What Is A Job Interview Like

Other Applicant Discrimination: Weight And Pregnancy

FIRST job interviews be like..

Job applicants who are underweight , overweight or obese may face discrimination in the interview. The negative treatment of overweight and obese individuals may stem from beliefs that weight is controllable and those who fail to control their weight are lazy, unmotivated, and lack self-discipline. Underweight individuals may also be subject to appearance-related negative treatment. Underweight, overweight and obese applicants are not protected from discrimination by any current United States laws. However, some individuals who are morbidly obese and whose obesity is due to a physiological disorder may be protected against discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Employers are using social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn to obtain additional information about job applicants. While these sites may be useful to verify resume information, profiles with pictures also may reveal much more information about the applicant, including issues pertaining to applicant weight and pregnancy. Some employers are also asking potential job candidates for their social media logins which has alarmed many privacy watch dogs and regulators.

Do You Have Any Questions For Us

You probably already know that an interview isnt just a chance for a hiring manager to grill youits an opportunity to sniff out whether a job is the right fit from your perspective. What do you want to know about the position? The company? The department? The team? Youll cover a lot of this in the actual interview, so have a few less-common questions ready to go. We especially like questions targeted to the interviewer or the companys growth If youre interviewing for a remote role, there are some specific questions you might want to ask related to that.

What Are Some Of The Challenges You Expect This Person In This Role To Face

This question can tell you a lot about the business, especially if theyre honest and stay staff will be one of your biggest challenges. If thats the case you want to know what youll be walking into on your first day, how to position yourself and where your energy needs to be directed from day one.

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How Do You Deal With Pressure Or Stressful Situations

Heres another question you may feel the urge to sidestep in an effort to prove youre the perfect candidate who can handle anything. But its important not to dismiss this one . Instead, talk about your go-to strategies for dealing with stress and how you communicate and otherwise proactively try to mitigate pressure. If you can give a real example of a stressful situation you navigated successfully, all the better.

What Are Your Greatest Strengths

Heres an opening to talk about something that makes you greatand a great fit for this role. When youre answering this question, think quality, not quantity. In other words, dont rattle off a list of adjectives. Instead, pick one or a few specific qualities that are relevant to this position and illustrate them with examples. Stories are always more memorable than generalizations. And if theres something you were hoping to mention because it makes you a great candidate, but you havent had a chance yet, this would be the perfect time.

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What Sort Of Career Growth Opportunities Do You See For Someone In This Role

According to Woodruff-Santos, this question is important to ask in order to ensure you dont end up in a stagnant role, especially if you see yourself wanting to grow both within the company and in your industry.

Transparency is really important and telling people exactly whats expected for them to get to the next level helps with retention, she says. You can tell them, Im really excited to join your company at this level and can see myself staying here for several years, but what sort of career opportunities do you see for someone in my role?

You should also ask why a position is open to find out if someone got promoted or even resigned, says Vicki Salemi, a career expert and former corporate recruiter based in the New York City area. This can give you some insight into whether your role has room for upward mobility.

What To Expect In An Interview And 10 Steps To Prepare

When seeking employment, an interview with a hiring manager is often required. An interview is a great way to assess if youre qualified for the position youre applying for. The way an employer conducts an interview, the questions they ask and the duration of the process will vary from company to company. In general, though, they will have a similar structure. In this article, well discuss what to expect in an interview and how to best prepare.

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Dont Arrive Too Early

Arriving late to an interview is a definite no-no and a sure-fire way to put yourself out of the running. Yet turning up unnecessarily early can be almost as detrimental to your employment chances.

Arriving with lots of time to kill puts your interviewer in the uncomfortable position of having to find someone to look after you and find you somewhere to sit. Etiquette demands that someone fetch you tea or coffee. In a worst-case scenario, you may be forced to make awkward chit-chat until your allotted time slot comes around.

None of the above is likely to create a good first impression with a potential employer, so do yourself a favour and turn up ten minutes before your scheduled time and no earlier. If you arrive early, just take a walk around the block or grab a quick coffee.

Arriving early to an interview is good but not too early.

Common American Interview Questions

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In a successful interview, you should feel that you have articulated your knowledge and skills, and explained how you could benefit the company, while also demonstrating your personality. The overall tone of your interview should be positive and enthusiastic.

