Interviewing Tips

How to sell yourself in an interview

• Learn as much as possible about the position and the company.
• The more detailed information you have about the company and the position, the better prepared and more interested you look.
• Visit the Company's web site.
• Read and know your resume before the interview.

Tips for putting your best foot forward, when interviewing

• Arrive at least 10 to 15 minutes before the established interview time.
• Allow for unexpected traffic jams or parking difficulties.
• Introduce yourself to the secretary or receptionist.
• Show courtesy and respect to everyone you meet.
• Maintain a warm and friendly behavior.
• Wait to sit down until the interviewer offers you a chair or is seated.
• Treat the interviewer as a potential colleague.
• Maintain an open body position.
• Lean towards the interviewer to show interest.
• Avoid irritating habits such as pen clicking, hair twisting, and foot swinging.
• Do not smoke, chew gum, or even drink coffee during the meeting.
• Relax.

Commonly Asked Questions

• Tell me about yourself...
• Why did you leave your last position?
• Why do you want to change jobs?
• What are your goals?
• What motivates you?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• What are your short-term/long-term goals?
• What do you know about this Company?
• Why do you feel qualified for this job?
• What is your most significant accomplishment?
• How would your boss describe your job performance?
• Why do you think you would be an asset to our Company?
• What are your salary expectations?
• Why haven't you found a position before now?
• How would you evaluate your present/last Company?
• Describe a few situations in which your work was criticized.
• Describe a high-pressure situation you had to handle at work, and what you did in terms of problems solving?

Non-verbal Communication

Non-verbal Communication, such as facial expressions, body movement, and actions express about 65 - 70% of what people communicate.

During the interview, what you express non-verbally, may be as important as what you express verbally.

Keep the following "Body Language" clues in mind:

• Facial Expressions
• Eyes are a key non-verbal indicator. Looking away indicates shyness, dislike, or lack of interest.
• Eye contact indicates a desire for communication, feedback, and friendliness.
• Posture
• The way you sit or stand may convey energy or fatigue, interest or boredom.
• Lean toward an interviewer to indicate interest and enthusiasm.
• Voice and Guestures
• A well-modulated voice with a moderate pitch and inflection conveys interest and appropriate excitement.
• Be aware of gestures, which might convey anxiety and interfere with your message.

Dress Guidelines

The way in which you present yourself is very important - even before you begin the interview. The interviewer will form an opinion of your first appearance. Make that impression a good one and spend the rest of the interview reinforcing that opinion.

• Dress professionally.
• Wear conservative attire.
• Use proper hair cut.
• Have shoes shined.
• Maintain appropriate body posture.
• Maintain strong eye contact.
• Shake hands firmly.
• Avoid using perfume.

Questions to Ask

If time allows, at the end of an interview you might be asked if you have any questions. Asking questions demonstrates interest.

The following are potential questions to ask the interviewer:

• Describe the Company culture?
• What is the potential career path within the Company?
• What are the key responsibilities of the job?
• How is this department organized?
• May I meet other people who work in the area?
• What specific skills and abilities are you looking for?

Counteroffers

Since counteroffers can create confusion and remorse, you should understand what is being asked of you. Counteroffers are typically made in conjunction with some form of flattery.

Counteroffer Examples

• You are too valuable, we need you.
• You can't desert the team/your friends and leave them hanging.
• We were just about to give you a promotion/raise, and it was confidential until now.
• What did they offer, why are you leaving, and what do you need to stay?
• Why would you work for that company?
• The President / CEO wants to meet with you before you make your final decision.

Counteroffers usually take the form of:

• More money
• A promotion/more responsibility
• A modified reporting structure
• Promises or future considerations
• Disparaging remarks about the new company or job

The Reality

Employers don't like to be "fired." Your boss is likely concerned that he'll look bad, and/or that his career may suffer. It's never a good time for someone to quit, and it may prove time-consuming and costly to replace you, especially considering recruitment and relocation expenses. In addition, they know that statistically you are almost certain to leave them in the future.

It's much cheaper and easier to keep you, even at a slightly higher salary. And it would be better to fire you later - on the company's time frame. Bosses who truly care about their employees will wish them the best, offer to act as a reference, and communicate their disappointment.

Having once demonstrated your "lack of loyalty" by having considered looking at another job opportunity, you will lose your status as a "team player" and your place in the "inner circle." You will always be suspected of being on a job interview whenever you are absent from work for any reason.

In addition, numerous studies have shown that the basic reasons for wanting to change jobs in the first place will nearly always resurface. Changes made as the result of a counteroffer rarely last beyond the short-term, no matter how many promises are made.

When making your decision, look at your current job and the new position as if you were unemployed. Which opportunity holds the most real potential? Probably the new one, or you wouldn't have pursued and accepted it in the first place. If you have made the decision to take another job elsewhere you should maintain a firm and final position.

Ten Reasons NOT to Accept a Counteroffer

1. What type of company do you work for if you have to threaten to resign before they give you what you are worth?
2. From where is the money for the counteroffer coming? Is it your next raise, early? (All companies have strict wage and salary guidelines that must be followed).
3. Your company will immediately start looking for a new person at a lower salary.
4. When promotion time comes around, your employer will remember who was loyal, and who wasn't.
5. You have now made your employer aware that you are unhappy. From this day on, your loyalty will always be in question.
6. When times get tough, your employer will begin the cutback with you.
7. The same circumstances that now cause you to consider a change will repeat themselves in the future, even if you accept a counteroffer.
8. Statistics show that if you accept a counteroffer, the probability of voluntarily leaving in six months or being let go within one year is extremely high.
9. Accepting a counteroffer is an insult to your intelligence and a blow to your personal pride, knowing that you were bought.
10. Once the word gets out, the relationship that you now enjoy with your co-workers will never be the same. You will lose the personal satisfaction of peer group acceptance. (source: Bob Marshall, trainer)

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