http://blogs.skype.com/enterprise/2011/04/using_skype_for_your_job_inter.html

Focus On Their Objectives: Make note of specific job requirements both before and during the interview.  Then use story telling to relate specific accomplishments, including results, that testify to the fact that you have the skill, knowledge, experience, and character needed.  You can also use demonstrated behaviors, such as going the extra mile, change agent, etc. based on performance and results from past assignments.

Also, early in the interview, especially if the type of person they are looking for is not clear, ask what kind of an individual they desire for the job.  Now you are armed with specifics about the candidate they are looking for and should take every advantage of emphasizing your proven qualities against those requirements using examples from your past career.  Remember, sometimes it’s easy to forget the purpose of the interview given the dynamics of the interaction.   Stick with their objectives and your achievements and communicate that you are the most qualified candidate for the job.

This tip was provided by James Simak, a coach here at 360JobInterview.com with over 20 years experience as a recruiter and hiring manager.  Find out more about James and schedule an appointment with him on his 360JobInterview.com Coach’s Profile.

We wrote last time about the need to use your nervous energy before a job interview in preparation, studying the company and yourself (view that post here).  In this second part, we’ll focus more on tips for the interview itself.

During the Interview

Listen for hints – The questions and comments from the interviewer will likely give you clues about their preferred traits. Without resorting to flattery, target your answers and questions to these highlighted areas. You may want to have a way to take notes during the interview to help.

Give examples – After giving a stellar answer to an interviewer’s question, there is nothing quite so powerful as giving a past example of how you followed your own advice/value/prioritization/approach. Be sure and have several examples in mind so you can easily pick the best few.

Ask questions – When I hired in the past, the most impressive candidates were those who asked intelligent, open-ended questions about my organization. This showed an interest as well as preparation. It also showed someone who was willing to think (a great addition to any team). I was never attracted to a passive interviewee who simply waited for the interview time to expire.

Ask for a tour of your potential work area if appropriate – This is a simple request but can yield several positive things. First, you get more first-hand, personal education about the company. Second, you can ask more questions to build trust with someone already employed by the company. Third, you show a genuine interest in the organization and how it runs. Fourth, you will pick up valuable culture clues to either encourage your job quest with the company or alternatively scare you away.

At the end of the interview, ask a clean-up question – Here are two examples to get you started.

• “Do you have any other questions about my background?”
• “Do you have any concerns about my background that I could address now?”

Say “thank you” – It amazes me how little this two-word phrase is heard. Use good manners before, during and after the interview. Assume EVERYBODY you meet in or near the company setting has a say in the hiring decision and treat them accordingly. It is impossible to always predict pockets of informal power.

There you have it, 6 tips to utilize during the job interview.  Would you have any others to add?  Please take a minute and share your thoughts in the comments below.

This post was written by Michael Friesen, a coach at 360JobInterview.com. He is the author of Expected End: What Culture Is, Why It Matters and How to Improve It. He is leadership coach and a former CFO and Budget Director for the U.S. government. You can schedule an interview with Michael on his 360JobInterview.com coach page.

Photo iStockPhoto © James Tutor

There’s an interesting post over at USA Today Workforce titled Offbeat Interview Questions Asked to Make You Think. The article gives several examples of questions that are designed to see how you think. Many of the examples are pretty extreme. If you have a moment, click over to the post and check it out.

Have you ever been asked any questions like these? Share some of the questions and your job interview experiences below and help others on the job search. And Thanks!

Interviewing with any company can be intimidating but preparation will help chase away some of the butterflies. Remember it is unusual for a company to hire a candidate who fits the job description 100%. View the position advertisement as a dream sheet. You should have a majority of the traits but just because you’re missing a few parts of the experience does not necessarily knock you out of contention.

Without trying to be too traditional, here are some interview thoughts gleaned from hands-on experience.

Before the Interview

Learn all you can about the company – This is much easier in our era of mega-search engines. Look for names, facts, figures, news, anything, etc.

• What are the recent big news items?
• What are the company’s major services or products?
• What are their guarantees?
• What are the approximate revenues?
• What are the customer service trends?
• Who are the big names?
• How do competitor companies look at your interviewing company?
• If you know somebody at the company, quiz them about the organization.
• If appropriate, see if you can make an appointment with someone at the company for your educational purposes (be careful with this one).

Play stump the dummy – Nothing personal … but prepare a list of the toughest questions you can create based on your intimate knowledge of your own profile. The idea is to train hard to make the actual interview seem easier. Be as tough as you can on yourself during the preparation and you will find yourself more confident at the real event. Here are a few starter questions and you can think of more.

