Interviewing Tips

(Читання. Самостійна робота)

 

FIRST INTERVIEWING TIP:

Frame vs. Content

To begin with, successful job-hunters have found it very useful to think of a job-interview as a picture, within a frame. The frame is how you mentally structure and pre­pare for the interview ahead of time. The picture inside is the content of what you say during the interview.

Interviewing books and articles often focus only on the picture - - what you say once you're in the room with the interviewer. But, of equal importance is the frame: how you set up the whole interview, first of all in your mind, and secondly in the arrangements you make before going in.

Therefore, let us begin here with some tips about the frame.

 

Ask for Twenty Minutes, No More, When You First Set Up the Interview

If you are the one who asks for the job-interview, only ask for twenty minutes; and keep to this, religiously. Once you're into the interview, stay aware of the time and determine that you will not stay one minute longer than the twenty minutes you requested -- unless the employer begs you to. And it is meant begs. Keep to your original agreement. ("I said I would only require twenty minutes of your time, and I like to honor agreements.") This will always impress an employer

 

Research the Organization, Before You Go In

Wherever possible, you must research the organization ahead of time, before going in for an interview. This will put you ahead (in the employer's mind) of the other people they talk to.

Toward this end, when the appointment is first set up, ask them right then and there if they have anything in writing about their organization; if so, request they mail it to you, so you'll have time to read it before the interview. Or, if the interview is the next day, offer to come down that very day and pick it up, yourself.

Also go to their Web site (if theу have one) and read everything they have there "About Us."

Also, go to your local library, and ask the librarian for help in locating any newspaper articles or other information about that organization.

Finally, ask all your friends if they know anyone who is working there, or used to work there; if they do, ask them to put you in contact with them, please. Tell them you have a job-interview there, and you'd like to know anything they can tell you about the place.

This is a matter of becoming familiar with their history, their purposes and their goals. All organizations, be they large or small, profit or nonprofit, love to be loved. If you have gone to all this trouble, to learn so much about them — before you ever walk in their doors -- they will be im­pressed, believe me, because most job-hunters never go to this trouble. They walk in knowing little or nothing about the organization. This drives employers nuts.

One time, the first question an IBM college recruiter asked a graduating senior was, "What do the initials IBM stand for?" The senior didn't know, and the interview was over.

Another time, an employer said to me, "I'm so tired of job-hunters who come in, and say, 'Uh, what do you do here?' that the next time someone walks in who already knows something about us, I'm going to hire him or her, on the spot." And he did, within the week.

Thus, if you come in, and have done your homework on the organization, this immediately makes you stand out from other job-hunters, and dramatically speeds up your chances of being offered a job there.

During the Interview, Determine to Observe the 50-50 Rule

Studies have revealed that, in general, the people who get hired are those who mix speaking and listening fifty-fifty in the interview. That is, half the time they let the employer do the talking, half the time in the interview they do the talking. People who didn't follow that mix, were the ones who didn't get hired, according to the study. The reason why this is so, is that if you talk too much about yourself, you come across as one who would ignore the needs of the organization; while if you talk too little, you come across as trying to hide something about your background.

In Answering the Employer's Questions, Observe the Twenty Second to Two-Minute Rule

Studies have revealed that when it is your turn to speak or answer a question, you should plan ahead of time not to speak any longer than two minutes at a time, if you want to make the best impression. In fact, a good answer to an employer's question sometimes only takes twenty seconds to give. This is useful information for you to know, in conducting a successful interview -- as you certainly want to do.

 

Determine to Be Seen In the Interview As A Resource Person, Not A Job Beggar

Determine that during the interview you will stay focussed on what you can do for the employer, rather than on what the employer can do for you. You want the employer to see you as a potential Resource Person for that organization, rather than as simply A Job Beggar (to quote Daniel Porot). You want to come across as a problem solver, rather than as one who simply keeps busy. You need to make it clear during the job-interview that you are there in order to make an oral proposal of what you can do for them, to help them with their problems. And determine that once the interview is over, you will follow this up with a carefully-worded written proposal on the same theme. You will see immediately what a switch this is from the way most job-hunters approach an employer! ("How much do you pay, and how much time off will I have?") Will he or she be glad to see you, with this different emphasis? In most cases, you bet they will. They want a resource person, and a problem-solver.

 

Determine to be Seen As A Part of the Solution, Not As A Part of the Problem

Every organization has two main preoccupations for its day-by-day work: the problems they are facing, and what solutions to those problems people are coming up with, there. Therefore, the main thing the employer is going to be trying to figure out during the hiring-interview with you, is: will you be part of the solution there, or just another part of the problem.

