| Congratulations! Your new resume got your foot in the door and now they want you to come in for an interview. Your palms sweat. Does this sound familiar? Here are 10 steps that may help relieve your anxiety and get you that job offer! - Research. Research. Research. We don't mean to sound redundant, but that's how important research is. If you're interviewing for a company that sells refrigerators, find out everything you can about refrigerators before you go to the interview. The employer is looking for someone who can solve his problems and if you know refrigerators and you know his company, you are that much closer to getting hired. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. - Be 10 minutes early to the interview. This will give you an opportunity to gather your thoughts and compose yourself. - YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL. Dress the part. Clothing will give an immediate impression to the employer. - Come prepared. Bring at least three copies of your professionally prepared resume with you. Don't forget your list of references. Carry them in a briefcase if possible. - Expect the unexpected. The employer wants to find out how fast you think on your feet. Don't be surprised if he asks you an irrelevant question such as: "If you had a crore of rupees, what would you do with it?" - Offer a firm handshake and don't sit down until you're invited to do so. - Don't slouch in the chair. Maintain eye contact with the interviewer. Lean forward in your chair to convey interest when the interviewer is explaining something to you. - Talk with a firm voice. This will convey confidence and knowledge to the employer. - Ask questions. Towards the end of the interview he will undoubtedly ask you if you have any questions. Many people say things like: "No, I don't think so." DON'T DO THIS! When you do your research about the company, come up with five questions to ask the employer. Ask him questions like, "What growth do you expect in your company over the next five years? Why should I work here? What do you expect in a good employee? When he answers this questions, make sure to explain to him how you fit those requirements exactly! After the interview, mail him a note of thanks. Thank him for his time and the opportunity to apply to his company. If you've left out any pertinent information during the interview now is the time to include it in the note of thanks Behavioural Interviews The beginning of the interview is like any other, you exchange pleasantries, talk about your qualifications and experience and then the interviewer starts asking you those really weird questions. "Give me a specific example of a time when you could not handle a important deadline." You search the depths of your memory for an example which answers that question and turns that failure into a success as suggested by your favourite book on interview skills, but are unable to come up with a satisfactory answer. The problem is most books offer you advice on succeeding in traditional interviews and not behavioral interviews. Behavioural interviews came into vogue when industrial psychologists realised that traditional interviews are often ineffective in analysing the candidate�s suitability for a job. The questions asked are hypothetical and the candidates end up giving hypothetical answers. For example the interviewer may ask "How would you handle and irate customer?" You know what the interviewer is looking for and respond "I will take him to the side, politely ask him the details of the problem and do my best to help him out." While this answer may sound satisfactory, it�s a hypothetical answer and may differ form what you may actually do in such a situation. The same question asked by an interviewer using behavioural interview techniques would be "Give me a specific example of an incident when you handled an irate customer. What was the problem and the end result". Your mind begins to race as you think of a response to this question. Now imagine an interview which is full of these questions and worse, most of the questions are negative "Tell me about a time when your mistake cost your company dear in terms of time and money." You are in a fix trying to figure out a situation that doesn�t sound too bad. If you try to dodge the question the interviewer probes further and asks an even more uncomfortable question in an effort to get to the truth. The basic premise behind behavioral interviewing is that your past is the best predictor of the future. In essence, if you ask behavioral-oriented questions, you're no longer asking questions that are hypothetical, but are now asking questions that must be answered based upon fact. The interviewer determines the capabilities and traits (often referred to as probes) that are essential for success in a position. Probes include: Assertiveness, Clarification, Commitment to Task, Dealing with Ambiguity, Decision Making, Interaction, Leadership, Management Skills, Communication Skills, Organizational Skills, Problem Solving, Team Building and others. Each probe lists various questions that are designed to determine whether the candidate has the ability or not based on specific past experiences. With a behavioral question, the interviewer is looking for results and not just a list of responsibilities and activities. The interviewer gets to listen to things like names, dates, places, the outcome and especially what the individual's role was in achieving that outcome. Candidates can prepare for behavioral interviews by identifying specific examples for each of the above probes. Most staffing representatives consider the probe associated with interaction, particularly in the office environment to be very important. The relationships people have and how they get along with each other is of particular significance. |