THE ROAD TO SUCCESS: A GUIDE TO PREPARING FOR INTERVIEW EXCELLENCE

Transcription

1 THE ROAD TO SUCCESS: A GUIDE TO PREPARING FOR INTERVIEW EXCELLENCE

2 content 02 introduction Schedule & Plan Ahead 07 Practice Makes PerfecT Watch Your Body Language 03 Appearances: Part 1 How You Look Matters 08 know your audience Who Will Interview You 04 Appearances:Part 2 What You Wear Defines You 09 Mental Visualization rehearsal 05 Social media Clean Up Your Account Profiles 09 BEFORE THE INTERVIEW What To Do 06 DO YOUR HOMEWORK Study The Company & Job 10 Communication What To Say & How To Balance 07 Scripted plans Verbal & Mental 11 During the Interview Good Questions To Ask & How To Conclude 1 Insight Talent Solutions

3 Introduction Preparing for interview Success In today s competitive market place for good jobs... You need to think of yourself as more than just your skills and abilities. Rather, you are a total package. Perhaps you ve heard of the term staging from the real estate market. Staging has become a popular way for home owners who wish to sell their property to make it look its best, in order to bring in the highest price and the fastest sale. Likewise, in today s job market, we as professionals need to stage ourselves. From top to bottom, you ll want to present the best you have to offer your potential employer in order to close the deal and get that dream job. The following steps might seem like a bit of work but aren t you worth it? schedule & Plan Ahead Insight Talent Solutions has developed this map from over twenty years of experience preparing candidates for interviews. Advanced scheduling is important. The following are some steps you will want to take to prepare for an interview. For your appearance you will want to do everything from whitening your teeth to purchasing dry cleaning your best power suit Also, your social media accounts should be looking as professional as you. Next, do not forget to double check your resume, study the job description, and learn all you can about the company. Looking good, along with preparation, will make you feel confidant during the interview! Furthermore, be prepared to polish this off by knowing quick to-do's and not-to-do's in interview challenges, as well as having a post-interview action plan. If you follow this roadmap, you ll be on your way to landing that job! 2 Insight Talent Solutions

4 How you Look MAtters... Fresh haircut Make that appointment as soon as you start scheduling interviews. Get a stylish age-appropriate cut (nothing too dramatic or too dated). Avoid drastic, wild hair colors for interview. If you use hair color and it needs a touch up, do that in advance. Men, be freshly shaven Neatly trim your facial hair - including necklines and sideburns. Grooming of neck/ears is strongly suggested. Trim unruly eyebrows - if needed, ask professional hairstylist/barber. Good manicure (Men & Ladies) No need to have them professionally done, just make sure they are clean & neatly trimmed. Have teeth professional cleaned (Smile!) Not only will this reduce surface stains and bad breath, but your teeth will also be polished giving you a brighter smile! Remember: your smile is one of the first things your interviewer Keep jewelry to a minimum Ladies, when in doubt, keep jewelry simple. Remove any facial or tongue jewelry. Ladies, keep your makeup simple as well Avoid heavy/dark eye makeup, eyeliner, and lipstick it is not suitable for an interview. If you wear glasses and time permits, consider a new pair If you are over 40, you d be surprised how much of a difference just a new pair of stylish glasses can increase your chances for the job. Ask for assistance say you are going on an interview and that you d like a modestly stylish pair of glasses. Do not go out of your way to show off tattoos Remember: Any kind of distraction will simply take away from you and your skills/ abilities. sees. It is strongly recommended that you also have Fragrances: The simple rule of interviews - your teeth professionally bleached, especially less is more for professionals who are over 30. Deodorant, yes! Body odor, no! Budget a problem? Home whitening kits are fine. Strong perfumes should be avoided Aftershave should minimal at best AVOID strong fragrances. No smoking (cigars or cigarettes) or strong cooking odors (garlic, onion,spicy foods,etc.) before an interview - the smell will stay on you and sabotage your interview. 3 Insight Talent Solutions