An American interview may appear more relaxed than what you are used toit will probably be an easy-going two-way conversation, but you should still prepare. One of the best ways of preparing is by practicing interview questions.

Listed below are some common questions that you may be asked during your interview. These are high-level general questions, and might not be what youre asked in your interviewbut you can still use them to practice, because your answers could help you respond to other similar questions.

Are You Planning On Having Children

Questions about your family status, gender , nationality , religion, or age are illegalbut they still get asked . Of course, not always with ill intentthe interviewer might just be trying to make conversation and might not realize these are off-limitsbut you should definitely tie any questions about your personal life back to the job at hand. For this question, think: You know, Im not quite there yet. But I am very interested in the career paths at your company. Can you tell me more about that?

What Can You Tell Me About Yourself

A lot of interviewers lead with this ice-breaker, says Pamela Skillings, career coach and co-founder of New Yorkbased Big Interview, an online job-interview-training platform.

The hiring manager is trying to ease into the interview and lighten the conversation, which can be a good thing for both sides, she says. Still, your answer sets the tone for the whole interview.

Dont flub your way through this harmless-sounding question. Focus. Determining what you want the hiring manager to know about you is a big part of how to get the job. Amy Wolfgang, CEO at Austin, Texas-based Wolfgang Career Coaching, recommends preparing an elevator pitcha two- to three-minute summary of your skills and professional experience, where you focus on credentials that are directly related to the job that youre interviewing for, Wolfgang says.

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Ways To Make A Good Impression

As you’re preparing for the interview, think about ways you can show yourself in a positive light:

Punctuality – arriving late will increase your stress levels and give the employer a bad first impression, so do your best to arrive in good time.

Positivity and enthusiasm – be polite and professional with any staff you meet before or after the interview and, if you’re feeling particularly nervous, remind yourself that the worst thing that could happen is not getting the job. During the interview, respond to questions with positive statements, be enthusiastic about the job and avoid badmouthing your previous employers or university tutors.

Body language – give a firm handshake to your interviewer before and after the session. Once you’re seated, sit naturally without slouching in your chair or leaning on the desk. Throughout the interview, remember to smile frequently and maintain eye contact.

Clarity – answer all questions clearly and concisely, evidencing your most relevant skills, experiences and achievements. It’s acceptable to pause before answering a difficult question to give yourself thinking time, or asking for clarification if you’re unsure what a question means. When answering, don’t speak too quickly.

This webinar featured in the Prospects Future You: Live event in November 2020.

Prospects · May 2021

Can You Tell Me About The Benefits Package And Any Other Company Perks

These simple questions are fair game to ask HR from the get-go, Woodruff-Santos says. Its best to save them for HR rather than the hiring manager because theyll know the ins and outs of how things like the retirement plan works, and oftentimes, they might have a handbook that outlines whats offered.

Knowing the entire benefits packageincluding salary, retirement account options and employer contributions, health insurance, and any other perks such as a fitness reimbursementwill help you get the full picture and make it easier to figure out if its the right fit for you. Salemi recommends taking a close look at health insurance optionsspecifically, what your out-of-pocket expenses could be on the offered plans. Its helpful to have that info if youre comparing offers from two different companies and are trying to figure out which is more financially desirable.

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Prepare: Stress Interview Questions

Be prepared to answer questions that range from mildly disconcerting to aggressive, and even inappropriate. Some questions could be quite confrontational as well, such as:

“Why were you fired from your last job?”
“How do you think this interview is going?”
“How would you deal with a co-worker that you caught stealing?”

The key to handling this type of interview is to remain calm. While it can be challenging to remain calm during this type of job interview as it feels like the interviewer is personally out to get you, there are a number of techniques that you can use to ace a stress interview, such as clarifying the question, requesting more details or telling a story that makes your point.

Prepare: Examples Of Group Interview Questions

Below are some of the Group Interview Questions Google Hire suggest hiring managers ask during this an interview with multiple attendees:

“Why do you want to work for our company?”
“In five minutes, explain something that is complicated but that you know well.”
“Describe a mistake you made at your last job and how you resolved it.”

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What Will The Interview Be Like

Interviews in New Zealand can differ depending on the type of job and employer. Before you go to an interview, ask the employer what the interview will involve, so that you can prepare yourself.

For example, you may want to ask how many people will interview you, or whether you will have to pass any selection tests.

