Get Rid Of Job Interview Fear, Advice, Mock Questions, Best Answers, Resume Secrets
Posted: Monday, October 13, 2008
by Jeff Downing
To get a job in this economy, you must be the top applicant, but how do you get there? How do you stand out above the rest? What are interviewers looking for? How do I know how much to ask for? How do you deal with problems in your past? Over the years, I have helped to hire hundreds of people, and I even taught graduating college students how to interview for great jobs.
The number one comment, that I have heard from people that "blow" an interview is about their own nervousness making them appear less than qualified. I remember years ago, while attending college, I was hired by a large company, and then introduced to its President. I was so nervous talking to the man, that he actually went to the personnel department to inquire if I was retarded. The personnel manager laughed because I had scored higher on their tests than anyone ever had. A year after I was hired, the President shared that story, which became a life long lesson for me. I needed to practice talking to people that made me nervous. One of the best ways to do this, is to apply for jobs you do not want.
I knew getting out of college, that I did not want to go into banking, largely because it (at the time) did not pay very well, and because many of the jobs required to move up the ladder, were less than exciting. I arranged for an interview at one of our nations largest banks, keep in mind, I did not want the job. It is hard to be nervous interviewing for something you do not want. They loved me, I answered every question with a confidence that had previously evaded me. The long and short of the story is, that I went through a series of interviews and was offered several different jobs. Every time I turned them down, they would offer me something better. By the time it was over, I was being offered what would have probably taken me at least 6 years to have achieved, had I accepted there first offer. This was another important lesson for me.
In addition to working on my nervousness, by the time I had interviewed at several banks, I was familiar with all of the questions that the "prose" asked during interviews, and had developed sound answers for every one of them. Each time I left an interview, I would write down the questions that I had been asked, and the answers that I had given. I also talked to other people that I knew were looking for jobs, asking them what questions they had been asked and what their answers had been. Working with others, I was able to eventually come up with the best possible answer to each question that I was likely to run into. I practiced having people ask me these questions for days.
Here is one of the big questions you will be forced to deal with. What is your salary expectation? Many of us panic at this issue, not wanting to sell ourselves short, but also not wanting to knock ourselves out of contention for the job. The best answer is, "I will need more information about the job and the responsibilities involved before we can begin to discuss salary. Can you give me some idea of the range that the company has budgeted for this position?"
My wife went to work for one of the 3 largest companies in the United States. One of the things she discovered, is that the initial salary one received was everything. No matter how good a job you did, they would only give you an annual raise of 2% to 6%. In other words, if you sold yourself short to "get your foot in the door" you would never make it up. You could work for years to end up with a salary that could have been negotiated at the time of hire.
If you have problems in your past, you have a couple of choices. To be honest, or not to be. My first question, is have you solved the problem that affected your ability to work? If you lost your job because of drugs, alcohol, personal problems etc. it is not fair to an employer to hire you until you solve your problem. If you have holes in your employment history, have a good answer. Without something to go on, employers are likely to think the worst. If your resume looks good and you don't, have an answer. I believe the truth works best, but answers can be things like my uncle was dying, and I took time off to take care of him. My best friend started a business and I tried to help him get it off the ground, sadly it did not work.
Here is a quick link that gives additional information regarding sample interview questions.
Click on interview questions in the top left corner.
http://www.jobinterviewquestions.org
I hope this is helpful to you, or someone you know.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)Hi Jeff! I think you provide some very excellent advice in this article. I hope some of the readers will put it to good use. Blessings, Mark.Thank you for taking the time to read this, I am sad that it did not generate any real "hits". Not that it was a really great article, but that there really was some information here not contained in anything I have ever read.Luftbomh
Thank you Jeff ... I lost an interview because of fear... will folow your article to overcome in future...
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