5 WHAT YOU WEAR DEFINES YOU When in doubt, wear a quality suit. Men or Ladies: if you don t have one, buy one! Invest in yourself. You ve invested in your education now invest in your job search attire. Unless your interviewer specifically tells you not to wear a suit wear a suit. Yes, it s that important! if You HAVe A great Suit... It should be professionally dry cleaned. Not sure if your suit has seen its better days? Get a second opinion. Justifying your old suit because you don t want to spend the money on a new one? Think again, a professional suit for interviewing is as important as your skills, abilities, and education. Have the suit be of the highest quality your budget allows. Ask your recruiter in advance what the corporate culture is and consult with a professional clothier for appropriate styles. Take a photo of yourself in your suit and share it with your recruiter or a trusted friend who will be honest with you. If you think you are immune, you re not. Companies have reported the following offenses about candidates who didn t get the job. Be sure not to wear a suit that is too tight, too short, or too long. It should be professionally dry-cleaned. Ladies, be sure your dress or skirt length is appropriate and fits you correctly. Be sure that your heels are not too high. Pumps are best no stilettos. 4 Insight Talent Solutions

6 LinkedIn A well written and up-to-date resume should be on your LinkedIn Profile Make sure to show activity on this site - by communicating with people in your field Have a professionally described list of past experience, talents, and abilities social media Offer to write recommendations of people who you admire-ask for them to return the favor. Employers read those recommendations - lack of them suggests you can t get any Pictures of you should be updated, and yes - be sure to SMILE websites Your social media profiles will be searched! If it s public, it s searchable. If you do not show professionalism in the written and visual content, your chances can be ruined. Your social media reflects to your potential employer what kind of a person you are. Realize that employers will want to learn more about you. Profanity will deter employers from your true competence, as well as extreme viewpoints if they are not professional! Facebook Remove all inappropriate photos, statuses, comments, etc. Remove drinking/partying photos. NO PROFANITY. Edit your education and work experience section: make sure it is up-to-date and accurate! Express posts that are intelligent or have some insight to you as an individual Like in dating, try to avoid religion and politics. LinkedIn 5 Insight Talent Solutions Twitter No inappropriate tweets on your account. NO PROFANITY. Show a positive group of Followers. Tweet intelligent and insightful thoughts/posts that reflect your personal and professional goals. Follow accounts that show off your personal and professional lifestyle that you would want an employer to know. Avoid topics of religion and politics on this account as well. Have a well written, up-to-date resume and photo of you smiling on your LinkedIn Profile. Make sure to show activity on this site by communicating with people in your field. Have a professionally described list of past experience, talents, and abilities. Offer to write recommendations of people who you admire, then ask for them to return the favor. Employers read those recommendations lack of them suggests you can t get any.

7 Study the company & the JoB Do your homework! Read and study the company s mission statement and corporate goals. Look at it this way, don't you want to know about the company you might potentially be working for? Study your resume - rehearse different experiences you gained from each job Use examples of how you can demonstrate your past experience. Review the job description Compare your experiences look for demonstrated examples of your own experiences that match up with that of the job description. Review the LinkedIn profiles of the people you ll interview with: That s right, do find out who you ll be interviewing with. Visit these people s social media accounts and look for common bonds. Where did they go to college? What are their interests? These golden nuggets will net you good results to build a connection with a potential co-worker. Have your route to the interview planned out in advance Having a set path to take to the interview will allow you to relax on the way there. Also, it will give you enough time to mentally prepare for the interview before you arrive. Have your contacts ready Contacts to have on hand in case of an emergency: The client s main office (preferably the employer s direct line) and your recruiter. Also, make sure your phone is charged. 6 Insight Talent Solutions

