1-3
days before interview -
The Candidate should go to the library or
research through the internet information (web pages, annual reports, Dun
& Bradstreet, articles, etc.) on the company with which they are going to
interview. Being unfamiliar with the company will hurt you 95% of the time
according to a 2004 survey of hiring managers.
Actual Prep Briefing
Bring a couple of hard copies of your
resume and get there 15 minutes early to fill out application. Fill it out
completely. Do not use the phrase "see resume", since most
companies will rely on the application as part of your permanent record, and
not the resume.
Also, when you're filling out the box
marked "salary desired" or a similar listing, simply fill it out
with "open" or "negotiable". Do not list a specific
dollar figure, (more on this later).
Lastly, BE SPECIFIC!
It is imperative, (as more and more
companies do thorough background checks), that your information is accurate
and exact. Academic background, salary, bonuses, financial history, (bankruptcies,
etc.) work history and any arrests will all surface during a background
check.
It is substantially better and easier to
list an 'incident' and subsequently explain it during the interview process
than having to defend why you did not list said 'incident' after its
discovery during the background check. This heart-breaking discovery is
usually not made until the offer has been extended and you're preparing to
resign! Many 'youthful indiscretions' have and will be overlooked in the
interview process. However, an inaccurate or false statement discovered later
is never forgiven. Obviously this goes for the information on your resume
also.
The first 15 minutes of the interview are
the most crucial. They will set the tone for the entire interview. As with
any other interaction, first impressions are lasting ones; so make these
first minutes count.
Perhaps the most important question you can
ask of each individual you'll meet with is something along the following
lines: "I understand you're looking for a (job title), can you tell me
exactly what you need this person to accomplish for you?" If you ask
every single person you meet with this same question; you'll wind up getting
each person’s version of the position, and what exactly each of them is looking
for. This benefits you, the candidate, in two ways:
First, it focuses the presentation of your
background only on the relevant skills that are critical to the particular
opening.
The second benefit is by asking each
individual this question, you'll find that their answers will vary based on
their relationship to the position; i.e. (peer level, immediate supervisor,
human resources, etc.). The benefit of these variances in answers is that
you'll wind up with a much better and more well-rounded perspective of what
the position actually involves. Otherwise, you can wind up with an assumed or
partial description of the job.
Once you've established what the individual
interviewer is looking for, tell him/her why you can do their job. If
you just inform them that "yeah, I can do your job", or you simply
tell them what you've done in the past, this will not be enough to separate
you from your competition. Simply stated, you haven't shown the interviewer
how you might accomplish the primary objectives of their position. It is
generally acknowledged that a candidate who tells the company why he/she can do the job will have a much higher ratio of 2nd interviews (about
4:1) than the candidate who doesn't (about 10:1).
As the interview progresses, and both you
and company are establishing exactly what the position involves, gaps will
inevitably occur between your skill set and the position's requirements. The
good news is that rarely, if ever, is a candidate hired with 100% of the
skill set listed in the job description. More often than not, the figure
resides around 75%, since most quality placements are made with candidates
who are hired for both their expertise and potential. This allows for a
learning curve and career growth within the organization.
Most quality candidates feel a strong
obligation to themselves and to the interviewer to make sure that the company
is aware of the skills that he/she does not have that the position
requires. Candidates tend to spend a lot of time talking about what
experience/technology they don't have, so that should they receive an offer,
there will be no question on the company's part as to what the candidate can
and cannot accomplish. The huge negative here is that instead of discussing
their achievements, many top-flight candidates will waste valuable interview
time stressing what they don't know!
Obviously, as a candidate, you should be
honest about what kind of on-the-job experience you have. However, make sure
you spend the majority of the time on the positive, (what you do know) and
not on the negative (what you don't know). Remember that no company is going
to extend an offer to you if they don't feel you're capable of handling the
position.
Once you've established that you're
somebody who can get the job done for the company, hopefully a rapport or
"chemistry" has developed between you and the interviewer. During
this part of the interview, money and benefits will usually come up for
discussion. Rule of thumb; never ask for information on either of these
subjects. Wait until the details have been offered to you. The interview is
not the time or place to ask about medical benefits, vacation time, salary,
etc. Your DataPath Consultant will make sure that all your questions on these
subjects are answered. These issues are usually addressed after the interview
process is complete, but before or during the offer process.
