Thursday, July 9, 2009

[NE-Financial-Services-IT-Jobs] Digest Number 335

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1.: The Job Hunt For Seekers: Five Minutes to Job Interview Success From: Gary Wright - Wright Associates

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1.: The Job Hunt For Seekers: Five Minutes to Job Interview Success

Posted by: "Gary Wright - Wright Associates" gary_wright@verizon.net wrightassociates

Wed Jul 8, 2009 7:01 am (PDT)

The Job Hunt For Seekers: Five Minutes to Job Interview Success
by John Challenger

The first five minutes of any job interview are critical in the selection
process.

For candidates seeking employment at a job fair, an initial interview with a
company may last only five minutes. A job seeker has to be qualified in
order to get the job but there will always be several other people who are
equally qualified as far as the interviewer is concerned.

In the end, you will be hired because the interviewer personally likes you
the best, not necessarily because you are the most qualified in the field of
candidates. And many interviewers, especially in a job fair situation, will
know whether or not he or she likes you the best within the first five
minutes!

First impressions are vital, knowing that the interviewer will be speaking
with several candidates within a short period of time. If you do not make a
good impression immediately, the chances are that you will not be able to
recover, however excellent your qualifications are for the job. It is a
sobering thought to the average job seeker.

It means that you have little margin for error in presenting yourself. If
you do make a mistake or present yourself in an unfavorable manner in the
interviewer's opinion, you have erased your likability factor.

If you wish to sell any product successfully, it is necessary to know all
you can about the product. In respect to the job search, the selling is done
at the job interview and the product you must know so thoroughly is
yourself. To maximize your chances of having a successful interview, you
should keep the following points in mind:

1. Look the interviewer directly in the eyes and smile when you meet,
with a firm, but not hard, handshake. You may be surprised how important
those initial gestures are to the interviewer's impression of you.

If you avert your gaze, you may give the interviewer the impression of being
shifty or unsure of yourself. If you give the person a "wet fish" handshake
instead of a solid one, the impression may be that you are timid and
ineffectual. If you crush the interviewer's hand, the pain will dim your
luster.

Smiling sounds simple but is one of the most important rules of the
interview. It sets the tone for the entire session, projecting you as a
pleasant person. Make it a point to look at the interviewer directly when
you are answering his or her questions.

2. Body language is also important. Do not fidget. Assume a
comfortable posture from the outset and avoid shifting your position or
crossing and re-crossing your legs. If you do, it may give the interviewer a
message that you are uneasy or nervous, it can be translated into the
perception you are trying to conceal something that you do not want the
employer to know.

3. Know your resume thoroughly and be ready to elaborate on any point
contained in it. Resumes do not get jobs; interviews do but you have to be
in mental command of all of your important accomplishments.

You cannot take the chance of trying to ad-lib an unprepared answer to a
pivotal interview request such as, "Tell me about yourself." Interviewers
are after specific information about job candidates, not generalities. That
is why you should commit your major accomplishments to memory before going
into any interview.

4. Always try to be "up" psychologically for the interview. That is
often the most difficult thing to do, especially if you have been job
hunting for some period of time, but it is very important for the success of
the interview.

If you appear downcast or depressed, or are unresponsive to the
interviewer's questions or listless in your approach, you will rule yourself
out of consideration for that job. Interviewers want enthusiastic, happy
people who show a strong interest in the job. If you do not, another
candidate most assuredly will.

5. You must do everything you can within moral bounds to get a job
offer, and then evaluate it. Do not be overly concerned about what the job
is in the beginning. Get the offer and then decide if you want it! You
should listen for clues as to what the interviewer wants and try to be the
person he or she wants you to be, within the scope of your own skills,
desires and talents.

Anticipate the interviewer's questions as much as possible and be ready with
all of your homework done. Then let the interviewer pick and choose what is
to be discussed in the interview.

6. Bear in mind that your potential employer is operating within a
limited amount of time, and will talk about what is important to him or her.

Therefore, you should be non-directive: allow the interviewer to choose
exactly what he or she wants to talk about. Most interviews last 20 to 30
minutes at the maximum, so that is no time for you to interject with an
agenda of your own or discuss points that you think should be covered. Doing
that is an invitation to an early exit.

7. Be relaxed: it relaxes the interviewer. Focus all of your attention
on the employer. You want him or her to feel witty, charming, urbane. Why?
Because it makes the person feel good and the better the individual feels in
your presence, the more likely you are to be making a favorable impression.

8. Respond to the interviewer's hospitality; accept anything that is
offered. Even if you do not drink coffee, if the interviewer offers it, take
a sip or two and then just leave the cup. Let that person be the host and
you be the gracious guest.

9. Dress appropriately: conservative business suits, shirts and ties
for men; suits or conservative dresses for women. Avoid any excesses such as
long hair, heavy jewelry or earrings for men, flashy dresses or excessive
makeup for women.

If you handle all of these matters well, you should make a favorable
impression on the interviewer - but do not forget to ask for the "order"
before you leave.

James E. Challenger, president of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., is in
his fourth decade of job search counseling after pioneering outplacement as
an employer-paid benefit. He has authored three books, including Secrets of
the Job Hunt and his most recent Job-Hunting Success for Mid-Career
Professionals.

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The New England Networking Group is Moderated by:

Gary L. Wright - President/Principal - Wright Associates

Wright Associates specializes in High Technology Recruiting Services for the New England Market Place.

Phone: 508-761-6354
Email: mailto:garywright@prodigy.net
Website: www.WrightAssociates.org

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