Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Five Tips to Ace Your Next Interview


If you have been invited to attend an interview, congratulations are in order. Employers can receive dozens of applications for each vacancy they advertise and the fact that you have been short-listed means that you have already fought off much of the competition and are in serious contention for the position. But now the hard work is not over yet.




The job market is at its most competitive since the early 1990s and although there are fewer jobs available, the number of people wanting these jobs remains consistently high. And that means two things. Firstly, recruiters can afford to cherry-pick the candidates they want. And secondly, you need to pull out all the stops and use every weapon in your armoury to ensure that you become the employee of choice.
This article is a by no means definitive list of tips to ace your next interview but, it is by far the most agreed upon top five pointers among career analysts that will help you to prepare and succeed at your next interview.

1. Understand what the interviewer wants
Some job advertisements have a list as long as your arm of core competencies that the employer is looking for in their new employee. But in reality most employers are looking for just three basic factors for determining the suitability of a candidate. These are known as the three Cs, according to renowned psychologist Dr Rob Yeung:
·         Competence: The Interviewer is looking to establish if you have the skills -- communication, analytical, problem-solving -- and personal attributes to perform the advertised job with minimum supervision
·         Commitment: Interviewers are seeking reassurance that you are committed to your employer and intend to stick at this job rather than job hop to another company when the mood takes you or when the going gets tough and you seek the easy way out instead of persisting in the face of difficulty
·         Chemistry: Given that you can spend as much as 70 per cent of your waking day working with your colleagues, your interviewer wants to know that they can get on with you and that you can fit in with company's culture and the rest of the team.
By understanding what the interviewer is looking for, you can tailor your answers to any potential questions in a way that addresses these core competencies. For example, be prepared to demonstrate your communication skills, how you work effectively with your colleagues or handle a difficult situation with a customer. Use examples of how you have analysed, interpreted and tackled seemingly complex problems. And consider instances when you may have helped a colleague even when it was not part of your job description or worked overtime to complete a project on time.

2. Prepare. Prepare. Prepare.
It has been said since time and memorial, but preparation and planning for your interview will always be the most critical part of the interview process. As the old saying goes, "Fail to plan, plan to fail." Find out who will be interviewing you and make sure you have their correct job title and role within the organisation.
Does some research on the company covering everything from its core business and product range to financial reports and recent appearance in the media. Type the company's name into a search engine and see what comes up. Learn about its ethical policy or stance on corporate responsibility. Understand the company's marketplace, competitors, industry trends and the key issues affecting it now and in the future.

3. Prepare great answers and great questions
If you undertake the background research above and more, then you will have a lot of questions that you can ask at your interview. Remember that your interview is a two-way process where you want to find out if this particular company fits your notion of an ideal employer in the same way that the interview is looking to determine if you are the right employee for them.
Although you will never know exactly what the interviewer will ask, there are a number of questions that consistently come up and you need to have your answers prepared for these before you enter the room. The key to predicting the likely topics of discussion is to scrutinise the job advertisement and by thinking through your CV, preparing examples of how you can best demonstrate your skills and abilities, articulate your achievements and offer a sound explanation as to why you are planning to leave your employer.

4. Get physical
Research suggests that up to 55 per cent of our communication effectiveness is determined by  our gestures, movement and facial expressions --  neatly summed up as 'body language'. And most interviewers confess that they make their mind up about a potential interview within the first five to 10 minutes of an interview, with your body language being the determining factor in most instances.
Offer a solid handshake and create the right first impression. "Nothing creates a poorer impression than a weak, couple-of-fingers handshake," warns Robin Ryan, career coach and author of "60 Seconds and You're Hired!"
Maintain eye contact with your interviewer for 90 per cent of the time ... but don't stare. Sit up straight in your chair and don't slouch, fidget or constantly tap your foot. Avoid crossing your arms as some interviewers regard this as an act of defensiveness. Speak with confidence, use inflection in your voice to change the tone, and emphasise key words in much the same way that newsreaders speak.
And dress for the job you want not the job you have. If you are unsure of the company's dress code policy it is better to err on the side of caution and overdress rather than risk the embarrassment of being underdressed for your interview.

5. Sell. Sell. Sell
An interview is a sales transaction between you (the seller) and the interviewer (the buyer). It is important that you do not lose sight of the fact that it is your job to convince the interviewer that you are the right person for the job.www.stopthejobsearch.com
Isolate your core strengths and relate them to the requirements of the job to which you are applying. Focus on what you can do for the employer and how you will be an asset to their organisation. Above all, be confident in your abilities and believe in your worth. You are there because your interviewer recognised that you could be a key player in their business, it is your job to prove that they were right.

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