Friday, March 15, 2024

How To Do A Professional Interview

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Dress For The Job Or Company

How to Ace a Job Interview: 10 Crucial Tips

Today’s casual dress codes do not give you permission to dress as “they” do when you interview. It is important to know what to wear to an interview and to be well-groomed. Whether you wear a suit or something less formal depends on the company culture and the position you are seeking. If possible, call to find out about the company dress code before the interview.

Prepare For The Interview

You don’t need to memorize an answer, but do take the time to consider how you’ll respond. The more you prepare, the more confident you’ll feel during a job interview.

When you’re not sure what to expect during an interview, also take time to review this refresher on how job interviews work, and these tips on how to prepare to ace your job interview.

Choose Your Favorite Layout

There are a few options for how you view your screen when using Zoom. Determine which layout you prefer from the following:

  • Active speaker: This will enlarge the video window of the person who is talking. So, if the interviewer is speaking, their video will take up the majority of your screen. If a second attendee is also on the video, then their screen will stay smaller until they begin speaking.

  • Gallery view: If you want everyone to be the same size, including yourself, choose gallery view. This will show all the meeting participants in a grid view. This makes it easy to view everyone at the same time.

To change your layout, select the option you want in the top right corner of your screen.

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How Do You Deal With Pressure Or Stressful Situations

Heres another question you may feel the urge to sidestep in an effort to prove youre the perfect candidate who can handle anything. But its important not to dismiss this one . Instead, talk about your go-to strategies for dealing with stress and how you communicate and otherwise proactively try to mitigate pressure. If you can give a real example of a stressful situation you navigated successfully, all the better.

How Many Pennies If Stacked On Top Of Each Other Would Equal The Height Of The Empire State Building

Job Interview Skills to Help You Get Hired

Employers may ask questions like this to understand your thought processes. They want to gauge whether you can think analytically, deal with ambiguity and communicate clearly. It is completely appropriate and even encouraged to ask for a few minutes to gather your thoughts. Even if your answer seems silly or wrong, employers are simply looking for an answer with logical support. It is also appropriate to ask follow-up questions for more information or context, though they may or may not provide the answer.

Example:Start by breaking down a solution based on related information you might already know. What is the approximate height of the Empire State Building? You can probably deduce that 500 feet is too short and 5,000 feet is too tall. Lets say you guess roughly 1,500 feet. From there, consider the thickness of a penny. To do this, you might think about how many stacked pennies equal one inch. Lets say 15. Next, since you know there are 12 inches in a foot and youve estimated the buildings height at 1500 feet, you multiply to get an approximate answer of 270,000 pennies to equal the height of the Empire State Building.

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Things To Do Right In An Interview

These tips will help you prepare for the big day of your professional interview! Follow these tips and you’ll get through the big interview with flying colors! Whether you have a mock interview, or are starting to prepare for your professional career, practice these tips to properly prepare for the big day!

1) Dressing the Part

In order to impress the company you’re interviewing with, you must dress accordingly. Wearing business attire, suites, a nice dress, or a pantsuit if you’re a girl, you want to avoid dressing in your normal day clothes, including yoga pants.

Always wear the appropriate attire, and make sure to wear professional business attire as well as to practice good hygiene and present yourself like you want the company to see you.

2) Review the Questions The Interviewers Will Ask You

Make sure to prepare a list of questions that could possibly be asked by the interviewer. You can practice your interviewing skills with a friend, or you could sign up for an interview with Interviewstream through the Pomerantz Career Center. The Interviewstream will ask questions assimilated with actual professional interviews, and you will get to see the feedback from your interview. All you need is a camera, or you can even schedule an interview in the interview stream room at the Pomerantz Career Center!

3) Do Enough Research on the Company

4) Be Respectful of the Interviewers

5) Good Non-Verbal Behavior

How Did You Find Out About The Job

This is a simple question that can be answered in a short sentence, although you can also use it to get your foot in your door by stating that you keep up to date with company activity or that youve had your eye on a position in the IT Department for a long time etc.

If youve been genuinely following the company for a while, you might want to mention here what specific activities of the company really appeal to you or if youve spoken to some employees of the company and heard great things about working for them, you can comment on that here, too.

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Get Some Questions Ready

At the end of every interview, you typically have a chance to ask the hiring manager a few questions. Make sure you have a few ready to go. That way, you wont be at a loss when that moment arrives.