8 Scripted plans verbal & mental Write your script & practice Your responses to the following questions "Tell us about yourself." Respond by discussing your professional background try not to sound like you are reading your resume. "What are your key strengths?" It s important to build from your professional & educational background. Companies look for trends and accomplishments. They observe your past experience as a baseline for your future behaviors. Tough questions: "What are your weaknesses?" Be prepared to answer this question. It s the one that stumps most candidates. Script this out in the past tense and show how you ve developed a new quality or characteristic. "Why do you want to work here?" If you haven t already studied the company s website and looked at the LinkedIn Profiles of the staff members who work in similar departments, stop here. Go back and do that yes, it s that important! Be fully prepared to have a clear story to tell about what you learned during your research and why you want to work for this company, department, and team. Practice MAkeS PerfecT Watch your body language Are you centered and comfortable? Your eye contact and expressions should be positive, friendly, calm, and focused. Don't forget to smile! Are you sitting with good posture? Dont slouch! Use some gestures, but not too much. Videotape yourself: Yes, that s right! Virtually everyone has a webcam these days, and recording software is free to download. There is no good reason not to practice your interview responses. Dress in your interview attire! Feel the part. Use the script you've prepared from the primary key questions you ve written - now tape yourself responding to them. Listen to how you speak: Are you using clear language? Avoid slang. Don t speak too quickly or too slowly. Do not use any profane language. The best way to test this is to record yourself and watch it. Even better, watch it with a trusted friend. Or if you are working with a recruiter, send a copy so that recruiter can provide constructive advice. 7 Insight Talent Solutions

9 Know your Audience WHo WiLL interview You Technical Manager: If you are speaking to a Technical Manager.. Present examples that are related to the work you d be doing, such as dependability, teamwork, and self-motivation. Human Resources: If you are speaking to a Human Resource representative... Present work examples that demonstrate more about your work habits, such as you ability to work well in a team, your interest in the company, and your motivation to be a good contributor. Subject Matter Experts (SME): If you are speaking with a Subject Matter Expert... Honesty is the rule. When speaking with a SME, if you lie or try to fake it you re done. Not sure how to respond? First restate the question back, ask for clarification and then respond to the best of your ability. If you don t know the answer, say so. At this point, a good way to recover would be to share a story of your past experience when you were confronted with technology or a challenge you had not yet dealt with. Clearly explain the steps you took to find the answer and what you learned from that experience. A SME will respect you for being truthful and resourceful. Executive Leadership: If you are speaking to a Senior Executive... It is important to state clear concise examples, facts, and results be brief and clear. Your examples should be in alignment with corporate goals and objectives. Co-Workers: If you are meeting with a potential Team Member... Be friendly and respectful. Remember, this is who you ll be working with. They want to know if you re someone they d like to work with every day. A potential co-worker will want to know if they can depend on you to carry your weight. Give them examples of teamwork and projects that you can show them you re someone they want on their team. 8 Insight Talent Solutions

10 Mental Visualization Its been said that the best athletes practice before game day. They also tell us that the great ones go beyond that they do a mental rehearsal before the big game. It s now time to apply this method to your interview. Take a few deep breaths and relax. Visualize yourself being prepared and in a calm, positive state. Imagine shaking the hand of the interviewer and exchanging positive smiles and conversation. Mentally ask yourself questions and then respond. Imagine meeting every person on the interview team and feeling calm and relaxed, answering the toughest questions. Remind yourself to tell the interviewer that you re interested in what you ve experienced so far. Ask what the next step in this process. What to do Right before an Interview Be early for the interview. Be there about 10 minutes prior to relax and contemplate your best responses before it starts. When you enter the building TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONE or any other device that could distract you during the interview. DO NOT TAKE A CALL DURING AN INTERVIEW. BE FRIENDLY to everyone from the front door to the end of the interview treat everyone in the company with courtesy and respect. Shake hands firmly but not too firm, with those newly trimmed nails and clean hands. Smile with those newly cleaned, white teeth it makes a huge positive impact. Make positive eye contact. Your new haircut, glasses, manicure, clothes, & shave make you look like a rock star enjoy the moment! When you look good, you feel good. Your confidence will shine through. Remember those demonstrated examples of experience you have brought to the table? Prepare to dish them out. When addressing a skill or ability, you gain significantly more credibility as an expert when you can refer to specific experience from a company you worked at. A great way to begin a response is For example, when working at insert name of company I was able to deliver name that result. 9 Insight Talent Solutions

