Category Archives: Interviewing

Why Do You Want to Work for Our Company?

Interviewing

Why Do You Want to Work for Our Company?  This question is helpful for you to know before you go to the interview.

  1. Preparing to answer this question will help you prepare to discuss the opportunity with the company. 

If you know enough about a company to explain why you want to work for the company, you will have a much more meaningful conversation during the interview.  You should never go to an interview without first knowing the job description.  Other things that you should know include the company products, as much as possible about the company culture, and the history of the company.

  1. The question will help you prepare to discuss how your skills match the job.

By knowing why you want to work for a company, you can explain why the company should want to hire you.  The information that you put together in preparing for this answer help you understand what ways your skills and experience match the requirements of the job.

  1.  It will help you show that you have an interest in the hiring company and not just any job at just any company.

To the hiring manager, interviewing an applicant who has a genuine interest a company raises the level of interest that the hiring manager has in an applicant.  It reflects positively that you have evaluated other companies.  The fact that you show that you are interested in the specific company, you are showing the hiring manager that you are a candidate worth the time it takes to interview you.

  1. It will help you show hiring managers and interviewers that you appreciate their time by taking your time to research the opportunity and prepare for your interview.

In researching your answer to the question, you will be able to show how much you value the opportunity to interview for the job.

Letter of Termination Why Were You Fired?

‘Why Were You Fired?’

Interviewing

“Why were you fired?” is one of the most difficult questions in interviewing.  How do you prepare your answer?  How do you deliver it?

Write down and rehearse your answer.

Do not let a bad case of the nerves and poor interview preparation allow you to trip over your words.  Rehearse your answer so that you can give a short, clear reply.  Test your answer with people you trust.  Get comfortable with your answer so that it makes you look confident in your ability to go forward with success in your next job.

Discuss your answer with your references.

Discussing your answer with your references is helpful in at least two ways.  First, you want your references to give an answer that is consistently with your answer to this question.  Second, your references may help you prepare an answer that is honest, unemotional, and make your firing nothing that should prevent you from getting a new job.

Stick to the truth.

Telling lies can catch up with you through reference checks and backgrounds checks.  Even worse, if the hiring company does not discover that you lied until after you have started to work for the new company, you might find that you are being fired again.

Structure your answer to show how you will be a great hire at you next company.

Being fired from a job does not mean that you do not deserve to get a job where you are interviewing.  If you were fired, because your last company was laying people off, you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Understandable the reasons you are being fired

  • A new boss came in and replaced everyone with people from his or her previous company.
  • The company shifted its business model and eliminated jobs for your skills.
  • Your boss was highly skilled but had high turnover, because he or she is a micromanager.

Why Did You Quit Your Last Job?

Interviewing

Why Did You Quit Your Last Job?

If you are unemployed, a common job interview question is why did you quit your last job.  The answer has value to the interviewer for several reasons.

Your answer can help the interviewer know whether the type of job you are seeking is available at the interviewer’s company.  Your answer can also help the interviewer evaluate your integrity when the time comes to conduct reference checks and background checks.  The way you answer the question can help the interviewer draw conclusions about the way you view work and view your role in the workplace.

There are a number a valid reasons people quit their job.

  • Safety issues can make jobs undesirable.
  • Commute costs or commute distance are sometimes overwhelming.
  • Job stress can create the necessity for finding a different job.
  • A change in a person’s home life can force a person to have to find a new job.
  • A challenging work relationship with your supervisor or co-workers can make you want to find a new place to work.

Quite often people lose a job for reasons beyond their control.

  • Companies run into difficulty and lay off people.
  • Automation can create changes in the numbers and types of employees a company has.
  • Companies move offices, retail locations, or manufacturing facilities to new locations, cutting local jobs.

Prepare thoroughly on how you want to answer the question on why you left your job.

Write out a solid, brief answer.

