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How To Get A Job: 10 Tips To Ace The Interview
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Career, Eli Davidson, Executive Coach, How To Get a Job, Interview Tips, Interviewing Tips, Job Interviews, Jobs, Networking, Success, The Balanced Life,
Living News
You have jumped through all the enormous hurdles to land an interview: Bravo! If you aren't having luck with landing interviews, please go back and look at my three previous posts.* They will give you tools to get focused, burn your one page resume and create a PPP resume, and network so that you get your foot in the door.
Do You Pass The Smell Test?
The moment you send your PPP resume, an email or make a phone call you are being interviewed. Remember first impressions matter...ALOT. Recruiters are trained to smell the 'confidence' factor in you. You want to exude the 'sweet smell of success' in every interaction they have with you. Here's how to show up -- look, smell, act and react to get the job.
Game On!
Once you are contacted for an interview respond back quickly to the internal employee who contacted you. Get all their contact information and what their role is in the interviewing/ hiring process. Be professional, accessible and engaging no matter what their role. You are being evaluated from this first contact. Take a few moments to breath and get very centered before you call or email.
Get The Gold Medal -- Before You Start
Olympic athletes visualize themselves winning their competition. You can use that same technique. (I do.) See, feel, and hear that you already have the job. Yesterday, I had an interview for a TV show. To be honest I was intimidated since several of the folks involved are big honking stars. On the drive to the interview I visualized that I was simply driving to work since I already had the job. It worked. Before the first interview was over the executives asked me to come back for a second one.
Your Mom Was Right!
All those annoying things your Mom hounded you to do will help you to get a job. Be polite. Stand up straight. Look the interviewer in the eye. Confident not cocky. Often it is your attitude of confidence and enthusiasm in an interview that will land you the job.
Ask!
Recruitment expert Nicole Spicer has superb advice to help you amp up your interview skills. "Make sure you ask for all the basics: copy of the job description, interview location, parking details, several internal phone numbers in case there is a last minute problem and if there is an online application you can fill out ahead of time," says Spicer.
She also suggests that you find out who you who you will be interviewing with and what his or her title is. If you are being interviewed by multiple people, it's often helpful to know in what order these interviews will occur. Ask who there are in the process, i.e. decision maker or influencer. (This is key.)
Do Your Warm Up
Do your homework on the company and the interviewers. The more you know the more confident you can be. Check Linked In, Facebook to find additional information on your interviewer. Set up a Google alert for the company or the industry so that you know the very latest news.
Equally importantly when you research a company and its competitors you demonstrate that you take initiative. In today's job market, you need to demonstrate that you will be terrific at your job from day one.
Map out the drive ahead of time so you known drive time. It is much better to be early than late. Review the job description thoroughly making sure you have all the requirements and can speak to each skill that matches, with examples. If you are a little rusty on your interviewing skills find a friend to role play an interview.
1. Show up early so you are not sweaty or frazzled with unexpected delays (traffic, parking, security checks at interview location)
2. Dress professionally (business suit and tie for men)
3. Be neat and clean but do not wear perfume or cologne (you would be surprised how that might influence a decision)
4. Use your best manners and be polite with everyone you meet at the interview location
from the parking attendant, to the coordinator to the hiring executive.
5. Review your "Professional Promotional Profile" before the interview(s). You will want fresh memories of all roles, responsibilities, accomplishments etc. You do not want to hesitate with answers and details.
6. Review the job description thoroughly making sure you have all the requirements and can speak to each skill that matches, with examples.
7. Bring extra copies of your resume and reference list.
8. Always be honest with your answers, if you don't know something admit it quickly, do not try to BS your way around a subject.
9. Listen to the questions, think a minute before answering. Make your answers complete but concise -- do not talk too much on one question.
