Thursday, March 21, 2024

How To Go For An Interview

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Some Don’ts Of Interview Preparation

How to Ace an Interview: 5 Tips from a Harvard Career Advisor
  • Do not arrive late for the interview.
  • Do not arrive for the interview without a copy of the resume.
  • Do not speak loudly on the phone while waiting for your turn.
  • Do not laze around or hunch while sitting in the waiting area.
  • Do not ask the interviewer any personal questions.
  • Do not use bad words about your previous or current company/employer in your social media posts.

Want to up your interview preparation game? Read interview experiences of millions of other candidates on platforms like AmbitionBox.

Here, you will find detailed interview stories and questions of different companies.

Similarly, you can also write your interview story and share it with other candidates.

All the best!

A Sample Script For Declining A Job Interview By Phone

There is a reason why email is so popular. It allows you to craft the perfect response and wont put you on the spot like a live phone conversation. However, when declining an invitation, taking the time to call may be more courteous and leave a better impression than an email.

When opting for the latter, it is important to have some talking points ready. Heres how I would approach it:

Hi Joe, this is Henry regarding the XYZ position. I just wanted to call and let you know that Ill be declining the interview I was recently offered. Ive decided to .

I really appreciate your taking the time to consider me.

Your goal is not to burn any bridges. Be polite, concise, and humble. They may press for reasons why you are declining their invitation. Be prepared for this, and if there is anything that may change your mind, have that ready too. If its respectfully communicated, there is nothing wrong with stating your price. You could say something along the lines of:

I really like your company and the position, but the salary posted is less than what I am currently earning. I understand it may not be doable, but I would like to have a salary of $____ in order to consider it.

If this is a company youd like to work for in a different position, dont be afraid to share that either. This could lead to another, more appropriate opportunity.

In What Ways Could The Team That I’m Joining Improve To Be More Impactful And Deliver More Value For The Business Its Stakeholders And Its Users

Ideally, the team you may join needs someone of your skill-set, background, experience and unique contributions. With that said, not all managers or leaders have done the work to identify where their team is weak, says Howard Ekundayo . Additionally, the manager may not have the organizational decision-making power to make targeted hiring decisions even if they did do this work. The context around this question may significantly impact your decision to join the company, organization and team overall.

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How To Invite A Candidate For Interview By Phone

Communicating with candidates by phone makes your approach more personable. But, when your purpose is to schedule an interview, phone calls can create confusion. People may forget what was said if they were in a hurry or didnt take notes. Also, candidates may feel uncomfortable taking this type of call if theyre at work.

Email is more convenient and allows you to provide details about your interview process. State your purpose and your companys name in the subject line to ensure that candidates will open your email.

After your initial email, you could send a text to confirm candidates appointments or send them directions to your offices.

Reflect On Your Accomplishments

10 Ways to lose the job before you

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.

Read Also: What Are Some Questions To Ask During An Interview

What If The Company Hasnt Responded To Multiple Emails After The Interview

If you sent the first and second follow-up emails from the samples provided earlier and still didnt hear back from the employer about your status as a candidate, heres what to do:

  • First, make sure youve waited one or two days for a response to your most recent email .
  • Then, send a follow-up to the same person, replying to the same email you already sent and keeping the same email subject line.
  • Dive Into The Tailoring Method

    Alright, the STAR Method alone is a pretty strong approach. But, by also learning the Tailoring Method, you have a secret sauce for creating delicious answers to behavioral interview questions.

    The Tailoring Method is all about customization. You dont want to give the hiring manager a basic answer to a question you want to make it relevant and enticing, building an exceptional value proposition by showcasing how you can help their company thrive. Thats what the Tailoring Method helps you do.

    Its an approach that makes the hiring manager and company the priority, not you. Its about positioning yourself as a solution to the problem the hiring manager is trying to solve . That makes the Tailoring Method a competitive advantage, as not all job seekers are going to go that extra mile.

    Read Also: How To Succeed In A Phone Interview

    How Long Should You Wait After An Interview To Follow Up

    You should follow up five business days after your job interview if you havent heard feedback from the employer. Or, if the employer provided an expected date for feedback after the interview, follow up one business day after that date has passed.