Try your answer out on several different people.  Of course, different people will have different views on how to answer the question.  Based on the discussions you have with other people, you will find that these people ask you questions about your reason for quitting your job.  Include these questions and your answers to these questions in your thinking about why you quit your job or lost you job.

In the end, you will need to select an answer that works best for you.  Thoroughly rehearse your answer.   How you answer why you quit your job can help you move on to getting an offer for your next job.

Successful communication has two parts: what you say and how you say it. Before you speak, think about both parts. www.jaywren.com

How to Cancel and Reschedule a Job Interview

Interviewing

How to Cancel and Reschedule a Job Interview

Knowing how to cancel and reschedule a job interview is an important part of the job interview process.

Having to cancel a job interview can cost you the opportunity itself.  Before you can return for a rescheduled interview, another applicant might fill the job.  Additionally, frustrated hiring managers who now have a hole in their schedule may not even grant you the opportunity to reschedule.

Cancel Immediately

Failing to cancel until the last minute will only make you appear flakey or disinterested. The more lead-time you provide when you cancel an interview and reschedule it, the better is your opportunity of rescheduling another interview. Certainly, call to reschedule as soon as you know you have a problem making the appointment.

Cancel and Reschedule in the Same Call

When you call to cancel an interview, ask to reschedule during the same call.  You may not have another opportunity to speak directly with someone to reschedule the appointment.

Emphasize your continued interest in the job. Remember to state how much you still want to have the opportunity to interview for the position.  Ask the hiring manager or recruiter what time would be another good time for them.

Valid Reasons

There are valid reasons to cancel and reschedule an interview.

  1. Work conflicts with your current employer can create a need to reschedule an interview. When rescheduling an interview because of a work conflict, you don’t need to be specific about the details of the work conflict.
  2. Health is certainly a valid reason to cancel and reschedule. Some interviewers will not be happy to greet a person who has symptoms of a cold. If you have a cold, you might call to let the interviewers know.  You can offer to come to the interview, but say that you felt you should let the interviewers know about your condition.
  3. Personal conflicts do arise. Let the person know that you regret having to reschedule. Sharing details of the situation are not always necessary and perhaps better avoided.  For example, a death in your family or among your close friends is certainly valid reasons for rescheduling. However, you don’t need to say who died.

Job Change: What is Your Greatest Strength?

Adapt, Innovate, Win, Interviewing

What’s Your Greatest Strength is a popular interview question.

Answering this question gives you an opportunity to shine as the perfect applicant for the job.  When you are preparing for your interview, think specifically about how your strengths fit the job.

There are different types of job strengths.

Each of these strengths has value depending on the requirements of a particular job.  Take the examples from these lists, write them into your resume, and use them in your interview.

Soft skills strengths

Soft skills are tricky.  Some hiring managers and recruiters overlook soft skills in a resume.  In other cases, hiring managers and recruiters think of lists of soft skills as puffery in a resume.  Forgive me for repeating this point, but discussing soft skills is effective when those skills specifically relate to the job for which you are interviewing.

  • Interpersonal Communication skills
  • Enthusiasm & Attitude skills
  • Teamwork skills
  • Relationship skills
  • Problem Solving & Critical Thinking skills
  • Professionalism skills

Knowledge-based or hard-skill strengths

These skills come from your education and your work you have done.  They are the strengths that you can take from one job to the next.  The strengths are core qualifications for any job.

  1. Accounting
  2. Analysis
  3. Brand Development
  4. Computer Programming
  5. Data Management
  6. Education
  7. Financial Management
  8. Internet Programming
  9. People Management
  10. Planning
  11. Mathematics
  12. Research and Development
  13. Software Applications such as word processing, spreadsheet, image editing, database
  14. Software Development
  15. Selling
  16. Typing
  17. Writing

Talent or natural ability strengths

One of my favorite subjects is talent.  Talent is a gift.  However, as people learn new things, their intelligence relative to the intelligence of other people their age can increase.  In other words, our intelligence quotient can become greater.