10. Have questions for the interviewers.
*Previous How To Get A Job Posts:
How To Get A Job- Get Prepared Inside And Out
How To Get A Job- Burn Your Resume
How To Get A Job- Be A Black Belt At Networking
How are you coping with looking for a job? Please share a comment. You can receive notice of my blogs every Friday by checking Become a Fan at the top. Ask Eli a question at info@elidavidson.com or go to www.elidavidson.com today.
Eli Davidson is a nationally recognized executive coach and motivational speaker. Her book, "Funky to Fabulous: Surefire Success Stories for the Savvy, Sassy and Swamped", (Oak Grove Publishing) has won three national book awards. Eli is a reinvention catalyst, who can transform your professional and personal life from Funky to Fabulous with her ten, trademarked Turnaround Techniques that create rapid and remarkable results. Check out her blog at http://funkytofabulous.blogspot.com/
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Here is my low tech idea for interview practice.
Sit in front of a mirror with your telephone.
Ask your friend to call you and have her ask a series of typical interview questions.
Watch yourself as you answer the questions. You will be able to see what your mouth does, how your face works and what you are doing while the questions are being asked.
This is a system which does not require any technical knowledge beyond the use of a telephone and the expectation that there is a friend out there that will help.
Frances Holliday Alford
1. Never bad mouth previous employers
2. Prepare a 3 minute elevator pitch about why they should hie you
3. Check your anxiety and ego at the door
Here is an addition job search tool. https://www.jobsforkarma.com
As a current employer, I have some amplification of the 10 points at the end of the blog, which are all common sense and good suggestions.
1. If you can, go to the company the day before so that you are certain of where everything is. That is the best way to not be late.
2. The advice on this blog will do you no good if you don't have a good resume. I disqualify ANY resume with misspelled words or bad grammar. Your resume is the first impression a company gets. Don't rely on spell checkers. Have someone else proof it to be sure. Keep the resume short and concise. Most employers get so many resumes that they briefly scan the first page only, so get right to the point and find a way to get an employer's attention. Without that, you often won't even get an interview.
3. In addition to the perfume or cologne, avoid wearing excessive jewelry.
4. Get a friend to practice with you prior to the interview, and video the mock interview, then critique yourself. You'd be surprised when viewing yourself how differently you come across than what you imagined, like your posture or facial expressions. Practice makes perfect in any skill.
5. It's a competitive world out there, so don't get discouraged or take it personally if you don't get the job. Keep practicing and pretty soon, if you have good things to offer, you'll land a good position.
As a coach I suggest clients practiceinterview skills with a friend.
Another way to amp up your interview skills is to video a mock interview. I find that the small FLIP camera is very useful for this. It can video for an hour and then you can critique how you expressed yourself. Seeing a video of yourself will help you pinpoint gestures and expressions that neither you nor your friend may be aware of. I find that watching yourself on camera is one of the fastest ways to correct those 'ticks,'
Thanks again for your generous suggestions,
Eli Davidson
It seems like a lot of these tips would also be good once you get the job to. It's not unheard of for a confident applicant to ace an interview get a job, and then throw common decency out of the window.
What great advise.
The behavior that got you the job will help you thrive in that job!
It's "advice". Spelling correctly will be a big help in writing a resume, landing a job and keeping the good impressions made in the interview. Same advice goes for desthmoneses, it's get the job, "too".
I don't want to date myself, but back in the day the tips mentioned in the article were plain common sense to anyone looking for a job who was a high school graduate. It is interesting how what was once a given now needs to be taught, and what once did not exist (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) is becoming routine.
I wonder though, with all the methods mentioned here, if the hard copy resume physically mailed in a stamped envelope still makes the best impression?
I've found that the whole system of networking is more for the benefit of the person being networked than the job seeker doing the networking.
If only common sense were common. Most recruiters will tell you that many job seekers do not do these 10 tips even though they think they do.
A one page resume isn't going to get a job. It needs to be a PPP resume customized to respond to the job description. If other applicants respond on line your snail mail resume may not get there quickly enough.
