Some of my greatest interview tips....

[Badshah Mamun]

Some of my greatest interview tips....

    Hi everyone! Wanted to share some wisdom I have gained, purely through my experiences as a recruiter / headhunter.....

    Interviewing is an unnatural process. It is one of those life mechanisms which you very rarely go through, but nonetheless is ultra-important in the shaping of your career.

    Since 2006 I have sent over 800 candidates on job interviews. Most of the failed interviewees make very similar mistakes to each other. I wanted to compile a document which summarizes some great tips for being a better interviewee. Often the ?best? candidate will not get the job, but instead the strongest interviewee. The biggest pitfall people make is not preparing adequately for the usual difficult interview questions (which come up very frequently in interviews):

    ?Why should we hire you? / ?What makes you the best candidate for this job??

    If you can not answer this question then you may as well not bother applying for the job. Many people here give wishy-washy, generic and indirect answers and talk too about why THEY want the job instead of why the employer should hire them. Look the interviewers in the eye and tell them how your experience relates to the role, whether that is direct OR transferable experience. Tell them what you know about their requirements for the role and how your personality fits in (and back it up with concrete reasoning and examples). Tell them what you know about the organizational culture and why you would complement the culture. Whatever you do, don?t simply tell them why you want the job. This is better saved for another question.

    ?Name a weakness of yours?

    In my experience many people fail here because they talk about something that isn?t actually a real weakness, and the interviewer often feels they are insincere. Being a perfectionist is not a weakness. Being overly determined or driven is not a weakness. Wanting to dive into everything with both hands isn?t a weakness (generally speaking). I feel if you give a slightly more genuine and sincere answer here you will be more likely to win the respect of your potential employer. ?I haven?t had practical experience in XX and YY which I know are requisites for this job, but I am doing / studying VV and WW to ensure that I have a strong grasp of the fundamentals by the time I start the job? sounds a little more ?real?. Or you could give a more personable answer such as ?I ran a presentation in front of 50 people last week, and I was nervous because it was only the 3rd presentation I have held in my life. However, I have asked for feedback from peers to ensure I do a better job next time which I believe will reduce nerves?. Whatever you do, don?t list a strength as a weakness, as you will often lose the interviewer?s respect if you do.

    ?What questions do you have for me??

    Never ask generic questions which could be answered on their website or easily from another source. Don?t ask what the average working day will entail or what the working hours are. Ask questions which will make you memorable. Tell them you read an article recently in XX journal and you understand changes in the legislation in the industry. Then ask how they plan to embrace these changes. Tell them (briefly) what you know about the history of the company and that you have noticed they have changed their strategy / product / marketing offer, and ask why they did this. Use this question as a further opportunity to sell yourself and your knowledge, but also to increase your understanding of the job and the company.

    Other interview tips:

    Make eye contact with and address everyone in the room. Even if one person is leading with 90% of the questions, the other interviewers will feel left out if you do not look at and acknowledge them when you answer.

    Find people in the market who have interviewed with this company or department before, or who have worked there. Take them out, buy them lunch, and in return you can pick their brain for an hour on what they were asked. I once went to an interview for a financial markets trading position where I got the details of three other candidates on the assessment day, one of which was invited back for an interview 2 days before my interview. I would never have been able to tell them the answer to ?What is 7 cubed? within 3 seconds, had I not called my ?friend? after his interview for information.

    Give a firm handshake. The worst first impression you can give is a soft handshake which makes you look placid / unassertive. Grip firm (but not too tight!) and look people in the eye when you shake their hand, not at the floor or their hand.

    Don?t act desperate. If you show desperation, your perceived value will plummet. Don?t offer to work for free or tell them you are very flexible with the salary as you really want the job. In most cases you will de-value yourself by making such suggestions, even if they may be true.

    Know about the organization. Know why you want to specifically work for them and not just in the industry in which they operate within. Know their key players, and know about the interviewer?s background.

    Prepare for interviews with an ?alligator blood? approach, and don?t ever assume that ?everything will be fine?. In these economic times, everything will not be fine unless you prepare accordingly.

Source: http://www.cvtips.com/career_advice_forum/threads/6822-Some-of-my-greatest-interview-tips....