Typically, an interviewer, once past the opening question, “so tell me about yourself”, will proceed to validate your “speech” with questions about your background. Interviewers want to see consistency here. This part of an interview is where most of the time is spent. Why? Because your past is a strong indication of your future and as such, a strong indication of what an employer can expect from you while on the job. Get ready to get thoroughly questioned. I am sure you can recall my previous comments with regard to thorough questioning. No matter what, keep smiling and stay positive. Please refer to the job interview questions you will be asked and you will see how this link neatly ties into what you are about to read.

Why are you thinking about leaving your current job?

This question reveals your attitude very quickly. Many job seekers go negative on their current employer. This is not a valid reason to leave a job and will turn your interviewer off instantly. If you have some criticisms about your current employer, choose your words carefully.  A better approach is to write out your “ideal next job” and then explain to the interviewer what you are looking for in these terms. Here’s an example:

“There is much I enjoy about my current job, but my potential for growth is somewhat limited because of the company’s position in the market and their growth plans.”

Simple. Be sure and practice your response a few times and be sure to hold your eye contact when you explain this to your interviewer. If you sound too eager or too desperate to leave your current position, you interviewer will sense this and ask more questions on this subject. If they do, be consistent with your opening response. So what if your boss is a jerk. It wouldn’t be the first time this has happened to someone and your interviewer will see no value in you if you get into this type of conversation.

Are you still employed at the last organization listed on your resume?

This question is asked for a reason. Too many job seekers try to mislead prospective employers about this. If you misrepresented this on your resume, consider this a lesson in the value of coming clean. Chances are that a good employer will cut you out of the running if you have misrepresented yourself here. If continue down this path and do not come clean, this is grounds for immediate termination by your employer.

If you have come clean about your previous job and you are currently unemployed, get to the point quickly and turn it into a positive. Here’s an example:

“Yes, I was let go. My boss and I did not get along well. We have different styles. I am someone who takes initiative and who likes to be trusted with getting the objectives done and done well. Bob values structure, details and reporting. I didn’t see this coming when I took the job. I certainly understand that reporting and other management controls are important. I think I interpreted his demands as personal attacks and showing lack of trust in me. I misinterpreted. Bob was just doing his job and I have learned a valuable lesson.”

There are other questions under the section “Questions About Your Background” within the article job interview questions you will be asked that I will cover off over the next several weeks.

Be mindful that you should rehearse, but not memorize your answer(s). Include positive words and phrases and include that what you don’t know, you will learn quickly. This is not an easy process, but it gets easier as you spend more time tuning your message.

Ready? The odds are stacked against you. You can still come out the winner by paying close attention to the details of interest of your prospective employer including the opening question, “so tell me about yourself”. The organization has a requirement. Someone has to get the job. It may as well be you.

If you are reading this, you probably are preparing for an upcoming interview or you have been interviewed in the past and were asked one or more of these questions. We recommend you treat this list as something you would study rather than read. Have your answers written out and practiced before you go to your interview. You will feel more prepared and confident going into the interview and it will show.

The first question below is typically what you can expect as the opening question in most interviews. The remaining questions are examples of what you may be asked. As well, be prepared to be asked the same question twice, of course worded differently.

• So, tell me a little about yourself.

Questions about your background

• Why are you thinking about leaving your current job?
• Are you still employed at the last organization listed on your resume?
• After being with the same organization for so long, don’t you think you might have a difficult time getting accustomed to another?
• You’ve changed jobs frequently. How do we know you will stay if we hire you?
• You’ve been with your current employer only for a short amount of time. Is this an indication that you will be moving around a lot throughout your career?
• Have you managed people in any of the previous jobs you have held?
• Have you been in charge of budgeting, approving expenses and monitoring progress against financial goals? Are you qualified in this area?
• How long have you been looking for a job?
• Have you received any offers? Why haven’t you received offers so far? Why haven’t you accepted any?
• Who made you an offer? For what type of job?