In trying to answer this concern, figure out prior to the interview how a bad employee would 'screw up,' in the position you are asking for--such things as come in late, take too much time off, follow his or her own agenda instead of the employer's, etc. Then plan to emphasize to the employer during the interview how much you are the very opposite: your sole goal is to increase the organization's effectiveness and service and bottom line.

Be aware of the skills employers are looking for, these days, regardless of the position you are seeking. Overall, they are looking for employees: who are punctual, arriving at work on time or early; who stay until quitting time, or even leave late; who are dependable; who have a good attitude; who have drive, energy, and enthusiasm; who want more than a paycheck; who are self-disciplined, well-organized, highly motivated, and good at managing their time; who can handle people well; who can use language effectively; who can work on a computer; who are committed to team work; who are flexible, and can respond to novel situations, or adapt when circumstances at work change; who are trainable, and love to learn; who are project-oriented, and goal-oriented; who have creativity and are good at problem solving; who have integrity; who are loyal to the organization; who are able to identify opportunities, markets, coming trends. They also want to hire people who can bring in more money than they are paid. Plan on claiming all of these that you legitimately can, during the hiring-interview.

 

Realize that The Employer Thinks The Way You Are Doing Your Job-Hunt Is The Way You Will Do the Job

Plan on illustrating by the way you conduct your job-hunt whatever it is you claim will be true of you, once hired. For example, if you plan on claiming during the interview that you are very thorough in all your work, be sure to be thorough in the way you have researched the organization ahead of time. For, the manner in which you do your job-hunt and the manner in which you would do the job you are seeking, are not assumed by most employers to be two unrelated subjects, but one and the same. They can tell when you are doing a slipshod, half-hearted job-hunt ("Uh, what do you guys do here?") and this is taken as a clear warning that you might do a slipshod, half-hearted job, were they foolish enough to ever hire you. Employers know this simple truth: Most people job-hunt the same way they live their lives, and the way they do their work.

 

Bring Evidence If You Can

Try to think of some way to bring evidence of your skills, to the hiring-interview. For example, if you are an artist, craftsperson or anyone who produces a product, try to bring a sample of what you have made or produced--either in person, or through photos, or even videotapes.

 

Determine Ahead of Time Not to Bad Mouth Your Previous Employer(s) During the Interview

During the hiring-interview, plan on never speaking badly of your previous employer(s). Employers often feel as though they are a fraternity or sorority. During the interview you want to come across as one who displays courtesy toward all members of that fraternity or sorority. Bad-mouthing a previous employer only makes this employer worry about what you would say about them, after they hire you.

Plan on saying something nice about your previous employer, or if you are afraid that the previous employer is going to give you a very bad recommendation, seize the bull by the horns. Say something simple like, "I usually get along with everybody; but for some reason, my past employer and I just didn't get along. Don't know why. It's never happened to me before. Hope it never happens again."

 

Determine That The Interview Will Be Part of Your Ongoing Research, And Not Just A Sales Pitch

Your natural question, as you approach any job-interview, will tend to be, "How do I convince this employer to hire me?" Wrong question. It implies that you have already made up your mind that this would be a grand place to work at, and he or she a grand person to work for, so that all that remains is for you to sell yourself. But, in most cases, despite your best attempts to research the place thoroughly, you don't know enough about it yet, to say that. You have got to use the hiring-interview as a chance to gather further information about this organization, and this boss.

If you understand this about an interview, you will be ahead of 98% of all other job-hunters -- who all too often go to the hiring-interview as a lamb goes to the slaughter, or as a criminal goes on trial before a judge.

You are on trial, of course, in the employer's eyes.

But, good news -- so is that employer and that organization, in your eyes.

This is what makes the job-interview tolerable or even enjoyable: you are studying everything about this employer, at the same time that they are studying everything about you.

Two people, both sizing each other up. You know what that reminds you of, of course. Dating.

Well, the job-interview is every bit like the 'dating game.' Both of you have to like each other, before you can even discuss the question of 'going steady,' i.e., a job. So, you're sitting there, sizing each other up.

The importance of your not just leaving the evaluation to the employer, but of doing your own weighing of this person, this organization, and this job, during the hiring-interview, cannot be overstated. The tradition in the U.S., and throughout the world for that matter, is to find a job, take it, and then after you're in it trying to figure out in the next three months whether it is a good job or not--and quitting if you decide it isn't.

