Gain an Edge at Job Interviews

COPYRIGHT © 2014 BY JEFF TAPPER.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CONTROL NUMBER:   2014912228

   ISBN:   HARDCOVER   978-1-4990-1276-7

                SOFTCOVER     978-1-4990-1277-4

                EBOOK               978-1-4990-1280-4

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Rev. date: 07/11/2014

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CONTENTS

Preface

Section 1: Understanding Interviews

Introduction

Purpose of the Interview

What the Employer Wants

Why the Employer Takes Selection So Seriously

Initial Stages of Selection

Don’t Let the Paperwork Let You Down

Make a Pre-Interview Positioning Call

Preliminary or Screening Interviews

Assessment Centres

Recruitment Agencies

Headhunters

Types of Interviews: What to Expect

Basic Structures

All Interviews Are Not the Same: Interview Methods

Types of Interview Questions

Questions to Explain Your Actions

Questions Designed to Lead or Trap You

Other Common Question Types

Pre- or Post-Interview Testing

Purpose of Testing

Types of Tests

How to Prepare for Tests

Section 2: Preparing for Interviews

Handling the Invitation to an Interview

Getting Chosen for an Interview

Responding to the Invitation

Negotiating Interview Times

Pre-interview Research

The Importance of a Job Description

Investigating the Actual Job

What Can You Find Out about the Company?

Discover Who Will Interview You

Pre-interview Preparation and Practice

Getting Organised

Interview Planning

Prepare Your Thinking and Potential Responses

How to Practise for an Interview

What to Bring

Points to Ponder for Your Motivation

Preparing for Poor Interviewers

The Ninety-Day Action Plan

Points to Reduce Interview Stress or Nerves

Points to Ponder

Strategies to Reduce Stress

Planning for Success on the Day

Personal Factors

Should I Bring Somebody with Me?

Why Are Image and Presentation Vital?

What to Wear

Section 3: The Actual Interview

At the Interview

What to Do if You Are Kept Waiting

Proceeding to the Interview

Structure of the Interview

Facts about Interviews

Uncovering the Hidden Criteria

Improving on Speech and Language

Taking Notes at the Interview

Discriminatory Issues

Listening

Smoking

Monitoring Your Time

Reading the Signs

More on the Importance of Body Language

Strategies to Influence the Interviewer

The Importance of Eye Contact

Watch Out for Annoying Habits

The Importance of Hands and Posture

General Interview Advice

About Being Honest

On Being Likable

Memorising Answers

Motivation and Attitude

Strategies on Dealing with Questions

Revealing Your Aspirations

What Interests Are Safe to Disclose?

Questions that Reveal the Desired Response

Thirty-Five Common Interview Questions and Their Answers

Questions on Pay (Salary)

Questions that Should Not Be Asked by the Interviewer

Checklist on How to Fail at an Interview!

Dealing with the Bad Interviewer

The Interview Close

Expectations and Actions at the Close

Common Closing Questions by the Interviewer

Questions You Could Ask

Other Questions You Might Select From

When Invited to Make a Final Statement

Take-Home Assignments

Farewells

Section 4: Post-Interview Strategies

Post-Interview Process and Strategies

What the Interviewers Will Be Doing

Importance of the Thank-You Correspondence

Other Strategies

Post-Interview Self-Examination

Second Interviews

What if You Are Not Offered the Job?

Handling the Job Offer after the Interview

You Are Offered the Job—What Next?

You Get the Offer but Remain Undecided

You Did Get the Job but Decided to Reject

You Are Offered an Alternative Job with the Same Employer

Section 5: Practice Questions

Guide to Interview Practice Questions

Disclaimer

Format for Questions

A Note on Preparing Responses

Question Samples by Criteria, Competency, or Attribute

Preface

This book has been written with the goal of providing you with a complete guide to what can be done to increase chances of selection for the job for which you have applied. It has been written for a wide range of possibilities, and thus you can choose the parts relevant to your situation. It is also full of many practical tips to ponder and traps to avoid, which are general to all interviews.

Although your final selection for a job can never be guaranteed, you will significantly increase your chances through research, good preparation, and use of the many strategies outlined. This book will guide you through that process.

Strategies are included under the three main stages in the interview process:

1. preparation and research

2. being effective during the interview

3. affecting the outcome after the interview.

The initial section of this book will focus on interview types and any pre-interview screening. This will be followed by guidance on recommended actions under the preparation phase. We will then go through the stages from what to do on the day of the interview and also importantly after the interview.

The book includes a set of thirty-five commonly asked questions and guidance on effective answers. The latter portion of the book lists numerous other possible interview questions sorted by selection criteria and attributes from which you can choose the most relevant to your industry and desired post and then use them to practise.

People who conduct interviews may also find this book useful as a question bank resource as there are over 900 questions in the sample section alone.

Throughout this book, the use of words to describe the employer—such as ‘business’, ‘organisation’, or ‘company’—can be used interchangeably. This is also true for the work unit, which could be a team, section, department, or division.

Section 1

Understanding Interviews

Introduction

Purpose of the Interview

Interviews serve many purposes including:

• to determine if you are the right person for the job

• to provide an opportunity to develop initial relationships

• to provide an opportunity to gain more information by either party

• to ensure that you fully understand the post to be filled, including any out-of-hours commitments

• to screen or test you against the required characteristics/skills/attitudes or criteria for the work

• to clarify or verify claims made in writing, which for some jobs may include a skills test, such as typing

• to determine whether your personal qualities and attitudes will fit the current culture

• to determine if you are suitable to proceed to another stage in the selection process, such as a second interview

• to negotiate conditions of employment

• to determine how much supervision you may require

• to determine what you offer compared to others

• to basically get to know you in the shortest possible time.