Questions about you in the workplace

• What are your strengths as an employee?
• Why should I consider you a strong applicant for the position?
• What are you biggest weaknesses as an employee and what are you doing to correct them?
• What are you biggest failures you’ve had during your career? What are you doing to ensure they won’t occur again?
• What are the skills you need most to develop to advance your career?
• What do you supervisors tend to criticized most about your performance?
• How did you do on your last performance appraisal? What were the key strengths and weaknesses mentioned by your supervisor?
• Tell me about the best/worst boss you have ever had?
• Looking back on you experience now, do you think there was anything you could have done to improve your relationship with that one bad boss?
• Are you an organized person?
• Do you manage your time well?
• How do you handle change?
• How do you go about making important decisions?
• Do you work well under pressure?
• Do you anticipate problems well or merely react to them?
• Would you describe yourself as a risk-taker or someone who plays it safe?
• If you could start your career all over again, what would you do differently?
• What is the biggest mistake you’ve ever made in choosing a job? Why?
• Do you prefer to work with others, or by yourself?
• Do you get along with superiors?
• How do you get along with co-workers?
• How do you get along with people you’ve supervised?
• What is your management style? (this applies where you are or were a manager or not)

Where are you coming from?

• What were your most memorable accomplishments in your last job? Of your career?
• Was there anything your company (your team) could have done to be more successful?
• Did you inaugurate any new procedures (or systems) in any positions you’ve held?
• Describe the way your department/division is organized. Also, what is the title of the person you report to and what are their responsibilities?
• If you don’t leave your current job, what do you think will happen to you in your career? How far to you expect to advance with you current company?
• If you’re happy at your current job, why are you looking for another job? Will your current company be surprised that you’re leaving?
• If you have these complaints about your present company and they think highly of you, why haven’t you brought your concerns to their attention?

What are you looking for?

• What interests you most about this company and this job?
• What have you heard/read about our company that you don’t like?
• This is a much smaller/larger company than you’ve ever worked for. How do you feel about that?
• What are you looking for in your next job?
• What aspect of the job appeals to you least?
• Based on what you know about our industry, how does your ideal job compare to the job you are applying for?
• What do you feel an employer owes an employee?
• What types of people do you find it most difficult to get along with?
• Are there any people who have trouble getting along with you?
• Have you ever hired anyone? Why did you choose this person?
• Have you ever fired anyone? Why?
• What does the word “success” mean to you?
• What does the word “failure” mean to you?
• What do you want to be doing in five years? What ar you most important long-term goals?
• Have you recently established any new goals?
• How would you describe your management philosophy?

Your Personal Style:

• What do you do to keep healthy?
• Do you have any physical problems that may limit your ability to perform this job?
• What do you like to do outside of office hours?
• How do you co-workers describe you?
• How do you generally handle conflict?
• How do you behave when you’re having a problem with a co-worker?
• If you could change one thing about your personality with a snap of your fingers, what would it be? Why?
• Describe your best friend and what they do for a living? In what ways are you similar to and different from them?

Situational Questions:

• Say your supervisor left an assignment in your “in” box and then left town for a week. You can’t reach him and you don’t fully understand the assignment. What would you do?
• The successful candidate for this position will be working with some highly trained individuals who have been with the company for a long time. How will you fit in with them?
• Your supervisor tells you to do something in a way you know is dead wrong. What would you do?
• If you were unfairly criticized by your supervisor, what would you do?
• Would you like to have your boss’s job? Why or why not?
• How will you handle the least interesting or least pleasant tasks of this job?
• You’ve had little experience with budgeting / sales / marketing, etc. How do you intend to learn what you need to know to perform well on this job?

Your educational and training background:

• What extracurricular activities were you involved in? Why did you choose them?
• What led you to select your college/university? Your major? Your minor?
• Which courses did you like most? Least?
• How were your grades?
• If you were to start college over again, what courses would you take? Why?
• Do you have plans to go back to school? For what? Why?
• What did you learn from interships listed on your resume?
• In what courses did you get your worst grades? Why? How do you think that will affect your performance on the jobs?
• Why are you applying for a job in a field other than the one in which you have your diploma/degree in?

The innocent, yet not so innocent questions:

• How are you today?
• Did you have any trouble finding us?
• Do you know much about our company?
• What’s the last book you have read?
• What was the last movie you saw?

Coming to the end of the interview:

• Do you have any questions? (this question is an almost guarantee during an interview – have a list ready)
• Are you willing to travel?
• Are you willing to relocate?
• May I contact your current employer?
• May I contact your references?
• Is there anything else I should know about you?

