~~ Sailing Through an Interview ~~

[Ice.Cream]

Sailing through an interview

You’ve been weeded, sieved, and filtered, and you’ve finally made it to the interview. Now, here’s where you don't want to goof up

The last hurdle of the selection process can be the most trying and tricky. But if you slip up here, honey, you’ve lost the gold. Although you may have the qualifications, experience, and a proven track record, you may lose out to a candidate simply because she `interviews better’.

Now what does 'interviewing better' actually mean? It boils down to the candidate being well prepared and confident -- a candidate who can answer questions in a way which is acceptable (but not necessarily right) to the interviewer, someone who knows something about their potential employers’ business and the post they hope to fill. These are really the basic components of any candidate who `interviews well’. There are undoubtedly other aspects employers may look for in relation to specific posts - having their own ideas, articulate, thinking on their feet, aspects which will be related to the job and to the company's preference in employees.

The employer will also be wanting to fill a post that has a particular job specification. And the interviewer will set out to ascertain that the candidate has these personal qualities, skills, and abilities the company requires.

[Ice.Cream]

Preparation and confidence

These two essential ingredients are inter-linked. Good preparation instils confidence.

So the basic approach to an interview is to be prepared. This means two things - preparing yourself practically for the interview, and gathering knowledge and information you can draw on during the interview.

Meeting the employer

The interview is a chance for you and the employer to get to know one another. It is NOT the time to get to know about the post or the employer’s business.

Gather information about your employer before you are interviewed - what do they do, what are their current projects, what other interests do they have? Ask staff - many companies will offer you the chance to talk about the vacancy with someone, use the opportunity to find out more about the company.

Bigger companies will have PR departments, smaller ones will provide you with some information - libraries can provide information on local business and keep directories of national business. Use the internet - many companies have a presence here now.

Make sure you know what the job entails - get a job description, ask someone in a similar post, call the company to clarify if unsure.

Don't forget you

Remember the employer is interested in you as a person, your experiences, and your opinions (in most cases) Sit down and think about you, who you are, and what you've achieved. It can be highly embarrassing to know more about the employer than yourself.

Sit down with your CV and make notes, about your work record, what you've achieved. Look at yourself as a person in employment - how do you see yourself, what have you done, what ambitions do you have. Make notes and prepare and rehearse sound bites about yourself.

[Dew Drops]

Quite informative Stuff

Encouraging post abt Interviews

Sneha Thanks for sharing