You are going against this stupid custom, as any smartie should, by using the hiring-interview to screen the organization before you decide to go to work there. And if you decide you don't like what you're hearing during the job-interview, then you in effect, quit before you're offered the job, rather than quitting after you've taken the job. Believe it, if you show that kind of smartness, the employer will thank you, your Mother will thank you, your spouse or partner will thank you, and of course you will thank yourself.

 

SECOND INTERVIEWING TIP:

 

So much for the frame of the interview. Now for the picture within that frame, the actual content of what you say during the interview. We begin with this simple thought:

Many Employers Are as Scared as You Are During the Hiring Interview

As you go in to the interview, keep in mind that the person-who-has-the-power-to-hire-you is sweating too. Why? Because, the hiring-interview is not a very reliable way to choose an employee. In a survey conducted some years ago among a dozen top United Kingdom employers, it was discovered that the chances of an employer finding a good employee through the hiring-interview was only 3% better than if they had picked a name out of a hat. In a further ironic finding, it was discovered that if the interview were conducted by someone who would be working directly with the candidate, the success rate dropped to 2% below that of picking a name out of a hat. And if the interview were conducted by a so-called personnel expert, the success rate dropped to 10% below that of picking a name out of a hat.

These figures sure are a hoot! And, more importantly, they are totally consistent with what Richard N. Bolles (an expert in hiring) has learned about the world of hiring during the past thirty years. He has watched so-called personnel or human resources experts make wretchedly bad choices about hiring in their own office, and when they would morosely confess this to him some months later, over lunch, he would playfully tease them with, "If you don't even know how to hire well for your own office, how do you keep a straight face when you're called in as a hiring consultant by another organization?" And they would ruefully reply, "We act as though it were a science." So, as you see, the hiring-interview is not a science. It is a very very hazy art, done badly by most of its employer-practitioners, in spite of their own past experience, their very best intentions and their carloads of goodwill.

The hiring interview is not what it seems to be. It seems to be one individual (you) sitting there, scared to death while the other individual (the employer) is sitting there, blase and confident.

But what it really is, is two individuals (you and the employer) sitting there scared to death. It's just that the employer has learned to hide his or her fears better than you have, because they've had more practice..

But this employer is, after all, a human being just like you. They were never hired to do this. It got thrown in with all their other duties. And they may know they're not very good at it. So, they're afraid.

 

THIRD INTERVIEWING TIP:

 

It Will Help If You Mentally Catalog, Ahead of Time, Not Your Fears, But the Employer's

The employer's fears include any or all of the following:

A.                That you won't be able to do the job: that you lack the necessary skills or experience, and the hiring-interview didn't uncover this.

B.                 That if hired, you won't put in a full working day, regularly.

C.                 That if hired, you'll be frequently "out sick," or otherwise absent whole days.

D.                That if hired, you'll only stay around for a few weeks or at most a few months, and then quit without advance warning.

E.                 That it will take you too long to master the job, and thus it will be too long before you're profitable to that organization.

F.                  That you won't get along with the other workers there, or that you will develop a personality conflict with the boss himself (or herself).

G.                That you will do only the minimum that you can get away with, rather than the maximum that they hired you for.

H.                That you will always have to be told what to do next, rather than displaying initiative--always in a responding mode, rather than an initiating mode (and mood).

I.                   That you will have a work-disrupting character flaw, and turn out to be: dishonest, or totally irresponsible, a spreader of dissention at work, lazy, an embezzler, a gossip, a sexual harasser, a drug-user or substance abuser, a drunk, a liar, incompetent, or -- in a word -- bad news.

J. If this is a large organization, and your would-be boss is not the top person: that you will bring discredit upon them, and upon their department/section/division, etc., for ever hiring you in the first place--making them lose face, possibly also costing them a raise or a promotion.

K. That you will cost a lot of money, if they make a mistake by hiring you. Currently, in the U.S. the cost to an employer of a bad hire can far exceed $50,000 including relocation costs, lost pay for the period for work not done or aborted, and severance pay--if they are the ones who decide to let you go.

No wonder the employer is sweating.

During the hiring interview, the employer is completely on his or her own in trying to figure out whether or not to hire you. Their fears have moved to the front burner. The hiring-interview these days has become everything.

