You Flubbed Asking Questions At The End
Have you heard the old cliche that there are no stupid questions? Well, in a job interview, there are. The objective of an interview is for you to convey that you have the experience and skills necessary to fulfill the job while assuring the interviewer that you are prepared to commit, work hard and be successful in the role. You want them to know that you have a strong understanding of what the job entails and that you are prepared to take on the challenge.
At some point in almost every interview, you will likely be asked if you have any questions. You want to be sure that you have questions and that they reflect well on you.
There are many questions that you can ask that will support your objective. You want to show that you are interested, smart, and have done some homework on the position.
Avoid questions that dont add any substance to the conversation. Dont ask about topics that you should have researched already. Dont ask questions about schedules, hours, vacation, and benefits .
Take this opportunity to show you want to learn more about the interviewers vision for the role, obstacles they foresee, and career opportunities that may exist.
All of these mistakes can be avoided with the right practice and preparation.
Its well worth the time to analyze where you may be falling short and how you can strategize to make a stronger impression.
HUMOR: Here is a clip from Borat where hes getting interview feedback from a recruiter.
Pamela Skillings
What To Do Before The Interview
Research the Company. Gathering background information on a prospective employer is crucial to successfully preparing for an interview.
Your first step is to review the employer’s website, especially the About Us section. Take a look at the company’s social media presence, too. This will give you insight into how the company wants the public to perceive it. Research the company’s history, its position in the market, and new developments, particularly recent or planned changes that could affect your role. Don’t be afraid to request additional details about the position at hand, too.
When you demonstrate your knowledge about the organization during an interview, it shows genuine interest, which is what interviewers want to see.
The insights discovered in your research can also help you calibrate your responses to questions.
Practice Answering Interview Questions. Prepare answers to commonly asked interview questions. Doing so will help you analyze your background and qualifications for the position. Plus, thinking through your responses will help you sound confident during the interview, and avoid rambling or incoherent responses.
You should also be ready for behavioral interview questions, which many of today’s recruiters have adopted as a preferred method of screening candidates. Learn how to prepare for this common interviewing approach by reviewing this guide to behavioral based interviewing.
Where Do You See Yourself In 5/10 Years
First off, if your five-year plan involves working somewhere different than the company youâre interviewing with, itâs best not to mention it. Rather, talk broadly about the type of projects you would like to be working on, as well as the environment and people you would hope to be surrounded by. Try not to get into the specifics of what salary you want to receive and what title you would like to have. Instead, speak about your overarching goals, and how this job will help you accomplish them.
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Powerful Job Interview Tips From A Recruiter: How To Pass An Interview
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If you think most hiring decisions are based on your experience and qualifications, then you better keep reading. Your resume gets you in the door, but how you interview determines whether youre offered the job.
This article will teach you proven job interview tips to help you pass a job interview and get the job you want. Heres what were going to cover:
- Part I: Job Interview Preparation Tips everything to do before your interview
- Part II: Interviewing Tips the best strategies to use during your interview to stand out
- Part III: Tips for After Your Interview how to make sure you get the job offer after your interview is over
These are the best interview tips that I know, from close to 5 years working as a Recruiter.
After you finish this article, youll know how to stand out from other job seekers and pass a job interview a majority of the time.
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 youâre almost certain to be asked in one form or another. These are questions to determine the Ws: who you are, why youâre interviewing at the company and what you will bring to the role.
âIn the job interview, you are literally auditioning for a new role,â writesCathy Salit in the Harvard Business Review. âLike any good performer, you need to practice in advance,â 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 â practice makes perfect!
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Interviews Are Your Chance To Sell Your Skills And Abilities
They also give you a chance to find out if the job and company are right for you. Follow the tips here to ace your interviews.
Review common interview questions. Practice answering them with someone else or in front of a mirror. Come prepared with stories that relate to the skills that the employer wants, while emphasizing your:
- Strengths
- Willingness to work and flexibility
- Leadership skills
- Ability and willingness to learn new things
- Contributions to the organizations in which you have worked or volunteered
- Creativity in solving problems and working with people
Figure out in advance how well you qualify for the job. For each requirement listed in the job posting, write down your qualifications. This can show you if you lack a particular skill. Plan how you will address this in the interview so you can convince the interviewer that you can learn the skill.
