Sixteen Tips About Interviewing for a Job

Hello Everybody,

And this post will be covering Chapter 4 of What Color is Your Parachute, Sixteen Tips About Interviewing for a job.

Job interviews can be a stressful experience for both sides of the desk. But thankfully, What Color is Your Parachute is here to help by giving us some tips.

1. There is no such thing as "Employers." Work on breaking yourself on the idea that all employers are alike and all want the same thing. Do your best to not generalize and become discouraged.
2. An interview should be prepared for, before you ever go in. Do research on the company before you show up on their doorstep.
3. Honor Agreements. For example, if it was you who asked for the interview, set a specific time and then stick with it. Say something like 19 minutes on the dot, and HONOR that. It shows that you're quirky and that you take your promises very seriously.
4. An interview for a job is a lot like dating. We've covered this idea before, an interview isn't only about you trying to get the job, a lot of it is has to do with you deciding if it's a job that you actually want.
5. Questions to expect from them, then questions you can ask. They will more often than not, ask you, "tell me about yourself". This question is a test. Don't answer it with a question, be prepared and ready to go with a your previous experience, skills or other things pertinent to the job. Don't mention your hobbies unless you think you're in a type of situation where they will actually end up helping you. The main questions you can expect in different forms are 1) "why are you here?" 2) "What can you do for us?" 3) "What kind of person are you?" 4) "What exactly distinguishes you from 19 or 900 other people who are applying for this job?" 5) "Can I afford you?" And don't forget this is a two way street, be sure to have your own questions in mind and ready to go.
6. During the interview determine to observe "the 50-50 rule". They talk half, you talk half, as simple as that.
7. In answering the employer's questions, observe "the 20 second to 2 minute rule". This one goes hand and hand with the previous tip. In your half of talking try to answer every question between 20 seconds and 2 minutes. You don't want to be to short that it looks like you're hiding things or too long where you just go on and on and on.
8. The employer is primarily concerned about risk. Keep in mind that the employer is worried about hiring the wrong person, because it can cost the employer 1 to 5 times the bad hires salary or more. They'll be on the look out for people who can't do the job, or can, and will leave once they find a better one. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
9. Its the small things that are the killers in a job interview. Losing to mosquitoes when you were prepared to fight dragons. A lot of employers believe that microcosm reveals macrocosm. So they will be looking out for the little things like your appearance and volume of talking, to determine how you will carry yourself doing this job.  
10. Be aware of the skills most employers are looking for, these days, regardless of the position you are seeking. Things like being punctual, dependable, good attitude, self-disciplined, can handle people well, use language effectively, computer skills, committed to teamwork, flexible, trainable, project-oriented, creativity, integrity, loyal, and able to identify opportunities are something that every employer wants.
11. Try to think of some way to bring evidence of your skills, to the hiring-interview. For example, as a graphic designer I will always need to bring my portfolio. Bring whatever proof you have of your past work.
12. Do not bad-mouth your previous employer(s) during the interview, even if they were terrible people. This will help show that you are the bigger person even if they know of this past difficult relationship, and reassures them that even if things don't pan out between the two of you, that you won't go around bad-mouthing them.
13. Throughout the interview, keep in mind employers don't really care about your past; they only ask about it, in order to try to predict your future (behavior) with them, if they decide to hire you. Try to figure out the reason behind the questions that they are asking you about your past in order to understand the question they are actually trying to answer.
14. As the interview proceeds, you want to quietly notice the time-frame of the question the employer is asking. They're going to start off asking about your past, than slowly proceed to current than hopefully futuristic questions. If this is happening the interview is looking good for you, if they're staying in the past maybe not so much.
15. Before you leave the (final) interview there, assuming you have decided that you like them and maybe they like you, there are five questions you should always ask: 1) "Can you offer me this job?" 2) "When may I expect to hear from you?" 3) "Might I ask what would be the latest I can expect to hear from you?" 4)"May I contact you after that date, if for any reason you have't gotten back to me by that time?" 5) "Can you think of anyone else who might be interested in my skills and expertise?"
16. 1)Thank you notes must be sent after every interview, by every job-hunter. 2) Most job-hunters ignore this advice. 

And there you have it! 16 tips to help you ace that interview. And even if you follow all of these steps and still don't get the job, remember that all employers are different and that you're just one more "no" closer to hearing that "yes".

Until next time,
Caitlin Campbell