 

FOURTH INTERVIEWING TIP:

 

You Don't Have to Spend Hours Memorizing A Lot of 'Good Answers' to Potential Questions from The Employer; There Are Only Five Questions That Matter

Of course, the employer is going to be asking you some questions, as a way of helping them to figure out whether or not they want to hire you. Books on interviewing, of which there are many, often publish lists of these questions -- or at least some typical ones that employers often ask. They include such questions as:

What do you know about this company?

Tell me about yourself.

Why are you applying for this job?

How would you describe yourself?

What are your major strengths?

What is your greatest weakness?

What type of work do you like to do best?

What are your interests outside of work?

What accomplishment gave you the greatest

satisfaction?

Why did you leave your last job?

Why were you fired (if you were)?

Where do you see yourself five years from now?

What are your goals in life?

How much did you make at your last job?

The list goes on and on. In some books, you'll find eighty-nine questions, or more.

You are then told that you should prepare for the hiring-interview by writing out, practicing, and memorizing some devilishly clever answers to all these questions--answers which those books of course furnish you with.

All of this is well-intentioned, and has been the state of the art for decades. But, dear friend, Good News! We are in the 21th century, and things are getting simpler.

Beneath the dozens and dozens of possible questions that the employer could ask you, we now know that there are only five basic questions, that you really need to pay attention to.

Five. Just five. The people-who-have-the-power-to-hire-you usually want to know the answers to these five questions, which they may ask directly or try to find out obliquely:

1.                 "Why are you here?" They mean by this, "Why are you knocking on my door, rather than someone else's door?"

2.                 "What can you do for us?" They mean by this, "If I were to hire you, would you be part of the problems I already have, or would you be a part of the solution to those problems? What are your skills, and how much do you know about some subject or field that is of interest to us?"

3.                 "What kind of person are you?" They mean by this, "Do you have the kind of personality that makes it easy for people to work with you, and do you share the values which we have at this place?"

4.                 "What distinguishes you from nineteen other people who can do the same tasks that you can?" They mean by this, "Do you have better work habits than the nineteen others, do you show up earlier, stay later, work more thoroughly, work faster, maintain higher standards, go the extra mile, or... what?"

5.                 "Can I afford you?'"' They mean by this, "If we decide we want you here, how much will it take to get you, and are we willing and able to pay that amount -- governed, as we are, by our budget, and by our inability to pay you as much as the person who would be above you, on the organizational chart?"

These are the five principal questions that most employers are dying to know the answers to. This is the case, even if the interview begins and ends with these five questions never once being mentioned overtly by the employer. The questions are still floating in the air there, beneath the surface of the conversation, beneath all the other things that are being discussed. Anything you can do, during the interview, to help the employer find the answers to these five questions, will make the interview very satisfying to the employer.

 

FIFTH INTERVIEWING TIP:

 

You Need To Find Out The Answers To The Very Same Questions That The Employer Would Like to Ask You

During the hiring-interview you have the right--nay, the duty--to find out the answers to the very same five questions as the employer's, only in a slightly different form. Your questions will come out looking like this:

1.                 "What does this job involve?" You want to understand exactly what tasks will be asked of you, so that you can determine if these are the kinds of tasks you would really like to do.

2.                 "What are the skills a top employee in this job would have to have?" You want to know if your skills match those which the employer thinks a top employee in this job would have to have, in order to do this job well.

3.                 "Are these the kinds of people I would like to work with, or not?" Do not ignore your intuition if it tells you that you would not be comfortable working with these people!! You want to know if they have the kind of personality that would make it easy for you to accomplish your work, and if they share the values which are important to you."

4.                 "If we like each other, and both want to work together, can I persuade diem there is something unique about me, that makes me different from nineteen other people who can do the same tasks?" You need to think out, way

ahead of time, what does make you different from nineteen other people who can do the same job. For example, if you are good at analyzing problems, how do you do that? Painstakingly? Intuitively, in a flash? By consulting with greater authorities in the field? You see the point. You are trying to put your finger on the 'style' or 'manner' in which you do your work, that is distinctive and hopefully appealing, to this employer.

5.                 "Can I persuade them to hire me at the salary I need or want?" This requires some knowledge on your part of how to conduct salary negotiation.

You will probably want to ask questions one and two out loud. You will observe quietly the answer to question three. You will be prepared to make the case for questions four and five, when the appropriate time in the interview arises.

How do you get into these questions? You might begin by reporting to them just exactly how you've been conducting your job-hunt, and what impressed you so much about their organization during your research, that you decided to come in and talk to them about a job. Then you can fix your attention, during the remainder of the interview, on finding out the answers to the five questions above -- in your own way.

