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You Just Don't Get It! - How Job Interviews Are Lost
By Joel Vance
Most companies have business hours. They expect their employees
to be there between those hours. And if they set an interview for a
potential employee at a certain hour, they expect them to be
there. It's a well-worn saying, but time really is money, and putting
an interviewer behind in their schedule, could cost you the job,
despite your qualifications. Walking in late to an interview is the
equivalent of saying, "Hey, Mr. Interviewer, you and this stupid job
aren't important enough to me to get here on time!"
Right behind punctuality on an interviewer's list of requirements is
confidence. Not bravado, and bragging about accomplishments,
but answering questions about your experience, or potential to
learn new things, with directness, honesty, and good eye contact.
When you're sure of yourself, an interviewer finds it easier to be
sure you're the right choice for the job. That doesn't mean that
they won't allow for a certain amount of interview apprehension.
But squirming, wandering eyes, checking your watch, and
lackluster responses to questions, are all indications that an
applicant is feeling less than comfortable, which can be seen as a
drawback if the job requires someone who has the self-assurance
to make decisions and accept responsibility for them.
Remember too, that an interviewer is sitting behind the desk,
looking at you. Someone who shows up in casual or wrinkled
clothes, with hair blown about by the wind, can give the
impression that you either didn't care about your appearance, or
that you're unable to manage your time so there are a few spare
minutes to touch it up.
Even when you are dressed nicely, and have a pleasant smile, all
of that is ruined, if you can't communicate properly. That includes
ummming and ahhhing while answering questions, evading direct
answers, and mumbling. This is particularly bad when the job
interview is for a position dealing with the public.
Nothing, and we mean absolutely nothing, can kill your chances to
nail an interview faster than aggressiveness. Confidence is one
thing, rushing in with unasked for opinions, or taking the
conversational lead from the interviewer without being given the
appropriate opening, is brassy, forward, and considered arrogant.
Many an applicant has found to their chagrin, that premature
inquiries about salary, or other personally focused questions, have
conveyed the impression of self-interest over the company's
interests.
Stop and think about it¡you're selling yourself to the interviewer.
Polish those points before you start off for the appointment. When
in doubt, leave it out. You want to get your foot in the door, not in
your mouth.
This article is provided by www.ThePerfectInterwiew.com, the best
place for learning insider interviewing techniques.
About the Author
Joel Vance is a Human Resources expert who has been in HR for 17 years and interviewed over 3,000 people. He has also taught at 4 major universities around the country and currently has a best selling book on interviewing entitled The Perfect Interview at http://www.theperfectinterview.com
Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/18461.html
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