    For example, if the hiring team said that they would inform you about the next steps within three days of your job interview, wait four days, and then send a follow-up email.

    The idea is this will help you avoid looking too eager and desperate.

    Note that you should also send a thank-you email within 24 hours of the interview!

    Dont use these follow-up templates to email the company a day after your interview employers need time to make their decision. However, companies appreciate a brief thank you before theyve even made a decision.

    You can use this article to write a thank-you email.

    Why Do You Want To Work For

    How to prepare for a job interview

    When a hiring manager asks this question, not only do they want to know why you want to work for them, but they also want to know what you know about the company. This question tests how well you know what the company does and how passionate you are about the work they doso make sure you know the company well and can speak truthfully about your desires to work there.

    Also Check: How To Pass A Behavioral Based Interview

    Learn About The Company’s Story Products And Services

    People miss this one all the time: They go into an interview without a strong understanding of what the company does.

    Just knowing the basics isn’t enough. Learn all you can about the company its history, leadership team, current successes and challenges. If possible, get the company’s products and services: Buy them, try them and talk to people who use them.

    And use your head in the interview. If you’re meeting with PepsiCo and you’re offered a beverage, don’t ask for a Coke.

    Greater knowledge about the company’s customers will also help you present your skills and experiences in context. You’ll appear more relevant to the hiring manager, and the more relevant you are, the better the connection you’ll make.

    The Best Ways To Prepare For An Interview

    A study from JDP reports that applicants spend up to seven hours researching the company before their interview. Many candidates also research their interviewer. Because interviewing is often stressful, 70% of those survey practice their responses out loud, and 62% prepare anecdotes to share with the interviewer.

    Here’s how to research the job and company, how to practice interview questions and answers, how to dress for the interview, how to follow up after the interview, and more interview preparation tips.

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    How To Cancel A Job Interview

    Regardless of the circumstances, its important to let the employer know as soon as possible that youre not going to be able to make it to your interview appointment. If at all possible, dont wait until the last minute. Let the employer know as soon as you’re aware you can’t make it.

    The interviewers time is valuable, and another applicant can be scheduled in the time slot youre giving up. You also want to stay on good terms with the employer in case you want to reschedule or if another job opens up with the company thats a better fit for you.

    Read And Review The Job Description

    Going for a job Interview? These things are always noticed ...

    Youve received a call for that dream job, so how do you prepare for the interview? The first step in the preparation process should be to go back and review the job description. Most job descriptions follow a similar pattern and are usually categorised by the following points:

    • Job title/Department
    • Duties and tasks
    • Skills required

    The job title and department will give you an understanding of the major purpose of the position and where the role fits into the organisation, allowing you to discover who your potential line manager could be.

    Read and review the job description very thoroughly and be sure to align your competencies with the skills required for the job. You will consequently ready yourself for questions around your previous experiences, performing similar duties in other organisations.

    Also Check: What Questions Should A Candidate Ask In An Interview

    A Good Example Of How To Withdraw From An Interview Process As A Candidate

    When a candidate was involved in the interview process for a position with one of our clients, they reached out to us via phone 24 hours before the final interview to inform us that they accepted an offer with another company. The candidate also sent an email to us that was addressed to the hiring manager. This message thanked them for their time and referred a colleague whom they believed would be an excellent fit for the position and company.

    This was a great move by the candidate because it informed us of their change in circumstances with a decent amount of notice, which allowed us to remove them from consideration as well as have time to schedule interviews with other applicants. Furthermore, taking the time to write a letter to the hiring manager demonstrated that the candidate valued their time and wanted to provide them with value in return by recommending someone else who could fill the role. That also accomplished putting it in writing, which is always a good measure for record-keeping purposes.

    This is a prime example of how to decline a job interview without burning bridges. The candidate:

    • Was transparent about their change of circumstance,
    • Quickly informed us about their change of intentions,
    • Saved us time by recommending a colleague who could perform the role well.

    Reasons To Cancel A Job Interview

    One may need to cancel a job interview for a number of reasons, such as a candidates priorities changing, getting a different job offer that is better than this one, or an employer staffing policies changing due to market conditions, etc. Here are some examples why a job interview might need to be canceled or rescheduled.