If you dont know where to begin, ask them to describe a typical day in the position. You can also ask if theres anything preventing them from considering you the top candidate, giving you a chance to address any concerns head-on.

Check out our article for more questions you can ask the hiring manager!

Take Care To Answer The Questions

How to prepare for a job interview

When interviewers ask for an example of a time when you did something, they are asking behavioral interview questions, which are designed to elicit a sample of your past behavior. If you fail to relate a specific example, you not only don’t answer the question, but you also miss an opportunity to prove your ability and talk about your skills.

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Job Interview Questions And Answers

Here’s a list of common job interview questions, with examples of the best answers about you, your work history and experience, the job, your goals, the new job, salary, and what you have to offer the employer.

If you’re in a hurry and want to speed up your interview preparation, here’s a list of the top 10 interview questions employers typically ask, example answers, and tips for giving the best response.

Why Do You Want To Work Here

Interviewers often ask this question to determine whether or not you took the time to research the company and think critically about whether youre a good fit. The best way to prepare for this question is to do your homework and learn about the products, services, mission, history and culture of this workplace. In your answer, mention the aspects of the company that appeals to you and aligns with your values and career goals.

Example answer:The companys mission to help college grads pay off their student loan debt resonates with me. Ive been in student loan debt myself and would love the opportunity to work with a company thats making a difference. Finding a company with a positive work environment and values that align with my own has remained a priority throughout my job search and this company ranks at the top of the list.

Read more: Interview Question: Why Do You Want to Work Here?

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How Can Someone Make The Most Of Their Interview Coaching Session

My best piece of advice: Prepare for your interview-coaching session as you would for a real job interview. I’ve had many clients treat their session with me as an informative session or conversation, which, although valuable, hinders the coaching process. We’re here to help you improve your interview performance to do that, we need to see how you would perform during an actual interview. Before your session with an interview coach, research the employer, study the job description, and brainstorm a list of personal accomplishments and work examples that speak to your qualifications for the position. That way, when we provide you with feedback and recommendations, they will be detailed and helpful.

Set The Stage For A Distraction

How to Prepare for an Interview!

Choose a location thats free from the distractions of children, roommates or pets. Hang a sign on the door asking mail carriers and package deliverers not to ring the doorbell.

Make sure the background is free from clutter and embarrassing items like laundry piles. Set up lighting thats bright but not glaring, illuminating your face from the front. Natural light is best.

Turn off email, text and social media alerts, software updates and other notifications that may pop up on the screen during the interview. Turn off programs that might interfere with the webcam, and close browser tabs.

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Questions Not To Ask In An Interview

Pre-employment interviews have traditionally been instruments for eliminating, at an early stage, unqualified persons from consideration for employment. They have also, unfortunately, often been used in such a way as to restrict or deny employment opportunities for women and members of minority groups.

If you have 15 or more employees, you are likely subject to federal laws prohibiting discrimination in hiring. Many states also have laws that mimic federal discrimination laws and apply them to smaller employers, sometimes even those employers who have one employee. Therefore, you are limited in what types of questions you can ask.

What if you’re not subject to anti-discrimination laws? Even if you are not subject to laws prohibiting certain types of inquiries, we recommend that you stay away from them.

Therefore, in seeking information from a job applicant, you should ask yourself:

  • Will the answer to this question, if used in making a selection, have an inequitable effect in screening out minorities or members of one sex?
  • Is this information really needed to judge an applicant’s competence or qualifications for the job in question?

Basically, stay away from any question that concerns:

  • race
  • national origin

Some questions that could be considered discriminatory include:

How Do You Like To Be Managed

This is another one of those questions thats about finding the right fitboth from the companys perspective and your own. Think back on what worked well for you in the past and what didnt. What did previous bosses do that motivated you and helped you succeed and grow? Pick one or two things to focus on and always articulate them with a positive framing . If you can give a positive example from a great boss, itll make your answer even stronger.

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Why Is A Job Interview Important

Job interviews are important because they give you insight into whether you want to hire a candidate. Often in conversation form, the questions asked in an interview can show you a persons skills, job capabilities, and how they contribute to the success of a team or organization. You can use job interviews to compare candidates or build a list of future talent options for other open positions.

