Improving your interview skills

IMPROVING YOUR INTERVIEW SKILLS

You know your job perfectly. You are an expert and do your job incredibly well. If you’ve recently made the decision to job search, you certainly have the credentials.

However, you have come up with a major stumbling block. You have learned all of the important job searching techniques and you’re ready to implement those techniques in order to generate quality interviews. The stumbling block? While you are an expert at your craft, your interview skills leave a lot to be desired. You have previously ruined a few interviews that could have resulted in a job offer.

Your hands get sweaty in an interview. You forget to shake hands. You forget to ask some really important questions of the prospective employer. You forget to ask about salary and benefits. In short, your interviews have been somewhat of a disaster!

If that’s you, or if you know someone like that, here is some valuable information that will help any individual ace an employment interview.

First, it’s important to “rehearse” the interview. As with a play on Broadway, where actors spend six weeks learning and reciting lines prior to opening night, our clients spend time rehearsing the interview. They ask a spouse or friend to pepper them with interview questions. They work together in implementing a mock interview. The same important questions are asked over and over again, before the real interviews.

Secondly, we teach our clients to prepare a “menu” of interview events. That simply means that our clients walk in with an outline, containing many of the questions that will probably be asked, notes on supplemental education, some facts about the company and other information that will help the interviewee relax and stay organized. As a matter of fact, it’s desirable to let the interviewer see this outline. It lets them know you are very structured within the interview process. They will like that!

Next, ponder: “Why should we hire you?” Assuming there are several candidates with perfect “can do” skills, this places the decision-maker in an awkward position. Who do they pick? Obviously, you want to be the one selected, so you must be prepared to tell them, from a performance standpoint, why you are the best candidate. You must discuss your communication talent, cooperation level, that willingness to walk the extra mile and more. Since it’s probable you will be asked this important question, you will definitely want to rehearse this response.

For more information or to request an exploratory consultation: info@jobs1111.com or https://www.cms-careers.com or 716-649-6000.