interview tips Archives - Page 2 of 2

When to Follow Up after your Job Interview

April 12 2016 nfougere Interviews 0 comments Tags: interview tips, Job Interview Follow Up, Job Interview Skills, Telphone Interviews

You’ve had a great interview for an amazing job, but you haven’t heard back from the company yet. You wait, and wait, and still no feedback. When is it appropriate to follow up? How much is too much follow up? And what should you do while you’re waiting?

Following Up

Before you get to this point, in fact, at the end of your interview, it’s always a good idea to ask the interviewer when you should expect to hear about next steps. This will help you manage your own expectations during the interview process. If you haven’t heard from them in the timeframe indicated, wait a day or two before you send a follow-up email.

If the interviewer wasn’t able to provide you a timeline (or if you forgot to ask at the end of your interview) and you haven’t heard anything in say 10-14 days, then it’s ok to send a quick follow up email to re-iterate your expressed interest and ask if there is any additional information that you can provide them to help in their decision-making.

It is important to remember that the interviewers are likely very busy with conflicting priorities pulling them in different directions. As such, it is imperative that you show your understanding and that you are positive in your messages to the interviewer(s). After all, you don’t want to be thought of as the “high-maintenance” candidate, or the “prima donna” candidate. In doing so, the interviewers may question your business acumen and assume that this is the type of co-worker or employee you could be.

That said, if you find the recruitment process to be unnecessarily long or that you are being treated unfairly, you may want to question if this is a company for which you would want to work. Remember, interviewing is a two-way street, and you are interviewing the company as much as they are interviewing you.

Continue Your Search

Even if you have given the interview of your life for that dream job at one of your target companies, it is important that you don’t lose your job search momentum. It is essential that you continue your job search in the event that something comes up to derail this opportunity and that you have a backup plan in place. Otherwise, if something does happen and the job opportunity is no longer available, but you haven’t maintained our job search, you could find yourself falling behind in your job search. Trying to catch up in finding another opportunity will take that much longer.

Stay Positive

Staying positive during a job search can be challenging, but it is vital to your job search success. When you feel positive, others (including interviewers) will be attracted to your positivity. Here are a few ways in which you can stay positive during your job search:

Keep in touch with your support network – these are your friends, former colleagues, mentors, and/or family members who encourage you and support you. Lean on them if you need encouragement or simply a break from your grueling job search activities.
Training – this is a great way to update or keep up to date with the latest tools, technology, and/or skills in your chosen field. Not only is this a great way to keep your skills relevant and employable, you may end up making some great connections that will serve you in your job search now, or during your career in the future.
Volunteer – this is a wonderful way to leverage your skills to keep them relevant. Much like with training, you may also make some great connections.
Join a job search networking group – these groups will help you through the challenging times you might be facing or the self-doubt that you might be feeling.
Take care of yourself – this means eating properly, exercise, and getting a good night’s sleep. This is especially true if you are between successes as it is tempting to sit at home on the sofa and eat junk food. Although this may be a guilty pleasure, it shouldn’t become a new lifestyle. Maintain your healthy eating habits, exercise routine (even if it is simply taking the dog for a walk), and be sure to get a good night sleep.

With the pace of change in business today, anything can happen to delay the recruitment process. It is important to remember to be positive in your follow-up with the interviewer(s), continue your job search, and by all means, stay positive during your job search journey.

If you have any other recommendations, please feel free to leave a comment!

There is a bonus blooper reel at the end of the video, so watch ‘til the end!

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3 Interview Mistakes to Avoid

April 03 2016 nfougere Interviews 0 comments Tags: Ace the Interview, interview tips, Interview Tips & Tricks, Job Interview Skills

Interviewing is stressful, and for many people, this stress can cause people to make mistakes. Here are the three biggest mistakes that people make while interviewing and how and why to avoid them.

Mistake 1: Dishonesty

Dishonesty in an interview can range from saying what you think the interviewer wants to hear through to telling an outright lie. Let’s take a look at each scenario separately.

First, saying what you think the interviewer wants to hear will, in most cases, come across as phony. The main objective in an interview should be to present the best version of yourself. If you spend your time “gaming” the interview, then you are not being authentic. Although the interviewer may smile and nod, they will sense that you are not being sincere and this could cost you the job. In addition, your authentic answer to the question may, in fact, be a much better answer than the one you think the interviewers want to hear. As a result, you could be ‘shooting yourself in the foot’ by not being genuine in your answers.

Second, lying is never a good idea. Most savvy interviewers can detect when someone is lying to them, and if caught, then you lies will most certainly cost you the job. For arguments sake, let’s just say that you are a fantastic liar (if so, whatever you do – do not add this to your resume under special skills). If you lie about having a particular skill or qualification and you are hired based on that skill, you run the risk of having an uncomfortable conversation with your boss or, at worst, your employment terminated.

The bottom line is: honesty is the best policy!

Mistake 2: Arrogance

Most people strive for being confident in an interview, but being over confident can be a deal-breaker. I have seen this more with internal candidates and those who were referred by the hiring manager. It gives the impression that the candidate thinks that they have the job ‘in the bag’ and by attending the interview, they are merely checking a box in the recruitment process. Not only can this leave a bad taste in the interviewer’s mouth, but you may also be selling yourself short. By not fully engaging in the interview process, you may end up leaving out pertinent information in the interview that could mean the difference between getting the job and being outperformed by another candidate.

