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Job Interview Tips: Traveling to an
Interview
Tuesday, September 18,
2007
Kristi Keck gives some tips for those who need to travel for their
interviews. The article is packed with common sense reminders that
are easy to miss in the rush of things:
- Know where you are going, including how to get from one place to
the next.
- If going on a short trip, enquire about size limitations for
carry-on luggage. Avoid checking your luggage so you don't have to
worry about the airline losing it.
- Write down a list of things you need to bring with you ahead of
time and check it off the day before you leave.
- Bring extra copies of your resume, references, and business
card.
- Bring an additional suit with you in case you get one dirty.
- Make sure to carry enough cash with you. The author recommends
$150.
- Get some sleep. Even though you're in a new city, fight the
urge of exploring the nightlife.
- Bring an additional alarm clock with you to use as a back up in
case the one at the hotel doesn't work or in case there is a power
outage. You can also ask the front desk to give you a wake up
call. Whatever you do, make sure you're not late for the
interview.
- Pack a snack as you go to the interview.
- Be prepared.
Nail That Job! 7 Tips for Traveling for an Interview, CNN.com/Travel
Answering Interview Questions Without
Rambling - The CAR Technique
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Lynne Haase suggests an effective way to be clear and stay focused
when answering job interview questions. The technique called "CAR"
stands for:
- Circumstance: Give the interviewer an
appreciation of the challenge, situation, or goal you had to face.
- Action: Describe what you did to handle the
above circumstance.
- Result: Show the result you were able to
achieve.
As Haase noted in her article, many job seekers fail to land jobs not
because of a lack of skills, knowledge, or experience, but because of
their inability to articulate their thoughts clearly.
* The CAR technique is similar to the PAR technique in resume writing
(problem-action-result), but adapted to job interviews.
How to Answer Job Interview Questions Without Rambling, Associated
Content
Some Dinner Interview Tips
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Dinner interviews are common occurrence for professionals. Since
they will be required to interact with clients in the course of
their work, professionals are often tested on their social skills
over a meal. Some interviewers also believe that talking over lunch
lessens the tension.
Tension or not, an dinner interview remains an interview. Linda J.
Lerner gives few pointers.
Getting the Phone Interview Right
Monday,
June 25, 2007
Many employers now use phone interviews as a way to pre-screen
candidates before meeting with them face-to-face. Phone interviews
represent a challenge in their own way and, as for conventional job
interviews, require adequate preparation. Following are some tips to
make an impression on your interlocutor:
- Keep in mind the objective of the phone interview: obtain a
face-to-face meeting.
- Have your resume and cover letter handy, in case you need to
refer to them. That being said, you should not have to if you have
prepared in advance.
- Practice by doing mock phone interviews.
- Schedule the phone interview carefully and choose a location
where you will be able to talk without distraction.
- Let everybody in your household know that you're expecting a
call, so when the interviewer calls, you'll be the one picking up
the phone.
- Avoid doing phone interviews using your cell phone.
- Avoid squeaky chairs.
- P.a.c.e. yourself when you speak and be clear.
- Have a glass of water ready.
- Sit straight.
- Dress as if you were attending the interview in person. This
will put you in the right state of mind.
Last, but not least, be yourself, be pleasant, and don't forget to
smile. Oddly enough, "smiles can be heard over the phone..."
Really? Yup! You're kidding!! Nop!
Back to the Basics: How to Improve
Your Job Interview Rate of Success
Sunday,
January 07, 2007
In order to help job seekers better prepare for Interview Day, we
have added four articles in our
Interview Tips
section. These articles go through all the basics you need to know
in order to succeed in your interviews:
Please give us your feedback and, if you have any good tips you would
like to share, let us know.
Answering Job Interview Questions with
Authenticity and Conviction
Monday, December 18, 2006
A lot has been written on how to answer interview questions
properly. Most tips are geared towards answering questions in a way
that will impress recruiters. But before we go there, we should
answer questions for ourselves first. Following are five basic
questions you should ask yourself and try to answer honestly:
- Why do I want this job?
- Why do I think I deserve this job?
- Why do I think I will be happy at this job?
- Why do I think I will be good at this job?
- Why do I think I will be better than others at this job?
You will be spending five days a week (minimum) at your new job.
The least you can do is to be true to yourself. Also, the goal is
not to find a job at any cost, but to find a job you will be good at
and a job that will make you happy.
Happiness is important in life.
How to Control Stress Level During
Interviews
Tuesday,
May 09, 2006
Job applicants look forward to getting an invitation to a
job interview,
yet dread the idea of attending one.
These mixed emotions often lead to stress and anxiety. Going to
interviews is definitely not an easy undertaking, but there are ways
to improve preparation and reduce stress.
- First, plan things in advance in your head.
Imagine that you get up on interview day, eat breakfast, go to the
interview, etc. Part of the mental preparation is to imagine
yourself preparing, going, and attending the interview. If you do
this, the day of the real interview, you won't have to think what to
do next, you'll just know.
- Second, prepare for your interview. Go through
the job posting, your cover letter, your resume, interview
questions, etc. The more prepared you are, the more confident you
will be, and the less stress you will feel.
- Third, have a good night of sleep and wake up
the next morning fresh and optimistic. It's all in your head.
Don't dread the interview. Instead, look forward to meeting your
new co-workers.
- Fourth, make sure you arrive to your
interview few minutes early. Nothing is more stressful than running
late on interview day and having to justify yourself.
As the above simple steps demonstrate, preparing for an interview
demands hard work and commitment. Don't let luck determine the
outcome of your future.
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