Leaving the money until last:

• What salary are you looking for?
• The salary you are asking for is near the top of the range for the job. Why should we pay you so much?
• When can you start?

I have asked this question each time I have met a prospective job seeker and I have yet to meet someone who handles this question well. If you take the time to know what your answer is in advance of your interview, you will most certainly stand out amongst the competition. The organization has a requirement. Someone has to get the job and by being able to effectively handle this question, you will dramatically improve your chances.

This question is one of the toughest open ended questions you will face. Talking about, or more correctly selling yourself, in the context of this job interview question is difficult and you will need to prepare for it. Here’s how:

This question is directed toward you, not your skills, not your background and not your goals and aspirations. Most seasoned interviewers love to ask this question and if you haven’t been asked it so far when being interviewed, be ready, because you sure will and very soon.

The first thing you need to do is get prepared by writing a list of the following:

• my strongest skills
• my greatest areas of knowledge
• my greatest personality strengths
• the things I do best (not necessarily the things you like)
• my key accomplishments

Your answers to the above will be content of a speech you are about to write about yourself. As you write and edit your speech, keep it between 300 to 400 words (one to two minutes – max). Too many words may put your interviewer to sleep. Too few words will look like you aren’t interested.

Now that you have the framework, the next step is to start writing. I have included an example below of each part of your speech.

1. My introduction – keep it brief and to the point:
   I believe I am good with getting along with others. Because I take the time to listen before I respond, I think it validates other people and they appreciate that and want to work with me.
2. My key accomplishments – pick your top three:
   I get the greatest personal satisfaction by setting and then accomplishing my goals. Being a good listener has helped me enroll others in what I am doing. As a project manager I am dependent on the work of others to make me successful in what I do. I know this through the projects I have successfully completed that it was my relationships that made me successful in the end. I have completed many projects of varying sizes and am ready to pursue another organization in the same industry to manage larger, more sophisticated projects.
3. My key strengths shown by these accomplishments – pick your top two or three:
   Including my keen ability to listen and internalize before responding, I also have a strong ability to remain objective when there is more work than resources to handle it. In doing so, my thinking remains clear which allows me to complete my projects while keeping my relationships in tact.
4. My strengths as benefits to my prospective employer – get to the point quickly:
   I have held positions in the past unrelated to project management which included engineering and sales. In these past careers, I showed an ability to learn and adapt as was the case when I first got into project management. I have great acumen which includes paying close attention to costs and recognize that I need to be up to speed quickly. I am very comfortable with a steep learning curve while delivering results.
5. How I am going to develop in the position I am applying to – selling you as benefits:
   I also recognize that it’s the people around me that will make me successful. Knowing that I would be working in your organization, I see integrating myself as part of the team while maintaining my role as a project manager as something that is doable and I look forward to it. I have also learned that recently your business is expanding into larger projects. How is that going?

So that’s it – 321 words. If this question gets asked of you, expect it earlier in the interview. Coming from the interviewer, it is usually the first question. Be clear about one thing – this is not an easy speech to write, so be patient.

Keep your speech focussed on what is positive with some direct comments about who you are, what you have done and what you will do for your prospective employer. Be sure and include a transition question at the end. Follow this five point framework above and you will feel confident and ready to answer the question “so tell me about yourself” and answer it well for that matter.

Be mindful that you should rehearse, but not memorize your answer. Include positive words and phrases and include that what you don’t know, you will learn quickly. This is not an easy process, but it gets easier as you spend more time tuning your message.

Here comes the closer:

I say this as a continuous reminder: the odds are stacked against you. You can still come out the winner by paying close attention to the details of interest of your prospective employer including the opening question, “so tell me about yourself”. The organization has a requirement. Someone has to get the job. It may as well be you.

Go back to a time when you bought something from a salesperson who left you feeling so good that you wanted to buy. I am not referring to the slick and fast talking salespeople here. I am talking about the salesperson that made your buying experience a genuine pleasure, which, incidentally is how it should be. How do salespeople like this do it? I would imagine that there wasn’t much hard ball or slick talking tactics used. I would further guess that this person probably took the time to listen and understand your needs and explain how each feature would meet your needs.

