Tag Archives: job interview

Interview Preparation: Know Yourself

17 Jul

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interview or visit to the dentist? Interview or an hour of traffic on your way home from work? Interview or working on a Saturday? For many of us it would be hard to choose which scenario we would prefer. Why is this? Because we all perceive an interview to be just as uncomfortable, just as painful as a visit to the dentist or sitting in traffic for over an hour or working on a Saturday. Why are we so uncomfortable with the interview process when it is an inevitable step in landing that coveted job that we want so badly? I think it is because people don’t know how to properly prepare for an interview. Sure, we all may get that butterfly feeling in our stomachs right before the interview and that is normal (that means that you care), but we shouldn’t dread going to an interview.

So, outside of knowing about the company (inside and out), knowing whom you are going to be interviewing with, and the inevitable questions you will be asked, i.e. why do you want to work here, how can you better prepare yourself for an interview to make the interview process more comfortable?

KNOW YOURSELF

I think an important part of being comfortable in an interview is knowing who you are, i.e. knowing what your flaws and weaknesses are as well as your good qualities. I am currently reading the book How To Wow by Frances Cole Jones, which is a good read for those of you looking to make a good impression at work and with colleagues. In Chapter 4, Jones discusses the interview process and suggests making a list of 3 words that describe yourself. I know, I know, when an interviewer asks these questions we never know how to answer them correctly – should we be honest or should we make ourselves sound better than we really are? But for this exercise just be honest. Write down 3 words that you think  accurately describes you.

My three words would be as follows: Reserved, Hard-Working, Punctual

NOTE: While it should have been easy for me to come up with three words it was rather hard. I find it very difficult to describe myself to others, but maybe this exercise will be easier for you.

The next step, according to Jones, is to ask those around you whether those descriptions of yourself are accurate. Jones says that doing this will allow you to properly see how others see you, which can be completely different from how you see yourself.

If I were to ask those around me whether I was reserved, some people would agree while others, those that I know very well, would laugh in my face. The reason being that when I don’t know someone well I am reserved and shy, and have been told that sometimes I look unhappy or mean. But for those who know me well, they know that in new situations I am shy and that I am not being mean. The ones who know me well see me as the talkative woman who isn’t afraid to voice her opinion, but for those who just meet me they see something completely different.

So, how does doing this exercise help? For me it is helpful to know that people perceive me as reserved. Why? Because employers want people who are exactly the opposite – talkative, personable, outgoing. So, knowing that I come off as reserved and kind of bitchy helps me know that when interview time comes I need to smile a little more and talk a LOT more. Knowing how others perceive me makes it easier for me to work on my problems before stepping foot inside the interview room.

Is being something that you are not easy? No, but you can work on it. While I would never want to work in a work environment where the people didn’t like me for who I was, I understand that an employer wants an employee that can go out there and talk to potential clients. So, to feel more comfortable in the interview and to have a chance at landing the job it is important to portray that image that the employer wants to see even if it isn’t you all the time. There is nothing wrong with working on your flaws, and for me that means trying to be a little more outgoing.

If you find yourself nervous about the interview process try this exercise. Write down 3 words you would use to describe yourself in a work environment, ask those around you whether those are accurate perceptions, and if some of those perceptions are off try to work on being more like the word you described yourself as.

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Why Sending A Hand Written Thank You Note Is A Mistake

2 Mar

I have talked many times about thank you notes. Whenever you meet with someone, i.e. a client, a potential employer, or a person that is going to get you a new client, you need to send them a thank you note. Since I am a Gen Yer and have grown up with the internet and email readily available at my finger tips, sending a handwritten thank you note has always been foreign to me. In fact, I can’t say that I have ever done it. I prefer to thank people via email. Some people are more old school and think that handwriting a thank you note is more personal and will be more appreciated, but I beg to differ.

Jessica Liebman, Managing Editor of Business Insider, begs to differ too. When asked the question of whether a handwritten thank you note or an emailed thank you note should be sent she said, “I’d strongly suggest going with the email.” Liebman’s suggestion is based on the fact that there are many dangers associated with the handwritten thank you note.

First, if you write a handwritten thank you note there is a delay in the recipient receiving the note. Liebman prefers receiving thank you notes within twenty-four hours of an interview, “while you’re still fresh in the interviewer’s mind.” For me I always find it hard to remember people’s names in general but especially when I am interviewing, so imagine what an interviewer thinks when they receive your handwritten letter five days after the interview. “Who is this girl?” is what they will probably say. Getting it to them as soon as possible ensures that they will remember you and the interview.

Second, the letter may never actually reach your interviewer. The letter could get lost in the mail, delivered to someone else by mistake, or thrown in the trash by the secretary. With email you can ensure that the thank you note will land in their inbox. Whether or not they read it is an entirely different thing.

Third, Liebman says that a handwritten letter “seems old.” I would recommend taking into consideration the type of industry you are interviewing for. If you are interviewing for a social media job, a tech job, or some sort of advertising job, make sure you keep with the times. As Liebman says, “It’s 2012.”