Be prepared for a formal interview but remember the employer wants to get to know you, so making a joke or talking about non-work topics is fine. It is common to be interviewed by a panel of three to four people.

The interview is also an opportunity to research the organisation or position. This may help you decide whether it is the right role for you.

What Would Your First 30 60 Or 90 Days Look Like In This Role

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Your potential future boss wants to know that youve done your research, given some thought to how youd get started, and would be able to take initiative if hired. So think about what information and aspects of the company and team youd need to familiarize yourself with and which colleagues youd want to sit down and talk to. You can also suggest one possible starter project to show youd be ready to hit the ground running and contribute early on. This wont necessarily be the thing you do first if you do get the job, but a good answer shows that youre thoughtful and that you care.

Where Do You See Yourself In Five Years

This is an especially important question for you if you are looking for visa sponsorship. Your interviewer wants to ensure that you are invested in this company for more than just a sponsorship and that you arent looking to leave after a few years. Convince them that you are invested in your success in the company and the United States.

Prepare: Case Interview Questions

In most instances, there isnt necessarily one right answer or indeed one way of approaching a problem interviewers are looking for a structured approach that is effectively communicated. It is about finding a way to gain insight, even when there is no obvious solution, and explaining effective processes that you would use for uncovering the underlying issues.

Example of Case Interview Scenarios

There are many resources available providing case interview examples that have been used by some of the biggest consulting firms.

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Validity And Predictive Power

There is extant data which puts into question the value of job interviews as a tool for selecting employees. Where the aim of a job interview is ostensibly to choose a candidate who will perform well in the job role, other methods of selection provide greater predictive power and often lower costs.

Interview structure issues

As discussed previously, interviews with more structure are considered best practice, as they tend to result in much better decisions about who will be a good performing employee than interviews with less structure. Structure in an interview can be compared to the standardization of a typical paper and pencil test: It would be considered unfair if every test taker were given different questions and a different number of questions on an exam, or if their answers were each graded differently. Yet this is exactly what occurs in an unstructured interview interviewers decide the number and content of questions, rate responses using whatever strategy they want , and may score some applicants more harshly than others. Thus, interviewers who do not consider at least a moderate amount of structure may make it hard for an organization’s interview to effectively select candidates that best fit the work needs of the organization.

Interviewer rating reliability

Is There A Policy On Outside Employment

Do you interview like a master? â Career Angels Blog

Side hustles are more ubiquitous than ever these days. According to Woodruff-Santos, this is an area where you have to use your best judgment. If your side hustle or business could potentially compete with your day job, you might be required to disclose that, she says.

Even if your side business is completely unrelated to your day job, if theres a certain time of day you need to focus on it, you should be upfront about it to ensure your potential boss is flexible with you using that time.

If you do bring it up, its important to also make it clear that youre determined to provide the same level of great work for the company that you would otherwise. You have to try to do that carefully because you dont want to give the impression that you are not fully committed to the job, Woodruff-Santos says. But I think the pandemic has changed the way Americans work and earn money, and forward-thinking hiring managers shouldnt be intimidated by an employee who has other stuff going on.

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Read And Review The Job Description

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.

Tell Me About Yourself

Your interviewer is not asking you to tell them about your spouse, children, favorite TV show, or favorite hobby. In fact, for legal reasons, your interviewer cannot ask you about personal information. Your interviewer wants to know about your career. Take this opportunity to talk about your past job responsibilities and your future career goals. Explain why you chose this field, what you hope to accomplish, and what keeps you motivated to continue in your line of work.

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Get Ready For The Interview

Prepare for your interview by following these tips:

read the job description and person specification carefully and be clear on the skills and qualities the employer is looking for
check the company website to find out more about its products or services and their plans for the future
go over your CV or application form and think about things the employer may ask you about
use the STAR method to prepare some examples that show you have the right skills, personal qualities and experience
practise your timings on presentations and keep a back-up copy
ask someone you trust to practise answering questions
write down 2 or 3 questions you can ask at the end of your interview, that show youre enthusiastic about the job
prepare something suitable and comfortable to wear
check what time you need to arrive and the name of the person you need to see
make sure that you know how to get to where the interview is being held
if you have a disability and need adjustments to make the interview accessible, you can get advice from Scope on how to ask for them

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