Cv For Interviews

Archive for the ‘Interview Questions’ Category

Have you recently landed a job interview, from one of the job listings that you applied to?  If you have, when is your interview scheduled?  If your interview is scheduled to take place in a few days or even in a few hours, are you prepared for it?  What you may not know is that most job applicants aren’t.  To make sure that you are prepared for your interview, you will want to continue reading on.

When it comes to hiring an applicant, there are many interviewers who do place a large focus on personal appearance.  This focus on personal appearance doesn’t just focus on beauty, but hygiene as well.  Employers want to hire workers who will give their business a good public perception. That is why it is important that you give that good perception, especially in an interview.  When attending a job interview, you will want to make sure that you are professionally dressed, either in a pant suit or a dress.  Make sure that your hair is well kept as well.  In fact, you may want to think about buying a new outfit or getting your hair done before your interview is scheduled to take place.

Before your interview, you may also want to make a trip to the store to purchase some needed supplies, if you don’t already own them. These supplies may include a notebook, writing utensils, and a thank you note. As for the notebook and a writing utensil, you may want to take notes during your interview.  If you applied to more than one job listing, you may have multiple interviews scheduled.  Taking notes during your interviews will help you keep all of them straight.  Also, taking notes during a job interview makes you look as if you are more interested in the job.  It is also shows a side of you that says “I am professional and always prepared.”

As for the thank you note, which was mentioned above, you will want to send a thank you note to your interviewer.  A thank you note may also help to create a good, positive impression of yourself.  With thank you notes, many have intentions of sending them, but not everyone ends up doing so. Having a standard thank you note already filled out and ready to go is ideal.  In fact, you may also want to drop it off at the post off right after your interview has been completed.  Of course, make sure that you don’t drop it off beforehand.  Should the mail be delivered early or your interview needs to be rescheduled, you may be embarrassed with the early delivery of a thank you note, for an interview that never even occurred yet.

As you likely already know, job interviews are where hiring employers are able to learn as much as they can about you. This is often done by asking a series of questions. The questions that you are asked during a job interview will tend to vary, but most are likely focused around your goals and your work ethics.  For instance, you may be asked to describe you strengths and your weaknesses, your goals in life, your desire to move up the corporate ladder and such.  Even if these questions are expected to be asked, it can be nerve-wracking when they are actually asked. That is why you may want to do a number of practice interviews.  These practice interviews work best with another person, like a family member or a friend, but you can also do them by yourself, like in front of a mirror.  Practicing your responses before a job interview is one of the best ways to make sure that your answers come out exactly the way that you wanted them to.

The above mentioned preparation tips are just a few of the many that you may find useful, when it comes to preparing for a job interview.  If you are hoping to schedule multiple interviews, you may want to invest in resource guides that focus on successfully mastering the interview process, as that interview process is often the deciding factor in whether or not you get hired.

The thank you letter for a second interview is a must for serious job seekers.  If you’ve made it as far as a second interview, then you are right on the edge and are one of the serious candidates ready to be offered the position.  When you’re in that position then it is worth your while to use all of the leverage you have, all of your knowledge of the company and all of your job search skills to close the deal and land yourself a job offer.  This letter can be a deal closer.

When engaged in a job search, even if it is not your profession, you are really serving as a salesman.  The product you are selling is yourself, your skills, and the concept that you can help the company you are applying to.  A professional salesman always tries to know his or her product well, and always does better in selling the product when he or she has a genuine belief in the value of the product.  As a salesman of YOU this genuine belief in your value to the customer, the potential employer is essential. 

If you’ve ever watched a sales representative for a radio station calling on customers you’ll notice that certain tools are carried by the sales rep and used time and time again.  One sales rep made a fortune selling commercials on major league baseball game broadcasts by walking into businesses carrying a baseball bat as a conversation starter.  He’s get the business owner excited about baseball and walk out with a signed contract.  He did the same thing with major league football games by walking into a business carrying a football, or wearing a helmet.  More conventional sales reps carry “leave behinds”, brochures, price lists and other literature designed to perk the interest of the prospect. 

As a job seeker sales person, the tools you will carry will not be baseball bats, football helmets or brochures and price lists.  You will carry the personal marketing tools that benefit a conscientious job seeker.  They include a resume, cover letter, follow up letter, reference sheet, salary history, letters of recommendation, thank you letter for after the interview, and the piece we are discussing, the thank you letter for a sub sequential interviews. 