Fourth, the interviewer is less likely to write back to you if your note is handwritten. While some of you might not care about this, I would argue that it is important to hear back from those people you interviewed with. When I interviewed for my current job I went home that night and sent out email thank you’s. Almost instantly some of the people I had interviewed with wrote me back telling me how wonderful it was to meet me. It was comforting for me to receive those emails back because it told me that I had left a big enough impression on them to want to write me back. If I had handwritten a thank you note I would have never received that comfort.

So, the lesson of the day is to send email thank you notes. Have you ever sent an email thank you and received a back reaction?

 

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Questions to Ask in an Interview

7 Feb

The worst part about going on a job interview (in my opinion) is having to think of what questions you are going to ask. For some reason the so-what-questions-can-we-answer question always gets my blood pumping. Of course asking questions can be particularly hard if your interviewer is boring or if you find that you are somehow not all that interested in the company you are interviewing for. But, as we all know, asking your potential employer questions is the best way to know what working there will really be like. When I went on a job interview for my current job I found that when I asked a particular question they were very forthcoming and honest with their answers. They didn’t just tell me what I wanted to hear or fluff up the truth, they told it to me straight, and as a result I found the perfect fit.

Remember that when an employer asks if you have any questions they are not simply trying to be nice or waste time, they are trying to see how well you looked into the company and how interested you are. I have always been of the opinion that asking questions (even if I don’t have any) is better than not asking any at all. It is likely that if you say, “No, I think you talked about everything,” the employer will see that as a red flag. In addition to sending out the red flag notification, asking questions is a way to find out if you really fit in with the company. Here are my suggestions for questions to ask in an interview.

Ask About Things That Have Not Been Covered in the Interview.

These are the types of questions that will not be easily answerable by simply looking at the company website. Rather, they should be more profound, well thought out questions such as:

What will my typical day look like?

What are the immediate projects or concerns that need to be addressed?

Have other people in this position found anything to be particularly challenging?

What are your expectations of this position for the next 12 months?

How much opportunity is there to grow in this position?

How will my performance be reviewed?

Uncover the Companies Dirty Little Secrets (Red Flags).

Have you ever taken a job and then sometime later thought that you should have asked a specific question during the interview process? There are red flags and quirks in every company that the employer may not be willing to mention without being asked first. While it may be hard not to sound to critical or harsh (or tacky), the potential employer should know that these things are better to be found out up front than after you are hired. These types of questions could include:

What is the company culture like?

Which group/people will I be working close with?

Why was the last person to hold this position fired/laid-off?

Why have X [insert number] number of people held this position within the last year?

How has your company managed during this recession?

Why are there no women in the department that I may be working in?

How do the older employees feel about working for a woman who is younger than they are?

Now, some of you may not particularly agree with the second-to-last question, but I in fact asked that one at my last interview AND I asked the last one (in a little different way). While there were many female assistants and paralegals, there were only three female attorneys and I wanted to know why. I also wanted to know why there was no one my age working there. Did they lose a lot of clients in the last few years? Have other younger attorneys been fired? You will find that if you ask the right questions you may just land on one of the company’s dirty little secrets that makes you think twice about taking the job.

Settle Their Doubts.

That thirty minute interview may be the last time you have to impress your potential employer. If you ask the right questions you may be able to talk about your strengths in a way that was not already covered. For example, you could ask:

What skills and experience does your ideal candidate possess?

What attributes is the team looking for?

Is there anything about my experience that worries you?

Asking these types of questions will allow you time to address their worries and also brag about your skills one last time.

Find Out if the Company’s Future is Bleak.

When taking a new job, or leaving a job for another job, it is important to determine whether the company has a future . It is also important to determine whether the leadership within the company is such that it will help the company grow in the future. To decipher this type of information the following questions could be asked:

What direction to you see this company moving in the next five years?

What new products or services is the company planning on hiring?

Does the company offer opportunities for advancement?

Does the company offer training session or professional development opportunities?

How have the executive come to have their positions?

Get Personal.

The best way to leave a lasting impression is to ask personal questions that make the interviewer dig within themselves to answer them. Such questions could include:

What is your favorite part about working for the company?

How have you grown professionally since starting with the company?

How long have you been with the company?

Is there anything you wish someone would have told you before you took the job?

While people do love talking about themselves, make sure that you stop asking these questions if the interviewer seems uncomfortable with it.

Wrap it up.

Every interview should end with you asking about the interview process, such as “What are the next steps in the interview process?” Always express how excited you will be to hear back from them.

Questions to Avoid.

Notice that there was nothing about salary, benefits, bonuses, or vacation on there. While we are all dying to know the answer to those questions, they are completely inappropriate to ask during the interview process. Only discuss these questions if the interviewer brings them up to you, such as when they ask you what your desired salary is.

LASTLY, make sure you ask them whether or not you can provide them with additional information.

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