Networking for the job seeker is the key to finding viable leads. It is the best way to get your foot in the door.
I recently had an interview for a bookkeeping position. The first three questions were: How old are you? Are you married? And do you have any children living at home? I was under the impression that none of these inquires were legal, but later found out, that those protections are not included for companies of twenty employees or less.
Employers are aware of holding ALL the cards in the job market and now have carte blanche to do or say whatever they want in an interview.
Good luck everyone!
I find that hard to believe. These are illegal questions. Hopefully you did not answer them, cause if you did it hurts others who are seeking jobs out there. If one person does it, then they'll think it's okay to ask that question to other potential employees.
The employer may be holding most of the cards, however, those questions certainly tipped me off to what sort of place it would be to work every day.
If they were that disrespectful in an interview, my bet is that it would not be a terrific work environment.
Thank you for tipping us off to what to watch out for.
Phrancine:
I believe it is true that some laws do not apply to companies with 15 employees or less and some with 20 or less. It can be a fine line to what is considered discrimination. If you feel you were discriminated against, you might want to talk to an employment attorney or contact the Equal Employment Opportunity – state or federal – and at least log a complaint.
I am sorry to hear discrimination is still alive with employers.
Nicole
And if they can't ask your age they will ask "when did you graduate from college" which is a legal question, and then with a little math figure out your age.
Actually, those questions are entirely illegal! With a decade as a corp. recruiter and now my experience as a Career Coach I am still shocked at the amount of hiring managers who are untrained in interviewing skills.
I've only recruited for large corporations, but I am really surprised to hear that a small company can get away with potentially discriminatory questioning. I am wondering where you learned that those were indeed ok?
Take care!
Jason
Hi Jason,
I am so glad to have you weigh in and give your perspective on this important issue.
Job seekers need to know their rights and stand tall for what is right!
Thank you!!!
Eli
As silly as some might think the tip tonot wearperfume or cologne is,it's not.My sister-in-law is the HR director for a national company adn allergic to most flowers, colognes, perfumes etc. She tries to make it thru interviews with those overloaded with "scents". however, it's difficult when her throat is closing up, eyes watering and it's hard to breathe.
great little tip that can make a HUGE difference.
Hi VHS,
I couldn't agree more. I recently had a professional organizer come into the office. Even though I am not allergic to perfume, her scent gave me such a horrible headache that I had to ask her to leave.
There was more work for her to do, but I am looking for a different professional. This was completely due to the 'smell test."
Eli, you're obviously reasonably good at what you do. I was disappointed by the tips you've mentioned here though, it's nothing we haven't read in every other 'interview tips' piece. I was expecting something with a bit more substance, really. Could you come up with at least five other tips that are actually original and would be of use to a job-seeker?
Thanks.
Do you set Google alerts for the company or industry that you want to find work in?
Are you completely revamping your PPP resume for each job for which you apply?
Do you customize your PPP resume to fit the job description?
Are you using Twitter, Facebook and Linked In to network?
Have you researched each person with whom you will be interviewing on Facebook and Linked In?
If you dive into the information I have given there are tip you may not have used.
If you ARE using them it is very likely that either
1. You are getting interviews
2. Need to work on your Inner Marketing
3. Explore another industry
4. Start your own business or consulting firm
Hi Bunnylogic,
If you dive into the information I have given there are tip you may not have used.
Do you set Google alerts for the company or industry that you want to find work in?
Are you completely revamping your PPP resume for each job for which you apply?
Do you customize your PPP resume to fit the job description?
Are you using Twitter, Facebook and Linked In to network?
Have you researched each person with whom you will be interviewing on Facebook and Linked In?
If you ARE using them it is very likely that either
1. You are getting interviews
2. Need to work on your Inner Marketing
3. Explore another industry
4. Start your own business
Where are the jobs?
Thanks for taking the time to write these. But, ummm... these aren't interview tips are they?
