Surefire Tips to Prepare For Your Next Interview

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Let’s begin with your prep work, when applying to a position it is useful to print out the job description along with your customized resume. Highlight the areas in the job posting that directly relates to your experience and file it.

This helps you stay organized and it will be easy to retrieve when accepting an interview appointment. It refreshes your memory and hopefully it will remind you of what appealed to you most about the job.

After the appointment is set
It is time for you to start feeling EMPOWERED because you’ve made it to the next step. It’s been confirmed that your experience qualifies you for the job….Now the powers that be just want to see if you fit into the corporate culture. Take the energy of knowing you made it to the second cut and bottle it for the day of the interview.

Start surfing the net
Conducting market research on the company via their website, blog and social networks is essential. Get a sense on what’s happening by reviewing recent news features and press releases. Invest the time in reading their business overview. Analyze their company profile on Linkedin and checkout if they have recently hired people with similar backgrounds. Revisit your resume and see how it compares to the new hire’s credentials.

Get emotionally ready
Start by writing a list of what makes you nervous…Are you tired of being labeled over-qualified? Unsure of how to explain a career change? Anxious about the circumstances leading up to your dismissal…then confront it.

If your issue is that you’ve been labeled as being “overqualified”, it does not have to become an overbearing concern. State that you are still willing to GROW. Most employers question whether this is possible for seasoned employees. It’s a given that you need a certain level of experience, but don’t let it get to your head. There is a thin line between confidence and arrogance and a longer line at the unemployment office.

The goal is not to step over the line even though you may know your field inside and out. You haven’t been hired yet to confidently say which internal operations potential employers are using. It may feel good to speculate, but that’s all it is…speculation.

Preface responses with a market research tone and say “As an outsider looking in… I noticed that XYZ Company does…This, that or the other. Mention something that is slightly different from your previous experience and articulate your interest in learning more about that technique, method or strategy.

The sticky questions
For those who are in career transition, it is imperative to connect the dots between each industry and or role. Make is so plain, that is spells out why a person like you wants to change careers. Now if you cannot articulate why, then it’s time to invest in career mentoring and interview coaching. Getting called back for an interview is a step in the right direction. Don’t get stuck on that step. Learn how to speak your passion and talents so that employers jump at the chance to hire you.

And for why you left your last position, indicate whether you were downsized, unapologetically state whether it was a lay off and share if other people lost their jobs as well. State that you stay in touch with your colleagues, via networking on Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter. If not you should at least start reconnecting on Linkedin. Be sure to mention if they can provide a reference for your work.

Key… Do not let a lay off or firing set the tone of the interview. Employers want positive people and the experience they walked out of the door with.

Create a few of your own
I’m a big advocate of walking into the interview with an agenda. Prepare to ask no more than three questions of the interviewer(s). Why only three? Well if you have litany of questions then you have not done your homework (market research). In most cases, when you’re asked, “Do you have any questions?”, this is a not so subtle cue that it’s time for the interview to end. Do not delay the interview by asking questions to draw out the process. Gather as much information before and during the interview. Remember communication is a two-way street, you should size up the company as well. Can you see yourself walking into the office every day? Do they seem organized? Are they asking standard versus situational questions? Were they nodding in agreement when you were talking?

Whether you are going on your first interview or hundredth, follow our surefire steps to landing your next job. Once you’ve prepared for next interview then you’re ready to get HIRED.

“Success always comes when preparation meets opportunity”- Henry Hartman

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4 Quick Ways To Annoy An Interviewer

Really?

Hundreds of blogs and articles share tips on how to succeed in an interview. But often times they’re from the job searchers perspective and not the hiring manager’s point of view. When you ask what the best answer for a question is, what you are really asking is how not to come off sounding ill prepared, unqualified or even worse annoying.

Now one of the things I really like to do is balance the interaction between both interviewer and interviewees. I guess it’s the mediator in me, but I realize that many people are frustrated, worn down or even incensed about today’s hiring process.

I ask you this, would it be more beneficial to understand a company’s mind-set or for them to understand yours? I’m an advocate for both, but keep in mind the bottom line; employers are in the position to put money in your pocket, well before you put a cent in theirs. So don’t blow it when you’re talented enough to get the job and are in the ideal situation to negotiate an attractive starting salary.