Develop A Connection With The Interviewer

How to Ace an Interview: 5 Tips from a Harvard Career Advisor

In addition to indicating what you know about the company, you should also try to develop a connection with your interviewer. Know the interviewer’s name, and use it during the job interview. If you’re not sure of the name, call and ask prior to the interview. And, listen very carefully during introductions.

If youre prone to forgetting names, jot it down somewhere discreet, like in small letters at the bottom of your notepad.

Ultimately, building rapport and making a personal connection with your interviewer can up your chances of getting hired. People tend to hire candidates they like and who seems to be a good fit for the company’s culture. Here’s how to get the hiring manager on your side.

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Reflect On Your Accomplishments

Now that you have a bit of an idea of what youll need to cover, spend a little time reflecting on your achievements. During an interview, youll want to show the hiring manager you have what it takes to excel. Typically, that means discussing a relevant accomplishment.

Ideally, you want to identify key moments in your career that showcase you as a great fit. As you reflect, write down the ones that stand out most and that show that you possess the skills and qualities you found on the job description. Those are the accomplishments you want to work into your answers.

Give An Example Of A Challenge You Had To Overcome

This interview question is a tough one and also a disliked one amongst those who find it difficult to think of the different challenges and professional hiccups they have had. Dont forget that this doesnt have to be a solitary challenge, as you might have completed it in a group or achieved the goal as a team. When you give your example, include the skills and necessary measures you took to ensure that the goal was reached and the challenge was overcome. Ideally, pick a challenge that would be relevant to the job youre interviewing for and make sure you follow the STAR format.

For more interview advice, read our blog for professional career advice such as how to calm nerves before a job interview or how to dress for a job interview. If you havent quite got to the interview stage of the job application process and youre still writing your resume, check out our resume builder and how easy it can really be to write a resume.

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Review The Job Description

The first step you need to take when preparing for an interview is to review the job description. The job description is chocked full of critical details, including the must-have skills and traits the hiring manager needs to find.

Once you bring up the original vacancy announcement, go over it word-by-word. When you spot skills and qualities, consider highlighting them or writing them down in a list. Anything the hiring manager felt was worthy of inclusion will likely come up during your interview.

Essentially, the job description is a cheat sheet. If the hiring manager listed a skill or quality in the job description you should be prepared to show the hiring manager you possess them!

Why Is Interview Preparation So Important How Can It Make A Difference In Someone’s Job

Signs That Your Job Interview Went Well

The difference between preparing for an interview and not can be glaringly obvious to the recruiter or hiring manager. Lack of preparation sends a clear signal to your interviewer that you don’t care to get the job, and it will likely end in frustration for you. When you take the time and energy to make sure you’re ready to impress your interviewer, you will.

Of course, preparing for an interview is only worthwhile if you’re doing it right. When you work with a TopInterview coach like me, you will receive guidance and feedback to ensure that the time and effort you put into your interview preparation will actually benefit you. Practice doesn’t make perfect perfect practice makes perfect!

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How To Best Introduce Yourself At A Job Interview

Youre sitting in a reception area, dressed in a carefully chosen outfit. Youre showered and polished. Your hair is perfect. Your hands are manicured. Now, if only your palms would stop sweating!

Few things are quite as unnerving as job interviews. You approach them knowing that unless you match the employers expectations youre not going to land that sweet gig. Fortunately, there are plenty of things you can do to ensure youll make a good impression when the stakes are high.

Heres a tip:

End The Video Interview With Appreciation

Just as you would with any interview, thank the interviewer for the opportunity, and follow up with a post-interview thank-you note within 24 hours. In your note, briefly reinforce why youre interested in the job and why youd be a great match for the role and company. Include something that you and the employer discussed while getting to know each other thatll make the thank-you message more personal. Establishing that kind of rapport with the hiring manager, especially after the video interview, can make all the difference in advancing to the next round.

And now, a virtual word from Paul McDonald, Robert Half senior executive director.

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Is There Anything Else Youd Like Us To Know

Just when you thought you were done, your interviewer asks you this open-ended doozy. Dont panicits not a trick question! You can use this as an opportunity to close out the meeting on a high note in one of two ways, Zhang says. First, if there really is something relevant that you havent had a chance to mention, do it now. Otherwise, you can briefly summarize your qualifications. For example, Zhang says, you could say: I think weve covered most of it, but just to summarize, it sounds like youre looking for someone who can really hit the ground running. And with my previous experience , I think Id be a great fit.

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