Most Interviews Include These Stages:
1. Introductory stage. | estimated length of a few minutes.
The interviewer will greet you and establish rapport. Extend your hand for a handshake as you meet. Listen carefully to your interviewer’s name. State your full name, and don’t speak too quickly. During this time, the interviewer gets the very important first impression of you, based on your greeting and introduction, handshake, appearance, and demeanor.
There might be friendly small talk as you are greeted and escorted to the interview room. Be alert to signals, listen, and give short responses. For example if asked if you had trouble with directions to the office, respond that you did not.
Sit when you are directed to do so, not before.
Address your interviewer as Ms./Mr./Dr. . If your interviewer insists on being addressed by her/his first name, you can do so. Don’t use her/his first name until told to do so. Starting with formality and moving to less formality is appropriate. If you start informally, and that is not welcome, this can be awkward and embarrassing.
There might be brief discussion of logistics, what will happen during the interview, verification that the interviewer and candidate each have appropriate information, etc. You could offer an updated copy of your resume, and any other paperwork you were asked to bring.
2. Information from the interviewer to the candidate. | estimated length of a few minutes.
3. Questions from the interviewer to the candidate. | majority of the interview time.
Hello Teacher Hello Lawyer
Many of my students call me “Teacher” during our first class. They often say,”Hello Teacher.”
This is not how we address teachers or other professionals in America.
Imagine you go into a lawyer’s office. Would you say, “Hello Lawyer”? No, you wouldn’t. You would say, “Hello Ms. Scupi.” What if you didn’t know her name? What would you call her? You wouldn’t call her anything, you would just say, “Hello.”
When in doubt, just say “Hello.”
Study Up On The Candidate Before The Interview
This is the last but most crucial step to preparing for an interview. Plan to spend at least half an hour reviewing the candidate in advance.
You only have a limited window to get to know each candidate. You dont want to spend too much of the interview making them repeat whats on their resume. So its wise to review the candidate’s information in advance. Get to know their job history, check out their LinkedIn profile, review their assessment results, and review any other materials they may have provided before the interview.
If there are any gaps or confusing points in their resume, you can add them to your list of questions to ask the candidate.
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Shorter Method For How To Answer Tell Me About Yourself
The method I gave you above is the standard way most recruiters recommend answering tell me about yourself. Its how I coached job seekers to answer this question for years.
Theres another way you can answer, though and it has some benefits. Ill explain
Many experts have pointed out that if the interviewer wanted your career story, they could have looked at your resume or , or asked a question like, can you walk me through your background?
So theres another approach for answering, tell me about yourself, that skips the career story and just cuts right to the chase: Why youre awesome and why they should hire you!
Lets look at 2 word-for-word templates that accomplish this.
After this, youll have two proven methods for answering, tell me about yourself in interviews, and in the next section, Ill reveal how to decide which method is best for YOU.
B Technical Interview Questions To Ask Candidates
These questions are at the core of technical interviews. If youre the hiring manager or a team member who does a similar job as the position youre hiring for, youll want to ask these questions. Note that technical does not mean tech-related in this case, it means specific and job-related.
To find the best technical interview questions to ask potential employees, search for the role youre hiring for in our vast library of 350+ interview question samples. Here are examples of jobs companies are often looking to fill:
Technical questions are usually part of the second interview questions to ask candidates who have been shortlisted after the initial interview or screening call. In this stage, youre evaluating the candidates ability to actually do the job.
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How Would Your Boss Describe You
This may give you a sense of the candidates relationship with previous managers. Reliable? Prompt? Efficient? Keep in mind, though, who youre asking. The answer will be simply their opinion of what the boss might have said. Thats why its still critical to check references. Request a list of contacts and give former employers a call to hear how their impressions align with the candidates.
How Should The Interviewer Prepare For The Interview
- Read through candidates’ CVs and make note of key points to elaborate on during the interview.
- Prepare your interview questions.
- Be prepared to answer questions that candidates’ may ask about the position and organization.
- Schedule enough time for the interview and try and stick to the time-limit .
- Know your company’s goals and culture and be prepared to “sell” it to the candidate.
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In The End Its Still A Crap Shoot
No matter how long you interview someone or how extensive a background check is or how many references you call, its still a crap shoot as to whether or not they will fit into your company. Dont be discouraged if you choose a candidate and they dont work out. It happens and its not the end of the world. Just remember to learn from it because that will make you a much better interviewer.
What Questions Can I Ask In An Interview
A Interview Question You Can’t Ask: It’s easy to ask about your high school diploma for entry-level or promotion jobs. Financial condition. Interview Question: An employer may request necessary financial information about benefits, stock options and 401 after the candidate is hired and in its sole discretion.
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Sample Interview Questions: How To Interview
Finding out if a candidate can do the job is easier to determine than whether the candidate will be the right fit for the job. The questions you ask in the interview process have to determine both, which is why its important to make sure you have a plan before you sit down in the interviewer chair.
Schedule Enough Time For The Interview
Once youve shortlisted your best candidates, its time to schedule the interview!
Depending on the role, youll have to decide between an interview thats in person, over the phone, or over a video call. Youll also have to decide how much time to allocate for an interview. Junior roles may only take 30 minutes, while more senior roles may take over an hour.
Its best to have more than one person interviewing the candidate, so be sure to invite a co-worker too.
Tip: Leave yourself enough of a gap in your schedule before and after each interview. You want to be in the right headspace to give your full attention to the interview, and you also dont want to risk being late. Remember, youre also trying to impress the candidate.
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How Do I Prepare For An Interview At A Restaurant
Please arrive five minutes early. Don’t speak too fast, it may sound nervous. Maintain eye contact during the conversation. Sit up straight during the conversation. Dress formally or at least informally. Remember you want to look like someone who knows how to serve food. So if you have long hair, bring it back.
