How To Win An Interview

More Tips On Job Hunting

The importance of learning cannot be underestimated. Learning empowers us to fulfill our ideas and realize our full potential. The speed of gaining new knowledge is practically as important as its volume. Who wouldnt love to remember tons of information as quickly as possible?

If you want to start learning faster, you need a new approach towards the process which would enable you to comprehend the essence of the matter and relate it with new concepts you encounter.

The following 10 tips will help you become a fast learner:

How To Win A Job Interview

Whether you are going for an interview for your very first job or youre interviewing for a big promotion at your current company, a job interview should be taken very seriously as a successful interview could change your life forever!

Even if youre the perfect candidate for the job, how you conduct and present yourself in your job interview plays an integral role in whether you get the job or not. This is because, these days, bosses dont simply look at your credentials they want to make sure that you are the ideal fit for the role that they are advertising for.

Reading In Preparation Of A Career In Management

If your goal is to enter the private sector in a production/operations management position, reading a few relevant books will allow you to combine your practical leadership experience with some supplemental information on the industry. Select one or two books from our Suggested Reading List to prepare yourself for the interview process. Additionally, we recommend that you read at least one book from the Sales reading list. Even if you’re not interested in a career in sales, until you get “the offer”, you are in the business of selling yourself, so learn how to do it well!

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Get Clear Before Your Interview

Landing your dream job is possible! I wrote my new book, From Paycheck to Purpose, so you can get the clear path to doing work you love.

About the author

Ken Coleman

Ken Coleman is America’s Career Coach, the nationally syndicated radio host of The Ken Coleman Show and #1 national bestselling author. He has been featured in Forbes and appeared on Fox News, Fox Business Network, and the Rachael Ray Show. Since 2014, he has served at Ramsey Solutions, where he offers expert advice every day to help thousands of people discover what they were meant to do and how to land their dream job.Learn More.

Be Ready For The Small Talk

Getting the small talk right can have big consequences. Its a way for people to build rapport and affinity, and start to generate that elusive, intangible quality of chemistry that characterises all effective business relationships.

So as part of your interview preparation, its a good idea to think ahead to some likely topics that might come up, so as to help keep the conversation flowing smoothly. The key is to come up with topics where you have a shared interest, so that youre able to both ask and answer credible questions.

For example, if you see a picture of your interviewers family, perhaps you could ask about them and be ready with a family anecdote of your own. Or if youre a sports fan and you spot signs that your interviewer is too, perhaps you could ask a suitable question that youve also got an interesting answer to .

Think, too, about topical themes. For example, has your potential employer been in the news recently? Or could you ask about the potential impact on the company of a recent development, such as Brexit or falling share prices or a serious malware attack? In each case, make sure you have an interesting thought of your own to contribute too.

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Build Rapport With Open Ended Questions

Start your interview with a couple of easy, non confrontational, questions to build rapport. When the customer is more relaxed you can ask more probing questions.

For example dont start with:

Can you tell me the main reasons we did not win this project

Try:

What did you think of our pre-sales process

What Should I Say To Win An Interview

First things first, you should never ever lie to win a job interview. While it can be tempting to throw in a few more credentials to your experience. If you lie, it will most likely come out eventually, and it will only hurt you in the long run. It is best to start off your relationship with your potential new boss with honesty. With that out of the way, here are some of the things you should say in a job interview:

While you may be nervous during your interview, make an effort to speak clearly and concisely. Try not to ramble too much, and be confident in what you do say. Also, ensure that you truly listen to what the interviewer has to say and dont simply listen to reply.

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Tips For Before The Interview

In the days before your job interview, set aside time to do the following:

1. Start by researching the company and your interviewers. Understanding key information about the company youre interviewing with can help you go into your interview with confidence. Using the companys website, social media posts and recent press releases will provide a solid understanding of the companys goals and how your background makes you a great fit. Review our Complete Guide to Researching a Company.