The interviewing process is the same, only this time, the product being sold is you and you are the salesperson. Sound scary? Never sold before? Well consider this. We are always selling, both professionally and personally. I am sure you can recall a time in your past when you convinced a manager, a colleague, a friend, a spouse, a parent or someone else in your life about something that was important to you. It’s no different here and you cannot afford to “wing it”. You have to be prepared to talk about yourself in a concise way that benefits the listener.

Posted on mangofizz are the tools you can use to get prepared in advance of the interview. But what about the interview itself? How can you prepare for it? I have summarized how to prepare for your interview below. It reads more like a frame of mind, but it works. You should get comfortable with these before going to the interview.

Be relaxed: As they say, “it’s all in your head”. It is a choice to be relaxed – your choice. Choose it. Consider going to your interview as an adventure. If you choose to make it an adventure, it will show. Going to an interview is typically well outside of our “safe zone” and this can drive anxiety. The sure way to make the interview part of our “safe zone” is attitude. What do I mean by this? Well if you already have a job or have four other companies looking at you and ready to make an offer, it can take a lot of the pressure off going to your current interview. And if you don’t? Doesn’t matter. Get into the frame of mind that you do. It will create a shift in your attitude and you will become more relaxed. With the pressure off, you will be more focussed on performing well.

Breathe: This is the organization’s process, not yours. There is only so much you can do to be ready and you may as well have fun doing it. Some nervousness is normal. You have value and that is why they have asked you for the interview. And once again, breathe, before, during and after the interview. Calm breathing will remove much of the nervous feeling and focus your thoughts and sharpen your listening.

Smile: Right along side with breathing is smiling. Whenever we meet someone for the first time, a smile is our way of connecting. Keep a genuine smile going during the interview. Like breathing, it will help to focus your thoughts and sharpen your listening.

Be Positive: Some interview questions may not be so nice. They may sound like personal attacks. Again, the organization knows more about the job at this point than you do. They may be seeking traits needed for the job. Remember this: no matter what, always remain positive. And if that fails, breathe and smile. That should help you to get back into a positive state.

Be Enthusiastic: This is one area where you can stand out. Enthusiasm is contagious. Ever been around an enthusiastic person? If you are enthusiastic about the job and the company, it will show. If you’re enthusiastic about neither, that’s all right. You need to go back and think about what your next job will be.

Make Good Eye Contact: If you are breathing and smiling, eye contact will be a natural thing. Good eye contact will help you focus your thoughts and sharpen your listening. You will be able to express yourself better. I have experienced some job seekers in the past do what I call the “nervous stare”. Avoid this. If this happens, very subtly take a deep breath and smile.

Be Honest: If you are genuine with your answers and how you present yourself, it will show.

Be Prepared for the Learner Interviewer: See the previous article about the Learner Interviewer and remember they are smart, skilled and generally nice people. Because they are inept in interviewing, does not mean they are inept. Generally, an inept interviewer means that the interviewer has not been formally trained in interviewing techniques and/or they do not practice a lot. If you think about it, the limited practice is probably a good thing in terms of where this manager spends their time. Therefore, I will now refer to this interviewer as a “learner interviewer”. In effect, this person, left untrained and/or unpracticed, is learning how to interview as they go along.

I say this as a continuous reminder: the odds are stacked against you. You can still come out the winner by paying close attention to the details of interest of your prospective employer. The organization has a requirement. Someone has to get the job. It may as well be you.

Typically the inept interviewer appears near the end of the hiring process, however, you should be ready for the inept interviewer to appear at any stage of the hiring process. This is not a major issue. It is just one of those things you have to be ready for and deal with in that moment.

First, let’s define what an inept interviewer is. They are smart, skilled and generally nice people. Because they are inept in interviewing, does not mean they are inept. Generally, an inept interviewer means that the interviewer has not been formally trained in interviewing techniques and/or they do not practice a lot. If you think about it, the limited practice is probably a good thing in terms of where this manager spends their time. Therefore, I will now refer to this interviewer as a “learner interviewer”. In effect, this person, left untrained and/or unpracticed, is learning how to interview as they go along.