    Read Also: How To Do A Zoom Interview

    How To Prepare For Your Healthcare Job Interview

    You earned your certification and youre ready to land your first allied health job. Or perhaps youre already in the field but youre looking to move on or move up. Getting the job is about luck, but mostly its the luck you create. As the Roman philosopher Seneca so famously said, Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. So create your own luck and follow these 10 tips to prepare for your job interview.

    Could You Tell Me About A Time When A Co

    How to Gain Interview Confidence | Interview Tips

    Its unlikely that anyone on your interview panel will come out and state frankly that the team culture could use some work. This question, from Kevin Deggelman, Senior Software Engineer for the San Francisco Giants and former head of product and engineering here at First Round, gets to the heart of what makes teamwork shine its not necessarily planning fun offsite events or eating lunch together everyday, its being kind to one another. This is a great question to assess the culture of the prospective team. During the interview process the company is trying to figure out what kind of teammate you’ll be, but it’s often hard for yourself as the candidate to assess what kind of team youll be joining, he says.

    Lindsey O’Niell, Director of Product of Crossbeam, still remembers when she found herself on the receiving end of this question in a hiring process. I had a candidate ask me what the last nice or helpful thing I did for a coworker was. It completely took me by surprise and I thought it was a unique way to get a sense of the culture at a company and showed how thoughtful the candidate was about being a supportive teammate.

    Read Also: How To Write A Follow Up Email To An Interview

    Can You Ever Get An Accurate Read Of How Well You Did In That Critical First Interview

    Interviewing is not a perfect science. It can be difficult to predict the outcome with 100 percent accuracy. However, there are some common trends among the successful job interviews the ones that ultimately lead to an offer. Read on to see if you can spot one or more signs your interview went well.

    Has The Company Ever Made A Decision That Prioritized Its Values Over Revenue

    Most companies have a list of values but whether those values actually leap off the webpage and are reflected in the day-to-day work can be a whole different story. Sean Byrnes, CEO of Outlier, gets down to brass tacks and separates hand-waving from harsh reality with this question.

    Jiaona Zhang, VP of Product at Webflow, also wants to learn more about the companys values in action. It’s definitely true that most companies have core values and that it is often hard to know what they really mean and whether they are upheld, she says. To get a better signal, I ask about the history of the core values specially, I ask for how the core values have been interpreted, whether they’ve had to be revisited over time, and if there have been situations where they’ve been weaponized.

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    Legal And Illegal Inquiries

    The following are some of the key areas that are covered by fair hiring laws. You will see a trend in what are considered legal interview questions and what are not essentially, you cannot ask questions that will reveal information that can lead to bias in hiring, but you can ask questions that relate to job performance.

    Affiliations: Do not ask about clubs, social organizations, or union membership do ask about relevant professional associations.

    Age: Do not ask a candidates age other than, if hired, can a candidate produce proof that he or she is 18 years of age.

    Alcohol or Drug Use: The only allowable question relating to current or past drug or alcohol use is, Do you currently use illegal drugs?

    Criminal Record: Do not ask if a candidate has been arrested you may ask if the candidate has ever been convicted of a crime.

    Culture/Natural Origin: You may ask if the individual can, upon hire, provide proof of legal right to work in the United States. You may ask about language fluency if it is relevant to job performance.

    Disability: You may ask if candidates can perform essential job functions, with or without reasonable accommodation and you may ask them to demonstrate how they would perform a job-related function. You may ask about prior attendance records. And you may require candidates to undergo a medical exam after an offer of employment has been made.

    Personal: Avoid questions related to appearance, home ownership, and personal financial situation.

    Questions To Ask When Responding To Interview Requests

    Personal Interview Questions and Sample Answers

    Next, here are a couple of questions to consider asking in your email or message when using the templates above. Just put your questions at the end if youre unsure of any of these topics:

    If youre unsure of the format of the interview for the job , ask this when you reply.

    If you dont know who youll be speaking to or meeting with, check this as well. Dont worry the templates Im going to share coming up in the next section will help with this.

    And if youre not sure of the exact opportunity youre being considered for, ask this as well. The easiest way to do this is to simply ask for a copy of the job description. Include this line in your reply: Is it possible for you to send me a copy of the job description ahead of time? I always like to research and prepare.

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