2. Practice your answers to common interview questions. Prepare your answer to the common question: Tell me about yourself, and why are you interested in this role with our company? The idea is to quickly communicate who you are and what value you will bring to the company and the roleits your personal elevator pitch. Review our guide to answering

Tip: You should come prepared to discuss your salary expectations. If youre unsure what salary is appropriate to ask for, visit Indeed’s Salary Calculator for a free, personalized pay range based on your location, industry and experience.

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Tips on responding to “Tell me about yourself:

Related:

Tips For Great Job Interviews

From researching the company to handling certain key interview questions, make sure you make a great impression and ace your next job interview by following these 20 tips.

Want to ace your next interview and land thatopen job youve been seeking? Here are 20 tips to help you prepare.1. Research the industry and company.An interviewer may ask how you perceive his company’s position in its industry, who the firm’s competitors are, what its competitive advantages are, and how it should best go forward. For this reason, avoid trying to thoroughly research a dozen different industries. Focus your job search on just a few industries instead.

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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.

Dont Forget About Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal communication plays a major role in a job interview. Are you looking at your feet? Do you have your arms crossed? Do you lean on the back of your chair? All these signs will show inward-looking attitudes to the interviewer and he wont feel free to get to know you better. Make sure to keep this in mind. Also, employers will be looking at your appearance and how you present yourself. Dress sober and clean.

Tip: Dont forget to give a nice and firm handshake to the employer before and after the interview.

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Additional Questions That You Should Be Comfortable Answering

• What date are you ready to start your new career?
• What are your location preferences?
• If you had to give me a 5K range, what would your annual salary expectations be?
• Have you interviewed with any companies in the past 6 months? If so, which ones and for what locations?
• Do you currently have any offers to work for any companies? If so, which companies and for what salary?
• Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
• Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?
• Name three of your strengths.
• Name three of your weaknesses.
• How do you deal with stress?
• Are you open to shift work?
• Are you open to working overtime?
• How many days in a month are you willing to travel?
• What is a long day to you?
• How many hours a week are you open to working?
• Describe a time that you had to sell something to someone else.
• Tell me about a project you led from start to finish.
• Have you ever had a mentor? If so, what did he or she do for you?
• What was the last book that you read, and why did you choose it?
• How would you characterize your leadership style?
• Describe a time when you had to deal with a poor performer.
• How do you deal with conflict?
• How do you motivate people?
• When was the last time, place, and situation that you had an idea you tried to sell, but were met with resistance? Did you ultimately prevail?
• Why should I hire you?
• What do you know about our company?
• What makes you qualified for this position?

That’s How To Win A Job Interview

Learning how to win a job interview is tricky, and it might take some trial and error. Don’t get discouraged if your first interview isn’t successful. You’re learning, and that’s okay!

Are you looking for a new job that’s disability-friendly? Check our list of jobs from approved employers and find your new perfect career today.

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Practice Ahead Of Time

Think of an interview as an audition. If you were going to audition for a role as an actor or actress, you’d want to practice ahead of time, right? This is no different.

When you’re practicing, try getting some of your friends or family members to help. This will make it easier for you to practice thinking on your feet because you won’t necessarily know what questions are coming next.

Get a list of common job interview questions. Keep in mind that many employers will go “off-script” during interviews, so you should use these questions as a guideline rather than a “sure thing.”

When you practice, you’ll feel less nervous when it’s time for the real deal.

Do An Interview Not A Survey

Email surveys are much lower cost than telephone or in-person interviews but they are not effective for win loss analysis. So even though they are low cost, they are a waste of money.

Customers responding to on-line surveys spend little time thinking about their answers and, in generally, are just trying to get them completed.

Pre-formatted surveys also dont allow you to drill into interesting responses with effective followup questions.

Win Loss Interviews are more expensive but they are also worth every cent.

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Top Tips To Win At An Interview

Let’s discuss some top tips of how to win at an interview. These tips can be useful if you’re a recent grad looking for your first job or a “returner” looking to refresh your interviewing skills.

