Job Interview Tips and Tricks

Job Interview Tips and TricksJob Interview Tips and TricksA job bewerbungsinterview can be considered an opportunity to sell yourself to a potential employer. While this might be a slightly exaggerated description, in some ways its true. Interviewers are critiquing you, assessing your skills, evaluating your qualifications, and trying to landsee whether you are the best fit for their organization. There are some ways you can help make sure that the employer views you as a strong candidate for the job. Tips and Tricks for a Successful Job Interview Here are some tips and tricks that will help you ace your job interview. 1. Research the Company Before the Interview Research the company prior to the interview. Hiring managers know that theyre dealing with someone who is serious about the position when the candidate hastaken the time to research the company. During the interview, try to ask thoughtful questions about the company based on what youve found outonline. Search engine rese arch can turn up valuable information on most companies. Do your best to locate reviews from employees and customers on sites likeGlassdoor.com. Forstartup companies, try to find out who the investors and parteeners are, as well as how much money they have raised so far. Be aware that a startup job may not be long term (should the new business fail), but getting in on the ground floor of a profitable company can prove lucrative for you down the road. 2. Plan What Youre Going to Wear First impressions are the most important in job interviews. If youre not sure what to wear, ask ahead of time about theworkplace dress code. The tresor bet is to dress professionally, paying attention to grooming, soothing colors, and tasteful accessories. If youre actively seeking employment, have a couple of interview outfits ready. That will help avoid the stress of figuring out what youre going wear at the last minute. 3. Practice Interview Techniques and Responses Employers will try to challenge int erviewees with tough questions to judge their compatibility and tosee how they cope under pressure. Expect questions about work experiences, stressful moments, difficult decisions, and where you see yourself in several years. Practice answering some of thestandard interview questions. If you feel overly nervous about the interview, have a family member or friend role play as the interviewer and videorecord yourself. Dress in that interview outfit you just picked out, so you feel the part. While no one wants to hire someone who acts mechanically and comes across as too rehearsed, feeling prepared can help you tofeel confident enough to be yourself.Inturn,thiscanenableyoubettertorecall relevant details from your past employment during the interview. Bring some copies of your resume, both to refer to if your brain freezes, and to offer to the people you interview with. For many people, the only way that they do well in interviews is by doing a lot of them. If this applies to you, it ma y be in your best interest to take an interview, even if you are not very excited about the job. While you should never let on to an employer in the moment that you dont care about the job, putting yourself in the interview chair more than once can help you nail the big interview for the job that you really want. And who knows? After the interview, you might find that you do want the job after all. 4. Prepare for Behavioral Interview Questions Employers usebehavioral questionsto dig into past achievements and topredict future performance. Behavioral questions are those that give the interviewer insight into your personality and emotional intelligence in the workplace. These questions identify applicants key competencies and skills, so its vital to prepare answers to match your skills to the employers requirements. Focus on past achievements that highlight your abilities inleadership,teamwork,problem-solving,conflict resolution, and learning from failure. 5. Make a Pit Stop If youre stressed and theres a rest room you can use before you go to the interview, stop in and take a few deep breaths to calm down. Wash and dry your hands to minimize sweaty palms. If you are a coffee drinker or smoker, or you have a meal before an interview, use a mint or brush your teeth before starting. 6. Arrive Early, But Not Too Early Arrive for your interview about 5-10 minutes early. Good employers value punctuality, and if you arrive even a minute late, you willlikely give a poor first impression. Arriving more than 10 minutes early can put undue pressure on the interviewer, especially if they have a number of interviews to get through in the day. If you are unfamiliar with the area where your interview will take place, give yourself plenty of time to recover if you get lost. Rushing will negatively affect your interview performance, so if you think you might be late, call ahead to advise them of the situation. If you have a reasonable excuse, most employers will understand and may even offer to reschedule. 