Here’s what you can expect from a learner interviewer and what to do:

1. Ambiguous Questions: there will be a time, if it hasn’t happened already, where you are the perfect candidate and yet the questions are so confusing and/or ambiguous that there really is no “correct” answer. No one is a mind reader so where’s what to do. Clarify, clarify and clarify. Either ask a question about that question (be careful about doing this – you may come across as being difficult) or offer up a scenario or a context first before answering the question directly. Be sure the scenario is directly related to the job or the industry when you do this. After doing this, ask your learner interviewer if this answered his or her question or ask if this answered what he or she was looking for.
2. No One Monitors the Learner Interviewer: What does this mean? It means all is fair in questioning even when some questions are suspect. Your job is to get the job and not to play regulator or interpreter of the law. If you feel strong about something that you consider offensive that was asked, leave the interview politely and seek a professional. In the meantime, no matter what, keep composed, calm and positive. No one is monitoring the learner interviewer and you are not there to win a debate. You are there to get their approval for the job and you do this by answering questions in the best way you know how.
3. They Turn to Their Gut Instincts for Answers: All buying decisions are emotional. Logic only gets us so far in life. Learner interviewers rely on this. In effect, they are “buying your answers” and then convert these answers into a job agreement. So how do you manage this? You can’t. Knowing that you are up against this is ninety percent of solving this issue. Relax, be focused and explain to the learner interview the benefits – yes, the benefits of hiring you. Just to be clear, benefits relate to saving time, saving money or making money. There is always a way to express yourself in one of these three ways. You getting an award is not a benefit – what you did to get that award may well be.
4. Sometimes They Are Doing Us a Favor: This is a true story. I was being interviewed by a Vice President who, during the interview, continuously asked me ambiguous questions and frustrated me over and over again with other tough and what appeared to be ridiculous questions. I kept up the image, but was left wondering why he even asked me for the interview. Months later in my new job with a different organization, I ran into him at a trade show while I was tending the trade show booth. At break, we walked the floor together and I carefully told him what I thought about the past interview. He proceeded to explain the toxic culture I was walking into and that I would have been miserable if he had given me the job. He only understood this of me after meeting me personally in that interview. Since then, he had left the company too. I laughed and so did he. I walked back to my booth with him and presented to him my product line. He had started his own business since leaving his job and was looking for lines similar to ours to resell. From that day forward, he became a very good customer of mine.

Experienced interviewers are trained to stay in charge of the interview. The interview process is predictable. Because other managers do not interview as part of their day to day work or may not be trained in interviewing, these managers may not be as skilled in interviewing – they are learner interviewers. They may even get uncomfortable or nervous during the interview.

You now have another framework to help you navigate the interviewing process. Always remember regardless of whom is interviewing you, to be focused on what is present and what is next. You know the end point – you get the job or you don’t get the job, so spend no more time nor energy on this. It is far more productive and important to spend your energy on what is present and what is next.

You’ve all read that the odds are stacked against you. You can still come out the winner by paying close attention to the details of interest of your prospective employer. On the other hand, hearing “no” is one step closer to “yes” – in moments of frustration, remember this. If an organization has a requirement, someone has to get the job. It may as well be you.

So this is it – your final interview. You have been focused on what is present and what is next. You know the end point. You know that you will either get the job or you won’t get the job and you just kept going one moment to the next. After this interview, you will have a decision. So what changes do you need to make? None. Re-read the paragraph you just read and be with it.

Experienced interviewers are trained to stay in charge of the interview. The interview process is predictable. Because the hiring manager does not do this as part of their day to day work or may not be trained in interviewing, the hiring manager may not be as skilled an interviewer. They may even get uncomfortable or nervous during the interview.

Few hiring managers have had formal interview training to hire the right person. The hiring manager may ask ambiguous or obscure questions without knowing it. Sometimes questions may be so “out in left field” that there is no right answer. Many job seekers have walked out the door simply because the manager failed at interviewing – sad but true.

So how do you manage this as a job seeker? By being prepared and putting on your best presentation no matter what the hiring manager asks or says or does. This starts with having answers ready to the job interview questions you will be asked. There may be other questions that could be ask, but we have found these to be the most common.

Hiring managers want to feel, yes feel that you fit into the organization. Being prepared with answers to the questions (or most of the questions) the hiring manager will likely ask is a great first step. The hiring manager will be using their instincts. Their “gut reaction” will play a key role in their final decision. Your prepared responses should flow easily and with confidence. It is this confidence that will make the positive connection to the hiring manager. It’s no different than writing a test in school that you were well prepared for.