Your thank you letter should be short and to the point.  As an example,
Date
Name
Company
Address
City
State
Zip

Dear Mr. Jones,

I enjoyed our chance to visit during the recent second interview, and wanted to express my thanks to you for the serious consideration you are giving me. 

As you know, I am very serious about my work, and I believe that Xyz Company would be an excellent fit for my skills, experience, education and background.

If you have any further questions, please give me a call.   I look forward to speaking with you further.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

John Doe
As you can see this letter that you send after meeting with an employer for the second time is short, simple and conveys the thoughts that you wish to get across.  Try this letter when the chance arises and you’ll have good results.

It is so easy to sit down to complete an application and suddenly your mind blanks. You can’t remember dates or names or telephone numbers. If you have a varied work history, you can’t recall which job came first. If you have worked for the same employer for years, you forget when your duties changed or when you received a promotion.

Do your research on work-related paperwork at home and make up a list of everything you might need. List every job for the past 10 years including the company name, address, telephone number and the contact person to call, usually your immediate supervisor. Have a list of education, both formal college and any special courses, seminars, or in-house trainings you completed, with dates. Have a list of five personal references with names, addresses and telephone numbers.

Carry the sheet with you so you are prepared at all times. Not only will it make completing applications a breeze but it will ensure that the information you provide is accurate and consistent. That will avoid the embarrassment and negative reaction in an interview when you realize there are errors on the application the interviewer is using as a guide and you have to make quick verbal corrections.

Many people feel that the interview is the single most stressful part of the job search process. Any number of things can go wrong, and a big part of being successful is avoiding simple mistakes.  The things you should avoid doing are as below:

1. Trying to wing the interview: Practice! Get a list of general interview questions, a friend, a tape recorder, and a mirror and conduct an interview rehearsal. Practice until your delivery feels comfortable but not canned.

2. Not being yourself: Be yourself and be honest! Don’t pretend to understand a question or train of thought if you don’t. The interviewer will pick up on this. If you don’t know an answer, say so. Relax and be yourself. Remember you’re interviewing the company as well as vice versa.

3. Not listening: Focus on the question that is being asked and don’t try to anticipate the next one. It’s OK to pause and collect your thoughts before answering a question. Pay special attention to technical or work process related subjects that are unique to a given firm or organization. The interviewer may have provided information you will need to answer the question earlier in the conversation. Employers will be looking for your ability to assimilate new information, retain it, and, most importantly, recognize that information as useful to you later in the interview.

4. Not providing enough details: When answering case questions, technical questions or solving technical problems, take the time to “talk through” your thought process. Recruiters are much more interested in seeing how your mind works and how it attacks a given type of problem, than the answer itself. Articulate your problem solving process and verbalize your thinking.

5. Lack of enthusiasm: Maintain eye contact, greet the interviewer with a smile and a firm handshake (not too weak, not too strong), and show common courtesy. Don’t be afraid to display your passion for the job/industry and to show confidence.

For many, the interview is the single most stressful part of the job search process. Any number of things can go wrong, and a big part of being successful is avoiding simple mistakes. The following is a list some of the most common mistakes during an Interview.

1. Failure to research the company: An interviewer will expect candidates to spend time researching and reading about their company. Do your homework before the interview; really know what the company does and who their competitors are. If you have not taken the time to review the employer website and understand what they are recruiting for, then you are reducing your chances of continuing successfully through the interview process.

2. Not clear on what you’re interviewing for: Be familiar with the job description so you can draw on your experiences, talents, strengths and abilities to connect with company needs. Highlight how you’re suited to that particular job.

3. Not marketing yourself correctly: Define yourself. What makes you different from others? Know your major strengths and accomplishments as they relate to the job you are applying for and the company.

4. Not asking meaningful questions: Have at least 3-4 intelligent questions to ask the recruiter. It’s OK (it actually leaves a positive impression with the recruiter) to have them written down in advance and to reference them at the appropriate time. Interviews are an exchange of information, and not coming in with questions shows that you did not prepare for the whole interview.

5. Under-dressing for the interview: Professional attire and attention to detail still count. You can never be too professional. Remember that everything - your appearance, your tone of voice, your conduct -contributes to the impression (positive or negative) that you make. Be presentable - wear a pressed suit and shirt and polished shoes.