• What is your core message related to the position?
• What are your top 3-5 strengths?
• What are your weaknesses? How do you manage around or offset them?
• What will be the most difficult areas of the new job for you?
• Why are you unique?
• How would you interview yourself if you wanted to paint the most complete picture?
• How will you make up any shortfalls in your experience as it relates to the ideal job description?
• What will you do if you are not selected for the position?
• Do you like the company enough to apply for more positions?
• How will you respond if salary comes up early?

In a future post, we’ll talk more about how to maximize your time during the interview.  To summarize, focus any nervous energy you have on preparation. Write it, say it, and think it (or any combination thereof). This will help with the actual interview and keep anxiety in check. Remember too that a little nervousness will help you be sharper in the interview as well. All the best!

And if you have any thoughts or ideas, take a minute and share your best ideas or experiences in the comments below.

This post was written by Michael Friesen, a coach at 360JobInterview.com.  He is the author of Expected End: What Culture Is, Why It Matters and How to Improve It.  He is a leadership coach and a former CFO and Budget Director for the U.S. government.  You can schedule an interview with Michael on his 360JobInterview.com coach page.

Photo iStockPhoto © Ken Kan

Half Off! That’s Right, 50% off!

Job Interview Coaching, Career Coaching and Resume Building services are all 50% off from March 13 – April 30, 2011.  We want to help job seekers get noticed and get hired.  What better time than now to get a job!  Sign up now and pay for any of the discounted services before the end of April to receive this FANTASTIC sale.

ACT NOW!

To take advantage of this offer, click Job Interview Coaching, Career Coaching or Resume Building and get going!

Professionalism goes beyond a great resume and neat appearance for the job interview. Think about a recruiter’s first interaction with you. What does your email address or your voice mail message say about you and your professionalism?

Voice Greetings

Are your voice greetings professional and tastefully done, understandable and clear? OR, do you have your cute three year old speaking the message? Who can understand him/her besides you?  Do you have background music playing that may be offensive or in poor taste, played too loudly and drowning out your message? Remember your cell phone voice mail as well, if you are using that as your main phone contact number! As a recruiter, if I got a voice mail message that I could not understand, or was in poor taste, I hung up, without leaving a message to call me regarding my job opening. They may have looked like the best candidate for the job on paper, but the impression their voice mail message gave, was the opposite.

Email Addresses

Do not forget the email address. Anyone can get a free Google mail, hotmail, Yahoo etc., account. Your email address should be professional and tasteful, not something risqué, politically incorrect or lacking in common sense. (iamadormable@myfanclub.com does not cut it!) As a recruiter, if I had to ask myself “Why on earth would anyone use that email address for their job search?” I would discount them as a viable candidate to interview. Why you ask? Sounds harsh, but that is the chance you take when you send out your resume. Leave ihavedimples@cutecheeks.com off of everything in favor of a more neutral email address like your.name@whateveremailaccount.com!

If the message or email address were not professional, then it left me with a bad impression. It told me the person lacked common sense, or was not serious about their job search, nor respectful of the potential employer.

Being fully professional with all written and audio information is essential. Get the job – then revert to your old messages with the cute kid giving the message, or an email address that harkens to your playful side.

Photo by iStockPhoto © Jacob Wackerhausen

Interviews today are focused on behavioral-based questions. A behavioral-based question is based on a dimension which is a required competency for the position.  In order to answer this question you will need to relate a previous experience to the interviewer’s question.

An example question might be, “Tell me about a time you had to resolve a customer’s problem? “

In this example the dimension is customer service.  Your response must be focused and to the point. A good way to do this is to practice your answer using these 4 elements to guide you in your response:

• Situation -What occurred that created the problem?
• Task- How did you plan do to resolve the issue?
• Action- What did you actually do, what resources did you need to resolve the issue
• Result- What was the outcome as a result of your action?

In your response cover each element in order.  In the Action step, focus on the actions you took, or “what did you do?”Often the interviewee will answer with what a group did as opposed to their role in a task or project. It takes practice to learn how to accentuate your accomplishments without sounding arrogant.

Companies put more emphasis on multiple interviews and the dimensions required to perform the job. Dimensions are not only on-the-job skill; they are also about job fit. T he interviewer scores the applicant responses which are later discussed by the hiring team to make a final determination to select the best candidate. This is done by scoring the interview with a (+,-) or a numerical value. If you do not answer the question you may receive no value which does not help with your score or getting the job. Usually the interview may ask 10 questions and possibly that could in turn be 30 questions by 3 interviewers.

The bottom line: Be a job interview star! Stick with the Situation – Task – Action – Result (STAR) methodology and focus on your personal accomplishments. Future posts will cover other dimensions and specific approaches for specific types of questions.