ALWAYS REMEMBER, THE PLACEMENT PROCESS IS A
TEN RUNG LADDER:
You’re informed for the first time about
the job.
You express some
level of interest, and your resume is forwarded to the company.
The company
expresses interest in your resume, and a first meeting is scheduled.
The first interview
occurs.
The candidate
expresses interest/disinterest in the company to your DataPath Consultant.
The company
expresses interest/disinterest in the candidate to DataPath.
If mutual interest
exists, a 2nd & sometimes 3rd & 4th meetings are scheduled
If mutual interest
still exists, your DataPath Consultant will discuss money and benefits with
both parties.
An offer is
extended to the candidate.
The candidate
decides whether or not to take the offer.
One
of the singular, tragic, career errors made by candidates is skipping this
logical sequence, (often from rung one to ten) based on a simple knee-jerk
response to say, "no, I'm not interested". REMEMBER: The time to
say no to a position is when you've received an offer! Until then, it’s
nothing but self-indulgent speculation to make a decision based on 25%, 40%
or 70% knowledge of the total picture.
After all, when was last the time you
purchased anything without knowing the price? What was the last significant
life decision you made with forty or fifty per cent of the facts? There may
be rare (1 to 5% of the time) situations where there is an obvious miss-match
between you and the company, but these instances are extremely uncommon. Do
not decide in the midst of an interview that this is not the job you want.
Inevitably this disinterest will be evident in your presentation, and you
will rule yourself out before the process even begins!
Money - As far as money/salary is
concerned there are two cardinal rules to observe:
1. When asked what you are making
currently, or were making on your last job, tell the interviewer exactly and
honestly what your base salary is/was, what bonuses/profit sharing your
entitled to, any stock options you may have had, and finally, any impending
review dates (60 days or less).
2. When asked what kind of salary you might
be interested in, NEVER cite a specific dollar amount. An answer along the
lines of the following is far more productive: “Although salary is one of
my key priorities, it's not my number one priority. I'm interested in a
position that will enhance my career path and where I feel comfortable that I
can make a significant contribution. Therefore, I would be willing to listen
to any firm and reasonable offer that you’d care to make me.”
If you’re pressed further, a range that
begins at what you're currently making and extends through an additional
twenty per cent is an excellent rule of thumb. Let's take a look at a
specific example:
Well into the interview, the interviewer
says; "What are you currently earning?" You answer honestly:
"I'm currently at a 95K base plus a 10% bonus." The interviewer
then asks; "What are you looking for dollar-wise?" You respond;
"105K." Suppose (as is often the case) the interviewer was thinking
about at least 110K and was even prepared to go to 115K. Can you guess what
your offer is going to be? There is no doubt that once that interviewer heard
that you would be happy with 105K, that's exactly what you're going to be
offered. Rest assured, your Datapath Consultant will get you as much money as
possible.
(Remember the bigger your salary, the
bigger our fee!)
Closing the Interview -
As with a successful first date (less the
first kiss!), there's usually a mildly awkward moment when all the necessary
information that needed to be discussed has been, and the interview is
concluding. Most candidates will leave it up to the company to handle this
moment, but when used correctly, it can be a great opportunity to capitalize
on a solid interview! Ask the interviewer one of the following questions:
i. (Multiple Interview) - "What can
you tell me about the next person I'm going to be meeting?"
ii. (Final Interviewer) - "What's
the next step in your process, and when might I expect to hear from you?”
Or, if you feel the interview went
exceptionally well; "I've really enjoyed our discussions and wanted
to let you know how interested I am, where do we go from here?"
Another item to remember is to ask for a
business card from the interviewer. This will allow you to remember their
name and title accurately and give you their address or e-mail for the
follow-up thank you note.
These seemingly obvious questions are often
overlooked. The interesting part is how effective they can be in giving you a
strong idea as to the company's interest level in you, their urgency, time
frame for filling the position, and what you might do to prepare for your next
interview. Again, this is another technique designed to separate you from the
pack.
