Job interviews are not that bad, so long as you are prepared. Most interviews are usually preceded by the evaluation of CVs submitted by candidates who have applied for a particular job role; recruiters/employers usually invite the best of these candidates to interview. This step is considered an entrenched part of the hiring process and considered the key step for deciding which candidate is best suited for a particular position. They are still the most common, and the most heavily weighted, pre-employment assessment tool and are your opportunity to show employers why they should hire you and not somebody else.
You will also find that many employers favour some sort of pre-employment testing as part of the selection process so I suggest you read about Psychometric Tests to get an understanding of what that may mean to you.
What job interviews might mean to you:
- Job interviews are usually scheduled to take place after an employer has received all of the written applications for an available position and are mostly in the form of question and answer, so unless you focus on turning your answers into a chance to sell yourself, you may find yourself just waffling.
- Most job interviews are formal; the larger the firm, the more formal and structured the interview will tend to be; the majority are straightforward in terms of personal safety but there are a few simple rules which should always be adhered to: Always tell a friend or relative where you are going and what time they can expect you back.
- They are a two way process, a conversation where they want to get to know you better and you want to find out more about the position. This means you should also be asking as well as answering questions.
- Job interviews are easier for interviewers and the interviewees if you plan and prepare questions and answers, and use proper interviewing techniques. See Interviewing
- While it's certainly true that a majority of job interviews are conducted during traditional business hours, employers will certainly find time outside office hours to interview desirable job-seekers.
- These interviews are strategic conversations with a purpose and though some are conducted over the phone, most take place on company grounds, giving applicants a chance to see the office in action because it is an important part of the hiring process and an opportunity for each of the parties to evaluate the other.
- Because these interviews are more progressive and fast-paced than leisurely social interactions, it’s often necessary to apply a more streamlined version of active listening principles because job interviews are full of opportunities for you to embarrass yourself, but hiring managers are more forgiving than you might think. They don't want to make a fool of you.
- Throughout my career I have conducted many interviews, and the truth is whether you are the candidate or the interviewer, interviews can be challenging and difficult - but you can not only survive but learn to interview well by developing an understanding of what it is the interviewer needs and learning to conduct yourself with confidence and enthusiasm.
- One of the most important, but underrated aspects of the interview is when the interviewer says to you: 'Tell me about yourself' because this seems pretty innocuous, many people fail to prepare for it. To learn the importance of preparing a response to this question go to Tell Me About Yourself. Your answer to this is really quite simple when you think about it this way: The reason you are sitting in the room with this interviewer is to convince them that you are the person they need to hire. Therefore what they want to hear from you are reasons and facts to convince them that you ARE the right person to hire...
Interviews
Interviews should not place undue pressure on interviewees, because people tend to withdraw and become defensive under pressure. Interviews are designed to assess whether you, the candidate, can do the job at hand, whether you'll spring into action once on the job, and whether you fit with the company's culture and management team.
- The benefits of a panel approach to interviewing include: time savings over serial interviewing, more focused interviews as there is often less time spent trying to build rapport with small talk, and direct comparison because each interviewer hears the same answers to the same questions.
- Telephone Interviews may take place if a recruiter wishes to dwindle down the number of prospective candidates before deciding on a shortlist for face-to-face interviews.
- Multiple rounds of job interviews may be used where there are many candidates in competition or the job in question is particularly challenging or desirable.
- Most job interviews start with chit-chat type of questions, these are designed to break the ice and get the conversation flowing. The other half is dedicated to figuring out whether the applicant is good or not.
Interviewer
Interviewers want people who will make things happen and introduce positive change, but at the same time who can preserve the good things and avoid problematical fall-out. Interviewers, being human, are naturally biased and thus discriminatory, whether explicitly or not. They will usually engage in simple pleasantries and ask about your journey but be positive, because they may want to ensure you can get to work regularly and on time.
- In screening interviews, many interviewers will spend more time describing their opportunities than asking you specific questions.
- To help you feel at ease, a practical interviewer might ask 'common-ground' questions about shared interests or acquaintances, or your travel to the job interview.
Employer
Employers are looking for the answer to just 4 questions:
- does the job-seeker have the skills and abilities to perform the job;
- does the candidate possess the enthusiasm and work ethic that the employer expects;
- will the job-seeker be a team player and fit into the organization and lastly
- will the candidate work for the salary the employer wants to pay.
Once all candidates have been interviewed, the employer typically selects the most desirable candidate and begins the negotiation of a job offer.
Candidate
Candidates should generally dress appropriately, i.e. slightly better than they would for work, with an interview suit or other clothes being appropriate for the job interview. Job interviews are not just limited to the typical face-to-face dialogue inside a conference room at an office. White collar candidates may also be asked to deliver a presentation as part of their job interviews and assessment process. Sooner or later, the interview invitation is going to say you are required to give a presentation as part of the job interviews. So your interview presentation skills will be put to the test. And like most people you may dread having to do it. You may think that you cannot speak publicly because of nervousness but all good speakers are nervous, and you can overcome those nerves.
What you can do is control those nerves and make them work for you rather than against you. This page explains that there are several techniques for doing this which you should be aware of and can master easily.
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