Need help now? Make an appointment with your own personal coach@360jobinterview where you can choose from over 300 experienced Human Resource professionals. Choose a pro in your field as they can coach you in developing your action plan.

So, you got the interview.  Congratulations!

Now what?  There is much to do my friend!

How long does it take to make a first impression? Not very long, believe me….the first 5 seconds is all you get.

How long does it take to change that bad first impression?  Basically – you can’t. It is done. You have that hurdle to deal with – and, oh by the way – you are there for an interview…..right?

Let’s discuss how to make that fabulous first impression!

It starts when you get the call to come in for the interview. Ask questions; repeat back the time and date they want to see you, and the location. Google map the location, if you are driving; check bus or train, or ferry  schedules; taxi cab availability etc. ; allow enough extra time. In case there is traffic, you won’t be late. Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes early. Do a dry run a few days before. Make sure your cell phone is charged – in case you are unavoidably delayed – you can call and let them know the reason.

Immediately, look at your wardrobe. You will need clean, pressed clothing that you are comfortable in – no tight fit or loose and baggy! You will be squirming to get comfortable and focus on rather than forming your great responses to their questions.

Casual culture, casual dress code? Go dressed professionally anyway – you are making an impression. Your attire needs to say “I am your person for the job”, regardless of whether it is a casual environment and very informal attire is the norm. Get the job first – then wear the jeans, or other casual clothes to work! There may be times when you are representing the company – and dressing professionally shows them you can dress up

If you don’t have adequate clothing – shop the consignment stores, the clearance sales, and outlet stores, to invest in an interview outfit or two. Get things that can mix and match with what you have, or get one great outfit  – and change it with different shirts, tops or other accessories, so it will look different, should you have more than one interview with the same company. Shoes need to be polished!!! NO flip flops!! If you can wear them when you get the job – great; but NOT before. Tone down the jewelry. Body piercings and tattoos should be covered up. Do not wear any jewelry that is noisy and clangs. You are going to an interview – not nightclubbing.

Let’s talk body preparation. Is your hair neat – or does it need a trim or shape up? Roots showing, color it;  touch up the gray by using a rinse, if you are worried about looking older than you feel; if you have wildly dyed hair color – get rid of it for the interview. Nails need to be clean with no ragged cuticles.   If you wear polish – insure it is not chipped or partially worn off. Facial hair needs to be neat and trimmed.

Do your hands get sweaty? Part of the first impression is to greet your interviewer with eye contact and a firm handshake (No knuckle crunching or limp and flimsy grasps please!). Eye contact and smiling are HUGE. You want to convey you are excited to be there, right? You need to demonstrate your confidence by looking them in the eye and smiling. Fake it until you feel it!

Hygiene: the worst first impression is having body odor or bad breath. Be sure to bathe/shower before the interview; clean hair, use deodorant, brush your teeth, and use mouthwash. Our body chemistry changes when we get nervous. (Carry mints to refresh before you sign in; go to the restroom and wash your hands and dry them completely).

Let’s face it – interviewing is nerve-wracking. It doesn’t have to be. Preparation and confidence can do wonders towards diminishing your anxiety. After all, you are interviewing them just as much as they are interviewing you. They don’t have all the power here! You want to ask them questions (again being prepared in advance: look them up online; study their website; what impact to their business has occurred, and how have they fared in this downturned economy?)More on this topic to come – stay tuned to this blog site for more suggestions on preparation for the interview.

Photo © Jacob Wackerhausen iStockphoto

Do you know how long an HR person takes to read each resume?

It’s about 30 seconds. Think about it…..

$3 Million

Superbowl advertisers paid $3 million for a 30-second spot – even in this economy – the highest ever.  Of course, they are counting on their commercials to be memorable, to gain buyers/consumers of their goods or services; and 106 million pairs of eyes were viewing those ads.

Would your resume stand up to that type of scrutiny?  Would you “hook” them and get buy in from the HR screener, or hiring manager? Fortunately, you are not up against 106 Million people each time you send out your resume.

As my friend Jan Smith (www.janmsmith.com) has often asked her outplacement candidates,  “If a recruiter read your resume at 4:00 p.m. on a Friday – would you WOW them and grab their attention?”, or would they be unimpressed, and add you to their reject pile?

WOW!

What do you need to have a WOW resume? Here are some quick tips:

1. Begin with a well-written, memorable summary that includes your skills, abilities, strengths and experience, in 3-5 concise sentences.
2. Back up your summary with quantifiable  accomplishment statements demonstrating how you made a difference;
3. Use current industry terminology to prove you know what you’re claiming.

You don’t have much time.  Grab the reader’s attention with the summary.  It needs to make them want to read the rest of the resume, even on Friday at 4:00 p.m.

Does your resume pass that test?