Here a few ways that you can really annoy an interviewer…

1. Arrive too early

It is an unwritten courtesy to arrive at least 15 minutes early. However, it is unsettling if you arrive an hour or forty-five minutes ahead of schedule. It may seem favorable for you, but it can cause an awkward tone to emerge if you bump into your competition. Many employers go to great lengths to stagger their appointments to prevent interactions between candidates, wind down from daily operations, prep before the meeting, and debrief after each interview.

Interviews are based on a give and take system. Give your potential employer time by respecting the arrival window and take a few minutes to gather yourself before walking into your next job opportunity.

2. Arrive to an interview sick or semi-contagious

I remember sitting on an interview panel and a person was visibly sick. Sniffing, huffing and puffing into our sympathies. Basically she looked like she had the Cooties. Between her apologies and inability to recall information, she struggled to answer questions.

Initially, we were compassionate but after a few more coughs and sneezes, we wanted to do a swan dive into vat of liquid hand sanitizer. Her symptoms became so disruptive that she eventually ran out of the conference room, across the building and violently threw up in the ladies room. The likelihood of saving face from that scene is near to impossible.
Plain and simple it was better to reschedule by sending a 5 PM email of regret. Stay at home instead of bulldozing your way into the interview when you’re not at your best.

3. Don’t know what’s on your resume

I am a big fan of bringing resume copies to an interview however I’m not so much of a fan of not knowing what’s on it. Most interviews pull information from an application and or resume submission. Hopefully the resume is a concise document that narrows down your transferable skill sets, expertise and most importantly personality.

But what I find most troubling is when people come to interviews and they get a “deer caught in headlights” look on their face when asked questions like, “Can you share more insight as to how you generated $10 million in sales for your previous company? What were the challenges and how did you exceed them? Now everyone gets the benefit of the doubt for having bouts of nervousness, but normally it’s not your first question and a major accomplishment should not be hard to recall.

When we update resumes using our Resume Branding Strategy™ at Persona Affairs, we make sure our clients can answer a series of interview questions based on market research. This discovery process gives us a broader understanding of their actual abilities, and talents. Then and only then do we translate our findings into an “employer friendly” Resume Branding Matrix format where and it’s easy to scan in 10 seconds or less.

If you have invested little to nothing in updating your resume or you are still pushing a cookie-cutter template with copied text that does not directly relate to your work experience, then you are in for a long job search. Increase your interview performance by getting acquainted with who you are on paper and brand it. Your resume should read like a brand story. It should tell exactly what you can do, exactly what you’ve done and how you are the best candidate for specific role. Yes, a resume should be customized and branded for each job you apply to. If it doesn’t then all you have is a cute document that wastes everyone’s time.

4. Get caught in a lie

I must admit this one gets most people an express ticket out the door. Remember a job interview is based on what is listed on a resume. Ultimately the ball is in your court, because only you have the background information to support the document. Practice how to be tastefully honest on sticky questions like… Why did you leave your last position?

I beg you not to become so desperate and eager to get any job that you’re willing to lie to get it. In most cases you will get caught. And I would hate that you would survive the job search process, land the job, get comfortable, start paying your bills and then get terminated because of fraudulent information.

One of the easiest ways people exaggerate their ability in and the computer knowledge section. They will lump their familiarity with software into a Microsoft Office Suite classification. When I see this on a resume I automatically get a red flag. Which software? Do you know at Access? Tell me a time when and where you used PowerPoint?

If you do not know all Microsoft programs or applications, then do not attempt to camouflage your experience. This is a trigger question of the whether are not you were trying to merge one or two skills to appear proficient and trump the being selection process. (No pun intended) In resume branding we include all software application and systems that you know. No more. No less.

Do not let desperation trick you into lying to get a job. I would hate for anyone to regain employment for a mere few months and get fired because their story did not pain out in the end. Invest in interview coaching which will give you tools and confidence to navigate through phone and in-person interviews.

There are more productive ways to be ready for the next opportunity, put your best foot forward, know your brand and speak your truth. Just embrace your ability and your dream job is waiting for the real you to show up and claim it.

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