Have you recently landed a job interview, from one of the job listings that you applied to? If you have, when is your interview scheduled? If your interview is scheduled to take place in a few days or even in a few hours, are you prepared for it? What you may not know is that most job applicants aren’t. To make sure that you are prepared for your interview, you will want to continue reading on.
When it comes to hiring an applicant, there are many interviewers who do place a large focus on personal appearance. This focus on personal appearance doesn’t just focus on beauty, but hygiene as well. Employers want to hire workers who will give their business a good public perception. That is why it is important that you give that good perception, especially in an interview. When attending a job interview, you will want to make sure that you are professionally dressed, either in a pant suit or a dress. Make sure that your hair is well kept as well. In fact, you may want to think about buying a new outfit or getting your hair done before your interview is scheduled to take place.
Before your interview, you may also want to make a trip to the store to purchase some needed supplies, if you don’t already own them. These supplies may include a notebook, writing utensils, and a thank you note. As for the notebook and a writing utensil, you may want to take notes during your interview. If you applied to more than one job listing, you may have multiple interviews scheduled. Taking notes during your interviews will help you keep all of them straight. Also, taking notes during a job interview makes you look as if you are more interested in the job. It is also shows a side of you that says “I am professional and always prepared.”
As for the thank you note, which was mentioned above, you will want to send a thank you note to your interviewer. A thank you note may also help to create a good, positive impression of yourself. With thank you notes, many have intentions of sending them, but not everyone ends up doing so. Having a standard thank you note already filled out and ready to go is ideal. In fact, you may also want to drop it off at the post off right after your interview has been completed. Of course, make sure that you don’t drop it off beforehand. Should the mail be delivered early or your interview needs to be rescheduled, you may be embarrassed with the early delivery of a thank you note, for an interview that never even occurred yet.
As you likely already know, job interviews are where hiring employers are able to learn as much as they can about you. This is often done by asking a series of questions. The questions that you are asked during a job interview will tend to vary, but most are likely focused around your goals and your work ethics. For instance, you may be asked to describe you strengths and your weaknesses, your goals in life, your desire to move up the corporate ladder and such. Even if these questions are expected to be asked, it can be nerve-wracking when they are actually asked. That is why you may want to do a number of practice interviews. These practice interviews work best with another person, like a family member or a friend, but you can also do them by yourself, like in front of a mirror. Practicing your responses before a job interview is one of the best ways to make sure that your answers come out exactly the way that you wanted them to.
The above mentioned preparation tips are just a few of the many that you may find useful, when it comes to preparing for a job interview. If you are hoping to schedule multiple interviews, you may want to invest in resource guides that focus on successfully mastering the interview process, as that interview process is often the deciding factor in whether or not you get hired.
Questions to Ask During a Job Interview
When it comes to getting a new job or starting a new career, an interview is the first step towards success. The only problem is that many interviewees end up making costly mistakes during their interviews. One of those mistakes is by not asking any questions. You are advised against doing this. Not asking any questions during a job interview gives the impression that you are not a leader, just a follower. That is not the type of impression that you want to make.
When it comes to asking questions during a job interview, you may be wondering what type of questions you should ask. Before examining the type of questions that you should ask, it may be best to focus on the type of questions that you shouldn’t ask. For one, you are advised against asking about the pay or raises, like when they kick in. Salary is something that should be brought up by the interviewer. If and when salary is discussed, you may want to ask about raises, but it is advised that you refrain from doing so, at least right away.
In keeping with questions that you should not ask, many employers give their job applicants information about their company, like a company brochure or a link to their online website. You are advised to thoroughly examine all of the information given to you, whether that information be online or in print. This will prevent you from asking questions that you should already know the answers to. Asking a question about the history of the company, when you were already given detailed history information, gives the impression that you did not read through the materials given to you. This is not the type of first impression that you want to make.
Now that you know some of the questions that you do not want to ask during a job interview, you may want to focus on some of the questions that you can ask, or at least ones that are considered “safe,” to ask. One of those questions is about the average workday or workweek. For instance, ask if you were hired for the job, what would your workdays or workweeks be like? What type of tasks would you be required to complete?
Another question that you may want to ask during a job interview is about the company’s future? Are there any plans for expansion? How does the company rate against the competition? These are interesting questions that show that you want to work for a successful company, one that will be around for a long period of time. Asking about the stability of a company gives a good impression of yourself, as it often means that you are also looking for stability.
You may also want to ask the interviewer some personal questions, but do not go too personal. Trying asking them about how they like working for their company. Ask about when they started working for the company and what level did they start at. If they advanced, ask if it was relatively easy to do? Does the company in question tend to promote from the inside up or do they hire new employees? This may get you on a personal level with the interviewer, which tends to make your interview more memorable.
The above mentioned questions are just a few of the many that you may want to ask an interviewer during a job interview. In all honesty, you are advised to use your best judgment when asking questions, but it is important that you do ask at least some.
