In order to see yourself as others see you, try role playing an interview as though you were an actor on stage. Role playing can help to put you at ease with potential interview situations and will prepare you to answer many questions.
Levels of role play:
- Role plays alone with the aid of a mirror. Sit in front of the mirror. Ask yourself questions and answer them. Speak aloud in a firm, clear voice, answering your own questions. Watch yourself as you speak. Is your voice trembling? Are there any nervous gestures? If you have any nervous gestures, try folding your hands in your lap, folding them on a table. Keep working until you sound and appear self-assured, calm, and knowledgeable about your background and potential.
- Tape records an interview. Involve friends as the interviewers and try to get their feedback on how you sound.
- If available use a videotape recorder and tape yourself in a mock interview. Video equipment is becoming readily available through schools and professional organizations. Get a friend to act as the interviewer and to critique your performance.
- Ask your friend to create an ad for an employee for her or his imaginary organization. Have your friend write down the "information" about the employer that you might find out during an "employer inventory." Then role play the mock interview as though this were all you knew about the organization. Use the facts of your own real work history, and try to convince your friend to hire you.
- Personality
- Personal interests
- Educational history
- Employment history
Your personality:
Question: Describe yourself as a worker?
Translation: Can you get along with others?
More people are fired because they cannot get along with others than because they lack job skills. When answering this type of question, focus on your interpersonal abilities. Try to picture yourself on the job. Which of your personal qualities would make you the best person to perform those duties? Employers are attracted toward people who are willing to work hard, but tend to avoid the workaholic.
Question:
Describe your greatest weaknesses/strengths?
Translation:
Are you realistic and capable of assessing your work habits?
Be honest in your assessments. Try to show how you are working on turning your weaknesses into strengths.
- Is it salary, benefits, seasonal work that allows you time off?
- The chance to be creative?
- The chance to learn on a job?
Question:
What do you expect to be doing five years from now?
Translation:
How long do you expect to be with this company?
Employers want to hire people with long-term potential. Let the employer know that you expect to remain in the industry, if that is a truthful answer. You might also want to indicate that you would like to assume more responsibility as the years go by.
Question:
Are you willing to relocate? Travel? Work over-time?
Translation:
Will your family commitments interfere with the job? How willing are you to get ahead?
Let the employer know that you are flexible, but set realistic limits on your availability.
Rehearse any problem areas;
On a separate sheet of paper, list some questions you would not want to be asked in an interview. Then think carefully about how you can answer the questions honestly, but without getting into areas you don't want to discuss. Write out the ways you would prefer to answer if the questions ever come up in an interview.
Q: HOW do I establish a realistic salary range?
A: Thoroughly check newspapers, trade journals, private employment agencies, state employment offices,
Companies employing workers with your skills, professional trade associations, and executive recruiters. From your research decide on three figures:
Aspiration level: What is the highest salary you could earn?
Midrange figure: What would you accept after making some concessions?
Bottom line: What is the lowest salary you would accept for a job?
Q: At what point in the interview process should salary be discussed?
A: Don't discuss salary until you are certain you have a firm job offer.
Q: How do I avoid naming too low a figure?
A: Let the employer state a salary range first. Ask something like, "This position sounds like one which would put my abilities to good use. What is the salary range?"
Q: How do I sell my services for the highest price?
A: Be prepared to emphasize your accomplishments, not your needs. Do not hesitate to restate selling points about yourself that you made earlier. Be prepared with concrete evidence of your productivity. If the employer balks at your expectations, try to negotiate a salary review at the end of six months.
Q: How important are fringe benefits? Can good benefits substitute for salary?
A: There are many benefits that can substitute for salary. They include: travel benefits like those airline employees receive, goods at a discount, extra insurance plans or dental coverage, educational assistance, profit sharing or stock options, reduced-interest loans, and company cars.
Winning Interview Strategies:
- You are punctual.
- You check ahead to be sure you know how to get there. If the personnel office is part of a larger complex or in a sizable office building you arrive at the main entrance 15 minutes before the hour of your appointment.
- You act naturally and courteously.
- You dress in businesslike clothing. As a guideline you ask yourself, "What do successful people in this line of work wear?" and dress accordingly.
- You show no interest in the organization.
- You cannot express yourself clearly.
- You use poor grammar.
- You want to start at the top.
- You have no career commitment, evident purpose in life.
- You are unwilling to consider additional training in new skill areas.
- You act cynical, intolerant.
- You have a sloppy personal appearance.
- You listen to the questions carefully. Taking a few seconds to think about your answer, you answer clearly and concisely.
- You do not exaggerate your abilities or experience.
- You respond to all questions. If it is to your advantage, you volunteer information which might concern the interviewer but cannot be legally asked.
- You remember to use the names of the interviewers. You rivet your attention to every introduction. If you don't catch the name, you ask that it be repeated. You use the names as you answer the questions.
- You maintain a posture of interest. You try to establish eye contact with the interviewer as this implies sincerity.
- You are prepared with questions about the job and the company that you are entitled to know: salary range, responsibilities, benefits, supervision and evaluation policies, advancement opportunities.
- You are prepared with credentials and references. You have checked the names, addresses, and phone numbers of former employers and references are spelled correctly and are up-to-date.
- You show serious interest in the job. You are enthusiastic and self-confident.
- You do not criticize yourself or other people.
- You avoid emotional answers or wisecracks.
- You do not smoke.
- You thank the interviewer at the end of the interview, and send a written thank you within the next few days.
- You act overly aggressive, pushy, conceited.
- You put down your last bosses.
- You are evasive about your past work record.
- You have poor body language, lack of eye contact with the interviewer, a weak handshake, slump posture.
- You act nervous, gesture frequently.
- You act negative about school.
- You lack a sense of humor.
- Your mind wanders as you listen to the questions being asked. You answer in a vague way and mumble when you are unsure that you are answering correctly. You do not even try to figure out whether the interviewer has understood what you have said.
- You have not brought along any information that you need about former employers, their addresses or telephone numbers. You have to ask for a telephone directory to fill out the forms, and then you leave it lying carelessly where you used it without bothering to return it to its place.
- You show that you know nothing whatever about the company by looking startled and saying, "Oh, do you make electrical insulators? I didn't know that! What else do you make?"
- You hold up the interviewer from other work that he or she has to do and continue to ask questions after the person has already indicated that the interview is over. This mistake is especially bad if the questions and your ongoing conversation have nothing whatever to do with the interview or anything of interest to the interviewer.
- You fail to thank the interviewer.