Typical Questions Employers Ask
Why are you looking for a new position?
What do you like/dislike about your current/prior company?
What are your long and short-term goals and
objectives?
When and why did you establish these goals
and how are you preparing yourself to achieve them?
What do you see yourself doing five years
from now?
What do you consider to be your greatest
strengths and weaknesses?
How would you describe yourself?
What motivates you to put forth your
greatest effort?
What qualifications do you possess that
will make you a success in this organization?
What do you know about this organization?
What have you learned from your mistakes?
What criteria are you using to evaluate
various organizations?
What will be the deciding factors behind
your next career move?
What is most important to you about a
company?
Difficult Questions - Throughout the
interview process historically there are some tough questions that can trip
up unprepared candidates. The one common denominator that transcends all of
the following situations is to... BE POSITIVE!
Whether its discussing why you are looking
for a job, what your relationship with you old boss or company was, or what
are your biggest weaknesses, always answer in a positive light, thereby
preventing the interviewer from labeling you as a malcontent, troublemaker,
or failure.
Why do you want to work for this company? - If you've done
your research, this question should pose no problem. However, frivolous
answers like "It's convenient to my home" or "I hear the
benefits are good" can really hurt you here.
Why are you leaving your present job? - Again, avoid the
negatives here. Answers like; "Although I'm not unhappy where I am now,
I'm always on the lookout for greater challenges and increased responsibility
that your situation appears to offer" or "I'm interested in
exploring the potential career opportunities that exist within your
organization that simply are not available to me with my present
organization." are the way to go. This style of answer shows you bear no
malice to your present organization, and therefore keeps you from being seen
in a negative light.
Where do you see yourself in five years? - Somewhere along
the line somebody thought that a good answer to this question is "in
your chair". This is a very dangerous answer, and is generally perceived
as being cocky and presumptuous. A significantly stronger answer would be
along the lines of "I see myself spending a reasonable amount of time
paying my dues and learning about your company's way of doing business, then
gradually gaining increased responsibilities and skills".
What are your weaknesses? - The best answer
here is to communicate your weaknesses as disguised strengths. For example
"I tend to view my users as my clients. Not that I practice the old
saying that the customer is always right, but in my mind their needs are my
priorities and I will often irk my systems co-workers by trying to inform and
accommodate the user community rather than just issue them system's
doctrine.” Or make use of your possible lack of technical skills with a
specific position as a weakness. You can always learn technical skills and
you can illustrate this by referring to your past achievements.
What are your most significant
accomplishments and/or strengths? - You should be prepared to list at least
three, and no more than five, accomplishments from your career. For example
"I was a key member of team that researched new technology, made
recommendations to management, brought that technology in-house, and
developed a new cost accounting system that saved the company approximately
750 thousand dollars annually.” As for strengths, individual personality
traits such as high energy level, enthusiasm, assertiveness,
tough-mindedness, maturity, and social sensitivity are all good answers.
Great Questions to Ask Employers
(Highlighted Are The Best!)
How will I be evaluated in my job? How
often?
How does your company encourage employees
to keep pace with advancing technologies?
What would distinguish one candidate from
another for this job?
How do I prove myself and my commitment to
the company?
When would you want me to start this
position?
What projects are in the development stages
right now?
Do you have plans for expansion?
What is the financial stability of the
company?
Who are your competitors?
What plans does the company have for
becoming more competitive in this industry?
What makes your company different from its
competitors?
What do you like most/least about your
company?
If I am hired, what will be my job
responsibilities?
What do you wish you knew about the company
before you started?
Will I be working on a team or
independently?
What is the company's philosophy toward its
employees?
What do you see as the biggest areas of
needed improvement within the company?
What are the short and long-term strategic
directions of the company?
What characteristics do the achievers in
this company seem to share?
Conclusion - This has been a
lot of information to absorb, don't try to remember it word for word! Keep in
mind that this interview preparation is nothing more or less than the
"rules of the game". How you play the game is as individual as you
are. If you can just keep these relatively simple rules or tools in mind,
your interview should be fun, enlightening, and interesting. And don't forget
to call your DataPath Consultant as soon as possible after the interview.
Good Luck!
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