How to Shine At a Job Interview
If you really want to shine you need to be better prepared then any potential interviewer.Know Yourself.÷ If you are lucky enough to get a really accomplished interviewer, and you have done your homework, this is your opportunity to shine.÷ Before entering the job interview process give some thought to how you would answer the following questions.÷ Odds are that they will be asked in some form or the other.÷ If not, perhaps you can weave some of your finer answers into the interview.
Tell me about yourself.÷ Be brief and concise.÷ Perhaps mention any relevant career history (Example: I currently manage $20mil in accounts receivable and oversee 103 people), especially related education (have a Masters in Finance), marriage facts (have been happily married for 12 years) and an interesting hobby or two (I am a gourmet cook and like to play soccer).
Why are you interested in working for ABC Company?÷ Do your homework about the company.÷ Identify areas in which your goals and the company intersect.÷ Even if you aren"t asked this question it is a good way to wrap up an interview by highlighting how you could benefit each other.÷ (I know that ABC Company is a leader in design technology for ergonomic chairs.÷ My background coincides perfectly because I have specialized in this area and have received a number of design awards for my forward thinking.÷ I"d love to work with best.)
What did you dislike most about your last job?÷ ALERT ×€¦ ALERT ×€¦trick question intended to test your attitudes as an employee!÷ DO NOT start whining about how cheap or mean etc. they were.÷ Be clever.÷ Use this as an opportunity to make yourself look good.÷ (I really enjoyed my last place of employment, actually.÷ If I HAD to come up with a dislike it would probably be that the management team tended to stay with the company for years so there wasn"t much room for advancement since management positions rarely opened up.)÷ See!÷ You were kind, implied that you were content but also ambitious and a hard worker.
What was your favorite thing about your last boss?÷ Again, potentially damaging questions if you aren"t careful.÷ His nice abs won"t be a relevant answer!÷ (My last boss was a great teacher who really encouraged me to contribute my best.÷ He challenged me to excel and I really appreciated the opportunity to both learn and contribute my expertise.)
Why are you looking for a new job?÷ Whether you are looking for job advancement or are unemployed due to downsizing, be positive.÷ Keep your answer short but informative.÷ If you were fired you"ll need to put a nice, but truthful, spin on it.÷ (My last employer was forced to downsize as a result of the economic downturn.÷ Unfortunately, since I was the most recent hire in my position, I was affected.÷ They did offer to call me back as soon as possible but I really wanted to continue working without lapse.)
What is your greatest strength?÷ This question provides a great opportunity.÷ Know your strengths.÷ Think about what past employers would say.÷ (I am very organized, a great manager who really gets my employees motivated, a real team-builder, meticulously detailed or a great problem solver.)÷ Try to come up with a sentence that incorporates a couple of strengths into a cohesive picture.
What is your biggest weakness?÷ Again, caution.÷ Use this potentially negative question as an opportunity to exhibit strength.÷ (I tend to be a big-picture person so I like to work with people who enjoy minutiae.÷ Still, some people would say I"m very detail-oriented but I do think of myself as a big-picture person.)
Be Yourself.÷ Job interviews suck.÷ They do.÷ The ones who will make the best impression are those who are prepared AND who then just relax and be themselves.
No point in getting all nervous and antsy.÷ It will kill you in the interview.÷ Just relax and remind yourself that being just exactly who you are is GOOD ENOUGH.÷ Perfect.÷ Your quiet self-confidence will show and impress.
Take subtle control, if necessary.÷ The truth is that all to often interviewers do NOT know how to conduct a solid and meaningful interview.÷ This can really hurt you because it removes your chance to shine and stand apart from others.
One way to combat a poor interviewer is to gently and unobtrusively take control.÷ Find little ways to work in those points you"ve worked so hard on.÷ Take a simple question like "What are your salary expectations?" and add your strengths into the answer.÷ ("Based on past performance I feel comfortable in standing that I will be able to build a strong and dynamic team to quickly accomplish the goals you have mentioned.÷ Therefore, I would ask for slightly above the industry standard of $55,000 with a 90 day review process.")
÷ Talk a little about what you have learned of their company and ask a question or two about their direction.÷ Say something positive about your last job.
÷ Find ways to let the interviewer know who you are and what you have achieved.
Be confident but humble.÷ Listen.÷ Listen.÷ Listen.÷ Be relaxed.