The Last Minute Interview
Your breath catches in your throat - at last, an interview! Elated, you write down the time and place of the interview, who to ask for, say thanks, and hang up! But, wait, it's such short notice, and you haven't been interviewed for ages. Too, you never did get around to practicing. How can you possibly prepare in time to perform well? You hesitate to call them back to reschedule-that might not look good. You feel the anxiety building, even a little panic. What should you do? Here are three easily remembered tips that will help a lot. Relax. Remind yourself that you would not be interviewing at all if they didn't like what they saw on your résumé. Review the ad and the response you sent them earlier (you did keep them, didn't you?). Be reasonably sure that you understand what it is they are looking for in the person they hire. But be prepared to ask questions during the interview if the position description seems vague. Your primary goal is to have a clear idea about what it is they need. Tell them what they want to hear. Your purpose in the interview is to expose and provide personalized solutions to their specific and stated (or implied) needs. Listen carefully, but remember that you have the right and responsibility to ask questions of your own during the interview. Your questions can often be derived directly from questions that they ask you. For example, if you are asked about your abilities in inventory management, you might logically ask them to tell you more specifically about what their current problems are in that area. Once you know the nature of their concerns, then you are in a much better position to help them answer those problems ? and that is what they want to hear! Follow the Rule of Three. As important as practice is in preparing for an interview, far too many of us overdo it. Trying to be perfect, we end up giving answers that are stilted or overly long. Remember then that your answer needn't be perfect (if such a thing exists at all), only plausible. And to help convey that sense of plausibility, I suggest trying to give your answer in only three parts. For example, you might start by saying, "First, I would ?," and "Then, I would ?," and "Finally, I believe it would be best if ?" When you follow the Rule of Three, it becomes relatively simple to build answers that sound believable as you go along, are not too long, and are easier for the interviewer to remember. Obviously, there are many other things to study and internalize if you are to interview well, but in a pinch, just remembering the three suggestions above will help enormously. Pierre G. Daunic, Ph.D., CCM is a Senior Services Consultant for R.L. Stevens & Associates Inc. (http://www.interviewing.com), a career marketing firm and organization celebrating over 24 years of providing strategic marketing solutions for its clients' career transitioning needs. Email inquiries and comments to publicrelations@rlstevens.com.
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Career Change: Success Tips
Successful career change is based on first making an honest assessment of your skills and experiences. Then you match them against the current market conditions. Finally you set realistic goals. Here are five strategies to keep in mind when changing careers:
Plan for a longer job search.
Changing industries requires research, which requires time. Assess your financial situation and make realistic decisions. You may have to consider an interim position or part-time work or even volunteering to bridge to your new career and gain valuable experience.
5 Simple Rules for A Great Job Interview
Many years ago, when I was a young job-searching greenhorn, I ventured to New York City to take a bite out of the big apple of opportunity.
Reviving Your Resume
A resume may not be who you are, but to a potential employer, it may be all they see of you and make or break your chance for your next interview. While many of us either spend long hours crafting the perfect resume (or pay someone else big bucks to do it for you) and may not want to mess with perfection, not updating your resume may cause more harm than good.
Helping Mid-Life Employees Find Meaning
People work to live, but most also live to work. A study on the meaning of work conducted back in 1987 revealed a strong attachment to work as a way of life. The study found that 86 percent of people would continue working even if they had enough money never to work another day. There could be no better indication that work is not simply a matter of putting food on the table, but is core to the being of most adults.
A Day in the Life of a Freelance Copywriter
Ever wanted a job where you could spend all day, every day, writing clever and inspiring prose? Yes? Well don't become a freelance copywriter!
10 Tips For Writing A Professional Résumé
1. Start with an attractive layout. Use bold and italics to highlight key points.
If Youre Fired, Will Past Employers Keep Your Secret?
Despite what some job seekers think, it is not illegal for former employers to tell reference checkers that you were fired. They can say anything they want as long as it's true.
Resume Formats ... The Hidden Pitfalls
Deciding on a resume format is the first major decision to be made when creating your resume. The overall look of your resume depends on the resume format, font and outline you choose.
Dont Be Defeated - Be Empowered
Taking a job out of fear and desperation will never satisfy you for very long, nor will it last all that long either, and before you know it your back to square one. As I said; a job is nothing more than "just over broke", and who wants to live like that!
Interviewing Over Lunch: Are You at Risk?
Sometimes a hiring process will include having lunch with the hiring manager. Despite anything said to the contrary (like "It'll just be an informal lunch so we can get to know each other."), this is a formal part of your interview!
Ten Careers For High School Seniors Who Hate School
Let's face it?not everybody likes going to school and high school can be a terrible experience for many students. Whether you're the hands on type who preferred Shop class to English class, or an athlete who liked working as a team more than studying alone, or even someone who liked schoolwork more than schoolmates; the idea of four more years of school is unbearable. If you identify with any of these types, but still want to secure a good future, there are some great options out there for you.