Some things to consider – you have to manage your emotions too. If you respond with too much confidence, you may lose the hiring manager. Just be yourself, be calm and focused when the questions are asked. Take a few seconds to consider your response too. If you rush into your answer, you may come across as over bearing and that’s not good. Remember, you are here to get the job, not win a debate or be the smartest in the room. Just be present to what is being asked of you and be present to what your goal is – to get the job.

Keep in mind that you may still get turned down, but if you present the right qualities important to that organization, you may get a surprise call in a month or two later. No need to plan for this. Just be open to this as another possible outcome.

So here we are. Your resume and cover letter got you your interview. Your first interview got you your next interviews. You may now have attended several “second interviews” of various types. And now you have completed you hiring interview. It’s a long process, so I am sure you can now see that having more than one opportunity open available is important for changing jobs or careers.

You’ve all read this before. It shouldn’t matter that the odds are stacked against you. You can still come out the winner by paying close attention to the details of interest of your prospective employer and by having more that one opportunity on the go. Hearing “no” is one step closer to “yes” – in moments of frustration, remember this. No is not that big a deal. If an organization has a requirement, someone has to get the job. It may as well be you and you now have some tools that can help you get there.

Employers consider time and techniques when interviewing. Over the last several weeks, we have discussed various techniques. This week, we are going to look at two more.

The Team or Panel Interview:

Organizations are “flatter” than ever. This means that you could directly and indirectly report to several people at the same time, particularly if you are involved with projects. Rather than meeting each person, one at a time, an organization will save time by using team or panel interviews. Typically human resources or the hiring manager will chair the interview. This interview can vary from a pleasant conversation to an interrogation – we call it a pressure cooker. The soft skill questions will typically come from the hiring manager or human resources. The technical skills questions typically come from other members of the interviewing team. They want to hear you talk so you can expect more broad questions than specific ones.

Be calm, be focused and respond to each question directly to the person that asked it with respect. Be diplomatic – when offering opinions, be mindful that there may be those on the interview team that may be sensitive to you response. That being said, you can always respond with words that soften your thoughts if an objection is raised. Too much opinion and you will blow your interview by offending the interviewing team. The good news is that the one member of the interviewing team that disagrees with you will probably have to defend their position to the hiring manager after the interview. Typically, you don’t have to worry about the subjective opinion of one member in determining whether you get the job.

Remember, your goal is to showcase your skills, both technical and human relational skills. You are selling yourself to them, as they are to you. You are not there to win a debate. And no matter how stressful the questioning may get, be calm, be focused and keep smiling.

The Stress Interview:

The stress interview does this – it cuts through pleasant conversation and gets to the point of the matter to see how the job seeker will respond. You can expect successive questions that are intended to make you feel confused, hostile and fearful. That’s normal. Rather that ramble on, here’s what to do with this type of interview:

• Be calm at all times and no matter what. Keep your eye contact and answer objectively no matter how hostile the interviewer gets. When the interviewer asks the tough question, take a moment and get composed before responding.
• See it for what it is. This is a game designed to see if you can be effective under pressure. The pressure is artificially created in that moment.
• Don’t let your emotions dictate your response. Keep your responses pleasant, positive and objective.
• Keep your tone of voice positive no matter what. If you slip and show attitude or show offense to the question or tone of the interviewer, you won’t be successful.

In the world in which we now live in, you many wonder what message an organization is sending when a Stress Interview is conducted. It sure makes me wonder about the management that approves of this type of interviewing technique.

Regardless of how many organizations you interview with, you only need to be successful with one. Even though the odds are stacked against you, you can still come out the winner by paying close attention to the details of interest of your prospective employer and remaining calm and focused at all times. If an organization has a requirement, someone has to get the job. It may as well be you.

Said earlier, employers are sensitive to their most valuable asset – time. While interviewing, employers will use many questioning or probing techniques to learn about your values, your thinking processes, your skills and your experience and will do it quickly.

Faced with specific situations in your past or hypothetically, employers want to know what happened and what you learned, or how you would respond. Today, I am going to cover two ways in which this is done.

