b) How To Job
Interview
What You Should Bring To The Job
Interview
Organize and prepare all the papers you will
need with you at
your job interview. Your main document is your
resume. If you
don't have a resume, take instead your school
records, Social
Security card, work records, licenses, military
records, dates of
employment and names of your
employers.
Your References
It is also important to create a list of
references. Be prepared
to give an employer the names and addresses of
three people who
are familiar with you and/or your work. You
should ask your
references for the use of their names in
advance. If you think it
appropriate, ask a professional friend or former
employer to
write you a letter of reference, and include it
with your resume.
If your work is the type of work you can show,
take samples of
what you have done in the past.
Know The Company And The Employer
Learn all you can about the company that is
interviewing you. Go
to the library or your Chamber of Commerce to
find out all you
can about it. Try to find out exactly what they
do and what they
have in store for you as far as jobs are
concerned. Find out whom
you will be working for. The person you will be
working for will
be very influential in your life. Make sure you
really want to
work for this person. If your future boss
doesn't tell you about
himself at the interview, don't ask.
Know How Much You Should Earn
Know how much you should earn with your talents
and skills. Make
your estimate a little higher so the company
benefits when they
bid you down. Don't go too high or you won't get
the job. Know
approximately what the salary scale is for the
job and be ready
to negotiate the salary.
Know Yourself
It is important that you know yourself. Evaluate
what you can
offer this company, whether it is education,
training or special
skills. Always tell them what you can do, not
what you can't do.
Know exactly what type of job you are applying
for and what type
of job you want.
Know Your Interviewer
Prepare yourself for the questions for the
questions the
interviewer is going to ask you. You should
rehearse answers to
the most commonly asked questions. Have some one
ask you these
questions to practice your answers:
Why do you want to work here?
how long do you want to stay with this
company?
Why did you leave your last job?
Tell me about yourself.
Why aren't you working now?
How long do you think you would stay in this
present job without
a promotion?
Why should we hire you?
What is your greatest
strength/weakness?
What did you like/dislike about your last
job?
How much did you earn?
How much do you want to earn?
Why do you think you can do this job without
experience?
Your Time
Make sure you are at least 10 minutes early for
the scheduled
appointment. Don't come too early or too late.
Give yourself
enough time to spend with the interviewer--don't
arrange another
appointment 15 minutes after the first
appointment. Your time
with the interviewer should be
uninterrupted.
Your Appearance And Dress
Don't wear too casual or too formal clothing to
the interview.
Dress conservatively without flashy colors. Be
well groomed and
shave for your interview. Women should make sure
thy look very
neat. Hair should not be in the face, it should
be up or tied
back. Makeup should be subtle. The way you look
is very important
to your interviewer. If your appearance is bad
for the interview,
that is the impression an employer will have of
your job
performance. Neat appearance is always a
must.
What To Do At The Interview
When you shake an employer's hand, shake it
firm, solid grip.
Don't shake his hand passively. Be businesslike
but pleasant and
friendly. Smile throughout the whole interview.
Make sure your
smile does not look fake. Good eye contact is
very important. If
you can't look into his eyes, look at the bridge
of his nose.
This will seem as if you are looking into his
eyes. Sit straight
up but toward the interviewer. This will make it
seem as if you
are very interested in what the interviewer has
to say. Don't
smoke or have poor posture during the interview.
If you are under
stress, try to act calm.
What To Say At The Interview
Let the employer take charge of the interview.
Answer his
questions briefly but completely. Don't ramble
on about
unimportant things and waste his time. Dogmatic
statements should
be avoided. Tell the employer exactly what you
expect from your
job and from him. Also tell him exactly what he
can expect from
you. Stress your qualifications in a positive,
affirmative tone.
When the employer tells you what type of person
is wanted, use
this information when telling the employer about
your
qualifications. It is very important to tell him
what he wants to
hear. When you tell people what they want to
hear, they start to
agree with you. Don't over do it and exaggerate
with lies. Use
your resume or records to support any claim you
make about
yourself. If you don't understand a question the
interviewer asks
you, repeat it back to him to see if you
understand it. Try to
see what the interviewer wants to find out about
you. If you know
what he wants to find out, make you answers fit
his needs.
What Not To Say And Do At The
Interview
Talk about previous jobs if they are in your
favor. Don't say
anything bad or criticize previous employers or
fellow workers.
If you say anything bad about anyone, your
future employer can
expect trouble from you. Don't say anything
negative about
yourself. Try not to discuss anything personal,
financial or
domestic unless you are specifically asked. If
the interviewer
questions you at a quick pace with confusing
questions, he is
doing this to put you under stress. Stay in
control and answer
calmly. Don't be overly impatient when an
employer asks you a
question. Wait for him to finish the question
and then answer it
completely and in a relaxed manner. You don't
want an employer to
think you are desperate for the job. Don't take
anyone with you
to the interview--this makes you seem
insecure.
At The End Of The Interview
If the employer does not offer you the job at
the end of the
interview, ask him when you will hear from him
or when you can
call to find out his decision. If you are asked
to come back,
write down the time and place you are to attend.
After the
interview thank the employer for spending his
time with you. Ask
him if he knows of any other company that may
need a person with
your qualifications. A good practice is to also
thank the
employer by mail with a "thank you" letter. Many
applicants don't
do this, so this may give you an edge on the
job.
If You Are Hired At The Interview
Make sure that you understand what your duties
will be. A good
understanding of what your employer expects from
you and what you
expect from your job will prevent conflicts in
the future. Make
sure that you are very clear on both of them.
You should also
find out what advancement opportunities are open
for you. Tell
the employer what salary you want, but only
bring up money when
the employer brings up your salary.
If, at the end of the interview, you are not
offered the job,
tell the interviewer that you really want the
job. Follow up with
a thank you letter to the interviewer. Tell the
interviewer again
in the note that you really want the
job. If you
forgot to
mention something in the interview that you
thought was
important, don't hesitate to mention it in the
letter. If the
company hasn't contacted you in a week or two,
call. If somebody
else is hired for the job ask the interviewer if
he has any other
openings in his company or if he can give you
any leads.
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