Make a list of questions that you would like to ask during the interview. Pick questions that will demonstrate your interest in the job and the company. This might include commenting on the news you learned from the company website, and then asking a question related to it. Also ask questions about the job you will be expected to perform, like:
- What are the day-to-day responsibilities of this job?
- How will my responsibilities and performance be measured? By whom?
- Could you explain your organizational structure?
- What computer equipment and software do you use?
- What is the organization’s plan for the next five years?
Dress For The Job Or Company
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.
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Your Interviewer Wasnt Paying Attention
If your interviewer appears to be somewhere else mentally or you notice them looking at another screen during your video interview, Kaplan says, they might be disinterested or disengaged from your conversation.
Of course, its entirely possible that they were taking a quick look at your resume or their list of interview questions. So dont place too much weight into a brief distraction or break in eye contact. Thats way different from a lack of commitment to your entire conversation.
Whats Your Biggest Weakness
This is a personal favorite of mine. The primary reason for this question is not to actually find out what your biggest weakness is. Unless of course, you say something like showing up to work on a regular basis, then its probably going to get you kicked out of consideration for the role.
The main reason for someone asking you this question is to see if you are self-aware. That is if you know your weaknesses and are smart enough to account for them.
The smart play here is to answer in a modest way. You want to be able to show that your biggest weakness actually has an upside. For instance, I usually say that mine is impatience. Which is true, I like to get things done. But what I ensure what I point out is that even though I am impatient, its because I like to crank and get a lot of work done.
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Proper Phone Interview Etiquette
Review these guidelines for appropriate phone interview etiquette, so you make the best impression on your interviewer.
Answer the phone yourself. First, be sure to let family members and/or roommates know you are expecting a call. When you answer the phone, respond with your name. You can say, “This is Jane Doe” or “John Smith speaking!” That way, the interviewer will know they’ve reached the right person. Make sure to use an upbeat tone of voice .
Follow the interviewer’s lead. Some interviewers may wish to engage in a few minutes of small talk. Others may want to get right into the interview. Let the interviewer steer the start to the conversation, but be prepared to talk about the weather or make other small talk.
Listen carefully to the interviewer and don’t start speaking until the interviewer finishes the question. If you have something you want to say, jot it down on your notepad and mention it when it’s your turn to talk. It can also be helpful to jot down the question .
Don’t worry if you need a few seconds to think of a response, but don’t leave too much dead air. If you need the interviewer to repeat the question, ask.
Acting Overconfident Or Entitled
Valerie Streif, marketing manager at GetMyBoat, warns job candidates to pay attention to their tone.
“Something that hurts a lot of job seekers is being overconfident and unaware of how they sound in an interview,” she said.
While being confident of your skills and excited about the value you can add to a company will benefit you, there is a fine line between poised and arrogant. Acting as if you are entitled to a position will instantly seem rude, no matter how qualified you are. Remember that you were invited to interview, and stay quietly confident and humble.
MORE RESOURCES:
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Finding Out Your References Were Contacted
Regardless of when you provided your reference list, once those professionals have heard from the hiring manager, you can be pretty confident about your chances. While a hiring manager may contact references for the top couple of candidates, they usually dont take the time if youre not a top contender.
Know When The Battle Is Lost
Accept defeat graciously.
Youre not going to get every job you apply for, and that means learning to accept defeat gracefully. If you arent hired, dont take it personally and certainly dont burn any bridges.
Keep your emotions in check and maintain your professionalism.
You never know what the future might hold and just because one job with a company doesnt work out, doesnt mean there might not be future opportunities there.
Make sure you accept the rejection with grace and wrap up any conversations on a hopeful and positive note.
Its also a great idea to follow up a rejection with a thank-you noteyesa second one!
Not only will this distinguish you from other rejected candidates but it will ensure that they see you in a positive noteand will hopefully keep you in mind for future possibilities.
