How To Have A Good Job 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.

Prepare Specific Examples Of Your Work

The interviewer will likely want to see examples of your work, so it’s helpful to be prepared. Have physical examples ready, such as a portfolio, or think of specific work you can describe. Use numbers to give the interviewer a better perspective of your work. For example, you could say you lowered customer wait times by 20%. If you have an online portfolio, add the link to your resume so hiring managers can review it before the interview.

Make Everything About Them

Heres a little secret: The interview isnt really about you.

If you want to start getting a TON of job offers from your interviews, you need to start thinking about what the company wants. Make yourself seem like a solution to their problems.

How can you help them make money, save money, save time, etc.?

How will you make the hiring managers life easier if he or she hires you?

Figure out how to show this, start thinking about their needs and answering their questions with this mindset and you will be in the top 10% of job seekers.

Same goes for writing your resume. If you want to stand out, start thinking of your resume as being about THEM. Its a document that should be tailored to the employers needs, showing them how your qualifications and past work will help you step into *their* job and be successful in their organization.

Thats the general idea, and its true for resumes, cover letters, and interviews.

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Know That Bias Is A Real Thing And Work To Combat It

As an interviewer, you have a responsibilityto actively work to combat bias in yourself and your colleagues as you assess candidates. Most of us are drawn to candidates who remind us of ourselves or whom wed feel comfortable getting a beer with, but this can blind you to peoples weaknesses or to other candidates strengths. And unsurprisingly, this is how companies end up with homogenous staffs with little diversity.

Being vigilant about assessing all candidates against the same list of must-haves can help mitigate some of the biases that creep into the interviewing process, but its also worth doing things like taking the Harvard Implicit Association Tests and learning about how bias plays out even among well-intentioned interviewers.

Example Weakness : Perfectionism

I tend to be a perfectionist and can linger on the details of a project which can threaten deadlines. Early on in my career, when I worked for ABC Inc., that very thing happened. I was laboring over the details and in turn, caused my manager to be stressed when I almost missed the deadline on my deliverables. I learned the hard way back then, but I did learn. Today Im always aware of how what Im doing affects my team and management. Ive learned how to find the balance between perfect and very good and being timely.

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Mention The Name Of The Person Who Referred You If Applicable

If you applied for the position because a person of determinable integrity referred you, it’s often helpful to begin your interview by mentioning it. This is because such a person can have a weighty positive influence on the mind of the interviewer. Consequently, referring to the person at the start of the interview ensures the interviewer is conscious of your referee.

Questions About You And Your Goals

Another crucial aspect of an interview? Getting to know a candidate. Thats why youll likely encounter questions about how you work, what youre looking for , and what your goals are. Its a good sign if your interviewers want to make sure youll be a good fitor addto the team. Use it as an opportunity!

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What Should I Ask In 20 Questions

Ask These 20 Questions To Get To Know People:

• When is your birthday?
• What is your favorite animal?
• What do you do for a living?
• If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
• What was your favorite school subject?
• Do you have a small or big family?
• What genres of music do you like best?

Why Interviewers Ask About Your Strengths

What is your greatest strength? seems like a pretty easy and straightforward question after youve walked a recruitment manager through your resume, but theres a reason the hiring manager wants to probe the topic based on your response. The manager is looking to:

This question is known as a behavioral interview question, and based on the skills, habits, and personality traits revealed in an applicants answer it can provide a hiring manager with a surprisingly accurate insight into the type of person theyre interviewing.

Build a professional resume in minutes.

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What Is Your Dream Job

Employers typically ask this question because they want to ensure that your interests and passion align with their job. A good answer will describe a role that matches the one youre interviewing for. Consider using this formula for your response:

1. Mention the skills you want to use:I enjoy guiding other team members on projects and making sure everything goes smoothly…”

2. Describe a job in general:“…My dream job would be a leadership position where the other team members are active participants and communication happens daily…

3. Discuss your values:“…I love seeing a project through to the end and celebrating everyones hard work…

4. Tailor to the job for which you are interviewing:“…For instance, if youre applying for a leadership position, you might discuss how your dream job would include supervisory responsibilities.”

Read more: Interview Question: “What Is Your Dream Job?”

Interview Advice That Will Help You Get A Job Offer

When you’re interviewing for a job, the little things can make a big difference. Even a small mistake can cost you a job offer. Take the time to prepare so you can make the best possible impression at every job interview you go on.

These interview techniques cover all the basics you need to know polish up your interview technique and ace a job interview. From checking out the company to sending an interview thank you note, make your meeting with the hiring manager a success from beginning to end.

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Can You Tell Me About A Difficult Work Situation And How You Overcame It

This question is often used to assess how well you perform under pressure as well as your problem-solving abilities. Keep in mind stories are more memorable than facts and figures, so strive to show instead of tell. This is also an excellent opportunity to show your human side and how when faced with adversity you are able to persevere.

For this question, consider sticking to the STAR method:

• Situation
• Action

• Result or learning

Example answer:It was the first day of my bosss two-week vacation and our agencys highest-paying client threatened to leave because he didnt feel he was getting the personalized service he was promised. I spent my lunch hour on the phone with him talking through his concerns. We even brainstormed ideas for his next campaign. He was so grateful for the personal attention that he signed another six-month contract before my boss even returned from her trip.

Related: Interview Question: “What Is the Biggest Challenge You’ve Faced In Work?”

When Can You Start

Your goal here should be to set realistic expectations that will work for both you and the company. What exactly that sounds like will depend on your specific situation. If youre ready to start immediatelyif youre unemployed, for exampleyou could offer to start within the week. But if you need to give notice to your current employer, dont be afraid to say so people will understand and respect that you plan to wrap things up right. Its also legitimate to want to take a break between jobs, though you might want to say you have previously scheduled commitments to attend to and try to be flexible if they really need someone to start a bit sooner.