Yes, there are only five questions that really count in a job-interview; but how these five questions keep popping up! They pop up in a slightly different form (yet again), if you're there to talk not about a job that already exists but rather, one that you want them to create for you. In that kind of interview, or approach to an organization, these five questions get changed into five statements, that you make to this person-who-has-the-power-to-hire-you:

1.               What you like about this organization.

2.               What sorts of needs you find intriguing in this field and in this organization (unless you first hear the word 'problems' coming out of their mouth, don't ever use the word 'problems,' inasmuch as most employers prefer synonyms such as 'challenges' or 'needs').

3.               What skills seem to you to be needed in order to meet such needs.

4.               Evidence from your past experience that demonstrates you have the very skills in question, and that you perform them in the manner or style you claim.

5.               What is unique about the way you perform those skills. As it was said before: every prospective employer wants to know what makes you different from nineteen other people who can do the same kind of work as you do. You have to know what that is. And then not merely talk about it, but actually demonstrate it by the way you conduct your part of the hiring-interview. For example, "I am very thorough in the way I would do the job for you" translates into the imperative that you be thorough in the way you have researched the place before you go in for the hiring- interview. That's evidence the employer can see with their own eyes.

 

SIXTH INTERVIEWING TIP:

 

Employers Don't Really Care About Your Past;

They Only Ask About It, in Order to Try to Predict Your Future (Behavior)

In the U.S. employers may only ask you questions that are related to the requirements and expectations of the job. They cannot ask about such things as your creed, religion, race, age, sex or marital status. Any other questions about your past are fair game. But don't be fooled by any employer's absorption with your past. You must realize that the only thing any employer can possibly care about is your future ... with them. Since that future is impossible to uncover, they usually try to gauge what it would be by asking about your past (behavior).

Therefore, during the hiring-interview before you answer any question the employer asks you about your past, you should pause to think out what fear about the future lies underneath that question--and then address that fear, obliquely or directly.

In most cases, as I have been emphasizing, the person-who-has-the-power-to-hire-you is scared. If you think that is too strong a word, let's settle for anxious, or afraid, or worried. And this worry lies beneath all the questions they may ask.

Here are some examples:

 

Employer's Question	The Fear Behind The Question	The Point You Try To Get Across	Phrases You Might Use To Get This Across
"Тll me about yourself"	The employer is afraid he/she isn't going to conduct a very good interview, by failing to ask the right questions. Or is afraid there is something wrong with you, and is hoping you will blurt it out.	You are a good employee, as you have proved in the past at your other jobs. (Give the briefest history of who you are, where born, raised, interests, hobbies, and kind of work you have enjoyed the most to date.) Keep it to two minutes, max.	In describing your past work history, use any honest phrases you can about your work history, that are self-complimentary: "Hard worker." "Came in early, left late." "Always dicl more than was expected of me." Etc.
"What kind of work are you looking for?"	The employer is afraid that you are looking for a different job than that which the employer is trying to fill. e.g., he/she wants a secretary, but you want to be an office manager, etc.	You are looking for precisely the kind of work the employer is offering (but don't say that, if it isn't true). Repeat back to the employer, in your own words, what he/she has said about the job, and emphasize the skills you have to do that.	If the employer hasn't described the job at all, say, "I'd be happy to answer that, but first I need to understand exactly what kind of work this job involves." Then answer, as at left.
"Have you ever done this kind of work before?"	The employer is afraid you don't possess the necessary skills and experience to do this job.	You have skills that are transferable, from whatever you used to do; and you did it well.	"I pick up stuff very quickly." "I have quickly mastered any job I have ever done."

 

 

Employer's Question	The Fear Behind The Question	The Point You Try To Get Across	Phrases You Might Use To Get This Across
"Why did you leave your last job?" -- or  "How did you get along with your former boss and co-workers?"	The employer is afraid you don't get along well with people, especially bosses, and is just waiting for you to 'bad mouth' your previous boss or co-workers, as proof of that.	Say whatever positive things you possibly can about your former boss and co-workers (without telling lies). Emphasize you usually get along very well with people -- and then let your gracious attitude toward your previous boss(es) and co-workers prove it, right before this employer's very eyes (and ears).	If you left voluntarily: "My boss and I both felt I would be happier and more effective in ajob where [here describe your strong points, such as] I would have more room to use my initiative and creativity." If you were fired: "Usually, I get along well with everyone, but in this particular case the boss and I just didn't get along with each other. Difficult to say why." You don't need to say any more than that. If you were laid off and your job wasn't filled after you left: "My job was terminated."
"How is your health?" -- or "How much were you absent from work during your last job?"	The employer is afraid you will be absent from work a lot, if they hire you.	You will not be absent. If you have a health problem, you want to emphasize that it is one which will not keep you from being at work, daily. Your productivity, compared to other workers', is excellent.	If you were not absent a lot at your last job: "I believe it's an employee's job to show up every work day. Period." If you were absent a lot, say why, and stress that it was due to a difficulty that is now past.