For some, going into an interview is incredibly nerve-wracking and they try to overcompensate their nervousness by exuding confidence. This can backfire and make it look as though you are arrogant. For all of the reasons mentioned above, it is important to maintain a level of modesty in the interview so that you do not appear overly confident.

Preparing for the interview by practicing common interview questions should help to reduce anxiety. Pausing to collect your thoughts in an interview will also help to calm your nervousness. Just remember, even though you may be a front-runner in the interview process, someone else may outshine you.

Mistake 3: Unprepared

As mentioned in a previous blog post, being prepared for an interview is paramount to performing well. Ensuring that you have done your research on the job and company will help you to showcase your skills in the context of the employer’s needs. Preparing your answers to common interview questions will help you feel more confident in the interview. Finally, preparation for the interview may even make you excited about the role and company.

In summary, through proper practice and preparation, and presenting the best version of yourself, you should be able to avoid these common and potentially interview-killing mistakes.

If you would like personalized advice, please check out our services section of this site. If you have any questions, you can leave a comment below, or send me an email!

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How to Answer the 3 Most Common, and Most Difficult, Interview Questions!

March 20 2016 nfougere Interviews 0 comments Tags: Ace the Interview, interview tips, Interview Tips & Tricks

Preparing for your job interview can seem overwhelming. You spend hours preparing only to walk in to the interview to face a series of questions for which you hope you have the right answer. In the video attached, I will discuss the three most common interview questions:

Tell me about yourself.
What is your greatest weakness?
Tell me about a time when….

Tell me about yourself.

First, the “tell me about yourself” question is typically used as an ice-breaker. It seems to be a straight-forward question, but bear in mind that your answer can either reinforce or destroy the interviewers’ first impression of you. This could be good or bad – depending on how good a first impression you make and how well you answer this question. Your answer should be short and relevant, answering the question, why should we hire you. Bottom line: this is where you use your elevator pitch. If you don’t have an elevator pitch prepared, or if you don’t know how to write one, here are some articles I would recommend you read:

Article from Forbes, click here
Article from The Ladders, click here
Article from Self-Promotion for Introverts, click here

A really great book to help with your interview is in the What Colour is Your Parachute series:

What is your greatest weakness?

Second, the “What is your greatest weakness?” question is probably the most over-thought interview question. The interviewer is really looking to see how self-aware, committed to self-improvement, and how able to overcome obstacles you are. Answers to avoid include: I am a perfectionist; I am an over-achiever; or I am a workaholic. These responses are over used and seem insincere. Instead, think of an actual area that you are trying to develop. Identify the strategies you are using to develop, and what improvements you have seen to date. An example can be found in the video.

Tell me about a time when….

Finally, the ever so popular “Tell me about a time when…” question seems to strike fear in the hearts of even the most seasoned interviewers. The use of this question is based on the theory that the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour. Here is where you would insert your “war stories” (“War Stories” were discussed in my previous video, which you can find here) and format your response using the STAR format: Situation, Task, Action, and Result. An example of this can be found in the video.

In summary, part of being prepared for your interview is practicing. Anticipating these questions, preparing your answer, and practicing your response should drastically reduce your interview anxiety. As a result, your performance will skyrocket!

There is a bonus blooper reel at the end of the video, so watch ‘til the end!

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Cross Cultural Interviews: Bridging the Gap

March 18 2016 nfougere Interviews 0 comments Tags: Ace the Interview, Cross Cultural Interviews, interview tips

I received a fantastic question from one of my viewers, Omid, regarding interviewing in different cultures. He asked:

I have experience with interviewing in my home country, but “the problem is our cultural differences. For example, in our culture looking in people’s eye for more than a second is somehow rude or it may imply that you have a question. Or in a professional conversation including an interview we do not smile too much because it may imply that we don’t consider the meeting a serious one. I lived in this culture for 35 years and it is difficult to change my attitude overnight. I successfully pass telephone interviews but my problem starts in face-to-face interviews with branch managers. I fill that we cannot make a personal relationship during the interview and not surprisingly I do not get an offer. I am working on it and try my best to smile, have an eye-contact all the time, but I love to have your advice.”

This is a fantastic question and one that I think a lot of candidates can relate to!

My first piece of advice is to Practice, Practice, Practice! You can try practicing with a friend or family member; your current boss or mentor; or you could even consider hiring a coach to help you through this obstacle. Although family and friends are easier to approach, you would likely feel more comfortable with them and as such, have an easier time making eye contact or smiling. Asking your boss may be awkward, however, if you have a mentor at work or through an organization with whom you volunteer, this person may be an excellent option. Finally, an interview coach is a great option for many people. Interview coaches are professionals who are skilled at conducting interviews and providing helpful feedback to help you improve.

My second piece of advice is to be up-front and honest. In the interview, you may get the question: “What are your areas for development?” This is the perfect answer. You can speak of your challenge with acclimating to the North American cultural norms of smiling in business meetings and looking people in the eye. Then speak to how you are working to overcome it. Then, ask the interviewer to help you during the rest of the interview in improving. Finally, at the end of the interview, ask the interviewer how you did with this obstacle and ask any advice they may have. Using this tactic will help you gain a rapport with the interviewer, potentially move the interviewer to have more empathy for your situation, and possibly provide you with insights on how to improve in this area.

Thank you, Omid, for your question. I’m sure this is on the mind of many people who also struggle with interviewing across cultures.