The obvious example for an understanding of how the growth of talent has limitations is the one for gifted runners.  Training and conditioning can make a person a faster runner.  However, the person who is gifted runner will also become faster through training and conditioning.

Talents are strengths that enable you to develop skills.  There are two types of talent: convergent talent and divergent talent.  Some people would say that there are three types of talent.  The third is emotional intelligence.

Listing talent in a job description is not a normal process.  However, if you are applying for a job that requires on-going skills development, you should highlight the fact that you have a talent for developing those types of skills.

How to Prepare for Tough Interview Questions

Interviewing

How to prepare for tough interview questions is part of becoming a more effective job seeker.

First, prepare thoroughly for the routine questions.  This approach will make large parts of the interview easier for you.  You will increase your confidence and reduce the pressure when an interviewer asks you a difficult question.

Here are some of the most difficult questions.

The questions link to some of the hundreds of career articles on this website:

Another step in preparing for difficult interview questions is to develop basic interview skills.

  • Listen: Just listening closely to the questions will help you subconsciously develop effective answers.
  • Clarify:  Make certain that you understand the question.  Ask the interviewer for more information.
  • Ask for time:Sometimes you might ask the interviewer to allow you to come back to a question.
  • Be honest: If you do not know the answer to a question, be honest.

Don’t sweat it.

Of course, you would like to handle every question with ease.  Some interviewers ask questions to see how well you can think under pressure.  When an interviewer asks you a difficult question, take a deep breath and think about what you are saying.  Realize that everyone has trouble giving good answers all the time.  I see politicians, television reporters, talk show hosts, and talk show quests become tongue-tied.  The ones who are most effective are the ones who smile at their mistakes and work past the mistakes to answer the questions.

What Not to Say in a Job Interview

Interviewing

What not to say in an interview is as important as what you say in an interview.

When you are in a job interview, don’t ruin your chances of getting a job by saying the wrong things.  You are rarely the only candidate in the interview process.  Saying things that make hiring managers and recruiters uncomfortable can cost you a job offer.

Don’t discuss politics, religion, sports, social issues, or news headlines.

You are in a job interview to discuss a job.  Unless the job that involves one of the above subjects, you will increase your chances of getting a job offer by avoiding those polarizing topics.

Don’t discuss personal problems.

Unfortunately, many people have personal problems and health problems.  Successful people know that the time to discuss those problems is in the privacy of their home or office.

Use your interview as an opportunity to show that you are competent, hardworking, and sincere.  If you are uncertain about some information that you think you should share with a future employer, research thoroughly what you should disclose and not disclose to a future employer.

“Don’t complain about your current company.”

When you are in an interview, do not complain about your boss, your company, your job, or anything else.  In an interview, you are trying to impress the hiring company with what a terrific person you are to have in the workplace.  No one wants to listen to a person complain.

Do not use obscene language.

Of course, you wouldn’t use obscene language in a job interview.

Don’t negotiate salary.  

Before you start flashing around your price tag, you need to sell the company on wanting to hire you.  Once the company makes you an offer, you can start to negotiate salary.  In the early stages of interviewing, don’t discuss salary.

What to Bring to an Interview

Interviewing

What to bring to an interview is an important as the things you say in an interview.  Getting to an interview to discover that you do not have the things you need is not only embarrassing, it is often an interview killer.  I recommend that you buy a portfolio case or a briefcase that you use just for interviews.  Keep the case stocked with the materials that you will take to every interview.

When organizing your interview case, make sure you bring the following items.

