Experts Suggest Honing Your Interviewing Skills
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With the jobless rate climbing, there's stiff competition for jobs. As a result, some of the rules for interviewing have changed.
"A lot of people make the mistake when they go into interviews of saying why they are right for the job. What they neglect to do, is to say why the job is right for them," says Ben Dattner, employment consultant and New York University professor. "And by saying, this is why the job would be right for me, you're telling employers that you have some choice, that you have some options, that you have other offers, or that you're confident you will get other offers and that puts you in a more confident position."
Dattner says interviewees need to make a positive, energetic impression within the first few seconds.
While it is important to look professional, experts say it is also essential to sound professional, and that can be done with preparation. Practice answers to some of the tough questions with a friend or family member, so you can answer questions like, why did you leave your last job? And the dreaded, what is your biggest weakness?
Dattner says the worst thing a prospective employee can do is offer a fake response to that question.
"It's a cliché. People say I'm a perfectionist, I care too much, I work too hard, that's likely to seem disingenuous and you're likely not to display the kind of self-awareness and self-criticism that employers are looking for," Dattner says. "Instead say, 'here's an area where I've improved my capabilities over time, where I could still stand to improve my capabilities.' Or 'I've done X but I haven't done Y.'"
Then, Dattner says, tell them how you plan to stretch your professional legs to improve in that area. Maybe you'll take a course, or brush up on your computer skills. Convey that to the employer.
And when the interviewer says, what questions do you have for us? Don't draw a blank: Instead, you can offer up these questions: Who do you view as your competitors? How would you describe the culture of this organization? How has the organization changed over time?
Lastly, Dattner suggests observing people while you're there, to see if you'd fit in well.
"Every experience you have about the interview is data that tells you about the company," Dattner says. "Are people friendly? Do they seem stressed in the hallway? Are they aloof? Are they obnoxious? That says something about the company and the environment at the company."
And can help you decide whether or not you want to work there.