 

 

 

SEVENTH INTERVIEWING TIP:

 

As The Interview Proceeds, You Want to Quietly Notice The Time-Frame of the Questions The Employer is Asking

When the interview is going favorably for you, the time-frame of the employer's questions will often move --however slowly -- through the following stages.

1.                  Distant past: e.g., "Where did you attend high school?"

2.                  Immediate past: e.g., "Tell me about your most recent job."

3.                  Present: e.g., "What kind of a job are you looking for?"

4.                  Immediate future: e.g., "Would you be able to come back for another interview next week?"

5.                  Distant future: e.g., "Where would you like to be five years from now?"

The more the time-frame of the interviewer's questions moves from the past to the future, the more favorably you may assume the interview is going for you. On the other hand, if the interviewer's questions stay firmly in the past, the outlook is not so good. Ah well, y' can't win them all!

When the time-frame of the interviewer's questions moves firmly into the future, then is the time for you to get more specific about the job in question. Experts suggest you ask, at that point, these kinds of questions:

 

What is the job, specifically, that I am being considered for?

If I were hired, what duties would I be performing?

What responsibilities would I have?

What would you be hiring me to accomplish?

Would I be working with a team, or group? To whom would I report?

Whose responsibility is it to see that I get the training I need, here, to get up to speed? How would I be evaluated, how often, and by whom?

What were the strengths and weaknesses of previous people in this position?

Why did you yourself decide to work here?

What do you wish you had known about this company before you started here? What particular characteristics do you think have made you successful in your job here? May I meet the persons I would be working with and for (if it isn't you)?

Remember, throughout this weighing of each other, we're not talking scientific measurement here. As Nathan Azrin has said for many years, The hiring process is more like choosing a mate, than it is like deciding whether or not to buy a new house. 'Choosing a mate' here is a metaphor. To elaborate upon the metaphor a little bit, it means that the mechanisms by which human nature decides to hire someone, are similar to the mechanisms by which human nature decides whether or not to marry someone. Those mechanisms, of course, are impulsive, intuitional, non-rational, unfathomable and often made on the spur of the moment.

 

EIGHTH INTERVIEWING TIP:

 

Interviews Are Often Lost to Mosquitoes Rather Than To Dragons, and Lost Within the First Two Minutes

Think about this: you can have all the skills in the world, have researched this organization to death, have practiced interviewing until you are a master at giving 'right answers,' be absolutely the perfect person for this job, and yet lose the hiring-interview because ... your breath smells terrible. Or some other small personal reason. It's akin to your being ready to fight dragons, and then being killed by a mosquito.

It's the reason why interviews are most often lost, when they are lost, during the first two minutes. Believe it or not.

Let us look at what interview-mosquitoes (as it were) can fly in, during the first 30 seconds to two minutes of your interview so that the person-who-has-the-power-to-hire-you starts muttering to themselves, "I sure hope we have some other candidates besides this person":

1. Your appearance and personal habits: interview after interview has revealed that if you are a male, you are much more likely to get the job if:

·                     you have obviously freshly bathed, have your face freshly shaved or your hair and beard freshly trimmed, have clean fingernails, and are using a deodorant; and

·                     you have on freshly laundered clothes, pants with a sharp crease, and shoes freshly polished; and

·                     you do not have bad breath, do not dispense gallons of garlic, onion, stale tobacco, or the odor of strong drink, into the enclosed office air, but have brushed and flossed your teeth; and

·                     you are not wafting tons of after-shave cologne fifteen feet ahead of you, as you enter the room.