11 communication WHAt to SAY & HoW to BALAnce Practice these techniques How to overcome interview challenges Script out and rehearse your examples and responses. Show enthusiasm not too much, but do show that you are interested. Balance conversation by asking the interviewer a few questions about themselves and why they love their job. Listen carefully to what the interviewer is telling you. Phrase your questions and answers in such a way to help them see how you can help them achieve their goals. Answer questions but don t over communicate. There is a fine line between over-responding and not giving enough information. A good way to manage information flow upon answering a question is to watch the body language. If you are losing their attention, you ve spoken too long. Stop and say, Does that answer your question, or would you like more information? This is a dialogue be sure to allow your interviewer to participate in the conversation and demonstrate good listening skills. When asked a question, it s ideal to recite it back to the interviewer first So if I understand you correctly, you would like to know about my experience in name that skill, ability, or talent. When responding to a question, answer it and then follow up by asking, Does that answer your question? or, Would you like more information?" 10 Insight Talent Solutions Do not dwell on any personal issues or share too much personal information during an interview. Balance is key be personable but remain professionally poised. DO NOT LIE in an interview. Be truthful answer a touchy question directly, without emotion, and keep it brief. In this case, less is more. Do not speak negatively about a past employer EVER. It s the kiss of death in an interview. If you had a negative experience, resist the temptation to vent during an interview. Instead, practice a postive concise response about why you left a company that wasn t a good fit. Say it succinctly then move on less is more. State weaknesses as a past tense restate that you have now developed a positive characteristic as a result of what you learned from a past weakness Practice how you will say this and get a second opinion. State your strengths in a confident but nonarrogant way. Always present strengths that can be demonstrated through a work or team based example. Watch your script and remember, balance is key. Do you speak concisely? Is your information clear and to the point? Are you including work experience examples? Is your message balanced? Too much or too little can make or break your interview.

12 DUring The Interview good QueStionS to ASk & HoW to conclude What to ask at an interview Ask the interviewer to share their story about how they joined the company and why they like working for the company. Ask about challenges that the department is faced with. Use your demonstrated examples to share how you can help fix their challenges Ask what the short & long term goals are for the department. If the interview seems to be going well, ask, Where do you see me fitting into this department/organization? How to conclude an interview End on a memorable note summarize the most important parts discussed at the interview. Review those most positive points that you picked up during the interview. Restate them as you begin to say goodbye. Examples: I really am happy I had the chance to interview with you today, what I felt really resonated with you was my experience from the state the experience I can see myself matching up well with the culture, team, company Thank you for inviting me in to interview today. I am very interested in the job may I ask what the next step is? Collect business cards of everyone you meet at the interview. What to do after your interview Make notes on the back of the cards about all the most positive points that were discussed about you in the interview with that particular individual. Send out handwritten, hard copy personalized thank you notes to everyone on the interviewing team that you met not just the hiring manager. Call your recruiter for some help in writing the verbiage for these. A personalized card will be remembered and duly noted. In these notes, remind them of who you are and what positive points were discussed. Conclusion This checklist may sound like a lot of work for you. However, Insight Talent Solutions has been working with employers and candidates for over 20 years, proving this to be an excellent checklist to use when preparing for an interview. After talking with numerous clients and candidates, they wholeheartedly agree that the devil is in the details they will improve your chances dramatically. People want to hire people they like but, in the end, it s a total package. To learn more about Insight Talent Solutions, take a look at this video: Credits Written by: Sandra Smith Designed by: Xue Lee and Sasa Knezevic Edited by: Meldon Jones, Lindsay Ryback & Cassandra Czech 11 Insight Talent Solutions