Be prepared: Do your research on the company and the specific role for which you’re interviewing. Have your answers memorised for the standard questions, such as:

Why do you want to work here?

Why should we hire you?

What most impresses you about this company?

What did you think of the Annual Report? What most recent article about our company/ sector interested you and why?

What would you change if you were CEO?

Where do you see yourself in 1,5,10,20 years?

What are your weaknesses? What are your strengths?

Relay an interesting story about yourself.

If you could change the world, how would you?

Who do you most/ least admire?

Tell me something about yourself thats not on your CV.

Describe a dilemma.

Do you have a question?

Remember in every answer to show research, enthusiasm and your strengths in an equal amount to what they are looking for. This requires military precision and practice. Get someone to practice with you if needed.

The day before the interview email to confirm the meeting.

Be professional: Look and sound like you fit for the role youre interviewing. This may sound obvious, but you wouldnt believe the things Ive seen in interviews! Dress professionally, ironed, clean clothes and shoes. Hair clean and tidy. Eye contact. Smile.

Good luck!

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• students, recent grads and anybody who wants to learn how to hack job interviews

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Use Evidence And Concrete Examples To Back Up Your Statements

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A continuation from the previous point, it’s important to back up every statement you make with numbers. This is especially true in regards to your resume, where you should be quantifying your work experience.

Numbers are great for demonstrating your skills and expertise. Did you increase revenue or save time? How did you improve processes or procedures? How many clients did you deal with/win every month? You definitely want to have a few stories prepared related to the job description using the STAR technique.

Acing Your Executive Interview

Deliver a confident introduction

Making a great first impression sets the tone for the interview. How can you instantly engage the interviewer? Consider asking them a question that shows you have done company research, or lead with an opening remark that makes a personal connection.

Show, rather than tell

Have specific examples with metrics to prove the results you have achieved for other employers. Numbers speak and can help this potential employer envision you getting the same results for them.

Paint yourself into the picture

How can you get them to picture a future with you? While you want to display your past work experience and accomplishments, you also want to get them to imagine what you can do for them.

How can you demonstrate critical thinking about their current issues? Can you provide insights into problems and how you would overcome them?

Make a connection

At an executive-level interview, employers arent just thinking, can this person do the job? They also want to see how you fit into the company culture. Will you be a good fit within the existing executive team?

Let your personality shine through. What do you have in common with the interviewer? How can you show excitement for your work and the company?

Using a storytelling format when sharing your accomplishments is much more engaging than stating facts.

Consider the STAR method.

Task Define the job or problem.

Action Describe the specific action you took.

Result Share your outcome .

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Interview Closing Statement Examples To Win The Job

• / By Biron Clark

There are a couple of things employers always remember after an interview and one of the big ones is how you close out the interview.

Theyll remember if you finished with confidence or seemed nervous. Theyll remember if you reaffirmed your interest in the job, or if you appeared uninterested. .

So in this article, youre going to get four examples of good interview closing statements to end the conversation and get more job offers.

Well also look at what NOT to say and some big mistakes you need to avoid when closing so make sure you read until the end.

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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Ask A Lot Of Questions

One of the best ways to catch an employers attention is to ask a lot of questions in the interview.

If you want job offers from great employers, you need to seem like youre being careful in your job search and looking for specific things, not just looking for the first company that will hire you.

Do not go into an interview without being able to explain in detail what you are hoping to find in your next job. If you cant do this, youre setting yourself up for failure.

Then, write down questions you would like to ask the employer. You need to make sure to ask the right questions, though. I recommend focusing on three main areas:

• The work youll be doing
• The group youll be joining
• The company overall

Make sure youre not asking any questions that are answered on the company website, and avoid asking questions about salary, benefits, working hours, dress code, etc.

Let the employer bring these topics up first. Especially in a first or second interview, you want to seem like youre 100% focused on learning about the job and the companys goals, and determining if its a good match for you.