  1. Bring several copies of your resume.  You should have a copy for your own use and a copy for each person on the interview schedule.  Take extra copies for people who are not on the schedule but who might come into the interview.  Sometimes having unexpected people join the interview is a sign that the company finds you a strong applicant.
  2. Take a copy of the interview agenda.  Reading this agenda during the day will help you stay fresh on the names of the people you are meeting.  You can also make notes on the agenda.  These notes come in handy for the thank note you send after the interview.
  3. Bring a list of references.  Do not offer these references to every person you meet.  However, if things proceed rapidly to an offer, you want to have your references handy to accelerate the process.
  4. Bring a brag book.  This book contains samples of your work, letters of endorsement, and examples of recognition,
  5. Bring your laptop.  If you have impressive presentations that you can show the interviewer, you can benefit from having your laptop to show the quality of your work.
  6. Bring business cards.  Some interviewers use your business card as a way to verify your employment and verify your job title.
  7. Bring a notepad.  You need to keep track of contact and company information that you learn during your interviews.
  8. Bring three or four pens.  The extra pens help you relax that you have a pen that works.  In addition, it is wise to make sure you can help an interviewer who does not have a pen for taking notes.

Phone Interview Tips

Interviewing

Phone Interview Tips:  Before the interview, prepare as though you are going to a face-to-face interview. Your goal is to move ahead in the interview process. Even if you are uncertain whether you want the job before you get the call, make sure that you do the best job you can. If you decide later that you want the job and you do not get an invitation to proceed, you have missed an opportunity.

Have these things on your desk:

  • Your resume
  • The job description
  • A list of key points you wish to make about how your experience qualifies you for this specific job
  • A list of questions

Select your interview place carefully.

  • Pick a quiet room.
  • Have a glass of water immediately handy.
  • Pick a comfortable chair.

Even though you are on the phone, let your personality shine.

  • Smile.  You will project warmth even though the interview cannot see you.
  • Listen to the interviewers questions.  Answer the questions. Do not just a reply to the question.
  • Remember to take a quiet deep breath from time to time.
  • Say positive things about yourself and about your employer.
  • The reason you are interviewing with the new company is that they offer things you cannot get from your current company.
  • Make sure you understand the question before you answer it.

Remember to focus.

  • Make your answers detailed but to the point.
  • Allow the interviewer a chance to speak.
  • Ask trial close questions: for example, ask the interviewer when the company will make a decision.
  • Emphasize that you are definitely interested in going forward for with the opportunity.

Do not allow interruptions.

  • If you get another call, ignore it.
  • Make sure that people know not to disturb you.
  • Certainly do not multi-task.
  • Do not talk over the interviewer.
  • Do not try to tell a joke.
  • Do not fake your answers. If you do not know that answer to a random question, just say so.

Remember to close on an upbeat. 

Thank the interviewer for taking time to speak with you.  Emphasize that you hope to have a chance to speak again.

Landing a Job with Your Elevator Pitch

Interviewing

Landing a job with your elevator pitch takes preparation.  Before you go to an interview, you should script and practice a brief presentation to discuss why the company should hire you.

Your elevator pitch should cover three points.

  1. State the objective of the job.

Before you go to an interview, study the job description.  Learn as much as you can about the company.  Script how you understand the job based on the business of the hiring company.  Practice presenting a short statement of the hiring need of the company.

  1. Explain how your experience shows that you can achieve the objective of the job.

Compare your experience with the job objective specifically within your understanding of the goals of the company.  Have a three or four point summary of the ways your experience benefits the company.  Tailor your pitch directly to the company and to the specific job.  Anticipate questions and objections.  You do not need to include every possible thought in your elevator pitch.  However, you do want to have answers to likely questions.

Use simple plain English.  Avoid jargon that your current employer uses and that might not be common usage outside of your company.

  1. Ask when you can start to work.

Let the person know that you want the job and that you will make yourself available to fit the needs of the hiring company.  Do not mention income.  Your goal is to get a job offer.  Once you get the offer, you can fine-tune the details of salary, bonus, and benefits.

Practice your speech so that you can give it flawlessly.

When you have the opportunity to give your elevator pitch, take a breath before you start.  Don’t let the adrenaline drive your pitch.  Remember to smile.  Look at the person’s face.  Remember that you are dealing with a human being.  Allow a comfortable three feet of space between yourself and your contact.  Remember you speaking with the person to offer solutions and opportunities to the person and the person’s company.  You want to join their team.