Still waiting :)
Bunnylogic:
I have 20+ years in recruiting professional level positions - trust me, far too many people do not know these tips! Articles are always limited in the number of words but there could be volumes on the subject of interviewing.
What area of interviewing would you like to learn about? You might need one-on-one coaching for specifics, in-depth interviewing skills.
Nicole
See Anne Naylor's Profile
Hello Eli,
I love the thoroughness you are offering here at every stage. It is a wonderful service. At such a competitive time for jobs, the better a person is prepared, the better chance they have to secure a good job.
Thank you for a very valuable post - and the others that went before it.
Blessings to you,
Anne
Another tip... set your facebook profile to private. Employers will look you up... as a girl on this site learned... www.howtonailaninterview.com
It's true. It is done ALL THE TIME.
I view potential employees having scoial networking in the open almost as an IQ test. Unless your aware that employers could be viewing your profile & have cleaned it up for that reason. Put it on private just to be safe.
Heads Up FaceBook addicts!
"I view potential employees having scoial networking in the open almost as an IQ test."
This is such key information.
Thank you for sharing it!
Great tip!
In this age of 'total access' it is wise to remember to keep your private life...well...private.
OK instead of continually critizing current HR methods I will add something positive. I have increased my usage in social media recruiting imensley to find outstanding canidates. I am located in Charlotte, NC & use my twitter account to frequent tweet-ups with other Charlotte professionals & have met many good people. Using these friendships I can send out a tweet to my vast network of professionals who aptly referr many quality candidates to me. Which also helps me avoids searching thu thousands of resumes.
They key really is networking. Someone who is unemployed can network in the same way & is immediatley in the loop.
Dear SpectraLFire,
What great advise.
I have been kicking, screaming and railing against Twitter.
You are using it with such effectiveness. Thank you for giving me a new way to look at Twitter. It can be used as a power tool for networking.
"The key really is networking. Someone who is unemployed can network in the same way & is immediately in the loop."
How could a job seeker use Twitter more effectively?
Easy.
I read a tweet recently that said Facebook is for the people I already know. Twitter is for the people I would like to know.
Get on twitter locate people who have same interests as you, or people that are in likewise industries. Follow these people & INTERACT!! Respond to tweets, re-tweet, post links, be active. If you do this people will interact with you. Go to tweet-up's or other social media events there isn't a better place to network. You'll meet tons of people who are willing to help or look out for you if they hear of open positions. Maybe you'll meet a hiring manger! You never know, be out there & be active. Networking is the strongest way to find a position especially now, social media & twitter just make it easier & broaden your access to new people.
It's free. You almost can't not try it.
I have made some life-long friends thru tweet-ups just by attending & not pushing my agenda at all. They will re-tweet a job opening to their 500 person network for me any time & most often someone will then re-tweet it again.
It's free. You almost can't not try it.
I have made some life-long friends thru tweet-ups just by attending & not pushing my agenda at all. They will re-tweet a job opening to their 500 person network for me any time & most often someone will then re-tweet it again.
I would like to put in my two cents about hiring authorities who do not know how to conduct an interview.
I recently went to an interview for a large national pipe and valve company at their Denver office.. I was the "long shot" candidate, and was consistently referred to as a square peg who had to fit in a round hole. Nice.
This man also told me that there was a trial period of 90 days, where he could fire me for whatever reason he wanted and I could quit for whatever reason I wanted, but after that, we were "stuck together". It was not a contract position, by the way, so he was way over the line on this suggesting that an employee couldn't leave after the 90 day period. This was only the tip of the iceberg with this buffoon.
The sad thing is that I would have taken the job and put up with this guy because I really needed to work. In the end, I actually sent an e-mail to the company's main HR department covering these and other points. Never heard back from them.
What advise would you give to someone to avoid the problem you just experienced?
Advice. Advice! Advice! (Not advise, which is a verb.)
