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Interview Technique Tips Overview
The following advice on effective interviewing will help ease your
mind about going into any interview. Really, that is half the
battle - to go in confident and collected. If you are level
headed, and unafraid, your chances of getting the job will greatly
increase!
Interview Technique Tip 1 - Don't get nervous, relax!
Most people that interview you are not professional job interviewers. They typically
don't just interview for a living, so by being nervous you will not help the situation.
Try to sit back and relax, visualize how the interview
will go before hand, and remember the interviewer on the other side of the desk is
just another person like you; so be professional, but also be yourself. Keep
in mind, if you get the job, the company will find out who the real you is within
a short period of time, so pretending to be something that you are not is likely to
create problems down the road.
Interview Technique Tip 2 - Adequate preparation...
Get information on the company. It is a very important job interview tip toknow the
company and people you will be meeting with before hand. You can never be too prepared
for a job interview. The Company's website and/or www.hoovers.com are
great resources.
Interview Technique Tip 3 - Research and prepare for the standard questions...
You've heard so many of them before, so it is difficult to be surprised anymore.
Know them, and prepare for them. Some possible questions include:
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"In what areas do you need to improve?"
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"What are you strong points in these areas (a, b, c, etc...)?"
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"Give me a situation where you encountered job stress and how did you handle it?"
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"Have you ever had a problem with a co-worker? How did you resolve the issue(s)?"
Interview Technique Tip 4 - Especially prepare for the first interview
question, "Tell me a little about yourself"
This is probably one of the most popular questions of all interviewers. The difficulty
in answering this question is you never know what the interviewer is looking for.
Do they want you to tell them about your educational background, your present job,
your last job, etc. You can get yourself in trouble here, by just rambling on and
on, rather than answering the question with what they are looking for. DON'T
RAMBLE!
Remember a few moments ago we mentioned that most interviewers are not trained in
interviewing? Well they sometimes don't realize the trap they are setting when asking
this interview question. So the best job interview tip for handling this is to say: "Sure
I'd love to, where would you like me to start?" Doing this will actually allow
you to take control of the interview, and give the interviewer the information that
they are truely seeking.
Interview Technique Tip 5 - Avoid being negative about your previous companies,
jobs, or bosses!
This is a big TRAP that many people fall into.
The job interview tip is to talk about things you learned, opportunities you had and
contributions you made. If you speak negatively about past employers, the interviewer
is likely to wonder, was it the employer who was bad, or you? Don't fall into this
trap.
Interview Technique Summary
In summary, there is no "perfect formula" for having a successfull interview.
However, by following the above important points you can give yourself a much better
chance at making a positive impression on your possible boss(es) and set yourself
apart from the crowd. GOOD LUCK!
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