 

If you are a female, interview after interview has revealed that you are much more likely to get the job if:

·                     you have obviously freshly bathed; have not got tons of makeup on your face; have had your hair newly 'permed' or 'coiffed'; have clean or nicely manicured fingernails, that don't stick out ten inches from your fingers; and are using a deodorant; and

·                     you wear a bra, have on freshly cleaned clothes, a suit or sophisticated-looking dress, shoes not sandals, and are not wearing clothes so daring that they call a lot of attention to themselves. In these days of sexual harassment lawsuits, this tends to make many employers, male and female, very nervous; and

•       you do not have bad breath; do not dispense gallons of garlic, onion, stale tobacco, or the odor of strong drink, into the enclosed office air; but have brushed and flossed your teeth; and

·                     you are not wafting tons of perfume fifteen feet ahead of you, as you enter the room.

2. Nervous mannerisms: it is a turn-off for employers if:

•       you continually avoid eye contact with the employer (that's a big, big no-no), or

•       you give a limp handshake, or

•       you slouch in your chair, or endlessly fidget with your hands, or crack your knuckles, or constantly play with your hair during the interview.

3. Lack of self-confidence: it is a turn-off for employers if:

•       you are speaking so softly you cannot be heard, or so loudly you can be heard two rooms away, or

•       you are giving answers in an extremely hesitant fashion, or

•       you are giving one-word answers to all the employer's questions, or

•       you are constantly interrupting the employer, or

•       you are downplaying your achievements or abilities, or are continuously being self-critical in comments you make about yourself during the interview.

4. The consideration you show to other people: it is a turn-off for employers if:

·                   you show a lack of courtesy to the receptionist, secretary, and (at lunch) to the waiter or waitress, or

·                   you display extreme criticalness toward your previous employers and places of work, or

·                   you drink strong stuff (ordering a drink if and when the employer takes you to lunch is always an extremely bad idea, as it raises the question in the employer's mind, Do they normally stop with one, or do they normally keep on going? Don't... ever... do ... it! Even if they do.), or

·                   •you forget to thank the interviewer as you're leaving, or forget to send a thank-you note afterward. Says one human resources manager:

"A prompt, brief, faxed business letter thanking me for my time along with a (brief!) synopsis of his/her unique qualities communicates to me that this person is an assertive, motivated, customer-service-oriented salesperson who utilizes technology and knows the rules of the 'game.' These are qualities I am looking for... At the moment I receive approximately one such letter ... for every fifteen candidates interviewed."

• Incidentally, many an employer watches to see if you smoke, either in the office or at lunch. In a race between two equally qualified people, the nonsmoker will win out over the smoker 94% of the time, according to a study done by a professor of business at Seattle University

5. Your values: it is a complete turn-off for most employers, if they see in you:

•       any sign of arrogance or excessive aggressiveness; any sign of tardiness or failure to keep appointments and commitments on time, including the hiring-interview; or any sign of laziness or lack of motivation; or

•       any sign of constant complaining or blaming things on others; or

•       any signs of dishonesty or lying -- on your resume or in the interview; or

•       any signs of irresponsibility or tendency to goof off; or

•       any sign of not following instructions or obeying rules; or

•       any sign of a lack of enthusiasm for this organization and what it is trying to do; or

•       any sign of instability, inappropriate response, and the like; or

•       the other ways in which you evidence your values, such as: what things impress you or don't impress you in the office; or what you are willing to sacrifice in order to get this job and what you are not willing to sacrifice in order to get this job; or your enthusiasm for work; or the carefulness with which you did or didn't research this company before you came in.

 

You may take all this to heart, or just ignore it. However, if you decide to ignore these points, and then- - despite interview after interview--you never get hired, you might want to rethink your position on all of this. It may be mosquitoes, not dragons, that are killing you.

And, good news: you can fix all these mosquitoes. Yes, you control every one of these factors.

Read them all over again. There isn't a one of them that you don't have the power to determine, or the power to change. You can decide to bathe before going to the interview, you can decide to shine your shoes, you can decide not to smoke, etc., etc. All the little things which could torpedo your interview are within your control, and you can fix them, if they are keeping you from getting hired.

 

NINTH INTERVIEWING TIP:

 

There are Some Questions You Must Ask Before You Let the Interview Close

Before you let the interview end, there are six questions you should always ask:

#1. "Given my skills and experience, is there work here that you would consider me for?" This is if you haven't come after a specific job, from the beginning.

#2. "Can you offer me this job? This seems stupid, but it is astonishing how many job-hunters have secured a job simply by being bold enough to ask for it, at the end of the interview, either with the words May I have this job, or something similar to it, in language they feel comfortable with. Anyway, if after hearing all about this job at this place, you decide you'd really like to have it, you must ask for it. The worse thing the employer can say is "No," or "We need some time to think about all the interviews we're conducting."