The overall aim is to allow managers to determine your potential and predict future on-the-job performance against what is required and then rank all applicants to facilitate a decision on the final selection.

What the Employer Wants

The employer doesn’t know you, and judging a person on a written application alone carries risks such as:

• misrepresentation of your abilities (fraudulent claims)

• interpersonal or communication issues not obvious from the written application

• potential understatement of your abilities

• insufficient information to judge your capabilities

• an inability to assess how you will behave (perform) under differing circumstances

• being unable to compare you to other applicants to make a selection.

A written application will not usually indicate whether you have all the required knowledge or skills and whether you will fit in with the culture at that workplace. Communication abilities are often very important in jobs, and that cannot be well assessed on only the written word. The interview also allows body language to aid in the communication process, which allows for more effective judgement of the truth of what you are saying at the interview and also to explore different aspects of your answers.

The employer is thus trying to fill in the gaps and also determine your personal attributes and whether you are likely to stay. They also have the opportunity to tell you more about the work and provide information on the benefits of working for them.

Why the Employer Takes Selection So Seriously

There must be some return for the time and expense incurred through advertising and the business time lost by the selection process. There will be reduced work output as the new workers must train for the work and build their in-house knowledge and skills. During this time, new workers also distract more skilled persons away from their jobs while they provide the required supervision. The selected person must also present the required image and manner to their customers, or else the business may have negative consequences to its reputation. They must have the current skills or potential to manage the work requirements whether they are technical or people-oriented.

If they choose the wrong person for the job, then they may be faced with performance problems, interpersonal conflicts, damaged business efficiency and effectiveness, work injuries, and increased wastage of their product. At times, the whole process may even have to be repeated if the person they selected must be sacked or quits as the work didn’t meet their expectations. The latter point also implies that you should do proper research into the work before applying in order to reduce the possibility of a poor fit and job dissatisfaction.

Initial Stages of Selection

Don’t Let the Paperwork Let You Down

Your written application may be considered and even scored against other applicants’ paperwork to determine a shortlist for the interview. This is why attention to detail is essential. Selection criteria statements must be comprehensive and competitive. Consider some expert input at that stage.

Although beyond the scope of this book, it is important to make a few points about the original application. It is essential that the cover letter is addressed to the correct person with the correct spelling and that it clearly identifies the actual job applied for. The latter is important as the business or organisation may have many jobs advertised at any point in time, and they need to know which one you are seeking. If providing an email address as a means of contact, then please ensure it is appropriate and professional, even if this means setting up a new account separate to that for your friends.

If you have applied for multiple jobs using the same letter, ensure you have made appropriate changes and tailored your response to what the business is seeking. The latter information may be sourced from the job advert, any selection criteria, or other research into the company.

Writing a first-class application letter is vital to getting selected for interview, particularly in a competitive market. The length of the application is usually guided by the employer, who may supply a form to complete or suggest a limit on the total number of pages that you can submit. This is often only a few pages so that the employer can review each curriculum vitae (CV) quickly for shortlisting. If a limitation does not apply, still keep your application papers concise, and include all relevant details that relate to what they are looking for. Generally, the cover letter is brief, and most details are included in the attached CV.

Check for typing and grammatical errors. Word processors have a spelling-and-grammar checker. Use it, and then proofread it also as the wrong word may be accepted by the spellchecker! Avoid submitting written work that has errors obviously corrected or crossed out.

Use good paper, not paper that is crumpled, torn out of a pad, includes inappropriate fancy patterns, etc. Employers usually prefer typed paperwork though they may ask for a handwritten application. Check if you are unsure of the required standard. Those who prefer handwritten ones are looking for neatness as an indicator of taking pride and care in your work. Some handwriting is usually necessary with respect to completing standard ‘application for employment’ forms. Take care when completing these. Ensure that you read any instructions and questions prior to commencement on the form. Errors and messily completed forms may again rule you out at this stage. Consider practising on a photocopy first. Apply caution when completing the name section as they may require either the first name or the surname to be placed first, and these may appear in different boxes. Ensure that you follow any requested order of required responses (e.g. work history from the latest to the oldest work or vice versa).

Format your work into paragraphs with headings and not just a block of text.

If the employer requests a photo of you, then ensure you are dressed as if for an interview. Do not provide a photo if it is not requested as it will not always work in your favour. It can allow bias based on how you look before you even reach the next stage.

Ensure your application is delivered as soon as possible if no closing date is given. If there is a closing date, then ensure it reaches the employer before the close. Consider using registered mail for added security and priority for this mail. If submitting via email, then ensure it is sent earlier than the closing date to allow for possible network outages. Dropping off an application in person may also be possible, but get a written acknowledgement from an employee that it has been received by the employer.

Make a Pre-Interview Positioning Call

To gain a further edge in being selected for the work, try contacting the key decision-maker prior to the interview. Their names may have been in the job advert, or you may need to call to discover who will be interviewing you. There is usually a name for enquiries; otherwise, try the Human Resources (Personnel) Department or the actual department that is responsible for the position. By being in contact prior to an interview, you are already establishing a relationship which will potentially make both you and the interviewer more comfortable on meeting at the interview.

Tip: Be cautious as some adverts will state that you must not contact the business in this way but await an invitation for an interview. To go counter to their request may lead to your rejection.

Confirm if your résumé has been received and ask if there is