I think that this is good solid information.It is my strong opinion that the HR and hiring system that we have set up needs to be completely revamped. Candidates should not have to send in a resume and an online form with the same information. It is and absurd waste of time for the candidate and the potential loss of a great employee. Using computers to pick out key words is the sign of lazy and clueless HR person. An automatic system often filters out great candidates.I believe that computers are only a tool and do not replace the actual work of reviewing resumes.
The most demoralizing thing in the word is to have to deal with a clueless HR person who just graduated from a community college and has the power, but not the knowledge to assess the actual talent of a candidate. I can't tell you how many times, I have presented a candidate to a hiring authority who didn't fit the actual HR description, but was hired because they had a variety of knowledge and abilities that would go beyond the actual position.
Dear Fleaba,
Thank you! It you are sharing information that is so critical for job seekers to know.
"I can't tell you how many times, I have presented a candidate to a hiring authority who didn't fit the actual HR description, but was hired because they had a variety of knowledge and abilities that would go beyond the actual position."
If you have tips for job seeking readers, I hope you will share them here!
Eli Davidson
Well, Eli, as you will see from my other post, I'm no longer recruiting and am scrambling for another job because the construction industry is in the tank, recruiting budgets are slashed and other issues. I do think that I can offer a few ideas.
Those in the engineering, architectural or construction fields should have a project list, aside from their resume. This could work for those in other fields where they worked on special projects or some projects aside from their normal duties. Include the name and type of project you've worked on and in what sort of capacity you contributed to the project. If you are an older candidate who has many projects, make sure that the job you are applying for fits with the types of projects you have been working on in the past 5-10 years. I'm on the fence about sending in the project list when you submit a resume. I think that you can always offer to send this in later. Just make sure that your resume is killer!. I have seen top notch professionals who had horrific resumes.
Read Eli's ideas on the perfect resume or get a knowledgeable friend to review it. Make sure that whoever reviews it has knowledge of your area of expertise.
So I am curious to what you think we should do. I agree that there are rookie HR managers out there but really lets be serious not everyone is going to be amazing especially right out of college.
But at the same time when you are sitting there with over 500 resumes for one position are you going to sort through each one to find the exceptional candidate? I don't know about you but most of the time HR is understaffed & has many other undertakings then being able to spend all their time sorting through resumes all day long. I just don't have that kind of time.
The most demoralizing thing is reading a comment from a recruiter who is supported by others in HR functions and can take the time to recruite like it should be done, but in majority of cases its just a Generalist who has to do it all.
I was not trying to denigrate the generalist HR people who are so jammed up they don't have time to eat lunch. It is thankless. I'm just frustrated with a system that relies, often times, on poorly designed programs. I'm thinking that the other HR person who posted about using twitter might really be on to something. But I don't know. That social networking can take up a lot of time even if it is only 140 characters!
Well, in actuality, the process should be called the refuting process and not the recruiting process. The internet is the worst way to find candidates and look for jobs. Just because you can reach hundreds of thousands of people doesn't mean that you should ,and in today's the climate, the usefulness of automated tools is negated by the number of people using them. This is one area where less truly is more. Networking seems to be the only viable option these days.
Well if everyone follows your advice, does everyone get the job? Exactly. How bout we stop teaching morons how to pretend that they can make viable members of the workforce, and go back to hiring people based on qualifications, intelligence and work ethic instead of B.S., B.S. and more B.S.?
I dont think it is so much about BS but an article to help the qualified stand out above the rest. Sometimes the most qualified applicant can totally bomb and interview but with a few good tips they can shine!
Hi Billy from Philly,
There are numerous candidates with the qualifications, intelligence and work ethic to do a very good job. The interview process is conceptually designed to pick a candidate from among the many qualified candidates. This is the part of the process where people skills come into play. And...
I don't consider my readers morons...far from that.
I write for and work with the best and brightest.
Thanks for sharing.
Great article Eli! Thanks so much
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