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You Got Some Tough Or Unexpected Questions

In past interviews, hiring managers have asked me to solve puzzles, describe myself in three words, do a budget-to-actual analysis across 20+ subsidiaries, and write a mock-up report to an imaginary client. If the hiring manager asks you some technically difficult or crazy interview questions, remember that they are not trying to trick you. The intent is usually to gauge how you approach an unexpected situation. Your response to a tough question can give the interviewer insight into your creativity and ability to deal with pressure something that your resume, no matter how polished, cannot do as effectively.

If you dislike oddball questions, you are not alone. Handling an unexpected question with poise can be difficult. This little trick may help: Remember that the interviewer probably does not care whether you get the right answer to how many gas stations there are in the United States. Interviewers are looking for insight into your logic and problem-solving patterns.

Here are some strategy points on answering logical or oddball questions in a job interview:

For the record, my track record of getting the perfect answer to oddball questions is 50 percent or less. I got the job offers anyway.

Reread Your Resume Or Application

Reread your resume? Why would you need to do that? After all, you know your own background, right? Well, sort of.

If you tailor your resume to each job , and youve applied to more than one recently, you may not remember which details you included. That could spell trouble.

You can almost guarantee that the hiring manager is going to talk about your resume. If you forgot which accomplishments you mentioned, you might not prepare to discuss them. Then, if the hiring manager asks which they almost certainly will you might give a stumbly answer.

Review your resume! Know what you said! Remember, your resume might be all the hiring manager knows about you, so make sure you can discuss those points with ease.

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Did You Ace The Interview

As you consider these observations, keep in mind that it serves you best to take the interview process at face value. Regardless of how confident you feel by the end of the interview, your guess is only a guess until you have an offer in your hand. Continue to prepare, show up, and do your best in every interview.

Finally, remember to observe what you can about the company and the hiring manager, and pay attention to any red flags that may be there. If the hiring manager spoke badly about the person you will be replacing, could not explain the job clearly, or kept checking their phone during the interview, consider what it would be like to work with them. Do not get so caught up in analyzing your performance and whether you had a successful job interview that you lose sight of everything else.

Make sure your first interview during the job search goes well with expert career advice and professional interview coaching. Check out our sister site, TopInterview.

How To Answer What Is Your Greatest Strength

Before you start scripting out your answer, make a list of your top skills that align with the qualifications specified in the job listing. You want to make sure your answer is going to be relevant.

Carefully consider your soft skills and hard skills. Try to think of a past experience that would allow you to highlight both types of skill sets.

Once youve narrowed down your top three to five strengths or skills, think of how youve leveraged these strengths in the past and come up with short experiences, no more than a few sentences, that can put these strengths into context.

A winning answer is one that showcases how your strengths have led to professional accomplishments and how they will continue to advance your career goals while aligning with the goals of the company as well.

Build a professional resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your resume.

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Make The Best First Impression

First impressions really do matter, and you don’t have much time to make a good impression during a job interview. From the time you greet the receptionist until the time you leave the building, you’re being evaluated as a potential new hire. It’s important to leave everyone you meet with the best impression you can.

I: Job Interview Preparation

Each step below will prepare you for the actual interview. None of this is very time consuming but it will set you apart from everyone else applying for the job, making it easy for the company to decide who to hire

Here are the basic interview preparation steps to remember. Ive put the estimated time next to each one.

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Have Questions Ready To Ask During An Interview

Asking questions is a great way to dig into the company culture and the specific day-to-day responsibilities of the job so that, should you be hired, your first week or so in the position won’t be accompanied by any major surprises.

Asking questions can also give you the opportunity to further highlight some of your qualities, skills, and experience, and show the employer why you’re a terrific match for the job.

Melissa Ling / The Balance

Whats Your Current Salary

Its now illegal for some or all employers to ask you about your salary history in several cities and states, including New York City Louisville, North Carolina California and Massachusetts. But no matter where you live, it can be stressful to hear this question. Dont panicthere are several possible strategies you can turn to. For example, you can deflect the question, Muse career coach Emily Liou says, with a response like: Before discussing any salary, Id really like to learn more about what this role entails. Ive done a lot of research on and I am certain if its the right fit, well be able to agree on a number thats fair and competitive to both parties. You can also reframe the question around your salary expectations or requirements or choose to share the number if you think it will work in your favor.

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The 8 Questions Youll Be Asked In Nearly Every Job Interview

Preparing for job interviews can often feel like a Sisyphean task. With so many possible questions that an interviewer could ask you, how can you realistically practice answering each one? The good news is that most interviews are based on a cache of basic questions that youre almost certain to be asked in one form or another. These are questions to determine the Ws: who you are, why youre interviewing at the company and what you will bring to the role.

In the job interview, you are literally auditioning for a new role,writesCathy Salit in the Harvard Business Review. Like any good performer, you need to practice in advance, she says. Use the tips here to craft your authentic response to commonly asked interview questions. Think about related questions that these answers could also be used for. Then take the time to craft a full response and rehearse saying it out loud practice makes perfect!

What Other Companies Are You Interviewing With

Companies might ask you who else youre interviewing with for a few reasons. Maybe they want to see how serious you are about this role and team or theyre trying to find out who theyre competing with to hire you. On one hand, you want to express your enthusiasm for this job, but at the same time, you dont want to give the company any more leverage than it already has by telling them theres no one else in the running. Depending on where you are in your search, you can talk about applying to or interviewing for a few roles that have XYZ in commonthen mention how and why this role seems like a particularly good fit.

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