#3. "Do you want me to come back for another interview, perhaps with some of the other decision-makers here?" If you are a serious candidate in this employer's mind for this job, there usually is a second round of interviews. And, often, a third, and fourth. You, of course, want to make it to that second round. Indeed, many experts say the only purpose you should have in the first interview, at a particular place, is to be invited back for a second interview. If you've secured that, say they, it has been a successful first interview.

#4. "When may I expect to hear from you?" You never want to leave control of the ensuing steps in this process in the hands of the employer. You want it in your own hands. If the employer says, "We need time to think about this," or "We will be calling you for a second interview," you don't want to leave this as an undated good intention on the employer's part. You want to nail it down.

#5. "Might I ask what would be the latest I can expect to hear from you? " The employer has probably given you their best guess, in answer to your previous question. Now you want to know what is the worst-case scenario?

#6. "May I contact you after that date, if for any reason you haven't gotten back to me by that time?" Some employers resent this question. You'll know that is the case if they snap at you, "Don't you trust me?" But most employers appreciate your offering them what is in essence a safety-net. They know they can get busy, become overwhelmed with other things, forget their promise to you. It's reassuring, in such a case, for you to offer to rescue them.

[Optional: #7. "Can you think of anyone else who might be interested in hiring me?" This question is invoked only if they replied "No," to your first question, above.]

Jot down any answers they give you to the questions above, then stand up, thank them sincerely for their time, give a firm handshake, and leave. Write a thank-you note that night, to them, and mail it without fail the next morning.

 

TENTH INTERVIEWING TIP:

 

Always, Always Send A Thank-You Note the Same Night, At the Latest

Every expert on interviewing will tell you two things: (1) Thank-you notes must be sent after every interview, by every job-hunter; and (2) Most job-hunters ignore this advice. Indeed, it is safe to say that it is the most overlooked step in the entire job-hunting process.

If you want to stand out from the others applying for the same job, send thank-you notes -- to everyone you met there, that day. If you need any additional encouragement (besides the fact that it may get you the job), here are six reasons for sending a thank-you note, most particularly to the employer who interviewed you:

First, you were presenting yourself as one who has good skills with people. Your actions with respect to the job-interview must back this claim up. Sending a thank-you note does that. The employer can see you are good with people; you remember to thank them.

Secondly, it helps the employer to remember you.

Thirdly, if a committee is involved in the hiring process, the one man or woman who interviewed you has something to show the rest of the committee.

Fourth, if the interview went rather well, and the employer seemed to show an interest in further talks, the thank-you letter can reiterate your interest in further talks.

Fifth, the thank-you note gives you an opportunity to correct any wrong impression you left behind you. You can add anything you forgot to tell them, that you want them to know. And from among all the things you two discussed, you can underline the main two or three points that you want to stand out in their minds.

Lastly, if the interview did not go well, and you lost all interest in working there, they may still hear of other openings, elsewhere, that might be of interest to you. In the thank-you note, you can mention this, and ask them to keep you in mind. Thus, from kindly interviewers, you may gain additional leads.

In the following days, rigorously keep to all that you said, and don't contact them except with that mandatory thank-you note, until after the latest deadline you two agreed upon, in answer to question #4, above. If you do have to contact them after that date, and if they tell you things are still up in the air, you must ask questions #3, #4, and #5, all over again. And so on, and so forth.

Incidentally, it is entirely appropriate for you to insert a thank-you note into the running stream, after each interview or telephone contact. Just keep it brief.

 

 

 

 

WHEN NONE OF THIS WORKS, AND YOU NEVER GET INVITED BACK

There is no magic in job-hunting. No techniques that always work, and work for everyone. Anyone who tells you there is magic, is delusional. We can hear regularly from job-hunters who report that they paid attention to all the matters which were mentioned above, and are quite successful at getting interviews--but they still don't get hired. And they want to know what they're doing wrong.

Unfortunately the answer sometimes is: "Maybe nothing." Some employers play wicked, despicable tricks on job-hunters, whereby they invite you in for an interview despite the fact that they have already hired someone for the position in question, and they know from the beginning that they have absolutely no intention of hiring you -- not in a million years!

You will of course be baffled as to why you got turned down. Trouble is, you will never know if it was because you met an employer who was playing this little trick, or not. All you know is: you're very depressed.

If you never get invited back for a second interview, there is always, of course, the chance that no games are being played. You are getting rejected, at place after place, because there is something really wrong with the way you are coming across, during these hiring-interviews.