Showing posts with label Interviewing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Interviewing. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Reducing Pre-Interview Stress
The video is self-explanatory, but there are a couple important tips for reducing stress before going into an interview. If you have a routine, there's less of a chance that you will be thrown off by something unusual that happens the day of the interview.
First, preparation is vital. Practice is always a good idea, as it reduces the chance that you will not have an answer to an interviewer's question. (More on practicing for an interview in a future post.)
Make sure to research the company and go over any standard interview questions, so you are able to answer questions intelligently. If you're interviewing with a large company, get to know the specific division with the open position. If you're interviewing with a small company, try to find out about the philosophy and history of the company.
Also, get everything ready (clothes, plan your route, etc.) the night before so you don't have to worry about it at the last second. It is a good idea to relax, but try not to do anything that would cause a major hangover the day of the interview.
The alarm clock part is actually pretty good advice, since I've had both my main and backup alarm clocks fail on the same day. This will always happen on the worst possible day, it's a law.
While caffeine may be important to wake up, don't get too wired.
Obviously don't eat a huge lunch right before the interview. The health food "experts" always say to eat multiple small meals during the day, but this is a good recommendation for the day of the interview. Bring water too, you will always get a dry throat right before a big interview or presentation. It's inevitable.
Another tip in the video is also true: don't arrive on time. Arrive early so that you can compose yourself before you go into the interview. Depending on the site, you also may have to go through security and a couple layers of receptionists before getting to the interview. Obviously, you don't want to show up 30 minutes early, but you can wait in your car if you get there way too early.
Here's a good article that includes more tips on how to prepare for an interview.
Good luck on the hunt!
First, preparation is vital. Practice is always a good idea, as it reduces the chance that you will not have an answer to an interviewer's question. (More on practicing for an interview in a future post.)
Make sure to research the company and go over any standard interview questions, so you are able to answer questions intelligently. If you're interviewing with a large company, get to know the specific division with the open position. If you're interviewing with a small company, try to find out about the philosophy and history of the company.
Also, get everything ready (clothes, plan your route, etc.) the night before so you don't have to worry about it at the last second. It is a good idea to relax, but try not to do anything that would cause a major hangover the day of the interview.
The alarm clock part is actually pretty good advice, since I've had both my main and backup alarm clocks fail on the same day. This will always happen on the worst possible day, it's a law.
While caffeine may be important to wake up, don't get too wired.
Obviously don't eat a huge lunch right before the interview. The health food "experts" always say to eat multiple small meals during the day, but this is a good recommendation for the day of the interview. Bring water too, you will always get a dry throat right before a big interview or presentation. It's inevitable.
Another tip in the video is also true: don't arrive on time. Arrive early so that you can compose yourself before you go into the interview. Depending on the site, you also may have to go through security and a couple layers of receptionists before getting to the interview. Obviously, you don't want to show up 30 minutes early, but you can wait in your car if you get there way too early.
Here's a good article that includes more tips on how to prepare for an interview.
Good luck on the hunt!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Scheduling the Interview
So you've sent out resumes, and finally you get a bite: someone wants you to call to schedule an interview.
Have your calendar ready beforehand. Don't begin the call without an idea of what time would work for the interview. However, the hiring manager usually suggests a time first, since they are busy and do not have to interview you. Thus, be as flexible as possible, since you're trying to make a good impression.
(Most of the time, they will call you rather than you call them. In this case, make sure to have a general idea of your schedule when you're job hunting so you can answer these calls. If they call at a bad time, you can politely say that you don't have your calendar at hand and will call them back as soon as possible. Then call them back AS SOON AS POSSIBLE with your calendar ready.
If they don't state a time immediately, be ready to suggest a couple times that would be convenient for you. However, if you suggest a time, don't decide later that it would be a bad time. You're stuck with that time.
When a time really does not work, say that you have other commitments and leave it at that. Don't go into any further explanation unless it would be obvious to everyone that it is more important, such as a doctor's appointment. And don't start explaining why you have to go to the doctor, they don't need the details.
If you know that you really do better in the afternoon, go ahead and try to steer the conversation toward that time, saying that afternoons are really more convenient. But don't say that you're sleeping in past 1 PM!
Above all, be professional. Whenever you're on the phone with a potential employer, be sure to pay attention to what they're saying and present yourself well. Focus on being articulate and polite.
Although you could ignore all of these guidelines to test how much they really want you and are willing to go through to get you on their team, I wouldn't recommend it.
Update: Video uploaded!
Have your calendar ready beforehand. Don't begin the call without an idea of what time would work for the interview. However, the hiring manager usually suggests a time first, since they are busy and do not have to interview you. Thus, be as flexible as possible, since you're trying to make a good impression.
(Most of the time, they will call you rather than you call them. In this case, make sure to have a general idea of your schedule when you're job hunting so you can answer these calls. If they call at a bad time, you can politely say that you don't have your calendar at hand and will call them back as soon as possible. Then call them back AS SOON AS POSSIBLE with your calendar ready.
If they don't state a time immediately, be ready to suggest a couple times that would be convenient for you. However, if you suggest a time, don't decide later that it would be a bad time. You're stuck with that time.
When a time really does not work, say that you have other commitments and leave it at that. Don't go into any further explanation unless it would be obvious to everyone that it is more important, such as a doctor's appointment. And don't start explaining why you have to go to the doctor, they don't need the details.
If you know that you really do better in the afternoon, go ahead and try to steer the conversation toward that time, saying that afternoons are really more convenient. But don't say that you're sleeping in past 1 PM!
Above all, be professional. Whenever you're on the phone with a potential employer, be sure to pay attention to what they're saying and present yourself well. Focus on being articulate and polite.
Although you could ignore all of these guidelines to test how much they really want you and are willing to go through to get you on their team, I wouldn't recommend it.
Update: Video uploaded!
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