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Tell Me A Little Bit About Yourself
âTell me about yourselfâ is one of those vague questions that can cause you to ramble and get lost if youâre not prepared. But itâs also a common enough interview question that you should definitely have a clear, concise answer prepared for it. Think about this answer in three phases: what you do now, what you did previously and what you want to do next. Make sure to keep it relevant to the job youâre applying for. This means if youâre applying for an accountant position, talk about your previous accounting experience. You can also mention other things youâve done and interests you have, but keep it mostly focused on accounting. In addition, donât fall into the trap of regurgitating your resume. This is the time for you to talk about why youâre passionate about the field youâre in. If you can tell a gripping anecdote about what got you into this field, or the moment you realized you loved it, all the better.
Who Did Prince Andrew Get Covid From
Andrew was last pictured on Wednesday, riding his horse around the Windsor Estate, where he resides.
It is unknown as to where the Prince caught Covid and who from.
He has been away from the public eye recently due to the Virginia Giuffre sexual abuse case.
Andrew has vehemently denied the assault claims but reached a £12million settlement in February to stop the case proceeding to a civil trial.
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How To Handle Inappropriate Questions
Under regulations from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission , employers are barred from asking certain questions that can be considered discriminatory. These questions involve ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, family arrangements or other personal identity factors. This Business News Daily article outlines other illegal job interview questions that employers shouldn’t ask.
If you feel uncomfortable with a question or believe it’s discriminatory, you have several options for how to respond:
- Politely ask the interviewer what relevance the question has to the position or why the question is being asked.
- Redirect the conversation toward a discussion of your skills and abilities as they relate to the position.
- Answer the question.
- Refuse to answer the question.
- End the interview.
- If an employer asks something truly offensive or discriminatory, you can file a complaint with the EEOC.
Signs Your Interview Didnt Go So Well
Now lets talk about the flipside: You have this sinking feeling that maybe your interview didnt go as well as you hoped. If you noticed some of the following signs, they could mean that you need to continue your search and prepare to nail future interviews with other employers.
Keep in mind that nothing is a guarantee, and the only way youll know for sure is when you get either a polite rejection email or hear that the company wants to invite you to do a second interview, an interview assignment, or another next step.
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Remember The Interview Starts As Soon As You Leave The House
The interview starts long before you shake hands and sit down around the table. You never know who you might bump into as you get off your bus or train , or enter the companys building for all you know, your interviewer could be in the same coffee-bar queue as you. So make sure you project a friendly, confident, professional air from the moment you set off.
Doubtless youll have made sure you arrive early. Give yourself time to have a comfort break and make sure youre hydrated. Make conversation with the receptionist, switch off your phone and take in your surroundings you might notice something that will make a useful small-talk topic later. Dont try and cram in any last-minute facts you want to come across as calm and organised, not flustered and under-prepared.
Where Is Prince Andrew Today
Eagle eyed viewers spotted that Prince Andrew, 62, was missing from Trooping the Colour today.
Non-working royals were not permitted to join Her Majesty on the famed Buckingham Palace balcony, meaning Andrew and the Sussexes were not invited.
While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were seen in during the event, Prince Andrew was absent.
It has since been announced that Andrew has tested positive for Covid, forcing him to pull out from events.
He tested positive during a routine test and has withdrawn from all Jubilee activities.
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Write Notes To Refer To Later
During the interview, take notes of the candidates answers to help remember important information or crucial details. For example, consider writing answers that impress you or thoughts on a candidates body language, confidence level, and appearance. Notes can often give you assurance when its time to decide on which candidate to hire. Remember to balance note writing with active engagement during the interview.
Why Are You Interested In This Company
Researching a company before the interview always pays off â the more, the better. Does the company have a new product release next week? Was the CEO on the cover of Forbes last month? If so, you should know. Itâs also important to not just research the companyâs history and the latest news stories itâs been mentioned in, but additionally to gather as much information as you can about the internal company culture. That way, you can speak intelligently about why the companyâs culture and values attracted you, and why youâll be a good fit there.
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