7. Be Aware of Your Body Language Remember to exude confidence- holdyourhead high, stand straight and tall, hold a slight smile, and relax. Introduce yourself with a smile, a reasonably firm handshake, and a relaxed and self-assured demeanor. Greet others, andif youre interviewing with more than one person, follow the interviewers lead to sit down or move to another room. Do your best to enjoy the interaction as much as possible. Keep it professional at all times. Nonverbal communication cuesare a major part of the impression you make. A weak handshake, for example, shows a lack of authority. An averted gaze signals distrust or disinterest in the job. You can show assertiveness by sitting up straight and leaning slightly forward in your chair. Maintain eye contact with the interviewer without staring him or her down. If there are multiple people present in the interview, focus your attention on the individual asking you questions. 8. Take Notes Bring a notepad and pen to take notes during each interview. This is an effective way to show your interest in the job and your attention to detail. It also gives you an opportunity to look down at times if you struggle with nerves or eye contact. Be sensitive to the possibility that the interviewer may not feel comfortable with you taking notes. While atypical, highly competitive industries might send spies to competitors under the guise of a job interview. Therefore, it is appropriate to ask permission before pulling out your notebook and taking notes. 9. Dont Ask About Salary or Benefits Dont bring up salary on your first interview, unless the employer brings it up first. If they ask what youre making at your current place of employment, provide anexact salary or a salary range. If appropriate, you can mention that you feel it might be premature to talk salary. What is most important in the first interview is getting a sense of compatibility between yourself and the company. Dont ask abo ut benefits unless the interviewer broaches the subject, and never bring up overtime, even to show a willingness to work extra hours. The interviewer will nearly always note that you asked about overtime, and they may doubt your determination to work efficiently during regular work hours. 10. Always Be Honest Dont lie if you were laid off or terminated from a previous job. The truth will likely come out before being hired. If you lie and secure the position despite your dishonesty, your future at the company will be in jeopardy once the truth does come out. Answer with the facts as best you can. Be open and confident, providing valid reasons for any part of your employment history that you are not proud of. If you were laid off, make it clear that your performance did not contribute to the decision and that you can provide references from the company that laid you off. If you were terminated or fired, you can use a softer phrase, such as let go. Stay focused on the skills and suitab ility for the job presently on the table. References andletters of recommendationare a major help in this part of the process. 11. Have Questions Ready to Ask A job interview is an investigation into your experience, achievements, and compatibility with the company culture. But its also your opportunity to find out if the company is a good fit for you. You can demonstrate your intelligence and communication skills (active listening) by asking thoughtful questions. Examples include What are some of the challenges facing the company?Where do you see the company in five to 10 years?What does success mean to you and to the company?What have previous employees in this position gone on to do?I believe Im a great fit for this company. Is there anything else I can do to dispel any doubts? Heres a list of more questions to ask the hiring manager during a job interview. 12. Follow-Up After the Interview Its a good idea to follow-up on an interview within 24 hours. schmelzglas each interviewer or, if you want to make a lasting impression, send a writtenthank-youcard. In the email or letter, thank the interviewer for his or her time, reiterate your interest in the opportunity, and mention one topic from your notes that addresses an area of the interviewers focus. How to Ace the Interview Dont Feel Nervous About Being Nervous.Most interviewers understand that those they interview are nervous. Employers want to see how you respond under pressure, not how well you act like that pressure doesnt exist.Have a Conversation.Everyone in the room of an interview is a human being. Each of you have desires, needs, and fears. Do your best to relax, listen carefully, and simply engage in the conversation as it is being lumineszenzdiode by the interviewer(s). The more you do to prepare ahead of time, the better you will be able to relax in the room.Interviews Improve with Practice.For many people, the only way that they do well in interviews is by doing a lot of them. If youre one of th ose people, the more interviews you do, the better.

