Interview Tutor: October 2014

Sunday, October 26, 2014

How will you WOW at your next job interview?

So, you have an upcoming job interview. Congratulations! Your resume, cover letter, and phone interview all did their jobs and secured you a chance to meet with a hiring manager. You are probably very excited - as you should be.

But now it gets serious.

Are you truly prepared for what comes next?

How will you wow?

How will you distinguish yourself from all of the other candidates? How will you be the one that stands out above the other 6-10 candidates that they plan to interview? How will you be the one candidate that they can't live without? How will you wow?

A companies greatest assets are not their buildings, their equipment, or their capital-its their people. An employee that has skills, education, adaptability, and likeability is like gold to an organization. Hiring managers are well aware of this and that's exactly why they spend so much time (heck, its a full time job) looking for the perfect hire. A great new employee can pay for themselves ten-fold. A bad hire can cost the company time, money, and even customers. The hiring decision is critical for both the interviewer and the company.

When a hiring manager has just interviewed a candidate that has a "wow" factor, he or she can feel a sense of victory. The hiring manager can visualize this candidate working with their existing team and adding value to the organization.

Here are just a few ways to wow:

1. Show some passion.

2. Communicate your prior accomplishments, not your prior duties.

3. Look and act like a professional.

4. Know some things about the company.

5. Sell to the position. (more about this in future posts)

If you can accomplish the following five steps during your next job interview you will greatly enhance your odds of a second interview or better yet-a job offer. These are skills that can be learned and improved upon. Good luck!

Interview Tutor

Professional Career Services

www.interview-tutor.com

508.365.0077

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Better interview skills make for a happier life.

Opportunity knocks

Your career is a chain of events. Unless your dad owns the company, it will take some time to advance. One job typically leads to the next better job. The next job should be even better yet. At some point, as you climb the ladder of success, you become happier. You become more confident. More experienced. You become more satisfied with your daily responsibilities and your pay should also improve - happier life. For most career minded people, your first job is rarely your last. When taken in that context, the job you don't get now can affect you for years!

From my experiences as a hiring manager, most hiring decisions came down to very small differences between candidates. It was rare when interviewing for a specific position, that one candidate was far superior to the others.

Why is this important to know?

Even the smallest improvement in your interview skills can mean the difference between a life changing opportunity and a rejection letter.

A typical hiring manager interviews 6 to 8 candidates for every open position.

Why?

Why interview so many candidates? A solid interview should take at least an hour. Why would a hiring manager spend so much time interviewing candidates? One reason; most interviewees just plain stink at interviewing! It is very difficult to hire a candidate that doesn't interview well, regardless of his or her qualifications. Trust me, it would save so much time and company resources to interview just half of the candidates.

How do you get to a happier professional place sooner? One way is to become better prepared for your next interview. Over the course of a professional career, you will be given incredible opportunities. Many times, what stands between you and an incredible promotion, an exciting new job, or that coveted internship is THE INTERVIEW.

Why would not do everything in your power to maximize your chances at your next interview and a happier life?

Life is a beach