Acing A First Interview

By: Christina M. Deck

So I like to compare job hunting to dating. You go on interview after interview looking for the right job like you do when you are dating. You date a number of people until you find the right person. You go on date after date sifting through numerous candidates hoping you will find Mr. or Mrs. Right. You are constantly interviewing people and seeing if their credentials fit yours. It took me a long time to find the right person and yes wehad a series of job interviews before we got married.

Job hunting is not an easy task. It is time consuming and in essence, it is like having a full time job, but you do not get paid. I recently read research online which indicated it took 10 interviews before an individual was offered one job. The job market currently is not easy to break into right now. I have worked with very well educated clients who have told me it took them between six to eight months to find a job in the current economic climate. I can empathize with their frustration, as my husband is going through the same process.

Recently, my spouse posed the question, "How Do You Ace an Interview?" I pondered this question for over a week and I read numerous articles on the topic before I started writing my post today. In June, my spouse decided to make a career change for the better and leave his company. He wanted to branch out and explore the world outside the politics of corporate America. We recently met with a family friend who is the Human Resources Director at Ameritas. She gave my husband helpful advice on his career path and the careers he should be seeking after he took a behavioral analysis assessment. With a better understanding of his personality, he knew which careers to pursue in the future with his job search.

Initially, my husband had a hard time finding what he did best. In the past, I utilized Strengthfinder, this book gives you the ability to decipher what your talents are and enhance your skill set. You also want to be in a workplace environment where you thrive and you are a good fit. Gallup now offers Strengthfinder 2.0 and it is a good source for developing and enhancing your talents. This book is a good starting point for anyone seeking to find out their natural born strengths.

Yet his question struck a cord. so you landed that job of interview of a lifetime...yay! But now you must ace that interview....so how do you do that? Where do you begin?

Tips and Strategies for Effective Interview Process

Personally, I strongly dislike phone interviews. You cannot see the person's face or make eye contact or directly make a connection with the person. I prefer face to face interviews. Before an interview, I remembered making lists upon lists. My strengths. My weaknesses. My answers to commonly asked questions. I was overly prepared. First and foremost, over-prepare for an interview.

Do your research about the company. Last week, I wrote about hiring managers looking at your social media accounts. Well, you should be doing the same. Google the company. Find out all the information about them. Get on their web site and read. Learn about the company, learn about the person interviewing you, understand the mission statement, understand its products, services, locations, look at their press releases, read about their history, read about their owners. Also, know the name of the person who is interviewing you. Learn his or her name. Pronounce it properly. Research the person you will be interviewing with and know their history. You may find a common ground with that person.

For example, you may have a shared hobby, you may have attended the same college, you may have children the same age. It never hurts to be overly prepared. And just so you know, they are human too. They are not famous people so do not allow them to intimidate you. Think about why you are a good fit for the job.

I am alway reminded of the episode on the show How I Met Your Mother where Marshall interviews for a new job as an environmental attorney and he realizes when he googles himself a video of him streaking shows up on the Internet. It never hurts to google yourself before an interview at the mere chance you have to combat something negative. We may have done something immature from our youth and you may have to be prepared to face it or deal with it. Be confident and calm if you are met with a challenge.

When you interview, you want to focus on how your skills will benefit them! Keep this in the back of your mind as you interview. Take an interest in your interviewer, keep eye contact, dress the part, don't overdress. Take your time to answer questions thoughtfully and carefully. It is ok to take a moment to think and pause to answer questions. I personally say "um" way too much when I get nervous.

I have also heard a thing or two about tattoos. I have read so many things on Facebook lately about tattoos being an expression of yourself and to respect those people. Yes, I respect you, but most hiring managers do not want to see your tattoos and piercings all over your body. I am being completely honest and straight forward. I have two employees with tattoos on their wrists. Both of my employees are beautiful women, but when they interviewed with me they both had enough respect to ask about tattoos and cover them with bandaids while interviewing with me.

I have read numerous psychological things about humans liking the sound of their own voice and we do. Follow your interviewer's lead. Do not talk too fast. You do not need to over share with the person interviewing you and tell your whole life story. When they ask you to tell them about you, focus on things related to the job and why your background makes you a great candidate for the position. List three or four skills related to the position and/or personal attributes which make you a great candidate.

When you are preparing for an interview, generally you will be asked these questions:

What are your strengths?

List three or four skills related to position.

Frame replies that demonstrate you understand their current issues or problems within the company. Also, demonstrate how your skill set will solve those issues. Visit their Facebook, Twitter, watch company videos, understand their wants/needs and see how your skill set fits in to their overall company structure.

What are your weaknesses?

You always want to focus on the positive in an interview. You may want to focus on a weakness you conquered. For example, you may have been timid and shy when you began working and you were afraid to give your opinion to others, but initially you found the confidence in yourself and your abilities and you blossomed in a company setting with great co-workers who served as wonderful mentors and guides to you. Also you can turn a negative into a positive, for example, you may say you have a hard time delegating tasks to others because you want the job done right the first time and you know you will do it right and correctly.

Be thoughtful about your weaknesses. Do NOT say you work too hard. This is the most cliche answer you could give you a hiring manager. Yes, everyone works and we all work hard. Do not mention any weaknesses which could hurt you. For example, do not say you are bad with math or you are a horrible speller.

What are your accomplishments?

Talk about specific projects. Demonstrate how they are relevant to the position. The goal is to link it all together.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Honestly, I do not even know where I will be in five years. This is a hard question. To any future employer, my advice would be to say something relevant to job and/or position. Never say anything unrelated to them.

How do you deal with conflict or a difficult situation?

We are human and no one gets along perfectly every day. Each day we are faced with different challenges and obstacles which make us think. We meet people who are often irrational and hard to deal with in every day life and who seek to create drama. Just turn on the Real Housewives of any city and you will see it. The best way to approach any conflict situation and resolve it is to be responsible and accountable for your actions. Admit when you are wrong and always remain rational and calm.

Finally, go over your resume before an interview and review it. Also, If you have the opportunity to do a mock interview with a family member or friend, I find this to be very helpful and you can practice reviewing your interview questions and answers. Yes, the questions may differ from what I listed above, but I wanted to give my readers a general idea of how to prepare for an interview. Good luck on your next date!