Job Trap; Relationships with Co-workers
Most of us interact with our co-workers on a daily basis, its what helps us get through the day. Most employers go to great lengths to promote the "team", some thousands of dollars on retreats and seminars and the like. Basically, to them a group of cooperative, resourceful employees all working together is as valued as good advertising. And no wonder, without it their business would fare well. Picture a workplace populated only by the characters of the show "Family Guy". How succsessful do you think this business would be?
Assess Your Transferable Skills
One of the most important parts of a job search is assessing your Transferable skills. These are skills which you can use in other jobs such as: Communication, Information Management, Human Services, Managerial, Manual/Physical Labour, Personal Attributes, Organization.Often when people have been working in the same job for a long time, they become so accustomed to performing their duties that they fail to recognize the skills they have. It is beneficial to sit down and write out a list of all the things you do in a work day and all the things you do at home as well. It is easy to forget that skills such as problem-solving, decision-making, and organization which you use at home and in volunteering are skills that you can transfer and use on a new job. A benefit to this recognition of your skills is that you can come up with a variety of Ideas for jobs or places that these skills may be used. If you are currently unemployed and are having a difficult time with this, talk to some friends or a career/employment counsellor.Once you have determined where your transferable skills may be best used, you can work on some Productive Strategies to market yourself. This may be using your networking skills to gain access to some new employers, or it may be revising your resume to highlight your skills instead of your work history. It may also involve doing some volunteer work to expand your network by putting you in touch with people who might have other contacts you can use in your job search.
The Chicken or the Egg?
Even before I checked my calendar on Monday morning, I knew the appointment would be there. Passed over for promotion again, Ralph wanted specifics on why I hadn't chosen him for the position. This was not a new conversation. I thought of Ralph as my chicken and egg dilemma. Ralph was the chicken. He believed he would make a great Team Leader, and when I promoted him, he would step up and show me how well he could lead. My position was that of egg. Prove to me you have leadership skills by demonstrating leadership in the job you have now, and I'll consider giving you the next position.
Â
Here's the question: is it better to do the work, knowing you will ultimately be rewarded for having done it, or should you wait until the reward is there before you do the work? Like the proverbial question of which came first, the chicken or the egg, people differ widely on the answer and run their careers accordingly.
Â
Here's the way I see it - one has more to lose by taking the position of the chicken and waiting for someone else to anoint them, than by being the egg and anointing oneself. If I had waited to be a leader until someone offered me a leadership position, I might still be wishing and hoping for someone to notice me. When I wanted to be a manager, I did the work of a manager by taking on more and more responsibilities. And, I got promoted. When I wanted to be a director, I did the work of a director, without questioning compensation or title. After proving myself, I got the job, the title and the compensation. Same with being a vice-president. Doing the job first, gave me the job.
Â
It's the same now that I'm out of the corporate arena. Take my dream of being a writer. Changing careers after twenty-something years in management, I could have waited to write a column until I secured a writing contract for one. But, why would someone pay me to write without reading my words and knowing I can. Chicken and egg again.
Â
What works for me has been consistent. When I do the work first, the rewards follow. I think of it like exercising. Doing it gives me better results than thinking about it. No one likes to be called a chicken, so ... be the egg.
Â
(c) 2004 Nan S. Russell. All rights reserved.
Before You Begin, Know What To Expect - How You Can Make a Living Proof Reading From Home
Proof reading from home is an excellent way to make money, right? How hard and challenging can it be to do some editing after all?
Recruiting on the Web Requires Special Record Keeping for Legal Purposes
With the age of the Internet upon us, recruiting methods have expanded dramatically. Staffing companies now regularly use the Web to locate qualified candidates for their open positions.
The most common methods include searching Job Boards and Corporate Websites. Job Boards, whether belonging to the staffing company or otherwise, allow recruiters to post specific positions, asking applicants to submit their resumes or follow a link to a registration page on their website. Corporate Websites are now allowing recruiters to post jobs for general or specific positions and permitting candidates to register with the Staffing Company and/or apply for a specific position.
The Importance of Background Verification
Today's society has created an environment that requires business owners to be armed with numerous tools. Many employers currently spend little time verifying the accuracy of employment applications and the cost of not doing normal due diligence can be staggering.
Get Inspired About Your Career
Get Inspired about Your Career
Job Search 101
The whole job search effort is completely exhausting and at times just plain pathetic. It is what it is and if you are unemployed know that the job search experience is one familiar to everyone at some point and time, so don't feel alone. One of the major mistakes many job seeks make is not being able to keep the whole job search experience organized. Remembering who you spoke to on what day, concerning what job can be a true "mission impossible."
So, Your Made A Mistake
Of course, mistakes are important. Two facts put those you make in
perspective. One, everyone who plays the game makes mistakes. Two,
that you make mistakes is not nearly as important as what you do about
them.
|