The Behavioural Interview:

The employer’s goal here is to focus on your past experience. They want to learn more about how you have already behaved in past at-work situations. The employer will then use this information to predict for themselves how you will respond to future situations. Employers will want to know about how you handled yourself in tough situations and whether you did the right thing.

Employers will also want to know about past mistakes and what you did to correct them. Employers are very aware of those job seekers who claim not to have made mistakes. If this is you, think again. Mistakes are to be expected. It’s all about what you did to recover.

Ultimately, the employer uses the behavioural interview to determine whether you are one who is steadily increasing your competence. They also want to now about “lessons learned” from what didn’t go well in your past. They want clear and concise thinkers.

The Situational Interview:

The employer will present you with hypothetical situations that may occur on the job you are applying for. The employer will measure you through your words and your body language. It is hard to prepare for such a question. Be calm and focussed and your true abilities will respond. The employer is looking for real experience and “on your feet” thinking and creativity. It is okay to ask questions for further clarification if the hypothetical situation is stated vaguely. Too many questions and the employer will realize you don’t have a good answer. Take a moment and think before responding – a few seconds of silence could make all the difference. A good employer will create hypothetical situations designed to identify people who don’t reach out to team members for help.

The situational interview identifies job seekers who can pause, consider alternatives and choose the best course of action. Employers want job seekers who contribute effectively and are self motivated and willing to be a member of the team.

Your resume and cover letter got you your interview. Your first interview got you your next interviews. You may now have several to attend. In each of these interviews you can expect the techniques outlined above and techniques that will be outlined in the weeks to follow.

Always be focussed on what is present and what is next. You know the end point. You got the job or you didn’t get the job. It is very important to spend more energy on what is present and what is next.

You’ve all read this before. The odds are stacked against you. You can still come out the winner by paying close attention to the details of interest of your prospective employer. On the other hand, hearing “no” is one step closer to “yes” – in moments of frustration, remember this. If an organization has a requirement, someone has to get the job. It may as well be you.

Employers are sensitive to their most valuable asset – time. Employers realize there are many job seekers who are skillful writers or many job seekers that have paid a skillful writer to help create their resume and cover letter.

Why am I sharing this? Because most employers use the first interview / screening interview to further qualify the type of job seeker they are looking for. Here’s how they do it and what you can expect.

An employer will do their screening interview in person or over the phone. The employer may be represented by a manager or someone from human resources. That leaves four possible scenarios – in person or over the phone by a manager or by human resources.

In the case of job seekers using recruiters, you should consider the first interview with a recruiter to be a screening interview. If you are successful with a recruiter, they will often introduce you to jobs they need to fill right on the spot. If this happens, take the time to change the role of the recruiter to coach by asking questions about the employer. A recruiter will know many things about their customers, the employer, and can coach you to save time and better your chances of getting the job.

In Person Interviews:

The primary purpose of any first interview is to create a group of strong candidates for the hiring manager. The interviewer will be looking and listening for your formal (such as skills) and informal (such as attitude) qualities and how they match the job description. The interviewer may not be up to speed on the details of the job itself, but they will often work from a script to confirm where you worked, how long you were at each job and what you were paid. Be open about this. You may find this interview to be very easy and it may very well be, but other factors are being considered by the interviewer.

The interviewer may also get into other qualitative areas. Remember, you will be joining a company, their culture and their team. This is important for you to evaluate along with the interviewer. Other things such as enthusiasm, energy and how you express yourself will be considered. With this in mind, there’s no need to break into stand up comedy. Just be yourself and pay close attention to what is being said and closer attention to what isn’t being said.

In the case of smaller and medium sized organizations, this interview may be conducted by the hiring manager. The environment may be more informal, but the rules are the same. Be present to this, no matter how informal the interview may be.

Phone Interviews:

This is more difficult than you think. Two valuable tools, body language and eye contact, are gone, but the “rules” of the first interview are the same. What you have left are your words and your voice, more importantly the tone of your voice. No matter what, always project a positive tone. Smile while you speak. It may feel funny, but the effect of smiling while speaking will significantly help to project your positive tone.