Do You Have Any Questions For Me
This question typically wraps up the interview. Most candidates who are interested in the job will be prepared with a few relevant questions for a hiring manager. However, if the discussion was long and detailed, the candidate may have already asked their questions. In a case like this, its OK if a candidate doesnt have a list of questions at the end of the interview.
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Be Realistic And Truthful About Your Answer
Though quoting an expected CTC amount is your discretion, do not inflate or quote unrealistic figures. Some skills and roles are niche and in-demand, and employers may pay high salaries to attract skilled professionals. Quote a realistic figure that is more than your current CTC within the company’s budget and in line with current salary trends. If your salary expectations are high, you may also have to substantiate it with reasons that can convince a business that you are worth hiring.
Conclude By Explaining Your Current Situation
Finally, the best way to finish your story is to bring them up to speed on your current situation.
Why you wanted to apply for their job, what youre looking to do next, etc.
For example you might end your answer by saying:
and thats why I wanted to interview with your firm. This position seems like a great opportunity to advance those skills I just talked about, and continue building my career and challenging myself.
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Take The Call In The Right Environment
When getting ready for your phone interview, make sure that you have a quiet environment free of distractions. If you live with other people in your home, request that they go to another room or move your conversation to a more private space. You can also use a separate room where you can close the door to reduce noisy interruptions.
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Be On Message From The Outset
Politicians coached in handling the media are always advised to have a maximum of three key messages to get across, which they should stick to and repeat throughout any interview.
Similarly, its a good idea to have two or three key points that you want to make about what you have to offer and what youre looking for for example, Im ready for the challenge of managing a team, I combine compliance experience with technical expertise, in my career, Ive developed an extensive digital transformation skillset.
These are the three key points that you want your interviewer to remember about you. So try and work them in naturally whenever you can, even in the first few minutes. Its also important to have a ready answer for some of the most common questions that come up early on such as Tell me why you want this job and Whats your understanding of what this job involves?
Get The Right People In The Door
You want your new team members to propel your product, division, and company forward. How do you get that? Our advisor Eben Pagan puts it very simply: Only take A-players. At every stage in the processfrom resume screens to offerskeep your bar high. Set tough standards, ask questions that let you probe a candidates knowledge and skills, and most importantly, dont take people you feel so-so about just because you feel bad, want to be nice, or are having a hard time verbalizing why your gut is telling you no.
Beyond that, set your recruiting process up to help your applicants self-select. What makes your company unique and attractive? Whatever it is, make sure it gets communicated. At Inflection, we have a unique and fun culture, well-illustrated on our website through charts and infographics. So we often direct people to the website, and bring printed versions of it when we attend career fairs. When we see candidates get excited about it, its a good sign well have a good culture fit.
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Ask For The Appropriate Individual
If a receptionist does answer your call, ask for the appropriate individual after you introduce yourself. For example, ask for the interviewer using their first and last name. If the interviewer answers your call, use this step to ensure you are speaking with the correct individual. Here are two examples for each case:
Example:”Hello, I’m Gemma Rutherford, and I’m calling for a scheduled interview for the accounts payable clerical position. May I speak with Jackie Renshaw, please?”
Example:”Hi, this is Gemma Rutherford, and I’m calling for our scheduled phone interview today. Am I speaking with Jackie Renshaw?”
Tell The Candidate What Comes Next
While you shouldnt give any candidate an assessment on the spot, you should give them an indication of what comes next, should their interview be considered a success. At the end of the interview, let the candidate know what the next steps in the process look like, including when they can expect to hear back.
For example, if theres a possibility of a second interview, let them know approximately when that may happen so they can adjust their schedule if needed. After that, thank them for their time and tell them to enjoy the rest of their day!
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Dig Into Past Experience
Past success is the greatest predictor of future success. Make sure you understand the projects your candidate has previously worked on and make sure you ask them about any side projects .
Once you have a few notes and you feel like you know which angle youd like to approach the interview from, its time to meet the candidate.
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.
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Practice Your Answer Before The Interview
As a final tip make sure you go practice everything you plan on saying when the interviewer asks, what can you tell me about yourself?
Nothing comes out perfect the first time, and you dont want to appear nervous and stumble when they ask.
So Id recommend grabbing a piece of paper and writing down the key points you want to talk about in your answer. I like to write them in bullet format.
Then, use your smartphones voice recorder app to record a few practice answers and see how you sound.
Dont look at your notes as you give your answer. The idea is to try to remember what you want to talk about without reading off the paper. Then glance at the paper AFTER to make sure you covered everything.
Keep practicing until you can give a smooth answer without forgetting anything important.
Note: If youre having a phone interview, you can use notes/bullet points to help guide you through your answer. Nobody can see you on the phone, so take advantage!
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Highlight Impressive Experience And Accomplishments
As you tell your career story, explain key accomplishments youve achieved, work youve done, skills youve learned, and key career moves youve made.
Were you promoted? Thats always a great sign and worth mentioning.
Did you accomplish something significant like solving a big problem for your last employer? Thats great to mention, too.
Did you build new skills or overcome challenges? Get specific! Tell details.
But random impressive facts arent enough. You should be thinking about how this ties in with the company youre talking to.
You should always research the company before going into the interview. Study their job description in particular so you know what skills THEY care most about.
What does this particular job involve? Is there a lot of leadership? Talk about your experiences leading , how it went, what you learned.
Does the job involve a high level of technical skill? Talk about how you learned and advanced in that area through each step of your career!
You need to tailor your answer for, tell me about yourself, for their job description and their needs. Try to talk about experiences and qualifications that are relevant for this job youve applied for.