Improve Your Interviewing Skills Dramatically
Interviews are where the job search action is.  You have to get them; then you have
to do well in them.  According to surveys of employers, most job seekers do not
present the skills they have to do the job effectively.  Even worse, most job seekers
can't answer one or more problem questions.

This lack of performance in interviews is one reason why employers will often hire a
job seeker who does well in the interview over someone with better credentials.  
The good news is that you can do simple things to dramatically improve your
interviewing skills.  This report will emphasize interviewing tips and techniques that
make the most difference.

Your First Impression May Be the Only One You Make

Some research suggest that if the interviewer forms a negative impression in the first
five minutes of an interview, your chances of getting a job offer approach zero.  But I
know from experience that many job seekers can create a lasting negative impression
in seconds.  Since a positive first impression is so important, here are some
suggestions to help you get off to a good start.

Dress and groom like the interviewer is likely to be dressed - but cleaner!  Employer
surveys find that almost half of all people's dress or grooming creates an initial
negative impression.  So this is a big problem.  If necessary, get advice on your
interviewing outfits from someone who dresses well.  Pay close attention to your
grooming too - little things do count.

Be early.  Leave in plenty of time to be a few minutes early to an interview.  A good
rule-of-thumb is to arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled interview time.

Be friendly and respectful with the receptionist.  Doing otherwise will often get back
to the interviewer and result in a quick rejection.

Follow the interviewer's lead in the first few minutes.  It's often informal small talk
but very important for that person to see how you interact.  This is a good time to
make a positive, and genuine, comment on the organization or even something you
see in the office.  Don't use canned complimentary comments, they're really
off-putting.

Do some homework on the organization before you go.  You can often get
information on a business and on industry trends from the Internet or a library.

Make a good impression before you arrive.  Your resume, e-mails, applications, and
other written correspondence create an impression before the interview, so make
them professional and error-free.

A Traditional Interview Is Not a Friendly Exchange

In a traditional interview situation, there is a job opening, and you will be one of
several applications for it.  In this setting, the employer's task is to eliminate all
applicants but one.  the interviewer's questions are designed to elicit infomration
that can be used to screen you out.  And your objectigve is to avoid getting screened
out.  It's fhardly an open and honest interaction, is it?

This illustrates yet another advantage of setting up interviews before an opening
exists.  This eliminates the stress of a traditional interview.  Employers are not trying
to screen you out, and you are not trying to keep them from finding out stuff about
you.

Having said that, knowing how to answer questions that might be asked in a
traditional interview is good preparation for any interview you face.

How to Answer Tough Interview Questions

Your answers to a few key problem questions may determine if you get a job offer.  
There are simply too many possible interview questions to cover one by one.  
Instead, the 10 basic questions below cover variations of most other interview
questions.  So, if you can learn to answer these 10 questions well, you will know how
to answer most others.
Top 10 Problem Interview Questions

  1. Why should I hire you?
  2. Why don't you tell me about yourself?
  3. What are your major strengths?
  4. What are your major weaknesses?
  5. What sort of pay do you expect to receive?
  6. How does your previous experience relate to the jobs we have
    here?
  7. What are you plans for the future?
  8. What will your former employer (or references) say about you?
  9. Why are you looking for this type of position, and why here?
  10. Why don't you tell me about your personal situation?
The Three-Step Process for Answering Interview Questions

I know that might seem too simple, but the three-step process is easy to remember
and can help you create a good answer to most interview questions.  The technique
has worked for thousands of people, so consider trying it.  The three steps are

  1. Understand what is really being asked.
  2. Answer the question briefly.
  3. Answer the real concern

Step 1.  Understand what is really being asked.  Most questions are designed to find
out about your self-management skills and personality, but interviewers are rarely this
blunt.  The employer's real question is often one or more of the following:

  • Can I depend on you?
  • Are you easy to get along with?
  • Are you a good worker?
  • Do you have the experience and training to do the job if we hire you?
  • Are you likely to stay on the job for a reasonable period of time and be
    productive?

Ultimately, if you don't convince the employer that you will stay and be a good
worker, it won't matter if you have the best credentials - he or she won't hire you.

Step 2.  Answer the question briefly.  Present the facts of your particular work
experience, but...

  • Present them as advantages, not disadvantages.

Many interview questions encourage you to provide negative information.  One
classic question I included in my list of Top 10 Problem Interview Questions was "What
are your major weaknesses?"  This is obviously a trick question, and many people are
just not prepared for it.

A good response is to mention something that is not very damaging, such as "I have
been told that I am a perfectionist, sometimes not delegating as effectively as I
might."  But your answer is not complete until you continue with Step 3.

Step 3.  Answer the real concern by presenting your related skills.

  • Base your answer on the key skills you have that support the job, and give
    examples to support these skills.

For example, an employer might say to a recent graduate, "We were looking for
someone with more experience in this field.  Why should we consider you?"  Here is
one possible answer:

"I'm sure there are people who have more experience, but I do have more than six
years of work experience including three years of advanced training and hands-on
experience using the latest methods and techniques.  Because my training is recent,
I am open to new ideas and am used to working hard and learning quickly."

In the previous example (about your need to delegate), a good skills statement might
be

"I've been working on this problem and have learned to let my staff do more, making
sure that they have good training and supervision.  I've found that their
performance improves, and it frees me up to do other things."

Whatever your situation, learn to answer questions that present you will.  It's
essential to communciate your skills during an interview, and the three-step process
can help you answer problem questions and dramatically improve your responses.  It
works!

The Most Important Interview Question of All:  "Why Should I Hire You?"

This is the most important question of all to answer well.  Do you have a convincing
argument why someone should hire you over someone else?  If you don't, you
probably won't get that job you really want.  So think carefully about why someone
should hire you and practice your response.  Then, make sure you communicate this
in the interview, een if the interviewer never asks the questions in a clear way.
Tips on Negotiating Pay

Remember these few essential ideas when it comes time to negotiate your pay.



Employers want to know how much you want to be paid so they can eliminate you
from consideration.  They figure if you want too much, you won't be happy with their
job and won't stay.  And if you will take too little, they may think you don't have
enough experience.  So you never discuss your salary expectations until an employer
offers you the job.



If you are pushed to reveal your pay expectations early in an interview, ask the
interviewer what the normal pay range is for this job.  Interviewers will often tell
you, and you can say that you would consider offers in this range.

If you are forced to be more specific, speak in terms of a wide pay range.  For
example, if you figure that the company will likely pay from $20,000 to $25,000 a year,
say that you would consider "any fair offer in the low to mid-twenties."  This
statement covers the employer's range and goes a bit higher.  If all else fails, tell the
interviewer that you would consider any reasonable offer.

For this to work, you must know in advance what the job is likely to pay.  You can get
this information by asking people who do similar work, or from a variety of books and
Internet sources of career information.
The only time to negotiate is after you have been offered the job.
If pressed, speak in terms of wide pay ranges.
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