You can expect the interviewer to call you to set a time for the interview. Sometimes the interviewer will want to interview you as soon as you answer the phone. Do not do this. You need time to get mentally prepared and prepare your surroundings. Hearing the kids playing or the dog barking in the background won’t help either. Consider what would happen if your wireless phone battery ran out. You get the point. You need to be prepared. Politely request a mutually agreed upon time where the interviewer can call back. After the introductions, do it right away. Don’t do this after the interviewer has started interviewing. Here’s a suggestion: “I appreciate your call. Can we schedule a time to continue this conversation?”

Smaller and medium sized organizations often do first interviews over the phone. It saves them time. This interview may also be conducted by the hiring manager. The environment may be more informal, but again the rules are the same. Be present to this, no matter how informal the interview may be.

Your resume and cover letter got you your interview. Now your first interview will get you your next interview. Always be focussed on what is present and what is next. You know the end point. You got the job or you didn’t get the job. It is very important to spend more energy on what is present and what is next.

You’ve all read this before. The odds are stacked against you. You can still come out the winner by paying close attention to the details of interest of your prospective employer. On the other hand, hearing “no” is one step closer to “yes”. Always remember that the organization has a requirement. Someone has to get the job. It may as well be you.

Congratulations on getting the interview. Your presentation of your resume and cover letter did what they were supposed to do and probably through an email or a quick phone conversation the interview time is set. That was the easy part. Now comes the hard part. But the hard part isn’t the hard part if you make the time to do what’s right and get ready.

Most interviewers are keen to get to know you as quickly as possible. They are usually well trained to do this. This means that you should expect very direct questions. Regardless of the question, always remain calm and be relaxed when responding. Remember, it is you selling you to the interviewer. Your interview will get you your job. So be prepared.

Below I have listed interviewing techniques and over the next few weeks, I will go into more detail about them and winning strategies for each. Chances are you may have experienced some, or a combination of, or all of these. Why are they used? Because for the purpose of filling an organization’s requirement (the reason for the job in the first place), they work.

There may be others interviewing techniques, but we will focus on these.

They are:

1. The first interview or the screening interview.
2. The phone interview or phone screening interview.
3. The situational interview.
4. The panel or team interview.
5. The behavioral interview.
6. The stress interview.
7. The hiring interview.
8. The inept interviewer interview – not a formal technique, but you should be prepared for it.

mangofizz has identified ninety five (95) interview questions. You can expect many of these during the interviewing process, including the opener that most interviewers will ask, “So tell me about yourself”. Take a moment and think about how you would answer. It’s a tough question. We expect to add more over time, but for now, you can click here to find out the rest.

I realize there is a lot to do to get ready, but the above should provide you with an outline of what to do and expect at all stages of the interview to hire process. I will expand on these interview questions and how to build good answers in the weeks to follow.

How you feel the morning of the interview, the day before, the hour before, will have a big influence on your success, so here are some suggestions.

Breath and Relax: This is the organization’s process, not yours. There is only so much you can do to be ready and you may as well have fun doing it. Nervous is normal. You have value and that is why they have asked you for the interview. And once again, breathe, before, during and after the interview. Calm breathing will remove much of the nervous feeling and focus your thoughts and sharpen your listening.

Smile: Right along side with breathing is smiling. Whenever we meet someone for the first time, a smile is our way of connecting. Keep a genuine smile going during the interview. Like breathing, it will help to focus your thoughts and sharpen your listening.

Make eye contact: If you are breathing and smiling, eye contact will be a natural thing. Good eye contact will again, help you focus your thoughts and sharpen your listening. You will be able to express yourself better. I have experienced some job seekers in the past do what I call the “nervous stare”. Avoid this. If this happens, take a deep breath and smile.

Be positive: Some of the interview questions may not be so nice. They may sound like personal attacks. Again, the organization knows more about the job at this point than you do. They may be seeking traits needed for the job. Remember this: no matter what, always remain positive. And if that fails, breathe, smile and that should help you to get back into a positive state.

Be enthusiastic: This is one area where you can stand out. Enthusiasm is contagious. Ever been around an enthusiastic person? If you are enthusiastic about the job or the company or better yet, both, it will show. If you are enthusiastic about neither, that’s all right. You need to go back and think about what your next job will be.

Be honest: If you are genuine with your answers and how you present yourself, it will show.

I have said this many times. The odds are stacked against you. You can still come out the winner by paying close attention to the details of interest of your prospective employer. The organization has a requirement. Someone has to get the job. It may as well be you.