Salary Negotiation Tips for Employers

Salary Negotiation Tips for EmployersSalary Negotiation Tips for EmployersSalary Negotiation Tips for Employers Hopkinson, author of Salary Tutor Learn the Salary Negotiation Secrets No One Ever Taught YouThe moment of truth has arrived. After weeks of research, networking, perfecting resumes, meeting all the right people, and an intense interview, the topic of compensation is broached. So what were you looking for in terms of salary?The question hangs in the air as your heart beats faster, your mouth goes a little dry the anticipation is palpable. How will this play out? What do I say next?If youre envisioning a 25-year-old job seeker squirming in their just-purchased suit and youre starting to feel badeanstalt for them, dont.In the scenario above, its the hiring manager that is the nervous one.Salary Negotiation A Two-Way StreetDuring any interview, common thinking says that all the pressure is on the job candidate after all, they are the ones trying to set themselves apart from th e crowd and impress the company enough to get hired.But remember that the interview processis a two-way street. For companies with an important job to fill, extracting the perfect candidate from the legions of uninspiring Im looking for a company that will utilize my interpersonal skills resumes can be a challenge. Once you have that person in your grasp, they pass your rigorous qualifications, and you want to need to get them on board as soon as possible, the final question is asked Can you afford them?Here are 5 salary negotiation tips for employers to consider1.Access the best candidatesStudies have shown that upwards of 80% of jobs are found through networking. So if job seekers are out there expanding their network and tapping into friends of friends, why arent you? You dont even have to do it all yourself. Empower your employees to spread the word that you are looking for amazing new people to join your team, and reward them for quality referrals.2.Dont scare them off Some e mployers try to screen out candidates before they even know their name. If your job description or application has hazard label warning language such as RESUMES THAT ARE SUBMITTED THAT DO NOT CONTAIN A FULL SALARY HISTORY WILL BE IGNORED, what does that say about your company?3.Give them the tourIn my book Salary Tutor, I instruct candidates to defer premature salary talk by eager HR screeners by saying something such as Ive done my homework in terms of salary, but would really like to know mora about the company before we talk details. The key for them is not just saying the words, but believing them.For example, what if they give a low number early, but upon getting a full description of the jobs responsibilities, they find out there is mora travel than anticipated, longer working hours, and shrinking budgets. They realize theyd need a lot more compensation to take the job. Conversely, if they say a high number up front, then instantly click with their would-be manager, find out t heres a fantastic new project in the pipeline, and realize this is their dream job, they could be screened out for being too expensive.So before pressing candidates for a bottom line number, make sure theyve seen the big picture.4.Do your researchSome employers begin salary talks by asking What are you making at your current job?The problem with this question is, unless you plan on doing an extensive background check, you wont know if the candidate is telling the truth, taking their salary +20%, or picking a number out of hat. Furthermore, if the person is unemployed (zero salary), doing some consulting (where rates vary dramatically), or changing careers, it can be difficult to compare the past with the present.But most importantly, it doesnt matter what they are making now. The fact is,you are the one offering the job. The assumption here is that youre hiring because you feel an additional employee will bring in more revenue to your company, so you should have a number in mind tha t makes sure that the return on investment is worth it.Its up to you to do the research and know the market value of the employee you are looking to hire, factoring in years of experience, geographic location, and demand for the position. Fortunately, a host of online resources make it easy to determine a jobs market valuefor bank tellers in Boise or software engineers in Silicon Valley.5.Respect their researchThe way a prospective employee handles salary negotiationshould give you a pretty good indication of their character. Are they too timid to ask for what theyre worth? Do they get frustrated or demanding if your initial offer doesnt align with their thinking?Or, do they calmly and confidently approach this part of the interview like a business transaction? A candidate that has done extensive research on current market rates, shows you supporting documentation for the rate they are asking and ultimately knows their true worth and stands by it sounds like someone I would want on my team.In the end, negotiating a salary can be stressful for all parties involved. But with the right preparation, employers can get their moneys worth when the moment of truth arrives to make a job offer.Author Bio Jim Hopkinson is a marketing director at Conde Nast in New York City, hosts a popular blog and podcast called The Hopkinson Report,and teaches a social media class at NYU. His book, Salary Tutor Learn the Salary Negotiation Secrets No One Ever Taught You is available on Amazon.com. Learn more at SalaryTutor.com.

Joining the US Military is Getting Harder

Joining the US Military is Getting HarderJoining the US Military is Getting HarderIf youve been planning on joining one of the branches of the US Military, but have been putting it off, you may have lost your gelegenheit. For the past several months, all of the active duty and reserve branches have exceeded their recruiting goals. Waivers are Getting Rare Up until three or so years ago, enlistment waivers were relatively common, especially for the Army. The services would routinely waive disqualification factors, such as criminal history, minimum ASVAB scores, and even age to meet their monthly recruiting goals. Three years ago, about 20 percent of new Army enlistees had a GED instead of a high school diploma, and the Army even operated a special course to help potential enlistees get a GED. Those days seem to be gone. Very few waivers are now being approved. Why should the military take a chance on a waiver, when there are hundreds of applicants, waiting in line to join, who don t need one? I had one active duty Army recruiting tell me that he needs to enlist only one of three applicants who walk in his door in order to meet his monthly recruiting goal. So, why should he go through the extra time and paperwork to process a waiver request? These days, if you dont meet the set enlistment standards, your chances of getting a waiver are slim. Recruiting Goals Congress funds the military, and as such sets the maximum size of each military branch each year when they approve the annual military budget. Four years ago, Congress increased the size of the active duty Army and Marine Corps. That caused a short-term spike in Army and Marine Corps recruiting and retention goals, but both services are currently up to their maximum authorized strength levels. The spike is over. Both branches easily met their new size requirements, years ahead of schedule.