answering a question ("Would you like to talk about this aspect of the job or that one?"). An achievement story for a Friendly Interviewer might focus more on your teamwork skills, and the same story for an Interrogator Interviewer might begin by stating the results of your individual work. The more you show your emotional knowledge by understanding the interviewer's objective for that interview, the more likely he'll be to listen to you.

Arlene Tresmanio is an Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Specialist.